MSC refund policy coronavirus

[sidari]

22 hours ago, nyk24 said:

So excuse the pun but us UK cruises all seem to be in the same boat here over getting refunds etc from MSC.

 

Here is the link to their FCC/refund policy https://www.msccruises.co.uk/coronavirus/compensation

 

So if we sit tight then we should get a refund (if we want one) between end of July and end of September which is unacceptable it should be really something like 60 days from now but it is what it is - does anyone feel like this refund option is now guaranteed because I spoke to 2 different people today from my travel agents who didn't even know that MSC UK were offering refunds as they had been trying to get them for their customers. As far as they were concerned MSC are not giving refunds and they didn't know if they would - how can this be the case when the new advice by MSC has been on their site for over a week! You would think one of the biggest TAs out there would know the latest information by MSC but obviously not.

 

I have looked for alternative cruises with MSC but have not found anything yet that can match the deal I found with another line for next year so wanted the refund via my TA but was going to book the new cruise through them and use the refund to pay for it.

 

My contract is with the TA and they surely should just offer me a refund or a credit note so I can re book another cruise with the TA? How and when they get the refund from MSC is up to them surely? I also got the TA to book flights as well to go with the cruise - MSC were not offering flights at the time with the cruise so my TA booked Ryan air flights for me. So I thought I could at least use the flight part of the package to pay towards a new cruise but because it's a package I was told no I cannot get even a part refund now even though TA told me there was no problem getting a refund with Ryan air eventually. 

 

So now I am thinking about just booking my new cruise as a complete separate booking and then just getting a full refund for the whole package from my TA whenever that takes place.

 

Does anyone know where we stand when booking a package with TA? I would ask for a full refund but in practice that won't happen anytime soon; as discussed transferring to a different cruise company with the same TA also seems not to be an option leaving me with the stark choice of waiting for the TA get their official confirmation about refunds from MSC UK which we all know is already on their site (whether they change the goal posts again is another matter). If I wait I will almost certainly lose out on the good deal that I have found with another cruise line and if I book now I have to fork out even more money banking on a refund from MSC and do you think I can trust them to actually payout and pay out by the end of September?

 

So hoping someone has some advice or is in the same boat as me? All I can think of is contacting the insurance or credit card company to see what they say but I have feeling I won't get anywhere based on what others on here have previously said.

 

I wish I had booked everything separately (but we are always told package holidays are better protected) as I could of at least got the refund from Ryan air by now! Also some advice I would give to UK cruisers now is to book in the future on USA sites as TAs and cruise lines treat Americans so much better. 

 

If you go to the MSC USA site and you are from the UK you can login to your account and get the link to the form for the refund - as I booked via a TA I won't even entertain that sneaky idea in case it just delays things but if you booked direct with MSC and are from Europe then it might be worth a go if you cannot wait too long for your refund? Who knows?

 

Thanks in advance everyone:)

I heard that the FCC and the terms and conditions are due to be released Monday 20th April.

[nyk24]

110% agree there about MSC I wouldn't trust them to do the right thing.

 

So I have had a dig around to see what my options are and this is what I am going to do.

 

I will just get a full refund from my TA for the MSC cruise and Ryan air flights. I assume my TA won't be easy to get a full refund from as they want their own refund from MSC first. When and whether that happens is up for debate but as my TA is ABTA and ATOL protected and I am protected by the Package Travel Regulations 2018 my TA is legally required to give me a full refund (unless government changes this rule soon). Technically I should get a refund within 14 days but due to these exceptional circumstances it could be a lot longer which is fair enough so I am willing to give my TA a bit of time to get me a full refund.

 

As others have suggested I could get the money back through my credit card company - I have looked into this and there is no definitive yes or no to this question as a TA could be argued to just be an intermediary so no refund would be due and if I use insurance I would be about £300 out of pocket due to the excess so I think the TA is first port of call then credit card company and then ATOL.

 

With regards to the cruise I wanted to book I have decided to book it as a) it is a ridiculously good deal and b) deposit is super low about £100 and balance does not need to be paid until end of January 2021 so in that time frame I should get a refund from  theTA no problems (unless MSC change their mind about the refunds again). so i have the TA, credit card, insurance and ATOL options to get my money back before end of January 2021 which will pay off the balance with a bit left over to buy other things like drink packages etc. If the worst happens and I get stuck with a 125% FCC for MSC then I will either a) I have to fund the new cruise out of my own pocket or b) lose the low deposit I am going to put down.

 

So anyone in a similar situation to me i.e. wanting to book a new cruise but use the money from a cancelled cruise this is probably the best option to get one with a low deposit and a final balance date of a few months time. Hopefully by Autumn time we will have a clearer picture on refunds.

 

If anyone finds out about the credit card refund angle via a TA in the UK please let us all know as the more options we have open the better we can make a decision.

 

Keep safe everyone and remember cruising will return and until then as long as well all have our health it is something amazing to look forward to and keep our spirits up:)

[Cullyman15]

I read last week that MSC is not paying their employees stuck onboard their ships's this is getting bad.

 

https://www.businessinsider.com/msc-cruises-crew-members-stuck-onboard-ships-salary-repatriation-2020-4

[cruiser man 60]

As I read it , the crew are getting their own cabin, food, wifi, medical assistance for free at end of contracts. I don't see anything wrong with that, they are not working and would not b be paid normally at end of contracts 

[sfaaa]

6 hours ago, Cullyman15 said:

I read last week that MSC is not paying their employees stuck onboard their ships's this is getting bad.

 

https://www.businessinsider.com/msc-cruises-crew-members-stuck-onboard-ships-salary-repatriation-2020-4

Where do you get the idea that MSC is a nonprofit charitable organization?

[Cullyman15]

42 minutes ago, sfaaa said:

Where do you get the idea that MSC is a nonprofit charitable organization?

What are you talking about, it'spretty simple MSC has decided not to pay some it's employees. I never said the were "a nonprofit charitable organization?"

[DerTobi75]

Just got an email from MSC about the FCC!

 

They are valid until 12/21, we can not cruise the next year. Does anybody have an idea, what to do now? We are from Germany, but MSC seems to be in Switzerland.

[danielbanks]

52 minutes ago, DerTobi75 said:

Just got an email from MSC about the FCC!

 

They are valid until 12/21, we can not cruise the next year. Does anybody have an idea, what to do now? We are from Germany, but MSC seems to be in Switzerland.

Would love to know how you get on as we are from the UK and booked with a german agent. Still waiting for our refund....

[stephenSJ]

MSC UK site has been updated again. Now no refund before end Jan 2021 and then possibly another 4 months delay in payment.

https://www.msccruises.co.uk/coronavirus/compensation

 

CRUISE CREDIT

For the cruises we are forced to cancel from March 10th to May 29th we will offer our guests 125% Future Cruise Credit.

The Future Cruise Credit must be redeemed by 31st January 2021 and is valid for all sailings taking place on or before 31st December 2021. If the Future Cruise Credit is not used by 31st January 2021 , guests are entitled to a refund equal to the original amount of the cruise fare paid. Please note refunds may take up to 120 days to be processed.

All affected guests will receive a communication directly from MSC Cruises or through their Travel Agent giving further details regarding their Future Cruise Credit and how to redeem it imminently.  For further queries please contact operationsuk@msccruises.co.uk.

 

For full Ts&Cs please refer to your voucher.

[Mattnvick]

Deleted

 

 

Edited April 21, 2020 by Mattnvick
Duplicate

[sidari]

Received our FCC earlier but MSC have Failed to tell the travel agents what the re booking conditions are! This lot are going from Bad to Worse. 

[yorkshirephil]

I have tried to make a claim on my credit card for our cancelled cruise and have been told that unless MSC actually refuse a refund I do not have a case. So I guess I will just have to wait it out.

[nyk24]

1 hour ago, yorkshirephil said:

I have tried to make a claim on my credit card for our cancelled cruise and have been told that unless MSC actually refuse a refund I do not have a case. So I guess I will just have to wait it out.

Sorry to hear that the CC company turned you down. You can appeal and if CC company turn you down again you can take it up with the ombudsman - might be quicker than waiting 8 to 12 months for a refund?

 

I would like to say the good news is everyone will get a refund if they want onet but MSC change their policy whenever it suits them.

 

Business 101 -  provide a good service for your customer - MSC are giving Ryanair a run for their money when it comes to marketing.

 

Mark my words they will have to slash their prices even harsher than other cruise lines to mark customers return now after this decision over refunds. I know there's a pandemic but waiting up to a year is unreasonable - it takes seconds for our payments to transfer to their bank accounts but a year to ours? Not reasonable not in any circumstances.

 

I think it would be easier in some ways to take them to a small claims court for breach of contract. It's a no brainer in some ways. Letter before action to MSC which will get ignored then fill in small claims form including details of case and the fact they changed there contract specifically removing clause 15.2. MSC are so useless I doubt they would show up in court to contest it lol. Normally most folks wouldn't bother going down this route but with the lockdown some of us have plenty of time on our hands.

 

I will try TA followed by CC company before I myself do anything with ombudsman or small claims.

 

I think the more people who put pressure on their TA or MSC (depending how you booked) it might make a difference? Or a quick email to the tabloids with a link to this forum might be enough to embarrass MSC into a change of heart?

[DCGuy64]

It would be interesting to see if anyone takes you up on that, @nyk24. I would think trying to take them to small claims court would be an exercise in futility. Suits against cruise lines are rarely, and I mean RARELY, won. History isn't on your side. Maybe under normal circumstances, but with an unprecedented pandemic across the entire world, that's very much an uphill climb, in my opinion. Better to try and resolve things with them or go through your travel agent (and this is one of the reasons we always book through a TA).

[sidari]

MSC UK have updated their Cruise Credit details once again with changes since this morning.

 

For the cruises we are forced to cancel from March 10th to May 29th we will offer our guests 125% Future Cruise Credit.

 

The Future Cruise Credit must be redeemed by 31st January 2021 and is valid for all sailings taking place on or before 31st December 2021.Should you be unable to redeem your 100% Future Cruise Credit you are entitled to apply for a refund equal to the original amount of the cruise fare paid. Please email operationsuk@msccruises.co.uk and your refund will be processed, please note the refund may take up to 120 days following the submission.

All affected guests will receive a communication directly from MSC Cruises or through their Travel Agent giving further details regarding their Future Cruise Credit and how to redeem it. For further queries please contact operationsuk@msccruises.co.uk.

 

For full Ts&Cs please refer to your voucher.

 

[nyk24]

Thanks @DCGuy64 for those words of advice I think the shock of MSCs latest announced just wound me up a little bit now I have calmed down a bit I am going to try and get the refund direct from my TA. The Package Travel Regulations 2018 state we can get our refunds in 14 days but that's during these times an unreasonable ask. I think 2 to 6 months is a fairer timescale and that is probably how long I will give them them. My TA and probably a lot of others would rather I waited a year or however long MSC decide to hold on to my money. Hopefully my TA will see sense and meet me in the middle. If not then it's CC company followed by ombudsman. Which is probably an easier thing than small claims court?

 

Small claims court is really a last resort but if you have tried everything else and don't want to wait I can't see it's a futile exercise (the big boys just want you to think it is). I personally have beaten councils into submission in court and the DVLA too so not concerned about the chances of winning a case it's the time and stress it causes which is what big companies rely on.

 

Before the onset of the internet I remember as a kid my dad (with no legal knowledge) successfully won a court case against a famous UK travel operator for a holiday we had that was awful so I don't think it's a case of you will lose against the big boys as in  unless it's a big case, companies like these only use local solicitors rather than a top legal expert. So like I said it's really a.case of time and hassle and most of us probably won't go down that route but if a minority do they can feel assured that it's.not impossible to win.

 

For now I am just going to email TA and if I don't get anywhere email their CEO. Before I take further steps with my CC company.

 

[DerTobi75]

My CC company told me today, it is too late now for a Chargeback.

 

I try to call MSC and try to get more information about those FCCs. May there is a was to use them after 2021. 

[DerTobi75]

Called the german MSC hotline today!

 

They told us, that we are on a list of customers, how asked for a refund instead of FCCs. A lawyer is checking those cases, if we can get the refund.

 

The woman I talked to could not tell me, what exactly the lawyer is checking and how long it takes. But we have a little hope now, to get the refund.

 

We send a (real) letter, right after MSC cancelled all Cruises, that put us on the list.

[KennyFla]

47 minutes ago, DerTobi75 said:

Called the german MSC hotline today!

 

They told us, that we are on a list of customers, how asked for a refund instead of FCCs. A lawyer is checking those cases, if we can get the refund.

 

They need a lawyer to check if money you already paid for something they are now not going to provide can be given back to you?

They way we pay for cruises way in advance, it looks like the cruise industry was running a giant ponzi scheme and now the bill has come due.

[Intergalactic Cruiser]

1 minute ago, KennyFla said:

They need a lawyer to check if money you already paid for something they are now not going to provide can be given back to you?

They way we pay for cruises way in advance, it looks like the cruise industry was running a giant ponzi scheme and now the bill has come due.

Crossed my mind recently too and after all Ponzi was Italian! 

[DerTobi75]

1 hour ago, KennyFla said:

They need a lawyer to check if money you already paid for something they are now not going to provide can be given back to you?

 

Afterall I am just happy, that there might be a chance, that we can get money back, instead of FCCs or any kind of voucher. 

 

But, even if it is the law, I do not expect too much ;-(

[nyk24]

1 hour ago, KennyFla said:

They need a lawyer to check if money you already paid for something they are now not going to provide can be given back to you?

They way we pay for cruises way in advance, it looks like the cruise industry was running a giant ponzi scheme and now the bill has come due.

 

Maybe the lawyer is checking to see how much interest they might have to pay if anyone took them to court over this "unauthorised loan" because essentially that is what it is! 😰 

 

We gave MSC or our TA money, they didn't cancel the order and refund us in a reasonable and timely manner but instead say they will in about 120 days. If we were to charge 8% monthly interest on the money we were owed and waited the 120 days for the refund then we would be due around a 150% refund - 

 

Nobody wants to be unreasonable and strictly enforce the law but why can't they act in a fair manner and meet us in the middle? I would be happy to wait a few weeks but a few months is just taking the mick and sucking any goodwill MSC ever had from it's customers. 

 

If you are reading this MSC  and want to hold on to people's money forever in a day then they need to offer better FCC bonuses or the option of a 100% refund in say 60 days and if we say waited 180 days for a 100% refund then they need to offer say a 25% FCC or OBC on any future cruise on top to say thank you for being so patient - controlling the whole situation to their total advantage and constantly changing their mind over refund policy is just going to push people to other cruise lines. 

 

All the cruise lines will be or are offering good deals which they haven't done much since after 9/11 - So MSCs reputation of having the lowest prices to compensate for their poor customer service will for the time being be irrelevant as right now they aren't the only cheap cruise line people can choose from?

[dexddd]

18 hours ago, sidari said:

MSC UK have updated their Cruise Credit details once again with changes since this morning.

 

For the cruises we are forced to cancel from March 10th to May 29th we will offer our guests 125% Future Cruise Credit.

 

The Future Cruise Credit must be redeemed by 31st January 2021 and is valid for all sailings taking place on or before 31st December 2021.Should you be unable to redeem your 100% Future Cruise Credit you are entitled to apply for a refund equal to the original amount of the cruise fare paid. Please email operationsuk@msccruises.co.uk and your refund will be processed, please note the refund may take up to 120 days following the submission.

All affected guests will receive a communication directly from MSC Cruises or through their Travel Agent giving further details regarding their Future Cruise Credit and how to redeem it. For further queries please contact operationsuk@msccruises.co.uk.

 

For full Ts&Cs please refer to your voucher.

 

I can't speak to UK or if things have changed.

 

I can say when I applied for FCC in US there was little t&c other than dates and the word of 'any' cruise within those dates.

 

If they change any wording anywhere that seems a breach and should allow passengers to either keep original offer or to get a refund.

[nyk24]

Just had a cheeky idea.

 

I could email the MSC UK & Ireland CEO - Mr Antonio Paradiso (he is also on linkedin) and politely put my grievance to him along with a link to this thread or maybe leave the link out but just say there's a lot of unhappy people on some of the big cruise forums?

 

These guys are human after all and I have heard stories that the big wigs at MSC do like to fix things when things go wrong sometimes. Has anyone ever emailed a cruise line CEO and what happened?

[sidari]

I would guess that he will be busy along with the rest of the staff in the MSC UK office trying to get the fcc's out as soon as they can. Don't forget that many of them will be working from home at this time.