Alastair Cruise

Good news GlynnPW I wonder whether the lack of notification was to stifle any response from you? I finally sent in out of pocket costs claim last week having, at their insistence, produced a letter/email from my insurers saying that they didn't cover me for those. In my covering email to Ambassador Guest Services and to their chief executive I concluded: I have yet to hear from you on your proposals for monetary compensation for your decision to switch ships and hence cancel our cruise for purely commercial reasons. I have already put forward a proposed figure. Given the grief I had from before Xmas until mid January just trying to get any sense out of your staff about any date for repayment of my holiday, I still expect a substantial sum and certainly of a value similar to the amounts you credited to those who chose to roll their fare forward to future cruises with yourselves. You now have the opportunity to salvage some sort of reputation by a. Paying my and other similar cruisers' additional costs invoices promptly and b. Proposing a sensible compensation package to us all. I recommend you take it.

Unbelievable Albertina. i had a look on the ABTA website that Inside Cabin posted. It looks a worthwhile route and I’ll be considering that for the massive delay on the refund. Then additional costs etc if necessary. Also considering the County Court. Surely Ambassador can’t just walk away from this?

Having finally got my cruise cost refunded a week last Thursday, my out of pocket (put me in the position I was in before I booked with your awful company) claim can now be submitted.

Thanks for the info. I’m STILL waiting for the refund of my fare. Neither Amb or useless TA have replied to my email of 2 weeks ago. In the meantime I got a last minute booking on P&so Iona to Barcelona and back. Beautiful ship and had a great fun. Time to call in the Fraud Squad on Ambassador and TA I think.

31 days on and still nothing for me!! My latest email to Ambassador and the useless TA: “WHERE IS MY £x,xxx REFUND? NO MORE PREVARICATION. NO MORE EXCUSES NO MORE “ESCALATIONS”” GIVE ME MY MONEY BACK” has gone in acknowledged. I’ve gone away for a few days but will seek the refund from CC co on my return. Then the additional costs and proper compensation. Also formal legal complaint about breech of the 14 days rule against both companies.

Not me. I haven’t heard anything.

Thanks, insidecabin. Very helpful

I think you both make very good points about travel agents. I chose to book via a travel agent not because of the discount they offered, as Ambassador said they would match it. I wanted the extra layer of security they could give against a new two ship company. I have booked direct with P&O and Fred Olsen in the past. I also assume that those who have had their money back already booked direct. I’ve never been sure who the TA represents but it is quite apparent in this case that they have not been looking after my best interests. I am aware that the TA has 14 bookings on the trip and I assume they are waiting for the refunds en boc. Assuming the 14 are a mix of single and couples, my TA is due around £70,000. At this level I would have expected more senior intervention. Chief executive to chief executive. The issue is that the TA is not really bothered. They are not out any money. Only the poor customer. The TA’s Head of Dispute Resolution is on holiday until 2 Jan leaving the Donnas to fend off the angry customers. As I say elsewhere, Ambassador are sticking to their script and not budging an inch. It is not possible to get above Sara Sewell, Guest Services Manager. So, I am angry at everyone connected with this matter. Not least that no one I spoke to was aware of the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018. I’m angry at Ambassador Cruises for the way they have handled their end of this when they could have won a few plaudits by getting the cheque book out straight away. Also, that they can get away with lying to the TA by saying my refund would be with them by 22 Dec. I’m angry at the TA for not getting to grips with the matter and using the leverage of 14 bookings to get everyone’s money back.

Thanks. Sara Sewell basically informed me that I had reached the end of the company complaints line with her and she wasn’t budging one inch from her script. If I didn’t like her answers I should complain to ABTA. So thats next. It all just pushes up my interest bill in my out of pocket claim to a new rate and her attitude will only increase my compensation claim.

Thanks for your thoughts, Pasty Feet. I’ve just called Ambasdador. Spoke firstly to Bradley who was no use at all. Then I got passed to Sara Sewell “Guest Services Manager” She came back with the same “14 working days as in our letter” nonsense. So money not due back yet. Those who already had a refund were lucky? Also as I had booked through a travel agent it was more complicated. Are they quibbling over commissions lost and paid? She wouldn’t accept that the law said 14 days. She stupidly thinks that their conditions overrode the law. ABSOLUTELY USELESS

This the latest from my useless Travel Agent. They just can’t be bothered to do anything for me. What a great pity I can’t name and shame them in this forum. from Donna 27 Dec 2023, 11:18 GMT Good morning Thank you for your patience. I called Ambassador this morning and asked them for an update on the refund. They have checked with their accounts team they have said we should have this back the first week of January then we can aim to get this back to you as soon as we can. They have also said your expenses claim form has been submitted and they are aiming to refund that by the end of January. I am incredibly sorry you have to wait for the funds but I can assure you we are doing everything we can to chase this and get this back to you as soon as we are able to. Once again please accept our sincere apologies for the delay in getting your funds back to you from your cancelled cruise. Kind regards Donna To Donna: Donna, This is ABSOLUTELY APPALLING and UNACCEPTABLE. Thousands of pounds are due to me. Others have had refunds. Why not me? Someone is taking me for a ride here. How can I trust you anymore? You told me on 21 December that Ambassador assured you that the refund would be paid later that day or the next day. Now you appear complacent that it slips by 2 weeks. It’s time your company put PROPER pressure on Ambassador to get this mess sorted.

Hear hear Pasty Feet

Glynn & Albertina, this is good news. Your update is much appreciated. You will be very relieved. I’ve calmed down a bit since yesterday! 😡 Have a good Xmas. 🎅

Thanks for your support, all. Yes it is getting to me though I know I’ll get my money back one way or the other. What I really object to is being lied to by Ambasdador or my travel agent or both. The travel agent can’t be bothered to press Ambassador on this so they are not representing me properly. Have a good Christmas. 🎄

I’m sorry but I’m beginning to suspect that Ambassador don’t have the money to repay us. No one has seen a penny from them. Yesterday Ambassador told my TA refunds would be made today. I’ve spoken to the “head of dispute resolution” at my TA just now. After a lot of toing and froing it has transpired that they did have some money from Ambassador today but my refund was not amongst it. A few more questions later revealed that the refunds received were not even to do with the Disposessed 800. So no payout has been made from Tilbury. Absolute scum of the earth. Head of Dispute Resulution at my TA is now on holiday until 2 Jan.

TA phoned to say that Ambassador have today told them that my refund was being paid today to them but not received by TA yet.

Reposting without travel agent's name. Not sure why I'm not permitted to mention them but rules are rules. A quick update. My travel agent, phoned to say they have heard from Ambassador today (Thursday) that they will receive my refund "later today or tomorrow" and they will credit this back to my credit card same day as received. Also an email from Ambassador yesterday to say (I think) that I should claim as much as possible of my extra costs from my insurers and they will consider my claim for the balance in January. So a little bit of progress in that both TA and Ambassador are talking to me personally now. Maybe my email about their respective responsibilities under The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 and my threat to send in Trading Standards officers from their respective councils over the 14 days rule made a difference? Not holding my breath though! In any case why should I be delighted that I'm going to get MY money back?

They have a legal obligation to make a refund in 14 days. Not 14 working days as they say. See https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/634/contents/made paragraph 14.3 Year: Number:The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018

Thanks for the update. Very helpful information. Alas, another empty gesture which costs them nothing.

Many thanks to InsideCabin for the direction to the legislation. It is clear that compensation is payable. In terms of getting our money back it says “14 days” note not “working days”. Refunds have to be paid by Wednesday otherwise they are in default.

Thanks for this, it reaffirms my understanding. Not sure why they need until the 4th Jan to do this though. My beef is contingent costs and compensation. That’s where the real fight is going to be.

I’ve probably said this elsewhere, but on the Wednesday I bought dollars and euros so I had some cash when we went ashore. Cancellation email on the Thursday. Sold currency back at a £42 loss on the Friday!

They haven’t even acknowledged my email of Tuesday. Obviouslly not bringing in any extra staff to try to clear the mess up.

I have written to the chief operational officer. Emailed on Tuesday and posted recorded delivery on Wednesday. Sent an invoice for my contingent costs i.e costs incurred as a result of booking the cruise which I would not otherwise have incurred. Over £800 including interest. I will expect this to be paid otherwise I’ll go to court. They decided to dispossess us of a fully functioning ship so they have to pay for the consequences. It was not force majure. It was a deliberate decision that 800 people would be easier to subdue rather than 6,600. Also told them that it doesn’t take 14 days to pay refunds 1 person 1 day and a lot of cheques. I seek proper “substantial and generous” compensation to use their expression. Simply I had a contact, they broke it, I am entitled to damages. Has anyone else realised that 14 working days from the date of the bombshell email is 3rd January?

As one of the Ambition dispossessed as of next Monday, I was stunned to get the email on Thursday, sent from a cowardly "no reply" mail address. My Xmas, "big" birthday" and New Year plans in tatters - no flying, Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam on Tuesday, sunshine, two calls at the Grenadines and my birthday on Curaco to name but a few. Only a week before, Ambassador sold me an upgrade to a Junior Suite at a favourable price. They say that they have put together a "comprehensive and generous package" to compensate. No they have not. There are five options involving signing up to future specified and non-specified cruises going through to March 2025. All but one are difficult to quantify because of fluid pricing. Taking the last of these however, (Option 5) - an additional 25% price credit on any future cruise not specified under the four other options- should be expected to set some sort of benchmark relating to full refunds. (Option 6) No it doesn't. Obviously the 25% just comes off their profit margin for the chosen re-booking. Smoke and mirrors compensation. As I don't want to have anything to do with this company ever again, I want my money back. Yes I can have this "within the next 14 days", but no "comprehensive and generous" compensation is mentioned if I choose this under Option 6. This is obviously unacceptable to me as, using Option 5 as the benchmark, I should receive over £1,500 compensation. In addition, I have incurred over £600 in costs relating to this cruise including travel insurance which should be repaid i.e put in the same position financially as if I had not booked the "cruise of a lifetime" eleven months ago. One of the most heartbreaking things for me was buying some Dollars and Euros on Wednesday, only to have to sell them back on Friday (at a loss of £41). The lady in the Post Office couldn't believe it. I had a call from my online travel agent yesterday (Friday) to see if I had heard the news. Sadly I have to say that apart from a mild indication of regret, they didn't seem really bothered. Indeed, she suggested that it could take me longer than the 14 days to get my money back as it had to go to them first. I had to remind them, politely, that I felt they seemed to be acting for Ambassador rather than myself. Whilst I'm pleased for the "over 6,600" people switched to "our ship", Ambassador Cruises seem to think they can just walk (or sail) away from 800 for "operational reasons".