eCruisestore.com Shuts Down Citing Financial Problems

Online cruise retailer eCruisestore.com, based in Heathrow, Fla., shut down Oct. 25, blaming recent financial problems. The company’s website is blank and a voicemail tells former customer that all bookings have been released to cruise lines as direct bookings and customers should contact the cruise line for more information.

However, cruise message boards such as CruiseCritic.com carried posts from customers who had paid in full but found that the cruise line had received only partial payment. One customer said he had paid for a Celebrity cruise in full in May for a January departure, but the cruise line had only received $900.

The consumer is disputing the charge with the credit card company. Posts on Cruise Critic and other sites complained of being double billed. At least one agent was getting requests for help from customers of the defunct agency, according to posts on the Home Based Travel Community website.