(WSVN) - A South Florida couple saved hotel rewards points for decades so they could one day get to Paris, but right after they booked, the husband was diagnosed with cancer.
They had to cancel their trip and lost all their points. It’s tonight’s Help Me Howard with Brandon Beyer.
Paris was their dream.
Cancer survivor Michael Neaves booked the trip for he and his wife of 44 years.
But just a few weeks before they were set to leave for the “city of love,” Michael’s cancer came back.
Michael Neaves: “Noticed blood in my urine, went for a test, and so they said the cancer has now spread to the kidney.”
He needed surgery, and his doctor said travel was out of the question.
Michael Neaves: “‘You don’t want to put that off because it’s an aggressive form of the cancer that you have; it spreads very quickly.'”
Michael used hotel points to arrange for lodging in Paris — 585,000 of them — and when he had to cancel, he was hoping for a refund.
Michael Neaves: “You know, we understand the situation if you can provide us some information, and that’s when we got the letter from the doctor. We provided that to the hotel.”
But then they told him the points would not be returned.
Michael Neaves: “They just said, ‘Look, we’ve looked at this; there isn’t anything that we can do and, you know, we’re sorry.'”
Howard, it took them decades to save those points. Can they just disappear?
Howard Finkelstein: “The hotel’s cancellation policy says you can’t cancel within 30 days of your reservation. And Michael was inside that time period. So, the hotel is entitled to keep the points. However, they can consider the circumstances and make an exception, if they choose to do so.”
We emailed the hotel about Michael’s cancer diagnosis, and that’s exactly what they did.
Telling us, “After careful review, we are making a one-time exception.”
Michael Neaves: “The surgery went well.”
When we saw Michael again, he was on the mend, and since then, all of his points have been returned.
Michael and his dream of taking his wife to Paris are both alive and well.
A trip he says he’s determined to make happen.
Michael Neaves: “You’re darn right about that.”
Howard says remember to check cancellation policies, and also consider travel insurance that can help with reimbursements in case of sudden illness.
Got a problem? Need a hand? Here is how to find us. It’s Help Me Howard, I’m Brandon Beyer, 7News.
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