Since I've been getting a lot of questions lately, many about the cancellation policy, I thought a blog post about the cancellation policy might be helpful. So I will post the policy here, and also answer some of those questions here.
The cancellation policy is on the registration form you signed when you registered, and can always be found on the website as well: https://www.scrapbookcreationsny.com/policies.html
Cancellations and Refund Policies For Weekend Retreats:
Cancellation 60 or more days prior to the event
Cancellation 59 - 30 days prior to the start of event
Cancellation 29 - 0 days prior to the start of event
Possibility of switching to a different retreat:
The fine print:
Here are some of the questions I have been receiving lately, along with my answers:
If I have to cancel, can I send someone in my place?
No, this will not be possible. Substitutions may not attend the retreat in your place. The retreats sell out very quickly, and a waitlist is kept of people hoping to get into the retreat. Sending someone in your place would not be fair to those on the waitlist who are hoping to get a seat at the retreat.
The normal cancellation policy applies to all cancellations. Substitutions are not permitted.
If my roommate cancels, will you stick someone else in my room?
No, definitely not! I will never put someone else in your room unless it is a change you requested and/or we previously discussed it and you gave approval.
If my roommate cancels, will I have to pay more?
This answer is not as straightforward... In general, yes. You are responsible for paying the package rate based on your arrival day and number of people in your room. If the number of people in your room decreases, you will owe more. If the number of people in your room increases, I will refund you the price difference. (I will give you a check at the retreat.) The exception to this comes if your roommate cancels within 30 days of the retreat. In this case, there are no refunds given for cancellations, so there is also no price change for others in the room.
How do I know you didn't change the cancellation policy since I registered?
If changes are made to the policy, the cancellation policy on your signed registration form is the one that applies to you. If changes are made to the policy, I do it in between retreat seasons to avoid confusion as to which policy applies to you. In the rare case that this happens, both the original policy and the updated policy will be on the website, as well as effective dates of the policies so that you know which one applies to you.
Why don't you let customers make their own room reservations and only pay you for the retreat portion?
I have attended numerous retreats where this is the setup. On quite a few occasions (at different hotels and different retreats), I have witnessed issues with the rooms. For example, someone goes to check in to their room and is told there is no reservation under their name and no more rooms available. Whether it is an error on the hotel's part or the customer's part, it is a stressful situation.
Using my current setup where I take care of all the rooming reservations, I am able to avoid such situations. I have a direct relationship with the hotel and if issues do arise, we are able to work through them together to find a solution, rather than leaving someone without a room.
Why don't you issue refunds when someone cancels for a serious reason?
Unfortunately with so many different reasons for cancellations, we cannot define which cancellations qualify for refunds and which don't, so we will stay consistent with no refunds within 30 days of the retreat.
The cancellation policy is on the registration form you signed when you registered, and can always be found on the website as well: https://www.scrapbookcreationsny.com/policies.html
Cancellations and Refund Policies For Weekend Retreats:
Cancellation 60 or more days prior to the event
- Receive a full refund, less a $50 cancellation fee.
- PayPal fees will not be refunded.
Cancellation 59 - 30 days prior to the start of event
- Receive a full refund, less a $100 cancellation fee.
- PayPal fees will not be refunded.
Cancellation 29 - 0 days prior to the start of event
- No refunds or credits will be given.
Possibility of switching to a different retreat:
- If there are seats and hotel rooms available for one of the other retreats in the same season (spring retreats vs. fall retreats), you may transfer your registration to a different retreat.
- Registrations may not be transferred to a retreat in the next season.
The fine print:
- If I cancel an event altogether, you will receive a full refund, less any PayPal fees.
- Please note that all PayPal fees paid on the deposit and/or balance are non-refundable.
- Refunds will be sent to the person listed on the registration form, regardless of who paid the deposit and/or balance. If a friend submitted payment on your behalf and you cancel, a refund will mailed to you. You will need to settle up with your friend, and vice versa.
- All refunds issued for any reason will be mailed to you in the form of a US check. Refunds will be issued within 30 days of the event date.
- Registrations are non-transferrable. If you are no longer able to come, you may not send someone in your place. We have a waitlist of people waiting to get into each retreat and this would not be fair to them.
Here are some of the questions I have been receiving lately, along with my answers:
If I have to cancel, can I send someone in my place?
No, this will not be possible. Substitutions may not attend the retreat in your place. The retreats sell out very quickly, and a waitlist is kept of people hoping to get into the retreat. Sending someone in your place would not be fair to those on the waitlist who are hoping to get a seat at the retreat.
The normal cancellation policy applies to all cancellations. Substitutions are not permitted.
If my roommate cancels, will you stick someone else in my room?
No, definitely not! I will never put someone else in your room unless it is a change you requested and/or we previously discussed it and you gave approval.
If my roommate cancels, will I have to pay more?
This answer is not as straightforward... In general, yes. You are responsible for paying the package rate based on your arrival day and number of people in your room. If the number of people in your room decreases, you will owe more. If the number of people in your room increases, I will refund you the price difference. (I will give you a check at the retreat.) The exception to this comes if your roommate cancels within 30 days of the retreat. In this case, there are no refunds given for cancellations, so there is also no price change for others in the room.
How do I know you didn't change the cancellation policy since I registered?
If changes are made to the policy, the cancellation policy on your signed registration form is the one that applies to you. If changes are made to the policy, I do it in between retreat seasons to avoid confusion as to which policy applies to you. In the rare case that this happens, both the original policy and the updated policy will be on the website, as well as effective dates of the policies so that you know which one applies to you.
Why don't you let customers make their own room reservations and only pay you for the retreat portion?
I have attended numerous retreats where this is the setup. On quite a few occasions (at different hotels and different retreats), I have witnessed issues with the rooms. For example, someone goes to check in to their room and is told there is no reservation under their name and no more rooms available. Whether it is an error on the hotel's part or the customer's part, it is a stressful situation.
Using my current setup where I take care of all the rooming reservations, I am able to avoid such situations. I have a direct relationship with the hotel and if issues do arise, we are able to work through them together to find a solution, rather than leaving someone without a room.
Why don't you issue refunds when someone cancels for a serious reason?
Unfortunately with so many different reasons for cancellations, we cannot define which cancellations qualify for refunds and which don't, so we will stay consistent with no refunds within 30 days of the retreat.
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