While it might seem like this could never happen in such a wild way, one luxury vacation company shut down randomly. Vantage Deluxe World Travel shut down recently and left several customers completely stranded. Now, a class-action lawsuit has been filed against the company over this travel horror story. What is so odd is that Vantage used to be a relatively well-respected tour company. The fact that they ruined that reputation by ceasing operations while they still had customers to take care of is absolutely horrible.
The company was known for mostly offering luxury vacations all over the world. Each specialized in an all-inclusive, high-end tour. Vantage had been in business for 40 years before this recent shutdown, so most had no reason to assume they’d run into any problems. Many new luxury companies can often claim to be more than they are or can pretty much shut down out of nowhere. Yet this is not unexpected due to how new they are, but no one had a reason to suspect Vantage would do this.
One customer, Carolyn Cafalo Horich, is a retired professor at the age of 82. She had used Vantage in the past and was excited to take her daughters on a voyage to both Spain & Portugal, minus the grandchildren. It was going to be an amazing trip. However, just days before their departure, only one of them received a cancelation email. Horich herself was already packed and ready to go before calling up Vantage to ask what was going on.
The company reportedly role her: “I’m sorry, this just isn’t going to work. We’re not going to be able to do this.”
A retired elementary school teacher, Suzanne Clarke, had traveled with Vantage four different times and enjoyed each one. She was looking forward to her trip to Africa before it was called off. She claims that she felt a sense of betrayal after this took place.
People Want Their Money Back And For Good Reason
[Image via Vantage Deluxe World Travel]
When a company cannot fulfill its obligations, naturally a customer will request their money back. Normally, this is not a bad thing to do as it’s completely understandable on the part of the customer. It’s easy to see why people like Clarke & Horich would request to get their money back after not getting the chance to go on the trip they already paid for. Yet Clarke summed up the problem with this perfectly when she said:
“I think we have a right to demand our refund in full. The trouble is, thousands of other people want the same thing.”
It is said that Vantage owes millions of dollars back to its customers.
According to a report from NewsNation, they were able to speak to several passengers about their canceled trips. Some spent as much as $40,000 on their trip too, but no refunds have been sent out. The worst part is that they are STILL selling trips and customers are still getting brochures with discounted cruises on them.
Ronald Dunbar, Jr. is the lawyer responsible for handling this class-action lawsuit. It initially included only a few people but it has since been growing as more travelers are unable to take the trips they planned. Dunbar claimed that everyone joining the lawsuit spent anywhere between $15,000 to $60,000, and none have been given a refund. Everyone involved seems to be on the older side as well, between 65 to 80.
Unpaid Debts
[Image via Vantage Deluxe World Travel]
Vantage Travel’s River Splendor cruise liner, which was supposed to be sailing this summer, is being held in Germany due to unpaid debts. The company’s new Ocean Explorer & Odyssey ships were docked downstream along the Normandy Coast in France.
Dunbar, Jr. said this case is pretty significant because Vantage Travel has not come forward to address any of the concerns so far. They have remained completely silent on the cancellations as well as complaints. Moreover, they have not addressed when people should expect a refund. He went on to say:
“Usually, you’ll have the adversary come out and say, ‘look, we apologize and experience some technical delays, or we’ve experienced a shortage of fuel, whatever the excuse is. Here it is just radio silence.”
The silence on this matter is painful for many people because not only are they out thousands of dollars, but it’s unlikely they’ll get to have any type of vacation this summer as a result. Due to the massive amount many spent on their trip with Vantage, there is no way they can come up with enough money in time to get another cruise with another company.
Many travelers also feel guilty because they recommended Vantage to friends and family members. Who now are also out thousands of dollars.
Several media companies have reached out to Vantage Deluxe World Travel as well as the company’s attorney, but none have been given a response. Yet again going radio silent at a time when they really shouldn’t be quiet.
Funny enough, Vantage did claim it was up for sale recently though. Despite current cancelation issues, the current owners are still in negotiations to sell, which could be why they are not getting back to any customers. Yet employees claimed they are not getting paid, which likely contributed to the complete shutdown of operations.