ATL1234
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Posts posted by ATL1234
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9 minutes ago, ATL1234 said:
Confusing - If you already used the Allianz TPP and then received a credit of $500 per person which you applied to a new trip; and then on that trip you purchased 3rd party insurance and were subsequently reimbursed nearly the entire dollar amount, including the value of the TPP vouchers - Why would Allianz owe you another refund of Part B? Makes no sense at all, and could be considered fraudulent if I am understanding correctly. I also saw your post on a FB page, and I am not understanding why you believe Allianz owes you Part B.
Also - technically Allianz does not owe any Vantage Traveler the Part B refund, they were doing this as a good will gesture although they played no part in Vantage's ultimate demise. As per the invoices, the TPP is non-refundable.
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9 hours ago, MOssyLedge said:
Some time ago, a participant on this Facebook group asked if anyone had gotten third-party Travel Insurance not connected to Vantage or to Allianz. We did that and the saga has continued up until a few days ago when we finally got paid from our claim for medical reasons made on June 6, 2023. So the process took 4-1/2 months. We booked this travel insurance through Squaremouth, which is an aggregator of travel insurance companies including Seven Corners Travel Insurance. They are the most difficult people to deal with and I would recommend not dealing with them by anyone in the future. The saga has gone on for more than four months with them and I only got paid because I played their game and answered every question and did every bit of research and even did things like asking Allianz to send me whatever insurance credits that might come my way.
Allianz Travel Insurance said that they would send us $222 each for the part B insurance that was purchased through VantageTravel. They would never send us an email indicating that, just that I should note it in my own notes from our telephone conversations. To get that far with Allianz I had to make seven calls to Mexico City to their call center. I never did get that money and I don't expect to get that money. Seven Corners turns out to be ruthless in terms of taking their time to do things.
Seven Corners asked me to prove a negative many times. Until they tracked down everything that I gave them in writing, they wouldn’t pay us. Once they did that, they sent an EBT to our account. Ultimately Seven Corners paid just $17,500 instead of $17,798. I guess that should be considered a win. There actually isn’t a real insurance company called Seven Corners. Every decision that they made had to be cleared with their owner - United States Fire Insurance Company.
The content below is from an email that I sent to Mr. Stiller of Seven Corners on October 2, 2023.
October 2, 2023
For David Stiller
Senior Customer Care Person
Hi David,
As per our telephone conversation earlier today, from 10:00AM to 10:23AM, I am forwarding to you in this email the original pro forma invoice for a trip called ……. Jewels of Scandinavia, Baltic Capitals and St. Petersburg. You will note at the bottom of the invoice that we purchased Travel Protection Plans through Vantage Travel, through Allianz, for each of us for $999 each or a total of $1,998.00. Please note that the Vantage Invoice, is dated January 5, 2021. The departure date was originally August 12, 2022. Vantage canceled this trip because they did not have a boat that they had bought, so it was all fraud. They did not actually cancel it and in their terms they postponed it. Apparently, all Allianz policies say that if they postpone the trip, they do not have to give money back to the travelers. But if they actually cancel it, they would have to. So, Vantage postponed it to June 2024. If you want that email from Vantage, I can probably find it.
When we were able to finally rebook a trip with Vantage, we decided not to continue with the Allianz policy, because it was all fraud. That, by the way, has come out in the testimony in the bankruptcy hearings in Boston. When we told Vantage travel that we didn't want to rebook the Allianz policy, they said since it was non-refundable they would keep $998 of the $1998 and we could get a credit therefore of $500 each on the invoice for the new trip. It was worth it to us to give up that money to not have to deal with Allianz or VantageTravel. As a result, we decided to book a third-party travel insurance company for this trip, called the Ports of Timeless Wonders. And that's when we investigated travel insurance companies through Squaremouth and you came up as a good company. So we purchased Travel Insurance, the most expensive version that you have, for this trip. I'm hoping that Seven Corners makes good on that promise to pay for trips that are have to be canceled for various reasons, including medical reasons. As you know my wife's knee replacement surgery was scheduled for July 17, 2023 and the trip was going to leave on July 15, 2023. So obviously we could not go on this trip which is why we made a claim with Seven Corners. As far as we are concerned, Seven Corners owes us $17,798.00 regardless of what Allianz might give us for the original trip which has nothing to do with this trip.
The invoice below is for the Ports of Timeless Wonders, showing the credit of $500 each which means that Vantage kept $998 of the original payment ($1,998.00) made to them for Travel Protection.
Below is the invoice for the trip: Jewels of Scandinavia which shows the fee of $999.00 each for our Travel Protection Plan, (TPP) bought thru Vantage and insured by Allianz. It has come out conclusively that this policy has a Part A and a Part B section. Part A was actually, behind the scenes, self insurance by Vantage for trips for issues that occurred before departure and Part B for issues after departure. The premium that actually Allianz got from Vantage was $222.00 per person and that’s what they claim that they will give back to us. There are actually thousands of emails from other travelers about this on a two different Facebook groups. Soooooo… I said, that I agreed to take the$222 per person that Allianz offered to all Vantage people when the trip did not happen.
Immediately below is the Vantage invoice for this trip:
Immediately below is the original Pro Forma invoice from Vantage showing the total costs including the TPP of $999 each.
Also please note that the date of the invoice is January 5, 2021. That means that this saga is almost a full 3 years old.
I hope to hear from you, once you review these documents. These were all previously sent to Seven Corners.
Ports of Timeless Wonder Invoice 2.pdf 141.62 kB · 0 downloads Ports of Timeless Wonder Invoice 2.pdf 141.62 kB · 0 downloads Proforma Baltic Sea invoice 2.pdf 630.64 kB · 0 downloads
Confusing - If you already used the Allianz TPP and then received a credit of $500 per person which you applied to a new trip; and then on that trip you purchased 3rd party insurance and were subsequently reimbursed nearly the entire dollar amount, including the value of the TPP vouchers - Why would Allianz owe you another refund of Part B? Makes no sense at all, and could be considered fraudulent if I am understanding correctly. I also saw your post on a FB page, and I am not understanding why you believe Allianz owes you Part B.
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Most recent Boston Globe article about the Vantage bankruptcy:
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Lots of people have had successful charge-backs and ach reversals. Consumer Advocate Michelle Couch Friedman has helped many customers, especially due to the Fair Credit Billing Act.
You can check out this Facebook page that is helping former Vantage consumers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/954817572208587
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4 minutes ago, Lexie31 said:
It’s not quite that simple, very complicated. Many well qualified people within government and private sector working hard. We are not giving up.
I don't think anyone within the government is saying refunds will be possible from a bankrupt company
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The FB Restitution group is doing the same things as the Complaints group, yet the Complaints group is led by consumer advocate journalist Michelle Couch Friedman who has been working behind the scenes, and has facilitated tons of media coverage which will continue. I believe the restitution group feels somehow they will be refunded at the end of the bankruptcy and new sale proceedings.
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There has been much confusion and frequent misconceptions about Travel Protection/Travel Insurance:
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If Vantage cancels a trip, Vantage is responsible for reimbursing you. However, as we know, they have apparently closed due to major financial issues, so there is no one there right now to issue any refunds (and apparently no money). Staff reported they were permanently laid off as of 6/20/23. There is still no announcement from Vantage.
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If you purchased Allianz Travel Protection directly from Vantage, unfortunately there is no insolvency coverage. The plan you purchased included cancellation coverage (YOUR OWN cancellation); and on trip coverage such as medical, emergency evacuation, lost luggage, missed flight connections, etc.
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If you purchased Travel Insurance independently, check your plan details to see if there is insolvency/cessation of services coverage. If so, you may have a claim that could lead to reimbursement by your insurance provider.
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If you made your payment with a credit card, you can dispute the charge. If you made an ach payment, contact your bank and its Fraud Department.
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And to close up shop with no explanation leaving thousands of people in the dark, and sadly not realizing their trips are canceled and their money is gone. And the Mass AG taking credit for getting back 1.2 mill in refunds since January 2020 (maybe 75 customers in 3 1/2 years?) -- but doing nothing as a result of the events that started to spiral in April 2023.
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In addition - sells a product they know they cannot deliver. Over and over again.
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Splinter - Vantage has permanently laid off all staff and have ceased all operations - phones and emails non-op.
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Lexie31 - So what do you plan to do?!
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Vantage has not posted anything. Employees reached out to consumer advocate Michelle Couch Friedman to advise they have been permanently laid off and the company has ceased all operations, This is on the Vantage Complaints FB page. The phone number just has the standard outside hours closed message as of now. Staff were just notified this morning in coordinated meetings.
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Vantage has permanently shut down -- ceased operations. This has just been announced on Vantage FB page. Several employees reached out to consumer advocate to advise. No other info at this time yet local Boston media has been advised.
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This was on the Facebook complaints page -
"Many of you have reported that when you call Vantage and speak with a customer service rep or a sales rep, they don't seem to know that Vantage is in financial trouble, or that two of the ships have been re positioned to France.Let me assure you, they have to be very aware. In fact, they recently lost all benefits, including health insurance, life insurance, disability, etc. The HR Provider, 'Insperity' - Insperity Corporate Office: Contact Insperity's Corporate Headquarters, advised one employee that they have severed ties with Vantage, thus abruptly cutting off all benefits without notice. Some employees found out they no longer had insurance when picking up a prescription, or having medical procedures denied, etc. In addition, they were all afraid that last week's payroll didn't go through, as their pay was not deposited in time, and was up to 3 days late for many employees.
It is troubling to hear that they will still try to sell you "an exciting trip" and take your money, especially since they do not currently accept credit cards and they know the trips may not operate.
It is reported that Vantage also remains silent to employees, with virtually no communication from anyone on the "Leadership" team. So whereas they are most definitely aware of the current difficulties Vantage faces, they are also in the dark as far as we know, and have had no assurances that trips will operate after 8/28."
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A comment on Boston Globe article - looks like this was a response to someone saying Henry Lewis is solely responsible for the mess of Vantage: "He is #1, but all his team of sycophants are also responsible for the apparent fraud that is occurring and has occurred for a few years. He employs those who will say yes to him, without regard to what’s ethical or even legal. He and they think they are smarter than everyone. They are still directing staff to make reservations and take cash payments from unsuspecting victims who don't know what is going on. His exec team includes Greg DelGreco, Deirdre Dirkman, David Rosen, and managers Palmira Delgado-Britta, Cheryl Sheehan, and the general counsel Rossella Mercuri. (Linked in) They have not acted in the best interest of the consumer, employees, and suppliers. How can they sleep at night knowing what they are doing and have done. Even the staff they manage are reportedly saying their mental health is affected. When is the AG going to step in?"
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PA AG Lawsuit Press Release:
Here is the document:
https://www.attorneygeneral.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2023.06.08-Vantage-Travel-Service-Inc.pdf
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All Vantage trips cancelled through August 28, 2023:
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See this article - all Vantage trips cancelled through at least August 28, 2023:
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and
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This Facebook group is for affected Vantage travelers: https://www.facebook.com/groups/954817572208587
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Why is Vantage delaying telling so many customers that their trip is canceled? Obviously, the Ocean Explorer and the Ocean Odyssey are not going anywhere soon as they are now both sailing to a docking location in Caen, France. Furthermore, River Splendor hasn't moved and is presumably still being held by the river management company due reported non-payments from Vantage. The Douro Serenity also canceling - again due reported vendor payment issues. Land trips being canceled as well. All Hurtigruten Norway trips also canceled for 2023 - again non-payment reported starting with a trip in April. All the while Vantage is selling trips to unsuspecting consumers who don't know that most likely Vantage knows that their trip will not be operated. How is this legal? Obviously not ethical to not be honest with your customers. This should be reported to the MA AG - even if you don't live in the state. Click on File a Consumer Complaint - https://www.mass.gov/orgs/office-of-the-attorney-general
Vantage Deluxe World Travel Defunct – How Do We Get Refunded?
in Other Cruise Lines
Posted
The July Ports of Timeless Wonder invoice shows a TPP Certificate credit of -$500 per person, so this mist have come from the Allianz claim for Jewels of Scandinavia.