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The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning consumers about CruiseBuilder, a South Jordan vacation and cruise tour booking company that has canceled its customers’ vacations without notice, leaving people across the country out thousands of dollars.
Since January, the BBB has seen a 500% increase in profile inquiries for CruiseBuilder. 105 complaints have been published on BBB.org, with more pending to allow the company an opportunity to respond. The combined total from February, March, and April make up most of the business’s complaints over the last year.
“Reported losses are anywhere from several hundred to several thousand dollars, making this a costly case of a business gone bad,” said Jane Rupp, President and CEO of BBB Mountain West.
One consumer reported CruiseBuilder promised they would issue a full refund in thirty days, but the consumer stopped hearing from the business and never received their money. Another noted buying a travel package that cost $10,000 just for flights, saying when they called the airline for information, they learned the money had been refunded to the company directly and have since been unable to reach anyone at CruiseBuilder.
“I have emailed and called, and called, and emailed, and emailed and called CruiseBuilder with no response regarding their willingness to honor the $10,000 we paid for our previous flights,” one man told BBB. “Does anyone know how to reach someone at CruiseBuilder?”
Adding to the difficulty in contacting anyone, the business’s website, cruisebuilder.com, has been taken down and replaced with a misspelled notice that the site is under maintenance. Callers hear an automated message that all requests must go through email, only to report later that their attempts to do so have gone unanswered. According to a sign on CruiseBuilder’s door, the company claims to have moved to a virtual office.
“While there are many steps you can take to give yourself the best chance of a positive experience, sometimes bad things happen and we’re left to figure out where to go next,” said Rupp. CruiseBuilder had previously been responsive to BBB complaints, only receiving 1-2 a month. They stopped responding in March to their consumers’ and BBB’s attempts to contact them.
The Better Business Bureau offers the following tips for consumers who have spent money through CruiseBuilder and have not been able to reach a resolution with the company:
- Contact your bank, credit card company, or whatever financial institution you purchased your services through. Sometimes, they can help you file a claim to receive your money back if the purchase was made within a certain time frame.
- Contact the airlines, cruise ships, etc., to find more information about your trip and see if they can help you recover your money or vacation.
- File a complaint on BBB.org. Even if the company doesn’t respond, logging a complaint will help provide a scope of what’s happening and how other consumers handle similar situations.
- Reach out to legal counsel. Though costly and time-consuming, taking the company to court may be your best option if you cannot resolve it independently. Just because a company closes its doors doesn’t mean it is relieved of its obligations or responsibilities toward customers.
Remember: BBB Accredited Businesses promise to adhere to BBB's Standards for Trust, so look for the BBB Accredited Business Seal the next time you travel. It's the Sign of a Better Business.
To consumers who are looking to purchase vacations through cruise and tour companies in the future, BBB offers the following tips:
- Research the company. Before you fall in love with a trip, do your research. Look at as many web pages as you can find to see what others are saying. Look for businesses that have plenty of internet presence. Read reviews, check their profile on BBB.org, and read consumer complaints.
- Check how long a business has been operating. You can find a business’s registration details online. Also, searching the company name next to “bankruptcy” or “court” may pull up any history of financial problems. However, understand that a business might close at any time without warning.
- Read the contract. Ensure you thoroughly review everything in the contract before signing it. Ask for sample contracts from several different companies to see what’s standard and what isn’t. Ask questions if you’re concerned, and don’t sign if you don’t feel comfortable.
- Consider refunds instead of vouchers for future services should something go wrong. Some organizations offer a voucher for a free future trip if they have to cancel your current one. CruiseBuilder did this during the pandemic and many complainants took those vouchers. Because you can never know what will happen to a company years in the future, it can be safer to take a refund and plan another trip later.
- Consider planning yourself. One benefit of these businesses is to take the planning and logistics out of long, complicated trips with multiple destinations. Several free websites and blogs offer tips for coordinating your trip and might be a viable option for those planning to spend thousands on a trip.
- Double-check prices. Research what other trips cost, and resist high-pressure sales tactics to make you commit to a product or service on the spot. If you hear about the prices at an expo or other event, make sure you check that the prices are the same after the event.
- Book within your budget. Work out a reasonable budget so that if something goes wrong, you can make backup plans should you so desire.
- Get it in writing. Get all sales promises in writing, including specific dates, products, prices, name brands, etc. Make sure all oral agreements are included in the written contract. Cancellation policies should also be included.
- Pay with a credit card and know the time limitations to file claims. Avoid paying in cash up-front for services. If you pay by credit card you have protection in case of a problem that is not available with other forms of payment. Most credit cards only allow claims to be made within a certain timeframe. Know what those limits are and consider traveling within them if feasible or possible.
- Follow up. Confirm all services one or two weeks before the trip and verify all the agreed-upon details.