Exoticca Travel review: Refused to honor 30 day trip credit even with severe illness

We paid over $4,000 for a trip to Ecuador on February 11, 2024 through Exoticca Travel. Due to a severe respiratory illness which was not going away, my Doctor recommended I cancel. Especially since the first city stop is Quito, Ecuador, which is at 12,000 feet elevation with thin oxygen,

So, per Exoticca policy, I wrote them to cancel 34 days before the trip to cancel.

Their policy requires 30 day notice. I even pre-paid for Travel Insurance.

I followed their procedure exactly, per their FAQ and policy guidelines on their website. I emailed them the cancellation request and even double checked to make sure that they credited the full amount of the trip to my Exoticca Wallet for another trip later. I was not expecting a refund, just a simple credit of 100% of what I paid.

After getting back home from the hospital on January 12, I checked on my voicemails and discovered that they denied my credit. They said that I didn't write them to "RE-CANCEL" in time.

So they penalized me 75% of what I paid, even though I already cancelled.

After getting out of the hospital on January 12th to ask them "why", since I had already cancelled and heck it was still 29 days from the start of the trip,

I did not hear from them until January 15, when they again DENIED my simple request to credit my Exoticca Wallet the full 100% that I paid.

Make up your own mind, but IMHO this is a very sneaky, heartless company. I am 71 years old and be ware if you get sick within 30 days of travel. They will "steal" 75% of your money if you get too sick to travel within 30 days of the trip.