Powered by Invision Community. And when asked as to a time frame as to when the money would be refunded. CRYSTAL CRUISES REFUSES TO REFUND DEPOSITS - SOME ADVICE - Crystal Cruises - Cruise Critic Community. 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. FIngers crossed for you. (Complaints about individual cruises go to complaints@FMC.gov.). We emailed Crystal Cruises on the same day, April 2nd, asking for a 100% refund, Crystal Cruises' Covid-19 related cancellation policy. Now it is May 7, 2025. Just heard that Crystal is declining the refund on our river cruise due to sail on April 25. There is a number of threads already on this topic. Nothing about refunding after months , and at their discretion. Couch-Friedman says consumers are already calling with complaints of credit card companies rejecting refunds on cruises when payment was made a year ago. Crystal acknowledged it would process the credit to our Amex, the original form of payment. If Crystal has to research every individual miscoded case and try to figure out what the bank meant to done, they would be there for years. 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. Decided that it was also time to formally dispute the charges for our August cruise deposit. That triggered a debt default of $2.78 billion. ITR is free to our subscribers. Today is Day 104, still no refund. When calling they say it is pending. BBB Business Profiles generally cover a three-year reporting period. 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. Award-winning investigations and consumer reporting that helps Arizonans recover hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. I am doing exactly that. #2 -2256288 (our two sons) Normally this means 120 days from the expected date of the service for which the payment was made. 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. Well see what happens.. It was about the crew, Ross says. Fortunately my clients have all been refunding inside the window though, so I don't have any firsthand experience with what would have happened next. I followed all the guidelines they set in place for the cancelled Asia cruise. It turned out to be a good premonition for us, says Perl. If you have any cruise vouchers, try to spend them and get insurance for the cruise you are going to buy, Couch-Friedman recommends. 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. For those in the U.S., its important to know about the Fair Credit Billing Act, a federal law that is designed to protect American consumers from unfair credit billing practices. 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. 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. There is no clear pathway that we can set a consumer on who has a voucher.. 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. If a cruise is canceled because of a governmental order or declaration, refunds must be issued within 180 days. We had already paid in full, so were relieved that Crystal Cruises promised customers a 100% refund within 90 days. At a minimum, cruise lines should commit that when a ship does not sail, customers will have choices in terms of compensation including the right to a full refund. We were only offered FCC. It may take several days from the time Crystal actioned it to see the credit posted to your credit card. 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. But again, the commission takes pains to explain that it cant force anyone to do anything. Its the chance to be heard at a time when many companies arent listening. And finally, the maritime commission is considering changes that may address some of the issues that have cropped up in the age of the coronavirus. If they were flush with cash then obviously this situation would not arise. So the net funds Crystal took was $35,356. CC Help Jenn Concurrently, their parent company in Hong Kong has defaulted on $3B in loans. They continue doing business and getting money from the public while we have to wait until they feel like returning what's not theirs. 19952023, The Independent Traveler, Inc. 19952023, The Independent Traveler, Inc. singularly unimpressed" but also hopeful that this is just a delaying tactic. If you paid by debit card, your bank will likely provide Fair Credit Billing Act protections. 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. Having paid more than $20,000 . 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. Any former passengers with an existing claim against Crystal, those with reservations that havent been honored, and those with future reservations who think that the cruise line might come back to life, need to understand that it wont happen. 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. That was one week ago. Im singularly unimpressed. Genting is now " suspending payments to creditors". In the other thread there are people waiting almost a year. Tully said that despite the refund issues, Crystal clients are eager to sail again. 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. Crystal Cruises, LLC (Crystal) suspended operations for its Ocean and Expedition voyages through April 29, 2022. So sorry to hear this. (This does not include voyages stopped by a governmental order or declaration, as the CDC has done.). But dont get too excited. 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. 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. . 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. Holding Crystal reservations that havent been honored and those with future reservations should file for a refund now. Crystal did not say what those channels consist of. Crystal will not refund our deposit despite canceling 4 months in advance and for very valid reasons. 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? Copyright 2023 Northstar Travel Media, LLC. When considering complaint information, please take into account the company's size and volume of transactions, and understand that the nature of complaints and a firm's responses to them are often more important than the number of complaints. Our cruise consultant was not able to provide any satisfactory answers so we requested cancellation for $15,188.02. The management has made a faux pas here. You will be able to leave a comment after signing in, By The Crystal Cruise bankruptcy is real. 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. That a cruise line founded in the late 1980s, and one of the most prestigious brands in the industry, could just disappear seemingly overnight was mind-blowingeven given COVID-19 and its impact on the travel industry. All of the river cruises are cancelled through late May. 194 total complaints in the last 3 years. 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. Still other travelers' money was held hostage by the cruise line's precarious finances. 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. Total per booking: Base rate per passenger ********* Tax $196.00 Total $3,895.00 per passenger See details. Former executives are saying the money will be returned to consumers who paid via credit cards. 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. Here Goes: We were scheduled for a 3/29 Sailing from Hong Kong to Singapore. "We will be processing your refund." CC Help Jenn On 6/3/2020 we cancelled that cruise and transferred the funds to another Crystal cruise sailing on 11/16/2021 Reservation number XXXXXXX. A spokesperson for Crystal Cruises, Susan Robison, said recently that "we have cancelled hundreds of cruises and provided tens of millions of dollars of refund. The fact that Crystal has ceased operations opens up another problem that will account for far more than the amounts held in deposits. Just heard that Crystal is declining the refund on our river cruise due to sail on April 25. 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. It has been almost one year. We need these funds back. I am unable to get a refund for the balance of $15,242 and no information on the status other than it's pending. Crystals appeal was over-the-top luxury, including butler-serviced penthouses and suites. The cruise line now says it expects that by the end of April, 95% of customer refunds will be complete. There may be some protection, she says, particularly if you paid with your debit card. If you choose to do business with this business, please let the business know that you contacted BBB for a BBB Business Profile. They might come in handy in the future. If you didnt pay with a credit card, dont have travel insurance that covers bankruptcies and your bank doesnt help you, youll need to get in line with other Crystal creditors that arent secured. 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. I'd rather invest that money elsewhere. Final payment due for a cruise to Germany & Austria. We have heard reports of former Crystal officials saying customers will be paid, but I take that with a grain of salt. Crystal is not keeping their word (i.e. See reviews and photos of the Fishing and Scalloping Trips in Crystal River. 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. The two ships, long-standing favorites with many cruise enthusiasts, will resume service in 2023, following extensive refurbishment. We are now at day 98, with no idea if and when well get our refund. 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. 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). Crystal is bankrupt and is being liquidated. There's a good chance they actually no incentive to stall -- they are most likely using reserve funds for the chargebacks as they did in the past, so if it got paid sooner that would actually HELP Crystal and not hinder them. She was born in Syracuse, N.Y., to a peripatetic family whose stops included Washington, D.C.; Honolulu; and Manila. In California, Florida, and a few other states there are travel seller restitution funds via which you may be able to file a claim against Crystal Cruises. Welcome to Cruise Critic SteamboatWillie118. It is now mid September and we're told they are waiting for someone to hit the send button. I am not sure how there could possibly be an expectation to make our final payment (or how. Ned's annual holiday gift suggestions for travelers - 2022 version. We regret we cannot answer every inquiry. 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). 301 Route 17 N, Suite 1150, Rutherford, NJ by Ned S. Levi | Feb 21, 2022 | Getting there. Youll need to file a proof of claim and keep your fingers crossed. What Credit Cards Provide the Best Travel Insurance? Has anyone else had their dispute declined? Sorry, but its not a big fat check. As of February 16, there was no such information online. I do not know any way a consumer is going to get the value of the vouchers unless it goes to bankruptcy court.. 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. Well guide you through the process. 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. Original sail date jan 6, 2021, changed to January sail date Jan 16. 2023 Outdoor Activities in Crystal River: Check out reviews and photos of the Fishing and Scalloping Trips in Crystal River. Chase could really not make sense of the explanation as to why it was being declined. We booked a cruise with Crystal Cruise in April to tour Europe. Here are 64 ways to enjoy L.A.s beloved getaway. Followers 1. When we booked the cruise, we took the deposit from another cruise that was canceled because of the pandemic and put it on this one, he says. Im in the same boat as you ( excuse the pun) - its an old trick- dont pay until the Bailiffs are at the door. Crystal relented and processed the refund for that amount days after the dispute from Chase was sent to Crystal. Please Log in or, Register to post a comment. She says getting any money back will take time, and not everyone will get a refund. Families flying together act passed by Congress that requires family members 13 years of age and younger to sit with other family members at no additional cost. Here are 10 you cant miss, 19 cafes that make L.A. a world-class coffee destination, L.A. 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