In most circumstances, a refund will not be available for bookings suspended or cancelled as a result of government-mandated travel restrictions. Such circumstances are beyond the reasonable control of Inspiring Vacations and, as agreed in the terms & conditions readily available on our website, is classified as a Force Majeure event.
In the absence of a refund, we are committed to providing the best available outcomes to our customers. In most situations, this will be in the form of a credit with Inspiring Vacations. In rare circumstances, this may include a credit issued by a third-party supplier. While every effort is made to ensure our customers do not experience financial detriment, costs may be deducted should we be unable to recover those funds from a third-party supplier. Inspiring Vacations will not charge fees in these circumstances for the considerable work undertaken to date in the procurement, management and fulfillment of your booking and suspension.
An issued Inspiring Vacations credit will provide substantial flexibility for future travel. You will not be bound to the same destination or travel provider, you are welcome to redeem your credit on domestic travel, you will have a long expiry period of 31 December 2022 with travel possible potentially as late as 2024 and, finally, you have the option of transferring your credit to a friend or family member.
While this level of flexibility is a costly and time-consuming process, our aim is to provide as many opportunities as possible for our impacted travellers to travel. Not only do we feel that this response exceeds the expectations agreed to in our terms & conditions, but also that it is in line with industry practices and the guidelines issued by the ACCC HERE, which we encourage you to familiarise yourself with.
Our response has been provided despite the impacts of government restrictions being beyond our control and despite our best efforts in delivering your holiday as promised. Further, while a number of insurance policies did provide protection in the event of a pandemic, we recognise that many did not. In the absence of such support, Inspiring Vacations is nonetheless seeking to provide our customers with the best available outcomes.
We appreciate, however, that a full and flexible credit may not be appropriate given your personal circumstances and that a cash refund may be more appropriate, an option we would be pleased to investigate. Such personal circumstances where a refund may be more appropriate may include where:
- There will not be the opportunity to take advantage of the full and flexible credit either internationally or domestically before it the credit expiry for health-related reasons, there is no opportunity to transfer the credit and you have been unsuccessful in your travel insurance claim for reasons of ill-health
- Financial hardship is being experienced as a direct result of COVID-19
We appreciate that many travel insurance providers will not provide support in relation to COVID-19, however our reasonable expectation is that support will be provided by an insurer where loss is a result of health-related concerns. Every policy is different and so we recommend that you review your policy carefully.
Should such circumstances apply, we request that evidence be provided to assist in our review. This may include, but is not limited to, confirmation in writing from an employer, relevant government agency or accountant of reduced income or confirmation in writing from a medical specialist that travel is not possible both domestically and internationally prior to the date of expiry. Where circumstances relate to an insurable event, we may also ask for confirmation from an insurer that you have been unsuccessful in your claim.
In such circumstances, please email support@inspiringvacations.com and note that any refund may involve additional costs being withheld.
Where we believe a request does not fall within the scope of uninsurable hardship, is misleading or deceptive, or is abusive in any way, Inspiring Vacations reserves the right to refuse any refund request and reasons may not be provided.
Note that, due to ongoing challenges, responses to claims may be 2-4 weeks. Should a refund request for reasons of hardship be approved, the processing time for the refund may take some time for which we appreciate your patience.
In all cases, we ask that our staff are treated with respect. Our team have shown enormous support to our many impacted travellers throughout this time and are here to help you reach a suitable outcome.
- The Inspiring Vacations Team