Wahine Charters LLC

How can I edit my complaint? I need to add to it so that it specifically addresses the deceptive web advertisingI would like it to say the following:We recently went on a snorkel with this company to snorkel with manta raysWe did not see any manta raysThe company policy is to take you out again for free if you don't see them, which is great unless you are unsuccessful in seeing them on your last night in HawaiiWe booked our trip over the phone without seeing the website guarantee as we were referred to Wahine by another companyWE WERE NOT ADVISED OF THIS REFUND POLICY OVER THE PHONE when bookingGiven that it was our last night and we could not go out again if we didn't see the mantas, we would not have chosen to go on the trip had we been properly advised of the policyWhen I (nicely) inquired about a refund, or even a partial refund, after returning home I was told that "we have a 96% success rate...and we have to make a living, too." It seems to me that if they have a 96% success rate, and only a portion of that 4% who cannot go out on another trip asks for a refund, that it would be no problem and not impact their ability to make a livingThat's fewer than four refunds out of a hundredIt's called customer service and the cost of doing businessAfter I received this response I found quite a few other "snarky," for lack of a better word, responses to other customers on [redacted] I am not someone who complains or asks for refunds when they aren't warrantedWhile I was offered a free trip for any time in the next three years, we have no plans or ability to visit Hawaii again within that time frameEven if we could, I would not feel comfortable interacting with this company after my customer service experience in this matterTo top it all off, we were told that the website advises of the guarantee policy...and it does, but with an asterisk at the bottom of the pageAT THE TOP OF THE PAGE WHERE THE MANTAS ARE ADVERTISED, IT SAYS "MANTA VIEWING GUARANTEED" WITH NO ASTERISK ALERTING YOU TO THE FACT THAT YOU NEED TO LOOK ELSEWHERE TO SEE THE FULL POLICYIt is deceptive and misleadingIt seems to me that one of two things is going on here - either they have a 96% success rate and just have very poor customer service for the other 4%, or they don't have a 96% success rate and instead have deceptive advertising practicesEither way, a refund is warranted in this matter since we were not advised of the policy and since their website employs deceptive advertising techniquesThis has not been a good experience for us.I would also like to edit the complaint so that my address is hidden from the business Thank you for your assistance, [redacted]

Aloha ***,
I’m sorry the Manta Ray’s didn’t show up the night you came out with usObviously we have no control over these wild, magnificent animalsFortunately, we do get to see the Manta Ray’s about 95% of the timeOur success rate is so high that we offer to take our guest out again for free if they don’t get to see the Manta Ray’s the first timeWahine Charters is one of the very few companies willing to do thisWe feel this is very generous considering the Manta Ray’s are wild animals, and we have no control over when they show upI’m sorry your schedule did not allow you to take us up on our offerWe even extended our invitation to you for yearsI hope you will be able to take us up on our invitation, because viewing the Manta Ray’s at night is an incredible experience
I would like to clarify a few items you mentioned in your letter- In your letter you mention you were referred to us by another companyJust so you know, that company does not offer to go out again for free if you don’t see Manta’sAlso you wrote that you booked your trip with us without knowing we even had a “come again for free” policyIt was only after our Captain told you about it at the conclusion of the trip did you begin demanding a refund.
- Our Manta viewing “guarantee” is very clear in all of our literature, advertising, and websiteIn the past there was an asterisk next to the “guarantee” on our websiteNow it states, “Or come again for free”Hopefully this will clear up any future misunderstanding.
- Customer service and safety are our main goalsWe bend over backwards to take care of our guestYou don’t have to take my word for itWahine Charters has a STAR rating on ***, ***, and ***The Revdex.com gave us an A+ ratingThis would not be possible if we were not taking great care of our guest
***, we hope you are able to make it to Hawaii again soonWahine Charters would love to take you out again for free
Aloha,
Tim
Wahine Charters

How can I edit my complaint? I need to add to it so that it specifically addresses the deceptive web advertisingI would like it to say the following:We recently went on a snorkel with this company to snorkel with manta raysWe did not see any manta raysThe company policy is to take you out
again for free if you don't see them, which is great unless you are unsuccessful in seeing them on your last night in HawaiiWe booked our trip over the phone without seeing the website guarantee as we were referred to Wahine by another companyWE WERE NOT ADVISED OF THIS REFUND POLICY OVER THE PHONE when bookingGiven that it was our last night and we could not go out again if we didn't see the mantas, we would not have chosen to go on the trip had we been properly advised of the policyWhen I (nicely) inquired about a refund, or even a partial refund, after returning home I was told that "we have a 96% success rate...and we have to make a living, too." It seems to me that if they have a 96% success rate, and only a portion of that 4% who cannot go out on another trip asks for a refund, that it would be no problem and not impact their ability to make a livingThat's fewer than four refunds out of a hundredIt's called customer service and the cost of doing businessAfter I received this response I found quite a few other "snarky," for lack of a better word, responses to other customers on ***I am not someone who complains or asks for refunds when they aren't warrantedWhile I was offered a free trip for any time in the next three years, we have no plans or ability to visit Hawaii again within that time frameEven if we could, I would not feel comfortable interacting with this company after my customer service experience in this matterTo top it all off, we were told that the website advises of the guarantee policy...and it does, but with an asterisk at the bottom of the pageAT THE TOP OF THE PAGE WHERE THE MANTAS ARE ADVERTISED, IT SAYS "MANTA VIEWING GUARANTEED" WITH NO ASTERISK ALERTING YOU TO THE FACT THAT YOU NEED TO LOOK ELSEWHERE TO SEE THE FULL POLICYIt is deceptive and misleadingIt seems to me that one of two things is going on here - either they have a 96% success rate and just have very poor customer service for the other 4%, or they don't have a 96% success rate and instead have deceptive advertising practicesEither way, a refund is warranted in this matter since we were not advised of the policy and since their website employs deceptive advertising techniquesThis has not been a good experience for us.I would also like to edit the complaint so that my address is hidden from the business Thank you for your assistance, ***

Complaint: ***
I am rejecting this response because:I need to clarify a couple of points to the merchant in his letter. He said I didn't know about the go out again free policy and didn't ask for a refund until I was told about it - that's correct, because a guarantee normally means money back without further informationSince I had no further information at the time, I thought that was what it meantWhen I was told by the captain about the go out again free policy, while it is generous, it was of no use to us as we could not stay another night and it is very unlikely we will be able to go back to Hawaii even three years from nowWhat I saw on the website was "Manta ray viewing is guaranteed!" under the manta section of the home page where there is a picture of the mantaThis is where I had the issue with the asterisk, and there is still nothing there pointing to the guarantee at the top of the pageHopefully people will see it now that it is at the top of the page in larger and more colorful lettering instead of hidden at the bottom, but "manta ray viewing is guaranteed!" without any further clarification doesn't point to the go out again free policy. My point is, that while the go out again free policy is generous, it is of no use to usI did previously ask for a partial refund, as we did receive some service, and I still feel a partial refund would be appropriateIf there is a 95-96% success rate, then a partial refund for those customers who the go out again free policy truly can be of no use to, would seem like a proper customer service response, far short of "bending over backwards." I can provide any documentation showing that we truly could not go out again because of our flight the next morning, etcWe would have loved to go out again if we couldWe would love to go back to Hawaii in the next year, or three, as the merchant has offered, but it is not realistic for usIf we were able to make it back to Hawaii, we would go out on our first night to see the mantas so we could go every night until we see themIt seems much more economical to issue a partial refund than to take us out again one or more additional times when the merchant could instead be taking out new paying customers. I only inquired about resolution methods through Revdex.com and alternative routes after trying to resolve this with the merchant unsuccessfully and receiving a customer service response that I thought was rude, not because of the answer, but because of the words usedI do appreciate that it seems the merchant is now trying to work with us, and I am not trying to be difficultBut we truly cannot go back to Hawaii and had no other option as far as going out again while we were thereI would be very grateful if the merchant would consider a 50% refund in lieu of the go out again free policy in this particular instance because of our unique circumstancesIn that case, if we were able to come back, though very unlikely, we would pay full price to go out again, having received the 50% refund instead and of course I would realize that this is a one time exception not regularly available to customersI would also have much better feelings about the customer service providedI understand the policy, though I was unaware of it when booking, and I understand that this is a highly rated companyBut, having spent ten years in customer service myself, I know that great customer service sometimes means making an exception to a policyI hope that the merchant will consider my proposal to settle this issue and we can both move forward with good feelings about the experience.
Sincerely,
*** ***

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
I need to clarify a couple of points to the merchant in his letter. 
He said I didn't know about the go out again free policy and didn't ask for a refund until I was told about it - that's correct, because a guarantee normally means money back without further information. Since I had no further information at the time, I thought that was what it meant. When I was told by the captain about the go out again free policy, while it is generous, it was of no use to us as we could not stay another night and it is very unlikely we will be able to go back to Hawaii even three years from now. What I saw on the website was "Manta ray viewing is guaranteed!" under the manta section of the home page where there is a picture of the manta. This is where I had the issue with the asterisk, and there is still nothing there pointing to the guarantee at the top of the page. Hopefully people will see it now that it is at the top of the page in larger and more colorful lettering instead of hidden at the bottom, but "manta ray viewing is guaranteed!" without any further clarification doesn't point to the go out again free policy. 
My point is, that while the go out again free policy is generous, it is of no use to us. I did previously ask for a partial refund, as we did receive some service, and I still feel a partial refund would be appropriate. If there is a 95-96% success rate, then a partial refund for those customers who the go out again free policy truly can be of no use to, would seem like a proper customer service response, far short of "bending over backwards." I can provide any documentation showing that we truly could not go out again because of our flight the next morning, etc. We would have loved to go out again if we could. We would love to go back to Hawaii in the next year, or three, as the merchant has offered, but it is not realistic for us. If we were able to make it back to Hawaii, we would go out on our first night to see the mantas so we could go every night until we see them. It seems much more economical to issue a partial refund than to take us out again one or more additional times when the merchant could instead be taking out new paying customers. 
I only inquired about resolution methods through Revdex.com and alternative routes after trying to resolve this with the merchant unsuccessfully and receiving a customer service response that I thought was rude, not because of the answer, but because of the words used. I do appreciate that it seems the merchant is now trying to work with us, and I am not trying to be difficult. But we truly cannot go back to Hawaii and had no other option as far as going out again while we were there. I would be very grateful if the merchant would consider a 50% refund in lieu of the go out again free policy in this particular instance because of our unique circumstances. In that case, if we were able to come back, though very unlikely, we would pay full price to go out again, having received the 50% refund instead and of course I would realize that this is a one time exception not regularly available to customers. I would also have much better feelings about the customer service provided. I understand the policy, though I was unaware of it when booking, and I understand that this is a highly rated company. But, having spent ten years in customer service myself, I know that great customer service sometimes means making an exception to a policy. I hope that the merchant will consider my proposal to settle this issue and we can both move forward with good feelings about the experience. 
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Aloha [redacted],
I’m sorry the Manta Ray’s didn’t show up the night you came out with us. Obviously we have no control over these wild, magnificent animals. Fortunately, we do get to see the Manta Ray’s about 95% of the time. Our success rate is so high that we offer to take our guest out again for free if they don’t get to see the Manta Ray’s the first time. Wahine Charters is one of the very few companies willing to do this. We feel this is very generous considering the Manta Ray’s are wild animals, and we have no control over when they show up. I’m sorry your schedule did not allow you to take us up on our offer. We even extended our invitation to you for 3 years. I hope you will be able to take us up on our invitation, because viewing the Manta Ray’s at night is an incredible experience.

I would like to clarify a few items you mentioned in your letter.- In your letter you mention you were referred to us by another company. Just so you know, that company does not offer to go out again for free if you don’t see Manta’s. Also you wrote that you booked your trip with us without knowing we even had a “come again for free” policy. It was only after our Captain told you about it at the conclusion of the trip did you begin demanding a refund. 
- Our Manta viewing “guarantee” is very clear in all of our literature, advertising, and website. In the past there was an asterisk next to the “guarantee” on our website. Now it states, “Or come again for free”. Hopefully this will clear up any future misunderstanding. 
- Customer service and safety are our main goals. We bend over backwards to take care of our guest. You don’t have to take my word for it. Wahine Charters has a 5 STAR rating on [redacted], [redacted], and [redacted]. The Revdex.com gave us an A+ rating. This would not be possible if we were not taking great care of our guest. 
[redacted], we hope you are able to make it to Hawaii again soon. Wahine Charters would love to take you out again for free.
 
Aloha,
Tim
Wahine Charters

How can I edit my complaint? I need to add to it so that it specifically addresses the deceptive web advertising. I would like it to say the following:We recently went on a snorkel with this company to snorkel with manta rays. We did not see any manta rays. The company policy is to take...

you out again for free if you don't see them, which is great unless you are unsuccessful in seeing them on your last night in Hawaii. We booked our trip over the phone without seeing the website guarantee as we were referred to Wahine by another company. WE WERE NOT ADVISED OF THIS REFUND POLICY OVER THE PHONE when booking. Given that it was our last night and we could not go out again if we didn't see the mantas, we would not have chosen to go on the trip had we been properly advised of the policy. When I (nicely) inquired about a refund, or even a partial refund, after returning home I was told that "we have a 96% success rate...and we have to make a living, too." It seems to me that if they have a 96% success rate, and only a portion of that 4% who cannot go out on another trip asks for a refund, that it would be no problem and not impact their ability to make a living. That's fewer than four refunds out of a hundred. It's called customer service and the cost of doing business. After I received this response I found quite a few other "snarky," for lack of a better word, responses to other customers on [redacted]. I am not someone who complains or asks for refunds when they aren't warranted. While I was offered a free trip for any time in the next three years, we have no plans or ability to visit Hawaii again within that time frame. Even if we could, I would not feel comfortable interacting with this company after my customer service experience in this matter. To top it all off, we were told that the website advises of the guarantee policy...and it does, but with an asterisk at the bottom of the page. AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE WHERE THE MANTAS ARE ADVERTISED, IT SAYS "MANTA VIEWING GUARANTEED" WITH NO ASTERISK ALERTING YOU TO THE FACT THAT YOU NEED TO LOOK ELSEWHERE TO SEE THE FULL POLICY. It is deceptive and misleading. It seems to me that one of two things is going on here - either they have a 96% success rate and just have very poor customer service for the other 4%, or they don't have a 96% success rate and instead have deceptive advertising practices. Either way, a refund is warranted in this matter since we were not advised of the policy and since their website employs deceptive advertising techniques. This has not been a good experience for us.I would also like to edit the complaint so that my address is hidden from the business.  Thank you for your assistance, [redacted]