Aussies fight for refunds after being duped out of $15,000 for cancelled cruise
- Replies 3
The allure of the open sea, the promise of a global adventure, and the comfort of a residential cruise ship—it's a dream that has enticed many to part with their hard-earned savings.
However, for some, this dream has turned into a financial nightmare, as they find themselves embroiled in a battle to reclaim their $15,000 deposits for a cancelled cruise.
The European-based Victoria Cruises Line (VCL) had promised a 29-month voyage around the world, set to depart from Port Everglades in Florida in July last year.
However, the cruise was rescheduled four times due to the company's failure to reach the 'required 80 per cent occupancy'.
The new departure date was set for July 26 this year, but as the date approaches, passengers are growing increasingly concerned about the validity of the service.
Among the disgruntled passengers are four Australians—two couples fighting ‘tooth and nail’ to get their $15,000 deposits refunded.
They claimed that the company has been using a series of 'excuses' to avoid refunding their money, including 'missing or incorrect' information on the refund request form and an error that supposedly deleted both the contract and refund requests.
The Booking Conditions on the VCL website says: ‘If the client cancels the contract before the start of the trip, the Company will refund the deposit paid to the client within 90 days of the cancellation date.’
However, this has not been the case for the Australian couples who are still waiting for their refunds.
The company, which markets itself to retirees, is registered to an address in Budapest, Hungary, but claims to be headquartered in Limassol, Cyprus. The customers were asked to wire their deposits to the Hungarian address.
Garda Hemming, a 71-year-old retired healthcare worker, and her partner Graham Whittaker, a 76-year-old former journalist and Royal Navy sailor from Coffs Harbour, are among the passengers of the cruise.
They had hoped to use the cruise as a last-ditch effort to travel the world, but after multiple delays and declining health, they decided to cancel their booking and request a refund.
'We asked for our money on September 17, and we still haven’t seen it,' Ms Hemming shared.
'They told us we had to fill out a specific form, which we did—they got the details on the wire transfer wrong,' she alleged.
Ms Hemming continued: ‘We sent the form again and they said there was a Google Drive problem where all data had been lost. We sent it all again and were due for a refund 90 days after on December 16. They maintained it wasn’t until December 29, but either way, we still haven’t seen the money.’
Taryna Wawn, from Perth, and her partner Dennis are in a similar situation.
They put down a deposit on April 13 last year and applied for a refund in October after growing 'sick of waiting' for the cruise to set sail.
'Now we’re retired, we want to live life and see more of the world while we’re still able,' Ms Wawn stated.
‘[But] I still haven’t got my money and they are now claiming I attempted to blackmail them and are refusing to pay the refund.’
Ms Hemming claimed that other passengers who have requested refunds have had similar experiences.
‘We are still sitting in limbo waiting for the $15,000 and we don’t seem to be making much progress,’ she stated, adding they have sent a legal letter of demand to the company through a Hungarian lawyer.
Ms Wawn, a retired primary school teacher, emailed the company frequently before her refund was due because she was ‘aware of 15 people at that stage who hadn’t received their refunds’.
‘I feel angry and a bit silly. But we are not going to let this stop us (from living our lives)—we want our money, it belongs to us,’ she expressed.
As of publishing, the company has not provided an explanation for why it has not refunded the Australian couples' deposits.
Instead, the spokesperson stated: 'We also informed the Australian customer that the solution to the problem is not extortion and threats, as in all such cases our lawyers will take the necessary legal and criminal action.'
He explained that the ship has not set sail because its occupancy is currently at 53 per cent, which is below the required 80 per cent.
‘In 2022 and 2023, the booking levels have been continuously changed,’ the spokesperson said.
‘We have very few Australian customers, as Australia was not specified as the main destination country, because preliminary surveys indicate that few Australian customers aged 65+ are interested in the residential ship scheme. We currently have one Australian client with an active booking,’ he added.
Adam Glezer from Consumer Champion expressed shock that the company still hasn't refunded Aussie couples.
'Their time has expired—the 90 days are up, and they should simply be honouring their side of the agreement,' Mr Glezer stated.
He continued: ‘They are well within their rights to say they’re going to expose them if they’re not going to get what is rightfully theirs.’
Meanwhile, a passenger from Florida, Janie Coffey, was successful at obtaining a refund, but she described it as a 'nightmare'.
‘I signed up for VCL back in Sep 2022. By July 2023, I asked to cancel for various reasons,’ she shared. ‘By November when my funds were due, they said it was sent, but it had not arrived.’
‘When confronted with this, they told me they couldn’t read a number so they GUESSED! Guessed on a $10K international wire. GUESSED!’
‘They said they tried to reach me, but I had no emails, missed calls or voicemails in the time it was sent,’ she added.
After 37 days, she finally received her money, but it was a few dollars short.
She thought the experience that her fellow customers had been going through was 'unbelievable'.
‘All VCL has done has been 1) nonchalant 2) non-responsive 3) blame the passengers 4) threaten the passengers with lawsuits and 5) blame Google (data bug).’
While the allure of a residential cruise may be strong, it's crucial to do your due diligence before parting with your money.
Check the company's reputation, read reviews from other customers, and ensure that the company has a secure and transparent payment system.
And remember, if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Have you had a similar experience with a travel company, members? Share your story in the comments below.
However, for some, this dream has turned into a financial nightmare, as they find themselves embroiled in a battle to reclaim their $15,000 deposits for a cancelled cruise.
The European-based Victoria Cruises Line (VCL) had promised a 29-month voyage around the world, set to depart from Port Everglades in Florida in July last year.
However, the cruise was rescheduled four times due to the company's failure to reach the 'required 80 per cent occupancy'.
Victoria Cruises Lines’ cruise has been rescheduled four times. Image source: Peter Hansen/Unsplash
The new departure date was set for July 26 this year, but as the date approaches, passengers are growing increasingly concerned about the validity of the service.
Among the disgruntled passengers are four Australians—two couples fighting ‘tooth and nail’ to get their $15,000 deposits refunded.
They claimed that the company has been using a series of 'excuses' to avoid refunding their money, including 'missing or incorrect' information on the refund request form and an error that supposedly deleted both the contract and refund requests.
The Booking Conditions on the VCL website says: ‘If the client cancels the contract before the start of the trip, the Company will refund the deposit paid to the client within 90 days of the cancellation date.’
However, this has not been the case for the Australian couples who are still waiting for their refunds.
The company, which markets itself to retirees, is registered to an address in Budapest, Hungary, but claims to be headquartered in Limassol, Cyprus. The customers were asked to wire their deposits to the Hungarian address.
Garda Hemming, a 71-year-old retired healthcare worker, and her partner Graham Whittaker, a 76-year-old former journalist and Royal Navy sailor from Coffs Harbour, are among the passengers of the cruise.
They had hoped to use the cruise as a last-ditch effort to travel the world, but after multiple delays and declining health, they decided to cancel their booking and request a refund.
'We asked for our money on September 17, and we still haven’t seen it,' Ms Hemming shared.
'They told us we had to fill out a specific form, which we did—they got the details on the wire transfer wrong,' she alleged.
Ms Hemming continued: ‘We sent the form again and they said there was a Google Drive problem where all data had been lost. We sent it all again and were due for a refund 90 days after on December 16. They maintained it wasn’t until December 29, but either way, we still haven’t seen the money.’
Taryna Wawn, from Perth, and her partner Dennis are in a similar situation.
They put down a deposit on April 13 last year and applied for a refund in October after growing 'sick of waiting' for the cruise to set sail.
'Now we’re retired, we want to live life and see more of the world while we’re still able,' Ms Wawn stated.
‘[But] I still haven’t got my money and they are now claiming I attempted to blackmail them and are refusing to pay the refund.’
Ms Hemming claimed that other passengers who have requested refunds have had similar experiences.
The passengers paid $15,000 deposits for the cruise. Image source: Shutterstock
‘We are still sitting in limbo waiting for the $15,000 and we don’t seem to be making much progress,’ she stated, adding they have sent a legal letter of demand to the company through a Hungarian lawyer.
Ms Wawn, a retired primary school teacher, emailed the company frequently before her refund was due because she was ‘aware of 15 people at that stage who hadn’t received their refunds’.
‘I feel angry and a bit silly. But we are not going to let this stop us (from living our lives)—we want our money, it belongs to us,’ she expressed.
As of publishing, the company has not provided an explanation for why it has not refunded the Australian couples' deposits.
Instead, the spokesperson stated: 'We also informed the Australian customer that the solution to the problem is not extortion and threats, as in all such cases our lawyers will take the necessary legal and criminal action.'
He explained that the ship has not set sail because its occupancy is currently at 53 per cent, which is below the required 80 per cent.
‘In 2022 and 2023, the booking levels have been continuously changed,’ the spokesperson said.
‘We have very few Australian customers, as Australia was not specified as the main destination country, because preliminary surveys indicate that few Australian customers aged 65+ are interested in the residential ship scheme. We currently have one Australian client with an active booking,’ he added.
Adam Glezer from Consumer Champion expressed shock that the company still hasn't refunded Aussie couples.
'Their time has expired—the 90 days are up, and they should simply be honouring their side of the agreement,' Mr Glezer stated.
He continued: ‘They are well within their rights to say they’re going to expose them if they’re not going to get what is rightfully theirs.’
Meanwhile, a passenger from Florida, Janie Coffey, was successful at obtaining a refund, but she described it as a 'nightmare'.
‘I signed up for VCL back in Sep 2022. By July 2023, I asked to cancel for various reasons,’ she shared. ‘By November when my funds were due, they said it was sent, but it had not arrived.’
‘When confronted with this, they told me they couldn’t read a number so they GUESSED! Guessed on a $10K international wire. GUESSED!’
‘They said they tried to reach me, but I had no emails, missed calls or voicemails in the time it was sent,’ she added.
After 37 days, she finally received her money, but it was a few dollars short.
She thought the experience that her fellow customers had been going through was 'unbelievable'.
‘All VCL has done has been 1) nonchalant 2) non-responsive 3) blame the passengers 4) threaten the passengers with lawsuits and 5) blame Google (data bug).’
While the allure of a residential cruise may be strong, it's crucial to do your due diligence before parting with your money.
Check the company's reputation, read reviews from other customers, and ensure that the company has a secure and transparent payment system.
And remember, if a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Have you had a similar experience with a travel company, members? Share your story in the comments below.
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