(1) A seller of travel or an assignee must honor a purchaser’s request to cancel a vacation certificate if such request is made:
(a) Within 30 days after the date of purchase or receipt of the vacation certificate, whichever occurs later; or
(b) At any time accommodations or facilities are not available pursuant to a request for use as provided in the contract, provided that:
1. The contract may not require notice greater than 60 days in advance of the date requested for use.
2. If acceptable to the purchaser, comparable alternate accommodations or facilities in a city, or reservations for a date different than that requested, may be provided.
(2) A seller of travel or an assignee must refund any and all payments made by the vacation certificate purchaser within 30 days after receipt of the certificate and notice of cancellation made pursuant to this section, if the purchaser has not received any benefits pursuant to the vacation certificate.
(3) A seller of travel or an assignee must, if the purchaser has received any benefits pursuant to the vacation certificate, refund within 30 days after receipt of the certificate and notice of cancellation made pursuant to this section any and all payments made by the purchaser which exceed a pro rata portion of the total price, representing the portion of any benefits actually received by the vacation certificate purchaser during the time preceding cancellation.
(4) If any purchaser has received confirmation of reservations in advance and is refused accommodations upon arrival, a seller of travel or an assignee must procure comparable alternate accommodations for the purchaser in the same city at no expense to the purchaser, or fully compensate the purchaser for the room rate incurred in securing comparable alternate accommodations himself or herself.
(5) A seller of travel or an assignee may not collect more than the full contract price from the purchaser.
(6) A seller of travel or an assignee may not sell, assign, or otherwise transfer any interest in a seller of travel business, or sell, assign, or otherwise transfer to a third party any interest in any vacation certificate unless:
(a) The third party agrees in writing to fully honor the rights of vacation certificate purchasers to cancel and to receive an appropriate refund or reimbursement as provided in this section.
(b) The third party agrees in writing to comply with all other provisions of this part for as long as the third party continues the sale of vacation certificates or for the duration of the period of validity of outstanding vacation certificates, whichever is longer in time.
(c) The seller of travel agrees to be liable for and fully indemnify a purchaser from any loss occasioned by the failure of the third party to honor the purchaser’s right to cancel and failure to make prompt and complete refund to the purchaser of all sums paid to the third party, or occasioned by the third party’s failure to comply with the provisions of this part.
(7) A seller of travel or an assignee must fulfill the terms of a vacation certificate within 18 months after the initial payment of any consideration by the purchaser to a seller of travel or third party.
History.—s. 1, ch. 93-107; s. 5, ch. 95-314; s. 835, ch. 97-103; s. 33, ch. 2016-166.
Note.—Former s. 559.927(8).