Help! I Couldnt Take My Tall-Ship Voyage, and I Want My Money Back.

Dear Tripped Up,Last summer, I booked a five-day sailing trip with Tall Ship Experience, a company based in Spain.For 1,350 euros, or $1,450, I would be a volunteer on the crew of the Atlantis, sailing between two ports in Italy.

But eight days before, I had a bad fall that resulted in multiple injuries, including eight stitches to my face that doctors said I could not expose to sun or water.The Tall Ship Experience website clearly states that I could cancel for a full refund up to seven days before the trip.

But the company revealed it was just an intermediary and the Dutch organization actually running the trip, Tallship Company, had different rules, under which I was refunded 10 percent.I offered to take credit for a future trip, to no avail.

Finally, I disputed the charges with my credit card issuer, American Express.But Tall Ship Experience provided a completely different set of terms to Amex, saying I canceled one day in advance.

The charges were reinstated.Can you help? Martha, Los AngelesDear Martha,This story reads like a greatest-hits playlist of travel industry traps: a middleman shirking responsibility, terms and conditions run amok, a credit card chargeback gone wrong, and the maddening barriers to pursuing justice against a foreign company.

However, the documentation you sent was so complete and the company’s website so confusing that I was sure Tall Ship Experience would quickly refund you.Tallship Company did not respond to requests for comments, but did nothing wrong.It simply followed its own terms and conditions that Tall Ship Experience, as a middleman, should have made clear to you.

When you canceled, Tallship Company sent back a 10 percent refund to Tall Ship Experience to then send to you.That’s why I was surprised that the stubborn (though exceedingly polite) Tall Ship Experience spokeswoman who responded to me on behalf of the Seville-based organization argued repeatedly that although she regretted your disappointment, Tall Ship Ex...