Viking River Cruise Rip Off

Last year my parents finally had saved up enough money to go on the European Rive Cruise they had always dreamed about. After doing some research they decided to book the trip through Viking for the 7 Day European River Cruise. Total Cost of the Trip was close to $8000 for the two of them. That price included the "Cancel for any Reason up to the day of Departure" trip insurance through Travel Guard.

A few weeks before departure my mothers only sister had some post surgical complications and was in the ICU and not expected to live long. They decided to cancel the trip and Viking Sent them Travel Vouchers for the amount of the trip, minus the Travel Insurance. They rebooked for another trip departing later in the summer and once again, purchased the Travel Insurance. Unfortunately a few weeks before departing my mother fell and fractured her pelvis and they were forced to cancel for the 2nd time. This time Viking told them that the Vouchers they had used to book the trip actually had "No Cash" value and therefore could not be refunded, in other words they had forfeited their trip despite having the "Cancel anytime up to the Last Minute" trip insurance.

I called Customer Service at Viking and was told the same thing, they are devastated to say the least and at last count they were out of pocket over $9000 when I factored in the difference in the price between the 1st and 2nd cruise and both travel insurance plans. We do not know what to do at this point and would like to ask for help from anyone who has experienced anything like this themselves.

Thanks in Advance;

The Wilson Family

I am not sure it would work but contacting travelguard direct to get the refund due to medical problems

She obviously could get the Doctor to say she is not fit to travel

Sorry to hear of her fall ..hope she recovers soon

Your title is a bit misleading. I find your post really confusing, but I don't see where your parents were ripped off. Can't provide useful suggestions until I understand.

Start with first cruise. Did your parents purchase a Travelguard policy themselves (not through Viking)? If so, was the sister's illness reason enough to cancel by filing a claim with Travelguard? Cancel for any reason, if cancelled within the time limits, would only give them a portion of their money back, not any sort of vouchers.

Were they double dipping; as in, they received money from Travelguard and vouchers from Viking? Insurance companies don't give you vouchers.

And, as for the second trip, if they had a Travelguard policy why would they care about the validity of vouchers? You simply file a claim and get your money back from the insurance company. You can't have both vouchers and insurance payments.

As the above poster said if you are cancelling for a covered medical reason rather than the "cancel for any reason" clause you should contact the insurance company directly. And if your parents were booked through a TA they should be willing to point you in the right direction to get a proper claim started.

ETA: now that I think about it, the first cancellation should have been done for a covered reason (illness of immediate family member) rather than as a cancel-for-any-reason claim. Thus you would have received cash back from the beginning. There's no way to undo that but it is something to try to get the insurance company to take under consideration when filing the new claim.

 

ETA: now that I think about it, the first cancellation should have been done for a covered reason (illness of immediate family member) rather than as a cancel-for-any-reason claim. Thus you would have received cash back from the beginning. There's no way to undo that but it is something to try to get the insurance company to take under consideration when filing the new claim.

Not every policy will cover an illness of a family member, but OP would need to read the policy and see if this was covered, or post exactly what policy they had.

As stated, you don't get cruise line vouchers from an insurance company. Difficult to understand exactly what happened.

They rebooked for another trip departing later in the summer and once again, purchased the Travel Insurance.

 

The Wilson Family

Sounds like this was a separate policy for the new booking & should be covered

The OP needs to contact TravelGuard & file a claim

As stated, you don't get cruise line vouchers from an insurance company. Difficult to understand exactly what happened.

The OP said multiple times that they called Viking customer service; he never said that they called the insurance company. Perhaps he did not understand that "cancel for any reason" does not literally mean that but actually means "cancel for a non-covered reason" and neither Viking nor their TA explained how to file for a covered reason. (I would think it incredibly unlikely that the policy sold directly by the cruise line would not be primarily for medical reimbursement and/or cancellation; the cancel-for-any-reason clause is usually there as a selling point as it costs essentially nothing for Viking to issue a voucher)

It is a little murky, but it does indeed sound like the OP never filed a claim with the insurance company...

I'm confused as to who they really booked through. Doesn't seem to me if they booked directly through the cruise line that Viking would have offered TravelGuard. It's usually a travel agent who recommends that over whatever the cruise line offers. EM

Have you tried to work it out with the insurance company?

If you still have all the paperwork from the first cancellation, try Better Business Bureau.

Contact Chris Elliott

http://elliott.org/about/

He is a consumer advocate, though he will have expected that you have taken many steps in writing (paper trail) before he steps in. So much of the advise given above needs to be followed first.

You need to do more than talk to just one person in CS on the phone. You need to kick it up the chain of command and also have Travel Guard turn you down too.

Good luck and let us know how it works out! Hope your mom is doing better now.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Viking sells the Viking Travel Protection Plan which is underwritten by Arch Insurance Company. So his parents must have purchased travel insurance directly from the travel insurance company.

I must admit, I am confused about the travel vouchers and how this came about when, this couple were canceling for a medical emergency. It seems that the insurance should have paid the couple back for the missed cruise. I don't really understand why Viking gave them vouchers at all.

So, it appears that it is Travel Guard who should be contacted about this entire situation. If this family gets no satisfaction from them, then a consumer advocate may be helpful.

I wonder if the OP had a chance to examine the "Terms & Conditions" which came with those certificates. I think that much of this issue arises from those terms. I'm betting the lack of value may well be spelled out. I have heard of this issue before on other carriers.

Travel Guard is likely needing proof of payment and of course his folks paid long before this insurance went into place and I'm betting there lies the real issue.....

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Mr. Wilson

The story has some holes in it. Not intentional, I believe,,,, just a matter of somebody not completely understanding what was what.

What we know

1. A river cruise was bought.

2. Insurance was purchased from TravelGard. This insurance included a 'Cancel For Any Reason" clause.

3. The Wilsons cancelled and received a "voucher" from Viking.

Let's deal with this first

Cancel for any reason from TravelGard only covers at 75% if you cancel before 48 hours of departure. That's it. After 48 hours,,, no CFAR.

Had the Wilsons cancelled for a "covered" reason. which it appears that it very well could have been a covered reason, TravelGard would have reimbursed at 100% cash refund.

It appears that what may have happened due to not understanding things,,, the Wilsons called Viking, and out of the goodness of their heart, they offered the Wilsons future cruise vouchers.

What should have happened was that the Wilsons should have cancelled the cruise with Viking,,, THEN immediately notify TravelGard to begin the claim process.

Now,,, step 2

1. The Wilsons rebooked the river cruise with "Vouchers" from Viking. (While not understanding that the vouchers had $0 cash value just like Frequent Flier Miles). They insured the trip,,,, (QUESTION here,,,, what were they insuring if the vouchers had a $0 cash value)

2. Then had to cancel again. Once again,,, they are cancelling for a covered reason. Why are they dealing with Viking (other than to cancel) and not dealing with the insurance company??????

I agree with the above poster about contacting Chris Elliott.

Mr. Wilson

 

The story has some holes in it. Not intentional, I believe,,,, just a matter of somebody not completely understanding what was what.

 

What we know

 

1. A river cruise was bought.

2. Insurance was purchased from TravelGard. This insurance included a 'Cancel For Any Reason" clause.

3. The Wilsons cancelled and received a "voucher" from Viking.

 

Let's deal with this first

Cancel for any reason from TravelGard only covers at 75% if you cancel before 48 hours of departure. That's it. After 48 hours,,, no CFAR.

Had the Wilsons cancelled for a "covered" reason. which it appears that it very well could have been a covered reason, TravelGard would have reimbursed at 100% cash refund.

 

It appears that what may have happened due to not understanding things,,, the Wilsons called Viking, and out of the goodness of their heart, they offered the Wilsons future cruise vouchers.

 

What should have happened was that the Wilsons should have cancelled the cruise with Viking,,, THEN immediately notify TravelGard to begin the claim process.

 

Now,,, step 2

 

1. The Wilsons rebooked the river cruise with "Vouchers" from Viking. (While not understanding that the vouchers had $0 cash value just like Frequent Flier Miles). They insured the trip,,,, (QUESTION here,,,, what were they insuring if the vouchers had a $0 cash value)

2. Then had to cancel again. Once again,,, they are cancelling for a covered reason. Why are they dealing with Viking (other than to cancel) and not dealing with the insurance company??????

Very well put/asked.

Sounds like for the first cancellation, they were "covered" by the Cancel For Any Reason waiver. This waiver is not insurance, but is a provided by Viking itself. You get vouchers if you exercise this.

The second cancellation went to the insurance company, which since the vouchers had no cash value, refused to pay.

A sad sequence of events. I might have expected they could get vouchers again from Viking for the second cancellation, but not cash from the travel insurance.

Viking let them have vouchers for replacement cruise. But since that couldn't be taken and Viking didn't offer another voucher, now Travel Guard Insurance should be contacted for cruise cancellation.

Sounds as if OP thinks Viking is the one insuring the trip just because they evidently sold the insurance. But Viking already did more than expected. OP needs to contact Travel Guard.

Insurance I believe is going to state the "vouchers" predated the terms of the coverage....

Think airlines mileage tickets, insurance does not cover the VALUE of those tickets, but only what you actually paid for those tickets, which in many cases is just a service charge.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Let me go back and try to fill in some of the "holes" or missing information, that was pointed out by some of the readers. In trying to condense the story down into a shorter summary, I realize that I may have not been through enough with some details. Let me go back and try to clarify some of the info:

They booked the first Viking Cruise on the 8th of May, 2014; for departure on the 17th of July, 2014, Reservation #2265589. Taking into account the amount of money they were spending on this trip, they purchased the Travel Insurance policy through Travel Guard Insurance. A few weeks prior to departure, my mother’s 80 year old sister had an emergency surgical procedure and as a result suffered with some unforeseen postsurgical complications. The next day my parents learned that she had some serious post-surgical complications and they did not expect her to make it through the week. After consulting with the treating physician and being told that she was not expected to improve and the family should start making arrangements for her funeral, my parents had no choice but to cancel the trip on the 16th of July, 2014. My mom called Travel Guard and notified them of the cancellation. Travel Guard immediately refunded to their credit card the amount money they had spent booking an excursion and reimbursed them for the cost of the hotel room they had booked at the end of the cruise. They were then told to contact Viking directly for a full refund for the cost of the cruise. When my mom called Viking, the agent recommended that she take the refund in the form of a Viking Travel Voucher that she could use on a future trip. She agreed to that because she knew that they were going to rebook the trip at a later date. At no time did the Viking Customer Service Representative inform her that Viking Travel Vouchers have “No Cash Value” and cannot be Insured or redeemed for any reason. Had she been informed of this fact, she would have obviously told Viking to credit the cost of the trip back to her credit card that she used to book the 1st Trip.

Fast forward a few weeks when my mom called to make the 2nd reservation and they rebooked for a later departure date. The cost of the trip had gone up so they had to come out of pocket another $1000 plus the cost of another travel insurance policy; which they understood and accepted. The 2nd Reservation Viking Booking #2158322 was for departing the following month. As luck would have it; the next week my mother fell in a freak accident and ended up fracturing her pelvis in several different places. The orthopedic surgeon told my parents that there was no way she could travel until her pelvis healed, so with much regret they canceled for the 2nd time. They immediately called the travel insurance company and Viking to inform of the cancellation and were told by the travel insurance representative that they would reimburse them for the excursions and hotel room and Viking would mail them reimbursement vouchers for the trip. Shortly after that, they received the vouchers from the travel insurance company for the excursions and hotel room and after waiting several more weeks without receiving anything from Viking, they decided to contact Viking to see when the primary vouchers would be issued for the trip. That was when a Customer Service Representative from Viking informed them that they were not getting a refund vouchers for the trip. The Viking Rep went on to say that the travel vouchers could only be redeemed once and since they had “no cash value” they could not be insured. In other words; when they cancelled the 2nd cruise, they forfeited the entire trip and were basically out $10,000.00. Needless to say my parents were devastated when they were told about this Viking Policy regarding their vouchers and do not understand how this could have happened. I cannot believe that a company the size of Viking would treat customers the way they have treated my parents. The Viking Travel Voucher Policy is deceptive, intentionally misleading, and fraudulent. In looking into the Travel Guard Travel Insurance Policy further, I saw that the total cost of the policy was right at $1000.00 for each trip, with $400.00 of that going back to Viking Cruise Line. To think that Viking made $800.00 off 2 separate travel insurance policies in addition to the $10,000.00 that my parents originally paid for the cruise; infuriates me. I am writing this for two reasons; the first is to inform other folks who are looking to book future cruises on Viking Cruise Line and to see if anyone can offer us any help or guidance to how we might be able to pursue some type of reimbursement from Viking Cruise Line. To date, Viking is taking the position that my parents lost their money when they cancelled the 2nd Cruise Reservation.

Thanks again for all of the responses so far and I hope that this more detailed account of their experience helps &n clarifies some of the details that were previously omitted.

Regards,

The Wilson Family

Did they get the "decline" in writing with explanation in writing from Viking??? And secondly did the vouchers come with "written" terms and conditions? Last, was the Travel Guard insurance sold to them by Viking or a travel agent/third party.

You may indeed have a case that Chris Elliott just loves to sink his teeth into. Especially if Viking sold that policy and also issued vouchers that did not come with written T & C.

Please let us know how this come out or better yet hope to read about how CE solved your problem in his column in the Conde Nest or the Wall Street Journal.

Good luck and hope your folks are doing better.

note: if Viking sold them a policy for a value of the whole trip knowing the vouchers to be considered a zero value then this is a huge issue. Check with insurance commissioner your parents state and also State of Ca which is Vikings place of business.

On the other hand if policy was sold by a clueless local travel agent they would have no way of knowing.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Thank you for taking the time to come back and clarify. As I see it you have two very strong arguments in your favor:

(1) Viking "recommending" your mother settle for a voucher when she was entitled to a refund. Not only is that very poor business practice, it could be interpreted as a denial of the true benefit earned--thus the possible argument that that first claim was never legally settled and you are still entitled to that refund.

(And my past experience with another cruise line was exactly the opposite: when I told them that a future cruise credit would be acceptable to me, they insisted that I file the claim for a cash refund as I had cancelled for a covered reason [hurricane damage to my home]. That is how it should have been for you in the first place)

(2) The idea that a cruise payment made with vouchers "cannot be insured": I hope you can document the day, time and name of person and/or department you were speaking to when they used that exact phrase. Or you may want to start a written (e-mail) exchange with management and mention you were told exactly that and see if they confirm that concept. Because were that true, Viking has admitted to intentionally selling you an invalid insurance policy.

For the record, I am not an attorney. But I hope that should you manage to escalate this to Viking's' and Travel Guard's legal departments they can see you have a leg to stand on and get this settled.

I would post your story on Viking's FB site

sometimes Viking reps have posted in the Rivercruise forum

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=191

you might be able to contact them & speak with a supervisor on your parents behalf

They may deal with things like this on a case by case basis

I agree that they suggested the voucher to your parent & acting in good faith your parent accepted

Unfortunately your Mom had an accident this where things go awry

Hope your Mom is on the mend

Viking FB page sounds like a great idea. Be sure and take a screen shot as they generally take those types of posts down almost immediately. At least it appears that they do based on other issues posted on FB from time to time.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

The following applies to every cruise line I can think of that offers a "Cancel For Any Reason" benefit as a supplemental coverage to their regular insurance program.

If a Viking Cruise client bought the recommended policy through Travel Guard (they're no longer using TG but that's immaterial) the client had the option of getting the additional CFAR benefit. This benefit had NOTHING to do with Travel Guard. The way it's supposed to work in the case of a pre-departure cancellation is that the client is supposed to file a claim with Travel Guard first. If Travel Guard declined the claim based on the terms of the policy (say the client is cancelling because the dog is sick -- not covered) then the client has the option of invoking the CFAR benefit. At this point Travel Guard is out of it.

The CFAR option is NOT insurance. It's a "cancellation fee waiver" that basically states that if the client cancels for a reason not covered under the TG policy, Viking will take whatever cancellation penalty would normally be imposed at that time and apply it as a credit toward a future cruise. But none of the penalty amount will come back to the client as a refund.

As you can see, this situation puts Viking and Travel Guard at cross purposes. Viking hopes that the cancellation IS for a covered reason so the financial hit is taken by Travel Guard. But Travel Guard is hoping the cancellation is NOT for a covered reason so the cost of making the client whole is the responsibility of Viking. So the client thinks Viking and TG will be working together to make sure the client gets what's due when in fact they may be pointing fingers at each other leaving the client in the middle.

By the way, it's quite common for an insurer to value at $0 any arrangements obtained through the use us FF miles, rewards points, or vouchers of any kind. Perfectly legal.

Sadly this is a very complicated issue and an elderly traveler would have no idea about the fine print if it was not throughly explained to them.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums