March Refunds Only - is there a "big black hole"

[versuco]

1 hour ago, Até said:

US booking and banking.  I had several bookings that I cancelled throughout March and April, 2020 and they all went into the black hole so by May I ended up disputing through my bank who is the issuer of my Visa card.  I was given a temporary credit within a few days and after providing the booking confirmations showing the refund policy and dates it took Visa/bank about two months to decide in my favor and make the credits permanent.  MSC did respond to Visa.

 

Your situation is complex and I take it that in the end you have a FCC but it's $150 less than what it should be.  It sounds like you have a card issuer that you are actually working through.  Your trouble is likely because you first elected a FCC.  In the end MSC can only argue their case and it's the credit card company who decides and reports that decision back to the card issuer.  The success of the credit card dispute process seems to vary tremendously based on the card issuer.  I was lucky to have used a card issued by a small local bank who was willing to do a good bit of work to get Visa to settle my cases.

I know our situation is a little different from some of the others lost in the March mess.  But if MSC had just done what they said they were going to do months ago they would not have lost us as customers.  All they had to do was either fix our FCC amount or refund the 150.00 as promised when our taxes and fees were refunded.  Instead they keep stringing us along with false promises.  Its been almost a year now since this has started.  I had other cruises canceled with NCL & Carnival and refunds were issued as promised.  I don't know how they stay in business with such lousy customer service.

[crazyank]

12 hours ago, versuco said:

But if MSC had just done what they said they were going to do months ago they would not have lost us as customers.  All they had to do was either fix our FCC amount or refund the 150.00 as promised when our taxes and fees were refunded.  Instead they keep stringing us along with false promises.  Its been almost a year now since this has started.  I had other cruises canceled with NCL & Carnival and refunds were issued as promised.  I don't know how they stay in business with such lousy customer service.

Hopefully someone starts a class action suit against MSC or they go out of business. No company should be allowed to treat customers this way.

[GlobalMethod]

13 hours ago, versuco said:

I don't know how they stay in business with such lousy customer service.

These comments were very beneficial to someone who was has never done an MSC cruise but was looking at some new MSC cruises they were promoting to Greece. We'll now pass on MSC.

 

There is a somewhat similar thread going on at an Azamara thread but relative to tour operators that use Azamara and were not always flush enough with cash to refund.

 

I think we'll just wait for things to settle down more in cruising and hold on for Azamara.

 

Thanks to all who have commented! Happy Travels! 

Edited February 12, 2021 by GlobalMethod
typo

[dexddd]

22 hours ago, versuco said:

We originally filed for the FCC from a March cancelation.   After numerous calls, we finally got our FCC several months later but it was for the incorrect amount.   It was 150.00 short, almost 110% instead of 125%.  We called and they told us they could see the FCC was for the wrong amount and would refund the difference with our taxes and fees.  Long story short, after many calls and broken promises we decided to dispute the charges and get all our money back.  We did this on August 3.  A few days after filing the dispute, the taxes and fees were refunded but not the extra 150.00 we were shorted.  The FCC was also never corrected.  We are still in the process of trying to get our money back from the dispute.  Our credit card company is still working on it and keeps me posted on what is going on.  Worst case, we will wait them out and get our money returned per their policies after 12/31/2021.    We have no intention on sailing on one of their ships before 12/31 or ever again.  

Thanks.

 

Yes, at this point end of 2021 might be better with refund but we have no idea when cash would be back and little faith how bad they muffed this from the beginning.

[dexddd]

I mentioned elsewhere but article was out with MSC possibly moving into number two slot with ships coming online and the big two taking ships out next few years.  That was based on theoretical capacity, not ships.

 

When MSC entered US market there was huge effort to woo CC members and the treatment on the ships was great yet landslide might as well send everyone home.

[drsel]

On 2/7/2021 at 5:38 PM, Fla Mike said:

Yes, I have...

I called my credit card company on Jan 25, (Bank of America) and explained the situation and filed a dispute.

On Feb 3, I was issued a credit

Thanks, was it a temporary reversal/credit while they investigate?

[drsel]

MSC did not sell a single ship, unlike Carnival  and Royal Caribbean

In fact it has ordered new ships and launched Virtuosa soon after Grandiosa.

I think MSC is here for the long-term and will keep increasing its market share as was mentioned by a previous poster.

MSc has over 250 ships and The Cruise business is only a small part of its overall business in shipping.

[notme2012]

6 hours ago, GlobalMethod said:

These comments were very beneficial to someone who was has never done an MSC cruise but was looking at some new MSC cruises they were promoting to Greece. We'll now pass on MSC.

 

There is a somewhat similar thread going on at an Azamara thread but relative to tour operators that use Azamara and were not always flush enough with cash to refund.

 

I think we'll just wait for things to settle down more in cruising and hold on for Azamara.

Now that Azamara has been sold by Royal Caribbean, I would not hold my breath on Azamara. Celebrity is excellent in the Med, with Princess and Holland America, in 2nd. But I would wait to book any cruise right now, because I cannot see cruising's return until Jan. 2022.

[notme2012]

3 hours ago, drsel said:

MSC did not sell a single ship, unlike Carnival  and Royal Caribbean

In fact it has ordered new ships and launched Virtuosa soon after Grandiosa.

I think MSC is here for the long-term and will keep increasing its market share as was mentioned by a previous poster.

MSc has over 250 ships and The Cruise business is only a small part of its overall business in shipping.

MSC has always had a bad rep in the travel agent community, let alone CC. When I worked at American Express, we were to discourage booking them, because of bad experiences. Having lots of ships and private owners does not undo, how badly run the company is. The only reason that I booked MSC, is because MSC and Costa are the only cruise lines sailing in the Mediterranean, in March.  Family did not want to cruise with Costa, so we gave MSC a chance. BIG MISTAKE! We have the FCC, which I did not request, because we wanted our money back. It is just endless grief with MSC.

[DCGuy64]

6 hours ago, drsel said:

MSC did not sell a single ship, unlike Carnival  and Royal Caribbean

In fact it has ordered new ships and launched Virtuosa soon after Grandiosa.

I think MSC is here for the long-term and will keep increasing its market share as was mentioned by a previous poster.

MSc has over 250 ships and The Cruise business is only a small part of its overall business in shipping.

The way things are going, MSC might move up from 3rd place to 2nd.

 

[drsel]

As you can see, in 2021 MSC has already overtaken Norwegian, Oceania and Regent combined, to become the third largest in the world.

MSC increased its market share from 6.4 % to 10.2%, a more than 50% jump. Compare both screenshots.

It's certainly the fastest-growing cruise line in the world.

Edited February 13, 2021 by drsel

[Fla Mike]

On 2/12/2021 at 7:28 AM, drsel said:

Thanks, was it a temporary reversal/credit while they investigate?

 

No, they issued a credit.

 

The first email I received after I filed my claim:

We've received your recent inquiry regarding the account listed above. We're researching your dispute(s)and will respond to you within 30 calendar days.

 

The second email I received after I filed my claim:

 

 

[dexddd]

23 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

The way things are going, MSC might move up from 3rd place to 2nd.

 

That is what the article indicated.  At least in passenger capacity, not ships.

[Orange Blossom]

On 2/11/2021 at 2:57 AM, drsel said:

Thanks, so how much do they owe you now, after the refunds for the drinks Wi-Fi and dinner packages

They have reimbursed 1 cabin, all drink packages, shows, wifi and taxes. They still owe just over $3100 (cabin and upgrade fees).

[GlobalMethod]

On 2/12/2021 at 5:24 PM, notme2012 said:

But I would wait to book any cruise right now

I have a thread going about the "new" Azamara ... their new owners are investing in the brand and have already acquired another ship ... we see an entry point around November for new cruises ... hopefully with Azamara ... Happy Travels!

[notme2012]

On 2/12/2021 at 10:14 PM, drsel said:

As you can see, in 2021 MSC has already overtaken Norwegian, Oceania and Regent combined, to become the third largest in the world.

MSC increased its market share from 6.4 % to 10.2%, a more than 50% jump. 

Using numbers from 2020 and 2021 are meaningless. Who knows how the cruise industry will shake out. But reputations mean a lot in the cruise industry, and MSC is regarded as one of the worst.

[DCGuy64]

On 2/14/2021 at 4:27 PM, notme2012 said:

Using numbers from 2020 and 2021 are meaningless. Who knows how the cruise industry will shake out. But reputations mean a lot in the cruise industry, and MSC is regarded as one of the worst.

They're all regarded as "the worst," at least if people on here are any guide. I've literally seen the phrase "avoid at all costs" applied to Carnival, Royal, Princess, Norwegian, and MSC. Anytime someone gets the shaft, it's "worse cruise line ever." I've grown numb to the naysayers over the years. I've also seen MSC bashed by one person and three months the later the same person says he's booked with MSC again. Much ado about nothing....

[Orange Blossom]

On 2/12/2021 at 7:43 AM, notme2012 said:

MSC has always had a bad rep in the travel agent community, let alone CC. When I worked at American Express, we were to discourage booking them, because of bad experiences. Having lots of ships and private owners does not undo, how badly run the company is. The only reason that I booked MSC, is because MSC and Costa are the only cruise lines sailing in the Mediterranean, in March.  Family did not want to cruise with Costa, so we gave MSC a chance. BIG MISTAKE! We have the FCC, which I did not request, because we wanted our money back. It is just endless grief with MSC.

They did the same with one of my cabins in January. I requested another cash refund and they said it will take 120 days or more for a refund. There really is no guarantee time line. One of the 2 cabins took 11 months for a refund... so I wait. Better than FCC that will never be used. 

[sfaaa]

On 2/14/2021 at 1:27 PM, notme2012 said:

. But reputations mean a lot in the cruise industry, and MSC is regarded as one of the worst.

May be but MSC has the best pricing and beautiful ships to compensate for the 'worst' experience. I am sure some here would say the same thing about Carnival and Walmart, two of the most successful companies around historically speaking.

[notme2012]

On 2/22/2021 at 2:11 PM, sfaaa said:

May be but MSC has the best pricing and beautiful ships to compensate for the 'worst' experience. I am sure some here would say the same thing about Carnival and Walmart, two of the most successful companies around historically speaking.

This is the issue, when things go wrong as they have this past year, MSC fails miserably. There are thousands of passengers who have not received a refund or a FCC. MSC continues to tell people to wait, for cruises that were supposed to sail 9-10 months ago. Keep in mind, that I did board the ship. The Grandiosa was very nice. But MSC has consistently failed to help people that had cancelled sailings. We were literally left at the pier. NO ONE from MSC assisted us with getting a hotel or flights home. My travel agent was strung along for 9 months as well.  

 

When we checked in for our cruise, the agents acted very nonchalant. Like they knew we were not going anywhere. Then when went to our cabin, there was a naked woman in bed, in our cabin. The purser's desk changed and upgraded our cabin. Imagine how we and this woman felt? I had to search and get all of bags to the new cabin. Again, no help from MSC.  We unpacked and went out to have drinks and dinner. While at the champagne bar, there was PA that stated all Barcelona passengers had to leave the ship by 9PM. So, we repacked. Rolled all of our bags off the ship, ourselves. There was not one agent on the pier! MSC lived up their reputation, clueless and heartless. 

 

Two days before our cruise on March 12th, MSC announced that people could cancel without penalty. We had arrived in Barcelona on March 8th. When I called MSC, they insisted that our cruise would sail. MSC has just lied and lied about everything! Meanwhile other cruise lines were being far more proactive.

 

Having nice ships and good pricing is not the end-all. Service and service recovery is owed to passengers who did not do anything wrong. AND, WE DID NOTHING WRONG! Now I am stuck with a FCC for company that I would not want to give my business.

 

I have sailed all the major lines. Things can go wrong on any specific cruise, and it all falls on the company to make things right. After almost 50 cruises, I have seen plenty of things go wrong. The other cruise lines really work to make things right. Not MSC!  I have never seen any other cruise line be so detached and generally unhelpful to passengers. It really makes me wonder how MSC and its employees would act in an emergency.

Edited February 23, 2021 by notme2012
grammar

[versuco]

On 2/22/2021 at 3:11 PM, sfaaa said:

May be but MSC has the best pricing and beautiful ships to compensate for the 'worst' experience. I am sure some here would say the same thing about Carnival and Walmart, two of the most successful companies around historically speaking.

Agree their ships are gorgeous and pricing is good, but that does not compensate for the horrendous customer service.  We really enjoyed our 4 cruises with MSC, but will never step on another MSC ship.  We have 2 other issues, besides the lack of refunds 11 months after they canceled our cruise, that have still not been resolved.   They keep promising and escalating but nothing is ever corrected, emails are not answered and talking to their worthless customer service representatives accomplish nothing.  Three strikes and you are out MSC!

 

[heatherb1958]

2 hours ago, notme2012 said:

This is the issue, when things go wrong as they have this past year, MSC fails miserably. There are thousands of passengers who have not received a refund or a FCC. MSC continues to tell people to wait, for cruises that were supposed to sail 9-10 months ago. Keep in mind, that I did board the ship. The Grandiosa was very nice. But MSC has consistently failed to help people that had cancelled sailings. We were literally left at the pier. NO ONE from MSC assisted us with getting a hotel or flights home. My travel agent was strung along for 9 months as well.  

 

When we checked in for our cruise, the agents acted very nonchalant. Like they knew we were not going anywhere. Then when went to our cabin, there was a naked woman in bed, in our cabin. The purser's desk changed and upgraded our cabin. Imagine how we and this woman felt? I had to search and get all of bags to the new cabin. Again, no help from MSC.  We unpacked and went out to have drinks and dinner. While at the champagne bar, there was PA that stated all Barcelona passengers had to leave the ship by 9PM. So, we repacked. Rolled all of our bags off the ship, ourselves. There was not one agent on the pier! MSC lived up their reputation, clueless and heartless. 

 

Two days before our cruise on March 12th, MSC announced that people could cancel without penalty. We had arrived in Barcelona on March 8th. When I called MSC, they insisted that our cruise would sail. MSC has just lied and lied about everything! Meanwhile other cruise lines were being far more proactive.

 

Having nice ships and good pricing is not the end-all. Service and service recovery is owed to passengers who did not do anything wrong. AND, WE DID NOTHING WRONG! Now I am stuck with a FCC for company that I would not want to give my business.

 

I have sailed all the major lines. Things can go wrong on any specific cruise, and it all falls on the company to make things right. After almost 50 cruises, I have seen plenty of things go wrong. The other cruise lines really work to make things right. Not MSC!  I have never seen any other cruise line be so detached and generally unhelpful to passengers. It really makes me wonder how MSC and its employees would act in an emergency.

Wow, so sorry you had to go through that experience . 
We have been on Grandiosa and she is a stunning ship. 

We still have not had our money back, the issue now is with the travel agent we booked with , 12th March we have been promised our £2,668 refund , due to staffing issues apparently 😠. 
The experience with MSC has left a bad taste but we would still book another cruise with them in the future but only last minute and directly with them , no more Travel agent bookings for us . If we had booked directly with MSC our money would have been in our account since 6th Jan. 

We have all learned lessons during this pandemic .

[dexddd]

14 hours ago, versuco said:

Agree their ships are gorgeous and pricing is good, but that does not compensate for the horrendous customer service.  We really enjoyed our 4 cruises with MSC, but will never step on another MSC ship.  We have 2 other issues, besides the lack of refunds 11 months after they canceled our cruise, that have still not been resolved.   They keep promising and escalating but nothing is ever corrected, emails are not answered and talking to their worthless customer service representatives accomplish nothing.  Three strikes and you are out MSC!

 

Exactly.

[dexddd]

13 hours ago, heatherb1958 said:

Wow, so sorry you had to go through that experience . 
We have been on Grandiosa and she is a stunning ship. 

We still have not had our money back, the issue now is with the travel agent we booked with , 12th March we have been promised our £2,668 refund , due to staffing issues apparently 😠. 
The experience with MSC has left a bad taste but we would still book another cruise with them in the future but only last minute and directly with them , no more Travel agent bookings for us . If we had booked directly with MSC our money would have been in our account since 6th Jan. 

We have all learned lessons during this pandemic .

I'm not so sure about money being back.

[dexddd]

Contacted TA yesterday.  Told MSC issued fcc last week, but wait, for only 100%.

Request escalated yet again for full FCC.

 

11 months!

 

Mickey, where are you when we need you?