A devastating loss, then a needless hassle

For Crimins, the sense of loss was profound. “I felt an inner core of emptiness,” she said.

One thing Crimins didn’t worry much about was getting a refund of the more than $11,500 she and Fred had paid in advance to Viking River Cruise, the world’s largest river cruise company.

In an e-mail with the subject line “Sad — sorry, cancel trip,” Crimins wrote to her travel agent: “Obviously, the trip to France will need to be canceled and hopefully the money can be refunded.”

But that’s not what happened. For weeks, Viking denied her a cash refund. Instead, it sent her thousands of dollars in vouchers for future travel on Viking. (Actually, she was sent about $2,500 more in vouchers than the cash balance the cruise company owed her.) But the vouchers were no good to Crimins because she could not imagine going on a cruise without Fred.

Crimins shared with me a dozen e-mails she exchanged with her travel agent, Lorraine Bennett, who pleaded with Viking for a cash refund. Bennett also tried to make a claim on the travel insurance policy the couple had purchased though Viking for more than $1,000.

But the travel insurer, Trip Mate, declined to accept a claim, Bennett said. Why? Because Jacquie Crimins had vouchers, not a cash balance. And Trip Mate doesn’t accept claims on vouchers, according to Bennett. (A call to Trip Mate went unreturned.)

In response to Bennett, Viking finally said it would make an exception. Usually, the company strictly limits use of vouchers to only the person named on them. But Viking said it would allow Crimins to sell hers (and Fred’s) to anyone willing to pay her cash.

Which was not a good option for Crimins because, she said, she had no buyer for the vouchers.

“I really won’t have any closure [on Fred’s death] until these vouchers are sold; and in reality, I have no means to search and find travelers” to buy them, she wrote in an e-mail to Bennett. “I just want to be reimbursed in cash.”

Fed up, Crimins on Nov. 13 wrote to me that “This is a nightmare.”

I sent several e-mails to Viking, with detailed questions and copies of documents Crimins had given me. Viking did not reply. But the cruise line did call Crimins hours after my first e-mail ― it wanted to begin negotiating an agreement.

As I looked into Crimins’s plight, I focused on an e-mail Viking had blasted out on March 2 to its customers.

The message was sent just as the coronavirus was beginning to wreak havoc on the cruise industry. Already, 700 people had tested positive for the virus aboard one ship, while another had been sent back to sea after being refused permission to dock in California due to an onboard outbreak.

The e-mail from Viking said: “We are for the time being making a temporary exception to our cancellation policy so that you can be free to postpone your cruise at any time up until 24 hours before the planned departure, without incurring any cancellation fees. You will be issued a voucher for future travel.”

The Criminses accepted Viking’s offer without much consideration, and quickly rebooked for a later cruise. The result of that decision, however, was that the couple accepted vouchers in place of their cash balance with the cruise company. That wouldn’t have mattered if they had gone on the postponed cruise as planned.

But then Fred died.

One thing that bothers me is that Viking should have known the Criminses already had trip insurance. That means they didn’t need Viking’s offer of a voucher in exchange for being relieved of the cancellation penalty; the insurance already provided that protection.

In fact, the Criminses would have been in a much better position if they hadn’t accepted Viking’s offer because a few days later, on March 11, Viking canceled all of its cruises due to the coronavirus. Had they not already accepted vouchers, the couple would have been entitled to a cash refund, and their insurance would have remained intact.

Cash is always preferable to vouchers, even when you are fairly certain you will use the vouchers. Because sometimes life-changing events happen.

After my e-mail to Viking, a company manager called Crimins on Nov. 18 and offered $4,800 in cash, with $6,700 to remain in vouchers, she said. Crimins wisely said no.

The next day, the manager called back and promised a full cash refund of $11,500. Crimins said yes, and she’s now waiting for the check. She said she just wants to move on.

Got a problem? Send your consumer issue to sean.murphy@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @spmurphyboston.

A devastating loss, then a needless hassle

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