Getting refunds when prepaying

My husband and I used Schiphol Travel Taxi (Oosterlandenweg 15, 8271 ES IJsselmuiden, The Netherlands; phone +31 38 339 4768, www.schipholtraveltaxi.nl/en) in June 2014. I reserved transportation from Schiphol Amsterdam Airport to Rotterdam and back, prepaying with a credit card.

Due to a change in plans, I needed to cancel the return from Rotterdam. That portion of the transit cost $166, and I knew there would be a 10% cancellation fee, based on the terms and conditions listed on the website. What I did NOT know is that my refund would not be credited back to my credit card. My refund could only be done as a bank wire transfer in euros!

My husband and I bank with a local credit union, and they couldn’t help us. I called other banks in my area and found I could arrange the transfer and conversion to dollars for fees in the $35-to-$50 range. I was not a happy camper.

Fortunately, it dawned on me to call our financial planner, who works for a major international investment firm. As a courtesy, the wire transfer was arranged for free, and the conversion to US dollars cost only a few dollars.

I learned a major lesson: When prepaying any non-US company, find out how the money will be refunded should there be a need to cancel.

DIANE ROBBINS

Penfield, NY