Centralia tour operator files for bankruptcy, customers demand refunds
CENTRALIA, Wash. -- A Centralia tour operator is asking for customer support as it tries to regroup from financial problems. But customers we talked to say Discovery Tours has a lot of questions to answer, starting with "where's my money?"
Discovery Tours specializes in organizing day trips and vacation tours for people over 50. Owner and CEO Melody Miranda says the company has been in business for more than 15 years operating more than 1,200 departures annually for active seniors.
But according the Better Business Bureau, the complaints against the company started increasing back in late 2010. Customers claim their trips were canceled without notice and they had problems getting refunds. Since our first report about the complaints back in August, more unhappy customers have come forward.
"I never have thought this would have ever happened," said Lynda Ash of Tacoma.
Ash and two of her friends say they're out thousands.
"$5,288," said Ash's friend, Esther Cade.
A third friend, Idella Whitford-Stith, says she paid even more - $6,088 - because she booked a single, ocean-view cabin. The women say they paid Discovery Tours nearly two years ago for an 18-day cruise to the Holy Land. They say they were supposed to take off on March 6, 2011, but Discovery Tours canceled the trip twice.
Michelle Gellings and her husband paid more than $2,000 apiece for a cruise to Hawaii from Vancouver, B.C. Gelling says her elderly father paid the same amount.
"5 days before we were to leave for our trip, they called and said our trip has been canceled!" she said.
Complaints are accumulating both with the state Attorney General and Better Business Bureau.
""Now the company basically told us, 'Hey, you know what? We don't want any correspondence with you.' Since 2008 they said this," explained BBB Director of Public Relations David Quinlan.
At Discovery Tours' address in Centralia, we found no one on the premises. A sign on the door announced the business is temporarily closed until Jan. 7 due to staff reduction. Court records confirm Discovery Tours filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Nov. 27, claiming it owes creditors at least $1 million.
Michelle Gellings says she only got part of her money back. According to the bankruptcy filing, neither Gelling, her husband nor her father are included on the list of Discovery Tours' creditors.
"We're not made of money we had to save, my husband had to work overtime," she said.
Ash and her friends are not listed as creditors either.
When I talked to Miranda about the complaints in September, she told me the Holy Land trip was canceled because of civil unrest in Egypt and the tour was therefore non-refundable. Ash, Cade and Whitford-Stith have since filed complaints with the Attorney General's office. The Attorney General's office urges anyone who feel's they're due a refund from Discovery Tours to file a complaint with the Consumer Protection Division.
In a recent statement to the Attorney General's office in response to Ash's complaint, Discovery Tours raised the issue of possible embezzlement by an employee which resulted in the bankruptcy filing. Miranda indicated people owed money will be included in the reorganization plan.
According to an email Holiday Greeting sent to customers dated Nov. 30, Discovery Tours will continue to operate and is still taking reservations for future tours.
Discovery Tours specializes in organizing day trips and vacation tours for people over 50. Owner and CEO Melody Miranda says the company has been in business for more than 15 years operating more than 1,200 departures annually for active seniors.
But according the Better Business Bureau, the complaints against the company started increasing back in late 2010. Customers claim their trips were canceled without notice and they had problems getting refunds. Since our first report about the complaints back in August, more unhappy customers have come forward.
"I never have thought this would have ever happened," said Lynda Ash of Tacoma.
Ash and two of her friends say they're out thousands.
"$5,288," said Ash's friend, Esther Cade.
A third friend, Idella Whitford-Stith, says she paid even more - $6,088 - because she booked a single, ocean-view cabin. The women say they paid Discovery Tours nearly two years ago for an 18-day cruise to the Holy Land. They say they were supposed to take off on March 6, 2011, but Discovery Tours canceled the trip twice.
Michelle Gellings and her husband paid more than $2,000 apiece for a cruise to Hawaii from Vancouver, B.C. Gelling says her elderly father paid the same amount.
"5 days before we were to leave for our trip, they called and said our trip has been canceled!" she said.
Complaints are accumulating both with the state Attorney General and Better Business Bureau.
""Now the company basically told us, 'Hey, you know what? We don't want any correspondence with you.' Since 2008 they said this," explained BBB Director of Public Relations David Quinlan.
At Discovery Tours' address in Centralia, we found no one on the premises. A sign on the door announced the business is temporarily closed until Jan. 7 due to staff reduction. Court records confirm Discovery Tours filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Nov. 27, claiming it owes creditors at least $1 million.
Michelle Gellings says she only got part of her money back. According to the bankruptcy filing, neither Gelling, her husband nor her father are included on the list of Discovery Tours' creditors.
"We're not made of money we had to save, my husband had to work overtime," she said.
Ash and her friends are not listed as creditors either.
When I talked to Miranda about the complaints in September, she told me the Holy Land trip was canceled because of civil unrest in Egypt and the tour was therefore non-refundable. Ash, Cade and Whitford-Stith have since filed complaints with the Attorney General's office. The Attorney General's office urges anyone who feel's they're due a refund from Discovery Tours to file a complaint with the Consumer Protection Division.
In a recent statement to the Attorney General's office in response to Ash's complaint, Discovery Tours raised the issue of possible embezzlement by an employee which resulted in the bankruptcy filing. Miranda indicated people owed money will be included in the reorganization plan.
According to an email Holiday Greeting sent to customers dated Nov. 30, Discovery Tours will continue to operate and is still taking reservations for future tours.
Once again the Media did not make clear that over $89,000.00 has been refunded to those effected by the Civil outbreak in Eygpt, directly from Discovery Tours when they failed to purchase insurance. They did not include our statement concerning ABC's 20/20 report on the Better Business Bureau and you should click here to become informed. The BBB is not a government agency and does not offer unbiased reporting in their grading system. Check here for more details. http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/business-bureau-best-ratings-money-buy/story?id=12123843
The interesting thing is David Quinlan, spokesperson of the BBB has been mentioned in every story published about Discovery Tours LLC, could it be possible they are pushing the buttons here?
Dear Ms. Thompson:
In response to your email, I gave it a lot of thought: Melody sent an email explaining they discovered a former employee has embezzled funds from the company; Discovery is working with the detectives to help bring charges against this person and/or persons. In the meantime they are reviewing every account while trying to keep the business and tours running with minimal disruption. Here is a small company trying to survive when they are also the victims, not just their customers. Embezzlement: The fraudulent conversion of anotherâs property by a person who is in a position of trust, such as an agent or employee. So hereâs my suggestion when you are reporting on this news item next: Take a moment and remember George Bailey from âItâs a Wonderful Lifeâ, ask every vender, i.e. Casino, Hotel, Restaurant, Airline, Train, Gas Station, Theater, Cruise Line, Shopping center etc to step up and HELP Discovery Tours by donating funds to cover the losses at this time. In our travels we as Discovery customers have spent thousands of dollars while traveling with Discover Tours with these venders and of course will continue to do so in the future. I canât count the many times the bus has pulled over and stopped for a quick rest and stretch at McDonalds, Taco Bell, Arbyâs or a specialty shop for ice cream, candy and nuts or trinkets, where almost everyone bought something. Just think of the power of the press and what a great Christmas story this would be for KOMO to help and reach out for a small business Christmas miracle. In the meantime the detectives and Discovery can continue to investigate the Embezzlement and bring charges against the appropriate party. Hereâs hoping for a small Miracle, Merry Christmas
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Sincerely, Carol H
To Discovery Tours. Why don't you TAKE SOME RESPONSIBILITY?? Instead of cut and pasting all the alleged good reviews, why don't you realize what you have done and quit defending your mismanagement? Asidre from all the other people you owe, you owe my mother and her friend over $3500 each. Your newest press release didn't mention that on some of the tours, you are making your customers pay more at the last minute or they will not be able to go.   Calling up your customers a WEEK before a major cruise telling them they have to pay another $1500 for airfare because you are broke? And these are folks you already owe thousands of dollars to!  What type of a business does that? Not a business that should have the gall to be posting how wonderful they are.  That is the kind of unprofessional and outrageous things your company does, yet you sit there typing up sunshine and roses. That makes it worse. You people are con artists.
@ruby2012 We feel it is important to allow the comments being sent to KOMO that show positive experiences to be shared as well as the comments you have posted here.I understand your frustration and as mentioned previously, at no time have we indicated that we would not be refunding customers for tours we have had to cancel. During the most difficult operating circumstance, some reductions have had to be made. Each customer is very important to us and many have traveled with us multiple times over the last 15 years. Letters outlining refund options are being mailed, including your mothers whom I have already spoken too.
Discovery Tours why dont you agree to do a segment on the news show instead of filling up the comment section with your bullying remarks to our seniors.
Discovery tours  wants to certain that each customer has been treated fairly and that their accounts are accurate. Since we have over 10,000 past and present customers, this may take some time to complete. As such we have filed Chapter 11 reorganization in order to protect the customers travel investments and to assure the companies continued operations during this time. This filing, allows us time to work at charting an effective recovery course for the company. Only a handful of our original tours have been canceled. Since most of the tours effected had 30 to 50 passengers on each coach, even a handful of cancelations disrupts a large number of people. We intend to keep this as minimal as we can by moving  departures and maximizing each day of the month to push the prepaid tours through.
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Refund letters will be mailed this coming week to those affected and will continue throughout the next couple months to those we find during the audit. Each letter will include instructions and information concerning the refund process. Operations have been and will continue as scheduled unless customers hear from us otherwise. During the month of December 33 of the tours have or are departing as scheduled and only a few were canceled,
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Recently KOMO reported on some unhappy customers still waiting for refunds from March of 2010 for a cruise/tour to Egypt which was canceled due to the Civil Unrest. Discovery Tours and the customers did not feel safe taking the journey as scheduled. Many of the 42 passengers did not purchase the optional travel insurance offered to everyone booking a tour with us and listed in the back of the brochure (copy below). Thousands of people around the world lost all their money for tours to this area. In respect and concern for our customers, Discovery has refunded these passengers over $87,000.00 with just a few more left to complete. This information was provided to Connie Thompson from KOMO, but was not included in her reporting. I do not personally know of any other company that offered this concession.
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Another customer interviewed from Lewis county had a September cruise to Hawaii canceled but failed to mention that they received back two of their $1000.00 payments just before the chapter 11 filing and will be receiving all of the funds back they paid, only not in the one day that was demanded by them. As we move forward, we must be fair and equitable with refunds, working with the Trustee and the Federal Court judge. We cannot allow a customer to bully us through the use of the media to place their refund in front of another person.
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We have never intentionally not refunded a customer that was due one under the cancelation policies . Consumers now waiting refunds will receive everything owed to them through the regulations of the Chapter 11. We ask that the media also respect the time allowed by the court to develop and implement our plans.Â
I understand that your station has made adverse comments about Discovery Tours of Centralia, WA. My wife and I have been traveling with Discovery Tours for over 8 years, making over 80 trips. We have always received excellent service from the reservation staff, tour guides and drivers. Some of our favorate trips include the International Kite Festival at Long Beach, 4 times; The Windless Kite Festival at Long Beach, 3 times; Squim Lavender Festival, 3 times; Benaroya Hall noon organ recital, 2 times; Harrison Hot Springs, 5 times; Spring Fling in the Canadian Rockies, Banaff, Lake Louise, BC; and many others. I will not claim there have never been problems but they were handled quickly and professionaly. We are continuing our travels with Discovery Tours, last Sunday to the Seattle Symphony and scheduled trips on the 10th and 19th of this month. Also we have scheduled aother Windless Kite Festival trip in January 2013.Â
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Jack & Marie
I saw your newsrelease about Discovery Tours on KOMO last night...Though they may be having a problem anyone that takes a trip of 7-21 days, should know, if they have ever traveled before, needs to have Travel Insurance ..This ensures you a refund from the insurance company should anything go wrong...I have a friend that was taken off of a cruise for surgery and in 90 days had a refund for her hospital, air fare and cruise...Dont travel without insurance I have traveled with Discovery for 15 years...have just returned from the East Coast to see the colors of New England and the Maritime Provinces and could not have had a more caring, more enjoyable trip anywhere....the service, the "extras" were a joy...ever had a "Popover Tea?" seen a bus go up a hill backwards without touching the brakes or steering wheel? See the reversing falls both directions.??....Discovery does everything they can to make your trip enjoyable. Do not put them down for their hard times now....they are trying their best...I wish them nothing but the best in the coming year and will continue to travel with them.... Sincerely Maddy F
To whom it may concern:
First let me say that I appreciate the service you provide the community on those occassions when people do not know where to turn and you are able to provide them assistance. I must say that I do not understand your issue with Discovery Tours. I have been doing business with them for over 6 years now and my Parents have been their customers for even longer. I have gone to many places with them over the years, Australia and Peru being the most distant and many trips in the States of Washington and Oregon over the years. During all that time only one trip was cancelled and that was due to weather, it was a terrible snow and ice storm and many roads were closed and the Highway patrol was advising people to stay home. I think they made the right decision. As stated in their catalog a refund was issued in a timely manner. Another time when I went to Mexico with them to see the Copper Canyon they even went out of thier way to find a bakery and surprise my Dad with a Birthday Cake. I don't know of many tour companies that would do something like that. All of my experience with this company has been top notch. Please issue a retraction of your earlier story. I am sure I am not the only one who feels this way.
Sincerely
Tina     Lakewood WA
You keep slamming Discovery Tours
I am a senior who has taken over 150
successful tours with them- Why don't you do
a "Rest of the story" on this company?
Thousands of people have traveled on their
tours- Mostly widows like myself. No they are not perfect but I had a wonderful tour with them just last Saturday. They are still in business and doing their best in difficult times.
So book a tour- go undercover if you must- send your mothers on one and let them report back!
Susan P
Greetings,
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We are not sure if the investigative journalists, "Problem Solvers", at KOMO are able to discern positive or good news items when they run across them or are made aware of. It is a known fact that it takes much less intellectual effort to find and expound on negativitiy, substantiated or not. Be that as it may, could you try for once and highlight the positive aspects that we experience in our lives?
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As long-time, satisfied customers of Discovery Tours, we find your coverage of so-called problems with the enterprise not only largely unsubstantiated and therefore damaging to the business, but also highly disturbing because of the superficiality of checking the facts of alleged misdeads. It is true, the business has hit a rough patch because of the economic situation and other influences beyond their control, circumstances that have adversely affected many other small family enterprises and even larger firms in our area in recent times. It is also a well-known fact that any business cannot satisfiy all of the customers all of the times, no matter how hard they might try.
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We have taken more than 70 trips of various length with Discovery Tours over the years and have not experienced any type of difficulty. In fact, Discovery Tours is known to provide excellent value for the price of tours offered, to excel in customer service to include elderly mobility-challenged persons, to exceed expectations when unforeseen changes in itineraries or operations occur, and, finally, to provide a valuable service to budget-conscious retirees by offering life enhancement activities through affordable travel.
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Perhaps it would be too much to ask of the "Problem Solvers" to check out the overwhelming positive aspects of Discovery Tours. Perhaps you might even ask yourself how thousands of satisfied travellers can be wrong enjoying continued travels with Discovery Tours. Is there a reason why nearly all scheduled trips for December 2012 are sold out?
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I watched your piece on Discovery Tours. We have been on many tours with them and never had a problem. They have always delivered what was promised and in many cases much more. My sympathy's are with those you interviewed and I'm sorry they had a problem.  There are many more positive stories out there than negative and perhaps you should talk to some of those people. It is a hard time for any business to stay afloat in this economy. I feel they are trying their best to emerge from their problems as a financially strong company. Please give them a positive story as the one you told will only destroy the business. Discovery Tours deal mainly with senior citizens. There are many that would have no outlet to travel if it was not for this company. Thank you for your consideration.
B Dennis
3 Dec. 2012
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I watched your report on Discovery Tours last night and wanted you to hear the other side of the story. I have been a member of Discovery Tours for the last 8 years. I have enjoyed numerous short trips with them through out Washington and Oregon, and more than a dozen longer tours through out the States and abroad. I have Cruised the Panama Canal, three trips through Mexico, Sydney Australia, Rome Italy and Canada. I've been fishing, boating and taken hot air balloon rides, ate in great restaurants, slept in grand hotels and met a lot of great people. I have always found the Tour Guides, Escorts and Drivers to be friendly and qualified. Just one big family.
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Yes, there has been bumps in the road but this is to be expected in all walks of life. The few problems that I experienced were handled in a professional and timely manner to my satisfaction. I've had a couple tours canceled but I was notified and my funds were refunded or credited (my choice) for future tours. I'm sure that Discovery Tour is not the only Company or Organization that has faced problems in the present economical situation.
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Thank You
Lindsy S
Greetings: KOMO 4 has been our âgo toâ station for many years, and we have appreciated the consumer information you provide for our protection for many products, but have been disappointed in the manner with which you have reported about Discovery Tours. My husband and I have participated in a wide variety of tours with this company and have always received more than was advertised on the trips. We have traveled on our own and with many different companies, and the most important thing we have learned is that you have to be flexible, as life is never predictable â thatâs what makes life exciting. You have to be prepared for when things don't go exactly as planned â they seldom do. And you have to be responsible for doing your part to make your trip successful â such as being on time for bus departures, and for long trips, buying trip insurance to protect your investment. Discovery Tours has always looked after our well-being on travels and we look forward to more trips with them. Discovery Tours is an amazing âlocal business makes goodâ story. On day trips, they take you to places in the Northwest you might never get to see on your own â such as how the beautiful Portland Rose Parade floats are assembled with all natural plant materials. They support local theater by bringing folks to community productions. They make it possible for us who no longer drive at night to attend concerts such as Andre Rieu, and to watch the 4th of July fireworks over Lake Union. You may have done the company a favor by helping bring to light an embezzlement situation which they were not aware of, but the family which has helped us keep on the go has been made to look like villains, when in my opinion they are the good guys who may have been victims. I hope it will turn out that the the Problem Solvers solve a problem for Discovery Tours, not just create one for them. Sincerely, Richard and Rosemary  Olympia, WA
I have been disturbed by the reports the problem solvers have been airing about Discovery Tours. Â I find them very angry sounding and providing very few, if any, facts. Â I also find that they are not at all reflective of my experience with the tour group.
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Some friends and I have been using Discovery Tours for about 10 years now and have never had a problem with their responsiveness, the wonderful trips, and the prompt, courteous and reliable service received. Â
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Suzanne
Lacey, WA
Dear KOMO News:
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I have been traveling with Discovery Tours for approximately 4 years now (One of the newer members) and am a widow. I have found traveling with them to be pleasant, efficient, fun and SAFE. As a woman there are many events I like to attend, of course all of them are not here in the city of Puyallup, so traveling with a group, becoming acquainted with new friends, not having to drive at night or in bad weather is a great priority for me. Has everything gone as planned, of course not we are a diverse group of people, things change, stuff happens but Discovery Tours watches our for us!!!Â
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The many places I have traveled with them has opened by eyes to Washington, Oregon, Nevada, New Orleans, Mexico and Canada, so as you can see in 4 years I have been on many special trips, would never had seen The Christmas Truce of 1914, the Leavenworth lighting at Christmas, the Wild Safari in Oregon, Jet Boating in Hellâs Gate Canyon, the US Mail boat in North Bend, the drive to Reno in October, the harness races in Vancouver, many evening plays in Seattle, Bellingham and Portland, Discovery Tours offers day trips, overnights, 2-3 nights and 10 to 15 day trips for us at a reasonable price to a wide variety of people, we get on the bus and leave the driving to them, they drop us off at the front door of every restaurant, hotel and play oh and by the way they pick us up the same way, account for everyone that was on the bus and if someone does not show up on time they go and look for them.Â
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I am not sure what type of complaint you have received about refunds, but I have had to change my plans and cancel a trip or two with Discovery, they have always been polite and responsible, they have even changed my trips to accommodate me at NO CHARGE!
Try to get that out of an airline, a concert ticket, Seahawks game, or Mariners game when you buy their tickets NO REFUNDS, too bad if you canât attend or need to change a date it DOES NOT HAPPEN.Â
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Hereâs a story for you, my son & his family were visiting North Dakota last summer, he severely injured himself the 2nd day there, so his wife called the airlines to see if she could change their 4 tickets to fly back home and get him to his doctor, want to know what the airlines said, it will be a $100 fee for each ticket and increase in the ticket prices of approximately $200 to $250 each. However, no one questions the airlines, if you canât make the flight they charge you and move you to another flight (for a fee) then sell the original seat to the next passenger at full price, isnât that fair oh thatâs right they are a BIG CORPORATION.
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Where is the âBail Outâ funds for small businesses that are trying to survive, we NEED Discovery Tours, they cater to the 50+ people  by the way several times one of my daughters has attended events with me, no extra charge because of course she is not in our age range.
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Every vender should JUMP in and help them out as far as Iâm concerned, many trips I have enjoyed has included 2 to 3 buses with 50 people on each bus bringing business to other small and big business, we not only pay for our trips, we spend our money on gifts, food, souvenirs, clothing and many other things. Get you investigators working on that and start giving Discover Tours some positive reporting.  When they are back on their feet and things running smoothly again if they decide to advertise on TV maybe then you will be looking out for their interest.
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Sincerely,
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Carol H
Discovery Tours has been in operations for 15 years providing quality tours to those 50 and  beyond. We provide an important service to the community with our members spending over 2 Million dollars within Washington and Oregon through the  purchase of meals, show tickets and other fees mainly to small business and  non-profits. We operate of 900 tour days per year taking with us over  27,000 passenger on the coach annually. Our normal cancelation rate is less  then 10% which is below normal standards for the industry. We are members  of the American Bus Association, National Tour Association, carry one  million in Errors and Omissions Insurance and five million in Motor Carrier  Insurance. We also hold the highest safety rating available through the Federal government.
 ÂDiscovery had seen a reduced cash flow over the last two years, even though Profit and Loss and Balance Sheets appeared normal. We thought this was  just a result of the struggling economy that has effected so many small businesses that are still facing reduced sales and a lack of funding in the  marketplace for working capitol. It became apparent though in late October that a large embezzlement of funds from a former employee may have taken  place. We have a continuing investigation and as such have closed the  office until January 7th to allow us to focus on auditing the records.
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We also want to certain that each customer has been treated fairly and that their accounts  are accurate. Since we have over 10,000 past and present customers, this may take some time to complete. As such we have filed Chapter 11 reorganization in order to protect the customers travel investments and to  assure the companies continued operations during this time. This filing,  allows us time to work at charting an effective recovery course for the company.  Only a handful of our original tours have been canceled. Since most of the tours effected had  30 to 50 passengers on each coach, even a handful of cancelations disrupts a large number of people. We intend to keep this as minimal as we can by moving   departures and maximizing each day of the month to push the prepaid tours through.
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Refund letters will be mailed this coming week to those affected and will continue throughout the next couple months to those we find during the audit. Each letter will include instructions and information concerning the refund process.  Operations have been and will continue as scheduled unless customers hear from us otherwise. During the month of December 33 of the tours have or are departing as scheduled and only a few were canceled,
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Recently KOMO reported on some unhappy customers still waiting for refunds from March of 2010 for a cruise/tour to Egypt which was canceled due to the  Civil Unrest. Discovery Tours and the customers did not feel safe taking the journey as scheduled. Many of the 42 passengers did not purchase the optional travel insurance offered to everyone booking a tour with us and  listed in the back of the brochure (copy below). Thousands of people around the world lost all their money for tours to this area. In respect and  concern for our customers, Discovery has refunded these passengers over $87,000.00 with just a few more left to complete. This information was provided to Connie Thompson from KOMO, but was not included in her reporting. I do not personally know of any other company that offered this concession.Â
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Another customer interviewed from Lewis county had a September cruise to Hawaii canceled but failed to mention that they received back two of their $1000.00 payments just before the chapter 11 filing and will be receiving all of the funds back they paid, only not in the one day that was demanded by them.  As we move forward, we must be fair and equitable with refunds, working  with the Trustee and the Federal Court judge. We cannot allow a customer to bully us through the use of the media to place their refund in front of another person.
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We have never intentionally not  refunded a customer that was due one under the cancelation policies . Consumers now waiting refunds will receive everything owed to them through the regulations of the Chapter 11. We ask that the media also respect the time allowed by the court to develop and implement our plans.   Â
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 ÂTo all the supporters of Discovery Tours, I have taken many small day trips and over night trips. Many where great and some had small issues. Yes they have cancelations do to mechnical issues, lack of participation, weather, and vender issues. Then you can get a credit on your account for future trips and most people do that because it's just a hundred dollars or so. I was a supporter, but when they take my money and cancel my trip for a cruise to Hawaii on Royal Caribbean radiance of the seas departing on Sept. 14th 2012. And they won't give me my refund, I'm VERY angry. I'm not going to let them give me a credit on my account for $3000 dollars, not at my age. I paid off the trip to Discovery Tours in Feb. 2012 . Thats seven months before the departure date, and they called me many times trying to get me to pay in full before the due date of June 20th 2012. I paid them in full like I said in feb. 2012 because they guaranteed me a spot on the ship. Discovery Tours contacted me a week before the departure date sept.14 2012 and said the trip was canceled, with no reason.
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I have contacted Royal Caribbean cruise line, and they told me I was never booked, on a list for a cabin, or any money paid by Discovery Tours for this ship. What did they do with my money and why did they want my money months before the pay in full due date? I have a problem with them STEALING my money. So to all the people's comments about getting travel insurance, it will not pay for this do to me NEVER being booked on the ship.
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Beware seniors, don't get taken by this company praying on us seniors.
@Angry Old man I can understand why your messages left at Discovery Tours have been so agressive and hurtful. We understand your frustrations, as you can understand ours at the loss of income we also worked years to build.. Unfortunately bullying us by using the media will not move your refund to the front of the line. As always Discovery Tours will work through this unfortunate situation fairly and everyone will be refund as the reorganization process allows, including yours.
What about me NEVER being booked on the ship?
@Discoverry Tours Staff & Members That's very true. The booking would be made under Discovery Tours (likely) but then why a cancellation so close to sailing? If the ships sailing was cancelled that'd make sense. However, if Discovery did it unilaterally then I think any person would have a right to be ticked off. People arrange time off, flights, etc. around the cruise. To pull the rug out from under them a few weeks prior, and without an immediate refund, implies either bad business practices or an attempt to conserve cash ahead of a BK filing.
@Angry Old man Group bookings work differently then individual reservations and as such calling the reservations department would not provide the results you were looking for. We in fact did have a group booking for this sailing.
I have traveled with Discovery many times in the past few years. My most recent trip was to Leavenworth on Dec. 1st. Thoroughly enjoyed the trip, a fantastic lunch with entertainment and our professional staff members from Discovery making sure that we were well taken care of. Â I've always had great experiences with this company and look forward to booking more tours in the future. In fact, I booked two more today. I love the variety of tours available. Since I don't like to drive very far, especially at night, they have provided a service that I find to be invaluable.
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For those that have made negative comments, have you ever traveled with Discovery? If not, book a tour and see what they are really like. There are 100's of us that have never had a problem but the news medias' only focus is on the few that have had a problem.
@Studemom Thank you for your support. It means so much to myself and all of our staff members. With loyal customers like you, I am sure we will complete the reorganization procee and be here to serve you for years to come.
My Name is Jo Jo and Discovery Tours is a BIG JOKE. I was a Certified Travel Consultant for 7 years. In about 2005 one of the clients had asked if we could book Discovery Tours. When the agent in our office said she was a travel agent, Discovery Tours hung up on her. The agent called again later and got the same response. In 2009 I put my resume in there and never got a call back, rather they hired someone with no schooling or experience. I attended Internation Air Academy. Our office would only use Alki Tours.
@Jo Jo So seven years ago you were hung up on, and three years ago you weren't interviewed for a position.........and that makes them a joke? Having worked in a business that took calls from concierge and travel agency staff, I can tell you that there were quite a few whom I would have loved to have hung up on. The world revolved around you guys, apparently. I'd have some dial our phone number and after answering they'd hand the phone to the client - and then call before the end of the month asking for their commission. Commission for what - dialing the phone? I'm not defending this outfit, but your reasons for labeling them a joke are frankly the bigger joke. FWIW, I like Alki Tours.
@Jo Jo I am sorry you did not acheive the results you were looking for at Discovery Tours. We do not sell our product to any outside companies and as such do not offer commissions to professional Travel Agents like yourself. We are happy you have found a company that can provide you exactly what you were looking for..
I am sad to hear about Discovery's financial problems. I have been traveling with them for over 6 years and have been on over 150 tours and had a wonderful time. There are few travel companies in WA state that provide the kind of service that Discovery does. I get picked up right here in Tacoma for all the tours. I had to cancel a day tour last month but asked Discovery if they could just move the money to another tour that I will be on this month, and they did. I no longer drive long distances and would not have gone to all the places I have been with Discovery on my own. A few months ago I took a hot air ballon ride. I have wanted to do that for years.
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I am sorry some people are having trouble getting their money back. I never travel outside of the US without travel insurance. Too many things can happen like getting sick, breaking a bone, or having war break out in the country you planned on visiting.Â
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I really have loved traveling with Discovery. I have made new friends and I feel safe and taken care of. I hope to continue traveling with them and hope they get on their feet soon.
@alf Thank you for pointing out the importance of purchasing insurance when you travel. It is outlined in every brochure and also must be asked to be removed from the invoice. This way we are sure that the customer has had ample opportunity to purchase it. We do not sell it directly, payment is sent to the insurance company so those purchasing it would be covered if something happened and we could not provide services.
It sounds like a case of rob peter to pay paul, with all the people out there owed money for trips they never got to take do to cancelation by discovery tours. They promise high dollar trips and want your money ASAP to guarantee your spot. Then they cancel and they have 4-8 weeks from the date of departure to refund your money. So thats 1-2 months plus the months they canceled before the departure date. They're getting a free loan with your money and hopeing to get more business to pay those people off or plan another fake trip to get money and cancel that. And the process starts over again,and again,and again,Then it finally catches up to them. I think it time that everyone who is owed a refund, should fill criminal charges on discovery tours owners for grand larceny. They've taken your money to pay other bills or something. They comment to the attorney general that discovery tours thinks there was employee taking money, but there is no police report filled on this. Thats because the owners must have taken the money.
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This is what I think is going on.
@Angry Old man Discovery Tours offers over 900 tour days a year and transports over 27,000 members annually to destinations worldwide. Less then 10% of our tours are canceled each year and there are many reasons including lack of interest in a departure, mechanical breakdown, weather related problems and canceled service by our suppliers. Your refund, like all those affected will be refunded under the terms of the Chapter 11 reorganization plan. If you purchased the insurance, you can contact them directly for an immediate refund.
 @Angry Old man I agree with you Angry old man! They too owe us almost $5,000 dollars. We cancelled a trip back in April after we paid in full. They kept putting us off and not returning calls. Good business practice huh? I would love to talk to Koma and give my story too. It used to be a good travel company but it seems to have gone south for over a year. Screwing old people out of their money is just wrong!!
@Morgan @Angry Old man Mr Morgan, I noticed you mentioned that you requested the tour be canceled, if you purchased travel insurance, have you contacted them directly?
@Discoverry Tours Staff & Members Clearly no insurance was purchased or they wouldn't be wasting their time venting on the website. I'm trying to figure out how you can be so smug about the insurance option? I understand the value of insurance, but it should be there to protect me from businesses like this, not as a natural part of the refund process. I mean, pre-bankruptcy why on earth should someone have to seek compensation for an event that YOU canceled? Where is their money? If insurance pays the refund, what happens to the money they paid you? Maybe you are admitting that you don't have the money any longer, but if so, I'd think a little more humility on your part for the crap people are going through would be in order.
@Morgan @Angry Old man Morgan we hope you have left all your details concerning the date of the tour, amount of the tour and contact information, so you can be included in the audit. We would hate to miss anyone that has been affected by this situation. Remember the original booking files may have been altered and as the owners we want to be sure you are taken care of.
I LOVE DISCOVERY TOURS!!! I've been on 12 (mostly 1 day) trips with them this year alone. I've been on over 50 trips in the five years that I have been traveling with them and I've loved every one. My last two were in November and I had a great time on both. Both were sold out - the buses were full. Many of their holiday trips are sold out - they must be doing something right. The offices may be temporally closed but they are still taking bookings by phone and email and providing great trips. I have another tour booked for next week and will continue to book tours and travel with them for as long as I am able to travel.
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This company fills a big hole. It enables seniors, who may not be comfortable traveling alone, to travel in a group with all transportation (from local pick-up points), lodging and most meals covered. Besides being very well taken care of on longer trips, I have been to many local (Washington and Western Oregon) attractions, performing arts and events that I would never have driven to on my own. One of my favorite trips this year was a helicopter ride into Mt. St. Helens. This was something I would NEVER have done by myself. Discovery Tours has opened a whole new world for me.  Â
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Yes, they are going through a hard time right now as are many small companies. But I and many other travelers will continue to support and travel with them and I hope that they will continue to provide great tours for many years to come. It's too bad that a few people are not able to read the cancellation polices or think to buy travel insurance for expensive trips . Unfortunately a very small number, out of hundreds of satisfied travelers, are causing a lot of bad publicity.Â
@Marilyn Thank you Marilyn for your kind words and support. Unfortunately I have not been able to get the News Media to personally interview the thousands of satisfied customers. This will be tough times for Discovery Tours as it would be for anyone that loses their income to theft. A Chapter 11 is a good tool to get the company rolling in the right direction and being sure that the customers travel investment is protected. With our loyal customers we will make it through.
Here's another viewpoint. Over the past 10 years I've traveled on several Discovery Tours with friends and family. The most recent was with my 87-year-old mother in July 2012 -- a multi-day tour to Leavenworth that included an Amtrak ride from Seattle to Leavenworth, a outdoor performance of The Sound of Music, meals, impressive hotel accommodations, and more. The two Discovery staff members accompanying the group were on-the-ball and able to handle all the twists and turns of managing activities for 30+ participants with patience and humor. When the pre-arranged dinner on-board Amtrak didn't work out, Discovery staff made superb alternate arrangements. When a participant had a medical emergency, staff handled with it with care and concern. Â
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I will be sad if Discovery Tours cannot make it. I have found the company to be professional, my experiences positive, and I'm amazed by the variety and creativity of the tours they present to seniors! Â
@OlyGirl Than you for reaching out and sharing your experiences with Discovery Tours. We have always corrected any problems that arise on the tour and make sure your experience exceeds what you expected. The same will apply as we move through the Chapter 11 process. The goal is to make sure all customers receive refunds and that the tours continue to operate bringing your wonderful experiences for years to come.
This is why I recommend booking with a well known company, i.e., AAA Travel. If you want to travel with a group, book with a well known travel company. Â Otherwise, we always book our travel on our own. It's so easy to do anymore. Book directly with the cruise line, use a credit card and you're protected. Â I feel bad for these folks - it's definitely not fair. Â Hopefully they can recoup some of their money if they used a credit card.
@LidoGirl Discovery Tours has provided over 900 tours a year to over 27,000 people annually for 15 years. We are members of the National Tour Association and the American Bus Association. So for many of those in the area that are 50 Plus, we are a well known company. If a customer purchased insurance, they will receive an immediate refund and we offer it to everyone that books a tour. If not we will work through the Chapter 11 to be sure they receive what is owed to them.
saw the report on Discover tours we to are out $5200.00 due to cancelation of a trip to Hawaii pd for July 6yh 2011 to sail on sept 13th
@ronald clark Mr Clark, no one is out any money they paid for a tour. Each and every person will receive a letter over the next week with details on the procedures to follow for your refund. This will depend how you paid and if you purchased the optional insurance. You are a very valued customer and your satisfaction is important to us.
Wow, this really is pathetic. Take people's money, deny them a trip or a refund, file chapter 11, then keep taking people's money.Â
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Am I missing anything?
@AuburnGuy yes, the reporter did not offer all the facts
 @AuburnGuy Nope. This is now called the "American Way".
@Stock Woodie @AuburnGuy It might be now considered the American Way, but not the Discovery Tours way. Each and every person due a refund will receive one.