Sumara Shakeel

Review of New York State Department of S...

In mid-April, I filed an online complaint with the...

In mid-April, I filed an online complaint with the Department of State's Division of Consumer Protection against Pine Grove Cottages. This business initially said we would be provided with a full refund for our stay during the first week of June due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and then pointed to the cancellation deadline we missed when my husband and I asked them to provide this in writing. Keep in mind that New York state was at the epicenter of this pandemic for a long time. I received an email response to my complaint from a Christine Dunn. The text of the email was our forwarded confirmation with Pine Grove's cancellation policy at the bottom. Attached to the email was Pine Grove's proposed resolution which basically held me to their cancellation policy, and a document from Consumer Protection stating the case was resolved and therefore closed. There was no resolution stating the Division of Consumer Protection's decision, no contact information at which follow up questions can be asked and no information about appealing their decision which was not stated in their email anyway. There was no response to my email reply to Christine Dunn and no response to my email to the governor's office. We did receive a check a few days later from Pine Grove Cottages, and were refunded 1/2 of our cost-leaving us with a loss of more than $400. It is despicable that such state employees can deliver such poor service without being held accountable.