What do you do when your cruise-booking website cancels your cruise and you have to fight for your money back? That's what many who booked a wine trip through finefoodandwinecruises.com are trying to figure out.
Passengers were set to go on a seven-day cruise along the coast of Italy but the company canceled the trip and now customers are in a fight to get a refund, ABC 13 reports.
"I signed up for this wine cruise with my favorite vintner from California," wine enthusiast Gregory Berry told ABC 13.Berry wanted to go on this unique trip with his wife and he paid the initial deposit back in 2011. He paid $7,200 to finefoodandwinecruises.com.
However in December, he received an email saying the cruise was canceled.
We'll contact you at the beginning of the year with your options," Berry said about the e-mail he received. Berry hasn't heard from the company since.
However he did receive a letter from the wine vineyard, who was as stumped as he was.
"They had been told by the cruise company that the cruise had been canceled, unbeknownst to them," Berry said.
Berry started to reach out to other passengers to see if they were going the same thing. They were and some even contacted the Attorney General Office. That's when he knew he wasn't getting his money.
"The money's gone," Berry told ABC.
ABC 13 contacted finefoodandwinecruises.com and received a statement that said the company shut down but was dealing with customers.
"Despite every effort, including significant cash infusions, Fine Food and Wine Cruises is closed. Approximately 95 percent of the passengers are being fully taken care of," the statement said.
The company is under investigation.
Berry still hasn't heard any information about getting his money back. He hopes his credit card company will be able to give him a refund though.
Sarah Shimmer with AAA offered some advice to travelers so that they can avoid this situation.
"Getting travel insurance is always a great policy," Shimmer told ABC. "Make sure you have protection in case your trip is canceled or interrupted. That's another aspect of coverage."
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
