Refunds in the face of the unprecedented pandemic

 

We know our refunds process has been a bumpy ride and we apologize for the delays. We can reassure you that we are working hard to return your funds to you as quickly as possible. We have a network of travel partners and suppliers and there are dozens of individual components that make up a packaged holiday/tour, ranging from hotels to tour guides, transportation, meals, entry fees and special experiences etc. Trying to unwind this to obtain a cash refund for each one of those individual components from suppliers has proven to be a difficult task.

In many instances, we have had to constantly, everyday, re-educate ourselves about laws relating to travel restrictions as well as supplier refund and cancellation policies - in order to get the best outcome for customers through out this period.

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Please see below options available in the event of a cancellation due to travel restrictions that specifically states the following: “COVID-19 AND TRAVEL: Do not go overseas. A travel ban is in place.”

 

Based on these Government restrictions, clients will qualify for a full refund but will however remain liable for a R350 initiation fee.

We will continue to review our cancellation fee policy as the situation evolves. Our standard cancellation policy apply for bookings outside of these conditions.

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1. Amend your booking to an alternative date in the future 

We are happy to move your booking forward to a new date in the future and can assist you with re-planning your travel. 

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2. Credit

You can choose to have a credit (less any applicable supplier cancellation fees).

 

• Credit voucher is valid until 31 July 2021, after which you may change your credit for a refund if not used, and no fee will be charged. 

• Most travel products can also be booked around 10 to 11 months in advance meaning you could travel up to October or November 2022, or even later, depending on the booking type.

• There is no cancellation fee charged when you choose a credit.

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3. Refund

Our cancellation fee will be waived for bookings where possible. We will always try to carry out your first preference, however, supplier terms and conditions may affect the availability of this.

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Refund processing times

In a normal trading environment the refund process happens quickly, however, due to the effects of Coronavirus, all suppliers have been inundated with requests which has led to long wait times of at least 8 (eight) weeks. Once we have established the possible refund you are entitled to, you will be required to complete a refund request form, we will then request it from our 3rd party service providers.

 

• For flight bookings, refunds can take as long as 6 (six) months to a year or longer to obtain from the airline.

• For hotel bookings, transfers, activities or and any other service not directly offered by Let`s get Lost (Pty) Ltd, refunds will take 8 (eight) to 20 (twenty) weeks.

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While some providers are able to provide refunds and credits, others have taken longer. Customers will therefore have the option of either receiving their funds in two partial payments or a full refund. Some of our suppliers' terms only allow for a credit held on file with the supplier. In this instance, the credit remains with and is issued by them. Where possible, we will accept the credit on our client`s behalf and process a refund.

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The following is an explanation of how the refund process works within the travel industry:

1. When you request a booking cancellation with us we contact the individual suppliers to cancel each component of your trip. Our suppliers have different processing timeframes and policies.

2. The supplier processes the request and sends the refund back to us (excluding credits that remain with the supplier). This timeframe can depend on a number of factors such as: supplier location, volumes of request and method of refunds.

 

It is however important to note that this process is much more complex when cancellations are requested for group trips.

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We remain committed to assist our customers and will continue to review our policies. 

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Please be safe

 

Regards,

The Let`s get Lost Team