American Queen Steamboat

Absolutely worse experience ever. We booked a cruise , Bourbon to Blues, paid in full $4,000, and the July 5th Cruise was cancelled by AQSC due to Corona Virus. We cancelled May 28th and have not seen our refund. If we don't see it soon, I'm going to complain to Capital One and claim fraud. There is no reason why nearly 90 days after cancelling that we have not received our money. It's outrageous. We are frequent cruisers and this was our first experience with AQSC but will never book with them again.

I booked in Dec 2019 for a Thanksgiving Cruise in 2020 had made several monthly payments to AQS when the coronavirus hit we cancelled our cruise due to I have 3 existing conditions and over the age of 65. Unless the vaccination is ready in the fall of 2020 I won't be going anywhere. The AQS is keeping $500 of my $6000 plus payment and I have yet to receive my payment. This is March 03/25/2020, I was told it would take up to 90 days to refund my money. Funny that they can immediately charge the credit card and get their money the next day. We had cancel a hotel from another trip that we would have be taking in July, I had my refund in 2 days from the hotel. My husband and I will not do business with this company. They could have had $14,000 in revenue, but choose to keep $500. Who knows they may try to keep the $5,000 plus, but not without a fight from me. We were told by our government the cruise lines, hotel and airlines were not to penalize us, because this is not our fault. To the American people stay safe during these times of trouble and think twice about doing business with American Queen Steamboat company.

I attempted to book a cruise today, 9/30/14. I was told I had to pay the entire amount due, over $5000, today or I would not get the fare.Because it is the end of the month I do not have the entire line of credit available to pay the amount due of over $5000 today. I could pay for all but the insurance but was told that I had to pay for the insurance when I booked the cruise or I could not buy the cancellation insurance. I was not allowed to pay half now, half later, or any other arrangement to allow payment by check through the mail or any partial payment today to secure the reservation and the rest later. When I called and requested to speak with a customer service manager I was not put through to anyone. Policy and customer service NOT servicing this customer.Desired SettlementThe ability to book the cruise with partial payment today and the rest next month with a discount for the hassle and time I had to spend.

this company sends out its brochures incessantly to me and refuses to remove my name and address from their direct mailing listamerican queen steamboat company began sending me unsolicited and unwanted ads via the us postal service back in 2013. I contacted them immediately and asked to be removed from their direct mailing list. they have refused my requests. I have contacted them almost every three months with the same request to stop mailing me unwanted and unsolicited ads. each time I contact acsq I am deceived and told I will be removed but that never happens. they now will not even respond to my requests to be removed. it appears they are intentionally sending me their junk mail and they will not allow me to opt out. their web site has no mechanism to be removed from their incessant direct mail campaign. they have to be one of the worst offenders of privacy I have ever encountered as well as a mass mailing environmental polluter. I have contacted hundreds of companies to be removed from their junk mail lists and aqsc is the only business I have encountered who refuses to stop sending their junk mail. Desired Settlementi just want aqsc to stop sending junk mail to my address.Business Response This individual has been taken off our email distribution list. [redacted] CFOConsumer Response company lied to Revdex.com to resolve Case # XXXXXXXX and is still sending me unwanted unsolicited direct mailings. american queen steamboat company began sending me unsolicited and unwanted ads via the us postal service back in 2013. I contacted them immediately and asked to be removed from their direct mailing list. they have refused to honor my requests. I have contacted aqsc many times over the years to stop mailing me unwanted and unsolicited ads. each time I contact aqsc, I am deceived and told I will be removed but that never happens. sometimes they will not even respond to my requests to be removed. it appears they are intentionally sending me their junk mail. I am registered at dma.com, but aqsc does not honor dma opt outs. aqsc's web site has no mechanism to be removed from their incessant direct mail campaign which has turned into harassment directed at me. they are one of the worst offenders of privacy I have ever encountered as well as a mass mailing environmental polluter. I have contacted hundreds of companies to be removed from their junk mail lists and aqsc is the only business I have encountered who refuses to stop sending their junk mail. this is my 2nd Revdex.com complaint against aqsc, who lied to the Revdex.com (saying they stopped mailing me) just to get rid of the Revdex.com complaint. they have not stopped sending me their sales ads. I have received two more catalogs since the Revdex.com erroneously closed my first complaint without any resolution. Case # XXXXXXXXi want aqsc to permanently stopped their direct mailing to my address and I want aqsc to provide me with self addressed postage paid large envelopes so that I can return their direct mailings.Final Business Response

We made reservations for our family to take a cruise on the American Queen from St. Paul, Minnesota. At the time of booking, they asked us if we wanted to purchase trip cancellation insurance. We stated that we did and they informed us that for pre-existing medical condition coverage we needed to pay for such insurance at the time of booking. We agreed to do so. They requested our credit card information. We provided it. They charged our credit card and provided information stating that we had purchased trip cancellation insurance on the date of booking. When I incurred a medical event less than one week prior to the trip, we invoked our trip cancellation insurance policy and cancelled our trip prior to the date of departure.[redacted], the provider with whom the American Queen indicated to us that they had secured our trip cancellation insurance, informed us that the American Queen Steamboat Company did not apply the money that they charged to our credit card at the time of booking toward our trip cancellation insurance policy. They had kept the money and applied it toward a down payment for the rooms we had reserved on the American Queen boat. Despite having indicated to us verbally and in writing on the invoice materials that the American Queen had sent to us after we made our reservations that we had obtained and paid for trip cancellation insurance at the time of booking,[redacted] claimed that we did not have pre-existing medical condition coverage because the American Queen did not pay them the money at the time of booking to secure this coverage. American Queen had kept the money themselves. Consequently,[redacted] has informed us that they will not pay on pre-existing medical conditions. American Queen says that this is not their problem and that they did not do anything wrong. They recommend that we take up the issue with[redacted].Product_Or_Service: Travel on American Queen SteamboatDesired SettlementWe are requesting that American Queen Steamboat Company, as the agent selling the insurance policy, accept responsibility when they do not transfer the money that they collect on behalf of the insurance company (acting as the legally defined agent of the insurance provider) that they have secured to this insurance company after representing to the purchasers of such policies that the American Queen Steamboat Company will do so. We desire the American Queen Steamboat Company refund our trip cost.Business Response The American Queen Steamboat Company provides overnight passenger cruises on the inland rivers. Passengers book well in advance of departures and are required to make deposits and pay for their cruises in advance of departure. Like many providers of travel services, American Queen Steamboat Company offers travel protection insurance under the terms and conditions of their policies. The American Queen Steamboat Company's provider is [redacted] provides coverage for pre-existing conditions provided the insurance is purchased within 14 days of booking. The [redacted] booked a cruise on January 30, 2013 and chose not to purchase trip cancellation insurance within 14 days of booking. Later they chose to cancel and the cancellation reportedly was the result of a pre-existing condition. As a result, it was not covered by insuranceFinal Consumer Response (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)The response provided by the American Queen Steamboat Company is not accurate. Here are the reasons why:1) My medical condition that resulted in our cancellation of our cruise on the American Queen was not a pre-existing condition and this was confirmed by [redacted] after careful review of all medical records.2) [redacted] paid our claim because it was found to be a legitimate claim and my medical condition that caused us to cancel our trip was NOT found to be a pre-existing condition.3) We did request pre-existing condition insurance from the American Queen Steamboat Company at the time of the booking of our cruise. The company requested that we provide a credit card to pay for the required fees and charges at the time of booking of the cruise. We provided that credit card information. The company stated that they had charged our credit card for the fees and charges that were required to be paid at the time of the booking. We paid the credit card charges. The American Queen Steamboat Company sent to us a summary of our booking with a clearly indicated line titled INSURANCE with the amount of money charged to our credit card for this INSURANCE . This was clearly indicated to have been charged to our credit card at the time of the booking of the cruise on the written materials provided to us.4) All passengers who purchase a trip with any travel service company, who request pre-existing condition trip cancellation insurance, provide a credit card as requested to pay for all and any required fees and charges at the time of booking of their trip, pay their credit card bill and receive a written notification from the company providing the travel services that includes written indication that INSURANCE has been obtained at the time of booking of the trip, should be able to rely on the company providing the travel services to secure the insurance as indicated at the time of purchase by forwarding the requested and paid fees and charges to the insurance provider. Final Business Response

business attempted to use fraudulent bait and switch tactics and misrepresentation of printed materials for profit.customer booked a single compartment, with [redacted] on the American Queen trip from [redacted] to [redacted] from July 3 to July 9, 2014,for a total of $3927 on 10/16/13. In Early February, 2014, customer received a telephone message, on machine, from a staff person, [redacted] stating they wanted to give me a free upgrade to an E compartment, and I should call back to confirm. When I looked in their 2014 full-color catalog, on page 51, it was clear by the illustrations of the decks and text descriptions that the E category was on a LOWER deck than the single; that the E compartments had NO [redacted]s, just bay windows, and that the price was $1100 cheaper than what I had paid for the single. the only difference was the E was 50 square feet larger. I failed to see where the free upgrade was, and said so in my return phone call to Ms[redacted], which went to voice mail. I asked how they were planning to handle the difference in price. I suggested that if they really wanted to give me a free upgrade they could move me to a B,C or D cabin, all with [redacted]s and give me a shipboard credit for the difference in price. I told her I didn't appreciate the bait and switch tactic. Ms[redacted] retuned my call and left a message on my machine, insisting that the E cabin had a [redacted] and she did not address the difference in price. I called back and left another voice mail that either she was lying, or her superiors were lying to her, or the catalog was deceptively printed, as it was clear on page 51 the differences in the cabins, and I believed they were deliberately trying to downgrade my booking for profit. Or she was looking at page 55 of the same catalog, for a different boat, whose E cabins did have [redacted]s-so I was trying to give her a faces-saving way out. She returned the call and left the message that they were withdrawing the "offer", with no further comment regarding my complaints. Upon further reflection I determined that I did not trust this company and feared what I would actually end up with if I went ahead with this booking. By letter to [redacted] at the company's principal address, by certified, return receipt, I cancelled my reservation and requested a full and complete refund. On 3/6/14 I was notified by e-mail that my credit card had been credited with $3748, which did not include their $100 administrative fee, nor the $349 trip insurance premium, both of which were not refundable, per their catalog details. While I have been appropriately reimbursed, I did want to lodge this complaint because of the misleading and fraudulent representations regarding their accomodations and pricing practices. Thank you.Desired SettlementI have received a refund, but want my complaint posted as a warning to other prospective customers.Business Response Just to let you know on [redacted]'s complaint; We reached out to Ms. [redacted] regarding a stateroom change at no charge to her. We could not resolve her issue so we refunded her entire voyage cost.Kind Regards[redacted]

Dear [redacted] Business Bureau,We are two couples who cruised along the Mississippi River with the American Queen Steamboat Company in March 2014. We wrote a letter of complaint to the American Queen Steamboat Company upon our return as advised by AQ through our travel agent. Although we paid for three nights at the [redacted] we did not overnight at the [redacted] on any of the three nights we had booked with AQ. We did not overnight at the [redacted] before embarkment as the brochure had advertised. In addition, we paid the cost for two additional nights at the [redacted] but AQ sent us to another much smaller, much older hotel when we were charged for and paid for the very modern [redacted] We were expecting substitute accommodation and amenities at least comparible to the contemporary [redacted] along the Mississippi River dock.While in New Orleans, our travel agent contacted AQ to advise them of our dissatisfaction. Our travel agent, [redacted] at [redacted] has communicated on several occasions since out return with AQ staff with little success. AQ promised a letter of apology and compensation in recognition of our situation. But there has been no communication and no compensation to [redacted] the [redacted] or my husband an me.Please assist us in getting the American Queen Steamboat Company to follow-up on their promise for acknowledgement of our situation and compensation for the substitute accomodations. It will be a year since we traveled with AQ last March.Sincerely,[redacted]XX-XXXX [redacted] XXXXXXXX-XXX-XXXX[redacted]XX- XXXX [redacted] XXXXXXXX-XXX-XXXXBusiness Response We issued refund checks to both parties in July 2014. The check issued to the [redacted] family cleared the their bank on July 28th 2014. I've stopped payment on the [redacted] check issued in July 2014 and have re-issued a new check today. See attached for further explanation.Consumer Response I regret to inform you that my complaint #XXXXXXXX has not been settled. Thank you for contacting American Queen Steamboat Company on my behalf. It prompted email communication from Ms. [redacted] of AQ, however, our complaint has not bee resolved. There have been delays including misinformation that we had cashed checks issued in July 2015 when we did not receive any check.My complaint is for compensation for myself and [redacted] and [redacted] I thought I would be informing you of a satisfactory settlement. AQ has settled the [redacted] complaint, but the [redacted] are still without compensation. Ms. [redacted] said she would send two refund checks to [redacted] for the [redacted] and the [redacted] but only one check was received.When our agent at [redacted] contacted Ms. [redacted] after receiving only the [redacted] check on March 25, Ms. [redacted] emailed that we had already cashed the two checks. That is not the situation. Only one check was received payable to Mr. [redacted] on March 25 This was opened by Mr. [redacted] and witnessed by [redacted] at [redacted] We are being very cautious because of past misinformation and miscommunication. Sadly, my case has not been resolved. There was no response for many months following our complaint to AQ until Revdex.com recently became involved. TSince then, there have been false accusations, investigations, and delays. Now, I am wondering how many more emails to Ms. [redacted] will be required for AQ to get organized and honor their word.Please advise what I can do next to reach a quick settlement.Thank you,[redacted]Final Business Response Please see the appended AQSC response regarding a missing check. Thank you.Final Consumer Response Dear Mr. [redacted]I am in receipt of a check from the American Queen Steamboat Company, and it was deposited to my checking account more than a week ago and has hopefully cleared our bank.The [redacted] check was cashed earlier last July. The confusion was caused by only their check being received and cashed, and the [redacted] check not received nor cashed. Thank you kindly for your assistance. Our case (#XXXXXXXX) has been satisfactorily settled after more than a year of telephone calls, email correspondence, and investigation.Aloha,[redacted]XX-XXXX [redacted] XXXXXXXX-XXX-XXXX

This was our 3rd AQ cruise and a major disappointment! The food was awful, not even truck stop quality. the pastries and bread were store bought instead of home made. the sauces/gravies were congealed in an unappetizing glue when served. they ran out of earl grey tea. most of the waiters were surly and inattentive at best. we came for lunch one day, waiters standing around, no one offered to seat us. one waiter was at the salad bar scooping up salad fixings into a plastic bag with no gloves on. finally we seated ourselves at a table by the window and went through the buffet line. as I picked up my fork to start eating, a waiter came by, said 'this table is closed', took away my silverware and glass and left me sitting there! at the captain's receptions, the snacks offered were STALE croutons topped with very nice salmon, but the salmon couldn't make up for the stale bread. and the weirdest thing was that the waiters poured bottle after bottle of champagne, walked around with trays of champagne, but wouldn't serve it, and when the hour was over, they poured dozens of glasses of champagne into the garbage! we ordered a baked potato several nights and got that awful "been on the hot tray for hours" gluey textured insult to a properly baked potato. ordered a steak one nite, purportedly a new york strip. they were obviously out of steaks and had cut a thin slice off the brisket they were serving as pot roast that night. tough as leather and as thin as a pancake! there was a nice omelet/waffle station at breakfast but the cook/waiter hadn't changed his uniform all week. it was disgusting! NOT what one expects when you spend $700/day on a cruise! The tours were ok, but not nearly as interesting as on the st paul to st louis or the columbia river cruise. the entertainment was lively but not great. the banjo player mistakenly thought he was tremendous but he was VERY mistaken. the jug band was the only really good entertainment. more appropriate would have been a single or duo playing acoustic guitar and banjo and singing songs and ballads of the river. the riverlorian was great. his lectures were a 'don't miss'. I would not book a cruise with the AQ again. I don't know if they're fixing to go bankrupt and cutting costs or what but we left feeling insulted rather than pleased and relaxed from an enjoyable cruise. the other couples at our dinner table agreed that the cruise did not meet their expectations and they would neither go on another nor would they recommend the AQ to anyone.","neg-1