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cjwolfson

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About Me

  • Location
    Washington D.C.
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    Norwegian Cruise Line

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Cool Cruiser (2/15)

  1. The site you're referencing will not have this. It isn't confidential, but you will need to FOIA request it. FTC doesn't always disclose violations unless they are FOIA requested. I can work you through that if you would like.
  2. Hello everybody, I wanted to give everyone an update to my FTC complaint I filed against NCL. As I mentioned before, these things take time. I assured everyone that eventually it would get looked at. Indeed it was, and I am happy with the result. NCL has agreed to settle this matter with the FTC and the NY AG office. They agree that their practices were indeed "not up to standard". They did not legally say they were at fault as per the settlement nor do they agree they were acting in deceptive behaviors. Of course they were, but they are never going to say they were. This is all typical legal jumbo when a company settles with the gov. The airlines do it all the time, and just write a check. NCL was fined 600,000 dollars as per the settlement and agreed to change their practices. As I mentioned before, no one can defeat the power of the federal government. It won't mean we (the consumer) see any money, but I can assure you NCL will be changing the way they do things. That was the whole point of complaint, and I am glad to see it ending up in the "people's" favor.
  3. I wanted to update you. If it makes you feel better, I was alerted today that the FTC has opened a case against NCL for deception business practices. From my understanding it is an overall review, and not just this cruise (as in the Feb 1st cruise).
  4. So you're saying they continued to market something AFTER they already canceled that trip? Unfortunately, I think they are in the right to refuse your request to cancel. However, your latter point smells like a pattern.
  5. No use on the lawsuit. As I mentioned lawsuits go no where and cost a lot of money. I personally won't be forking up that type of money for any type of discovery. Saying that government complaints can do discovery for you without paying a dime (well you paid through your tax dollars). Companies also usually comply with government requests vs discovery requests (unless it is court ordered which can take years). They know very well what can happen without complying...
  6. Again nothing to do with the advantage. You're exactly right about the cog in the system. That is why it is important to know WHO you need to actually go to. You can wait months for complaints to the wrong party (only for them 6 months later saying, you went to the wrong agency or not responding at all). That is why having conversations internally within a "very complex system" can be important. You can figure out exactly where to go, and how to do it. I still haven't figured it out, but getting there.
  7. I am actually a die hard NCL fan and stock holder, which makes this situation disappointing. I am not asking for a full refund. Don't think a full refund is acceptable for me personally (although if I had a wedding shower in bermuda which a group of 50 did, and NCL kidnapped my luggage, I would be asking for that). They kidnapped my luggage, but I wasn't dead set on Bermuda.. I am not even upset about the change, I am upset about the deception. Give me the choice whether I want to go on that ship on Monday. You make a good point (what are you looking for). I am actually not looking for anything except a small future cruise credit. It just depends on the circumstances, and what you can prove. I am more upset for other people that were clearly deceived and would have canceled. A lot of people making remarks on here saying no way people cancel. I can assure you I was on that cruise, many people were canceling if they were notified. I think the government coming down on them with a fine will stop this shenanigans, and make them notify about changes when they happen vs stalling until your luggage is already gone. Change happens because people make noise, otherwise it will happen over and over again.
  8. No lobbying. I am just finding the right people (agency) to file a complaint to and have them investigate based on current us laws and regulations (specifically in this case negligence and deception). I will provide evidence and feedback that I received (along with my own experience), and have the right people do an independent investigation. I won't have any part of that. The only thing I am doing is collecting experiences, evidence, and other materials. Then filing internally, so it actually goes somewhere. Lobbying is buying people things or providing services in exchange for something. Like an oil executive taking congressman/congresswomen on fancy dinners to get a law passed. Not exactly the same thing. Just because one has networks to get to the right people that isn't lobbying. That is just pissing off the wrong person... 🙂
  9. Sure seems like you do care as you're on a cruise board arguing just to argue. On a cruise you didn't even take LOL Kind of funny. Go out to eat, get with the family, do something productive, or leave the NCL corporate office. Hilarious..
  10. You can have those people contact me. I won't go fishing for complaints, not really allowed to do that. I wasn't on that sailing, so that could be a he/she said thing in the eyes of me. I was physically on this one, so I can put my name and clearance on things as the truth. Saying that, patterns are good for investigations. So if it was a pattern that can help (deception and negligence with concrete evidence), I willing to listen to them. Not sure if you can direct message people on here, but we can discuss ways to do that offline.
  11. Again not suing anyone or anything. That is useless, it will go no where. The only course of action is the government. That is the only thing NCL will listen to. They folded very quickly when the CDC came down on them during Covid and were forced into all kinds of testing once they were allowed to sail again. The government (US government) rarely loses, it is just about getting the right people on your side.
  12. Well sir, you should re-read what I said. I said negligence is the problem here with deception tactics. Nothing to do with change of location or cancellation. I don’t have to spend much time because I am on the inside. I am gathering information people send to me and then using my network to file internally. Granted first time doing this, but I have my network that will get me to the right folks.’ You’re probably an NCL stock holder (funny thing is I am too). I will defend them for outrageous claims, but people have a legitimate gripe here.
  13. The CC companies are the way to get money back. I haven’t charged back anything at this point. However, I guarantee you this falls under the “didn’t get what you paid for categorization”. I may just do it for 50 dollars to prove my point. The CC companies work for the customer. Depending on your level of CC, your experience will be different but you can prove negligence here. I expect a ton of charge backs, and NCL not winning many of the cases. I took the trip, and was alright with it. The only exception is what I talked about above. I don’t plan on suing either. If you look at my reply, it said “an attorney on the ship”. Not my attorney. I don’t need an attorney. Federal gov is the only way to tackle these issues. Little guy attorneys do nothing against big companies. Anyone company doing business within the US (whether they are international or not) has to follow US laws. You could fly the flag of the planet Saturn but you dock in the US, you must follow those laws and regulations. You must follow CDC, FTC, FMC, etc.. Your point about FAA is correct. However, the FAA or the DOT doesn’t have any regulation that says the airlines need to contact you immediately. They do it for the fear of negligence claims. All in all, you need the people with unlimited money and unlimited resources. You also need someone on the inside helping. I am fortunate enough to be able to do that. So I am taking that responsibility. as I can do At this point, that is about 378 people that have CC’d me on their complaints to corporate, I am still working on which federal agency, multiple agencies, or state agencies this will flow to. I expect to have that wrapped up within a couple weeks.
  14. I am not arguing that they can cancel for any reason. They have the right to cancel for any reason at any time. Well there are tons of people celebrating things in Bermuda. I saw huge groups of celebrating anniversary’s in Bermuda. I saw people having wedding showers in Bermuda. I spoke to tons of people 50% said they would have canceled and called the CC company, Saying that, you can sue for negligence at any time per the attorney. You see that statement that says “except when required by law”. You know how airlines send out communication when your trip changes immediately when they find out. It is to avoid negligent lawsuits…If you can prove that a company was negligent and purposely did something negligent that isn’t legal under federal law and NY law. Deception practices are not legal. It is pretty easy to see that was the case here. If they made the decision on Wednesday morning then you’re right, but they didn’t. As far as mass cancellation goes, anyone with a CC can get their money back. I don’t care what the contract says. I know because the CC company isn’t going to buy the NCL excuse here. If you dispute the charges, you will get at least some of your money back on their terms. As far as government action. As a federal employee myself, I don’t care what it says on their website. Enough complaints and action will be taken. The government acts when mass people are upset. I am taking steps internally to ensure this gets looked at based on negligence business practice claims. It may mean the FTC is the correct government agency (due to them handling business practices), but I am working on that and consulting other colleagues. Have a great day!
  15. This was my 10+ cruise with NCL and arguably the worst. There were lines, bar craziness, and long waits for dinner. I will echo some others as the staff did what they could. It wasn’t their fault as they are over worked, and this trip was extremely tough for them. The cruise to no where as I put it. 5 “sea” days is hard for the staff, but I will say NCL did it to themselves. The Jones Act forced them to go to the Bahamas, so I cannot blame that for that. They had to go to an international location, so it was either Canada or the Bahamas. My complaint has to do with NCL communication. NCL knew they were changing the port on Monday. I know that because the excursion groups were notified on Monday. That meant NCL had 48 hours to alert everyone. They didn’t because of course they wanted everyone to show up. They knew any type of communication would lead to mass cancellation. To me, that is negligence at the very least. It crosses the line in legal territory according to an attorney on the ship. What makes matters worse is, they accepted your luggage and still didn’t tell you. They basically held your property hostage, and said well we are sorry once you got to the check-in line. You had two choices, get your luggage in 5 days, or get on the ship… They knew everyone would get on the ship. I feel as if a department of transportation complaint is warranted. I am still debating whether to submit or not, but leaning towards yes. We actually have a DOT now that handles these situations and takes action. The specific agency that handles these cruise complaints is the federal marine commission (which falls under the department of transportation). If you would like to file here you go:https://www.fmc.gov/resources-services/filing-a-formal-complaint/ NCL has no choice but to respond to them, but to us they probably say “we are sorry” in 15 business days.
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