The site was set up by Florida-based liquidator Mark Healy who is managing the affairs of Crystal Cruises LLC, Crystal AirCruises LLC and Crystal Holdings U.S. LLC. BBB Business Profiles are provided solely to assist you in exercising your own best judgment. Having paid more than $20,000 . 2023, International Association of Better Business Bureaus, Inc., separately incorporated Better Business Bureau organizations in the US, Canada and Mexico and BBB Institute for Marketplace Trust, Inc. All rights reserved. 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? Ditto if you purchased travel insurance through a third-party travel insurance company. All we get are excuses for delays or no response on the reconciliation. They continue doing business and getting money from the public while we have to wait until they feel like returning what's not theirs. "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. 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 couldn't dispute the whole amount because the rather large deposit had been made too long previously. If you choose to do business with this business, please let the business know that you contacted BBB for a BBB Business Profile. If youre holding a Crystal reservation, file your credit card dispute immediately with your bank or credit card company to reverse your ticket charge. Still, industry precedent is that some consumers have a good chance of getting their money back, Pestronk says. I cancelled on 12/9/2020 as it was obvious that Crystal would cancel it which they did. 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. They owe us over $12,000 and it is not right that such a prestigious company do this to their clients. On record-keeping, why do airlines play dumb with Congress? Unfortunately, due to COVID, we postponed to January 2022. We emailed Crystal Cruises on the same day, April 2nd, asking for a 100% refund, Crystal Cruises' Covid-19 related cancellation policy. Whatever is happening is not good for consumers, Couch-Friedman says. 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. Question about refund - Crystal Cruises - Cruise Critic Community. Started June 21, 2021, By By SteamboatWillie118, March 9, 2021 in Crystal Cruises. We were only offered FCC. By of Economic Opportunity, Crystal Cruises said that all 238 employees at Crystal's Miami headquarters had been let go, with the last employees leaving Feb. 9. Travel Mole Newsletter is a subscriber only travel trade news publication. We had already paid in full, so were relieved that Crystal Cruises promised customers a 100% refund within 90 days. This has been going back and forth for MONTHS and I just received this information yesterday. The service, referred to as alternative dispute resolution, is free. This complaint is against Crystal Cruise Line. There is a number of threads already on this topic. We booked our 1st cruise ever with Crystal Cruises. 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. AZ International Auto Show & New Car Buyer's Guide 2020 Model Year, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. 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. 19952023, The Independent Traveler, Inc. 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. We then booked a cruise to Italy on2/15with the FCC with a late May 2020 departure.. Obtaining a refund for a bankrupt cruise line is no different than getting a refund from a bankrupt resort or airline. Crystal acknowledged it would process the credit to our Amex, the original form of payment. Crystal, as you said, should be issuing the refund. Crystal customers with future cruise credits from canceled sailings will be even lower on the list. Started October 12, 2018, Copyright 19952023 The Independent Traveler, Inc. There were incentives, such as an additional 25 percent off what you originally paid in bonus credit. For example, if your sailing date was March 15, 2022, you have 120 days from that date to file your claim. Crystal has held a significant portion of this money since 2018. 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. 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. Looking back I wish I would do it much sooner. 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. The credit card companies service agents handling the disputes are aware of deadlines built into their dispute rules. Exactly. Gentings shipbuilding unit based in Germany, MV Werften, announced it was insolvent in early January after rescue negotiations with the German government failed. Crystal did not say what those channels consist of. Welcome to Cruise Critic SteamboatWillie118. Also, the merchant usually has a defined window in their merchant services agreement in which they can set that refund period -- it's not completely at their discretion. Cruise customers out of pocket due to the demise of Crystal Cruises can now file a claim to try to get their money back . 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. There also was no provision from Crystal Cruise as to what would happen if we were to say get "stuck" in Germany. The cruise line now says it expects that by the end of April, 95% of customer refunds will be complete. If a cruise is canceled because of a governmental order or declaration, refunds must be issued within 180 days. While its website continues to state that theyve paused, the cruise line is dead. Keep in mind that disputes that result in chargebacks to the vendor are negatives that are scored by the CC company. Very sad. 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. 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. All Rights Reserved. Guests who had their cruises canceled due to the. Your post probably should have been added to one already in existence. Too many result in more funds being held by the CC company. Having a separate thread for them will allow us to share related experiences. Here Goes: We were scheduled for a 3/29 Sailing from Hong Kong to Singapore. Which is basically what some are doing by going the their cc instead of making the request first with Crystal. Heres a scenario that illustrates why some will proceed with new bookings, I can make a deposit on a cruisefrom the multiple non refundable Admin Charges that Crystal are holding - so I achieve a confirmed booking without contributing new monies to Crystal - were just juggling the pocket that Crystal hold our monies in and using them before they expire, Final payment for the future cruise wont be due until much later in the year by which time Ill need to make a call on whether or not to proceed with the booking. This may offer a solution to one of the two problems you have if youre frustrated about getting a refund. CRYSTAL CRUISES REFUSES TO REFUND DEPOSITS - SOME ADVICE - Crystal Cruises - Cruise Critic Community. "We will be processing your refund." Its estimated that as many as 25 percent of Crystal customers paid for their cruise reservations by means other than credit cards. BBB asks third parties who publish complaints, reviews and/or responses on this website to affirm that the information provided is accurate. LauraS Note that complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. 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. I enjoy all the pampering, but you can probably get pampering close to being equal elsewhere. Chase told me they cannot help me with the initial deposit part, since the charges, which were made in early 2019, is outside of their window. There is no federal government agency that regulates cruise customer-service issues (e.g. -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.". Before entering the corporate world, Ned worked as a Public Health Engineer for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. Help Ukrainian Families in Need: World Central Kitchen Donation Match. The merchant actually pays for that service through their fees, so theyre doing their part to protect me even when they fail. Some cruise lines were (and are) overwhelmed with refund requests. Followers 1. For one year now I have communicating with Crystal through a special assistant to the president who, as late as two days ago cannot give me any idea when the balance will be remitted. On 19-AUG-2021 Crystal submitted a final bill for $15,188.02. Please Read: COVID-related Discussion. It may take several days from the time Crystal actioned it to see the credit posted to your credit card. 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? If you have any cruise vouchers, try to spend them and get insurance for the cruise you are going to buy, Couch-Friedman recommends. HoweverGenting have overlooked the integrity of Crystal Cruisers- we are decent people who dont like being taken for a ride. That triggered a debt default of $2.78 billion. 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. Looking forward to your help with this. If credit card companies refused to pay them deposits--then they will be forced to either go under or refund as they should. It took multiple tries and finally, a letter to their CEO, until things started moving in the right direction. 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. Refunds were promised within 90 days which did not occur. Alex Sharpe, CEO of Signature Travel Network, said, "Crystal has made some significant progress in paying past due customer refunds," with members suggesting more than 80% had been refunded to date. #2 -2256288 (our two sons)
-The 90 day "guideline" is something Crystal just decided on their own. One year ago our cruise was canceled due to the COVID pandemic. Crystal thencancelled that cruise. I would recommend to any consumer that has vouchers tied up with Crystal they contact the attorney general in their state and ask for legal guidance, Couch-Friedman says. There are glimmers of hope, both near and longer term. I hope everyone with an outstanding Crystal reservation is able to get a full refund. Crystal extended its no-money down deposit window that it implemented in July 2020 as well as relaxed final payment policies. 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. Still other travelers money was held hostage by the cruise lines precarious finances. Deposits - some ADVICE - Crystal Cruises that the information provided is accurate as you said should! 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