Viking - Be warned of Poor Customer Service

[Lisa1a]

I have been monitoring the boards regarding Viking's treatment of affected passengers during the terrible flooding in Europe. This is my story.

 

I had the displeasure of being on the Viking Forseti June 1, 2013 from Basel to Amsterdam. We arrived in Basel the night before the cruise. On the morning of the 1st we headed to the harbor to drop of our bags and explore Basel. We arrived to the port and their was no ship! After searching in the rain trying to contact Viking with no luck. a gentlemen that hardly spoke any English arrived and told us we needed to go to the airport and we would be bused to the ship. No problem.

 

We arrived at the ship that was docked in Breisach Germany. Nice little town, took a guided tour to see the church on the hill. That evening we were told that the water was too high, but they expected it to recede in the next day or two and then we could cruise. We were also told that Viking would compensate us for our trouble upon our return home.

 

Well the river never receded, they bused us to a few of the sites on the itinerary, the destinations got further and further away, so my husband and I did not take a five hour bus trip to see a castle. We instead hired a driver to take us to a wonderful castle in France and a few other places. We got back to the ship hours before the others.

 

Everyday we were told that thing would get better and then we would sail, after 5 nights we were told to pack up our things and that we would be bused to Cologne. They could not take us straight their because they had to get people that were currently on the ship in Cologne out, clean the rooms and then allow us to board. We ended up in Cologne in a dirty smelly harbor. The bus driver got lost trying to find the place.

 

We were bused into the city of Cologne the next morning and had the day to explore the city. The next morning we packed up once again and were sent to Amsterdam, another full day of a bus ride.

 

We returned home to offer of a 75% credit to what we paid for our cruise. While this may seem generous it is not. We are out our $3,000 in airfare, our hotel stay on both side of the cruise and 25% of $4,200. Yes we paid $4,200 for a extremely small hotel room, and a few meals with some horrible bus rides. This does not take into account that the price for the cruise has also increased since we booked our over a year ago.

 

Let me mention our room - we paid extra to have a nice balcony, but that was unusable as another Viking ship was parked next to us and we had to keep our drapes shut so the other ship could not see into our room. I would call our room a dark cave.

 

Viking's customer service is sticking to their guns. No further compensation except the 75% discount that must be taken within the year. This is unacceptable, if they would have just cancelled the cruise gave me my money back I would have happily headed for Italy for the week. We were held hostage with false promises. They were cancelling cruises on the 2nd of June and the other cruise lines were refunding the cruise cost and also giving credits to future cruises.

 

I hope you never have to go through what we did, but be warned that if something happens Viking will not take care of you!

 

On last thing. I noticed that on another post from Viking that the Forseti was in Amsterdam on June 6th or maybe 8th - funny how our ship got all the way their with out us on it?

[id est]

of $4,200. Yes we paid $4,200 for a extremely small hotel room ...

Let me mention our room - we paid extra to have a nice balcony

Just curious: is it $4,200 pp or total per cruise? The "French Balcony D" if booked a year ago was $3,156 pp which is $6,312 total.

[kdowneymd]

I have not booked a cruise with Viking or the other major competitors, so my comments are not biased by what I have already spent or contracted. I find the description of your experience to be absolutely appalling. Passengers on an airline who are stranded for three hours on a Tarmac receive better compensation than what you are being offered. I read this thread because I am hoping to go on a barge cruise in Burgundy in 2014 and having been on five Med cruises have found these boards to be an invaluable asset. These have been extraordinary times but your descriptions are of a company seriously lacking in customer welfare

[robinlynn]

We recently booked on one of the new Longships that is still under construction for next

May. I was nervous about a total non cancellable payment almost a year in advance

. However we have gotten in the habit of buying.the best coverage for everything and cancel for any reason.trip insurance policy. It was more due to concerns for a very elderly Mother here in the States but I have the security of knowing that if there is any sort of repeat of this years crazy weather they will reimburse for the full cost of the cruise.

Very disappointing to hear about Vikings business practices however.

I sure hope they do the right thing for these passengers whose vacations were for all intents and purposes ruined.:(

Robin

[Lisa1a]

Sorry for the confusion. I booked a Veranda B room. The french balcony you refer to is only a sliding window. I also quoted the wrong price, I just looked at our invoice and we paid $7,711.00 for a bus trip and our small room. Our room had a balcony with two chairs and a table. We wasted a $1,000 a night. I am sorry that I looked this up because I am even more upset than I was before.

[Keith1010]

Sorry things didn't work out.

 

Keith

[Viking Cruises]

Dear Lisa1a,

 

Like you, we too have been watching and listening to the many differing points of view shared here recently, including your own story. We've also been posting our own point of view on a variety of the recurring topics, as seen below. While we don't want to be repetitive, we do want to make sure that all guests and Cruise Critic members who would like to hear from us—including some who have asked to hear from us—do. One of the key things we hope you will take away from this post is this: please do contact us again. We can be reached at TellUs@vikingcruises.com and we'd very much appreciate the opportunity to speak with you once more.

 

Sincerely,

Viking Cruises

 

 

Timing and Making Assessments

Our Swiss nautical and operational teams rely on an extensive, established network of local authorities and port operators—along with decades of experience with past high and low water situations—to make assessments on navigability of all rivers on which we sail. Weather, soil conditions and water levels are routinely monitored and evaluated. This is particularly crucial under circumstances where a few hours or a few centimeters of difference can have an enormous impact on a ship’s sailing schedule.

 

Cancellations

Where conditions precluded us from being able to provide a modified itinerary that we believed would be worthwhile—we canceled those particular cruises. For these cancellations, we provided a refund plus a credit for a future cruise so that these disappointed guests may book another journey with Viking.

 

Modified Itineraries

If we believed that we would be able to continue operating an itinerary with some modifications, we did. Each of these modified sailings was considered individually. Partial compensation in the form of a voucher was provided. In most cases we contacted guests ahead of departure to let them know the ways in which we anticipated their itinerary would proceed based on current conditions. In some cases the rapidly changing navigational conditions prompted additional modifications to the itinerary and as a result we have re-evaluated the compensation provided for these.

 

Looking Back

Not all of our assessments were perfect and as conditions quickly changed, not all of our contingency plans always occurred exactly as we had planned them. But a good many of them did.

 

Hindsight, as they say, is 20/20. At the time we made decisions whether to cancel cruises or proceed with modifications, we always had the interests and safety of our guests and crew in mind. We have received many emails and phone calls from guests whose cruise did not go perfectly, but who still enjoyed themselves.

 

Departures in the First Week of June

We get the sense that many of the posts in which returning guests are voicing their disappointment, feedback and point of view, are from departures that occurred in the first few days of June. We understand that when these guests arrived they were taken by surprise at the conditions of the rivers; we were taken by surprise, too. Our Switzerland-based teams worked diligently and in good faith trying to make arrangements as needed and keep their guests informed. We’ve heard frustration over instances where a crew could not provide answers on contingency plans that were beyond the next day, and we apologize for this, to both our guests and our crew, as it was surely frustrating for both parties. With conditions changing quickly, we did the best we could to provide each crew with complete information as it became available. Again, a few hours or a few centimeters of difference can have an enormous impact on a ship’s sailing schedule.

 

Compensation for Impacted Sailings

We have extended compensation in the form of a credit voucher of varying percentages of the cruise fare paid for the impacted 2013 sailings. These sailings were provided alternative travel arrangements, dining, lodging, and excursions to destinations on the original itinerary (where possible) and substituted places of interest. However, based on sentiments expressed here and elsewhere online, as well as with our Customer Relations department, it is clear that some of those affected guests are unsatisfied with our attempts to make amends for a difficult and challenging situation. So, please do contact us directly if you would like to discuss your experience. Our Customer Relations team is starting to return to normal levels of incoming calls and emails after a few weeks of very high volume, and they would be happy to continue the conversation with any of our guests. We can be reached at TellUs@vikingcruises.com and will be pleased to put guests in touch with a member of our Customer Relations team.

 

Safety

The safety of our guests and crew is always our top priority; in every deliberation we had it was our primary focus. We are happy and grateful to report that no Viking guests were injured as a result of the flooding. However, we recognize that some of our guests have voiced concerns about their safety and we take those concerns very seriously; please contact us at TellUs@vikingcruises.com so we can further discuss your particular experience.

 

Updated Information

For guests on upcoming sailings, we continue to update our website: http://www.vrc.com/weatherupdate. We began providing updates on June 3rd when the situation became apparent—including email updates to all affected guests and their travel agents—and we will continue to provide updates until sailing on the affected rivers no longer requires modifications that are known ahead of departure. Please note (though we’re sure most Cruise Critic members who are actively engaged with this forum are already aware) current modifications are no longer a result of water levels, but of the recently announced extended closure of the Altenwörth Lock in Austria.

 

Contact Us

Even if you have already done so previously we ask that you contact us directly at TellUs@vikingcruises.com. We are re-doubling our efforts to address concerns with guests who may feel that they have not been adequately heard. We understand that there are members in this community who remain disappointed and we hope that each of you will contact us again so we may discuss your particular situation.

 

 

I have been monitoring the boards regarding Viking's treatment of affected passengers during the terrible flooding in Europe. This is my story.

[Bus Rider Hater]

The Viking cruise was to have initiated in Basel, Switzerland Saturday June 1. We flew in early to be able to see Lucerne, Switzerland. The locals in Lucerne said the Rhine was higher than they had seen in twenty years and it was still raining. This probably should have been a tip off for us that maybe there was a problem. My view is Viking should have given us the choice of canceling the river cruise at this point. Yes it probably would have been a mess to arrange flights back home but we should have been given a choice. Instead we were bused to our ship on Saturday which was now docked in Briesach, Germany. The Rhine River was so flooded that the boat couldn't make it up the river to Basel. Apparently there was an issue of navigation safety due to river flooding and low bridge clearance. Briesach was to have been the first stop on the cruise. The ship remained docked there from Saturday(6/1) through Wednesday(6/5). Each night, the ship's officers indicated that we were not able to sail due to river conditions. During these four days we were bused to the various stops that were supposed to have happened had the boat sailed. One of the excursions was an extremely long and uncomfortable bus trip. I mean from Briesach to Heidelberg and then back to the boat was a long miserable day.

During the four days we were in Briesach, the ship was parallel parked next to another ship so the view from our veranda (at additional cost) is into the stateroom of the adjacent ship. The ship was moved at the end and the view was actually quite nice in spite of the river being at flood stage.

On Wednesday, we were bused to Cologne to another ship. This boat is docked in an heavily industrial area with a very steep rope lined gangplank. Difficult to maneuver for us old guys but no one fell in. The normal docking downtown was of course precluded by the flood stage of the river. Finally on Friday(6/7) we were bused to Amsterdam for an over night hotel stay and flights in the morning.. The whole trip consisted of an evacuation from one end to the other. It's not a river cruise when the boat never leaves the dock. The trip was totally disrupted by the flood conditions that precluded the ship from ever leaving port. We were basically evacuated from the beginning to the end.

We felt that we didn't get anything resembling what we paid for. We requested a full refund for the cruise including airfare from Viking. We received a response from Viking acknowledging there were disruptions to the trip. However what they offered was 75% of the cruise cost applicable to a future Viking River Cruise. In my view, this is totally inadequate.

 

Happy Cruising by Bus Ride Hater

[engoil]

Lisa1a,

 

Just wanted to thank you for your factual post about your experience. We were passengers on the same scheduled cruise. While we do not know each other, I thought it would be a good idea to confirm that your post is sincere and not exaggerated. So many times, these types of stories are not believable; but we were there and experienced the same thing as well as Vikings post-trip offer of "75% of cruise fare." For us, that amounts to about 1/3rd of our investment in this trip. While they indicate that circumstances could not be anticipated, the boat had already been moved out of Basel before our arrival; an important fact in analysis of their post-trip position. We were strung along from one long bus ride to another longer one; all while being kept on the edge of our seats with the hope that the next day would bring the River Cruise we purchased.

 

All of the circumstances aside, our deepest concern is for some of the older passengers. We met one couple who were on a wedding anniversary of many, many years. The busses and boarding conditions as well as multiple repackings were debilitating. When compounded with the let-down; it was really too much for them and many others. The handling was inappropriate and the post-trip settlement clearly intended to protect the Viking Corporation.

 

I must add that our fellow passengers were a great team. Complaints were kept to a minimum in the understanding that the few Viking staff that were assigned to this bus tour were clearly not going to be able to solve the problems on their own. All made the best of the bad situation.

 

Viking....you need to step up to the plate and do the right thing.

[Mark_T]

I would strongly suggest that those currently unsatisfied take up the offer to contact Viking again via TellUs@vikingcruises.com

 

I suspect that the best resolution is going to be found in one-to-one conversations.

[Lisa1a]

Mark T - I talked to Viking Friday morning I asked for clarification on what 75% off paid cruise meant and she said 75% off what we paid. I told her that didn't work for us. She said that was all they were offering. Also said that the vouchers were only good for a year so would have to book by this time next year. This does not work for us hence my post. In my opinion Viking's post was just a empty PR spin. I will contact them again and will post the outcome on whether they have actually changed their position on their offer.

[commodoredave]

Lisa1a, I can understand why you feel the compensation offer is not adequate. Viking fell woefully short in delivering what you paid for, and they need to make a more generous offer to people in your situation. Your story to date has certainly put me off ever wanting to do a river cruise with Viking.

[remydiva]

Mark T - I talked to Viking Friday morning I asked for clarification on what 75% off paid cruise meant and she said 75% off what we paid. I told her that didn't work for us. She said that was all they were offering. Also said that the vouchers were only good for a year so would have to book by this time next year. This does not work for us hence my post. In my opinion Viking's post was just a empty PR spin. I will contact them again and will post the outcome on whether they have actually changed their position on their offer.

 

Regardless of how much a voucher is for whether 75% or 100%, putting a time limit of 1 yr on it is not appropriate in this case.

 

We received a $$ voucher from Viking as compensation for some issues on our last cruise but it was only valid for 1 yr. Problem is, I have been on 3 river cruises so the ones I MIGHT be interested in were already fully booked for next summer ie. within the one yr time limit.

 

The BEST solution would be 75 % CASH REFUND (guess they feel you got 25% of your trip) .Then you can vote with your money and choose to cruise or not to cruise with the same company.

 

At the very least, the time limit of any voucher should be extended until end of 2015.

[Mark_T]

Mark T - I talked to Viking Friday morning I asked for clarification on what 75% off paid cruise meant and she said 75% off what we paid. I told her that didn't work for us. She said that was all they were offering. Also said that the vouchers were only good for a year so would have to book by this time next year. This does not work for us hence my post. In my opinion Viking's post was just a empty PR spin. I will contact them again and will post the outcome on whether they have actually changed their position on their offer.

 

I would be inclined to make contact via the email address they posted rather than the normal phone agents who are probably still in 'denial' mode.

 

Half the battle in this sort of negotiation is getting past the people who are only empowered to explain and say 'no' to reach those with the ability to say 'yes'

Edited June 23, 2013 by Mark_T

[Badgerhunter3]

We also were on the Viking Forseti which was supposed to have sailed on June 1. This was a first "River Cruise" for us. As it turned out we were kept hostage in a cave as described by Lisa1a because our room with veranda was blocked by another Viking ship. The account of Lisa1a was accurate so I will not go through another whole description of the trip. I just want to emphasize that if we wanted to make a bus tour I would have booked a bus tour for a lot less money and real hotels!

Viking needs to come up with a better offer than 75% of paid cruise fare voucher. To be able to use these vouchers, one still needs to get to Europe or Asia, so there needs to be compensation for that also.

So far Viking has left a bad taste in my mouth!

[remydiva]

We also were on the Viking Forseti which was supposed to have sailed on June 1. This was a first "River Cruise" for us. As it turned out we were kept hostage in a cave as described by Lisa1a because our room with veranda was blocked by another Viking ship. The account of Lisa1a was accurate so I will not go through another whole description of the trip. I just want to emphasize that if we wanted to make a bus tour I would have booked a bus tour for a lot less money and real hotels!

Viking needs to come up with a better offer than 75% of paid cruise fare voucher. To be able to use these vouchers, one still needs to get to Europe or Asia, so there needs to be compensation for that also.

So far Viking has left a bad taste in my mouth!

 

Not to make light of your bad experience BUT to be fair, even when you DO cruise on the rivers, your room is often like a cave as you frequently double berth and piggyback to other ships.

[STUR]

We also were on the Viking Forseti which was supposed to have sailed on June 1. This was a first "River Cruise" for us. As it turned out we were kept hostage in a cave as described by Lisa1a because our room with veranda was blocked by another Viking ship. The account of Lisa1a was accurate so I will not go through another whole description of the trip. I just want to emphasize that if we wanted to make a bus tour I would have booked a bus tour for a lot less money and real hotels!

Viking needs to come up with a better offer than 75% of paid cruise fare voucher. To be able to use these vouchers, one still needs to get to Europe or Asia, so there needs to be compensation for that also.

So far Viking has left a bad taste in my mouth!

quit your complaining

If you where on a bus tour and the highway was blocked between the exits and you would have to walk over a field of at least 20 miles or sleep on the ? at least on the ship you had a good bed to sleep in and good meals (remember things happen)

 

STUR DAYTON,OHIO

[Mark_T]

Not to make light of your bad experience BUT to be fair, even when you DO cruise on the rivers, your room is often like a cave as you frequently double berth and piggyback to other ships.

 

Although true, it is not normally a problem while the ship is moving :)

 

In this case, no movement, so a problem all day.

[remydiva]

Although true, it is not normally a problem while the ship is moving :)

 

In this case, no movement, so a problem all day.

 

Fair enough ...point taken.

[Viking Cruises]

Dear engoil, Badgerhunter3, & Bus Rider Hater,

 

Even if you have already done so previously we ask that you contact us directly at TellUs@vikingcruises.com. We are re-doubling our efforts to address concerns with guests who, maybe like yourselves, feel that they have not been adequately heard. Our Customer Relations team is starting to return to normal levels of incoming calls and emails after a few weeks of very high volume, and they would be happy to continue the conversation with any of our guests.

 

We sincerely hope to hear from you soon.

 

Kindest regards,

Viking Cruises

 

I Was A Fellow Passenger - Viking Foreseti

 

Viking Bus Tour

[remydiva]

Dear engoil, Badgerhunter3, & Bus Rider Hater,

 

Even if you have already done so previously we ask that you contact us directly at TellUs@vikingcruises.com.

 

We sincerely hope to hear from you soon.

 

Kindest regards,

Viking Cruises

 

I hope all three CCers named here do re contact Viking as offered. Please keep us all informed what the outcomes are for you all...I'm guessing Viking is re examing their earlier decisions in light of the sheer numbers and scope of the problems.

 

Good luck.

[bigbaz]

quit your complaining

If you where on a bus tour and the highway was blocked between the exits and you would have to walk over a field of at least 20 miles or sleep on the ? at least on the ship you had a good bed to sleep in and good meals (remember things happen)

 

STUR DAYTON,OHIO

 

Yes but at a very high price!!!!!!:(

[tulok]

We will be going on the Viking on July 13 from Basel. I can see it is still raining off and on from today on. Does anyone know if the river is still at such high levels and are they still expecting delayed cruising. An email was sent from Viking explaining the flooding and they expect cruises to be normal as of the end of June, but I am worried this is not the case. I did buy the "cancel for any reason" trip insurance but would like to use it before we end up in Basel and have used 2 weeks of vacation for nothing more than a bus tour.

Thank you to all that is posting and keeping us that have not left yet informed.

[davidrw]

We will be going on the Viking on July 13 from Basel. I can see it is still raining off and on from today on. Does anyone know if the river is still at such high levels and are they still expecting delayed cruising. An email was sent from Viking explaining the flooding and they expect cruises to be normal as of the end of June, but I am worried this is not the case. I did buy the "cancel for any reason" trip insurance but would like to use it before we end up in Basel and have used 2 weeks of vacation for nothing more than a bus tour.

Thank you to all that is posting and keeping us that have not left yet informed.

 

The cruise lines are stating what they know which is:- It should get back to normal by the end of June.

 

All waterways apart from the Danube seem ok now - the Rivercruiseinfo app or website gives you river levels.

 

However the situation can change in hours and the cruise lines can generally manage ok - what they can't do is to cope with the recent exceptional conditions that had the rivers closed for a few days and structural damage to a number of locks.

 

If the Austrian lock does not reopen this week, there are bound to be some difficulties as boats are still in the wrong places and this may affect cruises that don't use the Danube, however time will tell.

 

I guess that the answer is - it should be ok, however there is always a chance that it might not be !!

Edited June 24, 2013 by davidrw

[newfirsttimer]

We will be going on the Viking on July 13 from Basel. I can see it is still raining off and on from today on. Does anyone know if the river is still at such high levels and are they still expecting delayed cruising. An email was sent from Viking explaining the flooding and they expect cruises to be normal as of the end of June, but I am worried this is not the case. I did buy the "cancel for any reason" trip insurance but would like to use it before we end up in Basel and have used 2 weeks of vacation for nothing more than a bus tour.

Thank you to all that is posting and keeping us that have not left yet informed.

There can be high or low water at any time of the year, that's a risk you take when you book a river cruise. No one can predict with any accuracy, what the weather will be on July 13th and even if they could, Mother Nature often has other plans. Yes, the lock in Austria at this point has one chamber opening at the end of June but if you are starting in Basel, are you going to Amsterdam and therefore nowhere near Austria, or over to Budapest ? At the moment isn't the Rhine between Basel and Amsterdam fine?

Edited June 24, 2013 by newfirsttimer
error in last sentences