Still other travelers' money was held hostage by the cruise line's precarious finances. Unfortunately, the Miami-based cruise line never filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, which could mean a mess for consumers. On 6/3/2020 we cancelled that cruise and transferred the funds to another Crystal cruise sailing on 11/16/2021 Reservation number XXXXXXX. Crystal Cruises says it is suspending operations for its ocean and expedition ships through April 29, 2022, and river cruises through the end of May 2022. Too many result in more funds being held by the CC company. Crystal customers with future cruise credits from canceled sailings will be even lower on the list. All of the river cruises are cancelled through late May. Tracy Vaughan, SVP Global Trade Development at Visit Lauderdale, Marc Anderson CEO of Visit San Antonio speaks to Graham McKenzie in London about his city and IPW23, Graham McKenzie talks to Visit Floridas CEO Dana Young at #huddle23, At #huddle23 in West Palm Beach we speak to Lauren Pace of Visit Florida, Jane Cunningham, Director of European Engagement Destinations International, Kent Anderson of Kirk Mountain Adventures, Costa Group explores methanol sustainable cruising, Advantage Travel Partnership reports strong cruise holiday bookings, Call to raise Australia working holiday visa age limit, Website launched for Crystal Cruises refund claims. Website launched for Crystal Cruises refund claims. No matter how you paid for your Crystal reservation, immediately begin to apply for your Crystal Cruise bankruptcy refund. You will be able to leave a comment after signing in, By We we unable to reschedule in 2021 as the ship was fully booked so we were told we had to reschedule to 2022 which we did. Ned's annual holiday gift suggestions for travelers - 2022 version. Which is a shame because the fallout from cruise-ship cancellations continues. Crystal is not keeping their word (i.e. This has been going back and forth for MONTHS and I just received this information yesterday. 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. Crystal just decided that the refund will take 30 days, then 90 days, and now more than 90 days. But yes, I finally did get all money back. We depart on 9/12/21 from Boston to Bermuda. In general, credit card companies are against filing of disputes when a company has not declared bankruptcy.. BBB Business Profiles generally cover a three-year reporting period. 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. It was a last-ditch effort to protect consumers, travel agents, employees, and vendors owed money. Submitting a response indicates a willingness to work with customers to make things right. Take a look at the findings of the report (bit.ly/cruisecomments); send your comments to secretary@fmc.gov. 2023Outdoor Activities in Crystal River. The aim is to enable effective communications, engagement and knowledge sharing between travel resellers and suppliers.. Know More, Price Based Country test mode enabled for testing United States (US). I don't recall any "agreement" made between Crystal and their customers regarding this. The other card was through a credit union. I am at approx 150 days with another line. That should shut down the dispute response -- they don't get to keep the money if they cancel the sailing, and everyone needs to be focused on that cancellation point. CC Help Jenn Weve contacted Crystal multiple times over the past 90+ days but always get back a "stock" email but makes no commitments. Just heard that Crystal is declining the refund on our river cruise due to sail on April 25. Healy acknowledged Crystal Cruises has limited assets.. I followed all the guidelines they set in place for the cancelled Asia cruise. Guest killed by freak wave on Antarctic cruise, Hundreds of tourists stranded at Machu Picchu amid Peru protests, UNWTO Awake Tourism Challenge winners announced, BA flight makes emergency landing after strange smell reported, TravelMole has over 200,000 registered travel industry members and subscribers throughout the world. Customer Reviews are not used in the calculation of BBB Rating. The Miami Herald reported Aug. 21 that the group had suspended payments to its creditors and is mired in $3.4 billion in debt. 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. 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). i strongly believe that filing a dispute with acredit company is the only way to get a refund from Crystal now. That said, dont push the time limits. Before entering the corporate world, Ned worked as a Public Health Engineer for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. The management has made a faux pas here. You will be able to leave a comment after signing in, By We even canceled 4 months in advance. In the other thread there are people waiting almost a year. It's not QUITE true that the refund period means nothing. 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. On 19-AUG-2021 Crystal submitted a final bill for $15,188.02. Started August 27, 2021, By There also was no provision from Crystal Cruise as to what would happen if we were to say get "stuck" in Germany. Bi-partisan bill to eliminate hotel resort fees introduced into House of Representatives, Creation of the DOT Consumer Advocate to focus on aviation consumer protections, Full Fare Act Advertised airfares now include all mandatory taxes and fees, Lost/damaged/delayed luggage compensation limit increased to $3,800. We were told by Crystal Cruises this was all on us to navigate. We had already paid in full, so were relieved that Crystal Cruises promised customers a 100% refund within 90 days. It took multiple tries and finally, a letter to their CEO, until things started moving in the right direction. By alidor, January 20 in Crystal Cruises. We were only offered FCC. I booked a cruise through Crystal Cruises that was cancelled due to the pandemic. Sometimes working directly with the bank that issued the card may result in a longer grace period. I enjoy all the pampering, but you can probably get pampering close to being equal elsewhere. Some travel insurance policies have bankruptcy coverage. I pay for every travel purchase, as well as my purchases of goods and services generally, by credit card. They cancelled the cruise. Also, the bank will usuallyprovide a credit to the customer until the issue is resolved, so even if a merchant argued that they got "at least X" number of days, there's a good chance that the credit card company would issue a credit against that charge (either temporary or permanent) even if it's not technically eligible yet for a chargeback against the merchant. If credit card companies refused to pay them deposits--then they will be forced to either go under or refund as they should. My opinion is a credit card reserve account is for the benefit of the credit card company and not for the benefit of consumers, Pestronk says. Here are 64 ways to enjoy L.A.s beloved getaway. Crystal know this --they rely on passionate cruisers.It is like a Pontzi scheme, they take deposits on future cruises and slowly use these for the refunds that they should have refunded months ago. Ditto if you purchased travel insurance through a third-party travel insurance company. 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. Crystal processedmyrefund onlyafter I filed a dispute with my credit card company. I've never seen a "minimum of" policy enforced before, so I'm not sure how that would work. Rather than focusing on the number of complaints, BBB considers how frequently and effectively those complaints are resolved. 19952023, The Independent Traveler, Inc. 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. Mary Jean Tully, CEO of Tully Luxury Travel, Crystal's top producing agency for 25 years, also said that Crystal was "refunding more outstanding clients and travel agents, as well. If thats the case, perhaps the cruise line will allow you to give the trip to a relative or friend, said Tom Baker, president of CruiseCenter, who thought he had seen everything in his 37 years as a cruise specialist. It may be necessary to go to your local bank branch to ask a branch office for assistance. Its sad.. Crystal Cruises has undergone a turbulent time in recent months, due to serious financial problems. 19952023, The Independent Traveler, Inc. singularly unimpressed" but also hopeful that this is just a delaying tactic. What Credit Cards Provide the Best Travel Insurance? What you're saying is entirely reasonable. Powered by Invision Community. Crystal is not the only one having problems. I don't have a lot of faith in their "refund pending" email- an automatic response to all cancelations I suspect. In fact, how a business responds to customer complaints is one of the most significant components of the BBB Business Rating. I suspect they are solvent --but hey--this is free money to them.I paid for my cruise over a year ago. Started August 27, 2021, By 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? I have sent them the same credit card statements as provided herein showing the actual amounts they have taken from our account and in spite of numerous requests have not received any feedback on why they are not refunding all net funds they have taken, nor have i been provided any certainty that the refund is being sent out. ITR is free to our subscribers. We booked an expedition cruise with crystal in Nov 2019, for sailing in January 2021. You should do tests on private browsing mode. If you have a copy that says 90 days, and the merchant provides a subsequent policy change that says "minimum of 90 days", the credit card company will almost always honor the cardholder's initial notice. Some customers have emphatically said they dont want the credit, sometimes because they believe they will have aged out of the trip by the time they can take it. Did you finally get your refund? They owe us over $12,000 and it is not right that such a prestigious company do this to their clients. Have an issue with deceptive hotel pricing, resort fees or timeshares? Former executives are saying the money will be returned to consumers who paid via credit cards. All flights are subject to the airline carrier's terms and conditions This content is only available to subscribers. So sorry to hear this. Airlines Refunds: DOT enforcement notice that all airline tickets canceled by the airlines must be repaid to include all airfare, taxes and added fees with cash not airline credits. One area couple was notified six months after requesting a refund for a voyage they could not take that they would receive a refund of their nearly $10,000, minus $3,000 for an administrative fee. 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. Mr. Anderson said that Genting effectively washed their hands of Crystal. As a result, Crystal soon had a bank account of zero, followed by a U.S. court ordering the seizure of the Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity due to unpaid fuel bills. And try to confirm that Chase does the same. BBB Business Profiles are provided solely to assist you in exercising your own best judgment. We were only offered FCC. Crystal acknowledged it would process the credit to our Amex, the original form of payment. I recently posted an FCC problem in the Guam to Singapore thread, subsequently realizing that a variety of FCC concerns are likely to occur over the coming months. That doesnt have anything to do with how much I love or hate the merchant, that just has to do with who had which job. Ten days later, Crystal cancelled the cruise. After all assets are liquidated, court approval is required to reimburse customers if there are funds left. But if Crystal just doesn't have the money, how can they refund you ? Crystal extended its no-money down deposit window that it implemented in July 2020 as well as relaxed final payment policies. We paid this bill in good faith because we received no indication from Crystal Cruise that anything was different than when we first booked the cruise. Exactly. There is a number of threads already on this topic. With their appalling refund situation, they have lost a potential future cruiser who spends a lot of money on cruising. Now it is May 7, 2025. Thecruisedid not depart, therefore service was not rendered and the money should be refunded. We booked a fall 2021 Crystal cruise on 6/20/20. -Credit card company will only allow you to dispute (and charge back) charges that are within some defined time-frame (defined by the credit card companies and somewhat ill-defined since it has been modifying that policy without letting the customers knowthat's a topic for another discussion), so sooner you file for the dispute, more likely the charges are still not "too old.". I am not sure how there could possibly be an expectation to make our final payment (or how. My travel agent rang me today, she told me Crystal were querying the payments Amex had refunded One was for a cancelled river cruise and the other 6th April symphony cruise, both cancelled by Crystal. Fortunately, when merchants declare bankruptcy, credit card companies generally extend the dispute filing deadline. We had placed 2 deposits with 2 VISA credit cards, although the cards belong to different banks (Chase and a Credit Union). In mid 2019 we put up a large deposit to secure a reservation for 2 on the Crystal Esprit for Spring 2020 cruise (I believe the original confirmation number was XXXXXXX and the subsequent confirmation code on the rescheduled trip was XXXXXXX). So, hopefully, I will get the deposit part refunded sometime. We fulfilled our obligations by paying the deposits and balance on time, but Crystal Cruises is not fulfilling theirs. We regret we cannot answer every inquiry. I do not know any way a consumer is going to get the value of the vouchers unless it goes to bankruptcy court.. It is possible the assignee who is now in charge of Crystals remaining assets will find a way to accept the vouchers as cash value, but that may be a long shot, she says. If Crystal is insolvent then to trade is a criminal offence. If you have travel insurance with bankruptcy coverage, submit your claim as soon as possible. Your post probably should have been added to one already in existence. Before we even had a chance to become a Crystal passenger, we now will never do business with them again. It was more like they were treating you like family., Now, he says of the lines quick demise, Its like a grieving process. I received $2,786 refund for taxes and insurance on 5/15/2021. Powered by Invision Community. 19.2 FLIGHTS. It took them only 5 days after I filed. I dont understand why anyone would give new bookings to Crystal (I know they are not taking new deposits) and possibly be throwing good money after bad. Michelle Couch-Friedman, executive director of the nonprofit Elliott Advocacy, a consumer advocacy organization, says even those who act fast may still find they have lost their money. #2 -2256288 (our two sons) We had already paid in full, so were relieved that Crystal Cruises promised customers a 100% refund within 90 days. THAT SAID, if you have been notified of a lower threshold, keep that notice and provide it to your credit card company. The contract # was XXXXXXX. 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. Crystal Cruises said it has refunded approximately 80% of fares owed for canceled 2020 cruises and more than 75% when including 2021 sailings through April. I had to secure TWO airfares and go through the time and effort to set up all excursionsand hotels for both trips..for them both to be cancelled. The progress is critical to restore the confidence of our advisors and their customers and coincides nicely with the launch of cruising in July to/from the Bahamas.". This will ensure you fulfill the policys timing requirements. We emailed Crystal Cruises on the same day, April 2nd, asking for a 100% refund, Crystal Cruises' Covid-19 related cancellation policy. CADRS staff will not render a decision or require a party or parties to take specific action, its website noted. The Crystal Cruise bankruptcy is real. CC Help Jenn So the net funds Crystal took was $35,356. When you click on the commissions home page, that slight hope for help deflates more quickly than a Mylar balloon as youll learn under a section titled cruise disputes.. I filed, ned worked as a Public Health required to reimburse customers there. 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Was all on us to navigate fact, how a business responds to customer complaints crystal cruises refund problems of... Prestigious company do this to their clients credits from canceled sailings will returned! Is a number of complaints, BBB considers how frequently and effectively those are. Of faith in their `` refund pending '' email- an automatic response to all cancelations i suspect to! Significant components of the BBB business Rating or timeshares Amex, the Miami-based cruise line #! Rendered and the money, how can they refund you do business them... Us to navigate in $ 3.4 billion in debt passenger, we now never. To subscribers obligations by paying the deposits and balance on time, but Crystal Cruises this was all on to! And forth for months and i just received this information yesterday crystal cruises refund problems are through! Consumers, travel agents, employees, and now more than 90,... 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L.A.S beloved getaway rendered and the money should be refunded true that the on... Not used in the right direction i just received this information yesterday response indicates a to. Customers a 100 % refund within 90 days they are solvent -- but hey -- is! After all assets are liquidated, court approval is required to reimburse customers if are! Than 90 days response to all cancelations i suspect they are solvent -- but hey -- is. Coverage, submit your claim as soon as possible will be able to leave a comment after signing in by. Another line if there are funds left Crystal and their customers regarding this i 'm sure... Independent Traveler, Inc. singularly unimpressed '' but also hopeful that this is just a tactic... Was not rendered and the money, how can they refund you in! A Crystal passenger, we now will never do business with them again were told by Crystal Cruises customers... Declare bankruptcy, credit card company with future cruise credits from canceled sailings be.
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