Bonaire from Toronto with Sunwing - DO NOT BOOK

[pjhansman]

I'm flying to Bonaire from Toronto with Sunwing next weekend for the Scubaboard Surge. Obviously the hotel and diving is booked separately.

For us, just as important as the incredibly cheap flight, the fact that I get there in 5 hours is awesome. With the big American carriers, I found it difficult to get anything less than 14 hours there and 20 hours return.

 

[Dogbowl]

While I would not normally risk taking Sunwing due to their sleazy used car salesman business practices, Bonaire is the only one destination I would consider it. The alternatives are just too inconvenient. But it’s always a roll of the dice with them.

 

[kelemvor]

We were all excited when Sunwing announced non-stop air service from Toronto to Bonaire,

with hotel & dive packages thrown in. We got a week at buddy dive with airfare, and diving for $1300 CAD. (no truck, no breakfast). Too good to be true.


Just got an email from them, we can only have 6 nights at buddy’s then kicked over to Eden Beach.

No diving included at Eden Beach. Had a 1 bedroom booked at Buddy’s, but just getting a studio at Eden Beach.

We can’t cancel or go somewhere else, because we are meeting friends in Bonaire, and they are at Buddy’s.


NO COMPENSATION WHATSOEVER

Awful, it's a classic "bait and switch" fraud. If you can't cancel because you're meeting friends, you're probably stuck. If you didn't tell them about the necessity, you might get somewhere with a threat to have your credit card company/bank do a chargeback. Given that you have to go, you're probably going to have to live with being screwed.

After you're back, do your best to post the story on sites like scubaboard / tripadvisor / undercurrent.org etc. That probably won't help make your situation right but it might help others avoid such a scam in the future.

If the transaction took place through an intermediary in Canada, you might be able to pursue legal action against the intermediary (travel agent or whatever). If not, you'd have to deal with the NL legal system. Who knows if there are legal protections from that kind of fraud in the NL. Maybe a resident will see this thread and chime in.

 

[Dogbowl]

Awful, it's a classic "bait and switch" fraud. If you can't cancel because you're meeting friends, you're probably stuck. If you didn't tell them about the necessity, you might get somewhere with a threat to have your credit card company/bank do a chargeback. Given that you have to go, you're probably going to have to live with being screwed.

After you're back, do your best to post the story on sites like scubaboard / tripadvisor / undercurrent.org etc. That probably won't help make your situation right but it might help others avoid such a scam in the future.

If the transaction took place through an intermediary in Canada, you might be able to pursue legal action against the intermediary (travel agent or whatever). If not, you'd have to deal with the NL legal system. Who knows if there are legal protections from that kind of fraud in the NL. Maybe a resident will see this thread and chime in.

I am a resident of Canada not NL. The OP contracted for service with Sunwing, not Buddy Dive. I suggested contacting TICO (Travel Industry Council of Ontario) in an earlier post as a first step but it appears to have fallen on deaf ears. TICO exists for the protection of consumers regarding travel. I don’t know how or if they are able to help, but it’s a first step.

TICO - Travel Industry Council of Ontario

If the OP cannot cancel, she’s basically stuck with the arrangement, unfortunately.

I agree the credit card company might be of assistance.

This is a clear bait and switch, but if the OP chooses not to get a refund, I doubt she’ll be able to get anything for compensation from a practical perspective. She might get the cost of the tanks back. That might be 2 per person per night, so 4 in total? And possibly the difference in cost of Eden Beach vs. Buddy Dive for that one night. Grand total will probably be less than CAD$100. Now cost vs. benefit analysis: spending what will probably be endless hours on the phone with useless phone reps or writing letter after letter to no avail to try to get back less than $100CAD. Would you do it? I wouldn’t. Not worth the effort.

Posting this horror story online...will it make a difference to Sunwing’s bottom line? I doubt it. They’re a discount carrier. There will always be people willing to roll the dice to save money. Just a fact of life.

Absolutely no judgment on the OP. She got screwed. Sunwing sucks. But not much she can do either in the circumstances.

 

[carol_swimmom]

I am a resident of Canada not NL. The OP contracted for service with Sunwing, not Buddy Dive. I suggested contacting TICO (Travel Industry Council of Ontario) in an earlier post as a first step but it appears to have fallen on deaf ears. TICO exists for the protection of consumers regarding travel. I don’t know how or if they are able to help, but it’s a first step.

If the OP cannot cancel, she’s basically stuck with the arrangement, unfortunately.

I agree the credit card company might be of assistance.

This is a clear bait and switch, but if the OP chooses not to get a refund, I doubt she’ll be able to get anything for compensation from a practical perspective. She might get the cost of the tanks back. That might be 2 per person per night, so 4 in total? And possibly the difference in cost of Eden Beach vs. Buddy Dive for that one night. Grand total will probably be less than CAD$100. Now cost vs. benefit analysis: spending what will probably be endless hours on the phone with useless phone reps or writing letter after letter to no avail to try to get back less than $100CAD. Would you do it? I wouldn’t. Not worth the effort.

Posting this horror story online...will it make a difference to Sunwing’s bottom line? I doubt it. They’re a discount carrier. There will always be people willing to roll the dice to save money. Just a fact of life.

Absolutely no judgment on the OP. She got screwed. Sunwing sucks. But not much she can do either in the circumstances.

I am a resident of Canada not NL. The OP contracted for service with Sunwing, not Buddy Dive. I suggested contacting TICO (Travel Industry Council of Ontario) in an earlier post as a first step but it appears to have fallen on deaf ears. TICO exists for the protection of consumers regarding travel. I don’t know how or if they are able to help, but it’s a first step.

If the OP cannot cancel, she’s basically stuck with the arrangement, unfortunately.

I agree the credit card company might be of assistance.

This is a clear bait and switch, but if the OP chooses not to get a refund, I doubt she’ll be able to get anything for compensation from a practical perspective. She might get the cost of the tanks back. That might be 2 per person per night, so 4 in total? And possibly the difference in cost of Eden Beach vs. Buddy Dive for that one night. Grand total will probably be less than CAD$100. Now cost vs. benefit analysis: spending what will probably be endless hours on the phone with useless phone reps or writing letter after letter to no avail to try to get back less than $100CAD. Would you do it? I wouldn’t. Not worth the effort.

Posting this horror story online...will it make a difference to Sunwing’s bottom line? I doubt it. They’re a discount carrier. There will always be people willing to roll the dice to save money. Just a fact of life.

Absolutely no judgment on the OP. She got screwed. Sunwing sucks. But not much she can do either in the circumstances.

The TICO thing did not fall on deaf ears. I did some research and have grounds for a complaint against Sunwing with them. I am choosing to wait til we get back because I want the rest to be ok (no spiteful sending of luggage to Aruba for example).
Their reviews are so bad on trip advisor mine would barely be a blip.
I wish west jet would fly to Bonaire. Last year we flew to curacao with them and hopped over to Bonaire with insel.

 

[Dogbowl]

The TICO thing did not fall on deaf ears. I did some research and have grounds for a complaint against Sunwing with them. I am choosing to wait til we get back because I want the rest to be ok (no spiteful sending of luggage to Aruba for example).
Their reviews are so bad on trip advisor mine would barely be a blip.
I wish west jet would fly to Bonaire. Last year we flew to curacao with them and hopped over to Bonaire with insel.

I feel your frustration. Good luck and most importantly, don’t let this affect your vacation! I also wish WestJet would fly to Bonaire and Coz all year!

 

[Reidkon]

I feel your frustration. Good luck and most importantly, don’t let this affect your vacation! I also wish WestJet would fly to Bonaire and Coz all year!

Ditto on that. Our last trip to Cozumel we flew to Toronto and direct to San Miguel. It sure beats the Cancun-PDC ferry route. That's the only way we will go from now on.

 

[kelemvor]

I am a resident of Canada not NL. The OP contracted for service with Sunwing, not Buddy Dive. I suggested contacting TICO (Travel Industry Council of Ontario) in an earlier post as a first step but it appears to have fallen on deaf ears. TICO exists for the protection of consumers regarding travel. I don’t know how or if they are able to help, but it’s a first step.

I mentioned NL because Bonaire is a municipality of the Netherlands, that was all.

 

[Dogbowl]

Funny timing...a WestJet aircraft was struck by a Sunwing aircraft at YYZ.

Twitter

 

[Reidkon]

Funny timing...a WestJet aircraft was struck by a Sunwing aircraft at YYZ.

Twitter

I saw that too but I doubt this is Sunwings fault. Bad luck for those Westjet passengers who had to bail down the emergency chutes but at least it was on arrival to Toronto and not departure to Cancun.