This Colorado man was charged an $853 “re-booking” fee for a cruise that the couple was going to take. Tom Ast had just lost his wife of 45 years, Marilyn, to cancer. On her deathbed, his wife told him to take the planned trip anyway. After Ast called the company, Viking River Cruises, to report that his wife was dead and he was going on the cruise alone, they decided to stick him with the fee because she was no longer going on the trip with him.
Tom was hesitant to even go on their trip, but he thought going with his family and friends would help him celebrate his dear wife’s memory. The cruise line said the re-booking fee was policy when removing someone from a reservation.
Tom was even told he would forfeit the $11,000 he had already paid if he didn’t pay the re-booking fee. After getting zero help through Viking River’s customer service, he called his local TV news station. They contacted the cruise line and got the $853 refunded.
Ast said:
“It’s like kicking somebody when they’re down on the ground. It’s the lowest point in your life and they’re trying to take advantage of you.”
The cruise is in the Mediterranean Sea, and Mr. Ast is now looking forward to the trip. The cruise line, Viking River Cruises was founded in 1997. They take trips all over Europe, Egypt, Asia and Russia. It started out as a Dutch company, but has since expanded to all of Europe, and now they have an office in Los Angeles, California. In addition to shore excursions, they also have cultural classes offered on the ship: language classes, cultural cooking classes, etc.
Hopefully, this poor widower will enjoy the trip that he had planned with his wife.
Featured image by danzil raines via Flickr, available under Creative Commons 2.0 license.
