Compensation versus Settlement (Avalon versus Viking)

Hello all,

I would like to share 2 river cruises taken by 2 friends of mine during summer 2013. We are all Canadians.

 

The first river cruise was taken in June with Avalon from Amsterdam to Budapest. The water level was too high so my friend had to pack her belonging twice to be changed ship...

 

The second river cruise was in July with Viking from Amsterdam to Budapest. The water level was good for cruising but a German lock strike happened. When her Viking ship arrived in Germany, the trouble started. They had to travel from the ship to the towns by bus...

cashmeremypuppydog,

The rolling strikes by the German lock workers last year were both unfortunate and highly unpredictable. In order for the strikes to successfully burden river traffic, the union workers walked out without advance notification requiring last minute revisions to the itinerary by the captain and his nautical team. The staff and crew did what they could to try to minimize the inconvenience to guests. We did our best to deliver contingency plans that remained focused on exploring the destinations guests had traveled to see. As a goodwill gesture, for a situation that was completely out of our control, we offered Future Cruise Vouchers to affected guests.

We are sorry to hear that your friends were so unhappy with the outcome of their particular cruise. Please let them know that if they would like to contact us again for further discussion, we can be reached directly at TellUs@vikingcruises.com. We understand that you have chosen not to travel with Viking, but if ever you would like to discuss any river cruising questions or concerns with us, we’d be happy to also hear from you at that same email address.

Just saw another thread about low water levels on the Danube & Elbe and the reply that come from the Viking customer relations person is just outright RUDE. "There must have been some miscommunications/misunderstanding". What an insult, I hate apologies like that, it puts the blame entirely on the customer.

gentlemancruiser,

We didn’t mean to be rude. When we posted the below statement in another thread, we meant to apologize for a miscommunication that had clearly happened on our side, with members of our team who had spoken to the guests on the phone. Guests were understandably frustrated because they had been provided with inaccurate information and our intent was to acknowledge that, apologize, and attempt to help. The blame – if there must be blame – is on us, not these customers.

We wish you happy travels and a great river cruise in July.

Referenced post from another thread:

One should never bash a company that they themselves have zero dealings with.

 

What keeps getting lost in these conversations are that there were actually people that praised Viking and other companies. Those threads are not dug up however. One would rather bash than accept others WERE HAPPY.

 

I am in the camp that the floods were unexpected. While sad that the sailings didn't go as planned it was an act of nature. Not the cruise lines doings. They had to make daily decisions. It was unpredictible. Money is the root of all evil. Don't feel sorry for yourself, feel sorry for those that their homes and businesses were under water. Those people have a right to a pity party.

Jimmy,

Sorry, but it is fair to judge a company on how they treat their customers, regardless of having no personal dealings with the company.

Not sure how your statement

"Money is the root of all evil" applies in this case, except that clearly some companies care more about their money than their customers.

As I said before, legally, the river cruise lines most likely had no obligation to cancel the cruises or compensate the passengers.

Still, turning a river cruise into a bus tour will not maintain a viable loyalty program for the company. A class act company would either cancel or come up with reasonable compensation.

Not sure how predictable the strikes were, but apparently strikes were caused by layoffs.

http://www.rivercruiseinfo.com/content/strike-germany-locks-are-blocked

Sorry, but I stand by my statement that if someone has NOT had any dealings with a company directly they should not be posting second hand stories. If it was a court of law, it wouldn't even be admissable. All hearsay. He said, she said. Money is the root of all evil applies because it brings out the worst in some people. Some people were pleased with the way the cruise companies handled things. Others want full monetary compensation.

Sorry, but I stand by my statement that if someone has NOT had any dealings with a company directly they should not be posting second hand stories. If it was a court of law, it wouldn't even be admissable. All hearsay. He said, she said. Money is the root of all evil applies because it brings out the worst in some people. Some people were pleased with the way the cruise companies handled things. Others want full monetary compensation.

Totally agree! However the good thing about Marty and 4774Papa continuing to bash river cruises - people will decide not to go on them, thus leaving them open and easier for us "glass half full" types to book.

There seem to be dead-horse floggers and fan boys in equal numbers.

Since the events to which this thread relates were a year old at the time of the original post, and everyone has had a chance to express their opinion, this thread is now locked.