CRYSTAL CRUISES REFUSES TO REFUND DEPOSITS - SOME ADVICE - Crystal Cruises - Cruise Critic Community. If a cruise is canceled because of a governmental order or declaration, refunds must be issued within 180 days. How pathetic that the OP is being told that they have to fight with their credit card company when the entity, entirely in the wrong for not refunding the OP, is Crystal. Catharine Hamm is the former Travel editor for the Los Angeles Times and became a special contributor in June 2020. Is it possible that Crystal had already actioned the refund - it was in the works, so to speak? I am at approx 150 days with another line. I hope everyone with an outstanding Crystal reservation is able to get a full refund. So sorry to hear this. If I don't cruise before 12/21 I forfeit the 25% bonus and need to cruise by 12/22 when all other passengers have the ability to use both until 12/23. 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 Crystal Bach. I am now being told it could take months to receive the refund. Those who paid with cash may not be as lucky and will join the ranks of general creditors. 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. The fare was prepaid mostly through credit cards and approximately $5000.00 cash via our travel agent. Her varied media career has taken her from McPherson, Kan., to Kansas City, Mo., San Bernardino, Salinas and L.A. Hamm has twice received individual Lowell Thomas Awards, and the Travel section has been recognized seven times during her tenure as editor. We waited patiently until the end of Aug, past the 90 Day mark. Ron DeSantis takes over Disney World district, Pandemic flight rules slow U.S.-China travel restart, Not a lover of travel, Eugene Levy hosts travel show, Where weed is legal, hotels roll out new marijuana amenities, River cruise lines sail into Egypt with new ships and itineraries, Bad behavior prompts Carnival Cruise Line to beef up onboard security, When will Chinese tourists return? So as bad as we think 90 days is, for many companies it could technically be even longer if they wanted to further upset customers. The service, referred to as alternative dispute resolution, is free. The state's lawmakers emphasized the need for transparency rather than criticizing the resort fees. 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. The Crystal Cruise bankruptcy is real. All of the river cruises are cancelled through late May. (Ross May / Los Angeles Times; Getty Images), Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, no federal government agency that regulates cruise, Has wildflower shaming gone too far? Theres typically even less protection, if any, if you paid Crystal by check. The rule in the act says consumers have 60 days from the date the charge appears on their credit card to file dispute. By SteamboatWillie118, March 9, 2021 in Crystal Cruises. Cancelled cruise: "7-night Legendary Rhine River Cruise" was to depart 9/6/2021 Commissioner Louis Sola studied what was happening within the cruise industry because of coronavirus disruptions. Some cruise lines were (and are) overwhelmed with refund requests. So- more paperwork to fill out. Visit Neds Photography Blog and Galleries. Crystal processedmyrefund onlyafter I filed a dispute with my credit card company. We heard nothing from Crystal Cruises regarding COVID in the European Union. That includes Crystal Cruises, part. It will probably be the canned response I got last year and Chase got as well every time we asked. For Crystal cruise customers who paid for their reservation by credit card, the Fair Credit Billing Act permits them to dispute their payment to Crystal for cruises that will never take place. Initially Crystal refused to provide a refund, only offering 'future cruise credit' with no incentive/bonus to bank the funds vs. taking a refund. Having a separate thread for them will allow us to share related experiences. 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. You should also contact your state attorney generals office, Couch-Friedman advises. In my case, I was able to successfully dispute the "final payment' (deposited in January 2020) for the September 2020 cruise, which was cancelled recently. Started October 12, 2018, Copyright 19952023 The Independent Traveler, Inc. The Better Business Bureau is a total waste of time and energy. As a well known corporate, travel and wildlife photographer, Ned travels the world writing about travel and photography, as well as running photography workshops, seminars and photowalks. (Credit card customers must dispute the charge within that time limit.). We booked our 1st cruise ever with Crystal Cruises. (Complaints about individual cruises go to complaints@FMC.gov.). There is a number of threads already on this topic. "It is important to understand that the company is not going out of business," the statement said. Amex is very customer service oriented, so your suggestion gives us hope! Other cruise passengers have been dismayed by the ponderous pace of refunds, the inability to contact a live human being or the complete silence in the tsunami that ensued when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued no-sail orders, recently extended until Oct. 31. Sometimes it is even better than insurance. Yet this is misleading at best, fraud at worst. Crystal relented and processed the refund for that amount days after the dispute from Chase was sent to Crystal. The no-money-down deposit window has been extended until April 5. Each credit card company will make their own decisions based on customer requests.. Getting your bank to refund your cash is often more difficult to obtain than obtaining a credit card chargeback. I cancelled on 12/9/2020 as it was obvious that Crystal would cancel it which they did. #1 - 2256286 (myself & spouse) Before we even had a chance to become a Crystal passenger, we now will never do business with them again. I booked a cruise through Crystal Cruises that was cancelled due to the pandemic. Genting is now " suspending payments to creditors". The remaining portion that Crystal owed me took 9 months to get back, and I swore I would never sail with them again which now definitely won't be a problem as I think they are permanently out of business. Crystal Cruises, LLC (Crystal) suspended operations for its Ocean and Expedition voyages through April 29, 2022. For defective products, services that are never delivered, warranty defaults, or other problems, paying by credit card gives me the best purchase protection. Our cruise consultant was not able to provide any satisfactory answers so we requested cancellation for $15,188.02. But many misunderstand them with specific regard to bankruptcy. 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. When I purchase travel insurance, I only purchase a policy with bankruptcy protection. We called customer service at XXX-XXX-XXXX and spoke with Associate Sheri who explained that because we were within (7) days of travel she could not assist us. LauraS 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. And try to confirm that Chase does the same. There are glimmers of hope, both near and longer term. Concurrently, their parent company in Hong Kong has defaulted on $3B in loans. Book now from $515! 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. Something about the timing of the cruise which makes no sense. 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? We were told by Crystal Cruises this was all on us to navigate. I have called repeatedly. Looking forward to your help with this. There were incentives, such as an additional 25 percent off what you originally paid in bonus credit. That triggered a debt default of $2.78 billion. 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. This may offer a solution to one of the two problems you have if youre frustrated about getting a refund. That includes Crystal Cruises, part of the Genting Group. All cruises on the Website are protected under a consumer protection scheme. Ten days later, Crystal cancelled the cruise. 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. 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. Note that complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. In essence, we paid $1000 for nothing from Crystal (I think Visa/AMEX calls it "Services Not Rendered"). Can the company change their policy willy nilly, and the customer just has to accept it? 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. After reading both of these posts, I opened a new CC topic to discuss FCC problems. 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. Your best course of action is to file a credit card dispute. According to a filing with Florida's Dept. BBB Business Profiles are provided solely to assist you in exercising your own best judgment. King Day of Service with a great tour of civil rights landmarks. -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 pay for every travel purchase, as well as my purchases of goods and services generally, by credit card. Powered by Invision Community. Just heard that Crystal is declining the refund on our river cruise due to sail on April 25. by Ned S. Levi | Feb 21, 2022 | Getting there. In other words, if you paid cash, you get cash. "Additionally, commissions have started to flow, which is welcome relief for our advisors and agency owners," he said. See details. They don't seem to care about their customers. She says getting any money back will take time, and not everyone will get a refund. One year ago our cruise was canceled due to the COVID pandemic. I am not sure how there could possibly be an expectation to make our final payment (or how they justify keeping a deposit) when the US State Department has blocked (advised against) travel specifically to one of the countries on our itinerary. In my example, the merchant always had a 90 day window from day 1, though they could have set a longer window. We are now at day 98, with no idea if and when well get our refund. I am not sure this is the thread.I'm not really savvy on the forums. It took me 9 months to get the remaining money from Crystal (the portion that I couldn't dispute with the credit card company). They might come in handy in the future. Others who waited received 25% bonus and airfare considerations. 2023Outdoor Activities in Crystal River. Crystals appeal was over-the-top luxury, including butler-serviced penthouses and suites. On 6/3/2020 we cancelled that cruise and transferred the funds to another Crystal cruise sailing on 11/16/2021 Reservation number XXXXXXX. Im singularly unimpressed. For example, if your sailing date was March 15, 2022, you have 120 days from that date to file your claim. Started August 27, 2021, By If you took the deal with Crystal, what you have now is a useless voucher. 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. Name: ***** & Ulisese **** and Alexander & Siaosi **** 19.2 FLIGHTS. Here Goes: We were scheduled for a 3/29 Sailing from Hong Kong to Singapore. We fulfilled our obligations by paying the deposits and balance on time, but Crystal Cruises is not fulfilling theirs. If you have travel insurance with bankruptcy coverage, submit your claim as soon as possible. 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. 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). 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. It is simply a matter of contract. 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. 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. 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. BBB asks third parties who publish complaints, reviews and/or responses on this website to affirm that the information provided is accurate. "We will be processing your refund." The total was $15,580.00 for 2 bookings w/2 passengers ***** Crystal cancelled our cruise & offered an alternate sailing which we declined due to concerns & CDC guidance around COVID. Started August 27, 2021, By 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. *In Canada, trademark(s) of the International Association of Better Business Bureaus, used under License. Crystal last week said it would launch operations from the Bahamas in July. It is just so sad. Europe Pushes Back ETIAS Entry System Until 2024, Is It Worth Flying First or Premium Class on a Budget Airline? You will be able to leave a comment after signing in, By Push for your refund and name the Fair Billing Act, and the date of expected service, not when the charge appeared.. That said, dont push the time limits. Perl says that her agency has for the past year dissuaded clients from booking Crystal after the line was slow to pay customer deposits on pandemic-canceled cruises. 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 reached out to our sales associate and always get the same information as the website. That hasnt been independently confirmed. Their most recent email response from Crystal was similar to what appears on their website Please know that our team is diligently working to ensure each of your refunds are addressed in the timeliest manner possible, still working within the projected 90 days in most instances. If you have any cruise vouchers, try to spend them and get insurance for the cruise you are going to buy, Couch-Friedman recommends. As of February 16, there was no such information online. In-depth coverage of the Valleys real estate market and whats being built and redeveloped in your city. I am being told that because I used FCC to book the Italycruise that I only have until 12/22 to use the FCC. My travel agent books millions worth of travel yearly, and is highly connected - but she was stalled by all Crystal employees, and even a letter to Crystal's CEO only got her a canned response. READ ALSO: We booked an expedition cruise with crystal in Nov 2019, for sailing in January 2021. Some consumers who have contacted us have $20,000 in future cruise vouchers. The Mole has evolved over 20 years to facilitate interesting and relevant curated, easy to digest, content of all types, from a variety of channels, for travel industry professionals. State Department issued a DO NOT TRAVEL warning for Austria as well as Austria locking down due to COVID variant. Crystal customers with future cruise credits from canceled sailings will be even lower on the list. When products or services werent delivered as promised it comes into effect. Crystal Cruise Reviews Overview Reviews Deals Cruiser Rating 4.2 Very Good 614 reviews Filters Cruise Line Ship Destination Show more filters 1 - 10 of 614 Crystal Cruise Reviews Surprise. Crystal extended its no-money down deposit window that it implemented in July 2020 as well as relaxed final payment policies. Travel Mole Newsletter is a subscriber only travel trade news publication. The financial problems of Crystal Cruises primarily came from the financial struggles of Crystal's parent company, Genting Hong Kong. We remain optimistic. Holding Crystal reservations that havent been honored and those with future reservations should file for a refund now. Its sad.. Today I was told they could not even estimate when I might receive a refund. I can imagine it would be significantly more difficult or impossible with checks.. Needless to say - we will never book anything with Crystal again. At the very least, they can be honest with us about when we can receive it with a drop dead date. There is a limited trust pool of money at the credit card companies. The booking number is XXXXXXX. I'd rather invest that money elsewhere. They have no authority over cruiselines. Okay- that makes it sound very reasonable. News on the go with access to our mobile apps including immersive storytelling. 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. 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. In the unlikely event of the Company's insolvency, appropriate measures shall be taken to refund any money the Customer has paid to the Company. Visa and Mastercard are always fun because the individual banks pretty much negotiate dispute settlements betweeneach other and sometimes the resolutionsdon't make much sense or seem to fit the rules. The line said it has refunded a total of $164 million to date and said it will complete 80% of outstanding commission payments by the end of April. 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. Has anyone else had their dispute declined? Ross and his wife, Vicki, put down a deposit of $2,100 for a cruise from Los Angeles to Hawaii. CC Help Jenn But dont get too excited. Its the chance to be heard at a time when many companies arent listening. The CC dispute is intended to be for when a vendor does not live up to their obligations, not as an alternative path. The customer just has to accept it can be honest with us about when we can receive it with great... To confirm that Chase does the same the former travel editor for the Los Angeles to Hawaii was... The works, so to speak he said former crystal cruises refund problems editor for the Angeles! August 27, 2021 in Crystal Cruises purchase travel insurance, I only purchase a policy with bankruptcy,. 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Now is a limited trust pool of money at the credit card.... Card company Class on a Budget Airline, is it possible that Crystal would it. It would launch operations from the Bahamas in July October 12, 2018, Copyright 19952023 Independent. Gives us hope delivered as promised it comes into effect cash may not be as lucky and will join ranks... Resort fees amount days after the dispute from Chase was sent to Crystal if your sailing date was 15! To creditors '' Crystal Cruises, LLC ( Crystal ) suspended operations for its Ocean and Expedition voyages April! Told it could take months to receive the refund for that amount days after the dispute from Chase sent! Theres typically even less protection, if any, if you took the deal with Crystal Cruises is fulfilling! No idea if and when well get our refund with refund requests text that is displayed might not represent complaints... 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