<p>I need to vent a bit. My son was scheduled for a 3 week geology class at 6 national parks that also included a white water rafting trip. He had originally been wait-listed for the class and was thrilled when they notified him that he could go. When we picked him up from school for the one-week break before the trip, he complained of a sore throat. Three days later he had an abscess drained. Two days later, the abscess needed to be drained again, this time under general anesthesia in the OR. He was discharged after an overnight stay and had the approval of the surgeon to go on the trip. We packed everything up on Sunday, I drove him back to school but I checked into a motel in case there were problems. He made it through the two days of lectures but decided that he just didn't have the energy to attempt such a strenuous trip, so he withdrew Monday afternoon. (He had lost 12 pounds and was having trouble opening his mouth and swallowing). </p>
<p>Today, Thursday, he had a follow-up appointment with the ENT specialist who said he could resume full activity. I also called the school and was told that since we had not gotten trip insurance (it was not specifically offered but we should have known to do it) he was not going to get more than a couple of hundred dollars refund from the $4000 cost. While the money loss is annoying, I am more upset about him losing this great experience. There will be other trips and hopefully the timing will be right for him to go on another trip; this same class will be offered in two years. </p>
<p>I am not sure why I am posting other than I needed to whine a bit and the CC site has a note above the posts saying that I have not posted on the forums for several weeks, so here I am. It seems so unfair that he not only loses the trip but he still has to pay for it but life is often unfair.</p>
<p>What a bad break for him. It sounds like he gave it his best college try but it just didn’t work out. Vent away.</p>
<p>Unfortunately these things somethimes hit with unfortunate timing. I have an English friend who made a trip to San Diego with his wife for a vacation and the day or day after they arrived learned that her father passed away so they ended up on the next flight back to the UK - I’m sure at a great deal of expense and the loss of their vacation.</p>
<p>I hope he can still do this or something similar within the next few years.</p>
<p>Oh… so sorry, lotsofquests. Life is not fair. But, hopefully the budget can accomodate the lost funds, and happy news that your son is on the mend.</p>
<p>** lol cross posted an almost identical post from menloparkmom</p>
<p>I feel your pain!! Sorry that happened to him!! You’re right – timing is the pits sometimes. Daughter’s experiences – did opening show of “Little Shop of Horrors” – came home, got food poisoning (we think), ended up at doc’s, then to ER for “a little bit of an IV”…then into the cardiac ICU for 3 days when she got so dehydrated her heart went funky…and the whole time, her biggest distress was that she was missing performances!! (Never mind that she could not stand up w/out fainting…). She got well, and was able to do the final show…</p>
<p>Lostofquests, you have my complete sympathy. I can understand how disapointed your son is. My daughter had a similar situation in December when she came down with mono and couldn’t go on a winter break Birthright trip to Israel. Fortunately, we didn’t lose any money and she was accepted to another trip this spring. I hope that your son gets to have this experience the next time it is offered.</p>
<p>D’s friend got mono a week before college sponsored spring break trip to Italy. Left for Italy not feeling great and after one day was so sick from an unrelated infection that she was flown to Paris (a professor accompanied her) and was hospitalized. Her father flew to Paris to fly home wth her. I don’t know if they had trip insurance (or why she had to go to Paris) but it sure added up to many unplanned expenses!</p>
<p>Hoosiermom, sometimes it is good to hear about how things could be worse. I am looking at him now thinking that he could have done the trip because three days later he is feeling so much better. But the reality of the situation was that it was a physically demanding trip and he is not completely recovered. He is ok for the limited activity that he is doing here but I am sure that he tires more easily and a 5 mile hike would severely tax his reserves. It would not be fair to the group and could have been dangerous to him.</p>
<p>Bummer…I didn’t know that you could buy trip insurance for something like that. I know that my kids have been on things like that which have cost $3K, but I don’t remember getting asked whether I wanted trip insurance.</p>
<p>Maybe you could go in his place? After all, there is an empty spot in the boat…</p>
<p>I’m so sorry to hear about this. I curious about how you were “supposed to know” you should have gotten trip insurance, and wondering why schools that offer these kinds of programs wouldn’t at least suggest that students/parents consider it. I realize that they might not want to endorse any particular company, but your son can’t be the first disappointed student who has had to back out at the last minute. Many of us know to at least consider insurance for vacations such as cruises, but I never would have thought about it for a class. Last year, I purchased trip insurance for my son’s senior trip, because there was a possibility his baseball team would be still playing in the NCS. (This insurance was offered by the tour company at the time of booking.)</p>
<p>Hope your son feels better, and can take the class in a couple of years. Would they refund more of your money if another student took his place?</p>
<p>Isn’t it amazing how much more it hurts when it’s our child’s disappointment and not ours? Bummer, OP. Vent away & give the kiddo an ice cream treat. Always brings a smile to my kids’ faces when they’re sick…</p>
<p>There are parents of kids on this forum whose kids have chronic health problems, and suffer these kinds of losses over and over again. This health problem was finite and is now better, and he, and you, can plan for the future, which is not possible for some. It’s perfectly understandable to vent, but just to maybe put it in perspective a bit.</p>
<p>On the money front, if it makes you feel any better, think about all the trips over your lifetime (yours and your kids’) that you didn’t take trip insurance for – you probably saved over $4K total by never taking trip insurance. So consider that you “self-insure” for these things, and this is the time you lost that bet.</p>
<p>i always try to look at these kind of things as fate stepping in to avoid a tragedy. I think to myself “I wonder what we just avoided”. Thank goodness!</p>
<p>I guess it’s time to count your blessings he was HOME when the health issues struck & had the sense NOT to go when he didn’t have the stamina. My kids are among those who have chronic health issues and have missed a TON of activities due to their uncertain health.<br>
It does make us very happy & grateful for the things they have been able to do & enjoy.</p>
<p>S was supposed to go on a geology trip to China with his U but they couldn’t get visas due to the swine flu scare. They had to settle for a trip to the Sierra Nevadas instead & I was SO grateful that they didn’t go because the chaperone got ill & they had to shorten the trip anyway. IF they had gone to China & he had gotten ill & they had been quarantined, it would have NOT been a pleasant experience or memory. As it was, they had a nice enough time & he had some time in LA since the trip was cut short. </p>
<p>Things have a way of working out–sometimes not was we planned, but perhaps as they are supposed to. I also have never purchased trip insurance & figure we have saved quite a bit of money over the years, since we have rarely had to cancel or reschedule any trips.</p>
<p>Exactly! I would have posted this same point, but you did it perfectly. </p>
<p>This is definitely the right way to look at it, and the mathematically correct way, as well. Use insurance to protect against losses that you can’t afford to sustain, and cover the rest yourself. In the long term, your expectation is to come out far ahead.</p>
<p>Gotta agree with smile. I’m a big “meant to be” person. I’d put this in the “Well shucks!” box and try to let it go. (And keep in mind the much worse stories to put it in perspective.) These little bumps in life provide the good stories to tell!</p>
<p>So sorry about this disappointment, but thank God you caught this problem and took care of this. Retropharyngeal abcesses can be life threatening because they can either expand to the point where they block the airway, or spread to nearby tissues and into the bloodstream. Please take a moment and be thankful for the fact that medical science and your good sense to act on this saved your son’s life. Best wishes for a rapid and smooth recovery.</p>
<p>There is no way he can do some self studying at home for the classroom portion and then join up when they go to the parks? If not, I would start going up the ladder and keep requesting a refund. When you have exausted that route then I agree with others and just accept it as not meant to be. </p>
<p>sorry this happened for your son, but I am glad he is getting better.</p>
<p>I echo all the statements about being glad your son is better – that’s the most important thing.</p>
<p>But that’s a lot of money to lose. Did you pay by credit card? I have found out (because my firm accepts credit cards) that you can dispute a charge (no matter how valid) and you have a good chance of getting your money back. Credit card companies view you as their customer, not the merchants who accept the cards. And you have an ungodly amount of time to lodge a dispute – like years after the initial transaction.</p>
<p>Or you could “take the high road” and try to negotiate with the head of the company that sold you the trip. Say how much he still wants to do it and you know once he goes, you’ll be able to send more customers their way, and you realize they have costs to cover if they don’t fill a spot but if they do fill his spot, perhaps they can issue you a partial refund of (name your amount – $2000? $1500?). They might want to keep you as a future customer/referral source. And/or they might say they’ll apply the amount toward his next stay.</p>
<p>I feel for you. We had to cancel out of a summer camp (no illness – kid was just too young) and fortunately they applied the deposit to the next summer (minus $100 processing fee) but I believe they did that because everyone in our town sends kids to that camp, so they don’t want any bad vibes. I hope that’s the case with this place because it could work in your favor.</p>