Oceanic Society


Member Rating 1 out of 5 by airin11 on April 6, 2006

Yesterday, I was super-excited because I booked a whale-watching trip, which leaves from San Francisco, goes out to the Farrallon Islands, gets real close to some whales, then comes back. I picked the Oceanic Society because it had gotten good reviews, left at a reasonable time, and was the cheaper option. So, I get off the BART early Saturday morning, called the place, only to find out they cancelled the trip due to inclement weather. I was so pissed! Not only was I NOT going to see whales, but now I was stranded in SF with the entire day to do stuff. I hadn't planned on so much free time in the city. But, I found things to do. See another entry in this journal.

Then on Monday, during business hours, I called to get my refund. This leads me to:
Issues I have with the Oceanic Society
One, why can't they just refund me my money? Why do I have to call?
Two, when you book online, you book through a third party booking website. This website charges $4 as a processing fee. Fine. But this processing fee is not included in the refund. grr.
Three, I can't actually get my refund until 4-6 weeks after my charge card was originally billed. What?!?! Oceanic Society can't issue me a refund until they get the money from the third party. What is this, 1996? Come on folks.

The people I talked to at Oceanic society were all very nice, but it got me frustrated. I still don't have my refund, and the weather was blue skies and warm all day. (The sea may have been a little rough, though) I don't think I'll book through them again, after all this trouble I've gone through. I'll probably just go down to Monterey where they're better geared for tourists.
Oceanic Society Expeditions
At the corner of Buchanan Street and Marina Boulevard
San Francisco, California, 94123
+1 415 474 3385

http://www.igougo.com/review-r1179343-Oceanic_Society.html

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