Inland Seas Education Association — Local services in Suttons Bay Township

One of the poorest run companies I have seen in a while. If you want the short version here it is: I shelled out $200 for a stargazing excursion, on the night it was supposed to happen not only was there complete cloud cover (stargazing expedition.....) They couldn't be bothered to wait 5 minutes for me to park and walk over. Thanks to a non-negotiable no-refund ever policy, it was an utter waste of $200.

For the full story:

I booked a trip for a 2-hour stargazing event thinking, that'll be col on the open water with no light pollution.

I should have thought twice when I saw their "absolutely no refunds ever for any reason" policy, a policy not many people hold anymore. I booked the tickets anyways expecting a wonderful experience, after all what could go wrong.

When the night in question arrived I called ahead to let them know id be running 5-minutes late. No one answered. Not a big deal I thought, 5 minutes can't be that bad. After all, when's he last time you went to a scheduled event that launched on time?

5 minutes before the event was supposed to happen, I get a phone call from someone on the boat. He was nice enough to begin with, asked if I was still planning on attending. After a very short conversation, he informed that there was just no way they could hold the boat and wait an extra few minutes. A patronizing phone call to say the least. Why even bother calling me to see if I was going to come, just to inform me they didn't care and we're launching early without me?

I'm not one to complain about things like this normally, after all I was the one that was running a grand total of 5 minutes late, so it is partially my fault. But I cannot help but find it a major irritant when I throw down a couple hundred dollars for an event, that calls to confirm I'm coming just to tell me they don't care and will be launching before the scheduled time, despite the several hundred dollar tickets I already purchased that were non refundable.

If you are considering an event through this company please keep in mind: THEY HAVE A NO EXCEPTIONS REFUND POLICY. think twice before booking, and especially before booking in advance. Our stargazing event was booked a week early, only to wake up Friday to a completely overcast day. I wish I had booked the tickets day of, but if I'm being honest I wish I hadn't booked the...

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