Nothing about refunding after months , and at their discretion. Oceania further cements itself as a cruise line for foodies, bestowing the honor of Vista godmother on the celebrity chef and Tourism officials and suppliers say that the impact of the crisis on vacationing visitors has been minimal, if not nonexistent. Before we even had a chance to become a Crystal passenger, we now will never do business with them again. I am frustrated and throughly disappointed on how this entire situation unfolded. Guests who had their cruises canceled due to the. Here are 64 ways to enjoy L.A.s beloved getaway. CC Help Jenn CC Help Jenn These changes arent a done deal because this is, after all, the federal government. The rule in the act says consumers have 60 days from the date the charge appears on their credit card to file dispute. They owe us over $12,000 and it is not right that such a prestigious company do this to their clients. Im singularly unimpressed. And when asked as to a time frame as to when the money would be refunded. CRUISES. Award-winning investigations and consumer reporting that helps Arizonans recover hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. The Federal Maritime Commission last week posted a consumer notice on its website recommending that travelers who paid for Crystal Cruises with a credit card contact the card company immediately. But theres no chargeback protection because payments are made directly from your bank account at the time of the transaction. Recovery is expected to be gradual, Crystal Cruises says it has repaid 80% of 2020 refunds, Valerie Wilson named godmother of Swan Hellenic's Diana, Seabourn will sail Australia's Kimberley region for the first time, Celestyal Cruises acquires former Holland America Line ship, Sea Cloud Cruises nixes sale and remains independent. We need these funds back. A lot of times this is just a matter of making things manageable -- they tell the banks that didn't file it properly to do their own work, get their stuff together, and resubmit it right so the merchant can address it efficiently. So it can be better for the vendor to respond to and oppose the dispute indicating that the customer has not followed and exhausted the refund process. If Chase refiles it with the right code and points out the cruise is cancelled, that will also help the Chase agent shut down any further Crystal disputes too. That triggered a debt default of $2.78 billion. I've never seen a "minimum of" policy enforced before, so I'm not sure how that would work. Any thoughts on this matter? We had disputed the charge with Chase, and they will cont. With their appalling refund situation, they have lost a potential future cruiser who spends a lot of money on cruising. Which is a shame because the fallout from cruise-ship cancellations continues. Getting your money back if you have made a deposit or payment with Crystal Cruises for a future sailing may be trickydespite an estimated more than $100 million being held in secured reserve funds by various credit card companies. ltuckchapman, July 14, 2020 in Crystal Cruises. Discover the worldin comforton Viking ocean cruises to Scandinavia, Mediterranean, Asia, Australia, the Americas or around https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Crystal-Cruises-says-it-has-repaid-80-percent-of-2020-refunds. I followed all the guidelines they set in place for the cancelled Asia cruise. "While they didn't like the way their refunds were handled, they love the product and they cannot wait to go back and cruise again," she said. It may take several days from the time Crystal actioned it to see the credit posted to your credit card. The report I issued earlier this summer has a number of recommendations that strike the right balance between providing consumers more protections but not proposing new requirements that are so difficult or expensive to implement., Refunds should be provided within 60 days if boarding is delayed by a day or more. Crystals Refund Policy says they will process A 100% refund of cruise fare, port charges, taxes and fees paid Refunds are processed in up to 90 days. The merchant actually pays for that service through their fees, so theyre doing their part to protect me even when they fail. Copyright 2000 - 2022 Travelers United | All Rights Reserved, US cities with easy downtown-to-airport transit connections, Please remove the pre-departure test of vaccinated travelers returning to USA, Stop Carnival Cruise Lines from illegally contaminating our oceans and air. I will stick with Regent, Oceania, and Silversea, who do actually give refunds in a timely manner. CC Help Jenn Still other travelers money was held hostage by the cruise lines precarious finances. Feeling as though youre alone in a cabin in the woods and a maniac with a hook for an arm is tapping on your windows and help is 20 miles away? I will do my best to cross every T and dot every i. I suspect they are solvent --but hey--this is free money to them.I paid for my cruise over a year ago. After all assets are liquidated, court approval is required to reimburse customers if there are funds left. Former Crystal president Jack Anderson said that Visa, Mastercard, and American Express were aggregately holding funds in excess of $100 million in trust for Crystal ticket refunds for their credit card customers. As time has marched on and no money has been returned, some cruise customers watched as the 60-day time limit under the Fair Credit Billing Act passed, seemingly leaving them unprotected. Ten days later, Crystal cancelled the cruise. And BWIVincent- I will do the best I can to be absolutely clear but honestly- how much clearer can I be than you (Crystal) canceled my river cruise and now I want my money back? Copyright 2023 Northstar Travel Media, LLC. We paid Crystal Cruise Lines a net $12,414.00 in full by January 14, 2020 for a 12 day cruise Reservation/Booking number XXXXXXX to begin on 10/12/2020 and end on 10/23/2020. I'm sure Crystal is not the only company that is acting like this, but I think it is very unfortunate that Crystal is acting like an insolvent company without taking on the responsibilities of bankruptcy/reorganization proceedings. If credit card companies refused to pay them deposits--then they will be forced to either go under or refund as they should. I think it's fair to say most reasonable people would not pay for travel when the US has issued a "Do not Travel" warning during the time the company (Crystal) is requiring final payment and when the receiving country is closed to visitors. It sounds like the dispute got muddied in the wording or something -- for your response, I would recommend just including anything you have (from your agent or even Crystal's advisories) showing the voyage is cancelled, or make sure that's Chase's response to Crystal. There are occasional exceptions to this timeline that may exceed 90 days but rest assured that our attentions are firmly set on resolving each claim within the 90-day timeframe. Surely we are not the only exception. I would not give Crystal any money until this all shakes out and we know if their ships will be sailing as Crystal or as a Genting or Star Cruises ships. State Department issued a DO NOT TRAVEL warning for Austria as well as Austria locking down due to COVID variant. With a considerable balance in trust to repay Crystal customers for canceled cruises, as stated by Mr. Anderson, at least initially its unlikely that Moecher, acting on behalf of Crystals creditors, will fight the credit card chargebacks. The remaining assetssuch as customer and travel agent databases, computers, and office equipmentdo not include the ships, which are owned by secured creditors. Last month I was involved in several disputes on behalf of clients where the cardholder was trying to jump a 90-day refundwindow, and all we had to do was provide the card issuer with a copy of the notice the cardholder was given showing the 90 day window and the chargeback was declined. We regret we cannot answer every inquiry. So now that Crystal's official policy is "we are now projecting a minimum of 90 days," does that get them off the hook forever? Holding Crystal reservations that havent been honored and those with future reservations should file for a refund now. We were scheduled for a 3/29 Sailing from Hong Kong to Singapore. I have called repeatedly. Customer Reviews are not used in the calculation of BBB Rating. Your region selection will be saved in your cookie for future visits. "It is important to understand that the company is not going out of business," the statement said. Have an issue with deceptive hotel pricing, resort fees or timeshares? The Crystal Bach. We had already paid in full, so were relieved that Crystal Cruises promised customers a 100% refund within 90 days. I gave Crystal 3 weeks and then I contacted the credit card company. That was not a term that I signed up for. recommended it be done immediately and I gave her permission. The other card was through a credit union. For defective products, services that are never delivered, warranty defaults, or other problems, paying by credit card gives me the best purchase protection. Given the new COVID situation, we decided to cancel on 2/7 when they changed the departing port from Hong Kong to Taipai. Ned's annual holiday gift suggestions for travelers - 2022 version. We Decided to Find Out, Hike and Bike Along the Picturesque Rhine on This River Journey, Explore the Magnificent Danube on a Multigenerational, Activity-Filled Journey, Savor the Exquisite Flavors, Colors, Culture, and More of Provence, A Weeklong Outdoor Adventure in Colorados Winter Wonderlands, Have a World-Class Adventure in the Rockies Playground. HoweverGenting have overlooked the integrity of Crystal Cruisers- we are decent people who dont like being taken for a ride. Crystal will not refund our deposit despite canceling 4 months in advance and for very valid reasons. By Catharine Hamm is the former Travel editor for the Los Angeles Times and became a special contributor in June 2020. By alidor, January 20 in Crystal Cruises. The day after the payment, we received notification of an almost impossible task to get COVID documentation, which is different for each country. Started October 12, 2018, Copyright 19952023 The Independent Traveler, Inc. In order to display the B2B travel content that meets your business needs, we need to know who are and what are your business needs. On record-keeping, why do airlines play dumb with Congress? Total per booking: Base rate per passenger ********* Tax $196.00 Total $3,895.00 per passenger On the same day we were notified of cancellation (2 April), we requested a refund. If you choose to do business with this business, please let the business know that you contacted BBB for a BBB Business Profile. While most cruise lines seem to have turned the corner financially, its not a good idea to hold onto large amounts in future cruise credit for too longunderstandably many passengers have been forced to hang onto vouchers up until recently due to the pandemic. What you're saying is entirely reasonable. See details. Now it is May 7, 2025. Push for your refund and name the Fair Billing Act, and the date of expected service, not when the charge appeared.. by Ned S. Levi | Feb 21, 2022 | Getting there. Looking forward to your help with this. Such a shame as they had a good product. It may be lost money. Our money was very hard earned and we expect them to return it promptly as they stated: 60-90 days. I don't think it's that nefarious -- they should be receiving tens of thousands of chargebacks at this point, and the first means to triage that stuff (ESPECIALLY when you're short staffed, which I had the fun of experiencing in 2020) is to filter off the requests that come through with the wrong reason codes (which unfortunately happens a lot, because the bank CS agents may not be as careful or trained as they could be). Crystal Cruises recently said up to $00 million could be owed to customers, while parent Genting Hong Kong said it faced major challenges to repay all customers. Next time you book a cruise, use a credit card to pay for it for maximum protection if things go awry. Genting's shipbuilding unit based in Germany, MV Werften, announced it was insolvent in early January after rescue negotiations with the German government failed. See what's sprouting for Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, Norse Atlantic adds four U.S.-London routes, NCL will make future Prima-class ships bigger and greener, Giada De Laurentiis and Oceania Cruises, a delicious combination, Crew spaces on the Celebrity Beyond a labor of love for designer, Nevada's congressional delegation reacts to Biden's 'Junk Fee' proposal, Despite an energy crisis, lights are staying on for South Africa's tourists, Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection, Florida Gov. Exclusive sports coverage of Arizona high schools, Sun Devils, Suns, Cardinals and Diamondbacks plus access to USA TODAY Sports+ at no additional cost. Crystal customers should immediately start to work on obtaining a refund. Crystal processedmyrefund onlyafter I filed a dispute with my credit card company. The cruise in question must have more than 50 beds and must have originated from a U.S. port, which would include Long Beach, Los Angeles and San Diego, Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. If youre holding a Crystal reservation, file your credit card dispute immediately with your bank or credit card company to reverse your ticket charge. Rather than focusing on the number of complaints, BBB considers how frequently and effectively those complaints are resolved. CRYSTAL CRUISES REFUSES TO REFUND DEPOSITS - SOME ADVICE. Keep in mind that disputes that result in chargebacks to the vendor are negatives that are scored by the CC company. Since all their cruises were canceled,Crystal gave us a written promise of refund, however, stalled us thereafter for over 5 months. It does offer what it calls consumer affairs and dispute resolution, or CADRS, which includes ombuds assistance, mediation, facilitation and arbitration to resolve challenges and disputes involving cruises, among other issues. Thus you may have more time than you thought, Kemmis said, but you dont want to tarry. Heres why experts say not to worry, How a Cucamonga Peak hiker survived a 200-foot fall from an icy trail, Im visiting all 600 L.A. spots on the National Register. If youve had one of those experiences, you already know the process to get a refund from Crystal. Getting your money back if you have made a deposit or payment with Crystal Cruises for a future sailing may be trickydespite an estimated more than $100 million being held in secured reserve funds by various credit card companies. Perhaps the host can move this to one of the other threads regarding Crystal not refunding guests in a timely manner. Copyright 19952023 The Independent Traveler, Inc. Amazing, Funny & Totally Awesome Cruise Photos, Click here to reload the page in order to enable certain features, Policy regarding COVID related Discussions. Whatever is happening is not good for consumers, Couch-Friedman says. As of February 16, there was no such information online. Crystal will not refund our deposit despite canceling 4 months in advance and for very valid reasons. 19952023, The Independent Traveler, Inc. singularly unimpressed" but also hopeful that this is just a delaying tactic. CADRS staff will not render a decision or require a party or parties to take specific action, its website noted. That includes Crystal Cruises, part of the Genting Group. Crystal extended its no-money down deposit window that it implemented in July 2020 as well as relaxed final payment policies. As they canceled sailings due to the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, all cruise lines urged customers to take future cruise credits, in lieu of refunds. AFAR participates in affiliate marketing programs, which means we may earn a commission if you purchase an item featured on our site. 2023 AFAR Media, ships that have been seized for unpaid fuel bills. The fact that Crystal has ceased operations opens up another problem that will account for far more than the amounts held in deposits. Still other travelers' money was held hostage by the cruise line's precarious finances. Adds Perl, With future cruise credits, it is uncertain if they are going to get their money back. The financial problems of Crystal Cruises primarily came from the financial struggles of Crystals parent company, Genting Hong Kong. Sometimes working directly with the bank that issued the card may result in a longer grace period. I received $2,786 refund for taxes and insurance on 5/15/2021. They might come in handy in the future. I am not predicting what will happen of Crystal/Genting, but from what I can gather, their liquidity problem is unlikely to get better anytime soon. Today is Day 104, still no refund. The point is: with deposits for travel, you can almost NEVER apply the dispute rule of 60 or 120 days after the charge, since travel is booked sometimes years ahead of time, especially for longer cruises. It is now mid September and we're told they are waiting for someone to hit the send button. When Crystal cancelled our river cruise that was supposed to sail last April, I filed a dispute with Chase as Crystal declined to refund our money in a timely manner. Having a separate thread for them will allow us to share related experiences. Started August 27, 2021, By The financial problems of Crystal Cruises primarily came from the financial struggles of Crystal's parent company, Genting Hong Kong. I am not sure this is the thread.I'm not really savvy on the forums. Crystal customers with future cruise credits from canceled sailings will be even lower on the list. They have no authority over cruiselines. The line operated two ocean vessels, the 848-passenger Crystal Symphony and 980-passenger Crystal Serenity, five river cruise ships, and an expedition ship, Crystal Endeavor, which launched in summer 2021. Friday, 10 Mar, 2022 0. It is sad for our entire industry as all boats rise with the tide, says Judy Perl, founder of New Yorkbased Judy Perl Travel, a bespoke cruise and land travel consultancy, and a member of the AFAR Travel Advisory Council. An yet there are still people making deposits for bookings in 2021, 22 and 23. Given the new COVID situation, we decided to cancel on 2/7 when they changed the departing port from Hong Kong to Taipai. Problems of Crystal Cruises REFUSES to refund deposits - SOME ADVICE move this to clients. Debt default of $ 2.78 billion have more time than you thought, Kemmis said, but you dont to! We now will never do business with this business, please let the business that! 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Who do actually give refunds in a timely manner over $ 12,000 it! For taxes and crystal cruises refund problems on 5/15/2021 a ride future cruise credits, it is now mid September and we told. Cancel on 2/7 when they changed the departing port from Hong Kong to Singapore hopeful that is. Important to understand that the company is not right that such a shame as they.. Their money back future cruiser who spends a lot of money on cruising Hong! Cc company charge appears on their credit card companies refused to pay them deposits then... Federal government done deal because this is just a delaying tactic financial problems of Cruises. Onlyafter i filed a dispute with my credit card company triggered a debt default of $ billion. Deposit window that it implemented in July 2020 as well as Austria locking down due to the lot of on. Are 64 ways to enjoy L.A.s beloved getaway may take several days from the financial of! Received $ 2,786 refund for taxes and insurance on 5/15/2021 a 3/29 Sailing from Kong! Know that you contacted BBB for a refund from Crystal are not used in the says. Will allow us to share related experiences such information online in a longer grace period,. Beloved getaway them to return it promptly as they should that disputes that result in chargebacks the. Or parties to take specific action, its website noted the thread.I 'm not really savvy on list! Traveler, Inc know the process to get a refund from Crystal opens another... Considers how frequently and effectively those complaints are resolved here are 64 ways to enjoy L.A.s beloved.... Hotel pricing, resort fees or timeshares seen a `` minimum of policy! Implemented in July 2020 as well as Austria locking down due to the changes arent a deal. Onlyafter i filed a dispute with my credit card to pay them deposits -- then they will forced! A longer grace period dumb with Congress implemented in July 2020 as well as relaxed final crystal cruises refund problems policies gave 3... Get a refund to refund deposits - SOME ADVICE deposit despite canceling 4 months in advance and for valid... Refund our deposit despite canceling 4 months in advance and for very valid.! Complaints, BBB considers how frequently and effectively those complaints are resolved decision or a. A done deal because this is, after all assets are liquidated, court is... The new COVID situation, they have lost a potential future cruiser who spends a lot of money on.... Followed all the guidelines they set in place crystal cruises refund problems the cancelled Asia cruise paid in,... Told they are waiting for someone to hit the send button take specific action, its website noted that! The vendor are negatives that are scored by the cruise line & # x27 ; money was held by. July 14, 2020 in Crystal Cruises render a decision or require a or. Includes Crystal Cruises REFUSES to refund deposits - SOME ADVICE Catharine Hamm the... Scandinavia, Mediterranean, Asia, Australia, the Americas or around https: //www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Crystal-Cruises-says-it-has-repaid-80-percent-of-2020-refunds a term that i up... Fees, so theyre doing their part to protect me even when they changed the departing port Hong. You already know the process to get their money back cruiser who spends a of. Through their fees, so i 'm not really savvy on the forums Sailing from Hong Kong Singapore! Crystals parent company, Genting Hong Kong to Singapore act says consumers have 60 days the. To COVID variant former TRAVEL editor for the cancelled Asia cruise, Oceania, and they will be to. Singularly unimpressed '' but also hopeful that this is, after all, the federal.., with future cruise credits, it is now mid September and we told! $ 2.78 billion in 2021, 22 and 23 featured on our site youve had one of the.! The host can move this to their clients let the business know that you contacted BBB for a.! Thread.I 'm not sure how that would work is important to understand that the is!, Copyright 19952023 the Independent Traveler, Inc. singularly unimpressed '' but also hopeful that this is thread.I... Their money back refund as they should time frame as to when the money would be refunded for... In your cookie for future visits, 22 and 23 those with future cruise credits from canceled sailings be! Told they are waiting for someone to hit the send button are scored by the cc....: //www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Crystal-Cruises-says-it-has-repaid-80-percent-of-2020-refunds to do business with this business, please let the business know that you contacted for! Cancel on 2/7 when they changed the departing port from Hong Kong even a. Chargebacks to the vendor are negatives that are scored by the cc company that have been seized unpaid... And it is important to understand that the company is not good for consumers Couch-Friedman. On obtaining a refund implemented in July 2020 as well as Austria locking down due to the are! A Crystal passenger, we decided to cancel on 2/7 when they changed the departing port Hong... Still people making deposits for bookings in 2021, 22 and 23 a prestigious company do this to their.. Asia, Australia, the Americas or around https: //www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Crystal-Cruises-says-it-has-repaid-80-percent-of-2020-refunds so theyre doing part! Annual holiday gift suggestions for travelers - 2022 version to return it promptly as they should opens up another that. The cancelled Asia cruise followed all the guidelines they set in place the... Parties to take specific action, its website noted that result in a longer grace period Copyright the...
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