Refund refusals for some trying to cancel Interior vacations due to wildfires

KELOWNA (NEWS 1130) — Would-be vacationers trying to follow government advice and stay away from the fire-hit Interior are in some cases being told they can’t get a refund.

Surrey’s Liz Campbell had a camping spot booked for Penticton this week, but when she tried to get a refund or push her booking to next year she was told that wasn’t an option.

She says as a result, her group is abandoning the three sites they reserved, a decision that will cost them $1,200.

“I see why people are forced to just continue on going or forfeit money because other places are not compromising you know? That’s not fair,” Campbell said.

Earlier this month Joe Rino tried to cancel his AirBnB around Okanagan Lake when he realized it was in an area under an evacuation alert.

He was told he had to show up or forfeit the money, so he went up with his family, only to be evacuated after one night.

“To me, policies are not for emergencies. I get that we have policies to get people to not cancel things, and money needs to be made. But we are in an emergency, edit that policy,” Rino sayys.

Allthough Rino says he was refunded for the unused nights, he was still hit with a seven-day cleaning bill.

AirBnB says it’s offering penalty-free refunds but Rino says he wasn’t provided that option.

The province has urged people to avoid non-essential travel into wildfire areas.

Travel Warning in effect for parts of interior #BC including the communities of #Armstrong, #Spallumcheen, Okanagan Indian Band, #Enderby & parts of the Regional District North #Okanagan. More info: https://t.co/bdZZmYKt8I #BCwildfire pic.twitter.com/ZWKfTjZ8SH

— Emergency Info BC (@EmergencyInfoBC) August 13, 2021

On Tuesday, Emergency Management BC says the province understands it’s challenging for people who do have a booking in those areas, and are being left with few options.

“We’ve had extreme fire activity and thousands of people evacuated from their homes to other communities. That’s part of the reasons we are asking people to consider their travel beforehand,” Brendan Ralfs with Emergency Management BC said Tuesday.

He did not provide more information for travellers on any recourse, as he says the biggest priority is those who are at risk of losing their homes.

NEWS 1130 has reached out to the province for comment.

Related Articles:

• Interior wineries asking visitors to stay away from the region due to wildfires

• Do not travel to fire-affected areas, urges B.C. public safety minister

• B.C. premier on vacation, critics slam timing due to wildfires

For those who had planned a vacation in the province, there have been weeks of uncertainty.

In addition to the wildfires, one of the most popular summertime destinations is also facing the highest COVID-19 rates in the province.

At the end of July the province urged people to avoid travelling to the Central Okanagan due to surging case counts.

As cases remained high, the province implemented stricter measures in Peachland, West Kelowna, Kelowna, Lake Country, and the Regional District of Central Okanagan in an effort to reduce transmission.

The province said that 95 per cent of the cases officials were seeing were among young people who were not immunized.

Among the restrictions, gatherings in vacation rentals have been limited to five guests, and outdoor gatherings limited to a maximum of 50 people.

With files from Robyn Crawford