French tourists leave Yukon frustrated after RV ripoff unresolved

Two French tourists who claimed they were ripped off by an RV rental company are leaving the Yukon without having their day in court. 

"It really took up a huge part of our trip," Christophe Duranton told Radio-Canada. "It's why at this point we're dropping it." 

Duranton and his partner Sylvia Nidegger cancelled a planned RV trip more than a month before a scheduled departure. They claimed the company breached their contract and kept $2,000 of deposit money.

Without any other options, the couple took their case to small claims court to try and find a resolution. Documents were filed May 5 and the pre-trial conference was scheduled for three months later, on August 6, in order to accommodate the RV company, the couple said. On the day of the hearing, the bilingual judge who was to hear the case was sick and couldn't attend. 

After months of waiting, Nidegger and Duranton said they've decided to drop the case. To return to the Yukon from France would cost more than it's worth.   

"We felt really alone and a bit abandoned," Nidegger told Radio-Canada. She said they feel justice was not served and there should be some other way for tourists to resolve disputes.

"In any event, we don't know what the outcome would be," said Duranton. 

Rare situation 

Yukon's director of court services, Sheri Blaker, said it's rare to have people from outside the Yukon involved in small claims cases. Most tourists who find themselves in court, end up there because of a traffic violation, she added. 

"If people do not live in the Yukon or are travelling, they could attend a pre-trial conference by telephone, but for a full hearing of a trial, parties are usually present, if self-represented, because a lot of times they're giving evidence in their case. Every effort is made to find a time that's convenient for everyone."

There are circumstances where a video conference can be arranged, according to Blaker, but it's up to the trial judge.  

Chamber of commerce steps in 

In the absence of an organization that does conflict resolution between customers and businesses, the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce sometimes steps in to serve as an intermediary. President Rick Karp said, though he wasn't involved in this case, he gets numerous calls a month from consumers with complaints or questions about their rights.

Although it's not part of the Chamber's mandate or responsibility, Karp said he tries to help.

"If someone does call us, then we will listen first and hear what the issue is and we'll make some suggestions how to resolve the issue, how to deal with business," said Karp. He adds it's not just tourists who are calling. 

The Better Business Bureau of British Columbia also represents the Yukon but there is no local office because of the small number of businesses and the small population in the territory. 

"It would be very difficult for them to set up an office here," Karp said. "We've tried, we've talked to them, we've had some conversations. But they would need to have a lot of local businesses participate in order to run an office, pay a staff member."

Karp believes if a local office did exist it would be an ideal solution, especially since tourists don't always have the time to go through the court process. He also thinks it's important for the tourism sector to make client services a priority. 

Meanwhile, Sylvia Nidegger and Christophe Duranton say they intend to share their experience with the RV rental company online on travellers' forums.