Carnival says that I am a fraudster, and refuses to let me pay for my cruise????

Update: issue resolved. After faxing in the requested documentation 5 times (each time was confirmed delivery from our fax at work) I was able to finally speak to someone today (granted I know and totally understand had been closed for the hurricane). I told the lady in accounting, Carole, that this really needs to be resolved today: She placed me on hold, and brought a lady named Brittany on the phone, who FINALLY found all of the previous faxes (I had faxed the authorization form, along with all of my documentation for the gift cards showing I did nothing wrong) She placed me on an extended hold, then came back and had me process my final payment online. I AM FINALLY PAID IN FULL FOR THE CRUISE! Brittany also apologized for the delay, and let me know my account has been totally cleared going forward (she did say the block is tied to the phone number on the account, for others going through this issue). I can finally relax and look forward for vacation.

I am really happy for you! I know this storm just delayed everything!! Have a great time on the cruise!

Could you purchase a pre-paid Visa in only the amount you want to pay each time and use that? Reload it with your 'real" CC when you want to make another payment?

This is a bad solution as you will not be protected in case something goes amiss and you need your Credit Card company to fend for you.

Another option is to see if you could pay with a relative's credit card and see if that will work. Then just send them a check to pay off what you owe Carnival. So what if a relative wanted to book and pay for 9 cabins and you happened to be in that cabin would Carnival refuse payment that way?

You did use stolen gift cards. Since you used them, you were part of it. Carnival has no way of knowing what you did or did not do. Since they are willing to forgive, and let you pay with another way, than you just need to accept that you were a victim, and than turned around and victimized Carnival. In law, there is a saying that ignorance of wrong doing is still wrongdoing. Unless it is cleared in a court, which it won't be because no one is pressing charges, you could have this hanging around under your account

Perhaps I can put it into perspective.

You purchase $200 in Grocery store giftcards for $150 on Groupon at a dscount as you purchased it in volume and you get a discount. Groupon pays Carnival the full price or perhaps Carnival gives it to Groupon at a savings and passes along the volume savings to you.

Sometimes you see online if you purcahase ten USB Flash Drives its $20 per unit but if you purchase 21 and above its $15 per unit. How would you know as the customer that you are not comitting fraud.

In legal terms you did not forsee that these gift cards were fraud. But its your responsibility to check that the gft cards were activated properly and the balance using the scratch off security code before using them. Also registering the Gift Cards is another important step,

Whenver I get a Starbucks Gift Card I always go online right away to make sure it has been activated and then I register it to my account or transfer the balace to my Gold Card.

Every Gift Card purchase comes with a recipt with the last four digits of the card Autorization Code and amount on the Gift Card. If you have this recipt you could make a copy and send it to Carnival and explain that you thought this was a legitamte purchase and you were getting the volume discount.

I purchase travel and the tour company purchases it in volume as it does with cosolidator airfare you purchase it at a discount price because the airline needs to offload extra inventory. The same gors for gift cards. Or its during a holiday promotion.

You as the customer did not forsee an issue wiht purchasing it and using it.

If the cards were fradulent you should have gotten an error message like at Starbucks the POS would say"The card is not activated" or some other error message. Because the cards were procssed and it seemed like they passed the authorization and then a few days later they said they had a problem seems odd to me.

Please continue purusuing this and you could use the same analogy above to Carival Corporate and Acconting to see if they can furthrer research. Ask them to release the flag in 6 months or even earlier after their complete investigation.

It seems like they did not investigate this fully and they came to a conclusion. Perhaps there was a miscommunication or perhaps the flag was done in error when indeed these cards were valid.

Ask Carnival if you were to purchase new Gift Cards and offer to ask them to validate them and you apply them successfully would they consider removing the flag. Even if the cards are at full retail value there must be a way to prove tht you are conducting this in an ethical manner.

Please keep us posted,

Perhaps I can put it into perspective.

 

You purchase $200 in Grocery store giftcards for $150 on Groupon at a dscount as you purchased it in volume and you get a discount. Groupon pays Carnival the full price or perhaps Carnival gives it to Groupon at a savings and passes along the volume savings to you.

 

Sometimes you see online if you purcahase ten USB Flash Drives its $20 per unit but if you purchase 21 and above its $15 per unit. How would you know as the customer that you are not comitting fraud.

 

In legal terms you did not forsee that these gift cards were fraud. But its your responsibility to check that the gft cards were activated properly and the balance using the scratch off security code before using them. Also registering the Gift Cards is another important step,

 

Whenver I get a Starbucks Gift Card I always go online right away to make sure it has been activated and then I register it to my account or transfer the balace to my Gold Card.

 

Every Gift Card purchase comes with a recipt with the last four digits of the card Autorization Code and amount on the Gift Card. If you have this recipt you could make a copy and send it to Carnival and explain that you thought this was a legitamte purchase and you were getting the volume discount.

 

I purchase travel and the tour company purchases it in volume as it does with cosolidator airfare you purchase it at a discount price because the airline needs to offload extra inventory. The same gors for gift cards. Or its during a holiday promotion.

 

You as the customer did not forsee an issue wiht purchasing it and using it.

 

If the cards were fradulent you should have gotten an error message like at Starbucks the POS would say"The card is not activated" or some other error message. Because the cards were procssed and it seemed like they passed the authorization and then a few days later they said they had a problem seems odd to me.

 

Please continue purusuing this and you could use the same analogy above to Carival Corporate and Acconting to see if they can furthrer research. Ask them to release the flag in 6 months or even earlier after their complete investigation.

 

It seems like they did not investigate this fully and they came to a conclusion. Perhaps there was a miscommunication or perhaps the flag was done in error when indeed these cards were valid.

 

Ask Carnival if you were to purchase new Gift Cards and offer to ask them to validate them and you apply them successfully would they consider removing the flag. Even if the cards are at full retail value there must be a way to prove tht you are conducting this in an ethical manner.

 

Please keep us posted,

I faxed in all my receipts from the site used to purchase, and the hold, after speaking to Brittany was instantly removed, it just seems you have to find the right person to fix it :)

After being laughed at by a manager, named "Candy" due to my hesitation of sending my credit card information via email (and to all those who think this is safe, I assure you, its not) I luckily still had the number for the accounting department. I spoke to a very nice lady there who totally understood the situation, and come to find out, all the reps AND manager were wrong. The credit card authorization form is ONLY accepted via fax. I have no problems faxing them the information, as we do have a secure fax at work.

 

Trying to save 10% off some gift cards sure was not worth the headache I have been putting up with for the past few days.

Call me crazy, but I would rather email than fax.

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Call me crazy, but I would rather email than fax.

 

 

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I kindly disagree:

https://www.scrypt.com/blog/why-fax-is-more-secure-than-email/

Update: issue resolved. After faxing in the requested documentation 5 times (each time was confirmed delivery from our fax at work) I was able to finally speak to someone today (granted I know and totally understand had been closed for the hurricane). I told the lady in accounting, Carole, that this really needs to be resolved today: She placed me on hold, and brought a lady named Brittany on the phone, who FINALLY found all of the previous faxes (I had faxed the authorization form, along with all of my documentation for the gift cards showing I did nothing wrong) She placed me on an extended hold, then came back and had me process my final payment online. I AM FINALLY PAID IN FULL FOR THE CRUISE! Brittany also apologized for the delay, and let me know my account has been totally cleared going forward (she did say the block is tied to the phone number on the account, for others going through this issue). I can finally relax and look forward for vacation.

What is so risky in giving Carnival your credit card info by email? Isn't it the same thing as your making payments online?

Not at all. Email moves in packets on the internet that can be read by anyone. It is like a party line. Your ISP or Email provider (ie Hotmail) reads your Email to send targeted advertising. Never send your credit card number in an Email. Your other data like CVV and birthdate and social security number is already probably available online from data miners and criminals. Don't even think of using a debit card online for any reason. It gives access to your entire bank account, and you do not have the same fraud protection as with a credit card.

You can pay bills online through SSL (secure socket layer) encryption. Carnival and every other reputable company uses this to process payments. It is quite safe from prying eyes, but there is no protection against a dishonest employee at the receiving end selling you out. That is why you need the fraud protection of a credit card.

Fax is secure. Here again I would not use a debit card.

I also ran into this problem of Carnival refusing my payment. It only lasted 24 hours, but I made a typo on the expiration date of my credit card. Citibank refused payment, and Carnival locked me out for 24 hours. Lesson learned. I now use copy and paste for credit card online purchases.

Amex doesn’t have a credit limit???

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Amex doesn’t have a credit limit???

https://www.americanexpress.com/us/content/financial-education/your-credit-limit.html

Update: issue resolved. After faxing in the requested documentation 5 times (each time was confirmed delivery from our fax at work) I was able to finally speak to someone today (granted I know and totally understand had been closed for the hurricane). I told the lady in accounting, Carole, that this really needs to be resolved today: She placed me on hold, and brought a lady named Brittany on the phone, who FINALLY found all of the previous faxes (I had faxed the authorization form, along with all of my documentation for the gift cards showing I did nothing wrong) She placed me on an extended hold, then came back and had me process my final payment online. I AM FINALLY PAID IN FULL FOR THE CRUISE! Brittany also apologized for the delay, and let me know my account has been totally cleared going forward (she did say the block is tied to the phone number on the account, for others going through this issue). I can finally relax and look forward for vacation.

Im glad you finally got it fixed. We finally gave up 2 days ago, cancelled and rebooked with RC. Im sure we are not the only two that went through this mess.

Amex doesn’t have a credit limit???

 

 

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Amex charge cards are different than Amex credit cards.

http://www.cardrates.com/advice/charge-card-vs-credit-card/

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Are you saying that you don't even have a $2000 limit on a credit card? Yet you are taking a cruise???

 

What if you are in a foreign port, get ill, and they require that sum upfront to render treatment? What if you needed emergency plane tickets home?

 

I feel much safer using a credit card than my bank card...

 

 

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No, the OP is NOT saying any of that. You are as you write you post in judgement of the OP's financial situation which you probably don't have any facts regarding.

What is so risky in giving Carnival your credit card info by email? Isn't it the same thing as your making payments online?

No, it is not the same.

Reputable websites like Carnival have protections and encryption in place for the transmission of sensitive information between your computer as you visit the website and their server, which is the destination of the information.

A basic user email account does NOT have those same protections, meaning that the content of the email including cc number could be intercepted.

Initially the OP was told to email the info, but later was informed by Carnival that they would only accept a fax of the information. The underlying reason is the risk of the email; most company's will not ask to to email that sensitive information.

I am actually surprised that any of these gift cards are valid after re-selling.

It seems there would be much less chance of fraud if they were only usable by the original purchaser.

So if you bought one only you could use it?

So it would be a Gift Card that cannot be given as a gift.

The OP in post #7 said she could not pay for the cruise with a credit card because she did not have a high limit....not balance.

 

And the money was refunded on the fraudulent cards SO... you charge it on your card and pay it off immediately.

 

This should be an inconvenience for the OP and nothing more. If this is a financial hardship then the OP needs to reconsider whether a cruise is the appropriate choice.

 

 

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Thank you, Suze....

But next time you may want to do a little fact checking first before you start spouting off financial advice.

Ever think that the OP has several credit cards but chooses this one with a low limit because of incentives?

Or have you considered that there may be more than just your way to manage finances effectively?

Since when does it have to do with being "worthy?" The amount of money someone has accessible is not a judgment on their morality or their value as a person. Rather it is simple an issue of finance and money management.

 

And yes, if you don't have a free $2000 on a credit card to deal with any issues that come up - such as this very post by the OP - no, it is not a financially sound decision to cruise. It is simply too unpredictable a vacation. Any financial advisor would concur that it is never sound financially to run ones finances pay check to pay check, yet somehow 75% of people do. And it's not for lack of income. We have an enormously high quality of living compared to the rest of the world - we as a culture simply live beyond our means.

 

 

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Yet a good financial adviser would abstain from making the remarks and providing the commentary you have, unless they had all the facts. And then they would NOT do so in a public forum such as this.

Maybe Carnival should state exactly which gift cards are acceptable and only those gift cards. Would make things a lot easier that way, instead of receiving gift cards that under there rules does not exclude them as of their contract now. Carnival please write what gift cards are acceptable and only those those gift cards will cause much less confusion.

Actually Carnival has posted this information all along. Here's what I learned through the course of reading this thread.

The OP's purchase of Carnival Gift Cards through a re-seller is prohibited.

It sounds like AARP and Verizon are authorized retailers that are permitted to sell Carnival Gift cards.

Here are two pertinent pastes from the Carnival website:

Q: Where can I purchase a Carnival Gift Card?

A: Gift cards may be purchased online at www.carnivalgiftcards.com or onboard our fleet at Cherry on Top and Special Occasions, as well as at approximately 9,000 retail locations. Note: Gift Cards are not redeemable nor sold on ships sailing out of Australia.

Q: What is the Carnival Gift Card Return Policy?

A: Once activated, gift cards may not be returned or resold; resale or attempted resale is grounds for seizure and cancellation of the gift card without compensation. Gift cards are not refundable or redeemable for cash, except where required by law.

I'm feel bad for those caught up in this mess. Not only did they have the headache of sorting it out, they also had to endure the off topic posts here attacking how they handle their financial affairs!

I too, was going to look into the discounted cards, though through a Citibank credit card offer which I think is within the terms. But after hearing all this, it's not worth the hassle for the savings.

Thank you for sharing your experiences.

The drama has started right back, I had faxed in my credit card authorization form Wednesday August 30th, however I kept checking my credit card statement online, and no charge had been placed on my card. I called this morning, after receiving a "your final payment is almost due email" to be informed that "we did not receive the fax" Thankfully our fax machines at work print a confirmation page showing the transmission was successful, I had to re-fax the info, also the manager who promised the info would be lifted off my account, and who offered a 50OBC apparently did not do any of this, and no OBC has been received (I did not request or ask for this, she offered) so back to square one with this mess. :(

My guess it was "Candy" in CS who put a wrench in the works because she didn't like the remarks made about her by someone on this site.

Actually Carnival has posted this information all along. Here's what I learned through the course of reading this thread.

 

The OP's purchase of Carnival Gift Cards through a re-seller is prohibited.

 

It sounds like AARP and Verizon are authorized retailers that are permitted to sell Carnival Gift cards.

 

Here are two pertinent pastes from the Carnival website:

 

Q: Where can I purchase a Carnival Gift Card?

A: Gift cards may be purchased online at www.carnivalgiftcards.com or onboard our fleet at Cherry on Top and Special Occasions, as well as at approximately 9,000 retail locations. Note: Gift Cards are not redeemable nor sold on ships sailing out of Australia.

 

Q: What is the Carnival Gift Card Return Policy?

A: Once activated, gift cards may not be returned or resold; resale or attempted resale is grounds for seizure and cancellation of the gift card without compensation. Gift cards are not refundable or redeemable for cash, except where required by law.

I'm feel bad for those caught up in this mess. Not only did they have the headache of sorting it out, they also had to endure the off topic posts here attacking how they handle their financial affairs!

I too, was going to look into the discounted cards, though through a Citibank credit card offer which I think is within the terms. But after hearing all this, it's not worth the hassle for the savings.

Thank you for sharing your experiences.

Citi EasyDeals are in the same category as AARP and Verizon and are fine. There have been no issues that I'm aware of with these 3 companies. Back a while ago before Carnival required PIN numbers, there were some problems with people guessing the next number of electronic GCs since they seemed to be in chronological order but I believe those people got it straightened out.

Perhaps I can put it into perspective.

 

...

 

Please keep us posted,

Well thought out, but it doesn't apply to this situation.

Carnival website prohibits the re-sale of their gift cards. I didn't know that until I read this thread and followed a link to GC Q&A's.

Citi EasyDeals are in the same category as AARP and Verizon and are fine. There have been no issues that I'm aware of with these 3 companies. Back a while ago before Carnival required PIN numbers, there were some problems with people guessing the next number of electronic GCs since they seemed to be in chronological order but I believe those people got it straightened out.

It was Citi EasyDeals. But sometime earlier this year I had cashed in Citi Thank You Rewards points for a Target Gift Card. In store: "This has been used." Called and took a good 15 minutes of persisting that it was not used before someone looked into it further to find that mine was part of a whole "batch" that were not properly authorized. Eventually it was resolved, however, I don't ever want to find myself in the position of the posters; so while it's different, I don't want the hassle.

It was Citi EasyDeals. But sometime earlier this year I had cashed in Citi Thank You Rewards points for a Target Gift Card. In store: "This has been used." Called and took a good 15 minutes of persisting that it was not used before someone looked into it further to find that mine was part of a whole "batch" that were not properly authorized. Eventually it was resolved, however, I don't ever want to find myself in the position of the posters; so while it's different, I don't want the hassle.

It is very very different than the issue OP had and I can say that I (and countless others) have bought thousands of dollars worth of GCs from CitiEasy Deals and never had an issue. The potential “hassle” has saved me a boat ton of money. I’ll take my chances.

FAX is more secure than email, but both are being handled by humans and printed paper, which can be stolen and sold to crime rings. This happened to me at the AVIS counter in Cozumel.

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Just because someone does not have a high credit limit should not stop them from going on a cruise - Perhaps they buy insurance that covers all their medical stuff - I know plenty of people with low limits on credit cards as personal choices

 

 

It should not stop them from traveling, but they darn well need to have a plan in place to secure the funds if necessary. There are loads of stories on CC of people who had travel insurance, but still had to pay upfront for medical treatment out of the US. Many foreign hospitals will not accept the insurance assignment. They expect you to pay upfront and be reimbursed by the insurance later. You better have lots of friends and family willing to wire you money.

 

Now the Medivac situation is different as the insurance company concierge will arrange for that and take care of the upfront payment.

 

Our Medigap supplement will pay 80% of the charges incurred for emergency treatment outside of the US, but we have to pay out of pocket and file for reimbursement. They also will not pay for a Medical Evacuation or repatriation of remains. We buy travel insurance to cover the 20% + the cost of a medical evacuation and travel with credit cards that have high limits so that we have peace of mind and know that we can pay for any medical problems that arise, and be fully reimbursed.