Complaints

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• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/03/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We booked a trip to ********* via ******* through Poseidon expeditions and paid $4k more than other passengers in the similar deck. Our room had heating issues despite paying $17k in total for me and my wife. besides we had given our travel itinerary in advance to poseidon and they chose to book the hotel on 25th may 2023 in radison despite knowing we were arriving on 26th may 2023. we arrived at the hotel around 11:00 am on 26th may and no arrangements for breakfast was made despite our long flight. Also the activities on the cruise was not as promised as we were stranded for 4 days. my wife was seasick and the doctor on board did not attend to her even once . we gave our dietary requirements to them and they did not make ample provisions for vegetarian food and also served fried items which was not healthy for us. when we complaint to *********************, about the excessive costs and the heating in the room, she made a false claim that no record of such was found which was untrue. she gave an offer of $1700 usd which was not in line with the $4000 excessive costs we paid than others in same deck. we request a refund for the inconvenience we suffered during our cruise.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/04/2023

  I have responded to ************* complaints several times.  Let me take then point by point: 

  1> Reserving a hotel room for him.: Yes we were aware that he was arriving on the 26, but in order to ensure he had some place to go and rest and refresh after his flight, we reserved a room for him at the hotel.  This was at no charge to the ******. The restaurant at the hotel stops serving breakfast before 11 am - there was no way to make the kind of accommodation that he is complaining about.  The breakfast is a standard inclusion at this hotel and has a limited time window.  We reserved the room for them for their convenience and comfort, not because we had to since they had advised us that they were arriving a day late (the package started on the 25 May 2023, not the 26tth)

  2. The room rate.  I have checked every cabin in that category - there was one that paid less than the ****** - The cabin that paid less booked during our Black Friday Special.  This ended 7 weeks prior to the Mehta's making their reservation.  If a special rate is over then the passenger booking are not entitled to that rate.  That would be like someone telling ********* you had this Television on sale in November and I want it at that price in January.  It does not work that way.  The passenger who paid $4000 less per person was on the same deck, but was in a Triple Classic Suite - Three people in the cabin.  The price per person in a triple is always less than that of a double.  It is like comparing apples and oranges - they are not the same thing just because they are both in the produce section of the supermarket. 

  3. As to being stranded for 4 days - this is just blatantly false.  I have attached the report from the Expedition leader.  This is a log of the daily activities.  It is accurate as it has to be maintained  and available to local governing bodies. We do not give daily itineraries not do we guarantee any particular stops. As a matter of fact we state :

  Important: 
  Itinerary, landings and all other activities during the cruise depend strongly on ice and weather conditions and are subject to the decisions of the Expedition Leader and the Captain of the vessel. Encounters with any mentioned wildlife cannot be guaranteed.

  This disclaimer is on every trip page on our website in the brochure.  This is expedition cruising in the polar regions.  it is dependent on weather and ice conditions which are beyond the control of Poseidon Expeditions. 

  The last item mentioned was the ship's doctor and poor treatment.  The first time that was mentioned was in a phone conversation yesterday.  The ship's physician is not am employee of Poseidon Expeditions.  I asked ************** to put it in writing so I could forward it to the ship's owner. I will do that today. 

  We did try to offer what we felt was more than fair compensation given that much of what he said was without basis.  He refused our offer and wanted more compensation.  I felt a 10% refund was more than adequate. 

   

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/04/2023

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  None of the cabins as mentioned had triple occupancy as there were on 2 per cabin and we have checked the same while on board . I have attached a proof of what was paid by a fellow passenger in January2023 same time I paid and she was willing to share the details if required.. for 4 days we were stranded on the ship and it was not the first time we have taken an expeditions . We have done similar expeditions with Oveanwide (one of their competitors )to Antartica and ******** and paid way less and had many outings twice a day and despite the weather challenges they ensured we Maximized our travel benefit . We never made a single complaint to them

  as we had a great experience and paid way less for similar tours. We wanted to cancel the tour as we found out that our son had exams till 26th may 2023  , we couldnt as Poseidon were not offering similar tour in the time we requested and was not willing to refund our deposit ? We took the tour after making alternative arrangements for him despite his school commitments 
  We did raise the issue of the onboard hospital staff yesterday as it slipped our mind , but raised it  yesterday as my wife who was sea sick for 3 days was not attended and given proper medical attention. Besides when I got drenched in the rain , and had a simple cold he refused to give medication claiming that it was past his clinic hours .. and my wife had to ****************** from fellow passenger to get better .. also he was looking at checking me for Covid which was not necessary as i had no such symptoms.

  as far as we are concerned who Poseidon had as a medical staff is irrelevant, it was their responsibility to ensure the health and safety of their customers for the 2 weeks we were on the cruise . Considering the exorbitant amount we paid over other passengers, and letting them our know dietary requirements in advance , they should have ensured they had made ample arrangements for vegetarian passengers as none was available outside of the ship even if chose to eat in a restaurant? 
  considering the experience with food, accommodation , cost and medical services we felt that $1700 was not a fair compensation especially when we paid more than 5 star rates .. we were wiling to settle for $2000 usd which Poseidon didnt want to consider . We are willing to settle this amicably for the amount we requested. 

  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  Vishal

   

   

  Business Response

  Date: 08/07/2023

  ************* has stated that he has included an invoice that shows he paid $4000 more than other passengers in the same category, but no such invoice was attached. The only invoice attached was his.  I have gone over every Classic Suite on the ship and as previously stated there was one that paid less than he did because of when they purchased the trip.  I have also reviewed all of the other classic cabins and none were booked in January 2023 existed.  

  Regarding the medical issues, Sea Sickness medication is available at the reception desk which is open 24 hours a day everyday..  It had never been mentioned prior to Thursday of last week.  There was a mention of meals not being brought to her.  Unless the passengers are quarantined, we do not provide room service.  ************* was always welcome to bring food back to the cabin for ************** while she was feeling ill.  The fact that they doctor would not give ************** medication for ************* head cold without seeing him is proper medical protocol. Also the symptoms of a typical head cold and Covid 19 are often confused and can't be determined without a proper Covid test. 

  I am sorry he did not find the activities to his liking, but to say he was stranded for 4 to 5 days, that is far from the truth.  I attached the Expedition Leaders report showing the various activities.  

  The fact that they did not like the vegetarian offerings available does not negate the fact that there were, in fact, vegetarian offerings at every meal. I am attaching copies of the menus from this expedition.  I added a selection, but there is not enough room to upload more. 

  ************* did call our office and ask if he could cancel at no fee, but he was within the cancellation penalty period according to our terms and conditions.  We did offer to transfer his deposit to a different reservation at no fee but he chose to make arrangements for his son and stay with the trip. 

  If he had mentioned the medical issue originally we would have addressed it right then and there, but he did not mention it until 2 months after the trip. ************** could remember that he did not like the food but could not remember that his wife was ill and in need of medical attention for 3 days. Also, was this addressed on the ship? The Ship's Doctor is available 24/7 for all medical emergencies.   All medical issues are noted in the Expedition Leaders report.  The Mehta were not mentioned and I removed this section  for the medical privacy of our other passenger according to HIPA laws.  

   

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/08/2023

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. 

  What Poseidon fails to understand that we are not first time travellers for such expeditions, we have taken trip to Antartica and ******** through Oceanwide Expeditions and had much better experience and service than Poseidon Expeditions. We paid way less than and got lot better service and value for the monies we spend. If we are paying 7 star rates, we expect 7 star service. What they fail to understand and deliver is value for money. I have attached the what app conversation of one of the passenger who didnt want to be disclosed at the initial stage, but she will testify if we are unable to resolve this amicably. She paid way less than us and also had kayaking and free pickups which was not offered to us. 

  The fact that MD of Poseidon claims that the medical service is 24x7 is completely false and baseless as we were told of set visiting hours which we found to be unacceptable and atrocious given we were on sea and had alternative.

  Most of our food was very oily and unhealthy and considering we were on the ship, it was making us more sick and we had to skip some meals. The MD was not offering similar trip in **** and most of the alternatives she offered was clashing with our Son's school time and there was complete lack of flexibility on her part. I wanted to cancel within 4 days of booking which I think wasn't unreasonable given our situation and she was not very accommodating as we were in danger of losing the entire deposit but had no choice but to take this expensive and below par trip.

  As far as the outings are concerned, we had twice a day trip with oceanwide as opposed to once a day trip with limited ground Time with Poseidon. Most expeditions offer twice a day trips to help maximise the passengers holiday time.

  Besides the complaint about the lack of medical administration by the doctor slipped our mind as we were traveling and only reached *** few days back. we were overseas since May 2023 and only returned to *** on 3rd August 2023. Soon as we reached, we brought this additional issue with the ** of Poseidon ***.

  It has been nearly 6 weeks since we are exchanging emails and also gave them an offer to resolve this which we dont think is unreasonable given all the experience we had .  instead of continuously exchanging emails and they defending baselessly, they should looking at resolving this and work on improving customer service by providing reasonable rates and service.

  
  Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.
  
  FAQ
  
  Regards,

  Vishal