Post (or lack of ) trip update for reference.
According to those who remained onboard, the port was open on March 17th and they embark for most likely about 1/2 day of diving since March 18 was the scheduled date for return to port. They did have an offer to extend for additional charge.
Besides Liveaboard.com offered some credit at a fraction of the cost that I paid for this trip and few other guests getting minor compensation from their travel agents for extra incurred cost, Aggressor.com claimed to be justified in their "approach" of ZERO entitlement, refund, etc. according to their Policy. The argument being that the boat was ready to sail at appointed time. No exceptions can be made for it would "unfair" to other Aggressor customers. BTW, Aggressor's Payment & Cancellation policy is not clearly stated any where on their website. I had to Google search it. Otherwise, it would only be found at the end of their guest registration after booking confirmation with payments.
From the perspective of us as customers, the announcement of Port Closure after boarding felt deliberate so the claim of guest cancellation can be made especially for those of us that chose to leave early. Harbor closure was known 2 days officially before the scheduled departure date. None of the guests received any form of notification which were readily available in the information we provided in registration. Even with given the benefit of doubt that Aggressor.com stated they were not notified early on either, their approaches as the event unfold is anything but 5 star service. The boat basically almost never embark and to actually extend the trip when it was able to sail, they asked to charge more.
As an irony to the hard to find Cancellation Policy, one can find reassuring statements from Aggressor's "StormCheck" program such as:
"If weather forecasts or conditions appear threatening to the safety of the passengers and staff, the captain will make necessary arrangements to evacuate guests. The captain will order and arrange for guests to be removed from the vessel, accompanied by a staff member and taken to an inland resort/hotel or government approved shelter. The vessel will be moved to a sheltered harbor away from the storm's predicted path, prepared and secured by the remaining staff."
Although that pertains to a named storm, nonetheless the boat was stranded due to weather forecast. The only accommodation offered to the 12 of us on this trip was to remain on board or be considered as cancelling by abandonment if leaving early
Just for the sake of some "accounting" speculation. Fare for this trip per person is approx. $3000-3500 USD, so that would make the total guest payment approx. up to $42000 USD in gross profit. Staff number is about 12+ with four local dive master. According some of the Indo dive guides/dive masters I met, average DM salary is usually considered higher and roughly $125-300 USD monthly (2-5 Million IDR). Soon after the Indo Aggressor contract fiasco, any info with Indo Aggressor is completely removed from Aggressor.com. This should provide some interesting perspective.
We go through the trouble of paying thousands, hopping planes for 20+ hours for the love of diving in renowned & remote sites like Batu Balong, Secret Garden, Yellow Rock etc. A preventable, expensive "staycation" was the only offer in the end. One cannot help but felt Aggressor's approach to be manipulative, complete disregard of customer's precious time, and totally "lose-win" against the customer.
