Praise for Chilean Special Journeys

My husband and I have used ITN advertisers on several occasions and have never been disappointed with the excellent service we’ve received. But none could surpass the experience we had with Scott Jones of Chilean Special Journeys (Palacio Concha, Av. Concha y Toro 46, Santiago, Chile; phone +56 2 699 3633 or, in the US, 888/345-6077).

We had booked a South America cruise on the Marina of Oceania Cruises (855/623-2642) to sail Dec. 8, 2013, and contacted Scott in July to see if he could arrange nine personal one-day shore excursions, each with a private car and driver, at our ports in Argentina, Uruguay and Chile.

We had researched each place and provided Scott with a detailed list of exactly what we wished to experience. We were immediately very impressed with Scott because he’s a “people person” — warm, friendly and very interested in his clients. 

He came up with the perfect itinerary for us, with a guide to meet us in each of the nine ports. The total cost was $6,455. We paid the deposit by credit card and the remainder by personal check on Oct. 22.

Although I’ve always enjoyed good health and have never had to cancel a tour, at the beginning of November I experienced a blinding headache, which necessitated a vascular surgeon’s drilling into my head. He confirmed a diagnosis of temporal arteritis.

The only treatment for my condition was prednisone in large doses, and the side effects I experienced were brutal, including the onslaught of Type 2 diabetes. My doctor insisted we cancel our trip.

We hadn’t paid for any travel insurance to cover the excursions Scott had arranged, and we had paid him in full, so we were fully prepared to accept the loss of our money. Scott’s first concern was for my health, however, and he pledged to return all of our money, even though deposits and payments had already been sent to all of his South American contacts.

We couldn’t believe this was actually possible because we canceled within 30 days of the start of our trip, but Scott must have tremendous influence with his contacts because all of them agreed to refund our money. Sure enough, as the money was returned to him, he issued us three refund checks for amounts between $1,355 and $3,500.

In the meantime, we heard from him regularly, expressing great concern for the state of my health. (I am still in recovery, but I am much better.) 

We were amazed that anyone would be willing to do so much work for absolutely nothing financially. Clearly, Scott puts his clients first and has the highest ethical standards.

DOREEN KENNARD

Diamond Bar, CA