The Consumers’ Foundation yesterday criticized Costa Cruises as “irresponsible” after the Italian cruise ship operator agreed to pay only US$50 per person to compensate passengers whose trips to Japan last week were disrupted due to a mechanical malfunction.
On Tuesday last week, 3,536 people departed aboard the Costa Serena at the Port of Keelung for tours to Japan’s Okinawa and Ishigaki Island. Due to a mechanical malfunction, the ship was stuck at Okinawa’s Naha Port, and the voyage to Ishigaki was canceled.
The vessel docked in Keelung at 7am on Saturday, a day later than it was previously scheduled to return.
Photo courtesy of Hung Tun-chih
The cruise ship operator said in a statement that the technical issue constituted force majeure, adding that it has handled the dispute with passengers in accordance with its global operation guidelines.
The compensation package it offered included US$50 per traveler and a complete waiver of room service tips. Travelers rebooking the tour with the same cruise ship before the end of next year would receive a US$100 rebate.
Those who reserved tours that would have departed on Friday last week — about 3,000 people — would be entitled to a full refund without being charged service fees, or they could rebook the same package on Costa Serena for departure dates between June 25 and Sept. 3, the company said.
People who choose the latter option would also receive an on-board spending fund of US$100.
Travelers were dissatisfied with Costa Cruises for its characterization of the ship’s technical issue as an event covered by force majeure, the foundation said in a statement.
Travelers were at one point allowed to disembark in Okinawa, but were later prohibited from doing so, it said.
“It is irresponsible to try to dismiss consumers by merely compensating them US$50 per person,” it said.
“We urge Costa Cruises to be transparent in its handling of the dispute, regularly update their customers on the progress made at this front and answer their questions,” the foundation said.
“The company should have a reasonable mechanism for compensation in place, particularly regarding the compensation for the canceled trip to Ishigaki Island,” it added.
The company should also consider insuring their tours to cover potential financial losses incurred from them, it said, adding that the compensation should not be distributed by arbitrarily quoting a price.
Costa Cruises should learn from MSC Cruises, which encountered a mechanical problem with its MSC Bellissima in December last year, it said.
After announcing the cancelation of the voyage, MSC Cruises not only arranged connecting flights to take passengers back to Taiwan, but also fully refunded the cruise tickets, it said.
If the passengers chose to stay in Japan, MSC Cruises offered to compensate them no more than US$200, or the equivalent, per person, while those who stayed in countries outside of Japan were compensated no more than US$400, or the equivalent, per person as transportation expenses, the foundation said.
MSC Cruises also provided vouchers applicable for available voyages in the future, it said.
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