European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 11, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Readers action line better educational benefits it this letter is written to inform and Hope Tully help to instigate the creation of a military Mission cancellation policy on information Tours and travel office itt. Sponsored trips. I purchased through the local itt a package trip air transportation and hotel included to Portugal for approximately 1,700 Mark s. After i made the final payment i was placed on Alert for possible deployment to an area where a real life crisis existed. I contacted itt to cancel the trip and recover my Marks and was informed that itt did not have a cancellation policy and my Trier fell exclusively under the cancellation policy of the German travel Agency itt dealt with policy forfeiture of from 94 percent of the Cost if cancellation is accomplished not later than 22 Days prior to departure to 50 percent of the Cost if cancellation is accomplished later than seven Days prior to departure. Bottom line i would forfeit about 850 Marks. Note 1 cancellation insurance through the German travel Agency which i purchased is available for a minimal fee and a allows payment of 30 percent of the a refundable 50. Percent in my Case 850 Marks. However the cancellation insurance is Only applicable if the cancellation is due to illness death and almost everything else except a military Mission. I also Learned that if i booked the trip directly with the German travel Agency i would pay 100 Marks to Reserve the trip and i could pay the remainder any time prior to departure As opposed to itt requiring 50 percent of the Cost upon making the reservation and the remainder two weeks prior to departure. Please Don t misconstrue the intent of this letter i feel that itt provides a valuable and important travel service however As the primary reason for itts existence is to provide this service to the military Community and because itt is acting As a Liaison for the military. Community with the German travel agencies i feel a military Mission clause should be added to All trips that Are arranged through itt. There is a Happy ending to this  Mission was cancelled and i was Able to travel to Portugal for a much needed r amp r. . 1 St class Robert f. Ward. A a a. Lan Stuhl Germany Nathalie g. Mcmahon Deputy director morale welfare and recreation he Safe replies before addressing the Issue of cancellation policies i. Would like to explain the difference Between the information ticket and tour itt Tours Quot sponsored Quot tour and the wholesale travel Agency package. With a sponsored tour the itt develops a tour by contracting with the different travel vendors and establishes a cancellation policy in accordance with their requirements. A a a a a. Package Tours Are put together by a wholesaler and sold through itts. The cancellation policies for these types of Tours Are set by the individual tour company or travel Agency and. By contract the itts must adhere to the deadlines set. ,., a if a military person is booked on an itt sponsored tour and must cancel because of duty requirements 100 percent refund is made. The service member needs to present a copy of the orders or a note from the. Commander to the itt in order to receive the refund Back. In situations involving tour operators the itt staff will. Work with the company to obtain a full refund. Although not required by contract the various tour operators Are being extremely cooperative in providing full refunds to Active duty members involved in operation desert shield now  there is no move to include a military Mission clause in contracts with tour wholesalers travel agencies a because of the Overall cooperation received from the  write us readers action Une is the readers Quot court of last resort Quot striving to answer some of the questions about life overseas in a military environment or questions about policies and guidelines when other avenues for answers Are not readily available., if you have a question and Don t know where to turn for the. Answer write to readers action line co the stars and stripes Apo 09211-4211/All letters must be a signed and preference will be Given to those seeking information of general interest to our readers. A amps l. Emm�t1 Lewis  cookies t he race is on Halfway into the annual girl scout cookie safes the pressure is  the smart cookies have figured out the winning strategy a place the. Bets on mom and dad. As neighbourhoods become less neighbourly and As More parents Combine work and family customers Are just As Likely to see grown ups in suits going desk to desk As girl scouts in Crisp uniforms and Bobby sox going door to door. A Quot Long ago the streets were safer and the Little girls used to go around in neighbourhoods those were the a Halcyon Days when everybody was Home Quot said Ceca Sander director of product safes for the. Orange county Council. A a because the stakes Here Are so High a annual sales determine individual troops yearly budgets and prizes for the scouts a parents have developed High tech sales strategies producing treacherous office politics and resentment among competitive co workers its girl scout cookie season in Europe by Crystal Laureano staff writer Quot a a  installations and housing areas worldwide have changed the Way some girl scouts in Europe Are doing business this year but cookie sales Arent  a a a in most communities girl scout troops Are not Selling door to door in housing areas or holding group sales in outside areas said Ann Baker spokeswoman for the North Atlantic girl scout Council. In some military communities commanders have not granted permission for such sales and in other communities girl scout officials did not ask for permission to conduct such sales this year throughout Europe girl scouts will be found in secure areas such As the entrances of exchanges or commissaries in mall Type shopping areas or walking through their Parent s offices Selling their wares. It is against the policy of the North Atlantic girl scout Council the organization which oversees girl scout troops in Europe for anyone except the troop members to sell cookies the purpose of such sales a to teach the girls to handle Money and the various aspects of salesmanship a would be otherwise lost Baker said. The Security changes have pot affected cookie sales a Baker said the samoas7thinmints7tagalongs�?oancfother perennial favourites Are Selling better than Ever. Door to door sales have never been a mainstay of overseas cookie sales Baker said. Quot Many of our potential customers live on the Economy and  be reached by Selling door to door Quot she said. Over the years Many local civilian employees also have come to anticipate the annual cookie Sale As much As americans. This cookie season 700,000boxes of cookies arrived at ports for distribution to troops throughout Europe. Sales Are winding Down in most areas of Germany but sales Are just starting in Italy Spain and Turkey. In support of the troops participating in desert storm a commercial firms Banks companies and clubs Are buying cases of cookies to be mailed to Quot any service member Quot Baker said. The girl scouts attach a personal letter to each Box and wrap the cases for shipment to saudi Arabia Page 16 the stars and stripes the whole situation has brought yet More crises of conscience for working parents. ,. Last year for instance Ralph Turner sold close to 100 boxes at his construction company for his granddaughter. Heather Ann. 7, of Irvine Calif. Quot the Only problem i could see Quot her Mother Tanya said Quot was my daughter got kind of snotty that she had sold a lot and the others did t. We had to explain a you did t sell them yourself Quot  parents circulate order forms but some parents Are said to be using fax machines to take orders. So Many parents Are in the Market that As one father. Explained Quot there a plenty of guilt to go around if you Don t do something for your own precious Golden  others say that colleagues ask them to sell the cookies at work Quot they want the bleeping things Quot said a father of two. ,.in the captive office Market cookie politics can be serious consider his Sage Mother of a 6-year-old.brownie who requested anonymity for fear that possible reprisals from competitors in the cookie Trade would Hurt her daughter s troop 1 about two weeks ago the woman embarked on her first Effort to help her daughter sell cookies she sent out what a monday february 11, 1991 Ashe thought was a Friendly email computer message to co workers at her Irvine based company. It began Quot Well folks it s that time of year again. Quot and sought orders for the Taga Longs thin mints Samoa and the other Standard girl scout cookies. I was just trying to get enough cookies sold so she could earn her badge and a Charm. I Don t have the luxury of taking her out to sell cookies Quot she said. She had sold about 60 boxes when two girl scout dads in the office pointed out  jumper the official Start Date by a week. A the dads a influential people Quot who until this year had dominated the office girl scout cookie Market a Quot did no to say they would report me to the girl scout Council but they made it seem As if they would Quot she said. Eventually one father went to the personnel office which decreed that from then on All employees would. Pool their girl scout cookie orders and Divide the proceeds evenly. Girl scout officials say that such stories Are not common but serve to illustrate How changing families and a Neil i orhoo Cis have altered the sweetest of american institutions. A. A. A. A los Angeles times