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


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17 minutes ago, dexddd said:

They clearly have zero interest in doing the right thing.  I hardly doubt MSC as a whole in financial bind.

The purpose of my post was to suggest other ideas to encourage a cruise companty to do the right thing in what could be a more effective manner.

 

MSC and nearly all travel companies are conserving cash to get through the COVID-19 crisis ... hence, slowing refunds ... cruising this year is not a profitable business ... again, the suggestions made were to possibly consider when and if this type of situation develops again to acquire a refund more quickly.

 

Good luck and happy travels!

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On 4/13/2021 at 1:43 PM, GlobalMethod said:

I have an attorney who will let me write a draft of a 'demand' letter to the party I am in conflict with...

There is something magical when an attorney's letterhead arrives by certified mail ... you are suddenly taken seriously an apology letter for all the delay arrives with the refund.

Kindly post the standard general format of this attorneys letter so that we can all benefit.

Edited by drsel
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I have a question. Are they not refunding the Tax? 

I booked a single inside and was canceled. 

$393.30 + $98 tax  = $491.30 and I just received the 125% FCC $491.63

 

I would be okay if they give me $491.63 + tax. If they don't refund my tax money, I am going to request a refund instead. There is no benefit of holding FCC.

Edited by thetaro
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17 hours ago, drsel said:

Kindly post the standard general format of this attorneys letter so that we can all benefit.

These 'demand for payment sample letters' are all over the internet. Find one you like and customize it with your ignored cruise refund informational details, including specifics on telephone calls made, etc. You are writing a draft of your details so an attorney won't have much work to do, and will not charge you a fortune for essentially doing nothing but copying your letter on his letterhead.

 

As much as an attorney may want to convince you otherwise, this is not complex legal work. My 'general purposes' attorney does this for me along with other general work that comes along. Initially, I had to negotiate my fee down to the 1/4 of an hour rate mentioned.

 

Remember, it is not the composition of the letter but having it mailed from a real attorney on the attorney's letterhead that makes this a formidable tactic. The cost of defending a potential lawsuit is so high, even if the business has an in-house attorney, that it greatly encourages a company to respond.

 

We can threaten as private individuals but only a real attorney can potentially cost a company a lot of money. The company knows it is in the wrong and could be predicted to lose any lawsuit plus legal expenses.

 

Good Luck and Happy Travels

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On 4/13/2021 at 3:13 AM, GlobalMethod said:

 

To elevate a still slow response, I have an attorney who will let me write a draft of a 'demand' letter to the party I am in conflict with ... he will, of course, review it and usually make some small change, but I am pretty good at this and he knows it. I am usually only charged for 1/4 of an hour of his time.

 

There is something magical when an attorney's letterhead arrives by certified mail ... you are suddenly taken seriously and an apology letter for all the delay arrives with the refund.

 

 

Here's the thing, the cruise contract specifically states that the only venue to sue MSC is in Naples, Italy. A lawyer's letter to MSC will do nothing. They just don't care!

Edited by notme2012
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2 hours ago, notme2012 said:

Here's the thing, the cruise contract specifically states that the only venue to sue MSC is in Naples, Italy. A lawyer's letter to MSC will do nothing. They just don't care!

Exactly, they absolutely do not care.  

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  • 2 weeks later...

Back in Jan., I finally received the FCC for our March 12, 2020 Grandiosa cruise. The one where we were boarded and then MSC forced all the Barcelona pax off the ship. We want to use the FCC on a cruise from Dubai in 2022. Travel agent has it reserved, but MSC refuses to enter the FCC. MSC is requiring customers using a FCC, first must make a deposit (cash or credit card) for the cruise, and any surplus after applying the FCC will be an on-board credit. MSC is probably the slimiest company that I have ever encountered. Just so everyone knows the grief continues!

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9 hours ago, notme2012 said:

Back in Jan., I finally received the FCC for our March 12, 2020 Grandiosa cruise. The one where we were boarded and then MSC forced all the Barcelona pax off the ship. We want to use the FCC on a cruise from Dubai in 2022. Travel agent has it reserved, but MSC refuses to enter the FCC. MSC is requiring customers using a FCC, first must make a deposit (cash or credit card) for the cruise, and any surplus after applying the FCC will be an on-board credit. MSC is probably the slimiest company that I have ever encountered. Just so everyone knows the grief continues!

How much are they asking for?  I agree it should be zero.

 

We are now at 13 month mark waiting for fcc.

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  • 1 month later...

Any update on March refunds?

 

We still have nothing.  No answers to emails and vague responses to phone calls.

 

Of course they are able to send me offers to book new cruises almost daily.

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1 hour ago, Até said:
2 hours ago, ken98230 said:

Any update on March refunds?

 

We still have nothing.  No answers to emails and vague responses to phone calls.

 

Of course they are able to send me offers to book new cruises almost daily.

 

 

Hopefully you don't lose too much on the exchange!

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20 minutes ago, juraspark said:

Not all of us Canadians booked through mcs-Canada.

I'm aware but irrelevant, perhaps let ken98230 reply since that is who I directed my post to.

Edited by Até
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5 hours ago, dexddd said:

Heard from TA yesterday.  Told when ready, book cruise with 100% fcc and then they'll apply the 25%.

Call me skeptical since they have not been able to figure this out after 14+ months.

Congratulations I am so happy for you !

you suffered a lot and you deserve the best!

25% bonus is a small reward for your hardship

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Sorry for the slow update.  A few comments about questions asked by others.

 

We booked through MSC US because at the time, MSC had no Canadian presence. 

 

After being told we could cancel our cruise by the MSC Canada, we cancelled our flights, this was at the beginning of March.  Of course our ship actually sailed from Dubai, made one stop and ended up in Genoa which further complicated things because our ship actually sailed.

 

We were told we could rebook.  Then told we couldn't.  Got an agreement that they would refund us because there was no way to transfer a cruise credit between the US and Canada.  Told we would have our refund in 7 to 10 days.  This was at the beginning of March 2020.

 

Then all the COVID issues took a solid hold and we have been asking for our money back ever since.

 

Finally last week I got a phone call, an apology and a notification that our refund would be back to us in one to two billing cycles.

 

Now we will wait and see for the money to show up.

 

I was fortunate to book the cruise with a US credit card so my refund will go back to that card.  Funds will be used to book a future cruise.

 

 

 

 

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On 6/4/2021 at 12:19 AM, drsel said:

Aren't the US prices the lowest of all MSC country websites?

 

My experience is that it varies.  Last year we booked another trip and it was less expensive to book with MSC Canada that with MSC US.  Looked like they Canadians were getting a break on the exchange rate.

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7 hours ago, ken98230 said:

 

My experience is that it varies.  Last year we booked another trip and it was less expensive to book with MSC Canada that with MSC US.  Looked like they Canadians were getting a break on the exchange rate.

Have you factored in the 8% discount which US travel agents give you on the basic fare ( excluding port fees and taxes)?

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