Excuse my spelling above, I was typing a bit too fast. To clarify a little, we had purchased a package through them for several days of diving and then they kept overbooking themselves to the point they could not honor taking us out for the dives we had payed for.
After not only our experience at the cenotes with them, but also not being able to dive for several consecutive days because everytime we would report to the booth we were told to take a taxi (at our expense) to Puerto Aventura to meet the boat. Upon arriving we would be told that there was no room for us etc. By the time this has happened and you return to the hotel or Playa it is too late in the day to schedule dives with another op.
Day one, we dove the cenotes. Equipment, discussion, and attention to safety (and cavern diving restrictions) were all non-existent. Day two I get the run around described above. On day two I complain to the booth and it seems they were truly mistaken. I am nonetheless miffed that I receive no apology or offer to make ammends for the taxi money I am out. Day 3, we report to the booth and are this time told we cannot dive that day, they are too busy. This day we managed to get in with Beach Divers (excellent op) and at least get to dive.
Day 4, we get the same run around of taxiing down to Puerto Aventuras and then being told the boat is full. At this point I am furious and let the dive shop there know it. The employess at the AquaWorld shop at Puerto Aventuras tell me they did not book me and I must talk to the booth at the hotel. I discuss with them what it means to provide customer service and be a decent human being in general before paying for my fourth useless cab back to the hotel.
Upon arrival at the hotel I take a few moments to have a drink and in general calm down before going to the booth. My wife and I agree that we have simply had far more than enough of AquaWorld and would much rather schedule as many dives as we can with Beach Divers regardless of if we can get our money bacl from AquaWorld or not.
I then go to the booth and tell them we were denied diving again. The "booth punk" tells me I can see about diving the next day then (still no apology at all).
At this time I ask him if this is how they normally do business. He tells me yes, they are very busy. I tell him that we paid for dives that they are not providing to us and I expect a pro-rated refund for the dives we have not been able to do (I actually asked that he deduct the full normal non-package cost of the cenote dives from my refund).
He tells me we bought a package and if we do not wish to do our remaining dives that is our decision and there will be no refunds. I told him that it was their fault we could not dive, NOT ours. At this point he tells me talk to the hotel then. The hotel manager was appalled at my story and told me he could not force them to remedy the situation but would discuss it with them on my behalf. The manager and "booth punk" spoke too quickly (in spanish) for me to understand, but the manger was getting quite angry.
Finally the manger informed me that AquaWorld would be willing to refund our package minus the cenote dive. The booth had the old run the card over the metal plate and then call it in method for credit cards. I was given a receipt for the refund. Upon returning home we were not surprised to see the refund was never called in. Upon sending my receipt to the cc company they denied payment to AquaWorld and I was not charged.
This was our first dive vacation.
