Post by Woody Williams on Sept 9, 2014 14:05:57 GMT -5
I found this interesting, Safari Nordik is a pretty big operator, at least from as many times as you see them on TV guiding "famous" people. First bit is from the Hunting Report email, then the link to the whole file.
Safari Nordik Under Review by Quebec Office Of Consumer Protection
Québec caribou outfitter Safari Nordik has been the subject of a number of negative reports in our pages recently, and we have heard from a number of hunters who haven’t been able to receive either the hunts they’ve paid for or the refunds promised.
Québec’s L’Office de la protection du consommateur (Office of Consumer Protection) has received a number of these complaints as well and has weighed in with this document which we are reprinting here in full:
Safari Nordik: Assistance to Unsatisfied Customers and Advisory Notice to Consumers
Several customers of the Safari Nordik outfitting operation have had their caribou hunting packages in Northern Québec postponed until next year. The company claims the Québec government does not issue them enough hunting licenses for all its customers.
If you have purchased such a package and are unsatisfied with this postponement, here are the details concerning the recourse options available to you. If you planned on purchasing a package from Safari Nordik, please take note of the advisory notice from the Office de la protection du consommateur.
Potential recourse against Safari Nordik
If you are not a resident of Québec, the Office recommends that you seek legal counsel for advice as to where you can exercise a recourse and to check whether you can initiate proceedings under Québec law.
If you take legal action against Safari Nordik under Québec law, the Office suggests that you base your recourse on the following grounds: On its web site, Safari Nordik indicates that should the outfitting operation cancel a reservation, customers will be reimbursed unless an acceptable alternative solution is agreed upon. You could therefore request that the company respect its commitment. Under the Travel Agents Act, a person may apply for the annulment of a contract entered into with any person or body acting as a travel agent without a license issued by the Office. Safari Nordik does not hold such a license, whereas it should. You could therefore ask that your contract be annulled and request the reimbursement of any amounts paid to the outfitter.
Advisory notice: Activities of a travel agent without a licence
Safari Nordik carries out travel agent activities without a license. The Office wishes to caution consumers. In addition to services normally provided by outfitting operations, Safari Nordik also offers packages that include air transportation, usually from Montréal to Kuujjuaq. A license is required to offer such services. Safari Nordik is in fact currently the subject of penal proceedings on this issue.
The company does, however, hold the license required to provide lodging and sport hunting services to its customers. This outfitter’s license, which is different from the one from the Office, is issued by the Québec Minister of Forests, Wildlife and Parks.
The Office recommends that you purchase tourism services from travel agencies that hold a license issued by the Office. The agency is required to post a security bond with the Office. This is a monetary amount that could be used to provide you with compensation should the agency fail to fulfill its obligations.
In addition, when you do business with a travel agent that is licensed by the Office, you benefit from the protection provided by the Compensation Fund for Customers of Travel Agents. This Fund allows you to be reimbursed if your travel agency or a provider (air carrier, hotel, etc.) is unable to provide the services you have purchased.
To find out if the agency with which you do business holds a license, use the search tool Get information about a merchant. To find out more about the protection available to consumers, go to Travel with coverage.
Our sources in Quebec tell us that the warning on unlicensed travel agents and any actions that the Office of Consumer Protection takes in this regard against Safari Nordik will not have any impact on the other caribou outfitters currently operating in Quebec, since no complaints have been received about any other operators. As far as we have been able to determine, Safari Nordik is the only outfitter with a backlog of hunters, and they continue to blame the government for their current situation (See the full story here)
In the meantime, the caribou season in Quebec is in full swing, the Leaf River Herd still appears to be stable and healthy. Look for an update on results from this season in an upcoming issue of The Hunting Report. – Tim Jones, Managing Editor
www.huntingreport.com/images2/pdf/Special_Controversy_Safari_Nordik.pdf
.
Safari Nordik Under Review by Quebec Office Of Consumer Protection
Québec caribou outfitter Safari Nordik has been the subject of a number of negative reports in our pages recently, and we have heard from a number of hunters who haven’t been able to receive either the hunts they’ve paid for or the refunds promised.
Québec’s L’Office de la protection du consommateur (Office of Consumer Protection) has received a number of these complaints as well and has weighed in with this document which we are reprinting here in full:
Safari Nordik: Assistance to Unsatisfied Customers and Advisory Notice to Consumers
Several customers of the Safari Nordik outfitting operation have had their caribou hunting packages in Northern Québec postponed until next year. The company claims the Québec government does not issue them enough hunting licenses for all its customers.
If you have purchased such a package and are unsatisfied with this postponement, here are the details concerning the recourse options available to you. If you planned on purchasing a package from Safari Nordik, please take note of the advisory notice from the Office de la protection du consommateur.
Potential recourse against Safari Nordik
If you are not a resident of Québec, the Office recommends that you seek legal counsel for advice as to where you can exercise a recourse and to check whether you can initiate proceedings under Québec law.
If you take legal action against Safari Nordik under Québec law, the Office suggests that you base your recourse on the following grounds: On its web site, Safari Nordik indicates that should the outfitting operation cancel a reservation, customers will be reimbursed unless an acceptable alternative solution is agreed upon. You could therefore request that the company respect its commitment. Under the Travel Agents Act, a person may apply for the annulment of a contract entered into with any person or body acting as a travel agent without a license issued by the Office. Safari Nordik does not hold such a license, whereas it should. You could therefore ask that your contract be annulled and request the reimbursement of any amounts paid to the outfitter.
Advisory notice: Activities of a travel agent without a licence
Safari Nordik carries out travel agent activities without a license. The Office wishes to caution consumers. In addition to services normally provided by outfitting operations, Safari Nordik also offers packages that include air transportation, usually from Montréal to Kuujjuaq. A license is required to offer such services. Safari Nordik is in fact currently the subject of penal proceedings on this issue.
The company does, however, hold the license required to provide lodging and sport hunting services to its customers. This outfitter’s license, which is different from the one from the Office, is issued by the Québec Minister of Forests, Wildlife and Parks.
The Office recommends that you purchase tourism services from travel agencies that hold a license issued by the Office. The agency is required to post a security bond with the Office. This is a monetary amount that could be used to provide you with compensation should the agency fail to fulfill its obligations.
In addition, when you do business with a travel agent that is licensed by the Office, you benefit from the protection provided by the Compensation Fund for Customers of Travel Agents. This Fund allows you to be reimbursed if your travel agency or a provider (air carrier, hotel, etc.) is unable to provide the services you have purchased.
To find out if the agency with which you do business holds a license, use the search tool Get information about a merchant. To find out more about the protection available to consumers, go to Travel with coverage.
Our sources in Quebec tell us that the warning on unlicensed travel agents and any actions that the Office of Consumer Protection takes in this regard against Safari Nordik will not have any impact on the other caribou outfitters currently operating in Quebec, since no complaints have been received about any other operators. As far as we have been able to determine, Safari Nordik is the only outfitter with a backlog of hunters, and they continue to blame the government for their current situation (See the full story here)
In the meantime, the caribou season in Quebec is in full swing, the Leaf River Herd still appears to be stable and healthy. Look for an update on results from this season in an upcoming issue of The Hunting Report. – Tim Jones, Managing Editor
www.huntingreport.com/images2/pdf/Special_Controversy_Safari_Nordik.pdf
.