Help sought with continual lies, fraud and desception from Viking Cruise Horror Story

Have found this site to be a great resource for cruising and after a year of dealing with Viking Cruise desception it occurred to see if anyone here could help.

Brief scenario of horror story, all booked directly with Viking. Parents booked a milestone 50th anniversary cruise. Dad had a medical condition which he disclosed at the time of his booking and paid $2,000 extra for insurance which he was told would cover him if something were to prevent him from going. Cruise time arrived and he had to be on oxygen pretty much 24/7, which was new since booking. Flying at high altitudes with limited oxygen was not advised from Doctor and Viking shared that they could not provide him oxygen while on his cruise.

Needless to say they did not go and were assured insurance would cover cost of trip. [Lie] The claim was denied, [Fraud] and they have been trying to deal with Viking to honor their promise. Think they knew Dad was weak and didn't have much fight left in him, and he has since passed away.

There is so much more to the story and even more desception that would make you cry. Trying to help my widowed mother navigate this nightmare and hoping someone might be able to help or point us in the right direction. The emotional toll this is taking on her is great and sad to see and totally unnecessary. From what I have witnessed, Viking appears to have one of the worst consumer relations mentality and has played the bait and switch game all along.

At our wits end and thank you in advance for reading and providing any assistance. [They just got mom to pony up another thousand dollars, with yet again another false promise/lie. Help!]

Chip,

Sorry to hear of your father's passing, and you and your mother trying to deal with all this at a very emotional time.

I see you live in DC. Most states have an Insurance Commissioner where you can report situations like this, and often times they have consumer advocates that can assist you. Not sure how this works in DC. Where did your parents live when they purchased the policy? I would start there.

Roz

Do you have a copy of the insurance policy your parents purchased? You need to start there.

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Dear ChipVA,

Please accept our deepest condolences for the loss of your father. We understand the frustration associated with a cancelled vacation should be the least of your concerns during this difficult time.

Kindly reach us at Tellus@VikingCruises.com with your contact, booking, and insurance information so that we can ensure we’re doing everything we can on your behalf.

Sincerely,

Viking Cruises

Have found this site to be a great resource for cruising and after a year of dealing with Viking Cruise desception it occurred to see if anyone here could help.

 

Brief scenario of horror story, all booked directly with Viking. Parents booked a milestone 50th anniversary cruise. Dad had a medical condition which he disclosed at the time of his booking and paid $2,000 extra for insurance which he was told would cover him if something were to prevent him from going. Cruise time arrived and he had to be on oxygen pretty much 24/7, which was new since booking. Flying at high altitudes with limited oxygen was not advised from Doctor and Viking shared that they could not provide him oxygen while on his cruise.

 

Needless to say they did not go and were assured insurance would cover cost of trip. [Lie] The claim was denied, [Fraud] and they have been trying to deal with Viking to honor their promise. Think they knew Dad was weak and didn't have much fight left in him, and he has since passed away.

 

There is so much more to the story and even more desception that would make you cry. Trying to help my widowed mother navigate this nightmare and hoping someone might be able to help or point us in the right direction. The emotional toll this is taking on her is great and sad to see and totally unnecessary. From what I have witnessed, Viking appears to have one of the worst consumer relations mentality and has played the bait and switch game all along.

 

At our wits end and thank you in advance for reading and providing any assistance. [They just got mom to pony up another thousand dollars, with yet again another false promise/lie. Help!]

Have found this site to be a great resource for cruising and after a year of dealing with Viking Cruise desception it occurred to see if anyone here could help.

 

Brief scenario of horror story, all booked directly with Viking. Parents booked a milestone 50th anniversary cruise. Dad had a medical condition which he disclosed at the time of his booking and paid $2,000 extra for insurance which he was told would cover him if something were to prevent him from going. Cruise time arrived and he had to be on oxygen pretty much 24/7, which was new since booking. Flying at high altitudes with limited oxygen was not advised from Doctor and Viking shared that they could not provide him oxygen while on his cruise.

 

Needless to say they did not go and were assured insurance would cover cost of trip. [Lie] The claim was denied, [Fraud] and they have been trying to deal with Viking to honor their promise. Think they knew Dad was weak and didn't have much fight left in him, and he has since passed away.

 

There is so much more to the story and even more desception that would make you cry. Trying to help my widowed mother navigate this nightmare and hoping someone might be able to help or point us in the right direction. The emotional toll this is taking on her is great and sad to see and totally unnecessary. From what I have witnessed, Viking appears to have one of the worst consumer relations mentality and has played the bait and switch game all along.

 

At our wits end and thank you in advance for reading and providing any assistance. [They just got mom to pony up another thousand dollars, with yet again another false promise/lie. Help!]

So sorry for the loss of your Father. It sounds like you need the help of an attorney. I also would recommend handling this for your Mother. She doesn't need any more stress and heartache dealing with this. It has to break her heart knowing that they did not get to go on this trip together. And now the financial nightmare is really to much.

I wish you the best of luck dealing with this mess. And again my condolences.

I'm sorry for your loss.

In regards to advice, if the travel insurance was bought from Viking it is (most likely) a plan where the benefits are administered by Trip Mate. You should be filing your claim, denial questions, and follow up with Trip Mate, rather than the cruise line, as they are actually the insurer. (I said most likely, as Trip Mate is who Viking currently offers travel insurance through, and I'm making the assumption it was the same at the time of your booking.)

I'm not sure what you meant that Viking just got your mom to pony up another $1000 but if she put it on a credit card, you could dispute the charge with her credit card company. As far as the cancelled cruise, yes, you handle that with the cruise insurance company. Here is some information that may help:

http://www.thatsinsurance.com/travel-insurance/holiday-insurance-advice/complain-travel-insurance-wont-pay/

This fellow may also be able to assist you:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/travel/sc-allianz-insurance-complaint-elliott-travel-1101-20161025-story.html

Have you contacted TripMate who is the insurance provider? That is who I am (trying!) to deal with for my insurance claim. They have the voice mail tree from hell so call when you are feeling patient.

I am so sorry about your father.

The best advice that i can offer you is for you to take all of the cruise and insurance documentation that you have to a qualified attorney that specializes in insurance claims. The attorney can then advise you how to proceed. I have had two medical related cruise cancellations in the last 5 years and recovered 100% of the money spent on both of them. Both times I was told by the insurance company claims department that i did not qualify for repayment. I hired a qualified attorney and miraculously the doors were opened. Granted, i did have to pay the attorney for her services but it was well worth it. It was stressful and it took several months but patience and tenacity are required to get through the process. A qualified attorney can help you get through it all. (I am not an attorney but I appreciate the services that they provide).

If you have filed an Official claim with the Travel Insurance provider then you would have a "Denial" in writing which would spell out specifics about Why your claim has been denied. Viking does not have the authority to deny your claim only the Travel Insurance company can do that.

Also if your mom paid for the Viking trip on a credit card many cards today have Travel Insurance Benefits, you need to reach out to the CC provider and speak with the dept that handles the card benefits. This is NOT the customer service dept you get when you call in. They will need to transfer to a different dept.

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You may want to contact Christopher Elliott who is a Consumer Advocate who writes for USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Condé Nast and many of newspapers and magazines.

http://elliott.org/

He can also be found on Facebook

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I am so sorry for your loss and all of these frustrations.

I encourage you to follow up on Viking's offer to contact them via the email address they provided: tellus@vikingcruises.com

I had a significant problem with Viking regarding flights and had a very prompt and helpful response from my email to this address.

I wish you and your mother all the best as you work through this challenge.

I encourage you to follow up on Viking's offer to contact them via the email address they provided: tellus@vikingcruises.com

+1

Use the link posted and reach out, whatever happened, or is still happening, this is the best way to see if it is possible to resolve this without going 'legal'.

Impossible to express any opinion beyond that without a lot more detail, but hopefully this can be resolved without the need to get into any of that.

+1

 

Use the link posted and reach out, whatever happened, or is still happening, this is the best way to see if it is possible to resolve this without going 'legal'.

 

Impossible to express any opinion beyond that without a lot more detail, but hopefully this can be resolved without the need to get into any of that.

Yes. OP should use that address as I've found them very helpful in dealing with a problem I had. It is a separate company that handles insurance...haven't filed with them but one time I was injured on an ocean cruise I was not able to collect as I lacked proper documentation. So sorry for your loss, OP, and sympathize with all that has to be done after that loss.

Any update, sorry to hear about your Dad.

Chill. More facts; less rant. Can you say "pre-existing condition"? He wasn't well when trip was booked.

Chill. More facts; less rant. Can you say "pre-existing condition"? He wasn't well when trip was booked.

Travel Insurance purchased at same time or within 21 days of booking "generally/often" covers pre-existing medical conditions, plus often includes "Cancel for any reason" hard to say exactly which WRITTEN terms their particular policy covered or excluded and what the written reason for denial was.

It is up to the traveler to read the brief policy hi-lights and description to make sure the policy is wait meets their needs and contact the Insurance company if there are questions.

The OP's parents tried to do the right thing by purchasing Travel Insurance. I do believe you have to be medically fit to travel at the time of purchase however :(

Pre-existing conditions have to be stable to be insurable, and the period of stability frequently gets longer with age.

I was recently looking at a highly rated travel policy (here in Canada) and for my age range (60-65) they wanted stability for 270 days (9 months). That means no new medication, not even a change in dosage for 9 months before. That's pretty hard to manage.

Chill. More facts; less rant. Can you say "pre-existing condition"? He wasn't well when trip was booked.

Harsh.

OP clearly frustrated and reaching out for help, especially following father's death.

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I'm thinking the Travel Insurance policy they bought had exclusions that made the policy inappropriate for the OP's parents. They needed CFAR but on a Viking policy I think that only gets you a Credit not a refund.

(Viking does not own the Travel Insurance company and does NOT decline coverage, the Insurance Co does that)

Direct Partial Quote from Viking Website:

Do I Need Travel Protection?

While travel protection is not required, we do recommend it. Emergencies sometimes arise, and you want to protect your travel investment. When you purchase the Viking Cruises Travel Protection Plan within 14 days of your initial deposit/payment for your Trip, you also receive the Viking Cruises Cancellation Waiver Benefit that allows you to cancel your Viking Cruises travel arrangements before your scheduled departure for any reason and receive a Viking Cruises Voucher for the cancellation penalty amount, with the balance of the refund made, if applicable, either in cash or credit card credit. You can see the plans we offer here. (Go to Viking Website for this link)

Enhanced Cancel for Any Reason Penalty Waiver

Purchase the Viking Cruises Travel Protection Plan within 14 days of your initial deposit/payment for your trip, and receive the Viking Cruises Enhanced Cancellation Waiver Benefit that allows you to cancel your Viking Cruises travel arrangements before your scheduled departure for any reason and receive a Viking Cruises Voucher for the cancellation penalty amount.

The Viking Cruises Enhanced Cancellation Waiver does not cover cancellation penalties associated with air or other travel arrangements that are not provided by Viking Cruises. This Cancel For Any Reason Waiver is provided by Viking Cruises and is not an insurance benefit underwritten by Arch Insurance Company.

Please Note: Pre-Existing Conditions exclusion is waived if Travel Protection Plan is purchased within 14 days of the initial payment. If a passenger pays in full at the time of booking, the Travel Protection Plan must be added within 14 days in order to receive the pre-existing condition waiver. Travel vouchers issued cannot be applied to multiple bookings. The Cancellation Penalty Waiver and Enhanced Cancel For Any Reason Penalty Waiver Benefits of Part A are provided by Viking Cruises and are not insurance benefits underwritten by Arch Insurance Company. For New York Residents Only: 1) The Part A Cancellation Penalty Waiver is replaced by a Trip Cancellation Benefit underwritten by Arch Insurance Company; and 2) The Enhanced Cancel For Any Reason Penalty Waiver provided by Viking Cruises may be purchased separately without purchase of the Travel Protection Plan.

The Part B Travel Insurance Benefits are underwritten by: Arch Insurance Company, Jersey City, N.J. and all Plan Benefits are administered by: Trip Mate, Inc. (in CA, dba Trip Mate Insurance Agency).

Benefits are described on a general basis only. There are certain restrictions, exclusions and limitations that apply to all coverages and services. This advertisement does not constitute or form any part of the Plan Description or any other contract of any kind Plan benefits, limits, and provisions may vary by state Jurisdiction. Please note: In the event you cancel your trip, the cost of the Travel Protection Plan is not a refundable expense. To review full plan details online, go to: http://www.tripmate.com/wpA425V.

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I can think of several ways each side could be entirely correct, but I'd say that de-stressing the current situation has to be the best thing for all concerned so I'm going to avoid speculation and hope that this can be quickly resolved one way or another through the communication channel that has been offered..

While we always purchase our travel insurance at time of deposit to make sure pre-existing conditions are excluded, one of the important caveats has always been that the individuals named on the policy must be 'fit to travel' on the day the policy is purchased. If the OP's father was ill and deemed unable to travel on the date the insurance was purchased, the underwriters can use that to disallow the claim.

I hope the OP is successful in helping this along to a resolution.

Just curious for "the rest of the story..."

I hope ChipVA (the original poster) updates this thread.

I noticed Viking Cruises Guest Relations responded within 2 hours after this thread started, offering to "ensure we’re doing everything we can on your behalf."

ChipVA - did you get this resolved to your satisfaction?

Chill. More facts; less rant. Can you say "pre-existing condition"? He wasn't well when trip was booked.

While your point about pre-existing conditions is pertinent, the family just lost a loved one and some amount of money. May I suggest a little empathy?