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 they justify keeping a deposit) when the US State Department has blocked (advised against) travel specifically to one of the countries on our itinerary. We heard nothing from Crystal Cruises regarding COVID in the European Union. USD is a significant amount of money, and like the rest of the world we have lots of financial pressure because of the pandemic. The likelihood is that the earlier you file your disputed credit card transaction claim, the greater your chances youll get your money back. Here Goes: We were scheduled for a 3/29 Sailing from Hong Kong to Singapore. I purchased a cruise from Crystal Cruises in the amount of $18,028. $10,592. Many many threads about refund policy and actual hapenning already. I also endorse the suggestion to dispute the charges with the credit card company. The best guide in Arizona to getaways, concerts and the dining scene. We even canceled 4 months in advance. Name: ***** & Ulisese **** and Alexander & Siaosi **** There also was no provision from Crystal Cruise as to what would happen if we were to say get "stuck" in Germany. They are not members of the BBB. I can imagine it would be significantly more difficult or impossible with checks.. Needless to say - we will never book anything with Crystal again. For some reason I couldn't post the link. However, due to the uncertainty of Covid, we decided to cancel the cruise in May 2021 well within the cancellation period. There is a number of threads already on this topic. "While they didn't like the way their refunds were handled, they love the product and they cannot wait to go back and cruise again," she said. 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? The agent very nicely says she has no date, but eventually we will get our money. LauraS 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. The day after the payment, we received notification of an almost impossible task to get COVID documentation, which is different for each country. We waited patiently until the end of Aug, past the 90 Day mark. These accomplishments have been achieved by working closely with our members, national media, the travel industry, the Department of Transportation (DOT), Congress and many other agencies. Crystal thencancelled that cruise. 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. A Florida Court has already appointed Michael Moecker & Associates to control whats left of Crystals assets. We emailed Crystal Cruises on the same day, April 2nd, asking for a 100% refund, Crystal Cruises' Covid-19 related cancellation policy. The management has made a faux pas here. You will be able to leave a comment after signing in, By Its a more difficult situation, says Couch-Friedman. 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. 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. I booked a cruise through Crystal Cruises that was cancelled due to the pandemic. Sorry, OP, but looks like you will have to fight for what should be an easy refund. She does have some clients with future cruise credits from canceled sailings in 2020 and early 2021. Genting is now " suspending payments to creditors". Department of Homeland Security changed the deadline for REAL ID? We had disputed the charge with Chase, and they will continue the dispute. SteamboatWillie118, March 9, 2021 in Crystal Cruises. It is simply a matter of contract. 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. 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). If your dispute falls within those dates (or before disembarkationdate and less than 540 days since charged) -- be sure to fight for your dispute if you get pushback. Sorry, but its not a big fat check. Original sail date jan 6, 2021, changed to January sail date Jan 16. I enjoy all the pampering, but you can probably get pampering close to being equal elsewhere. Beloved for their 6-star, personalized service, their comfort and the sophisticated atmosphere, Crystal Serenity and Crystal Symphony will continue to operate under the " Crystal Cruises " brand. 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. We were only offered FCC. 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). Best wishes. Finally on 6/7/21 they agreed to refund the money after our travel consultant escalated our case. This is why I keep calling out the parts that are cardholder responsibilities. 5waldos, January 31, 2022 in Crystal Cruises. This will ensure you fulfill the policys timing requirements. 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. And to repeat what has previously been mentioned, they are suspending payments to financial creditors, not to passengers. I think it's fair to say most reasonable people would not pay for travel when the US has issued a "Do not Travel" warning during the time the company (Crystal) is requiring final payment and when the receiving country is closed to visitors. Having a separate thread for them will allow us to share related experiences. 194 total complaints in the last 3 years. CRYSTAL CRUISES REFUSES TO REFUND DEPOSITS - SOME ADVICE. Luxury cruise line Crystal Cruises shuttered its doors last week. 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. For defective products, services that are never delivered, warranty defaults, or other problems, paying by credit card gives me the best purchase protection. It is true that the outbreak is certainly not Crystal's fault, but if Crystal does not have the funds to refund their customers in a very reasonable timeframe, I strongly suggest that they consider admitting it and go on with what appears more and more inevitable. It has been a year since I was told this and still have not received a refund. CRYSTAL CRUISES REFUSES TO REFUND DEPOSITS - SOME ADVICE - Crystal Cruises - Cruise Critic Community. Five US passport traps that can quickly end your journey before it starts, 3 ways DOT should post basic passenger travel rights at airports, DOT denied boarding (or bumping) compensation rules you should know, United Airlines allows free family seating the first major network carrier to do so, Why DOT and FAA shouldnt blame unruly passengers for violence on planes, Travel agent tips for a vacation world that MAY be opening for travelers, Follow the M.L. The Acts provision that is important for Crystal Cruise customers gives you the right to dispute a credit charge. I have called repeatedly. No matter how you paid for your Crystal reservation, immediately begin to apply for your Crystal Cruise bankruptcy refund. (Credit card customers must dispute the charge within that time limit.). Crystal has held a significant portion of this money since 2018. Its the chance to be heard at a time when many companies arent listening. Submitting a response indicates a willingness to work with customers to make things right. Award-winning investigations and consumer reporting that helps Arizonans recover hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. 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? 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). This x10! Healy acknowledged Crystal Cruises has limited assets.. 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. 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. Here are 64 ways to enjoy L.A.s beloved getaway. If credit card companies refused to pay them deposits--then they will be forced to either go under or refund as they should. I am now on day 120--and still no refund. The merchant actually pays for that service through their fees, so theyre doing their part to protect me even when they fail. And when asked as to a time frame as to when the money would be refunded. Its sad.. 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. Crystal did not say what those channels consist of. Please call American Express and a dispute can be filed. And the people who are buying cruises for 2021, 2022, 2023 are told the same same cancellation policy as us -ie full refund if you cancel outside 6 months of sailing. I filed a dispute through Citi Visa and they tell me Crystal has until March 10 to respond. Powered by Invision Community. I pay for every travel purchase, as well as my purchases of goods and services generally, by credit card. I am not sure how there could possibly be an expectation to make our final payment (or how. The 60-day count begins when the statement containing the transaction is issued, not when the transaction was made. That triggered a debt default of $2.78 billion. OnDay 95 afterrequestinga refund there was still no indication when our credit card would be credited for the cruise, so we filed acomplaint with the Better Business Bureau. One year ago our cruise was canceled due to the COVID pandemic. 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 am "singularly unimpressed" but also hopeful that this is just a delaying tactic. )., Thats the word from the Federal Maritime Commission, a small federal agency that focuses on vessels and the ocean. 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. Canceled on may 27, 2021. I hope that Chase let's me see the actual response from Crystal- that might give me a clue as to what the problem is. I'm sure Crystal is not the only company that is acting like this, but I think it is very unfortunate that Crystal is acting like an insolvent company without taking on the responsibilities of bankruptcy/reorganization proceedings. 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. Rather than focusing on the number of complaints, BBB considers how frequently and effectively those complaints are resolved. Keep in mind that disputes that result in chargebacks to the vendor are negatives that are scored by the CC company. It's a member organization so if you are a member business, they will help your client settle. Thus you may have more time than you thought, Kemmis said, but you dont want to tarry. I will stick with Regent, Oceania, and Silversea, who do actually give refunds in a timely manner. 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. 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. 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. Crystal Cruises is kaput, out of business. 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. Your region selection will be saved in your cookie for future visits. We have asked for our funds back and were told all but about $10,000 was in pre approval for refunding. 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