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SAY NO TO MSC


vany123
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We were scheduled to sail on Seaside in July 2020 but canceled in March because of COVID and STILL HAVE NOT RECEIVED OUR REFUND!!! We have been given the run around and would have definitely booked again with them another time but because of the poor service we have received we will book with another liner. Nobody can tell us when we will receive our money back and it is just very frustrating! Not sure what else we need to do but I am debating legal intervention because we have worked hard for our money are we cannot even get an answer as to when we will be refunded. You need to do better MSC because this will determine if people sail with you in the future. We were first told 30 days then 60 days then 90 days and now it is almost 7 months. What else should we do? Carnival here we come!!! Say NO to MSC!!!

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Wow so sorry to hear about your refund. We were scheduled to be on Seaside also for B2B in June. Cruises were cancelled in April by MSC and got our refund about a month ago.

I did use a travel agent. Hope you get your refund soon.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

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Haven't you read similar complaints re most or all of the other cruiselines?  I have.

We opted for FCC, but have received the refund of our taxes.  Our airline gave us a "courtesy" extension, but only up to early February.  We eventually received one hotel refund, but not the other.  We have not received a refund of our transportation service, even though it was sold as "cancel for full refund".

In other words, I don't think MSC is alone in taking time to refund.  Patience is the key.

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2 hours ago, shipgeeks said:

Haven't you read similar complaints re most or all of the other cruiselines?  I have.

We opted for FCC, but have received the refund of our taxes.  Our airline gave us a "courtesy" extension, but only up to early February.  We eventually received one hotel refund, but not the other.  We have not received a refund of our transportation service, even though it was sold as "cancel for full refund".

In other words, I don't think MSC is alone in taking time to refund.  Patience is the key.

So many complaints about many cruiselines and many travel companies generally. 

 

 

 

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3 hours ago, vany123 said:

Carnival here we come!!!

Have you read the litany of complaints like yours, not only on the Carnival board, but on pretty much every board? Everybody is complaining, even on the luxury cruise line boards. 
 

I do feel for you though. I know that it has to be frustrating to wait so long for a refund. I do recommend that you don’t give up and continue calling until you get someone, not only willing to help you, but with the expertise to do so. When I’ve had to call MSC I do so early in the morning when they first open. I always seem to get through right away.

 

When our Armonia Cruise was canceled, MSC automatically moved us to a replacement cruise that didn’t work for us. I called as soon as the phone line opened in the morning and got an agent who stayed with me until the booking was canceled and the refund processed. Sure enough, the refund appeared on my credit card within 7 business days as promised. She was truly helpful, patient, and knowledgeable. Hope you get your issues resolved. 

 

 

Edited by Tapi
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Get in line...see the March black hole thread.  Ok, there are some other lines having issues.  I only really follow NCL and even there are few complaints.  Maybe those quick to defend MSC would have different response if they were actually in your situation like we are.  MSC has royally muffed this.

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Granted, MSC's customer service leaves a lot to be desired.  But, is that why you chose them in the first place.  For us it was the combination of price and high level of quality ( I am relying on comments here, technically I have not set foot on an MSC ship yet because of the virus).

 

If dealing with reservation/billing is their big weak point, I can live with that.  My travel agent says that is her job 🙂

Edited by KennyFla
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3 hours ago, KennyFla said:

For us it was the combination of price and high level of quality ( I am relying on comments here, technically I have not set foot on an MSC ship yet because of the virus).

🙂

 

I would not describe MSC as offering "high quality".  IMO, They are a budget cruise line offering exceptional VALUE, but the cost cutting measures onboard were noticeable. Keeping expectations aligned with price paid is always my advice regarding MSC. Of course, this is a MSC board and most people are very 'pro' MSC.... I am too!!! I just don't expect Champaign on a beer budget. 

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Did you cancel or did they?  That seems to make a difference with the other lines.

 

We were on Celebrity, they cancelled and we received a refund.  However, I jumped the gun and went to my credit card because someone posted you only had 100 days to cancel from when you booked (credit card).  That turned out not to be true, but I found out after I went to our CC (BOA).  Don't know what would have happened if I waited it out, but we got our money from Celebrity about a week after filing our dispute.

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Like @Tapi, I feel for the OP and am sorry he/she has had to wait so long. With that said, we had our May cruise on Preziosa cancelled by MSC, we had our travel agent request a FCC of 125% and received it within 3 weeks. And as others have said, all other cruise lines have had instances of refunds taking longer than usual. This is where I reaffirm the use of a professional travel agent. Let him/her do the phoning and not me! Good luck and stay positive.

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On 9/21/2020 at 3:22 PM, vany123 said:

We were scheduled to sail on Seaside in July 2020 but canceled in March because of COVID and STILL HAVE NOT RECEIVED OUR REFUND!!! We have been given the run around and would have definitely booked again with them another time but because of the poor service we have received we will book with another liner. Nobody can tell us when we will receive our money back and it is just very frustrating! Not sure what else we need to do but I am debating legal intervention because we have worked hard for our money are we cannot even get an answer as to when we will be refunded. You need to do better MSC because this will determine if people sail with you in the future. We were first told 30 days then 60 days then 90 days and now it is almost 7 months. What else should we do? Carnival here we come!!! Say NO to MSC!!!

 

I was waiting for a refund too and happened to log into my Reservation Number from the cancelled cruise and found out I was rebooked on a different cruise under that same res number.  So first I recommend you go to mscruisesusa.com and log in with your original reservation number and see what shows up.  Second would be to open a dispute with your credit card company, assuming they cancelled your cruise, not you. 

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Thoroughly enjoy MSC cruises and have ours lined  up for 2021. Have cruised on the Divina and Seaside and Armonia and Meraviglia, a few times each. Have never had a bad experience. It never ceases to amaze me how one person can be ‘loving’ their cruise while at the same time another person says ‘this is the worst ship I have ever been on.”

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I cancelled my Dec 2020 cruise 3 months ago and they said I won't get my deposit back until 3 months before the cruise was supposed to go (I guess before  the theoretical final payment) -- who has ever heard of that?  With that being said, I love the YC (way more affordable than NCL's Haven) so I am stuck with them...

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13 hours ago, xcell said:

I cancelled my Dec 2020 cruise 3 months ago and they said I won't get my deposit back until 3 months before the cruise was supposed to go (I guess before  the theoretical final payment) -- who has ever heard of that?  With that being said, I love the YC (way more affordable than NCL's Haven) so I am stuck with them...

We find that interesting.  In a previous posting we mentioned that we had recently (about 3 weeks ago) cancelled a Dec 2020 cruise and rebooked it for October 2021.  We did the cancellation a few days before the final payment was due because we did not want to get into the situation where MSC owed us a lot of money and we had little faith in that Dec cruise.  MSC refunded our small deposit (on the Dec cruise) within 5 days.  

 

I had also mentioned we were very surprised to get that $399 Deposit refunded at all!  Our cruise agent had requested that it simply be moved over as the required deposit for the Oct 2021 cruise as MSC had sent us an e-mail saying we could cancel and move our deposit to any future cruise.  However, apparently MSC does not read their own e-mails (i.e. the left hand has no clue there is even a right hand) and the USA office said it was nearly impossible to move a deposit :).  Go figure.

 

Hank

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As I've mentioned elsewhere, I filed a dispute with American Express and received a refund in roughly 2 weeks.  I am now booked on a 2021 cruise.  Was not interested in FCC, as there are uncertainties with that, i.e. might not get it back under certain conditions.

Edited by Stockjock
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On 9/23/2020 at 3:25 AM, Seadweller001 said:

We had three cruises canceled.  Called MSC and were refunded in 30 days.  Great customer service every time we have dealt with them.

WOW. That must be a first, you are the ONLY person that have reported having received a refund.  There are many thousands still waiting in vain.   We been told 120 days to receive refund.  

I support the OP. -  Say NO to MSC .............they are totally untrustworthy 

Edited by mickey89
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On 9/23/2020 at 9:01 PM, Stockjock said:

As I've mentioned elsewhere, I filed a dispute with American Express and received a refund in roughly 2 weeks.  I am now booked on a 2021 cruise.  Was not interested in FCC, as there are uncertainties with that, i.e. might not get it back under certain conditions.

I filed a dispute with VISA back in July......still waiting their decision.  Wish I used my AMEX now

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31 minutes ago, mickey89 said:

WOW. That must be a first, you are the ONLY person that have reported having received a refund.  There are many thousands still waiting in vain.   We been told 120 days to receive refund.  

I support the OP. -  Say NO to MSC .............they are totally untrustworthy 

I booked these cruises onboard in January 2020 with Future Cruises.  Not sure if that made a difference but when I called MSC, the Agent was super polite and friendly and said I ll see my refund within 10 business days and she was right.  Maybe having the intermediary TA involved with possible commissions Involved makes a difference.  I think MSC is great and responsive.

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39 minutes ago, mickey89 said:

I filed a dispute with VISA back in July......still waiting their decision.  Wish I used my AMEX now

In my experience, AMEX is far and away the most customer friendly credit card company.  I think they pressured MSC and they agreed to a prompt refund.

Now I do have a higher-end AMEX card (platinum), but I've also had good experiences with other "regular" AMEX cards.  Here's a story.

Paid to have all 4 of my car's wheels refinished.  Paid with an AMEX card.  A few days later, I curbed one of them.  100% my own fault.  Boneheaded move.

But I thought, "I know that AMEX has a lot of customer protections baked into their benefits.  Maybe I'll call them and see if anything is applicable under these circumstances".  Called them and they promptly refunded the cost to refinish all 4 wheels, even though I had only damaged 1 and it was admittedly my own fault.

 

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