Viking Cruise - Future Cruise Certificates

[Solent Richard]

Hello OP?????? Stop by and give an update!

 

Looks like the OP has gone AWOL.

[Solent Richard]

Last October I purchased two future cruise certificates at £100 each while onboard Viking Hermod...

 

http://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2015/11/09/viking-hermod-portraits-of-southern-france/

 

On 26 January this year I made a reservation through my travel agent for a Viking Eir river cruise along the Rhine for next year. (we already have this years cruise booked for Bordeaux).

 

While making the booking I mentioned to my TA that I had the certificates and she requested that I send them to her. Later that day when I received a booking confirmation email from the TA, it stated that £200.00 for each passenger 'had been applied' to this booking - this before I had even put the certificates in an envelope.

 

It transpired that Viking already had my 'Future Cruise Certificates' registered on their system.

 

Now to my mind that was a good piece of administration as well as a cracking additional discount on the cruise.

[JVilleGal]

Our problem hasn't been fixed yet. The only answer we get is they are "working on it".

 

 

Just checking in and hoping it's been fixed!

[hometown girl]

Finally reached a satisfactory resolution if not 100% to my liking at least I can live with it. This was really between Viking & my travel company - a little loop hole. Viking did their part but only paid on the reduced fare the travel company paid. Bottom line, I only received a reduced discount from what I was originally promised (and paid on). Lesson, if you deal with a travel company, Viking won't tell you anything (although they are pleasant about letting you know that). They only want to talk with the travel consultant. My company had never encountered this voucher problem before. Don't think I'll be doing anything but motorhome travel for a while after this. My blood pressure is too high for another river cruise vacation.

[JVilleGal]

Finally reached a satisfactory resolution if not 100% to my liking at least I can live with it. This was really between Viking & my travel company - a little loop hole. Viking did their part but only paid on the reduced fare the travel company paid. Bottom line, I only received a reduced discount from what I was originally promised (and paid on). Lesson, if you deal with a travel company, Viking won't tell you anything (although they are pleasant about letting you know that). They only want to talk with the travel consultant. My company had never encountered this voucher problem before. Don't think I'll be doing anything but motorhome travel for a while after this. My blood pressure is too high for another river cruise vacation.

 

Your travel company should make up the difference, it was their commission! And if your Voucher had a DOLLAR AMOUNT spelled out then that was what should have been honored!

 

Share you story with the folks at elliott.org

They will help you see what really

Happened and help make it right.

 

You will love River Cruising just book with someone else!

Edited April 6, 2016 by JVilleGal

[Squigmond]

I am trying to understand the math of this. Is it something like this:

 

Lets just say the cruise is $10,000 and your vouchers are for around $10,000. Your travel agent quotes you $8.500. They pay only $7.500 to Viking and pocket the extra $1000. Viking then credits voucher money up to the $7.500 they received. Thus the 75% you were credited from the vouchers. So your cost is the $1000 that the Travel agent received.

 

Figures are not accurate for your situation but a representation of the math.

[RDC1]

The insurance should refund what you paid. The commission for the TA is between Viking and the TA. It should be up to Viking to collect from the TA.

Your insurance should make you whole.

 

I certainly would not use that TA again if you are not made whole.

 

Your experience makes it clear not to us a TA when doing business with Viking.

[JVilleGal]

I would say the Viking collect their commission from their customer rather than the TA. Unbelievable!

[Squigmond]

Viking is not and should not be responsible for any commission to a travel agent. They do not require you to have one.

[JVilleGal]

Viking is not and should not be responsible for any commission to a travel agent. They do not require you to have one.

 

I think you have this backwards. Viking and the Travel Agent have a contract that in no way includes the client. The client has no control of how or what Viking agrees to pay the TA. Viking depends on the TA to bring them business and they pay them for that.

 

There are companies that do not allow bookings with TA's, Viking on the other hand encourages it.

[Squigmond]

Who ultimately pays them both.........the customer. The customer IS involved. The customer initiates the entire transaction. When you contract with a travel agent you agree to pay them. It is none of your business what they pay Viking. You are just happy to get what you consider a good deal. Viking and the travel agent have their own contract. As for Viking encouraging you to have a travel agent: Where exactly does this encouraging take place? It is not in their brochures. They do not say anything about it when you call them. I have not seen them encourage it on this forum. It is not in their TV ads which some on this forum continually have a problem with. Like a company is not supposed to advertise. Did they call you directly and encourage you to get a travel agent. So if there is any encouraging it certainly is not prominent.

 

Some people on this forum seem to roll out of bed in the morning looking for ways to slam Viking.........like Viking had stolen their lunch money. The bias is palpable.

 

Unbelievable

[Host Jazzbeau]

Who ultimately pays them both.........the customer. The customer IS involved. The customer initiates the entire transaction. When you contract with a travel agent you agree to pay them. It is none of your business what they pay Viking. You are just happy to get what you consider a good deal. Viking and the travel agent have their own contract. As for Viking encouraging you to have a travel agent: Where exactly does this encouraging take place? It is not in their brochures. They do not say anything about it when you call them. I have not seen them encourage it on this forum. It is not in their TV ads which some on this forum continually have a problem with. Like a company is not supposed to advertise. Did they call you directly and encourage you to get a travel agent. So if there is any encouraging it certainly is not prominent.

 

Some people on this forum seem to roll out of bed in the morning looking for ways to slam Viking.........like Viking had stolen their lunch money. The bias is palpable.

 

Unbelievable

 

If you have ever paid a cent to a travel agent, you have a very bad travel agent.

[Squigmond]

All money paid to anybody ultimately comes from the customer.

[JVilleGal]

OMG apparently some consumers do not understand how the travel industry works :(

[Squigmond]

Where does the encouraging take place?

[JVilleGal]

http://www.vikingrivercruises.com/my-trip/manage-my-trip/welcome-agents.html

[JVilleGal]

Enough said! Viking as does other travel providers actively solicits travel agents to promote their product. This is normal and typical in the cruise industry.

 

http://www.vikingrivercruises.com/special-offers/travel-agent-academy-rewards-terms.html

[Squigmond]

http://www.avalonwaterways.com/Find-Travel-Agents/

http://www.avalonwaterways.com/user/Images/pdfs/Why-Book-With-Travel-Agent.pdf

 

Isn't this the one you swear by. Glass houses.

[JVilleGal]

I am not exactly sure what your problem is, the client is never charged a commission and this particular situation has nothing to do with any other company but Viking.

 

You have a real nice day! And yes I thought Avalon did a great job and I understand Viking has an excellent product also. Customer service seems to have been an issue in this case.

[RDC1]

Viking is not and should not be responsible for any commission to a travel agent. They do not require you to have one.

 

They do not require you to have one, but they have established a business where they work with one and where the commission is an agreement between the TA and Viking. If you had a situation where there was clarity to the customer, where the customer controlled the fee to the TA and not Viking, then I would agree with you.

 

However, Viking has structured their business that way, they determine what the TA will get or atleast what they charge the TA. They do not disclose that information to the customer and they do not include a statement that the money retained by the TA is not included in the insurance amount.

[RDC1]

I am not exactly sure what your problem is, the client is never charged a commission and this particular situation has nothing to do with any other company but Viking.

 

You have a real nice day! And yes I thought Avalon did a great job and I understand Viking has an excellent product also. Customer service seems to have been an issue in this case.

 

The issue is lack of disclosure in the amount covered by the insurance, the failure to disclose that the insurance does not cover the fee collected by the travel agent, and the dollar amount of that fee. An amount that is determined by a business agreement between the TA and Viking, not under the control of the customer. There is a reasonable expectation that all fees paid by the customer, except for those disclosed to be an exception, should in fact covered by the purchased insurance.

 

If I was the OP I would send a letter to both the BBB, as well as their state attorney general department of consumer affairs. May not be possible to get the amount, but it is clearly a business practice that needs to be changed.

Edited April 7, 2016 by RDC1

[JVilleGal]

The poster has never shared the Terms & Conditions that "should have been disclosed" with the voucher. So we really don't know all the answers. But full disclosure governing the Voucher seems to be the real issue here.

 

Having a customer this upset and driving them to post in a public forum is something that never should have happened. This entire situation should have been clarified and rectified in 48 hrs and not several weeks. JMHO

[RDC1]

The poster has never shared the Terms & Conditions that "should have been disclosed" with the voucher. So we really don't know all the answers. But full disclosure governing the Voucher seems to be the real issue here.

 

Having a customer this upset and driving them to post in a public forum is something that never should have happened. This entire situation should have been clarified and rectified in 48 hrs and not several weeks. JMHO

 

Keep in mind that the voucher was granted after a claim was made under the terms under which the cruise was purchased, including insurance. Any disclosure about eliminating the TA fee, from credit given due to cancellation should have been made in paperwork at time of purchase. Even if it was disclosed on the voucher given, that would be too late in the process since the voucher was given only after a cancellation was made.

 

As such one should be able to see if the appropriate disclosure is made in the Viking documents at the time the cruise and insurance is purchased.

 

The following is from the Vikings web site, Based upon this statement the voucher should be the cost of the cruise minus the cost of the travel insurance policy. The language "

The Viking Cruises Cancellation Waiver does not cover cancellation penalties associated with air or other travel arrangements that are not provided by Viking Cruises." is normally interpreted to mean that it does not cover any other travel arrangements (air fares, hotels, transfers, etc) not provided by Viking. To try and stretch that to include TA services that books with Viking would certainly be a stretch, not in line with normal interpretation of such language. Does not mean that they might try to claim it though. To do what they are doing they should include the language excluding TA commissions in this disclosure.

 

When you purchase the Viking Cruises Travel Protection Plan within 14 days of your initial deposit/payment for your Trip, you also receive the Viking Cruises Cancellation Waiver Benefit that allows you to cancel your Viking Cruises travel arrangements before your scheduled departure for any reason and receive a Viking Cruises Voucher for the cancellation penalty amount, with the balance of the refund made, if applicable, either in cash or credit card credit.

 

The Viking Cruises Cancellation Waiver does not cover cancellation penalties associated with air or other travel arrangements that are not provided by Viking Cruises. Any benefit payable under this Cancellation Waiver will be reduced by the amount of any cancellation benefits paid or payable by Viking Cruises Travel Protection Plan or any other insurance plan providing Trip Cancellation benefits.

 

This Cancel For Any Reason Waiver is provided by Viking Cruises and is not an insurance benefit underwritten by Arch Insurance Company.

 

Please Note: Prices are per person. Pre-Existing Conditions exclusion is waived if this Travel Protection Plan is purchased within 14 days of the initial trip deposit or added within 14 days of final payment when full trip payment is required at time of booking. Travel vouchers issued cannot be applied to multiple bookings. The Travel Arrangement Protection Benefits of Part A are provided by Viking Cruises. For New York Residents Only: 1) Part A Benefits are insurance benefits underwritten by Arch Insurance Company; and 2) The Cancel-For-Any-Reason Waiver Benefit is not insurance and is provided by Viking Cruises and may be purchased separately without purchase of the Travel Protection Plan.

 

The Part B Travel Insurance Benefits are underwritten by: Arch Company, Jersey City, N.J. and all Plan Benefits are administered by: Trip Mate, Inc. (in CA, dba Trip Mate Insurance Agency), 9225 Ward Parkway, Suite 200, Kansas City, MO, 64114, 1-844-777-6855.

 

Benefits are described on a general basis only. There are certain restrictions, exclusions and limitations that apply to all coverages and services. This advertisement does not constitute or form any part of the Plan Description or any other contract of any kind. Plan benefits, limits, and provisions may vary by state jurisdiction. To review full plan details online, go to: TripMate.com.

 

Please note: In the event of a trip cancellation or cancel-for-any-reason claim, the cost of the Travel Protection Plan is not a refundable expense.

Edited April 7, 2016 by RDC1

[Squigmond]

Well, this will take a room full of lawyers to figure out now.

[lizzytish55]

We booked the Rhine Discovery cruise in April of 2016. It was scheduled to depart 1 week after the bombing in Brussels took place. Viking offered us a 'cruise voucher' and we were told there were no restrictions except that we were required to book within a year. Sounded like the best option as we fully intended to reschedule. We had purchased separate insurance (not through Viking) that would have completely covered the cruise with a refund. We wish had opted to place the claim. We received via email, 2 vouchers (one for my husband and one for me) in the amount of the full cruise - cruise, hotel and air. There was nothing in the email indicating that there were restrictions of any kind and no other paperwork.

 

Four months later, here we are trying to book a cruise and use our vouchers. Three different representatives in Customer Relations told us in no uncertain terms that we could not use any part of the voucher on anything other than the cruise portion. So, it wasn't valid for air through Viking, for the land portion of the trip or any extensions which meant we would use only 1/2 of the amount of the voucher. Needless to say we were very upset!

 

Thankfully, we finally reached an individual who reviewed the situation under which the voucher was issued and we were finally given the full amount towards our cruise. For the person who also received their voucher under the same circumstances keep calling customer relations until you reach someone who will help you.

 

However, be warned. Viking insurance that you purchase and than use under the 'cancel for any reason' comes back as a voucher that can only be used on the cruise part of your trip. That is why when you book a trip they list the cruise, hotel, air and extensions separately. So, do your homework before you purchase Viking insurance. They are EXPENSIVE (almost twice the amount of other insurance) and what you think you are getting isn't what you actually get. I'm not sure how the insurance works for a medical or death claim so look carefully before you buy.

 

Best of luck redeeming your vouchers! I hope you can use them without problems.