Vantage Deluxe World Travel, a cruise company based in Boston, reportedly laid off its employees last week amidst ongoing investigations, lawsuits, and numerous consumer complaints. According to information from Consumer Rescue, consumer advocate Michelle Couch-Friedman spoke with former Vantage employees who revealed that the company terminated them through a company-wide phone call on June 20th.
Couch-Friedman stated that until the previous Tuesday, the employees were informed that a mysterious investor would save the company. This led them to continue working and selling cruises, believing that it was not the end for Vantage. The employees who reached out to Couch-Friedman expressed great distress over the situation.
Vantage Deluxe World Travel has faced significant criticism for several months due to a large number of consumer complaints regarding the lack of refunds for canceled or postponed trips. An internal memo obtained by Consumer Rescue revealed that the company quietly informed its employees that all trips scheduled until August 28th would be postponed.
Since January 1st, 2020, the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office has received 1120 consumer complaints about Vantage, including 478 filed in 2023 alone and 108 from Massachusetts residents. The office is currently assisting Massachusetts residents with their complaints and advising non-residents to file complaints in their respective states.
The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office recently filed a lawsuit against Vantage, accusing the company of engaging in deceptive and unfair business practices, specifically taking advantage of older residents by withholding their refunds. Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry emphasized that her office will fight for victims who pay for goods or services and receive nothing in return.
Vantage's most recent statement, released on June 9th, stated that the company was actively seeking a buyer. Vantage's General Counsel, Rossella Mercuri, mentioned that they were engaged in confidential negotiations and were unable to provide further comments at the time.
Couch-Friedman expressed concern over the fact that the Vantage website remains operational without any warning about the company's issues. She highlighted that individuals can still make payments for future cruises through the portal, even though it is highly unlikely that cruises beyond August will operate due to the lack of crew and employees.
In May 2023, the two Vantage Travel-chartered ships Ocean Explorer (May 29th) and Ocean Odyssey (May 31st) arrived and were permanently moored/docked in Caen (France). Reportedly, the laid-up (by SunStone Ships Inc) was requested by the charterer experiencing financial difficulties. All scheduled voyages for both ships were canceled by Vantage Travel Service Inc.
On June 29th, Vantage Travel Service Inc filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and signed with United Travel Pte. Ltd (owner of the companies Nordic Hamburg Shipmanagement GmbH and the cruise line brand Heritage Expeditions New Zealand) a deal to sell its entire business.
Vantage Travel received approval to promptly complete the sale through a court-supervised process. Vantage Travel's legal advisor was Casner & Edwards LLP while Argus Management served as the financial advisor.