Lost my cabin

[G'ma]

Lost my cabin when my TA and cruise line failed to notify me that my final payment was due. I had paid deposit with my credit card and assumed that it would be charged again at final. Only found out that there might be a problem when I checked my credit card and didn't see a charge this month. I then called the TA. Was able to rebook in the same category for the same fare as my original booking (saving $450pp versus today's quoted fare) but in a far less desireable location. Am I justified at being really angry about this? What do you think the TA should do now, if anything? FWIW this is the 8th cruise we've booked with this agent and she is a personal friend.

 

Firstly, the cruise line will never call to notify you of final payment...and, if you've booked through an agent, they won't call you for any reason at all.

 

2. It would have been nice had your agent given you a heads up via email or snail mail that your final payment was coming due. A good agent would do that...he is NOT required to do so, however. You need a new agent.

 

3. Your invoice reflects the payment information. It is always up to YOU to make sure you've paid on time and in full....

 

It's not the cruise lines fault, nor the agents fault....however, a quick look in the mirror will find the culprit.

 

Lesson learned the hard way for sure.

[room010]

To be fair, I think I'd be a little peeved if my friend/TA didn't give me a quick heads up about final payment but I wouldn't assume she would do so either and so wouldn't blame her if I missed the deadline. Ultimately it's my responsibility.

[celyvabeach]

I have an online TA and as soon as my booking gets confirmed I receive a "credit card authorization form" to be signed and returned to authorize booking. I never had a problem reminding him about final payment.

[Jade13]

Didn't the OP looe their deposit?

[Pearlbill]

First friends and business don't mix too well. Second, you are responsible but what's your TA doing for the commission?? Your TA's penalty should be you are not a customer any more. Your penalty is a lousy cabin. Live and learn.

 

Bill

[Krazy Kruizers]

Our TA keeps a date book and marks down when final payments are to be made for all her clients.

 

I also mark on our calendar when final payments are due.

 

Thus we each keep records.

 

So both of you should have been aware of when final payment was due.

 

And both of you should have been in touch with each at that time.

[phoenix1181]

I'm still curious as to how final payment for the previous cruises was handled? I think that should be the guideline.

 

If the TA contacted the OP when final payment was due on the others, then the expectation that she would do the same is reasonable. If not, the OP should be very pleased that the TA was able to get the original price and direct her anger at herself.

[firefly333]

Iv never had the TA or the cruiseline send me a payment notice for final payment. I think they should too, but they dont. They tell me they sent the payment notice when you booked and that its up to you to pay it on time. RCL and Carnival both tell me this.

 

Sounds to me like you forgot to follow up, but the TA, being a personal friend, should have also been watching, if you went that far past final payment. Lucky for you she was able to get you back the original price. ...now that would have really been a disaster if she hadnt been able to get the original pice.

[firefly333]

Didn't the OP looe their deposit?

 

Nope, the OP said they were able to get the original price back too. Just lost the cabin they picked.

[pg.]

OP should also expect more from TA like courtesy e-mail about final payment being due within a week. I always get those e-mails and calls from mine.

 

Hey I agree,, one uses a TA for the SERVICE.. anyone can book their own cruise directly with cruiseline.

 

A TA does get a commision. The least they can do is send a courtesy reminder email. Costs them 3 minutes of their time and earns THEM their commision.

 

Op should have remembered,, but TA was NO help.. just there to collect her commision.

[pg.]

Good Grief!!! It's your own fault.

Why do you think calendars and pencils were invented???

 

Good grief,, why use a TA then???... they have SOME responsibilty,, I see no advantage to using one if they do NOTHING.

[hajekfam]

I think it is a nice perk to have a TA that sends email or phone reminders (mine does) but this certainly doesn't take the burden of responsibility off of me. IMHO the final payment date is your responsibility and I am just really glad that you did not lose your spot on the ship. Hope you have a great cruise!

I don't think that a TA that reminds you of final payment is a perk. That is the job of the TA, one of the reasons why you use a TA - to make sure that the trip goes smoothly for you. How hard is it to call and book a cruise, anyone can do that directly with the cruiseline. You use a TA to make sure that all goes as well as can be without you having to worry and reminding and collecting final payment is part of that job. I think if the facts as the OP presented are correct, then the TA was definitely at fault.

 

Just like at home when you pay your bills.

Yes, a bill is sent to you as a reminder of the due date.

However, even if a bill gets lost in the mail, it does not desolve your responsibility of making the payment on time.

 

We can play the blame game all we want but we still know upon whom the responsibility lies.

This analogy doesn't really cover using a TA - it would be more applicable if you booked the cruise yourself and didn't get a notice from the cruiseline about final payment. To compare bill paying to using a TA to book a cruise, the following scenerio is more applicable: You have your bills sent to an finacial planner or accountant who handles your money and pays your bills and he doesn't pay a bill. You really would have no notice of the bill becoming due - so in this case, you would expect the agent to make good and at least try to rectify your credit rating for his mistake.

[blindrid]

Lost my cabin when my TA and cruise line failed to notify me that my final payment was due. I had paid deposit with my credit card and assumed that it would be charged again at final. Only found out that there might be a problem when I checked my credit card and didn't see a charge this month. I then called the TA. Was able to rebook in the same category for the same fare as my original booking (saving $450pp versus today's quoted fare) but in a far less desireable location. Am I justified at being really angry about this? What do you think the TA should do now, if anything? FWIW this is the 8th cruise we've booked with this agent and she is a personal friend.

 

A couple of things:

1) Final payment, your fault. I always verify payment was made to avoid problems (i.e. cc expiration date, whatever) - it's so easy to check with cc websites or cruise line websites.

2) Less desirable location, that is in one's own mind. Granted some people get excited about location but same category should have similar locations. Granted, there are small differences but should not be one that you would not like.

 

I wouldn't place blame on TA but some people think they should be babysat the entire time and do. Your call on that one.

[GORDONCHICK]

I put things like this in my Outlook calendar - then reminders pop up and I don't have to remember on my own. This is our first time booking direct with a line, and I wondered if they would send any type of reminder. They didn't. Our final payment is due 12/28, but we went ahead and paid it 12/20 just to be sure.

[bike1964]

Your description is what has happened in all earlier transactions. If I wanted a nameless, faceless, low service transaction, I would have booked online. I see my TA nearly every day. One word, and I would have paid on the spot. Yes, I understand that I should have set a reminder to be sure payment had been made. I am unhappy with myself that I didn't. I won't ever book a cruise again without doing it. But I think that someone who collects a commission has some obligation to watch out for the best interests of their clients.

 

I book all of my cruises directly on line with the cruise line. I always get email reminders about final payment. (never had a problem) If the TA is any good, they are going to be way too busy to send out emails or call every client to remind them about payment deadlines.:eek:

[MrsPete]

Good grief,, why use a TA then???... they have SOME responsibilty,, I see no advantage to using one if they do NOTHING.

Now that we have the internet and can easily research our own vacation plans, I don't really see the point either. I like being in control of my own plans, and I like being able to get a multitude of opinions about my hotel or ship before I book.

 

However, I LIKE doing those things. My husband hates it. If it were up to him, he'd rather just call someone, answer a dozen questions about his preferences, and be done with it. TAs are for people like him.

 

Back to the original question though: OP, you should've written a reminder on your calendar a week or so ahead of time. You could set your cell phone to alarm on the day you intend to make the payment.

 

At this point, I don't think you have any recourse. I would book the next cruise directly through the cruise line and skip the TA.

[dooandherb]

With today's technology, you should have been able to note a reminder to yourself somewhere that your final payment date was due, no matter how busy you are. In business, you schedule a follow up.

 

That being said, this is your Friends' job and they did not do it right.

They are responsible for the difference.

They gladly take your money and collect commission (their business, they should have scheduled a follow up) Loose the friendship, as it will never be the same again, after you ask them to pay the difference.

This may seems harsh, however, from a business standpoint, it should have never happened. From a friendship standpoint, they should have offered without asking to cover the difference.

If neither happened, it is time to move on.

Good luck and enjoy.

[Arwenmark]

With today's technology, you should have been able to note a reminder to yourself somewhere that your final payment date was due, no matter how busy you are. In business, you schedule a follow up.

 

That being said, this is your Friends' job and they did not do it right.

They are responsible for the difference.

They gladly take your money and collect commission (their business, they should have scheduled a follow up) Loose the friendship, as it will never be the same again, after you ask them to pay the difference.

This may seems harsh, however, from a business standpoint, it should have never happened. From a friendship standpoint, they should have offered without asking to cover the difference.

If neither happened, it is time to move on.

Good luck and enjoy.

 

There is nothing for the TA to pay the OP got a different cabin same category for the same price. No MONEY involved here just the OP lost the cabin they wanted because they didn't bother to keep track of when payment was due.

[bplazo]

Well, after reading all this I had better go check when my final payment for our May cruise is and go post it on something.

[dooandherb]

There is always money involved, if not actual cash, what did it cost in time? The TA did not do his/her job. They get paid a commision, no matter how small it may be, they should have been on top of it. It is part of their job.

The rest of the story, same categeory etc. is just damage control, that too cost time to get accomplished. Time which could have been better spend following up on another client payment schedules.

How about getting reimbursed for pain and suffering, because you are not sure that you can even get back on the cruise untill your TA tells you it is ok. They did not do their job!

[uppitycats]

I believe it's my responsibility to keep track of my financial obligations. And payment of something like a cruise is my financial obligation. It's great if the TA is on top of it and tells me...but emails get lost, phone messages get dropped.

 

When I booked my upcoming cruise, the payment dates were put in red

in my calendar, and I actually emailed my TA to verify that the final payment was due (last week) before she got to me. And another note is in red in my calendar when the deposit is due for the hotel, and for the limo ride we've hired.

 

I'm sorry you lost your choice of cabin, but next time, try noting it on your calendar.

[Deckhandoug]

Your description is what has happened in all earlier transactions. If I wanted a nameless, faceless, low service transaction, I would have booked online. I see my TA nearly every day. One word, and I would have paid on the spot. Yes, I understand that I should have set a reminder to be sure payment had been made. I am unhappy with myself that I didn't. I won't ever book a cruise again without doing it. But I think that someone who collects a commission has some obligation to watch out for the best interests of their clients.

 

I have to agree with you, this is one of the reasons you use a brick & mortar TA, they are expected to bring service to the transaction.

[Deckhandoug]

I put things like this in my Outlook calendar - then reminders pop up and I don't have to remember on my own. This is our first time booking direct with a line, and I wondered if they would send any type of reminder. They didn't. Our final payment is due 12/28, but we went ahead and paid it 12/20 just to be sure.

 

One day I went and put ALL my dates in my gmail calendar: DL expiration, Passport expiration, etc, etc, years in advance.

 

It's a great habit to get into:)

[lady_cruiser]

......... Am I justified at being really angry about this? What do you think the TA should do now, if anything? FWIW this is the 8th cruise we've booked with this agent and she is a personal friend.

 

When you book a cruise, whether it is with a TA, PVP, or internet agency you are told when you finally payment is due and its our responsibility that we pay it on time. A big red circle on a date on any calendar you have within sight would have given you a heads up a payment was due.

 

The number of cruises who have been on has nothing to do. Eight cruises (I've been on six) is "nothing." If you look at people's signature lines here at CC you will see that a lot more people than us have been on 20, 30 and more cruises. And I DO NOT want to sound rude or mean but after eight cruises, you should know better unless your previous cruises were all paid for in full.

 

What do you expect your friend (TA) should do? While it would have been nice if she/he had known when your due date was chances are that she didn't know. We had one cruise where the final payment wasn't received. I didn't even know about it until my TA called and said he got a call from the cruiseline telling him about it. I was lucky that I was able to keep my cabin.

 

Just chalk this up to one of life's (or cruising) experience.

[Skywench]

I book all of my cruises directly on line with the cruise line. I always get email reminders about final payment. (never had a problem) If the TA is any good, they are going to be way too busy to send out emails or call every client to remind them about payment deadlines.:eek:

 

This thread is interesting to me. I always use my PVP to book my cruises. My next cruise is booked for May. Before this one, I always paid in full at the time of booking. This one though, I just paid a deposit and the balance is due Feb 23rd. I had been wondering if I would be sent a bill or an online reminder. I was going to call about it next week lol.