Avalon - no compassion

[stancar]

Booked Avalon cruise (Amsterdam to Basel) September 2015 for September 2016 and paid the required deposit (2 x $500). Two weeks before Christmas my wife was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer leading to 3 months of chemo, major surgery, followed by more chemo. As a consequence we will not be cruising this year.

 

Our TA approached Avalon to advise cancellation, and requested deposit to be held as credit toward the same cruise that we would aim to take in 2017/18 (health permitting). The answer from Avalon representative was "NO, and they should have taken the insurance offer".

 

Have cruised with Avalon previously and travelled with other Globus companies, so I was both surprised and disappointed with the response. I was not seeking a refund, merely a deferral. Guess this shows the level of concern and compassion from a large organisation that considers rules above empathy and consideration.

 

Raises the question - why would I ever deal with this group again, and why would I not tell my friends and contacts about Avalon's attitude and our (negative) experience?

 

All I can say is shame, Avalon, shame.

[deasmom]

You mean your cancellation insurance didn't cover this circumstance? That's crazy

[YoungDubFan]

I'm sorry Avalon won't give you a credit. Unfortunately this is another example of why insurance is so important. My mother got sick the morning we were supposed to leave & has already filed her insurance claim. She should get a full refund.

 

I'm traveling on the Seine with Avalon & they have been wonderful. All boats are stuck in Rouen due to flooding in Paris. We will be bused into Paris then will stay at a 5 star hotel in the heart of Paris. Another line is keeping their passengers on the ship in Rouen & busing them daily into Paris, which is more than 2 hrs. each day.

 

Maybe have your travel agent make another call. So sorry about your wife & hope she recovers.

[4774Papa]

I wish your DW well and a speedy recovery.

 

Perhaps you had no trip insurance? I can see both sides of this. Business is business and per the contract they don't owe you anything. However, you did cancel months in advance and it is very likely Avalon would be able to replace you on the cruise.

 

Consider writing them a personal letter, laying out you earlier cruises with them, explain your circumstances fully and ask them again (further noting that they probably filled your earlier booking).

[caviargal]

Business is business and their terms and conditions are advised at booking.

 

IMO, Avalon did nothing wrong and travel insurance would have been the solution. Perhaps a somewhat expensive lesson to learn.

[Got2Cruise]

Wait if it's only a deposit why can't you change dates?

[Host Jazzbeau]

Wait if it's only a deposit why can't you change dates?

 

We (USA residents) tend to forget that other countries don't have refundable deposits. OP is from Australia, so it would seem the deposit is at issue here.

[garycarla]

I do feel for the OP, on many levels.

 

When one travels, they have options.

 

1 - Buy insurance and get your money back when something happens.

 

2 - Not buy insurance and take the risk of not going and not getting your money back. But, if you do go, you saved some money. Lots of people make this decision.

 

3 - Not buy insurance, but then ask for your money back even though you opted to not buy insurance.

 

Of course, they do not offer #3. If they did, people would not bother to buy insurance.

 

Again, sorry for he OP.

 

Just noticed it was the first and only post here. Always interesting.

Edited June 4, 2016 by garycarla

[Got2Cruise]

We (USA residents) tend to forget that other countries don't have refundable deposits. OP is from Australia, so it would seem the deposit is at issue here.

 

 

Thanks for clearing that up.

Edited June 4, 2016 by Got2Cruise

[sunsetbeachgal]

Hope OP's wife makes a full recovery.

 

The high deposits for river cruising are a bit scary, many of us like me have experience with ocean cruises where deposits are low and most often completely refundable up until final payment. But the river boats are small, and I can understand that it is much more difficult to resell the cabin at short notice.

 

We don't leave home without insurance, and insurance isn't cheap. My feeling is if river cruise lines or cruise lines bent their refund policies for those with good reasons for cancelling but with no insurance, then why buy insurance?

Edited June 4, 2016 by sunsetbeachgal

[Rebel54]

We have found that sometimes a well written letter to the CEO of a company yields some positive results. Example. We shipped a recently purchased Mercedes from CA to HI. In the process of the shipping some how the glove box was broken. Not a simple broken latch. Someone wanted in it and was not smart enough to realize that the button to open it was on the side. So they wrenched it open breaking it to the point the whole thing had to be replaced. With labor, about $850.00. The shipping agent denied our claim saying it was "pre-existing damage." Not true. So, with a little research we located the name and email of the CEO and sent a nice letter to him, complete with all the photos and other evidence. Next thing we know there's a settlement check in our mail box with the amount required to repair.

 

The moral of the story is...the person on the end of the phone is often a customer service agent that is given a set of authorized answers and actions and often doesn't have the authority to make exceptions. While they may have sympathy for your situation, they don't have the ability to fix it for you. CEO's don't like bad press for their companies and will often step in and take care of even the most seemingly minor issues.

 

It's always worth a try.

 

I hope that your wife is feeling better soon and will be up to a future trip.

[webfoot]

I have double coverage. I bought the travel insurance through Avalon and my credit card also gives me insurance, too.

 

 

Pat

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[Cancun01]

Booked Avalon cruise (Amsterdam to Basel) September 2015 for September 2016 and paid the required deposit (2 x $500). Two weeks before Christmas my wife was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer leading to 3 months of chemo, major surgery, followed by more chemo. As a consequence we will not be cruising this year.

 

Our TA approached Avalon to advise cancellation, and requested deposit to be held as credit toward the same cruise that we would aim to take in 2017/18 (health permitting). The answer from Avalon representative was "NO, and they should have taken the insurance offer".

 

Have cruised with Avalon previously and travelled with other Globus companies, so I was both surprised and disappointed with the response. I was not seeking a refund, merely a deferral. Guess this shows the level of concern and compassion from a large organisation that considers rules above empathy and consideration.

 

Raises the question - why would I ever deal with this group again, and why would I not tell my friends and contacts about Avalon's attitude and our (negative) experience?

 

All I can say is shame, Avalon, shame.

 

It is appalling especially since the company has plenty of time to fill the cabin and will no doubt have no loss of business but will double dip...certainly on the deposit amount. We had a similar incident a couple of years ago with Oceania where my husband was cleared for travel after developing ulcers but there was a prescription error that gave him stroke-like symptoms. It was a terrible year with ill parents etc. We were going to pay insurance at final payment but when contacted for the cc number I was in the midst of more serious family health issues. Needless to say we did not have the insurance in place that we should have. I did pursue the matter up to CEO Frank del Del Rio and sent a letter to both him and the second in command by FedEx twice. We did not receive a response from either...not even a voucher for a cheap bottle of wine on a future cruise for our many thousands of dollars. Like you, we did not want a refund...just a credit for the future. To make matters worse a TA friend confirmed that the stateroom was resold....so they double-dipped on the same cabin for a 26 day cruise. You can tell the strength of a company by the way they handle serious passenger issues. Needless to say we do not recommend Oceania/Regent!!! The most important thing is that your wife becomes well again. There are other companies out there that will treat you better.

[ikesyd]

Sorry to hear about your wife's health issues stancar but did you have travel insurance?

Had a similar situation last September when hubby was diagnosed with bowel cancer 2 weeks before our trip, which included The Grand France with Avalon. We could have deferred our trip(paying the notified change fees) but it had to be in the same season, which at that time of year only had till December. We cancelled all our plans and working with our travel agent received our part refunds very quickly from Avalon & other tour operators(we were doing a 7 week trip through England & Europe). We then lodged our claim through our travel insurance and received everything back! Now following months of chemo etc we are now planning our replacement trip for 2017 which will include 2 river cruises with Avalon(Seine & Rhine/Moselle). I am a strong advocate for taking travel insurance as soon as you pay the deposits.

As you can imagine it was very stressful dealing with hubby's condition as well as dealing with refunds/claims but I found my dealings with Avalon, travel agent, insurance company etc very compassionate and companies/people went out of their way to expedite our claims.

[Mark_T]

For your wife's condition you of course have my utmost sympathy and best wishes for her recovery.

 

For the rest take your pick...

 

1. Insure and rest easy

2. Don't insure and take the hit with good grace if the gamble doesn't pay off.

 

But don't ever complain when a company sticks to the rules that you agreed to, when the risk you chose to assume costs you exactly what they told you it might cost up front.

[Shorex]

It is truly sad when a health emergency necessitates canceling a cruise, whether river or ocean. While as individuals we have compassion, the cruise industry operates on a strictly business model. Insurance is always offered, but is sometimes declined or overlooked. The consequences of that decision or oversight that leaves one without insurance can be a major financial hit. But that responsibility lies ultimately with the consumer.

 

In the US, a deposit will be returned if the cruise is cancelled before final payment. Other countries have different laws in place, and the deposit is not returned - doesn't matter if a family member is ill, dies, or if the house burns down. Just the way it is.

 

In the US, the total cost of the cruise can be recovered after final payment, but only through the mechanism of insurance. Just the way it is.

 

I suspect the answer to the OP would have been the same from any other river cruise line. And I suspect the answer would have the same from any other ocean cruise line to the poster who had to cancel the Oceania cruise after final payment and without insurance.

 

So don't be angry at Avalon or Oceania - Avalon was complying with the governing law and Oceania applied the industry-wide standards.

[pully8]

really sorry to hear about your situation. as the others have said insurance may have helped, nevertheless we have also found some travel agents can assist or advise at the point of booking more than others. was insurance mentioned?

we have not booked any of our 8 river cruises a year in advance so I am not familiar with the deposit rules. in Australia there seems to be a middle company based in Sydney that sells the product. the agent liaises with them and it can be long and frustrating to get resolution when problems occur.

meanwhile despite the loss of deposit I wish you well in your battle with ovarian cancer. health is our best asset and money is trivial. best wishes and I hope you can eventually have a wonderful cruise to look forward too.

[pully8]

just another thought, was this a non-refundable deposit of and was that explained? $1000 a year out non-refundable? if so you would think insurance would have been explained.

 

valuable lesson for all sadly at your expense.

[caviargal]

 

In the US, a deposit will be returned if the cruise is cancelled before final payment.

 

That is not accurate when it comes to river cruise. While penalties vary, I know of none that provide a full refund after initial deposit. Insurance is a separate issue.

 

River cruise boats have a far smaller number of cabins and they cannot play the odds like the large ocean cruise ships can.

 

Mark T said it best:

 

"1. Insure and rest easy

2. Don't insure and take the hit with good grace if the gamble doesn't pay off.

 

But don't ever complain when a company sticks to the rules that you agreed to, when the risk you chose to assume costs you exactly what they told you it might cost up front. "

[Avalon Waterways]

Hi Stancar-

Our thoughts are with you and your wife. We wish her a speedy recovery.

 

While we are responding from our U.S. office, we will share your disappointment with our Australia team. We invite you to reach out to them directly at clientrelations@globus.com.au or +61(02)8259-1146.

 

Thank you,

Avalon Waterways

Edited June 5, 2016 by Avalon Waterways

[Shorex]

That is not accurate when it comes to river cruise. While penalties vary, I know of none that provide a full refund after initial deposit. Insurance is a separate issue.

 

Thank you for that insight. We've never had to cancel a river cruise, and I assumed the policies would be the same as ocean cruising.

[Host Jazzbeau]

It was good to see Avalon's response a few posts up, but if they are monitoring this they should know that stancar (the OP) hasn't been back and may not even be monitoring this thread. I hope they have another way of reaching out to him.

[garycarla]

It was good to see Avalon's response a few posts up, but if they are monitoring this they should know that stancar (the OP) hasn't been back and may not even be monitoring this thread. I hope they have another way of reaching out to him.

 

Yes, the poster has not been back as far as we can tell.

 

I wonder what they will be reaching out and doing with this. If they do refund it, does that mean we should no longer pay for insurance?

[uilleann]

Hope you wife gets though this ok. Best wishs for that.

 

As for the Cruise. I am double insurured for our trip in Sept on Avalon. I have the Avalon Insurance and some general travel insurance. I have a rare disease that is is actually a form of cancer but very very slow in its progression. But about once a year I have to go to a hospital for a few days to check reaction. I have had to cancel international vacations a couple times and even had to have emergency gallbladder surgery in London on the way to Norway (that we never got too).

 

Anyhow most businesses these days are pretty strict and somewhat cold on any issues of giving refunds or transferring deposits.

 

So it makes it more expensive to travel this way but the peace of mind with insurance is worth it.

 

So I really hope you guys get though this health crisis ok and get another cruise. But next time get insurance..... and maybe go with another river cruise outfit to punish Avalon. ;-)

[JVilleGal]

Not seeing this as Avalon's fault in any way. Insurance is offered by Avalon when you book.

 

 

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