SUNDAY, AUGUST 15, 2010 Christopher Elliott
KLMNO
Foreign contracts can be a ticket to trouble THE NAVIGATOR
O
n second thought, maybe HaroldyWoods should have paid full fare for her
train ticket from Frankfurt to Passau, Germany. But a ticket agent assured her
that signing up for a Deutsche BahnCard would save her money—about 25 percent off her 80 euro fare. Then she handedWoods a contract for the membership program in German, whichWoods signed. Just one problem:Woods
doesn’t speak German. Three years later, she paid a
price for glossing over the Teutonic fine print. A Netherlands-based collection agency contacted her, demanding 97 euros (about $127). It turns out that the BahnCard is automatically renewed, a fact that she would have known if she’d read the contract. “This is such an injustice,”
saidWoods, a retired flight attendant who lives in Dallas. “The agent never mentioned any recurring charges or annual renewal fees, and I couldn’t read the application in German.” I contacted Deutsche Bahn
on her behalf—I’ll tell you its answer in a moment—because contract problems likeWoods’s are not that uncommon. Travel companies like putting
pieces of paper in front of their customers that are either in German or read as though they were (and as someone who speaks German, I think I’m allowed to ask: Is there really that much difference?). For example, when Kim
Usiak dropped off a friend at Miami International Airport for a flight to Brazil, she witnessed an unpleasant confrontation between a TAMAirlines agent and her friend. “They pulled out a new, one-
page ‘declaration of responsibilities’ [contract] written in Portuguese, which they were now requiring passengers to sign,”Usiak remembered. “We requested an English version but were told
TRAVEL
LUCI GUTIÉRREZ FOR THE WASHINGTON POST Finally,Usiak’s friend
decided to sign the agreement rather than miss her flight. I contacted TAMto get its
side of the story. It didn’t respond. A fewyears ago, I came
across an even more troubling lost-in-translation story. A reader had booked a hotel in Switzerland for a week through a travel agency, but a paperwork mix-up had led him to believe that his daily rate was the weekly rate.Hotels often ask you to sign a slip of paper when you check in, acknowledging the price of your room and any additional charges that may apply. This hotel’s agreement was in French, but the traveler didn’t read French. So his best chance of clearing up the misunderstanding became yet another casualty of the Tower of Babel. His final bill was
considerably higher than he thought it would be. When he balked at paying it, the hotelier
they had none. The basic translation of the document was that TAMwas relinquishing all liability for baggage.” If that sounds absurd (which
it is), then you won’t be surprised by what happened next. WhenUsiak’s friend refused to sign, a supervisor threatened to have her luggage unloaded from the plane.Usiak flipped out her iPhone to record the conversation, and then a TAMemployee threatened to call the police.
threatened to call the police. An expensive lesson learned. Car rental customers encounter the foreign-contract problem all the time. Their travel agent tells them they have a guaranteed rate of $19 a day, but they end up signing an agreement for $39, plus optional insurance, plus fuel purchase option, and before you know it, the rate has quadrupled. What’s worse, they don’t find out about the problem until they return the vehicle and are presented with a massive bill by an employee who can’t speak English. Contracts don’t have to be
written in another language to be meaningless, of course. A few weeks ago, I heard from reader Ilana Goldman, whose travel insurance claim had been denied.Under the terms of her agreement, she had to take her case to arbitration. But the arbitration requirement seems like nothing more than a stalling tactic by the insurance company. The arbitrator refused to accept her case because “the business in this matter has not complied with our requests in the past.” I suggested that Goldman sue the insurance company. The matter has yet to be resolved. And what ofWoods?
Deutsche Bahn denied her request to drop the matter. In an e-mail, a representative explained, to absolutely no one’s surprise, that rules are rules. “As we did not receive a
notice of cancellation in time, the BahnCard for the subsequent period of validity was issued,” he wrote. “In the meantime the account was turned over to a collection agency since we received neither a response to our reminders nor the payment due.” Next time,Woods may want to just buy a train ticket.
Elliott is National Geographic Traveler magazine’s reader advocate. E-mail him at
celliott@ngs.org.
WHAT’STHEDEAL?
LAND lShenandoahNational Park has an End of Summer deal on room rates at its Skyland resort and BigMeadows lodge: Pay $75 a night for a traditional room on select weekdays, vs. the usual $119. Add about $7 in taxes. Stay Aug. 22-26, Aug. 29-Sept. 2 and Sept. 6-9.Use promo code SUMMERENDS. Info: 866-776-4123,
www.visitshenandoah.com/sum merends.
lWith the Family Escape package, two parents and two kids can stay at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld starting at $99 per night (normal rates start at $249) and get free kids’ meals (age 12 and younger), an in-room movie night with pizza and soda, and a 10 percent spa discount. Add $12 in taxes. Travel through Dec. 15.Use promo code P50. Info: 800-834-7015,
www.renaissance
seaworld.com.
lTheHyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay in Cambridge, Md., is offering 45 percent off regular room rates through Sept. 30. With the Summer Sizzle deal, rooms start at $159 double per night Sundays through Thursdays, $199 Fridays and Saturdays. Add an $18 resort fee and about $21 in taxes per night. Stay during CrabWeek, Aug. 23-29, and participate in special crab- inspired activities, some free (picking and cooking demos, crabbing lessons), some not (an all-you-can-eat crab dinner, $30 per person).Use promo code SUMSIZ. Info: chesapeakehyatt
magazine.com/packages.php. Booking: 800-633-7313,
www.chesapeakebay.hyatt.com.
SEA
lOceania Cruises is offering half off its brochure rates, plus free airfare from Dulles Airport, on 32 European cruises. For example, the 10-day Pearls of the Riviera cruise departing Oct. 15, 2011, from Barcelona to Rome starts at $3,699 per person double (instead of $7,398), including taxes. Bought separately, airfare would run about $720 per person.
EZ EE
F3
BIGSTOCK Heading to London? You can get up to two nights’ lodging free.
Purchase by Aug. 31. Info:
www.oceaniacruises.com.
AIR
lAirTran is having a sale to dozens of U.S. cities from Washington area airports. Sample round-trip fares, including taxes: BWI to Rochester,N.Y., $119; BWI to Jacksonville, Fla., $149; Washington Reagan to Milwaukee, $168; Dulles to Sarasota, Fla., $201. Fares on Fridays and Sundays are more expensive. Purchase by Aug. 24; travel through Dec. 15. Other airlines are matching on select routes. Info: 800-247-8726,
www.airtran. com.
PACKAGES
lWith British Airways’ London for Free sale, get up to two free nights’ lodging in London when you purchase round-trip tickets fromWashington to theUnited Kingdom. Solo travelers get one free night, couples two nights. Airfares start at $544 per person from Dulles and BWIMarshall airports, plus about $165 in taxes (cheapest fares are Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays). Sample room savings: Two nights at the PresidentHotel in Bloomsbury go for $294 double, including
taxes. Purchase by Aug. 19 for travel Oct. 21-Dec. 19. Info: 800-247-9297,
www.ba.com/sale.
lTheNassau Paradise Island Promotion Board is offering a $300 air credit to the Bahamas when you book a package that includes a minimum three-night stay. Participating hotels include the Atlantis Paradise Island, BestWestern Bay ViewSuites, SheratonNassau Beach Resort and Comfort Suites Paradise Island. For example, a three- night package at the Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort that includes round-trip air from BWI, three nights’ accommodations and round- trip airport transfers ordinarily costs $1,421 per couple; with the discount, it’s $1,121. Book by Sept. 15 for travel through Dec. 22. Info: 866-789-5485,
www.nassauparadiseisland. com.
—K.C. Summers
Submit travel deals to
whatsthedeal@washpost.com. Please include your phone number and e- mail address. Prices were verified Thursday afternoon when the Travel section went to press, but deals sell out and availability is not guaranteed. Restrictions such as blackout dates and advance purchasemay apply.
Editor: Joe Yonan • Deputy Editor: Zofia Smardz • Art Directors: Marty Barrick, Alla Dreyvitser • Staff Writers: Andrea Sachs, Nancy Trejos • Editorial Assistant: Becky Krystal • Travel Advertising: Joseph E. Teipe Jr., 202-334-6250 • To respond to one of our articles: E-mail
travel@washpost.com, call 202-334-7750 or write us: Washington Post Travel section, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071. Manuscripts: Because of the volume of mail we receive, the
Travel section cannot return or acknowledge unsolicited manuscripts, article proposals or photographs. THURSDAY, SEPT. 30TH ZIGGY MARLEY FRIDAY, OCT. 1ST
ANGIE STONE AND
ESTELLE SATURDAY, OCT. 2ND TONI BRAXTON WWW .BE RMU DA MUS IC FES TIV AL.C OM
BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW AND GET FREE NIGHTS.*
Book now through September 30th for travel from August 22 –October 31, 2010. For moreinformation and to plan your vacation, visit
bermudatourism.com/endlesssummer or contact your local travel professional.
®
*Advertised Ratesare based on the best available average daily rate and arefor single and double occupancyrooms.Offer is available fornewbookings only and valid only at participating hotels: Cambridge Beaches Resort&Spa,TheClear ViewSuites,ElbowBeach, FairmontHamilton Princess,FairmontSouthampton, GranawayGuest House &Cottage,Greenbank &Cottages,GrottoBay Beach Resort& Tennis Club,Newstead BelmontHills Golf Resort&Spa, Pompano Beach Club, TheReefs, Rosedon, RosemontGuest Suites,Royal Palms Hotel, TheSt. George’s Club,SurfSide Beach Club,Tucker’s PointHotel&Spa,Willowbank Resort. Promotion must be booked between July 5th and September 30th, 2010, and is valid fortravelAugust 22nd–October 31st,2010, and is subjecttoavailability.Thefreeroom nightincludes the roomrate only; customers will be charged forthe gratuities and resortfees on the free night. Customers will be charged forthe total stayand the free nightwill be deductedfromthe final hotel folio upon check out.Ratesmayvaryaccording to date of departure, number of persons,room type and meal plan and arebased on availability. Ratesare subjecttoGovernmentTax, Gratuities,and ResortFees and will be reflectedinyour final folio,and aresubjecttochange without notice. Hotels reserve the righttoclose out this promotion at their discretion. Seasonal surcharges, blackout dates, and other restrictionsmayapply.Usual cancellation policies apply,based on individual hotel policies.This offer can be combined with other offers; however, it is up to the individual hotel.This offer is not available forgroups or weddings.Void whereprohibited by law. Offermust be requested at time of booking.
AP PEA RI NG AT THE FA IRM ONT SOU THAM PT ON
BERMUDA MUSIC FESTIVAL
15 th ANNU AL
2010
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