$80.00 Fee?

[dwillis43]

My wife and I cancelled our HAL cruise for May 2010. My TA says that HAL has charged us $80.00 for cancelling. I can not find anything in their literature or online. I am sure someone here can give me a clue. Thanks!

[jhannah]

Your TA is the one charging you the fee ... not HAL.

[Randyk47]

Agree. This is the TA not HAL.

[Jemima]

The fee is most likely a TA fee. Cancellation penalties don't start until final payment. I just looked at the guest confirmation I received today. Penalties are listed there and don't start until final payment which is 75 days before sailing.

[dwillis43]

The fee is most likely a TA fee. Cancellation penalties don't start until final payment. I just looked at the guest confirmation I received today. Penalties are listed there and don't start until final payment which is 75 days before sailing.

That is what I thought. My TA assured me it was HAL. I understand the fee but I don't like being lied too.

[Cruzman]

That is what I thought. My TA assured me it was HAL. I understand the fee but I don't like being lied too.

 

You were definitely lied to!

[ugen512]

Actually it can be HAL. HAL offers 'Flash' rates (limited time pricing)that have penalties as soon as you are booked, usually 10% minimum. Also if you purchase HAL travel insurance, it must be paid at the time it is added and is non-refundable.

[dwillis43]

Thanks everybody,

I sent an e-mail to the TA last night and this is the reply I recieved;

"I will have the 40.00 per person fee waived so don't worry about this. We use a vendor when booking Holland and this is where the fee came into play. Again, there are many types of change/cancel fees that can occur but because I did not advise you of this when you cancelled the Holland Cruise I will have it waived as I did not advise you of this because I was unaware." The lesson here is educate yourself!

[jhannah]

I wish that at least travel agents would call the company by its right name ... Holland America. 8)

 

Back to your regularly scheduled programming.

[Randyk47]

Still love....not....that the TA tried to pass it off on HAL. Granted there can be cancellation fees but the TA should have made those clear up front at the initial booking. Unfortunately those fees are sometimes in the small print even when they're part of the initial booking.

[1cruiselvr]

The TA uses a vendor when booking with HAL? A middle man, my question would be WHY? I thought TAs communicated directly with the cruiseline. Happy Sailing!

[Jemima]

The TA uses a vendor when booking with HAL? A middle man, my question would be WHY? I thought TAs communicated directly with the cruiseline. Happy Sailing!

 

A middle man is not unusual, but TAs don't usually disclose this We had a middle man who caused one of our cruises to be cancelled and rebooked. Since then we have booked directly with HAL.

[HeatherInFlorida]

I've never heard of a "middle man". I thought the TA WAS the middle man!!! LOL!

 

Still, if I had an experience like this I'm doubtful I'd use that TA again. Granted they've removed the fee but only because you questionned it. Whe something is omitted like that you have to wonder what else might not be disclosed!

[1cruiselvr]

I've never heard of a "middle man". I thought the TA WAS the middle man!!! LOL!

 

Exactly my thoughts! Happy Sailing!

[Randyk47]

Our TA is pretty much an independent agent and owns her own agency with a couple of part time agents. She doesn't have the buying power she had years ago so she's part of a group of small TA's who work together to get better fares and perks for their clients. In that case I'd guess they have a "middle man".

[CRUZBUDS]

We booked another cruise while onboard the Zaandam a few weeks ago. When we got home we read the details of the booking and found the our special reduced deposit was non-refundable (at least not fully - I don't remember)

This didn't make us happy, we've booked many cruises while aboard other lines and it never occurred for us to ask if it was refundable on not and we were definitely not told. If we had been told it was non-refundable we would not have booked it.

[leoandhugh]

If I were the OP, I would get a new TA real fast or do my own booking. First - lied to, and then wiggles out of it as best she can. There are too many good TAs without having to give your business to this type:(

[1cruiselvr]

And I don't see the need for a middle man, too many people involved in a booking can equal greater potential for problems. Plus as I stated before, I don't see the need for a MM. TA should be able to handle everything with the CL directly. Happy Sailing!

[Opinions]

If I were the OP, I would get a new TA real fast or do my own booking. First - lied to, and then wiggles out of it as best she can.

 

Why did you assume the TA is a "she"?....I don't see anything in the OP's posts that indicates that.

[CowPrincess]

our special reduced deposit was non-refundable (at least not fully - I don't remember)

 

It is transferrable within a certain period of time, IIRC. We always buy a future cruise credit, that can be used within 4 years, and if we decide to NOT take the 1st cruise we book it can be transferred to another booking (still with the 4 year restriction).

[Boatdrill]

We booked another cruise while onboard the Zaandam a few weeks ago. When we got home we read the details of the booking and found the our special reduced deposit was non-refundable (at least not fully - I don't remember)

 

This didn't make us happy, we've booked many cruises while aboard other lines and it never occurred for us to ask if it was refundable on not and we were definitely not told. If we had been told it was non-refundable we would not have booked it.

 

The booking-onboard deposit is "refundable" in that you can use it on another HAL cruise. The time limit is usually four years.

[ldoc31]

The booking-onboard deposit is "refundable" in that you can use it on another HAL cruise. The time limit is usually four years.

 

If you don't use it within four years it is non-refundable. The last one we booked with Princess was refundable if you couldn't use it.

[jcrandle]

I think what you are seeing is that there are many one and two person agencies that don't do enough business to maintain an agency relationship directly with the cruise lines. They negotiate an affiliate relationship with another agency. This is not unlike a real estate agent that is not a broker, but has an agreement with a broker to book through the broker. The commission structure is also usually negotiated between the two parties.

 

I think it is good that your TA acknowledged that you were not advised of the agency's cancellation policy and made you whole. On the other hand, I'd be concerned if (as you describe it) the agent stated that it was a HAL charge, when indeed it was not.

 

Maybe it's time to reiterate what I insist on with my travel providers. First, I insist that all credit card charges will be processed directly by the travel provider, specifically the cruise line or airline. For an agency not to do this is a red flag. Secondly, I get in writing the agency's cancellation policy. I'm not a person that books and cancels multiple times, so I'm not willing to do business with an agency that protects itself from a single cancellation. If they want to penalize the wishy-washy, that's fine, but someone that

books and has to cancel two or three months later should not be penalized.

 

Other than that I like an agency that provides timely reminders about upcoming deadlines, but doesn't belabor the point with daily countdown messages. I realize others may be chronologically disadvantaged, but I'm not sure any amount of reminding will solve that problem.

 

At the moment, I've found an agent that meets the above requirements and executes flawlessly. Her prices are acceptable, and every time I think I've found a better deal, something happens to convince me that I'm happy with the price performance that I receive.

 

And, in keeping with the CC guidelines, please don't ask me who my agent is, as I value my CC membership too much.

[dwillis43]

I've never heard of a "middle man". I thought the TA WAS the middle man!!! LOL!

 

Still, if I had an experience like this I'm doubtful I'd use that TA again. Granted they've removed the fee but only because you questionned it. Whe something is omitted like that you have to wonder what else might not be disclosed!

 

I told her I thought she was the vendor..This will be my last dealing with a TA. I have done all the research and planning, I can handle the booking as well.

[Tricia724]

I think you made a good decision, dwillis.

 

When we started cruising regularly almost ten years ago, we booked our first few cruises with a local agency which had a $40/pp cancellation fee, and it was clearly stated on our paperwork. We also knew that the fee was negotiable and applied on a case-by-case basis. For a small agency, that was their way of protecting themselves from the dimwits that take up hours of their time and keep booking and canceling and changing their minds. Now we use agents with Internet agencies, and we ask many questions about fees before we book, and so far we have been well satisfied with those we have used.

 

The only thing that bothers me about this situation is the memory of that disreputable agency that KweenKaren used and has subsequently "gone out of business" (we hope). If you will remember, the HAL representative that worked with Karen told her that Holland America refused to do business with that agency any longer....yet, people reported that the agency claimed it could still book HAL cruises because they used "another agency" to do the booking for them. Huh? The fact that they reportedly used more than one name makes me aware that they....and others like them....could still be out there. I want the agency I use to deal directly with the cruiseline.

 

I think Karen's situation has made me more cautious than I would normally be, and if any agency we used showed any indication of backpedalling, we would drop them like hotcakes.