Great response to a refund request

[karen11g]

I've read some negative reviews of Hurtigruten customer service, and I'm sorry some have experienced that. But I feel compelled to give another view based on our experience.

 

We booked through the Norwegian site, so our customer service experience has been with that office. Every contact with anyone from their office has been positive, but I have to call out one person in particular. Several months before the cruise, I emailed Hurtigruten with some questions and a customer service agent named Diana responded. From that point forward, I just replied to the same email if I had a question or concern, and Diana made it a point to respond to me, even though it was a general customer service email address.

 

We were booked on the Jan 11 MS Roald Amundsen cruise to Antarctica that was cancelled at the last minute due to the Omicron surge. Diana knew we had already flown to Santiago a couple of days before the cruise (I had contacted her to make sure the cruise wasn't going to be cancelled), so she called me to give me the bad news. She had to try several times before reaching me, and she said she wanted to catch me before we got the news via email or text. Very, very kind.

 

Because we had already embarked on the trip, the money we spent for trip insurance, airfare and the Mandarin Oriental in Santiago were sunk costs. I asked Diana if Hurtigruten would do anything about that, and she said she really couldn't help - we'd have to fill out the "feedback form" on the website. This did not sound good.

 

However, a couple of weeks later, Guest Relations replied and asked for receipts for those expenses and the information needed to wire funds. Today - the next day - the full amount was deposited into our bank account, about $5,500 USD.

 

Hurtigruten had no control over Omicron, but they took full responsibility for the last-minute call to cancel. We couldn't be more pleased with our experience and are already looking at a Northern Lights cruise with them in the future.

[bones774]

they certainly didn't do that with me. After my cruisevwas postponed twice in 2 year span they wanted me to pay in full while Americans were not even allowed into Norway.

BTW- all the staff I spoke with in Seattle office were very nice until I asked for refund, then I was emailed that no refund will be issued.

[karen11g]

2 hours ago, bones774 said:

they certainly didn't do that with me. After my cruisevwas postponed twice in 2 year span they wanted me to pay in full while Americans were not even allowed into Norway.

BTW- all the staff I spoke with in Seattle office were very nice until I asked for refund, then I was emailed that no refund will be issued.

 

I know - I've read the other thread, and it sounds so frustrating. It's hard to believe we've been dealing with the same company. I hope you eventually get some satisfaction.

 

I know you've been pursuing all kinds of avenues, so I doubt if this will help, but this is the link I was given to reach Guest Relations and put in my request: https://global.hurtigruten.com/contact-us/feedback/?_ccid=81997&_ccst=12954&_hrgb=3

 

As soon as I put in my request, I was given a case number. In a little over three weeks I had my refund. I did have to check back with them once - about two and half weeks after I submitted - but they replied within several days after that.

 

Wish you good luck with finally getting this settled.

Edited February 18, 2022 by karen11g

[bones774]

I will try your link but as my original post says they transferred my complaint to legal division and will have no more contact with me.

If they had any intention to settle they are not demonstrating it. It's just $250 deposit.  Hopefully the WAG complaint will stir some action and my posting updates here will keep subject in the headlines so to speak.

[karen11g]

So wait ... you and Hurtigruten are fighting this hard about $250? I misunderstood that, thought it was the cost of the cruise.

[bones774]

I tried to make it brief and may not have been clear. After they cancelled my cruise for non-payment (when Norway was closed to us) they offered to apply my deposit towards another cruise for the upcoming year, however they wouldn't match the cruise deal that i originally paid for. very good solo price and OBC incentives. So now i just want deposit back because i feel i was/am being cheated.

[karen11g]

I need to add one more "kudo" to Hurtigruten for their customer service.

 

When our January Antarctica cruise was cancelled and rebooked, the fully paid cruise price was transferred to our new booking for Jan 2023.

 

The problem was that we need a pre-existing condition coverage waiver with our trip insurance, and you can only get that if you buy trip insurance within a couple of weeks of making the first payment toward your trip. Our first payment toward our (now) 2023 trip was early 2021 (the deposit for what was supposed to be our 2022 trip), and we needed new trip insurance.

 

Hurtigruten worked with us to cancel our booking and give us a completely new booking at the same price, then refunded us the first cruise's payment, so we could pay from scratch. Our new first payment is now April 2022, so we were able to get the insurance waiver we needed. (Checked with the insurance company first to make sure that would work.)

 

It's really just an administrative thing, but we appreciate they did this for us and took care of the refund quickly. Again, very impressed.