Vantage Deluxe World Travel Refund Problems

[theLuna]

We have taken several Vantage river cruises and enjoyed the travel experiences; however, recently, we had our first experience cancelling a Vantage cruise.  We had scheduled Vantage's "Eastern Mediterranean Crossing," with pre-trip extension, post-trip extension, all available excursions, upgraded cabin aboard ship, upgraded air travel -- if it was available, we included it.  And, as we had done with previous engagements with Vantage, we paid everything in advance in order to secure whatever discounts were available.  Then, along came Omicron and we had to decide in December 2021 whether or not to proceed with our trip in May 2022 because Vantage required 120+ days cancellation notice for a full refund.  So, not knowing in December 2021 what the situation with Omicron (or other COVID variants) would be in May 2022, we cancelled our participation in this cruise in December 2021, more than 120 days prior to the departure date of the cruise, thereby entitling us to a full refund, minus a small cancellation fee.  It is now late February 2022 and not only do we still not have our refund, but Vantage tells us it is not even able to predict when our refund might be processed!  Vantage has $48,932 of our money, some of it since June 2019 (deposits) and all of it interest-free.  Note that we cancelled in accordance with Vantage's Terms and Conditions outlined in their Tour Participation Agreement and Vantage confirmed receipt of our cancellation notice.  Vantage has also confirmed that we are due a refund.  But no refund has occurred and no refund is in sight.  So I started reading online reviews about Vantage at TripAdvisor, Yelp, Better Business Bureau, Attorney General's Office, etc., and learned very quickly that Vantage has a long, long history of holding on to customers' money.  This constitutes an interest-free loan, from us (the customers) to Vantage.  By now, we have filed our own formal BBB complaint and our own formal Attorney General's Office complaint. The next step for us will be litigation.  In the meantime, and in the future, we will not recommend Vantage to anyone.  I also learned from online reviews that Vantage competitors Viking and Tauck issue refunds promptly, thereby retaining their loyal customers and generating new customers from the referrals their customer base passes along.  It boggles the mind why Vantage would want to poison its own customer base over a shoddy refund policy/practice, thereby losing not only existing customers but also all the referrals those existing customers could have generated.  There is a simple fix to all of this that would improve their business and their reputation!  In the meantime, Vantage will get no more business from these previously satisfied customers, and no more referrals either.  And we recommend you, too, do business with some other company if there is any chance you might someday want your money back!

 

[tobique33040]

Sorry to hear your predicament. Did you have insurance? Because most cruise lines won’t give you a full refund, only a credit, without insurance. So I’m surprised that they are doing that. Even since the pandemic began, from my experience, the cancellation requirements have been much easier, but still mainly give credits, not refunds. So I’m guessing you had insurance with them. I have been signed up for cruises and tours since the pandemic began, which have been canceled by the companies, and in those cases refunds were quickly given. Tauck and Viking btw. I have heard that other companies have dragged their feet returning money when it was the company not the traveler who canceled. So I’d say Tauck and Viking are excellent. So if you have insurance, I see why you are upset. Otherwise, I’m not surprised they are making you wait. Not that it’s right of them, but they are probably having a tough time like many tour companies. Just a thought. Good luck and let us know how it goes. 

[PhD-iva]

Vantage’s failure to comply with its own policies is terrible! To reach a wider audience, I suggest you post your message on the main CC forum for river cruises……….

[twototravel]

@theLuna Has anything been resolved with your refund request?

[britthunt]

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/19/travel/cruise-credit-refund.html

[CPT Trips]

@britthunt Perhaps you can summarize the article?

[DougK]

Here's my very quick takeaway from the article, without including any copyrighted material:

 

A passenger has a cruise booked with Vantage for this summer, which just got "postponed" to August 23. Since Vantage is calling it a "postponement" rather than a "cancellation," Vantage is refusing to do a cash refund, and instead only giving future credits, which the passenger doesn't want because she's 93 and has no idea whether she'll be physically able to use credits in the future. (A further complication is that the current cruise was itself a rebooking using credits from another cruise "postponed" for over a year.) The passenger has "cancel for any reason" insurance purchased through Vantage, but that insurance only provides for credits if the passenger cancels.

 

The NYT columnist wasn't able to get a response from Vantage, and suggests filing a complaint with the state attorney general. And notes that, even though it defies common sense, the fine print in the Vantage policy appears to claim that it is Vantage's right to only give credits. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

Here is a recent thread about similar problems with Vantage on their ocean cruises:

 

 

[DonnaMW]

Well I am scheduled for Nov 5. Heard nothing yet but the ship is still in China.  
funny but not funny. They are still trying to sell cabins in our trip.  ????   More money to hold from last minute suckers.  I’m a 3 year sucker probably gonna go longer at this rate

[Rorygirl4528]

I’m still,waiting for my refund from vantage from 2020. Due to Covid, they cancelled our River cruise. I confirmed many times that I wanted a cash refund, not a credit. Waited and called. Always the same answer…..yes we see that you have a refund due and we are working on it. After 2 1/2 yrs they re still working on it ( I think😱) 
Vantage said they do not take credit cards ( a lie) so I paid with a bank withdrawal. Never again! I will always pay with my CC and I’m not using Vantage again. Maybe  they could stop sending me brochures and booklets about their trips everyday and use those staff to refund money to passengers.