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Woman Gets Reality Check After Complaining About Vacation Following Hurricane Helene
A woman was heavily criticized after complaining about the difficulties of getting a refund for a family vacation she booked in a city ravaged by Hurricane Helene.
The North Carolina woman named Chelsea Russell shared her frustrations in a TikTok video titled, “They won’t let us cancel our mountain vacation.”
Chelsea had planned to go with her family of six to Hendersonville, North Carolina, for a vacation that cost her $2,500.
Highlights
- Chelsea Russell faced backlash for demanding a refund amidst Hurricane Helene devastation in North Carolina.
- In a TikTok video, Chelsea, who had booked accommodation in western North Carolina, expressed her frustration over the delay in receiving her refund.
- Many netizens found her complaint insensitive given the widespread destruction the hurricane caused in the state.
North Carolina is one of the states most affected by Hurricane Helene, which has also affected Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia after making landfall late Thursday (September 26) from Florida’s Gulf Coast.
RELATED:
A North Carolina woman was slammed for complaining about the delay in receiving a refund for her vacation at a location affected by Hurricane Helene
Image credits: Oberon Copeland/Unsplash
Of the 150 reported deaths from the hurricane, at least 66 are known to have occurred in North Carolina.
Entire communities in North Carolina were left destroyed, and hundreds remain missing across the Southeast.
“We booked a mountain vacation not knowing that a hurricane was going to come and destroy the little town that we’re supposed to be going to, and we cannot be refunded,” Chelsea said in the video, posted Monday (September 30).
“We are still expected to go on this trip, not knowing if there is damage to the property, not knowing if the place is even accessible, not knowing if surrounding events or attractions were going to be up and running.”
Chelsea Russell, who goes by @stay_salty_2290 online, had rented a house in western North Carolina, a state severely affected by the hurricane
Image credits: stay_salty_2290
She continued: “You pay X amount of dollars to go on a vacation… You expect to have a vacation, not try to figure your way around barricades, not worry about what’s going to be open.”
Chelsea’s initial plan was to drive from her home in the eastern part of North Carolina to her vacation spot, located in the west.
The woman said she spent an hour talking on the phone with a worker from property management company Evolve.
“We booked through Airbnb, property management Evolve. You know me, I don’t like going through rental companies, and this is a prime example of why,” Chelsea added.
Image credits: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post
The worker from Evolve allegedly told her that the company would have to get in touch with the owner of the property before they could make any “executive decisions” about her refund request.
“How do we know the owner doesn’t live in the area and isn’t stranded themselves?” continued Chelsea, who said she works as a short-term rental host.
“How do we know the owner doesn’t live out of state and doesn’t even know what the f**k is going on? How do we know that we’re even going to hear from the owner?
“So I have five days to cancel this reservation and only get a partial refund. A partial refund, after a $2,500 trip for a week with my family.
“When a natural disaster out of everybody’s hands hits, I expect some sort of communication, understanding. Cancel all your reservations and refund your people.”
Chelsea was labeled a “Karen” for her complaint, as many users considered her video insensitive in light of the destruction caused by the hurricane
Image credits: stay_salty_2290
Image credits: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post
Chelsea’s video was met with backlash online, with many social media users accusing her of being out of touch amid the tragedy and lacking empathy toward the host of the property, who could have been among the victims, as well as the other fatalities from the hurricane.
“After everything that has happened, this woman has some nerve complaining about her vacation!! There are people who have died, lost everything!” one user said.
“Imagine being that self-centered. Wow,” another critic wrote.
“Be glad you still have your life and can go on vacation. Nobody could have predicted this hurricane. You can always go on vacation later. People are losing their lives,” added somebody else.
“Wow Karen. It was a natural disaster. You’ll get your money back. Give them a minute!” commented a separate user, while another netizen wrote, “She should have bought the insurance…… ugh.”
Image credits: stay_salty_2290
In a separate clip, Chelsea addressed the controversy surrounding her previous video, insisting that she was fully aware of the hurricane’s impact on the region, which is why she canceled her trip and requested a refund.
“Am I aware that people have lost their lives? That roads are washed away, there’s no gas, there’s barely any food, there’s a lot of devastation, and people are still looking for friends and family members? Absolutely.
“Does it break my heart? It sure does. I live in a coastal town. We deal with hurricanes yearly.”
Chelsea insisted that the focus of her complaint was that Evolve reportedly told her they couldn’t make any decisions regarding refunds for accommodations in devastated areas without consulting the owners of said properties.
In her video update, she said she’s housing a family displaced by the hurricane at one of her rental properties for free.
Watch Chelsea’s video below
@stay_salty_2290 #airbnb #evolve #rentalproperty #rentalcompany #str #rental #vacation #mountains #westernnc #hendersonville #ncmountains #dobetter #wtf #vibes #truth #factslife #cancelled #cancel #stillgoin #frustration #irritating #dowhatyoulove #areyoukiddingme #wishiwasjoking #ohboy #thridparty #hurricane #naturaldisaster #devastated #washedout ##damage##communication##community##fyp##forgou##listen@@airbnb ♬ original sound – Stay_Salty_2290
In a statement shared with Bored Panda, Evolve confirmed that Chelsea was refunded on September 30.
“Our hearts go out to those impacted by Hurricane Helene. We are supporting owners and guests with the most immediate trips and were delayed in processing Chelsea’s refund, as her trip was scheduled for mid-October. We can confirm that she was refunded as of Monday, September 30th.”
Bored Panda has contacted Chelsea Russell and Airbnb for comment.
Over 40 trillion gallons (151 trillion liters) of rain drenched the Southeast United States in the last week from Hurricane Helene, which was described as an “astronomical amount of precipitation” by Ed Clark, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Water Center in Alabama.
President Joe Biden is expected to travel to North Carolina on Wednesday (October 2) to meet with officials and take an aerial tour of Asheville, AP reported.
On Facebook, many people criticized Chelsea’s attitude, saying her complaint was disrespectful to the victims of Hurricane Helene
What do you think ?
Pam 2 months ago
So there is a story in the news of a mother in North Carolina watching as her 5 year old son and her parents were swept off the roof they were all on to their deaths, a death she narrowly avoided by getting stuck between two buildings and clinging to them for hours. It’s horrific. And then there is this b***h Chelsea coming on and we are supposed to feel bad for her because she lost her vacation money!!! I’m sorry, I can’t. I am done for the day.😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡
Traveling Lady Railfan 2 months ago
I felt the same way about 6 weeks ago watching on the news, Jasper AB going up in flames... All the people who don't know if they're going to have anything to come home to, I hate to even think of the pets & the wild animals who couldn't escape, all the trees, this beautiful beautiful area, and same thing. You get people that had booked a vacation in Jasper and they're complaining because their vacation is ruined. Yeah I get it. Sucks for you. But look at the grander scheme here. People are dying. Maybe keep your complaints to yourself and not broadcast them on social media because believe me, we don't have any sympathy for you in this case.....
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IcyBoba 2 months ago
I get her frustration, and in any other situation I might be able to see things from her side. But this?? So insensitive. People have died, and here she is complaining about a vacation. Unbelievable.
Binky Melnik 2 months ago
No fooling! I imagine her phone call: “Look: I understand some of your employees lost their folks and their homes and even their lives and that you’re short-staffed, but can’tcha refund a little quicker? I need to recharge as part of my self-care, and my stress levels will immediately go down as soon as you refund my money.” Oh, how I’d love to kick her straight in her baby box! 🤬
Load More Replies...
Carney 2 months ago
Find a dictionary. Look up "entitled." See this woman's picture. I get it, you plan for a vacation with your family. You search for the right place, the right time, etc. Something no one could predict or prevent happens and there you are disappointed and perhaps out of the money used to reserve a place to stay. Of-course you would be upset. But then you learn that hundreds of people have been left homeless as a result of something that could never be prevented or stopped. People have lost their homes. their families, friends and maybe even their jobs. You then scream and blather about your "loss." As I said, entitled. Here's a wild idea: think about other people and how YOU (yes you, little queen of your own world) can do something to help. Very wild idea: Go help those people. Help clean up. You will get at least most of your money back, it may take longer than you want, but at least you still have your home. That's more than a lot of people.
Pam 2 months ago
So there is a story in the news of a mother in North Carolina watching as her 5 year old son and her parents were swept off the roof they were all on to their deaths, a death she narrowly avoided by getting stuck between two buildings and clinging to them for hours. It’s horrific. And then there is this b***h Chelsea coming on and we are supposed to feel bad for her because she lost her vacation money!!! I’m sorry, I can’t. I am done for the day.😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡
Traveling Lady Railfan 2 months ago
I felt the same way about 6 weeks ago watching on the news, Jasper AB going up in flames... All the people who don't know if they're going to have anything to come home to, I hate to even think of the pets & the wild animals who couldn't escape, all the trees, this beautiful beautiful area, and same thing. You get people that had booked a vacation in Jasper and they're complaining because their vacation is ruined. Yeah I get it. Sucks for you. But look at the grander scheme here. People are dying. Maybe keep your complaints to yourself and not broadcast them on social media because believe me, we don't have any sympathy for you in this case.....
Load More Replies... IcyBoba 2 months ago
I get her frustration, and in any other situation I might be able to see things from her side. But this?? So insensitive. People have died, and here she is complaining about a vacation. Unbelievable.
Binky Melnik 2 months ago
No fooling! I imagine her phone call: “Look: I understand some of your employees lost their folks and their homes and even their lives and that you’re short-staffed, but can’tcha refund a little quicker? I need to recharge as part of my self-care, and my stress levels will immediately go down as soon as you refund my money.” Oh, how I’d love to kick her straight in her baby box! 🤬
Load More Replies... Carney 2 months ago
Find a dictionary. Look up "entitled." See this woman's picture. I get it, you plan for a vacation with your family. You search for the right place, the right time, etc. Something no one could predict or prevent happens and there you are disappointed and perhaps out of the money used to reserve a place to stay. Of-course you would be upset. But then you learn that hundreds of people have been left homeless as a result of something that could never be prevented or stopped. People have lost their homes. their families, friends and maybe even their jobs. You then scream and blather about your "loss." As I said, entitled. Here's a wild idea: think about other people and how YOU (yes you, little queen of your own world) can do something to help. Very wild idea: Go help those people. Help clean up. You will get at least most of your money back, it may take longer than you want, but at least you still have your home. That's more than a lot of people.
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