Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/12/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am writing to warn others about my experience with Adventures in Black (AIB), owned by ******** ****** (also known as ******** ******). I paid thousands of dollars for a December 2024 group trip to *****, only to have the trip canceled in October 2024. While *** promised refunds, none have been issued, and communication from the company has completely stopped.Recently, we learned of another trip to ****** that was also canceled under similar circumstances. This is part of a disturbing pattern of Adventures in Black scheduling trips, taking payments, and then canceling without issuing refunds. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of dollars have been stolen from unsuspecting customers.Even more concerning, despite filing for bankruptcy, *** continues to advertise and sell trips on its website, deceiving new customers into paying for services they have no intention or ability to fulfill.These actions are fraudulent and unethical. I strongly urge anyone considering this company to stay away and advise those who have been affected to file complaints with the ***, ***, and other relevant authorities.Lets spread the word and hold Adventures in Black accountable for these harmful practices.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/15/2024

  I am providing documentation of the product that was purchased, the promise from the business that a refund would be issued (but hasn't), bankruptcy document, and additional documents

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/19/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I started traveling with Adventure in Black in October 2021. At first, the business (owned by ******** ******) provided quality trips. However, back in October 2022 she cancelled a trip to the ****************** two weeks prior stating that there was an issue with the hotel we booked. She issued a credit of $1,612.63 to be applied to a future trip to remedy the issue. I agreed and told her that I wanted her to apply the credit to my upcoming Peru trip that I was already making payments on. I was scheduled to travel to **** in May 2023. In June 2023, she emailed the group stating that she was cancelling the trip due to low registration. Like the ** trip, she offered to apply a credit to be used towards a future trip. I agreed and asked her to apply the $2,665.67 credit to my upcoming Greece trip in September 2024. A week before my Greece trip, she emailed the group stating that she needed to cancel the trip and did not provide an explanation as to why. She asked if we all wanted refunds or credits for the trip and I opted for the refund ($436.70) because at this point, she had cancelled three trips for me and I no longer wanted to do business with her or Adventure in Black. She explained that she would process my refund and that it would take 7-10 business days for me to receive the refund. I waited the appropriate amount of time and then asked for the status of my refund. She stated she would check for me and then I never heard from her again. It's been almost three months since she cancelled and I still have not received my refund. I filed a dispute with my bank and her financial institution is dragging this out stating that they need additional information from me to process my claim. I already provided all of the necessary paperwork to include invoices, email communications, and text communications and still have not received anything. At this point, her organization and financial institution are doing everything they can to avoid payment which unacceptable.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/11/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I booked a trip with Adventure in Black to Peru on March 31, 2023, for $4,900. The cost of the trip was paid in two monthly installments of $197.83, with the final payment made on February 16, 2024.
  
  On April 8, 2024, I received an email from ******** Simone, the owner of Adventure of Black, expressing concern that my inability to stand or walk for long periods of time due to severe lower back arthritis there would be elements of the trip that would prove challenging for me.
  
  Simone offered her trip to Brazil as an alternative to Peru (a trip that she also subsequently canceled). I had already been to Brazil and asked Simone for a full refund in particular because this oversight was not due to anything I did or didn't do.
  
  After some back-and-forth, Simone agreed to issue a full refund less $593.49, which was the deposit, I believe. This seemed fair to me, and I agreed because I trusted Simone. This was the third trip that I booked with her company.
  
  I was told that my refund would be processed 3 to 5 days into the Peru trip dates, May 31--June 8, 2024. I reached out to Simone on June 9 because I had not received any communication about my refund. I did not receive a response until I indicated that I was going to file criminal charges against Simone and her employees on June 11, 2024.
  
  Someone purportedly named "Eunice" responded, saying that Simone was out of the office due to a death in the family (despite the Adventure in Black website indicating that there was a trip to Cartagena from June 10-16, 2024). "Eunice" also told me in this email that Stripe froze Adventure in Black's account and that I would get my refund in July.
  
  Adventure in Black canceled a scheduled trip to Japan (April 17-26, 2024) and, as of June 11, 2024, had not issued refunds to impacted customers, so I was clear that the latest communication from Adventure in Black was just another delay tactic, but more importantly, it was a lie.