Let's say you were given a $1,000 credit for a laptop you paid for but the company just went bankrupt.
But now, to redeem that same laptop, you find out that the price has gone up to $2,000, meaning you would would have to top up another $1,000 just to get that same laptop.
That, in a nutshell, is just about how Facebook user Lokey Max Cheng felt after discovering that the price of his cruise trip with Resorts World Cruises went from $2,700 to over $5,400 after the cruise company reopened with a new name last month.
In a post on Facebook yesterday (June 1), Cheng explained his plight in the Complaint Singapore Facebook group.
Cheng said that he had spent $2,700 on an earlier cruise booking with the now-defunct Dream Cruise through an unnamed travel agency.
"I paid a total of $2,700 for three balcony deluxe rooms which included everything for a four-day, three-night nowhere cruise," Cheng wrote on his post.
However, he didn't get a refund after Dream Cruise shut down.
When he heard that the new Resorts World Cruises was Dream Cruise "back with another name" and even offered complimentary credits equalling the $2,700 he had paid earlier, Cheng jumped at the opportunity to redeem those credits.
"Me and my family were delighted to hear the news that dream cruise is back with another name and we were given back our credits to book again," Cheng posted.
Unfortunately, his happiness was short-lived — his travel agency told him that prices had increased and there were additional fees, all amounting to more than double the original price to $5,470 now, negating all the complimentary credits he had received earlier.
Worst of all, Cheng claimed that he would be unable to get a refund if he didn't want to take the cruise.
"I think this is really ridiculous," Cheng said, upset. "What should we do now?"
When contacted by AsiaOne, a Resorts World Cruises spokesperson said: "We are immediately looking into the matter to understand the nature of the complaint and the price difference as informed."
The company said they are also attempting to reach out to Cheng to assist him further on on the matter and his bookings.
However, it seems that Cheng is not the only one affected by this price increase.
Another Facebook user wrote in his post that she was facing the same issue.
"We need to go back to the travel agency which we booked the Dream Cruise if [we intend to use] the complimentary credits," the user said. "Now though they are running a promotion, they don't allow us to use our complimentary credits to book the promotion packages."
However, another Facebook user who didn't use a travel agency to book her tickets shared images of her purchase.
She said that she purchased her tickets directly from Resorts World Cruises and received negligible additional fees after deducting from the complimentary credits she had.
Resorts World Cruises' spokesperson told AsiaOne they will "remain committed to thanking [their] vacationers" for their continued support.
Resorts World Cruises will be providing complimentary cruise credit of equivalent value for all affected passengers impacted by World Dream's cruise cancellation in Singapore between March 2 and Aug 31, 2022 and have yet to receive any refund from their original booking source, the spokesperson said.
Any affected customers that require assistance or have queries on the matter can email reservations.en@rwcruises.com.
Dream Cruise ceased operations for their World Dream vessel on March 2, 2022.
In the wake of that, customers were able to submit claims for deposit refunds, Today reported at the beginning of March this year.
On June 15, Genting Dream, a vessel previously under Dream Cruise, will set sail once more under the flag of Resorts World Cruises, the Straits Times reported last month.
READ ALSO: Man fears losing $6,000 deposit as Dream Cruises' World Dream stops sailing
khooyihang@asiaone.com