This is a substantial amount of money, and we are concerned they cannot pay. BBB Business Profiles are subject to change at any time. 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. CC Help Jenn The state's lawmakers emphasized the need for transparency rather than criticizing the resort fees. All cruises on the Website are protected under a consumer protection scheme. Crystals appeal was over-the-top luxury, including butler-serviced penthouses and suites. BBB Business Profiles may not be reproduced for sales or promotional purposes. 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. Gentings shipbuilding unit based in Germany, MV Werften, announced it was insolvent in early January after rescue negotiations with the German government failed. Something about the timing of the cruise which makes no sense. The mission of Travelers United is to identify and promote ways to improve and enhance travel for consumers across all modes of travel. We have no obligation to "give them" 90 days for a refund. CC Help Jenn 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. Finally on 6/7/21 they agreed to refund the money after our travel consultant escalated our case. And I adored Crystal but as a loyal oh so loyal client Ilike to be treated as such. Amex is very customer service oriented, so your suggestion gives us hope! 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. Crystal extended its no-money down deposit window that it implemented in July 2020 as well as relaxed final payment policies. Started August 27, 2021, By Something about the timing of the cruise which makes no sense. 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. Ditto if you purchased travel insurance through a third-party travel insurance company. FIngers crossed for you. Its estimated that as many as 25 percent of Crystal customers paid for their cruise reservations by means other than credit cards. Very sad. Crystal is bankrupt and is being liquidated. 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. If you choose to do business with this business, please let the business know that you contacted BBB for a BBB Business Profile. The point is: with deposits for travel, you can almost NEVER apply the dispute rule of 60 or 120 days after the charge, since travel is booked sometimes years ahead of time, especially for longer cruises. We heard nothing from Crystal Cruises regarding COVID in the European Union. Crystal operates three vessels under the Federal Maritime Commission's (Commission) Passenger Vessel Operators (PVO) Program: Crystal Endeavor; Crystal Serenity; and Crystal Symphony. By The portions of the fare covered by credit cards has been refunded but Crystal has not refunded the cash portion. You could pull together documentation evidencing Crystal's policy at the time of rebooking and cancellation, and file a complaint with BBB too. We are going on 8 months since we cancelled and 1.5 years since we paid in full. Ten days later, Crystal cancelled the cruise. If Crystal is insolvent then to trade is a criminal offence. The issue here is people make the credit card deposits with a company such as Crystal sometimes two years in advance., If you call your credit card company, be very insistent, she recommends. Powered by Invision Community. If you paid by debit card, your bank will likely provide Fair Credit Billing Act protections. LauraS 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. This cool kids outdoors club will introduce you to L.A.s best asset, Hong Kong will lift its mask mandate Wednesday, its last major COVID restriction, Before and after photos from space show storms effect on California reservoirs, Before and after photos from space show epic snow blanketing SoCal mountains, The chance of a lifetime: Five friends ski the tallest mountain in Los Angeles, $950 round trip from LAX to Darwin, Australia, on Qantas, Cool, hot and close to home: Celebrate Memorial Day in Southern California, The 15 things to do in L.A. before the end of summer, Burbank aborted landing was latest close call for U.S. flights. 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. You should do tests on private browsing mode. 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. 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 were hailed as best in their class. Crystal Cruises has undergone a turbulent time in recent months, due to serious financial problems. 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. Windstars 2023/24 Middle East program kicks off in November. The Federal Trade Commission is the place to explain your problem. I filed a dispute through Citi Visa and they tell me Crystal has until March 10 to respond. Luxury cruise line Crystal Cruises shuttered its doors last week. We gave them the wire details and we're told it would be sent. It may be lost money. Genting's shipbuilding unit based in Germany, MV Werften, announced it was insolvent in early January after rescue negotiations with the German government failed. If you paid with a card, the money goes back to the card. There are glimmers of hope, both near and longer term. ITR is free to our subscribers. If you took the deal with Crystal, what you have now is a useless voucher. I pay for every travel purchase, as well as my purchases of goods and services generally, by credit card. Before entering the corporate world, Ned worked as a Public Health Engineer for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. Its a more difficult situation, says Couch-Friedman. Sounds like Crystal responded to your dispute in record time. This complaint is against Crystal Cruise Line. They continue doing business and getting money from the public while we have to wait until they feel like returning what's not theirs. It may be necessary to go to your local bank branch to ask a branch office for assistance. But again, the commission takes pains to explain that it cant force anyone to do anything. However, BBB does not verify the accuracy of information provided by third parties, and does not guarantee the accuracy of any information in Business Profiles. Thus you may have more time than you thought, Kemmis said, but you dont want to tarry. Travel Mole Newsletter is a subscriber only travel trade news publication. #2 -2256288 (our two sons) You will be able to leave a comment after signing in, By And if so- how long did it take? *In Canada, trademark(s) of the International Association of Better Business Bureaus, used under License. I don't doubt they have financial trouble, but giving no updates, no communication, there's no excuse for that. 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. Details per Confirmation # 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. That includes Crystal Cruises, part. 2023Outdoor Activities in Crystal River. 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. 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. The likelihood is that the earlier you file your disputed credit card transaction claim, the greater your chances youll get your money back. Unfortunately, due to COVID, we postponed to January 2022. 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. 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. 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. Crystal Cruises, LLC (Crystal) suspended operations for its Ocean and Expedition voyages through April 29, 2022. I am at approx 150 days with another line. They are not members of the BBB. Stop Carnival Cruise Lines from illegally contaminating our oceans and air. They might come in handy in the future. However, due to the uncertainty of Covid, we decided to cancel the cruise in May 2021 well within the cancellation period. Cruise customers out of pocket due to the demise of Crystal Cruises can now file a claim to try to get their money back. The Fair Billing Act is what allows consumers to file credit card chargebacks, she explains. Down deposit window that it implemented in July 2020 as well as my purchases of goods and services,. Promotional purposes very customer service oriented, so your suggestion gives us!! Business, please let the Business know that you contacted BBB for a BBB Business Profiles subject... Many as 25 percent of Crystal Cruises, LLC ( Crystal ) operations... Act is what allows consumers to file credit card to do anything within the cancellation period by! You dont want to tarry the Fair Billing Act is what allows consumers to file credit card,... 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