Jan. 22, 2020 (maddog2) Komodo (Indo Siren) trip confirmed by Liveaboard.com
Labuan Bajo, - LBJ, Indonesia: 17 Aug 2020 - 27 Aug 2020
- March 21, 2020 (maddog2)
Is the Indo Siren Komodo liveaboard trip from Aug 17 to Aug 27 still scheduled to run? I ask because it seems that most International Airline flights that service Denpasar Bali have been cancelled, and Denpasar would be the departure point within Indonesia to Labuan Bajo where this Liveaboard will depart/return.
- March 23, 2020 (Liveaboard.com)
They replied that they would ask for
local insight from the operator and get back to me.
Liveaboard.com said the departure is far away, and that hopefully, the situation will be cleared by then.
April 2, 2020, in accordance with
Indonesian Minister of Law and Human Rights Regulation number 11/2020, Indonesia does not allow visits and transit from all foreign tourists
April 3, 2020
CONSULATE GENERAL OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA
IN VANCOUVER, CANADA
Starting 2 April 2020, 00:00 Western Indonesia Time, Indonesia will TEMPORARILY restrict any foreigner from entering the Indonesian territory, as one of the steps to curb the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia.
- April 3, 2020 (maddog2)
I have already pre-paid for the entire trip in good faith. However, since Indonesia has closed its borders to all visitors except Indonesian citizens I will not be allowed to complete this liveaboard trip.
Can I please have a complete refund or at the very least a postponement of this trip.
- April 3, 2020 (maddog2)
This Liveaboard dive trip I planned was also part of a longer Bali vacation that I had planned with my wife, son and daughter-in-law.
Currently, Indonesia is not allowing visitors, but also Canada where we reside is requiring all returning International travellers to self quarantine for two weeks. The Canadian requirement to self quarantine would not work for us, because my son and daughter-in-law are both working and could not afford to miss work for two more weeks on their return.
So, if we can't go on this trip this year,
I would prefer to have my money returned and then plan for the same trip at the same time next year.
(At that time I was actually unsure whether I would book the same trip next year, because my wife, son and daughter-in-law may not have been able to make the trip).
- April 3, 2020 Liveaboard.com
Liveaboard.com replied that they are
still waiting to hear from the operator as to the options to reschedule your trip.
- April 3, 2020 Liveaboard.com
Liveaboard.com replied that they are
still waiting to hear from the operator as to the options to reschedule your trip.
But I asked twice for a complete refund. In the EU travel agents are legally bound to protect a customer's money with an ATOL bond. I suppose Liveaboard.com might argue that they are not bound by that particular law, but it seems to me to be another excuse to protect and kerp for themselves any money they may have collected from customers.
- April 4, 2020 (Liveaboard.com)
Thank you also for the clarification about your upcoming holiday in Bali.
We are still waiting to hear from the operator as to the options to reschedule your trip.
- April 4, 2020 (Liveaboard.com)
Liveaboard.com said that they have
now heard back from the operator.
They stated that there have not been any interruptions or changes to my planned trip.
- April 5, 2020 (maddog2)
According to several web sites it seems that Indonesia and Bali have restricted travel regulations and have barred all foreign arrivals and transit.
"Until further notice, President Jokowi has banned all foreign arrivals and transits. Only travellers with a valid working permit and diplomats are allowed to enter. "
I would say that this would be an interruption or change to my planned trip since I am unable to fly to Indonesia. Please let me know if I am mistaken since several web sites mention the same travel restriction.
- April 6, 2020 (Liveaboard.com)
Liveaboard.com said that
The operator expects all the travel bans will be lifted by the end of May and that was why they mentioned that there have not been any interruptions or changes to your planned trip.
By the end of May the travel bans remained in place so at that point in time Liveaboard.com presented me with two options, and subsequently claimed that I chose to reschedule my trip
(a take it, or leave it attitude).
1.forfeit my dive trip with no refund.
2. Reschedule my dive trip
What Liveaboard.com conveniently didn’t tell me was that I woud be allowed to have a complete refund of the monies I had paid according to Masterliveaboard.com’s “Terms and Conditions”
Official booking terms and conditions of scuba diving holidays booked with Master Liveaboards on board our worldwide fleet liveaboard vessels
masterliveaboards.com
Cancellation by You due to Unavoidable & Extraordinary Circumstances:
You have the right to cancel your confirmed holiday before departure without paying a cancellation charge
in the event of “unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances” occurring at your holiday destination or its immediate vicinity and significantly affecting the performance of the holiday or significantly affecting the transport arrangements to the destination.
In these circumstances, we shall provide you with a full refund of the monies you have paid but we will not be liable to pay you any additional compensation. Please note that your right to cancel in these circumstances will only apply where the Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises against travel to your destination or its immediate vicinity.
All references to the ‘Corona Clause’ were not in Masterliveaboard’s ‘Terms and Conditions’ at the time of my initial booking and also at the time of my cancellation. Also, the additional reference to the ‘Corona Clause’ web page did not exist.
“Read more about our Corona Clause on our Booking with Confidence page.
Book with confidence - Master Liveaboards “.
If you follow the Coronal Clause link it makes reference to the date 1st March 2021. This reference was obviously put in after March 1, 2021.
Incredibly, the reference to the Coronal Clause on the ‘Booking with Confidence’ pay was one of many excuses that
Regina Sask (a Regional Manager at Liveaboard.com) cited as a reason for not giving me a refund. To read about the other excuses and inconsistencies in Regina’s statement please refer to this Forum thread: “Liveaboard.com can I trust them” on page 21.