PDRKAR

My parents purchased a Viking River cruise to leave in April 2017. My mother had to have a 7 hour emergency surgery on 03/23/17, doctors informed her that she absolutely cannot travel. It would be life-threatening especially out of the country, and they would be happy to provide a letter stating that fact for her. Unfortunately this is the first time she has not purchased any type of insurance with her cruise. They did pay in full for their cruise with a credit card. I called Viking to ask them if there was anyway I could change, not cancel, but change their booking to another time and I was told absolutely not they are totally out of luck will lose all the money, and will not receive any type of refund nor can they pay a fee and change their booking. I do understand that insurance was not purchased but I am totally and completely baffled by the inability from Viking to take into consideration a life-threatening situation and not letting someone change the booking. I clearly am not happy about the situation and was not happy speaking with the agent Katie on the phone. When I asked who I need to go ahead and speak with above her about this I was told a manager. She put me on hold and when she came back on the phone she said she had spoke with manager and there was nothing they could do because of the situation and cancellation policy. I totally lost my temper (yelled at her, which I should not have) and just hung up out of total frustration. I do understand they have policies in place, but also feel extenuating circumstances should be taken into consideration. Life threatening medical emergencies with a doctors documentation should fall into that category. I am still getting nowhere with Viking, and you can rest assured that my parents will not be traveling with Viking ever again if I cannot get a resolution. You can also be assured I will share this with everyone I know and talk to you regarding the lack of customer service and compassion shown by this company. I am sure I will get a whole explanation about the cancellation policy and insurance, but do not even want to have Viking respond if that is what they are coming back with. I would truly appreciate talking with the manager but was not given that opportunity. I would highly caution people like my parents (or anyone) considering a Viking cruise who have worked hard and saved so they could enjoy these types of trips during retirement to find another cruise line or option. Thanks to Viking for making a stressful situation that much worse.

janisj

Welcome to Fodors. I am sorry your mother is ill . . . but Life threatening situations is <u>what insurance is for</u>

It would be nice if Viking would/could do something, but they are under no obligation to do so. The responsibility was your parent's to insure themselves.

di2315

Have you tried approaching the credit card company to see if the payment can be reversed? If the product / service is not received, this is sometimes an option worth pursuing. Di

jacketwatch

Yes you should have purchased insurance and I doubt a CC protest would help in this case but I see no harm in asking.

Dealing with lower level people at cruise companies is very frustrating as I've been there too. I painstakingly had to bump issues up the ladder as at first you seem to get the ingrained "no" response. By bumping it up I have received acceptable outcomes and was astounded at the gap between the initial replies and the replies of the higher ups who know that what good CS means. However my circumstances were vastly different involving on board issues. You can try writing a registered letter to the Viking CEO or president or someone like that and explain your situation. Include documentation of the illness. Hopefully you will find someone who knows the value of being pound wise and penny foolish. Those folks are hard to find these days.

Good luck!

janisj

di2315: A credit card dispute isn't appropriate in this situation. It is the OP's parents who didn't complete the 'contract', not the merchant.

PDRKAR: one long shot, try contacting Christopher Elliott. He is a national travel 'ombudsman' and can often get results (even sometimes when no refund would be merited)

melodyesch

I hope your Mom is OK, but I have to agree with the first poster, this really isn't a Viking issue. It's exactly for reasons like this that you have to buy insurance and it's a shame your parents decided not to this time.

You might try reaching out in different ways to Viking, but to caution other travelers against Viking because they have done exactly what their contact says isn't the right answer either, particularly when all over their contract and invoice documents it says (bolded) that they highly recommend insurance and why.

I read back through the contract for the Viking cruise we went on and it says that changing the date and changing the person would count as a cancellation. If it is within 30 days of departure, they could get back 50% of the cruise fare, but I'm assuming their departure was within 30 days.

I understand how incredibly upset you must be but in this case you can't really lay the blame on Viking. If your parents have bought insurance very single time but this one, they knew they were gambling and unfortunately lost.

thursdaysd

I'm really sorry about your mother's illness, and understand that you are in a very stressful situation. However, it is totally unreasonable and unfair to blame and bad-mouth Viking for sticking to their contract. I usually self-insure my trips, but not when I have an expensive pre-paid component like a cruise or tour. When I do self-insure I do it with the knowledge that I risk losing the money.

Your parents chose not to buy insurance. It was a gamble and they lost the bet.

HappyTrvlr

I also am sorry about the situation and your mother's health. We have also had a medical emergency and had to cancel a cruise. We had purchased insurance and needed not only a letter from the doctor but copies of clinical notes of all doctors visits and the surgery. We received 100% back in a month after filing the claim.

janisj

I doubt the OP will see any of our responses since s/he registered to post the complaint and likely will not return.

But it is still a good cautionary tale for others.

(A better title would have been something like "Caution if considering taking a cruise without trip insurance." )

PDRKAR

Thank you so much for all the responses, I have read the each and every one of them, and respect the opinions stated. Many lessons learned I assure you.

I did have a message on Friday evening from someone at VRC's corporate office, and I will be calling her tomorrow to discuss the situation.

I assure you janisj that I have actually been on the fodors.com site multiple times to read through reviews as we have taken several cruises. I have never responded/commented prior to this, so never registered. I will consider your suggestion for "better title" should I post on any other sites.

jacketwatch

Good luck and would you let us know how this turns out?

Larry .

eliztravels2

I have no personal experience with this kind of situation but can tell you of an experience of a friend of mine.

She had booked a cruise with her mother, but after the cancellation deadline had past her mother died. As it was considered by the insurance company to be the result of a pre-existing condition the insurance did not cover it. My friend was able eventually to convince the cruise company to allow her to travel instead with her daughter--I think at a later date. So polite persistence does sometimes pay off.

I do wonder what happens to the cabins that become empty as the result of last minute cancellations. Is it cynical to suggest that they would be offered for sale at a discount, thus allowing the cruise company to sell them twice? If so, it would give you leverage to tell the cruise company you “might” have to cancel but try and negotiate a deal before actually relinquishing your cabin.

janisj

>>I will consider your suggestion for "better title" should I post on any other sites.<<

I was not being nasty - I was trying to explain that the title of your thread is pretty misleading. Viking's policy is no different than any other cruise line. I do hope the new contact means they are willing to work with you -- but do realize they do not owe your parents anything. If they do refund something, it is because they are bending over backward to accommodate.

PDRKAR

I do want to say that yes, I understand Viking's contract as I have read through it now multiple times, and I know that they are under no obligation whatsoever to accomodate my parents. My initial contact with the VRC customer service (and I use that term loosely in this situation) was probably the worst I have ever experienced, and you are correct janisj that my thread title could have been thought out a little bit better, and in my defense I should have waited 24 hours or so prior to my rant.

The Viking representative and I are currently playing phone tag, but will definately update any resolution and/or compromise. I have had a lot of feedback & great suggestion not only here, but from other sources.

I would like to also clairify that my parents have no idea that I am trying to help them with this situation. They have simply chalked it up to an expensive lesson learned, and they have more important things to worry about right now with her health situation than this.

jacketwatch

I hope the health situation gets resolved above all.

It's great of you to try to help them and I hope your efforts are rewarded.

And we all make mistakes.

Treesa

Wishing you luck. There are rules, of course, but there are exceptions, too. I commend you for trying to help your parents.

travelchat

Glad you came back to the Forum to update.

Of course your mom's health issue comes first, wishing you well on that front.

I would also mention Christopher Elliott as a possible source of help if you aren't able to resolve on your own with Viking.

Please continue to keep us informed.

PDRKAR

Once again, thank you for all the comments/suggestions.

I do want to update you all and let you know that I have spoken with Kory Robinson from Viking Cruises, and we are working towards a resolution in regards to my parents cruise.

Once again I understand that they are under no obligation to do anything for my parents, and I told Kory that. Kory is assisting them in cancelling their current trip, and due to the medical circumstances she is willing to discuss options with us once my parents are able to make some decisions in that regards. After my initial experience with VRC customer service I was truly concerned, but Kory's excellant customer service & genuine concern for my parents situation has renewed my hopes that we will come to a positive resolution.

jacketwatch

So glad you pushed this up and I hope they agree to a resolution that is acceptable.

Best wishes to your mom for a speedy recovery!

fmpden

As I remember when booking with Viking last year was several reminders to order insurance. In fact, I think there was one place where we had to check a box that we didn't want to insurance. We have a year around policy so we didn't need it.

You might check their credit card. Some of the higher end credit cards carry insurance if you pay with that credit card. We have the Chase Sapphire Reserve that provide that coverage.

Unfortunately that is the policy that they have to have other wise we all would pay more. .....nability from Viking to take into consideration a life-threatening situation and not letting someone change the booking....... I would guess that on nearly every cruise there will always be one or two bookings that has a life-threatening situation every time.

I think it is very unreasonable of you to assume that a business must cover your errors of not taking appropriate action to cover potential risk. And then post a very misleading title to put pressure on Viking to agree to your terms. I am sure you posted it at several other travel sites. Personally think it is very unethical of you to do so.