For some Cal State Long Beach students, spring break opens up travel opportunities, but recent drug-related activity in Mexico has changed itineraries for many.
The Summer Winter Action Tours, also known as SWAT, is a company that provides trips for students. This year, SWAT offered its customers a three-day trip to San Felipe, Mexico, later modifying to eventually cancelling these plans and upsetting student customers.
A destination known for its beautiful beaches and colorful nightlife, San Felipe seemed almost perfect for spring break. That is, until SWAT told its customers that San Felipe would be shut down to the public and security guards would be surrounding students watching their every move, according to SWAT representative and undeclared freshman, Justin Essman.
The only people allowed in would be the spring break students.
SWAT sent an e-mail to concerned parents and students about the details of the trip.
“The e-mail made going to Mexico with SWAT seem dangerous and sketchy,” Essman said. “I felt that once I was down in Mexico, my safety was out of my hands. I was going to have to depend on 15 or less security guards.”
SWAT issued another e-mail on March 13 informing students they were changing the location of the trip to Palm Springs, CA.
Once students heard the news, they were no long interested in spending spring break at a place they could easily drive to.
“When I saw one of the [representatives] on campus and asked him how I would be able to get my money back, he just looked at me and didn’t care,” said CSULB freshman kinesiology major Jack Aleksanyan. “He stated that I wouldn’t be able to get my money back … like it was nothing.”
According to SWAT’s terms and conditions, it offers no refunds, even in the event of changing locations or if the cost for students is more than originally stated.
SWAT would not comment on what the non-refunded money is going towards.
“This trip was a gift from my mom, and now I can’t enjoy it by going to Mexico or even get my mom’s money back,” Aleksanyan said.
According to the SWAT website, the company “highly suggests” purchasing cancellation insurance.
College students all over Southern California who bought SWAT tickets and do not want to go to Palm Springs are doing all they can to sell their tickets.
More than 50 CSULB students have dropped the SWAT trip and are heading elsewhere for Spring break.
Some representatives of SWAT are even dropping out of the trip due to the fact that they were told to tell students that going to Mexico was still safe when the dangers were only getting worse.
“As a rep, I felt nervous pushing this trip onto my fraternity brothers because I knew just how dangerous Mexico would be,” Essman said. “But I had a job to do, and that was keep people from backing out.”
Multiple calls to SWAT were not returned.
SWAT is still going forward with its Spring Break trip.
“SWAT is pretty shady, and I probably won’t ever sign up with them again,” Aleksanyan said.
My daughter was stuck in the Holiday Inn at Palm Springs for Spring Break and hated it. Swat did not return our calls and gave us the run around about refunds, and even when I called 2 days before the trip to confirm transportation plans (which ending up being none – my daughter drove to Palm Springs with friends in their own car); SWAT could not bother with calling me back.
After returning from San Felipe LAST NIGHT, there is no violence and I felt just as safe as I do in my own community in the USA. I would not hesitate to let my daughter go to San Felipe with her friends. In fact, because they were so disappointed over spring break, I am having her and five friends to our home in San Felipe for a week come summer.
SWAT is a joke and from what I hear from the kids who went to Palm Springs, I do not think they will be doing future business.
I have lived in San Felipe for the last 9 1/2 years and even when by myself have always felt safe. I just got back from leading a group of ladies (Social Security age) to Ensenada and the Guadalupe Valley and we all felt safe. Shame on the media for ruining the economy in Baja!! Just use good sense when you travel just as you would in the good old US of A.
We have been going to San Felipe 3 or 4 times a year for the last 6 years. There has never been any problem driving down or any problems while we are there. My wife always says she feels safer in San Felipe at night then just about anywhere in Souther California.
According to FBI reports you are 3 times more likley to be victim of crimes in the US then you are in Mexico.
I hope this is the end of SWAT, they appear to be a shady organization.
Sounds like SWAT will be history after this year. The kids may have done better investing with Berni Madoff. We just returned home after a week in San Felipe with absolutely zero problems…..oh yeah, and my sons were at the Holiday Inn in Palm Springs this week during the SWAT event….the word I heard is that the SWAT staff was a bunch of flaming buttheads. Give the kids their due refund SWAT!!!!!
I have lived in San Felipe Mexico for 4 years now and my niece has been coming down twice a year since she was 13 and she has never had any problem nor have I, she has enjoyed her time here so much that she goes home and raves to her friends who are now starting to come down here with her. Her and her friend are coming down for their spring break and in April and we plan on having a great time taking in all that San Felipe has to offer. I know the bad press scares you but if you look at a map of Baja you will see that San Felipe is 2.5 hours south of the border and we are far removed from the problems. I would also suggest logging onto our offical website for San Felipe http://www.sanfelipe.com.mx and read Kat’s Korner for the truth and mistruths of our Little fishing village in the Baja. I’m really sorry you kids will not be receiving your money back and I hope there is some recourse for you. So for where ever you decide to Spring Break please be safe and enjoy. Thank You, a loyal San Felipe resident.