Looking to sue Norwegian Cruise Line? Small claims court is an option, and you may have others…
Norwegian Cruise Lines is a huge company that serves thousands of people every year. But like many large corporations, they often leave some of their customers behind or treat them poorly. However, most cruise lines use a contract that prevents you from filing a formal lawsuit against them in the event of an issue.
If you’ve got a bone to pick with Norwegian, or if one of their customer service representatives treated you poorly, you might be able to pursue resolution through a lawsuit in small claims court.
First, you’ll need to figure out whether your claim against Norwegian will actually qualify for small claims court case.
In most cases, small claims courts only handle claims that are both:
As the name suggests, small claims courts aren’t the place to go if you have tens of thousands of dollars on the line or if you want some other kind of response from Norwegian in response to your grievance.
In the event that your claim doesn’t qualify, you can still pursue arbitration through the National Arbitration and Mediation company. This organization handles disputes for major cruise lines all the time and can be easily contacted.
If your claim fulfills both criteria, then you can go ahead with your lawsuit against Norwegian.
It’s now time to write out your demands in a letter that you can save for your own records. It’s also important to write out your demands so you have proof that you tried to reach a resolution with Norwegian yourself before filing a lawsuit; this is a legal requirement in most cases.
Your demand letter doesn’t have to be particularly complex or long. Just spell out exactly what your grievance against Norwegian is and explain what they can do to solve the problem. Then send the letter to them using this address:
Norwegian Cruises
7665 Corporate Centre Drive
Miami, FL 33126
You should keep a copy for yourself, but don’t worry too much if they never even respond to the letter.
Presuming that Norwegian doesn’t handle things as your letter specified, your next move is to fill out Court forms. Head down to your local small claims court or visit your state court’s website to get a handle on the types of forms you’ll need to fill out for the process. In most cases, you’ll need to pay a small fee for filling out the forms, though this can be waived if you have proof of low income.
Be sure to fill all the forms properly, and don’t be surprised if you need to fill out the forms multiple times. The court needs a copy, as do you, and so does Norwegian.
Next, you’ll file your completed forms with your small claims court and serve them to Norwegian themselves. This is how you let Norwegian that you’re taking them to court for your grievance.
However, it’s important that you do this perfectly according to whatever instructions your state court website stipulates. Sometimes small claims court cases get thrown out because the claimant accidentally forgets a rule or doesn’t file something properly. This would be an easy way to waste a lot of time on your part.
Furthermore, you’ll likely need to head down to your small claims court in person to finish the filing process. Only a few states have electronic filing services in place at this time.
Once you’ve done everything else, all that’s left is to attend your court date and represent yourself to the best of your ability. It’s a good idea to put all your documentation and evidence together beforehand so you aren’t in a rush on the day of. Head out and be prepared; sometimes big companies like Norwegian don’t even show up to small claims court cases. If this happens to you, it’s a good sign since you can represent the case according to your own interests without someone arguing against you.
Good luck!
Ready to sue Norwegian Cruise lines in small claims court?
If this sounds too hard and expensive, try consumer arbitration instead…
The Ultimate Guide to Consumer Complaints
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