Carolexas Cruiser

48 minutes ago, Dynacruiser said:

 

I think we have to be able to read through all the noise.  

 

The main points are (according to my recollection, won't reread every post):  

• The OP reported that Azamara had sold them a cruise at a low price, 
• OP paid in full.
• Months later, Azamara informed OP that there was an error and OP would have to pay more or cancel their cruise (but they have bought tickets and hotel already).
• A couple of folks contributed stating that they had experienced the same problem.
• At least one different person here said they were able to negotiate with Azamara and retain the original price.

 

While my nosiness would like to have more details, the above info has been clear from reading this thread.

 

For example, I still arrive to the same conclusion regardless of price paid.  If OP paid $1 for their cruise, or $10,000, the issue remains the same:  Azamara posted an erroneous price, took payment, found the error months later, so Azamara should own up to it and not cancel their cruise.  It is reasonable to expect a company like Azamara to adhere to certain ethical behaviors and business practices.  

 

 

 

 

I was hesitant to post the price because of exactly what @blag described: folks might be inclined to assume I'm either stupid or intentionally deceitful based on the price paid. And trust me, after all this I have wondered if it was my own fault for not assuming that it was too cheap. But I'm not in hospitality. Do they use some sort of surge pricing model that offers special prices for the first few passengers in order to raise the price later? Do they offer low rates because excursions are more or because no on-board credits are available? Was it so low because I booked it 13 months out? I have no idea. But why is it my job as a consumer to figure that out? The only reason I went to the website in the first place was in response to Azamara's email offering "special rates." Plus, every cruise site in the world says book as early as possible for the best rates.

@Dynacruiser, thank you so much for your support. I have decided that I am just going to get a refund. I don't want anything to do with Azamara at this point nor do I want to give them anymore of my money. Dealing with this has taken too much time and energy already.

21 hours ago, tgg said:

I wonder if Carolexas Cruiser, a first time poster and Vidiruth, a second time poster, are on the same cruise - or if they know each other.

 

It would be interesting to know the sailing dates and cabin categories as well as all the pricing information.

Hey, tgg. First, no, I have no idea who Vidiruth is. Second, we sailed Azamara in 2022, but we're not frequent cruisers. Never been on a cruise before or after that. I've read reviews and general advice on CruiseCritic, but never had a need to post. In fact, our first cruise with Azamara was great. Like, I said in the OP, I hate having to post here in public about it, but I don't know what else to do and thought maybe some other folks had a similar experience.

10 hours ago, blag said:

And I asked the same question right at the top of this topic, but this and two other potentially relevant questions remain unanswered.

Ine tries to offer assistance, rather than platitudes, but to no avail! 

Hey! Sorry I missed your question. This is my first time posting on this forum. So we paid in full so far out because it was a great deal and we wanted to earn points on the credit card to book flights early as well. But to be clear, Azamara is offering us a full refund for the amount we paid. We just want to go on the cruise that was promised at the price it was promised at. Plus, we've got plane tickets and hotel rooms. (By the way we've sailed with Azamara before in 2022 and it was great.) I was hoping someone else had experience and could tell us who we should try to appeal to.

5 hours ago, fruitmachine said:

Unfortunately there are further Ts&Cs for the website that I believe this was booked through, specifically at https://www.azamara.com/about-azamara/legal?loc=us1712392477478

 

The Company has used reasonable efforts in collecting, preparing and providing quality information and material, but does not warrant or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, adequacy or currency of the information contained in or linked to this Web site or any other Company Web Site. Users of information from this Web site or any other Company Web Site or links do so at their own risk. We assume no liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in the content of any Company Web Site. The Company is not responsible for pricing, typographical, or other errors and reserves the right to cancel without liability any bookings made at erroneous rates. While the Company may make changes to the information in a Company Web Site or to any Company service or product at any time without notice, the Company makes no commitment to update the information on a Company Web Site.

 

Although it is useful to post here to draw out comments others like @Vidiruth with a similar experience, I'd suggest you engage some formal local legal advice on your options.  Whilst I suspect that they have the right to cancel (with a full refund) and that moral pressure around your reasonable expectations after this length of time will be the way to get them to budge, you need someone qualified on your side giving you personalized advice. 

 

Barrack Room lawyers like myself should only be listened to as you would background chatter!

 

Thanks for the advice. The problem is that the contract mandates arbitration in Florida, which is quite expensive. And although the clause that they're not responsible for their own website's pricing might not be enforceable, the arbitration clause probably is, so my access to any recourse is limited. Azamara is in a powerful position where they can kind of just do whatever they want.

5 minutes ago, JsMom2 said:

Yes in the fine print on the website it says they have the right to correct errors.  So legally they can change it.  But morally and ethically, once a cruise is paid in full it’s just not right!

Thanks for your support, @JsMom2! @commodoredave posted another story of something similar happening. And if a customer can't trust that the "great deal" on Azamara's site is actually a great deal, then what's the point? Can the customer trust any price or can it be changed the day before sailing?

44 minutes ago, KirkNC said:

While the Terms and Conditions associated with a booking give Azamara great latitude including completely changing itineraries, it does not allow them to reprice the cruise.  Keep fighting and I bet you will win.

Thanks for the support!

4 hours ago, Vidiruth said:

I had the same problem. I booked a cruise last august and paid in full. Azamara said was a glitch and was charging 6 times more than I already paid. After a lot of emails and phone calIs I received last week  an email from Azamara saying they are honouring the price. I booked througth the website. My cruise is on June. Don't give up! 

Wow, congratulations! I'm so impressed. If you don't mind my asking, how many phone calls and emails did it take? I guess I'm just worn out from dealing with it this week. It's unconscionable that multiple customers have had to go through this.

Hello, everyone. I truly hate having to post a complaint, but I don't know what else to do. I will try to get to the point quickly to save everyone time, but if you have questions I will happily answer them.

Before my dad died, he made me promise that I would take my mom traveling in his place. So my sister and I were thrilled to discover a seven night Greece intensive voyage for a very low price on Azamara's Journey. On September 7, 2023, we booked the cruise: my wife and I booked together, and my sister and mom booked together. We paid the entire amount. No balance due. We spent the next few months booking airplane tickets and hotel rooms. Mom even received steroid injections to improve her hip function and ability to walk.

Approximately eight months later, on Easter Sunday, we received an email alert that our invoice had changed. Our new invoice said our tickets were now six times as much as we had already paid and that we owed the difference. I called Azamara. They escalated the matter and said they'd call back within 48 hours. They didn't call back. I called again but was told the folks working on the matter were not in. I waited another two days and called back for a third time and was told they simply would not honor the original price because it was what they called a "system glitch." They said I could pay the rest or get a refund for the initial amount.

We have spent a lot of money to prepare for this cruise. It seems wrong that Azamara can decide at any moment that it wants to charge a customer more than the price they paid for the original deal by calling that deal a system glitch. I don't know what to do now. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.