I drove down from northern NJ (about 20 minutes from Manhatten) to Cape May to go on the Cape May Whale Watcher. So that there is no confusion, it is the "Spirit of Cape May" boat that is red and white and leaves from Miss Chris Marina. I can't even begin to say how horrible our day was because of this place. We drove 3 hours for absolutely nothing!
When we arrived, the sun was shining brightly and it was noon, so we decided to buy our tickets ($35 a person!) and then grab a bite to eat at a nearby pizza place. By the time we walked back to the deck, the clouds started coming in, but we were hoping that it wouldn't rain, as the weather reports we'd been hearing didn't give any indications that it would definitely rain down there, otherwise we wouldn't have driven all the way out there. Nonethess, the rain started, and it poured! We stood there in line as the boat which had just returned from the morning trip unloaded its passengers, and we were soaking wet in no time. We asked one of the crew members if they'd still go out with that kind of weather (on a recent trip to Boston we'd also bought tickets to a whale watch cruise but it was cancelled because of inclement weather out at sea, and we got a full refund), and the man just said they would try to sail around the storm.
We didn't want to risk ruining thousands of dollars of camera equipment that we'd brought with us because we're photographers, and we didn't want to spend three hours inside the boat. What's the point of going out for a whale/dolphin watch if you have to sit INSIDE and not out on the deck of the ship where you can get the best view and take the best photos? So we decided to go to the ticket window and ask for a refund.
First off, the woman who was at the ticket window had a nasty attitude from the moment we purchased our tickets. This time, the window was shut and she was on the phone. I stood right in front of the window waiting for her, getting soaked in the rain, but she wouldn't do anything, so I knocked on the glass, and all she did was put her finger up as though to say "Wait a minute". I rolled my eyes in disbelief and when she opened the window I politely asked for a refund, to which she replied with her ever-present nasty attitude that they don't give refunds and that we could just use the ticket any other day. And I said "But we drove all the way down from north Jersey" and she didn't care at all, saying they go out rain or shine, and then just shut the window on us! So we walked back to our car, realized that all the water had soaked our camera bags and gotten some moisture on the equipment and thought about when we would be able to drive all the way back down to do this all over again, realizing we wouldn't have the time for it, since our weekends are pretty booked as it is and we work during the week.
I decided that, instead of getting even more wet by walking to the window, I would just call her. I held back the anger and frustration, and kindly, patiently, politely asked her if she could bend the rules for us because of the situation we were in. At first she seemed to be hearing me out, but then said that that is her policy and she hung up on me! I tried calling back right away twice and didn't get an answer. Finally got an answer the third time I tried. I said "What if I were from out of state, and I were on vacation and this was the only day I could do this, what would you do then?" And she said "That's my policy. 100 people went on that boat today. You decided not to, that's not my fault." At this point, I said, losing my patience, but still quietly and politely, "The reason we didn't want to go on the boat was because it was raining so much and we have expensive camera equipment we are afraid would get ruined." She replied, "Well then you should've left your cameras in the car and grow up..." At this point, I lost it. She'd been giving me an attitude the whole time, had already hung up on me, and now proceeded to insult me! I started getting loud and I said "Well that's why I paid $35 to get on the boat!" and I called her a choice name that I won't repeat here. To which she replied, "Don't raise your voice" and I said I was getting loud because she kept talking over me and wouldn't let me talk. And she said "Oh you're so cute and little" (I don't even know what this was supposed to mean, by the way! I may look like I'm still in high school, but I'm in my 20's. Did she think that she was dealing with some kid who wasn't going to give her any trouble, that would just walk away all cowardly?). I gave her another few choice words and pretty much told her to go screw and hung up on her. My boyfriend went in and tried to talk to her and told me to wait in the car, and she revealed to him that she is the owner and that's her policy no matter what and that she would call the cops if we didn't leave.
Check the website, check the tickets when if buy them, check the windows and doors of the ticket booth - there are no indications that you will not receive a refund should you choose not to go that day. It's not in writing, but she insists that's her policy. So we're out $70 and in search of people who want to buy them off of us. She made her money; that's why she doesn't give refunds or cancel any of the trips, regardless how far you came from or how long you'll be in the area, what the weather is like, regardless if people would get sick on deck, regardless if people have expensive equipment they don't want to ruin, regardless if people would just rather sail on a sunny day. She wants to make sure that, by never cancelling any trips, she never has to issue refunds, so she keeps all the money.
See you next Tuesday....if you know what I mean... ;-)
NEVER give money to scumbag business people like this!