Refund/Voucher policy

[vnb2003]

32 minutes ago, PLuckett said:

Wondering if anyone else has had this experience with Viking. First, I do understand the bad position that events have thrust on them. However...I am not happy with the way they are handling this particular situation. My cruise was cancelled by Viking in early March due to Covid. I called on 3/16 to request a refund, instead of a credit. (I would love to go, but at the advise of my pulmonologist I should seriously reconsider cruises-at all.) I spoke to 2 Viking cust. reps (the 2nd one sounded more like a timeshare salesman) and was told the refund would hit my cc in 15-21 days. On 4/8 I receive emails to me and my husband that a credit, not a refund, was issued for a future cruise. I called on 4/8 and the cust. rep. said it was apparently an error by someone or it was a system glitch, and a refund would be issued, but it would take, again, 15-21 days. Ok, so I waited again. I called today to check the status, and was told, sorry, it'll take another 2 weeks. Asked for a supervisor but she told me the same thing - 2 more weeks. No way to hurry it up. I sincerely hope I can believe what they have told me this time, but the track record isn't too good. Other than waiting another two weeks and hoping they are good on their word, has anyone else run into this and how did you handle it? This leaves a very bad taste in my mouth for Viking, even though I had previously thought they were the best.

Email TellUs at Viking dot com. Those folks are terrific.

[Squawkman]

1 minute ago, vnb2003 said:

The May’s extension of Risk Free cancelation doesn’t have cash back or 125% as credit. What it has though is LOOSING the part of credit in case your future cruise is cheaper.

So your assumption is incorrect.

 

 

So far, Viking isn't cancelling any cruises in May. If you wanted cash for a cruise that was cancelled previously, you had until 4/30 to request cash. And you don't lose money if the new cruise is cheaper. I cancelled and rebooked a cruise on May 1 and will use the extra credit for excursions and tips.

[vnb2003]

May’s extension applies to May cancellations ( either Vikings or your own) and new bookings in May.

[shellzj]

21 hours ago, PLuckett said:

Wondering if anyone else has had this experience with Viking. First, I do understand the bad position that events have thrust on them. However...I am not happy with the way they are handling this particular situation. My cruise was cancelled by Viking in early March due to Covid. I called onions is  3/16 to request a refund, instead of a credit. (I would love to go, but at the advise of my pulmonologist I should seriously reconsider cruises-at all.) I spoke to 2 Viking cust. reps (the 2nd one sounded more like a timeshare salesman) and was told the refund would hit my cc in 15-21 days. On 4/8 I receive emails to me and my husband that a credit, not a refund, was issued for a future cruise. I called on 4/8 and the cust. rep. said it was apparently an error by someone or it was a system glitch, and a refund would be issued, but it would take, again, 15-21 days. Ok, so I waited again. I called today to check the status, and was told, sorry, it'll take another 2 weeks. Asked for a supervisor but she told me the same thing - 2 more weeks. No way to hurry it up. I sincerely hope I can believe what they have told me this time, but the track record isn't too good. Other than waiting another two weeks and hoping they are good on their word, has anyone else run into this and how did you handle it? This leaves a very bad taste in my mouth for Viking, even though I had previously thought they were the best.

I’m “in the same boat”! Over 7 weeks, Viking and the TA have said twice now that the refund is on the way, and twice now they say something went wrong and that they need more time to fix it. (Also received the FCV for 25% of original value). Now the TA is simply CC’ing me on her e-mails to Viking.

 

The cruise industry has been hit extremely hard by this crisis. NCL has stated they have serious doubts about their ability to survive the crisis; Carnival has taken a bailout from the Saudis. I’m worried that if a large conglomerate like NCL can’t secure funding, how is small company like Viking supposed to get a lifeline?

 

I think the only reason we aren’t hearing similar financial troubles about Viking yet is because they’re private and don’t have to publish their figures. 

 

I honestly think Viking—like every other travel company—is just trying to hold onto cash for as long as possible, including delaying refunds. I understand why they’re doing it, but that doesn’t make it right.

 

I just e-mailed Viking today saying I’m going to initiate a chargeback with my credit card company, Chase. They’ll probably just respond and say they need a few more weeks. 

Edited May 5, 2020 by shellzj

[terrydtx]

We have until May 20 to cancel our September 21 cruise from Venice and get a full cash refund. We are canceling today as we are not willing to wait for VO to cancel the cruise and try to give us a FCV that may be worthless if VO doesn't stay in business. It has been all over the new today that NCL is about to either file bankruptcy or cease operations and I believe they also own Oceania as well. All of those people holding FCV for canceled cruises from NCL may be screwed if this happens.  

 

How long has it been taking to get cash refunds back from VO?

 

Thanks,

[shellzj]

3 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

We have until May 20 to cancel our September 21 cruise from Venice and get a full cash refund. We are canceling today as we are not willing to wait for VO to cancel the cruise and try to give us a FCV that may be worthless if VO doesn't stay in business. It has been all over the new today that NCL is about to either file bankruptcy or cease operations and I believe they also own Oceania as well. All of those people holding FCV for canceled cruises from NCL may be screwed if this happens.  

 

How long has it been taking to get cash refunds back from VO?

 

Thanks,

I’ve been waiting over 7 weeks with lots of back-and-forth. I hope you booked with a credit card so that you can request a chargeback with your bank.

Edited May 5, 2020 by shellzj

[terrydtx]

2 minutes ago, shellzj said:

I’ve been waiting over 7 weeks with lots of back-and-forth. I hope you booked with a credit card so that you can request a chargeback with your bank.

When we paid last Fall we used a electronic payment to save the 3%, never would have thought that all this virus crap would happen and that we would be covered by our travel insurance. Probably made a huge mistake but I have seen that CC companies are not doing charge back because of the Pandemic , this happened to a friend of ours recently on prepaid hotels rooms in Italy.

[Dukefan]

21 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

We have until May 20 to cancel our September 21 cruise from Venice and get a full cash refund. We are canceling today as we are not willing to wait for VO to cancel the cruise and try to give us a FCV that may be worthless if VO doesn't stay in business. It has been all over the new today that NCL is about to either file bankruptcy or cease operations and I believe they also own Oceania as well. All of those people holding FCV for canceled cruises from NCL may be screwed if this happens.  

 

How long has it been taking to get cash refunds back from VO?

 

Thanks,

NCLHC operates Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas in addition to Norwegian Cruise Lines.  Since NCLHC is a holding company, I am uncertain of the NCL bankruptcy concern's on Oceania and Regent Seven Seas if all three cruise lines are independent subsidiaries of NCLHC. 

 

Edited May 5, 2020 by Dukefan

[shellzj]

11 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

When we paid last Fall we used a electronic payment to save the 3%, never would have thought that all this virus crap would happen and that we would be covered by our travel insurance. Probably made a huge mistake but I have seen that CC companies are not doing charge back because of the Pandemic , this happened to a friend of ours recently on prepaid hotels rooms in Italy.

If you have travel insurance, they should cover you if the worst happens to Viking. Chase refunded my non-refundable booking at a Barcelona hotel instantly (the hotel refused to do so even though they were ordered closed by the government). So I’m hopeful Chase will come through on this case too. Otherwise, my Sapphire card comes with travel insurance too.

[shellzj]

My TA just got off the phone with Viking. They're now saying that they cannot provide a time frame to issue a refund but that it would take at least an additional 45-days (on top of the already elapsed 45-days) since they (Viking) erroneously issued a voucher instead of a refund. Right. 

Edited May 5, 2020 by shellzj

[shellzj]

For those of you who are wondering about the credit card dispute process—I just filed a claim with Chase. I had to do it over the phone, because their online system didn’t let me go back to transactions in 2019. 

 

Wait times - there was no wait to connect to a human when I called the number on the back of my Sapphire Reserve card and pushed 0. However, there was about a 30-minute wait once that person transferred me to the dedicated dispute team (Chase phone number 888-489-8452). 

 

The dispute representative asked a few questions (Sail date, attempts at contacting Viking directly, etc), filed the complaint, and said I should see the money credited back to my account within 7 days. FWIW, both Chase reps sounded US-based.

 

 

 

[lextrvlr]

Kudos to Viking!  We canceled our paid December 2020 cruise on April 27. Though we were then told that our refund would take “about 45 days” the full amount was electronically deposited to our account on May first. We have not yet received the promised voucher covering the cancellation and travel protection fees. Viking's response could not have been more prompt or gracious. We will be booking again when the coasts are clear (and open).

[CurlerRob]

I ran into an interesting issue today. Our June Midnight Sun cruise was of course cancelled, and based on the description provided in the cancellation letter from the Chairman, we chose to take the 125% FCV (about $25K). The wording from the cancellation was:

 

"As a guest whose cruise falls within this window of suspended operations, we are offering a Future Cruise Voucher valued at 125% of all monies paid to Viking. By adding 25% to the value of what you originally paid, you now have the opportunity to enhance your trip – such as choosing a longer itinerary; adding a Pre/Post cruise extension; upgrading your stateroom category; or even upgrading to business class air. You will have 24 months to use your Future Cruise Voucher to make a new reservation on any river, ocean or expedition cruise. For additional flexibility, if you are unable to use your voucher, we will automatically send you a refund equal to the original amount paid to Viking after the voucher expires. The 125% Future Cruise Voucher will also be fully transferable." 

 

Today, we attempted to use the FCV to pay the deposit for a lengthy 2022 trip, but my TA has been told by separate Viking staff that we can't do that - we have to pay the deposit in cash (yet another $25K), then the FCV can be applied to the rest of the fare.

 

Here is what was written on our FCV document - it's clear that you can't use it for trip protection, but makes no other restrictions - certainly not excluding its use for a deposit on a new cruise.

 

"*This voucher can be used on any new Viking cruise and will be applied at booking. This voucher cannot be used as payment for a Travel Protection Plan, and the voucher must be redeemed by the expiration date prior to final payment. Once redeemed, it cannot be re-issued or used toward another cruise, and any unused balance of the voucher is lost. The voucher is commissionable, transferable, and if it expires will trigger a refund of monies paid on the booking."

 

I'm extremely surprised by this position taken by Viking. Does anyone have any similar experience with this, or insight? 

[shellzj]

Viking needs new cash badly. 

 

Per this article from the WSJ, they’re attempting to raise $600 million in new debt at an interest rate of 14%, which indicates the risk involved to investors. They have $2.4 billion in guest deposits and $3.3 billion in debt, and their current debt commands a yield of 15.5%. That interest rate is tantamount to an individual with poor credit borrowing on a credit card. 

 

They’ve only convinced a “slight majority” of cancelled guests to accept vouchers. If a large majority of guests demanded cash refunds, it would be like a run on the bank. 

 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/viking-cruises-seeks-to-raise-600-million-11589215417?mod=searchresults&page=1&pos=2

 

I’m hopeful that Viking—most of the travel industry including the airlines—survives this downturn. But the covid pandemic is an existential threat to the travel industry and especially cruise companies because they are 100% discretionary and have virtually no ability to secure government bailouts given their multinational structures to avoid taxation and regulation.

 

If you love Viking and are hopeful in their speedy recovery, then sure, I think you can justify accepting a voucher. But I would not put in new cash in the face of such economic uncertainty—or at least make sure the trip is fully insured through a financially sound third-party. 

[CurlerRob]

I understand there are varied experiences being had, but here's a remarkable one. We cancelled our Far East & Alaska sail for April 2021. Our TA did that on May 12.  Full refund (less the expected penalty) back to my credit card on May 16!

 

Classy move by Viking in a world where so many of the companies are desperate. Hope the process goes well for others. 🍻

[Squawkman]

Here's a new wrinkle you can't blame on Viking:  On May 1, I cancelled and rebooked the same cruise which had gotten cheaper. I was to get my $1,000 deposit back on my credit card (less $200) and vouchers for the rest. I was told by my trusty Viking agent the credit card refund would come soon, but to please wait at least 3 weeks for the vouchers. As my credit card bill is due today (5/20), I waited for the refund as it would more than cover my bill. As of yesterday, I hadn't received the credit, so I paid my bill. Today I got an email that my payment was posted - and looked at my statement - the $800 credit was there - with a date of 5/13!! So the bank waited to tell me until after I paid. And now I wonder how much before 5/13 Viking submitted the refund.