Springville Band still seeking reimbursement, others schools in similar spot

Published 4:34 pm Monday, December 28, 2020

The Springville Band is still awaiting reimbursement and are contemplating their options following the cancellation of a trip that the travel company has yet to pay back.

St. Clair board attorney John Rea is representing band members and their parents in hopes of repaying them from a trip to Orlando that never took place. The travel company, Musical Destination Inc., was paid for travel, but has become unresponsive since the cancellation of the trip due to the pandemic.

According to Rea, multiple schools have also come forward and said they are in a similar situation, where they have not been repaid by the travel company or only received a partial refund. The schools are from the Birmingham metro area as well as other parts of the state.

Rea said Musical Destination Inc. had a good reputation and relationships with multiple people throughout the state before the cancellations of the trips.

He also said a lawsuit is in the works if necessary but remains a last-resort option. Rea remains confident contact can be made with the company and money can be restored.

“The lawsuit really is the last resort,” Rea said. “It is in everyone’s best interest to resolve this without the lawsuit. We are exploring all avenues to resolve this.

“We just want money we paid for a trip we didn’t take,” Rea said. “It was due to no fault of ours. Our goal is to get the parents’ money back as efficiently as possible.”

Attempts to make contact with Musical Destination Inc. were unsuccessful.