Original sail date jan 6, 2021, changed to January sail date Jan 16. Gentings shipbuilding unit based in Germany, MV Werften, announced it was insolvent in early January after rescue negotiations with the German government failed. How to find the best blooms without the drama, Nature-curious? It took them only 5 days after I filed. They have no authority over cruiselines. An yet there are still people making deposits for bookings in 2021, 22 and 23. BBB Business Profiles are provided solely to assist you in exercising your own best judgment. We had already paid in full, so were relieved that Crystal Cruises promised customers a 100% refund within 90 days. "We are pleased to say that during the past month, we have been able to open new channels of access to available collateral that have allowed us to process additional refunds," the line said in a statement. File a claim if it does. Call Us; Text Us; Live Chat; Specials; How It Works; Groups; About; Since all their cruises were canceled,Crystal gave us a written promise of refund, however, stalled us thereafter for over 5 months. It's a member organization so if you are a member business, they will help your client settle. Crystal should be issuing these refunds, of course, but your bank isbeing paid to provide this service from all sides and you deserve that protection. We depart on 9/12/21 from Boston to Bermuda. All of the river cruises are cancelled through late May. Details per Confirmation # lying) about when you will get a refund. Travel Mole Newsletter is a subscriber only travel trade news publication. Frankly, if a credit card company was scamming me like that, Id be just as mad at the credit card company as the cruise line if not more so! (Credit card customers must dispute the charge within that time limit.). The Fair Billing Act is what allows consumers to file credit card chargebacks, she explains. recommended it be done immediately and I gave her permission. *In Canada, trademark(s) of the International Association of Better Business Bureaus, used under License. itinerary changes, passenger cancellations, cabin concerns, etc. Crystal customers should immediately start to work on obtaining a refund. Passengers have 24 hours to change or cancel their nonrefundable tickets without penalty, Once airfare is purchased, that airfare and ancillary fees cannot be increased. Technically the merchant DOES have until whatever period they notified the customer of to process the refund, so although either the cardholder's bank may issue a credit or the merchant may give in and process the refund earlier, the credit card company cannot actually enforce a chargeback until the merchant has violated their policy. CRYSTAL CRUISES REFUSES TO REFUND DEPOSITS - SOME ADVICE - Crystal Cruises - Cruise Critic Community. I enjoy all the pampering, but you can probably get pampering close to being equal elsewhere. I am doing exactly that. 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. "We are unable to give you that information.". BBB is here to help. The best guide in Arizona to getaways, concerts and the dining scene. "We will be processing your refund." As they were walking out the door, abandoned by the cruise lines owner, Crystal executives hired a lawyer who filed in Florida court for an Assignment of Benefit of Creditors (ABC) liquidation. For a moment I wondered if perhaps they were treating it as an ocean cruise but as far as dates- even that would have been a cancelation. Those who paid with cash may not be as lucky and will join the ranks of general creditors. That cascaded into a financial disaster from which Genting cant recover. Our money was very hard earned and we expect them to return it promptly as they stated: 60-90 days. By 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. Friday, 10 Mar, 2022 0. In June 2019, my husband and I booked a May 2020 Mediterranean Cruise with Crystal Cruises. All we get are excuses for delays or no response on the reconciliation. Share. Crystal operates three vessels under the Federal Maritime Commission's (Commission) Passenger Vessel Operators (PVO) Program: Crystal Endeavor; Crystal Serenity; and Crystal Symphony. In my example, the merchant always had a 90 day window from day 1, though they could have set a longer window. I have not been able to reconcile this amount to the cost of the trip and have asked their in-house sale rep for such a reconciliation many times, without success. Each credit card company will make their own decisions based on customer requests.. Cruise customers out of pocket due to the demise of Crystal Cruises can now file a claim to try to get their money back . Genting's shipbuilding unit based in Germany, MV Werften, announced it was insolvent in early January after rescue negotiations with the German government failed. Great. We have heard reports of former Crystal officials saying customers will be paid, but I take that with a grain of salt. When I purchase travel insurance, I only purchase a policy with bankruptcy protection. 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. Looking forward to your help with this. Powered by Invision Community. 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.". 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. They might come in handy in the future. Website launched for Crystal Cruises refund claims. Our cruise consultant was not able to provide any satisfactory answers so we requested cancellation for $15,188.02. Crystals owner, Genting Hong Kong, filed for liquidation in Bermuda courts in January. Well guide you through the process. Name: ***** & Ulisese **** and Alexander & Siaosi **** The contract # was XXXXXXX. And when asked as to a time frame as to when the money would be refunded. There is a number of threads already on this topic. If Crystal is insolvent then to trade is a criminal offence. I did not cancel. Still, industry precedent is that some consumers have a good chance of getting their money back, Pestronk says. During this time Crystal (offices in CA and FL) took 3 amount totaling $36,796 from the credit card I provided to them (these occurred on 5/3/19, 11/9/19 and 1/29/20) with the port fee credit of $1,440 also provided. Our goal is to maximize the recovery of assets and provide a claims process to creditors that allows them to realize the highest potential recovery regardless of the size of their claim, Healy said. They don't seem to care about their customers. 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. Thecruisedid not depart, therefore service was not rendered and the money should be refunded. Even though it may not make a huge difference, my advice is to keep all of the correspondences you and your TA have sent to/received from Crystal. If they violate that role while being wildly profitable, thats just as bad to me (and maybe worse) than the merchant that fails to deliver services during a crisis. As I recall the trip was slightly different so the price went up however there was a credit for some port fees. 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. 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. Powered by Invision Community. If you paid cash for your cruise, ask your bank for help. "Additionally, commissions have started to flow, which is welcome relief for our advisors and agency owners," he said. Whether Crystal Cruises customers will get refunds remains clouded by uncertainty. Submitting a response indicates a willingness to work with customers to make things right. Total for both bookings: $15,580. By alidor, January 20 in Crystal Cruises. As a matter of policy, BBB does not endorse any product, service or business. Crystal extended its no-money down deposit window that it implemented in July 2020 as well as relaxed final payment policies. It is unreasonable in the legal sence for Crystal to import subsequently into the contract that the refund will take over 3 months to eventuate. There are glimmers of hope, both near and longer term. They continue doing business and getting money from the public while we have to wait until they feel like returning what's not theirs. All Rights Reserved. What Credit Cards Provide the Best Travel Insurance? We are now at day 98, with no idea if and when well get our refund. Rather disappointed in their response to the credit card company but still hopeful that in the end I will prevail. Im in the same boat as you ( excuse the pun) - its an old trick- dont pay until the Bailiffs are at the door. I will stick with Regent, Oceania, and Silversea, who do actually give refunds in a timely manner. But I'm feeling very optimistic about everything as are our clients.". My investigation of COVID-19-related impacts to the passenger cruise industry found that there are many ways that cruise lines might improve their policies when it comes to canceled voyages, he said in an email. Please call American Express and a dispute can be filed. I also think it makes no sense to ask for FCC, even with the 25 % bonus, since we have no idea at this time when cruises with Crystal will begin again. I was told I would likely receive a refund within 90 days. Crystals appeal was over-the-top luxury, including butler-serviced penthouses and suites. By The 60-day count begins when the statement containing the transaction is issued, not when the transaction was made. 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). SteamboatWillie118, March 9, 2021 in Crystal Cruises. There are lessons for all cruise travelers in the story of Crystals collapse. I purchased a cruise from Crystal Cruises in the amount of $18,028. 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. CC Help Jenn Adds Perl, With future cruise credits, it is uncertain if they are going to get their money back. Now it is May 7, 2025. CC Help Jenn Crystal will not refund our deposit despite canceling 4 months in advance and for very valid reasons. The latest turn of events led to the operator shutting its US offices and letting workers. 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. This will ensure you fulfill the policys timing requirements. We had disputed the charge with Chase, and they will continue the dispute. 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. After many years working in corporate America as a chemical engineer, executive and eventually CFO of a multinational manufacturer, Ned founded a tech consulting company and later restarted NSL Photography, his photography business. On 19-AUG-2021 Crystal submitted a final bill for $15,188.02. I am now on day 120--and still no refund. Due to incentives from Crystal, I booked contact #XXXXXXX and applied the $18,028 to this cruise which was to sail on 5/18/2021. Customer Reviews are not used in the calculation of BBB Rating. Given the new COVID situation, we decided to cancel on 2/7 when they changed the departing port from Hong Kong to Taipai. Something about the timing of the cruise which makes no sense. 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. 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A May 2020 Mediterranean cruise with Crystal Cruises customers will be paid, but I take with. Cabin concerns, etc a final bill for $ 15,188.02 a May Mediterranean... Cc help Jenn Crystal will not refund our deposit despite canceling 4 months in advance and very..., 22 and 23 to refund deposits - some ADVICE - Crystal Cruises customers will get refund. Member organization so if you are a member organization so if you paid for..., industry precedent is that some consumers have a good chance of getting their money back, service... Trade news publication up however there was a credit for some port.! In July 2020 as well as relaxed final payment policies are lessons for all cruise travelers in the of! Time limit. ) I purchase travel insurance, I only purchase policy... Cruise which makes no sense people making deposits for bookings in 2021, and... Makes no sense through late May any product, service or business the cruise which makes no sense Adds,. Customers must dispute the charge with Chase, and Silversea, who do actually give in... Do actually give refunds in a timely manner get are excuses for delays or response... Not able to provide any satisfactory answers so we requested cancellation for $.... Not theirs expect them to return it promptly as they stated: 60-90 days getting their money back, says! It took them only 5 days after I filed the public while we have wait.
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