Vantage Deluxe World Travel - WARNING

[Roadlamp]

I just tried calling two other businesses that share the same building as Vantage in Boston.  Their phones are operational.   Vantage Travel if you are monitoring these posts, please respond.

 

[upfee]

I wonder if Vantage even still has an office in that building (90 Canal St)? Maybe they moved/are moving and they don’t want anyone to know? That might explain the no phone or website. Maybe. 

[Roadlamp]

Fieldagent and Rrehfe, any updates?

[vwtlat7]

We have taken 5 trips with Vantage, and never had any problems. We had never been on the Douro River (Portugal/Spain) and friends recommended it. We booked a May 5 cruise, and paid in Nov, 2022. We had all kinds of invoice problems with Vantage, where they tried to tell me we owed an additional $3500, after I had already received my "paid in full invoice". At that point I told them I had not planned on spending that much and tried to cancel. I was told it would take over a year to get a refund.and since I had read all of the bad press about people waiting for years for a refund,  we settled with Vantage for an additional $1500, and stayed on the cruise. We are/were supposed to go on May 5, 2023. I checked our Air reservation with Air France on Mon, 4/17, and found that although we had a reservation and seats, Vantage had yet to pay for the airfare. So I called "Fotene" (617-878-6038 -Vantage Air), and her phone was dead. So I called Cheryl Sheehan, the Sales Manager in Boston and left a VM. I received an email that day from Cheryl that she would take care of it. Shortly after that, Fotene called to tell me that Vantage normally paid for the flight tickets within a couple of weeks of the departure date, and not to worry. On Fri, 4/21/23, I went out to the Air France website and our CONFIRMATION # no longer existed. So, I called Air France and was told that Vantage had cancelled our plane reservation. I immediately called VANTAGE AND NONE OF THEIR PHONES CONNECT. THE LINES WERE ALL DEAD. I THEN WENT TO THEIR WEBSITE TO CHECK MY RESERVATION AND THEIR WEBSITE IS GONE.......error msg (502 BAD GATEWAY). While there is no info online about Vantage going out of business, I wouldn't be surprised to see something this week. Good luck trying to get your money back. Some people have been waiting for over 3 years for a refund. Check the BBB website. There are 600 lawsuits against Vantage. An expensive lesson learned. We are out $11,360. If anyone cares to send email to the Vantage executives

, herE is a link to a website that has all of their email addresses.

https://www.elliott.org/company-contacts/vantage-deluxe-world-travel/

 

[Roadlamp]

On 4/23/2023 at 10:59 AM, Rrehfe4969@aol.com said:

Our flights to Madrid on May 12th were also pulled and our return two weeks later from Lisbon have also been pulled from airline web site. Talked to vantage before their phones went down and was told they would re book by tomorrow. We shall see. I am still hoping that what they are saying thru their e mails are correct and true.
richard 

What ship are you supposed to be on?  I'm trying to locate Vantage ships on cruisemapper.com.  Some are showing up on the maps and are moving.

 

[DonnaMW]

No problems I’m on Ocean Odyssey. 

[nh6mile]

Hi DonnaMW.  Are you on Odyssey now.  (We were on it in December - Mumbai to Singapore) and are scheduled to be on it again in July (British Isles).  However friends of ours are scheduled to embark on it in two weeks in the Mediterranean and have had their air travel canceled by the airlines (non-payment for tickets by Vantage).  They have yet to hear anything from Vantage.  Has there been any talk of journey cancellations for the Odyssey?  Is Gail Bryant still onboard as the Cruise Director.  Thanks.

[Roadlamp]

Thanks to everyone who has responded and continues to request information.  Let's all keep in touch.

 

[deec]

I hope everyone's insurance covers bankruptcy!   This is really sad.

[sfm629]

I'm flying on Wednesday to Athens (my flight tickets were only paid by Vantage a week ago on 4/17/23 after many calls and having original flights changed). I'm supposed to embark the Ocean Odyssey on Saturday. If anything is amiss with Vantage on the actual travelling end, I will post to let people know.

 

(FYI-this was booked in Nov 2019 and was rescheduled 2x already so I'm like the rest of you, disgruntled and anxious)

[DonnaMW]

No not Gail it is an Egyptian  lady

Only people worried are the ones that are on all the way to Stockholm. No talk of cancellation 
im glad I have held off booking another trip  so sad the trips and service in field are excellent but Boston is screwed up. 
but remember the ship is chartered so the workers are from sunstone not vantage. I believe only cruise director workers so maybe 10 work for Vantage

Edited April 24, 2023 by DonnaMW

[nh6mile]

Thanks so much Donna. Obviously everyone who is scheduled to embark in May is concerned and confused, especially since their air tickets were canceled. If anyone else on the Odyssey has some insight as to the future trips we would much appreciate hearing what they have to say.

[Cobbie48]

we are due to sail the Douro May 12. Obviously it’s not happening. The Allianz policy we bought throughVantage states if tour company goes out of business Allianz can’t help us.  So disappointing. I don’t expect to see any of our money returned 

[Roadlamp]

Please let us know if you get any updates from Vantage on your cruise.  We are all in line on this one!

[Trunkabella]

https://www.investorsobserver.com/news/qm-pr/5386740952408729

[Trunkabella]

Supposed security incident.

[GerryL13]

23 minutes ago, Trunkabella said:

Supposed security incident.

Hmmm. Makes one wonder whether one of the many customers who feel wronged by the company might have attempted to punish Vantage with a hack attack. Many more suspects than in Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile ... which is about a cruise gone wrong.

[Roadlamp]

It appears that there is a new website too.https://govantagetravel.com

 

Looks like we might make it!

[Rrehfe4969@aol.com]

Sent an e mail to vantage in regard to my Douro cruise May 12th  and they responded within an hour and advised I would receive travel documents 7 days prior to departure 

fingers crossed

richard and Kim Rehfeldt 

[Roadlamp]

Richard and Kim, so happy for you!  Please keep us informed.

[Host Jazzbeau]

The new website has a message at the bottom of the home page:

 

UPCOMING TRIP INFORMATION

 

The following upcoming cruises are expected to embark as scheduled:

 

• Ocean Explorer – Boston to Montreal, embarkation on Thursday 04/27
• Ocean Odyssey – Piraeus, Greece – Trieste, Italy embarkation on Friday 4/28
• River Splendor – Amsterdam, Holland – Basel, Switzerland embarkation on 5/8

 

We will update this site daily with additional information on future trips.

[Cobbie48]

11 hours ago, Rrehfe4969@aol.com said:

Sent an e mail to vantage in regard to my Douro cruise May 12th  and they responded within an hour and advised I would receive travel documents 7 days prior to departure 

fingers crossed

richard and Kim Rehfeldt 

I received email saying tickets to be issued two weeks before departure. We are on this same cruise. I am hopeful

[MOssyLedge]

I am so thankful to all of you for your 223 posts. I have  followed all of them with great interest and due to some setting in my profile, I have not been able to answer.   Cruise Critic, actually fixed that for me. 

• Interestingly, Vantage claimed that the problem was caused by construction digging in the street in front of their building.
• Then they changed to a data breach - how interesting.   Which is true?
• In fact, Vantage, answered me within 55 minutes this morning on their new email address saying that "yes.. they are still in business."  Kudos to them. 
• I have a friend in Boston who is going to go to their office to see if they are still there and not working from a trailer at a remote site and still collecting money from folks who don't know that they will never see a refund.

 

My wife and I, like many of you had several trips unceremoniously canceled at the last minute.  They cancelled a 2022 trip (made in 2019) and rescheduled it for 2024.  I wanted to know if they had a life insurance policy on me because I don't know if I'll be alive then based on my health and age.   They said I should leave it in my will to a friend or relative or child.  Ha! Ha!

 

It's hard to take anything that Vantage says at face value when they have no integrity or moral compass.

 

We are scheduled on Ocean Odyssey for the Ports of Timeless Wonder  (Copenhagen to London) for July 15th to July 30th.   We made our own extension in London until August 3rd.

 

We are in Cabin 414 after they switched us around a  number of times.

 

Luckily for us we  have made our own business class airfare, roundtrip from Copenhagen to London on Virgin Atlantic from NYC using points and some money because Vantage took so long to confirm everything (that's why we had to add money as the fares went up).

 

Is anyone else scheduled for this voyage? 

 

Bev & Ira Nerenberg

[MOssyLedge]

This is the email that I was looking for that indicated that there was construction in the street.   I guess it vaporized or never existed. 

After my friend gets to 90 Canal Street in Boston, I will tell everyone what he discovered. 

 

[MOssyLedge]

 

This is the info I had been looking for in my previous post.