Princess won't honor price quote!

[CALMOM]

I dont' give up that easy! You may allow yourself to be cheated, but I don't. There are other options that I have and I intend to take them. I have received many helpful suggestions here and in other places, which is appreciated.

 

Go for it & Good Luck. Let us know how it turns out for you. I hope you are able to go on the cruise without any hard feelings.

[JLC@SD]

suing will not settle the matter.

 

i assume the op are grown ups, not sure what they expect from these boards??

 

hava great cruise

 

To those who suggest suing....it would settle the issue.

 

Princess has a published rate for the cabin.....and if an agent / employee misquotes......or makes a math error....or quotes two full and a 3rd and 4th rate instead of the published four full rates.........Princess has the right to correct it.........and apparently they did.

 

so.....those in a similar situation who are gung ho to sue.........file a suit and find this out.

[JLC@SD]

post deleted

[pg.]

Op, I feel for you,, but it seems Princess can screw up and then say "screw you " and its perfectly legal.

 

Its not nice though.

[Commodore]

As a 25 years of exeperience in the travel industry,I would write to ASTA (American Society of Travel Agents),they have a certain leverage with suppliers in this case the TA or Princess.

Sometimes your complaint cannot be satisfied by dealing directly with the firm involved, or perhaps you cannot get a response to your letter.

Info on what to do.

You may wish to contact a Better Business Bureau, a government consumer affairs office, or the Consumer Affairs Department of the American Society of Travel Agents. One of the main functions of ASTA's Consumer Affairs Department is the informal mediation of travel-related complaints on behalf of consumers.

Before the Department will become involved in a dispute, it first determines that the complaint meets the following criteria:

1. Your complaint must be a travel-related dispute against a member of ASTA. We can not process a complaint against non-member travel firm. You may check a firm's membership status by searching ASTA's verify a member directory. If the firm has represented to you that they are an ASTA member, but you could not find the firm listed in our directory, contact ASTA's Consumer Affairs Department at consumeraffairs@asta.org.
   
2. Your complaint must be less than six months old.
   
3. You must first contact the company complained against directly, allowing the firm an opportunity to resolve the problem.
   
4. Your complaint must be in writing and must include supporting documentation. Please include duplicate copies of the complaint.
   

Once the above criteria have been met, send two copies of the typed summary of the complaint - including documents which support the claim - and the complete addresses of all involved parties to:

ASTA

Consumer Affairs Department

1101 King Street, Suite 200

Alexandria, VA 22314

Please note that ASTA's Consumer Affairs Department provides informal mediation for travel-related disputes only. The Department cannot act as a judge, impose penalties or assess fines, or force a company to issue refunds.

[pg.]

So somebody at Princess most likely made an error and mis-quoted a price.

 

Now the poster wants to take advantage of that error and get a price that he/she is not really entitled to.

What has happened to honesty and morality in the USA?

 

I wonder what his/her Rabbi, Priest, or Pastor might advise???

 

I also wonder if the poster had made an error and over-paid the cruise line by $4,000, would it then be OK for the cruise line to just keep the extra money??

 

This is a very insulting post.

 

"What happend to honesty and morality in the USA".... duh,, I don't know,,since you seem to think its ok for a company to say one thing,, agree in WRITING to one price, then change it when they SCREW UP ,, and then people like you insult the victim!!.. What has happened to running a business ETHICALLY and not hiding behind fine print that allows you to make any mistake you want and always put the customer in the wrong??

[spongerob]

I don't get this. If you or I make an error we are held responsible for it, we pay the price. Just what is so special about companies that they are not responsible for their errors?

I was going to ask what world you live in. People held responsible??? Give me a break. When a big company like Princess makes a mistake, people like you want to hold their feet to the fire, but if the tables were turned you'd be screaming for compassion (i.e. not purchasing insurance and have a Life Event take place).

 

You can't have it both ways.

 

The OP's TA has to take some resonsibility since he or she did not handle the situation very well. The TA did not do the proper research into what the XS category involves, then got the OP worked up by not trying to find a more suitable alternative to present to the OP after being informed of the booking error. Princess CS also should have been more helpful.

[goose30]

This has gone on too long. After the first page the OP had the answer now everyone repeats. Except for Commodore.

 

If it continues someone will want to sue CC!

[JHB1901]

As a 25 years of exeperience in the travel industry,I would write to ASTA (American Society of Travel Agents),they have a certain leverage with suppliers in this case the TA or Princess.

Sometimes your complaint cannot be satisfied by dealing directly with the firm involved, or perhaps you cannot get a response to your letter.

Info on what to do.

You may wish to contact a Better Business Bureau, a government consumer affairs office, or the Consumer Affairs Department of the American Society of Travel Agents. One of the main functions of ASTA's Consumer Affairs Department is the informal mediation of travel-related complaints on behalf of consumers.

 

Before the Department will become involved in a dispute, it first determines that the complaint meets the following criteria:

1. Your complaint must be a travel-related dispute against a member of ASTA. We can not process a complaint against non-member travel firm. You may check a firm's membership status by searching ASTA's verify a member directory. If the firm has represented to you that they are an ASTA member, but you could not find the firm listed in our directory, contact ASTA's Consumer Affairs Department at consumeraffairs@asta.org.
   
2. Your complaint must be less than six months old.
   
3. You must first contact the company complained against directly, allowing the firm an opportunity to resolve the problem.
   
4. Your complaint must be in writing and must include supporting documentation. Please include duplicate copies of the complaint.
   

Once the above criteria have been met, send two copies of the typed summary of the complaint - including documents which support the claim - and the complete addresses of all involved parties to:

ASTA

Consumer Affairs Department

1101 King Street, Suite 200

Alexandria, VA 22314

Please note that ASTA's Consumer Affairs Department provides informal mediation for travel-related disputes only. The Department cannot act as a judge, impose penalties or assess fines, or force a company to issue refunds.

 

This is a great suggestion, thanks for the information! I will ask my TA to send a complaint to ASTA.

[billie5]

Of course, AFTA will be well aware of the rights of a cruise line to readjust what they decide is a mistake. But how can it hurt to write? It is bound to make the complainant feel better, and who knows, AFTA might contact someone in Princess who will be sympathetic to OP's plight. In any case, a description of the burden which Princess's policy has caused the customer is likely to go a lot further than threats, which are so unlikely to intimidate Princess.

 

Bill

[CALMOM]

I believe the OP needed to let off a little steam. O.k. he has let off some steam, received several suggestions, some are ridiculous.

 

OP, move on, pay the higher fare, cancel the booking or waste your time contacting this person, that person, it just doesn't matter. I am sure you have more important things to do in your life, don't let this consume your life, it's not worth it.

 

I don't think Princess is taking this much time to think about you. Their a major corporation and losing one booking will not phase them. I know you don't want to believe this but your TA should be wasting their time, not you, that's what they get paid for.

 

Please move on, there is no winning this unfortunate mistake.

[cde48]

Yes, that's what my travel agent said. He's been in business for 20 years and said he's never had a cruise line reneg on a price quote when it's been confirmed. He said that Princess has been really hard to deal with and absolutely refuses to budge. They just can't admit that they made a mistake and honor their original price quote. When we filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau of Southern California, we found out that Princess Cruises has a very low rating with them and has numerious unanswered complaints against them! What a surprise!

 

We are thinking of canceling. But, there are almost 20 in our group and there isn't another ship or cruise line that's doing the itinerary we're booked on around that time. We would be really disappointed if we had to cancel. I am so annoyed with how Princess handled this situation I know I'll never sail with them again after this is over.

 

My Wife is an attorney, and wants to know a few things. Is/Was the cruise confirmed and paid-in-full before the increase, do you have documentation directly from Princess, with the fares per passenger? Once you cruised is paid-in-full, they cannot adjust the price. This is a contract of carriage. That is why if someone cancels thier cruise, they must pay a penalty. It is a contract.

[JHB1901]

My Wife is an attorney, and wants to know a few things. Is/Was the cruise confirmed and paid-in-full before the increase, do you have documentation directly from Princess, with the fares per passenger? Once you cruised is paid-in-full, they cannot adjust the price. This is a contract of carriage. That is why if someone cancels thier cruise, they must pay a penalty. It is a contract.

 

 

The cruise was not paid in full. But, I had put a deposit down before they raised the price. My TA did get a confirmation from Princess, and gave me a copy, showing that the cruise was confirmed with a deposit at the original rate they quoted.

[cde48]

The cruise was not paid in full. But, I had put a deposit down before they raised the price. My TA did get a confirmation from Princess, and gave me a copy, showing that the cruise was confirmed with a deposit at the original rate they quoted.

 

That is where the problem may exist. My wife says that if the cruise was PIF before the increase, they have to honor the price quoted, if not they reserve the right to increase it at any time, until it is paid-in-full. It is a technicality issue that stinks. I would see if they have two mini suites next to each other, or ask for your deposit to be refunded.

 

I hope this helps!:)

[JHB1901]

That is where the problem may exist. My wife says that if the cruise was PIF before the increase, they have to honor the price quoted, if not they reserve the right to increase it at any time, until it is paid-in-full. It is a technicality issue that stinks. I would see if they have two mini suites next to each other, or ask for your deposit to be refunded.

 

I hope this helps!:)

 

Thanks for the legal 'point of view.' But, I'm looking at this from the point of view of public relations. How can any passenger trust a cruise line that gives out price quotes, accepts deposits, and then raises the prices indiscriminately just because they refuse to accept responsibility for their mistakes. I personally can't trust a cruise line that acts in that manner. My experience is, and my TA backs this up, that it has always been the tradition in the cruise industry to not raise the price on a reservation once a deposit has been paid, for any reason, including a mistake made by the cruise line. Princess Cruises needs to reconsider their position in my case and honor their price quote so that passengers, including myself, can continue to trust them with their cruise reservations.

[heisnuts]

Thanks for the legal 'point of view.' But, I'm looking at this from the point of view of public relations. How can any passenger trust a cruise line that gives out price quotes, accepts deposits, and then raises the prices indiscriminately just because they refuse to accept responsibility for their mistakes. I personally can't trust a cruise line that acts in that manner. My experience is, and my TA backs this up, that it has always been the tradition in the cruise industry to not raise the price on a reservation once a deposit has been paid, for any reason, including a mistake made by the cruise line. Princess Cruises needs to reconsider their position in my case and honor their price quote so that passengers, including myself, can continue to trust them with their cruise reservations.

 

If you can no longer trust Princess, it sounds like your problem is solved. If I could no longer trust the cruise line, I would not sail with them no matter what price was charged. Maybe that's the solution here since there are a lot of different cruise lines out there.

 

If you really mean that you do trust them, I don't understand why you are spending so much time on this with Princess and online. Since you have a TA, I would expect them to be doing all the work to make this right. I thought that was one of the reasons to have a TA in the first place.

 

Don't get me wrong, I feel your fustration. However, if it were me, I would be looking to my TA to do all the work to make this right.

[JHB1901]

If you can no longer trust Princess, it sounds like your problem is solved. If I could no longer trust the cruise line, I would not sail with them no matter what price was charged. Maybe that's the solution here since there are a lot of different cruise lines out there.

 

If you really mean that you do trust them, I don't understand why you are spending so much time on this with Princess and online. Since you have a TA, I would expect them to be doing all the work to make this right. I thought that was one of the reasons to have a TA in the first place.

 

Don't get me wrong, I feel your fustration. However, if it were me, I would be looking to my TA to do all the work to make this right.

 

My TA has done and is doing a lot of work to fix the situation. I'm still hoping that Princess will do the right thing and honor their price quote and that may restore my trust in them!

[Toto2Kansas]

JHB-Not trying to stir you up here, but I think continuing to post that Princess 'raised the price indiscriminately ' after you booked is a bit out in left field. There was a pricing error, although it sounds like it was Princess fault that caused the error. They did not try to raise the price after you booked, they corrected an error in the quote, there is a bit of a difference in the two.

 

Sometimes when a problem is continually told, it goes a little off base IMHO.

[JHB1901]

JHB-Not trying to stir you up here, but I think continuing to post that Princess 'raised the price indiscriminately ' after you booked is a bit out in left field. There was a pricing error, although it sounds like it was Princess fault that caused the error. They did not try to raise the price after you booked, they corrected an error in the quote, there is a bit of a difference in the two.

 

Sometimes when a problem is continually told, it goes a little off base IMHO.

 

I don't know what you want to call it but Princess did make the price higher and they did admit that they made an error. I don't think I said that they raised the price 'indicriminately' but I gave all the details as to why they did raise the price. They corrected their error by raising the price they quoted me. In my book, the right thing to do is accept responsbility when you make errors and not make others pay for it!

[Toto2Kansas]

I don't know what you want to call it but Princess did make the price higher and they did admit that they made an error. I don't think I said that they raised the price 'indicriminately' but I gave all the details as to why they did raise the price. They corrected their error by raising the price they quoted me. In my book, the right thing to do is accept responsbility when you make errors and not make others pay for it!

 

If you re-read some of you posts, yes you did say that.

 

"How can any passenger trust a cruise line that gives out price quotes, accepts deposits, and then raises the prices indiscriminately just because they refuse to accept responsibility for their mistakes."

 

Yes, it seems Princess made a pricing error which they corrected shortly afterward. They did not raise the price, they made a mistake. And maybe they should take care of this for you and abide by their original quote.

 

If princess is reading your messages about this problem, I think by continuing on like you are doing, you are just hurting your cause more than helping it. If you had any chance of them backing up their original quote, my guess is that you have blown that right out of the water by making this so public here. Yes, mentioning what happened is one thing, but you are continuing on and on and on just repeating yourself over and over. Again, good luck, if it's not too late. I hope your TA is able to accomplish some satisfaction for you on this.

[Chat Noir]

For what it's worth, here's my opinion on cruiselines.... they ALL do things that make a segment of their passengers unhappy and/or mad. One cruiseline is not going to be better than the others in ALL situations. Princess has made you very unhappy in this situation, and you may be cancelling this one altogether (which may have a fabulous overall sailing), but end up on a cruise where the itinerary gets all whacked out, everyone gets Noro, or something else happens. At least at this point you do have the option to cancel, get your refund, and move on. I hope that whatever cruiseline you do end up sailing gives you the experience you hope for.

 

The grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence. Weeds grow everywhere...

[billet]

My TA has done and is doing a lot of work to fix the situation. I'm still hoping that Princess will do the right thing and honor their price quote and that may restore my trust in them!

That would be the best outcome for sure :)

[JHB1901]

If you re-read some of you posts, yes you did say that.

 

"How can any passenger trust a cruise line that gives out price quotes, accepts deposits, and then raises the prices indiscriminately just because they refuse to accept responsibility for their mistakes."

 

Yes, it seems Princess made a pricing error which they corrected shortly afterward. They did not raise the price, they made a mistake. And maybe they should take care of this for you and abide by their original quote.

 

If princess is reading your messages about this problem, I think by continuing on like you are doing, you are just hurting your cause more than helping it. If you had any chance of them backing up their original quote, my guess is that you have blown that right out of the water by making this so public here. Yes, mentioning what happened is one thing, but you are continuing on and on and on just repeating yourself over and over. Again, good luck, if it's not too late. I hope your TA is able to accomplish some satisfaction for you on this.

 

I think this is the best way to establish my point that Princess cruises is in the wrong and needs to honor it's original price quote, even if they did make a mistake. My TA and I will continue to pursue this until we are able to do that.