Baseball teams struggling to get refunds from canceled spring break trips

There are so many better things that could be consuming Brad Wendell's afternoon.

Even on a cold and rainy day, he'd much rather be wearing a Geneva baseball uniform and coaching the Vikings from a frigid dugout.

Instead, though, he's stuck on the phone. Again.

It's another call to American Airlines to wait for who knows how long in an attempt at resolution. Weeks after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of Geneva's spring break trip to Florida, Wendell is still trying to recover the $7,000 he spent for 26 people to fly to Tampa.

Even more than a missed sign or a strikeout looking, it's been incredibly frustrating.

"It's been a lot of phone calls and a lot of sitting on hold," Wendell said. "It's kind of a waiting game right now."

As discussed in an earlier Daily Herald article, it's taken as much effort for coaches to unravel their spring break plans as it was to make them. While hotels and entry fees haven't been a major issue, airfare recovery has become a tangle.

After numerous emails, phone calls and even letters, some coaches are now satisfied. Others literally remain on hold.

"I'm hoping that other schools rattle some cages," said Lake Park coach Dan Colucci. "It's not right."

A new hobby

If this teaching and coaching thing doesn't work out for Colucci, he might want to take a shot at being a consultant on travel troubles.

All kidding aside, the veteran Lake Park baseball coach used sheer will and persistence to wear down American Airlines to the point where he received a full refund on the team's airfare to Arizona over spring break.

It wasn't easy.

First there were calls to group services, customer relations and back to group services. Colucci took the cause to social media, and was then directed to media services who, after consulting with quality control, offered vouchers the team could use within a year.

To his surprise, American Airlines eventually refunded the money - hard-earned money that came to the program through a number of fundraisers and camps.

"If I had taken no for an answer, I would have been out about $9,500," Colucci said. "I'm not willing to let that go."

Vouchers ... that's the issue for all the teams.

On March 27 Wendell canceled Geneva's flight to Florida, but American Airlines would only issue vouchers to be used within a year of the purchase date of March 2. And even with that, there would be a change fee for using the tickets after December 31.

Lost yet? All you need to know is, for obvious reasons, a high school baseball team can't travel in early March or before.

"A voucher doesn't help a baseball team that can only travel during spring break," Wendell said.

Suspended in midair

Like everyone else, Downers Grove South baseball coach Darren Orel canceled his team's flight to California and began the wrestle for a refund.

He worried as the team's scheduled outgoing flight happened without them, then felt more at ease when the return flight was canceled. With more than $10,000 on the line, Orel recently learned he's receiving a refund from American Airlines.

"I talked to five different people and they all gave me different answers," Orel said. "It's just something we never thought we'd be dealing with."

If you think coaches might not bother with future trips, you're wrong. The positive experiences still outweigh the hassles, even for those still dealing with the hassles.

On Saturday Wendell was told American Airlines would honor his vouchers with no change fees through the end of 2021.

It may not be a refund but at least it's progress.

"We'll just keep trying," Wendell said. "I'm somewhat hopeful that if I just keep pressing, something will happen."

Twitter: @kevin_schmit