The International Kitchen

Thank you Davidd - we greatly appreciate the review!

Thank you Davidd - we greatly appreciate the review!

Dear Sir/Madam, Thank you for contacting us about this complaint. We take it very much to heart when our clients are dissatisfied. Ms. made her dissatisfaction known at the time of her trip, and we replied to her repeatedly at that time and following her return to the US to explain our position. We look forward to receiving communication from her credit card company (should it be forthcoming) so that we can defend ourselves against her unjust accusations. Ms. contacted us September 6 inquiring about a tour to Spain, as she apparently had airline tickets that she needed to use. We recommended one of our tours, which she subsequently booked on Sept. 7. Our tour prices are based on "double occupancy" (2 people sharing a room) and there is almost always a surcharge for a "single occupancy" room (to have a room to oneself). That is how our partners in Europe price things, and this is all very much up front on our website and during the booking process. This is the trip she booked for October 16-21, 2018: https://www.theinternationalkitchen.com/program/cooking-vacation-in-spain-cooking-classes-in-andalusia/The link includes details about the itinerary, the accommodations, etc., and you can see the pricing under the 'pricing' tab. Ms. had many questions about the accommodations (was their an en suite bathroom, were there window screens, were there cockroaches, how big were the family's dogs, etc.), all of which we answered. In fact, on Sept. 7, prior to her booking, I wrote to her further describing the accommodations and referring her to the above link to see pictures and pointing her directly to the "accommodation information" tab (https://www.theinternationalkitchen.com/program/cooking-vacation-in-spain-cooking-classes-in-andalusia/). There is actually a picture of the room that was hers during her stay (it is the 4th picture). When she arrived at the farmhouse B&B ("finca" in Spain) she emailed the following: "Getting settled at the finca-it’s really lovely & The weather is superb.Regarding the room & the single supplement, I understood that one person had to pay more because the room could accommodate 2 paying people. But the room I got is tiny & has only one single bed,& couldnt possibly accommodate 2. It is just a single room!"As I explained to Ms. when she complained, her room normally has 2 twin beds, but the second twin bed was removed in order to give her more space. The fact that she was complaining when I explained in detail what the accommodations would be and even sent her pictures was disappointing, but I again tried to explain as best I could. At no point do we claim that a single occupancy room has to have a certain size bed. The single occupancy surcharge - which she agreed to pay and which was clear to her before she booked the trip - was to be in a room BY HERSELF. It is stupefying to me that she could book under these conditions, take the trip she was promised, and then ask for money back afterwards. The only way this would be justified is if we had put another occupant in the room with her. Regarding the room size and the bed size, our partners in Spain responded to her complaint: "This is a twin room, NOT a single room normally, with twin beds (2 iron beds put together). It is a small room but we are legally allowed to sell this room as a twin room accommodating 2 guests, as the regulations on tourism/building of Regional Govt of Andalucia says that min size of the room is 10m2, min bed size 90cm x 180cm. Our room size is 11m2. Our bed frame is 98 cm x 198 cm, bed mattress size is 90 X 188 CM [35.43 inches x 74.02 inches]" Ms. keeps referring to the bed as a "youth cot," but it is in fact a legal-sized twin bed (to reiterate - 6 feet 2.02 inches long). Perhaps she was surprised by the lack of box springs (not used in Europe), but there is no way the bed could be mistaken as a youth cot. We have had many travelers larger than she stay in twin beds (including this one) with no problem, it is very common in Europe. The trip that Ms. booked was clearly priced at $2550 plus a single supplement of $450. That is the cost of the trip - and she agreed to pay it as per our terms and conditions. She apparently had buyer's remorse even before she saw her room, as she emailed on Sept. 19 (before she departed for Spain) angry over the amount of the single supplement: Hi Peg--Thanks for all the info.I have one concern, which I would like you to address.I have been quite pleased with the way this trip was booked, & all thesmall details. However, I am trying to figure out why the single supplement was $450. This seems really excessive to me.Thanks for your input.Regards,In a follow up email I explained that the cost is almost always more for a single occupancy room, and reminded her : "We do make sure that this information is very up front - we don't want any surprises when people are booking our vacations regarding the cost or what is included."She replied by referring me to the website of the B&B in Spain and again said she thought she was being over charged. I explained that the pricing she was looking at on the B&B's website was a completely different product (in fact it was not a tour at all), reiterated that the single supplement is charged for clients in single occupancy rooms, and again reminded her "we really do try to be as upfront as possible about our trips and what they cost and what they include." I do not believe it is just in any way to accuse us of defrauding her. We replied quickly and accurately to all of her questions, and went out of the way to accommodate her many special requests. As for the hot water complaint, there were 3 other guests staying at the B&B at the same time, including another one of our clients, and they had no complaints about the hot water. In fact, our other client after she returned from Spain reached out to us of her own accord to say that she understood Ms. had been unhappy during the trip and that she wanted to let us know how wonderful the trip was! We did already refund Ms. a 135 Euro reduction in the single supplement (approximately USD$158) while she was still on our tour. This was not done because of any sense of wrongdoing, but because there were other clients there the same week and the B&B owners were hoping that a partial refund would keep Ms. from ruining the week for everyone. Also, we were all genuinely upset that she did not like her room and hoped the refund might make her a bit happier. We also offered the same 135 Euro refund to our other solo client traveling that week - who said that the reduction was not necessary, she fully understood that she had to pay the single supplement for a single occupancy room when she booked the trip. (For the record, it did not seem right to us to charge a different amount to 2 clients doing the same trip with the same type of accommodations so we did give both of them this 135 Euro refund.) I have several very lengthy email chains that I would be happy to supply that illustrate that we were up front throughout the whole process about what Ms. was paying for and what she could expect on the tour. We are disappointed that she did not like the trip, but we acted in good faith and gave her what we had promised to the best of our ability. Thank you for your time, and I would be happy to provide further details regarding this matter at any time. Sincerely, Peg

Dear Sir/Madam, The client and I had already communicated many times before she contacted you, so I was not expecting her to rescind her complaint after my response. Can you tell me if this exchange is being moderated and what the next steps are? I have included below the correspondence between us while she was traveling on our tour. She does not mention any problem with the hot water - this is a complaint that she made to us after the trip was over. She complained only about the single occupancy supplement. When she did mention the hot water after the trip I followed up with our partners in Spain, who said that when she complained, they checked and found the hot water to be working. They said it was unseasonably cool, so that it did take longer to get the hot water and they recommended she let the water run longer. If this had been brought to our attention during her stay, we would have followed up on it. I do not know of any way to prove or disprove whether she had hot water, only that she says she did not, our partners say she had it, and there were no complaints about this by our other client that week. Similarly, I do not know what more to say about the size of the bed. The client told us that she has disputed the charge with her credit card company. We would be very happy to provide any information to them or to you to resolve this issue. I do not believe that further correspondence between the client and myself - including forwarding her complaints and my replies - is a viable path toward a resolution, as we have been over her complaints and my responses already many times. Is it possible to ask that this go to an independent arbiter? Sincerely, Peg ***Hi Deb, As per my last, the refund was already processed. 135 Eu, approx $158, so that's already done. I'll wait to hear from your credit card company regarding the rest. Again, we hope you enjoy the rest of your trip!PegPeg ***Vice President, Co-OwnerThe International Kitchen ***. Suite 818, Chicago, IL 60601/info@theinternationalkitchen.comwww.theinternationalkitchen.comOn Fri, Oct 19, 2018 at 10:01 AM Deborah *** wrote:Sent from my iPadPeg— Please do not credit the $135 to my credit card. I want a full refund of the SS and if it’s not forthcoming from TIK, I plan on pursuing w/ my credit card company.There is absolutely no room to accommodate a 2nd bed in this room. It is a single room, for one person only. I am sorry, but this has nothing to do with ***, they have been really wonderful. It has to do w/ TIK cheating me out of $450.Thank you for your response, Citibank will be contacting your company.Have a good day,Best Regards,Deborah ***,Single room, one person. Thank you,Deborah ***Sent from my iPadOn Oct 19, 2018, at 4:02 PM, TIK Info wrote:Hi Deborah, Thanks for your email. I'm sorry if I'm having trouble explaining this - the single supplement is an occupancy charge for clients in a single occupancy room. Unless you are sharing a double room, it is charged, and unfortunately it does not go away even if there are other people on the tour, or even if you don't like your room. The room you are in can be made up as a double room, but *** and *** removed then 2nd bed to give you more room. But even if that were not the case, the single occupancy supplement applies for all single occupancy rooms. We do not just invent this charge - it is required by almost all of our European vendors, (and where they do not require it we do not charge it). We put all of this information on our website very clearly: it is plainly listed on the program pricing page and is explicitly part of the checkout process. We do not make this IN ANY WAY a surprise for our travelers - so if our travelers do not want to pay a single supplement they know not to book our tour. *** offered to reduce the single supplement amount to a lower cost because I explained you were unhappy about the size of your room and the cost of the single supplement - she is really just trying to make sure you enjoy the week as much as possible given the way you feel. In any event, the reduction (135 Euros, which was around $158) has been credited to your card. I sincerely hope you enjoy the rest of your stay in Spain. Best regards, Peg ***Vice President, Co-OwnerThe International Kitchen 307 N. Michigan Ave. Suite 818, Chicago, IL 60601/info@theinternationalkitchen.comwww.theinternationalkitchen.comOn Thu, Oct 18, 2018 at 4:29 PM Deborah *** wrote:Hi PegMy point was that there is no single supplement necessary when you have a single room. Why is she offering me $135? I should not have to pay a SS at ALL. I paid it under false pretenses. Now if you have an issue with that, I am a reasonable person, but please tell me why this fee was added. What is it for?Thank youDeborah ***Sent from my iPadOn Oct 18, 2018, at 6:57 PM, TIK Info wrote:Hi Deborah, I talked with *** who has agreed to a 135 Euro reduction in the single supplement - we will refund that amount to your credit card. I hope you are enjoying Andalusia!PegPeg ***Vice President, Co-OwnerThe International Kitchen 307 N. Michigan Ave. Suite 818, Chicago, IL 60601/info@theinternationalkitchen.comwww.theinternationalkitchen.comOn Wed, Oct 17, 2018 at 8:07 AM TIK Info wrote:Hi Deborah, I got your email- have been traveling yesterday and today but will talk with *** and get back to you soon!Peg Sent from my iPhoneOn Oct 16, 2018, at 11:00 AM, Deborah *** wrote:Hi PegGetting settled at the finca-it’s really lovely & The wearher is superb.Regarding the room & the single supplement, I understood that one person had to pay more because the room could accommodate 2 paying people. But the room I got is tiny & has only one single bed,& couldnt possibly accommodate 2. It is just a single room!Could you explain?thanks so much/Deborah

Dear Sir/Madam, Thank you for contacting us about this complaint. We take it very much to heart when our clients are dissatisfied. Ms. made her dissatisfaction known at the time of her trip, and we replied to her repeatedly at that time and following her return to the US to explain our position. We look forward to receiving communication from her credit card company (should it be forthcoming) so that we can defend ourselves against her unjust accusations. Ms. contacted us September 6 inquiring about a tour to Spain, as she apparently had airline tickets that she needed to use. We recommended one of our tours, which she subsequently booked on Sept. 7. Our tour prices are based on "double occupancy" (2 people sharing a room) and there is almost always a surcharge for a "single occupancy" room (to have a room to oneself). That is how our partners in Europe price things, and this is all very much up front on our website and during the booking process. This is the trip she booked for October 16-21, 2018: https://www.theinternationalkitchen.com/program/cooking-vacation-in-spain-cooking-classes-in-andalusia/The link includes details about the itinerary, the accommodations, etc., and you can see the pricing under the 'pricing' tab. Ms. had many questions about the accommodations (was their an en suite bathroom, were there window screens, were there cockroaches, how big were the family's dogs, etc.), all of which we answered. In fact, on Sept. 7, prior to her booking, I wrote to her further describing the accommodations and referring her to the above link to see pictures and pointing her directly to the "accommodation information" tab (https://www.theinternationalkitchen.com/program/cooking-vacation-in-spain-cooking-classes-in-andalusia/). There is actually a picture of the room that was hers during her stay (it is the 4th picture). When she arrived at the farmhouse B&B ("finca" in Spain) she emailed the following: "Getting settled at the finca-it’s really lovely & The weather is superb.Regarding the room & the single supplement, I understood that one person had to pay more because the room could accommodate 2 paying people. But the room I got is tiny & has only one single bed,& couldnt possibly accommodate 2. It is just a single room!"As I explained to Ms. when she complained, her room normally has 2 twin beds, but the second twin bed was removed in order to give her more space. The fact that she was complaining when I explained in detail what the accommodations would be and even sent her pictures was disappointing, but I again tried to explain as best I could. At no point do we claim that a single occupancy room has to have a certain size bed. The single occupancy surcharge - which she agreed to pay and which was clear to her before she booked the trip - was to be in a room BY HERSELF. It is stupefying to me that she could book under these conditions, take the trip she was promised, and then ask for money back afterwards. The only way this would be justified is if we had put another occupant in the room with her. Regarding the room size and the bed size, our partners in Spain responded to her complaint: "This is a twin room, NOT a single room normally, with twin beds (2 iron beds put together). It is a small room but we are legally allowed to sell this room as a twin room accommodating 2 guests, as the regulations on tourism/building of Regional Govt of Andalucia says that min size of the room is 10m2, min bed size 90cm x 180cm. Our room size is 11m2. Our bed frame is 98 cm x 198 cm, bed mattress size is 90 X 188 CM [35.43 inches x 74.02 inches]" Ms. keeps referring to the bed as a "youth cot," but it is in fact a legal-sized twin bed (to reiterate - 6 feet 2.02 inches long). Perhaps she was surprised by the lack of box springs (not used in Europe), but there is no way the bed could be mistaken as a youth cot. We have had many travelers larger than she stay in twin beds (including this one) with no problem, it is very common in Europe. The trip that Ms. booked was clearly priced at $2550 plus a single supplement of $450. That is the cost of the trip - and she agreed to pay it as per our terms and conditions. She apparently had buyer's remorse even before she saw her room, as she emailed on Sept. 19 (before she departed for Spain) angry over the amount of the single supplement: Hi Peg--Thanks for all the info.I have one concern, which I would like you to address.I have been quite pleased with the way this trip was booked, & all thesmall details. However, I am trying to figure out why the single supplement was $450. This seems really excessive to me.Thanks for your input.Regards,In a follow up email I explained that the cost is almost always more for a single occupancy room, and reminded her : "We do make sure that this information is very up front - we don't want any surprises when people are booking our vacations regarding the cost or what is included."She replied by referring me to the website of the B&B in Spain and again said she thought she was being over charged. I explained that the pricing she was looking at on the B&B's website was a completely different product (in fact it was not a tour at all), reiterated that the single supplement is charged for clients in single occupancy rooms, and again reminded her "we really do try to be as upfront as possible about our trips and what they cost and what they include." I do not believe it is just in any way to accuse us of defrauding her. We replied quickly and accurately to all of her questions, and went out of the way to accommodate her many special requests. As for the hot water complaint, there were 3 other guests staying at the B&B at the same time, including another one of our clients, and they had no complaints about the hot water. In fact, our other client after she returned from Spain reached out to us of her own accord to say that she understood Ms. had been unhappy during the trip and that she wanted to let us know how wonderful the trip was! We did already refund Ms. a 135 Euro reduction in the single supplement (approximately USD$158) while she was still on our tour. This was not done because of any sense of wrongdoing, but because there were other clients there the same week and the B&B owners were hoping that a partial refund would keep Ms. from ruining the week for everyone. Also, we were all genuinely upset that she did not like her room and hoped the refund might make her a bit happier. We also offered the same 135 Euro refund to our other solo client traveling that week - who said that the reduction was not necessary, she fully understood that she had to pay the single supplement for a single occupancy room when she booked the trip. (For the record, it did not seem right to us to charge a different amount to 2 clients doing the same trip with the same type of accommodations so we did give both of them this 135 Euro refund.) I have several very lengthy email chains that I would be happy to supply that illustrate that we were up front throughout the whole process about what Ms. was paying for and what she could expect on the tour. We are disappointed that she did not like the trip, but we acted in good faith and gave her what we had promised to the best of our ability. Thank you for your time, and I would be happy to provide further details regarding this matter at any time. Sincerely, Peg

Dear Sir/Madam, The client and I had already communicated many times before she contacted you, so I was not expecting her to rescind her complaint after my response. Can you tell me if this exchange is being moderated and what the next steps are? I have included below the correspondence between us while she was traveling on our tour. She does not mention any problem with the hot water - this is a complaint that she made to us after the trip was over. She complained only about the single occupancy supplement. When she did mention the hot water after the trip I followed up with our partners in Spain, who said that when she complained, they checked and found the hot water to be working. They said it was unseasonably cool, so that it did take longer to get the hot water and they recommended she let the water run longer. If this had been brought to our attention during her stay, we would have followed up on it. I do not know of any way to prove or disprove whether she had hot water, only that she says she did not, our partners say she had it, and there were no complaints about this by our other client that week. Similarly, I do not know what more to say about the size of the bed. The client told us that she has disputed the charge with her credit card company. We would be very happy to provide any information to them or to you to resolve this issue. I do not believe that further correspondence between the client and myself - including forwarding her complaints and my replies - is a viable path toward a resolution, as we have been over her complaints and my responses already many times. Is it possible to ask that this go to an independent arbiter? Sincerely, Peg ***Hi Deb, As per my last, the refund was already processed. 135 Eu, approx $158, so that's already done. I'll wait to hear from your credit card company regarding the rest. Again, we hope you enjoy the rest of your trip!PegPeg ***Vice President, Co-OwnerThe International Kitchen ***. Suite 818, Chicago, IL 60601/info@theinternationalkitchen.comwww.theinternationalkitchen.comOn Fri, Oct 19, 2018 at 10:01 AM Deborah *** wrote:Sent from my iPadPeg— Please do not credit the $135 to my credit card. I want a full refund of the SS and if it’s not forthcoming from TIK, I plan on pursuing w/ my credit card company.There is absolutely no room to accommodate a 2nd bed in this room. It is a single room, for one person only. I am sorry, but this has nothing to do with ***, they have been really wonderful. It has to do w/ TIK cheating me out of $450.Thank you for your response, Citibank will be contacting your company.Have a good day,Best Regards,Deborah ***,Single room, one person. Thank you,Deborah ***Sent from my iPadOn Oct 19, 2018, at 4:02 PM, TIK Info wrote:Hi Deborah, Thanks for your email. I'm sorry if I'm having trouble explaining this - the single supplement is an occupancy charge for clients in a single occupancy room. Unless you are sharing a double room, it is charged, and unfortunately it does not go away even if there are other people on the tour, or even if you don't like your room. The room you are in can be made up as a double room, but *** and *** removed then 2nd bed to give you more room. But even if that were not the case, the single occupancy supplement applies for all single occupancy rooms. We do not just invent this charge - it is required by almost all of our European vendors, (and where they do not require it we do not charge it). We put all of this information on our website very clearly: it is plainly listed on the program pricing page and is explicitly part of the checkout process. We do not make this IN ANY WAY a surprise for our travelers - so if our travelers do not want to pay a single supplement they know not to book our tour. *** offered to reduce the single supplement amount to a lower cost because I explained you were unhappy about the size of your room and the cost of the single supplement - she is really just trying to make sure you enjoy the week as much as possible given the way you feel. In any event, the reduction (135 Euros, which was around $158) has been credited to your card. I sincerely hope you enjoy the rest of your stay in Spain. Best regards, Peg ***Vice President, Co-OwnerThe International Kitchen 307 N. Michigan Ave. Suite 818, Chicago, IL 60601/info@theinternationalkitchen.comwww.theinternationalkitchen.comOn Thu, Oct 18, 2018 at 4:29 PM Deborah *** wrote:Hi PegMy point was that there is no single supplement necessary when you have a single room. Why is she offering me $135? I should not have to pay a SS at ALL. I paid it under false pretenses. Now if you have an issue with that, I am a reasonable person, but please tell me why this fee was added. What is it for?Thank youDeborah ***Sent from my iPadOn Oct 18, 2018, at 6:57 PM, TIK Info wrote:Hi Deborah, I talked with *** who has agreed to a 135 Euro reduction in the single supplement - we will refund that amount to your credit card. I hope you are enjoying Andalusia!PegPeg ***Vice President, Co-OwnerThe International Kitchen 307 N. Michigan Ave. Suite 818, Chicago, IL 60601/info@theinternationalkitchen.comwww.theinternationalkitchen.comOn Wed, Oct 17, 2018 at 8:07 AM TIK Info wrote:Hi Deborah, I got your email- have been traveling yesterday and today but will talk with *** and get back to you soon!Peg Sent from my iPhoneOn Oct 16, 2018, at 11:00 AM, Deborah *** wrote:Hi PegGetting settled at the finca-it’s really lovely & The wearher is superb.Regarding the room & the single supplement, I understood that one person had to pay more because the room could accommodate 2 paying people. But the room I got is tiny & has only one single bed,& couldnt possibly accommodate 2. It is just a single room!Could you explain?thanks so much/Deborah