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No refund for Canadians - only FCC


HappyInVan
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My cruise in May was cancelled. Just discovered that the FCC is not insurable. I could lose the total amount if I apply the FCC to a new booking and had an accident.

 

Spoke to the call center. No refund option. The only refund is in December 2021 when the FCC expires. Will the company still be around?

 

Any thoughts from you guys? I'm not happy with the situation. Will likely not make final payment on my booking for September Med cruise.

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Checked with the provider of my trip cancellation policy. Cannot claim from them because MSC is offering a voucher. I'm going to cancel the policy and get a refund.

 

It would have been better for the customer if MSC had refused any compensation. We could recover the money from the insurance company!

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54 minutes ago, HappyInVan said:

 

 

Will the company still be around?

 

 

It is a common question these days not just for cruise lines but for many other companies as well. No one knows except their own major shareholders and creditors.

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MSC is not going to go out of business. The only way I can see a company like that going out of business is if there is a complete global meltdown, in which case even the insurance companies who would normally provide you a refund will go down, too.


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I don't know when the Canadian Terms went into effect but the current Canadian site states:

 

Cancellations, Delays and Refunds

 

(A) The Cruise Ship's operation is subject to weather conditions, mechanical problems, vessel traffic, government intervention, duty to assist other vessels or persons in distress, availability of berth facilities, and other factors beyond the Company's control. (B) The Company does not guarantee that the Cruise Ship will call at every advertised port or follow any particular route or time schedule. The Master and the Company shall have an absolute right to cancel, change or substitute the advertised schedule, ports, itinerary or route, or substitute other ships, without notice. If a scheduled port of embarkation is substituted, the Company shall determine and arrange transportation to the substituted port at no expense to the Passenger. (C) No part of the Fare is refundable, except as specifically provided as follows: (i) Before the Voyage begins, the Company has the right to cancel the Voyage for any reason without notice. In such event, The Company shall refund the full amount of the Fare received, and the Company shall have no further liability whatsoever.

 

https://www.msccruises.ca/terms-conditions

 

To me that reads full refund and nothing further like FCCs.  The US site now has the same verbiage as a Section 13 with an added Section 14:

 

CANCELLATION BY THE COMPANY

 

The Company reserves the right to cancel any Cruise Package at any time by giving written notice to the Passenger. In such cases the Company will offer the Passenger the choice of(a) receiving a full refund of all money paid outside of cancellation penalties; (b) booking another Cruise Package of equivalent or superior quality at no extra cost, if available, from the Company’s brochure and/or from the Official Website; or (c) booking another Cruise Package from the Company’s brochure and/or from the Official Website of lower quality, if available, with a refund of the difference in price. In no event shall the Company or Carrier be liable for any consequential damages or other damages as a result of such cancellation

 

https://www.msccruisesusa.com/en-us/Assets/TERMS_AND_CONDITIONS_Master02.05.2020.pdf

 

Cant really see why MSC CA is choosing FCC only versus "immediate" refund unless it's a government regulation, or lack thereof, thing.  I thought the FCC that turns into refund after Dec, 2021 was only for UK/EU under ABTA/EU TA lobbying pressure.

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On 4/3/2020 at 7:12 PM, Até said:

I don't know when the Canadian Terms went into effect but the current Canadian site states:

 

Cancellations, Delays and Refunds

 

(A) The Cruise Ship's operation is subject to weather conditions, mechanical problems, vessel traffic, government intervention, duty to assist other vessels or persons in distress, availability of berth facilities, and other factors beyond the Company's control. (B) The Company does not guarantee that the Cruise Ship will call at every advertised port or follow any particular route or time schedule. The Master and the Company shall have an absolute right to cancel, change or substitute the advertised schedule, ports, itinerary or route, or substitute other ships, without notice. If a scheduled port of embarkation is substituted, the Company shall determine and arrange transportation to the substituted port at no expense to the Passenger. (C) No part of the Fare is refundable, except as specifically provided as follows: (i) Before the Voyage begins, the Company has the right to cancel the Voyage for any reason without notice. In such event, The Company shall refund the full amount of the Fare received, and the Company shall have no further liability whatsoever.

 

https://www.msccruises.ca/terms-conditions

 

To me that reads full refund and nothing further like FCCs.  The US site now has the same verbiage as a Section 13 with an added Section 14:

 

CANCELLATION BY THE COMPANY

 

The Company reserves the right to cancel any Cruise Package at any time by giving written notice to the Passenger. In such cases the Company will offer the Passenger the choice of(a) receiving a full refund of all money paid outside of cancellation penalties; (b) booking another Cruise Package of equivalent or superior quality at no extra cost, if available, from the Company’s brochure and/or from the Official Website; or (c) booking another Cruise Package from the Company’s brochure and/or from the Official Website of lower quality, if available, with a refund of the difference in price. In no event shall the Company or Carrier be liable for any consequential damages or other damages as a result of such cancellation

 

https://www.msccruisesusa.com/en-us/Assets/TERMS_AND_CONDITIONS_Master02.05.2020.pdf

 

Cant really see why MSC CA is choosing FCC only versus "immediate" refund unless it's a government regulation, or lack thereof, thing.  I thought the FCC that turns into refund after Dec, 2021 was only for UK/EU under ABTA/EU TA lobbying pressure.

 

We are in the same Canadian "no refunds, only FCCs" boat so to speak... even though their T&C's clearly state that they will provide a full refund for the fare paid.  Our cruise for May 23rd on the Seaside was cancelled by MSC.  I actually ended up going through the USA site to complete the "full refund" form, and even rec'd an email confirmation with a verification number saying our refund would be processed in 60 days. I'm waiting to see if it happens, but if it does not, I will dispute the full charges with the credit card company.

 

Regardless though, we will never cruise with MSC... ever. This was going to be our first cruise with them and right from the moment we first booked it's been a colossal pain in the butt dealing with them on absolutely everything!  They're almost impossible to reach, and when I did finally get in touch with someone each time there was an issue (and there were many, many issues over the course of the last 5 months), half of the time the rep on the phone had no clue how to deal with the issue, and the other half of the time their systems were either "down" or just so messed up that they didn't even know how to work through them.

 

 

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1 hour ago, nunuc2000 said:

... I actually ended up going through the USA site to complete the "full refund" form, ...

Was your booking initially made through the US site?

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3 minutes ago, Até said:

Was your booking initially made through the US site?

Yes and no... originally booked through Canada, and then, during one of the many, many issues I referenced previously, had to go through the US site to sort of get rebooked, and then it was a bit of a blend of both going forward.  I was surprised to see that the US site actually accepted my booking number for the form (the US site offered both options of FCC or Refund, whereas the Canadian site ONLY showed FCC as an option). So I completed the US site form and submitted, and by all accounts it SEEMS to have been accepted, complete with confirmation email back to me with a refund reference number. 

 

But who knows how this will play out... it looks like even Americans who booked through the US site and requested a full refund are getting the runaround... so ya.  But one way or another, I WILL be getting my money back.  I'm nothing if not determined when I sink my teeth into something... and my teeth are very firmly entrenched in this matter.  Their own T&C's state that they are to provide a refund in the event that they cancel the cruise from their end, and for ANY REASON.  I won't settle for anything less.  VISA has already confirmed that because of MSC's own policy on this matter, they will favour us in a dispute, so now it's just a wait and see game.  

 

 

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31 minutes ago, nunuc2000 said:

Yes and no... originally booked through Canada, and then, during one of the many, many issues I referenced previously, had to go through the US site to sort of get rebooked, and then it was a bit of a blend of both going forward.  I was surprised to see that the US site actually accepted my booking number for the form (the US site offered both options of FCC or Refund, whereas the Canadian site ONLY showed FCC as an option). So I completed the US site form and submitted, and by all accounts it SEEMS to have been accepted, complete with confirmation email back to me with a refund reference number. 

 

But who knows how this will play out... it looks like even Americans who booked through the US site and requested a full refund are getting the runaround... so ya.  But one way or another, I WILL be getting my money back.  I'm nothing if not determined when I sink my teeth into something... and my teeth are very firmly entrenched in this matter.  Their own T&C's state that they are to provide a refund in the event that they cancel the cruise from their end, and for ANY REASON.  I won't settle for anything less.  VISA has already confirmed that because of MSC's own policy on this matter, they will favour us in a dispute, so now it's just a wait and see game.  

 

 

Same boat as you here ( pardon the pun ). Canadian booked thru USA site, with the request in for refund and confirmation email received. Will wait the 60 days and if no visa refund, will dispute the charge. I can't imagine cruising until a vaccine is rolled out and proven to work.  

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