+




= refund?

Having read the thread I find these two issues to be concerning. Assuming that Wes is accurate in his rendition of events, the actions described are not acceptable. Had he bought the tickets on the assumption that he would have time for the airshow and the ride to APE and it didn't work out, then vented about the operator of the flights, that's on him, but the above two actions are at best unethical and I would have a problem with them too.

Wes, you came here asking for opinions.

I am a veterinarian and own my own practice. Reading through your OP I sense a person unwilling to take personal responsibility for an unfortunate scenario. The only thing the vendor can do is tell you what the schedule is for the air show. They can't guarantee any of it. The only guarantee that vendor has is the service they provide (Rides with doc) and it sounds like they held up that end of the deal (or at least would have). Rides on planes like that cost a decent amount of $ and for 99.9% of folks the importance of that would far exceed getting to watch the tail end of a single OSH airshow (they're constant).

I have clients that have your (perceived) mindset that I now refer to as former clients (by my choosing).

just one opinion.

They shouldn't have said the airshow would be over at a certain time and implied you'd be fine. That's on them.

You shouldn't have assumed they'd give you a refund if you missed the time they told you. That's on you.

They should have taken at least some responsibility for the first point, and if they did not fly with empty seats, offer you another ride. If they did fly with empty seats, they should have at least explained that as the reason they could not offer a refund.

I understand this is frustrating, but they're not crooks. Maybe not the greatest at customer service, but they're not making a bunch of money here either so I'd cut them some slack. They are keeping a piece of history alive and attempting to cover expenses.

Dude, you're basically doing a drive-by. Dropping in and posting with the sole purpose of bashing a business.

That generally doesn't get much sympathy.

If you want advice, I think the advice is to be careful when you spend $1500 bucks on a reservation and then don't show up at the correct place at the appropriate time. It's all on you to manage your schedule, not the guy who sold you tickets.

Dude, you're basically doing a drive-by. Dropping in and posting with the sole purpose of bashing a business.

That generally doesn't get much sympathy.

If you want advice, I think the advice is to be careful when you spend $1500 bucks on a reservation and then don't show up at the correct place at the appropriate time. It's all on you to manage your schedule, not the guy who sold you tickets.

This is why you go to KOSH for the week, or at least for a few days. You don’t have to try and cram it all in a short schedule.
I’ve seen the airshow so many times it’s secondary to everything else and something to do when nothing else is going on.
Traveling across the grounds during the show is easy because everyone is sitting in place watching.
I personally would have picked a place to watch the airshow somewhere close to the shuttle if I’d paid $1000 for a couple tickets. It would at least be my main focus once the card was swiped.
But that’s just me.
“We gotta get to that shuttle Dude! We’ll see the F22 fly tomorrow”
Greg

Isn't everyone falling into the trap of responding after only hearing one side of the story?

"ED stated that the airshow would be over around 4pm and I would have plenty of time to make the 5:30pm flight. With this information I told ED I would like to purchase 3 tickets for the 5:30pm flight."

Is it possible that "ED" used the word "should" instead of "would"? And that the OP somehow heard and mentally processed the word "would"? The OP is a bright pilot that "should" know that ED does not control the Airshow schedule.

If you are at Disneyland and you buy your kids tickets for Disney After Dark - Fireworks and Halloween Screams at 9:30 PM then you need to be there at 9:30 PM.....Not in a show that "should" have ended in time or not in a restaurant that "should" have finished serving you in plenty of time.

It’s a airshow….

The incident occurred in July. It is now October.

A little late don't you think²

Lots of good advice and thank you to all who actually read what I posted and offered your opinion. I didn't do a good job of conveying my tone or conveying what really bothered me. This is not something I'll lose sleep over. I am, and always have been, completely willing to accept responsibility for my actions.

I acknowledge I'm taking a risk anytime I hand my credit card to someone. I acknowledge that I paid for something and accepted the risk of losing that amount of money for nothing in return.

I believe the vendor and I are each responsible for creating a dispute. I entered a dispute resolution process in good faith and shared the true facts of what happened. If the counterparty shared the true facts in the dispute resolution process, and the credit card company said "It doesn't matter that you weren't made aware of the refund policy and it doesn't matter that you trusted the vendor as to the airshow schedule, all transactions are final unless the vendor agrees otherwise." I would have no problem accepting that. It's the lies and fraud that bother me. If I were willing to lie or commit fraud, I could simply say my card was stolen and likely have the charge reversed, but I would rather lose $1,800 than live with the guilt of knowing I lied and/or commited fraud.

I'll go back to lurking and entertaining myself with other peoples' agruments rather than my own. Goodnight everyone, except the people it's not night for.

This is freaking nuts.
What happened to personal responsibility?
Are you really casting your blame on others? Those others that would always be there for you?

Maybe, and I'm just spitballin' here, if you hadn't gone to DEFCON 4 they might could have worked a deal with you to fly later, at least at a discount.

They're good people, I know one of them. Folks don't get in this business to cheat or steal.

I tour with Fifi and Diamond Lil, and trust me, nobody's getting rich. Ticket sales don't come close to paying tour costs - donations run into the millions.

By handing your credit card to a vendor, something you admit, you are authorizing said purchase. You are trying to split hairs over him entering your information into the booking website. You could have and would have just as easily did it yourself.

You made a hasty expensive decision to purchase the flight, then prioritized seeing the airshow. You attempted to contact Doc by email, during the airshow and while they are operating a busy booth, expecting an immediate response.

You mention you expected to fly on Doc from Oshkosh. Did you happen to see Doc on the ground or operating from Oshkosh that day?

Add me to the list of very satisfied customers of Doc's Friends. The entire team that conducted my flight on Doc was fantastic, including the individual referenced in this thread.

I'll hand him my credit card again with great haste if my schedule happens to align with Doc's in the future.

Here's some actual advice for those considering a ride on Doc - they will sometimes add flights at airshows beyond those published on their website. If you don't see availability that suits your needs, be sure to ask if they've added anything.

That's how I got my wife and I the seats we wanted. I walked up expecting nothing, and was informed I could get those coveted seats on a flight they had added for the following day. I flew back into Sun N Fun for an additional day solely to take the ride. I fully understood that my payment would become a simple donation if something prevented me from returning.

We have such fond memories of that experience. I'm grateful for this organization and their mission.