Surprise Charges

[SpaceCoast]

We got back from The Legend two weeks ago. When we left the ship, we left with a zero balance. Unexpectedly, we received a $25 charge. After making a phone call, I learned this is from the golf club that my son checked out. He returned the club, but the assigned person was away from the desk, and another worker took it.

 

The person on the phone stated that she would "look into it;" however, we have not heard anything else.

 

Any advice?

[CWcruisers]

Charge it back on your credit card. Then they will either "look into it" or let it go. If you know you did the right thing by returning the club, then you should not be charged.

[KY Transplant]

Did your son get a receipt for the club? If so fax it to Carnival.

 

If not then ask customer service if they would be willing to lose repeat business over $25. If all else fails dispute the charge on your credit card. I have a hunch Carnival won't fight too hard over $25 vs losing a customer when your credit card company becomes involved.

[firefly333]

Did your son get a receipt for the club? If so fax it to Carnival.

 

If not then ask customer service if they would be willing to lose repeat business over $25. If all else fails dispute the charge on your credit card. I have a hunch Carnival won't fight too hard over $25 vs losing a customer when your credit card company becomes involved.

 

A credit card company wouldnt bother contacting carnival. Assuming they allowed the dispute to be set up, they would write the amount off (I know I used to do disputes). It would cost more to keep open than writing it off.

 

Carnival would never know... but it would hurt your worth to the cc company. (they keep a running tally on your value in $$$ to them).

 

Sounds to me like the son should have not just left it sitting there. OP how do you know who took the golf club if your son just left it when the employee wasnt there??

[bunny1954]

A credit card company wouldnt bother contacting carnival. Assuming they allowed the dispute to be set up, they would write the amount off (I know I used to do disputes). It would cost more to keep open than writing it off.

 

Carnival would never know... but it would hurt your worth to the cc company. (they keep a running tally on your value in $$$ to them).

 

Sounds to me like the son should have not just left it sitting there. OP how do you know who took the golf club if your son just left it when the employee wasnt there??

 

 

Fire..... OP stated that the worker assigned to that station was away, but that the son gave it to another worker. I'm thinking that the worker didn't clear the paperwork thus the charge.......

[janabm81]

I say give Carnival a few days to figure it out...but stay on top of it. Like another poster said, if you have the return reciept fax it to whomever is handling your account. If it isn't resolved after all that then dispute it to your card company. Good Luck!!!! :)

[dmdiver]

I would dispute it with the credit card company. I know discover will immediately give you a pending credit. If the vendor does credit back the erroneous charge, the cc company then will take off the pending credit. I've had 2 issues like this in recent months. Once, I used my card in the Sonic drive-thru & they were nice enough to charge the car behind me's food to my account. Sonic never issued a credit, discover just credited back & said they would investigate. Another time, we asked for a refund from a company multiple times with no response whatsoever from them. Went to discover, who issued the credit. Finally, the company responded & processed a refund. At that time discover simply removed their credit.

 

If you go ahead and go to the credit card company, you will probably get a quicker resolution.

[Traveler353]

OP: Give Carnival a chance to do what they said that they would do. Who knows it might even turn out to be a none issue.:cool:

[Nunu]

I'd never dispute such a small fee with the credit card issuer.

[lillian marie]

Keep calling customer service and write a letter also to CCL on this matter or you may never get resolution.

[scapino]

I'd never dispute such a small fee with the credit card issuer.

 

You would just pay it????????

[jks336]

DMDIVER, ccard companies automatically credit your card when you do a chargeback. but your not to utilize it until the matter is cleared up.

 

nunu, and if you do that every time. eventually that can add up to hundreds.

 

i agree that to call carnival, let them try and straighten it out. they may reverse that. if not, honestly to me as well, its the point of the matter, i'd do a charge back. doesnt cost you anything but time to file. and it will get them to definately look into the charges

[firefly333]

The OPs son just left the club on the desk without turning it in to someone ...doesnt he have any responsibility here for not returning it properly? .. or did I read it wrong.

[Koval]

The OPs son just left the club on the desk without turning it in to someone ...doesnt he have any responsibility here for not returning it properly? .. or did I read it wrong.

You read it wrong, someone already posted to you, that you didn't read it right (Post 5) He did turn the club in, just not to the same person he checked out from. It shouldn't matter who he gave it back to as long as they were at the desk. Not the kids fault the stand in didn't do their job while filling in for the Reg. Guy.

[firefly333]

You read it wrong, someone already posted to you, that you didn't read it right (Post 5) He did turn the club in, just not to the same person he checked out from. It shouldn't matter who he gave it back to as long as they were at the desk. Not the kids fault the stand in didn't do their job while filling in for the Reg. Guy.

 

Oh I see, when the OP said another worker took it .. I read it as another worker stole it ...didnt realize he turned it into the guy ...I was thinking the club walked off with a worker ...thats why I wondered how the OP knew who stole it.

[Boozebabe]

A credit card company wouldnt bother contacting carnival. Assuming they allowed the dispute to be set up, they would write the amount off (I know I used to do disputes). It would cost more to keep open than writing it off.

 

Carnival would never know... but it would hurt your worth to the cc company. (they keep a running tally on your value in $$$ to them).

 

Sounds to me like the son should have not just left it sitting there. OP how do you know who took the golf club if your son just left it when the employee wasnt there??

 

I accept credit cards at my business and thats not how it works. If a person contacts the cc company about a dispute the cc company sends paperwork to the cc holder who is disputing the charge. When they recieve the paperwork back they send a request to the vendor for a signed reciept. Once the cc company recieves the signed receipt back they progress with the claim. They DO NOT automatically give a credit without contacting the vendor. I have been on the recieving end of disputes with customers. They usually "forgot" the visit to the establishment. But in the meantime, they put a chargeback onto the vendors account.

 

I'm sure Carnival is no exception.

 

If I were the OP I wouldn't have too much confidence without a reciept.

[Cruiser1547228475]

Well, he paid for the club :rolleyes:.

He should have carried it home with him.

 

They charged him for it :(.

 

Another heads up post , be aware .

Twenty five bucks for a putter :D.

[gazingm42]

Normally when you check out something on the lido deck the write it

down on a receipt. Then when you return it they give the receipt, AKA bill

to you or tear it in 1/2 in front of you.

 

But I think that they did not do this with worker # 2 and later they found

it after you left the cruise.

[cwn]

I accept credit cards at my business and thats not how it works. If a person contacts the cc company about a dispute the cc company sends paperwork to the cc holder who is disputing the charge. When they recieve the paperwork back they send a request to the vendor for a signed reciept. Once the cc company recieves the signed receipt back they progress with the claim. They DO NOT automatically give a credit without contacting the vendor. I have been on the recieving end of disputes with customers. They usually "forgot" the visit to the establishment. But in the meantime, they put a chargeback onto the vendors account.

 

I'm sure Carnival is no exception.

 

If I were the OP I wouldn't have too much confidence without a reciept.

 

Not so for us...

With our credit card company, when we disputed a charge a while back, it was credited back to our account right away. Our CC company took our word on the issue. They knew we were not where the bad charge was made.

 

We have had a few bad charges over the years that were reversed and never had to do paper work.

 

If it were me, I would write a follow up letter to Carnival stating what you have here and set a date for Carnival to get the credit to your cc. If Carnival doesn't give you a credit by that date, reverse the charge with the CC company. Also tell them about the phone call and letter that Carnival didn't respond to.

 

When I have returned things used on a ship...I don't think I have ever gotten any kind of paperwork.

[bplazo]

I'd never dispute such a small fee with the credit card issuer.

 

Really? I would dispute it even if it was just $5.00. If I don't owe it I an not going to pay for it.

[kparc]

The person on the phone stated that she would "look into it;" however, we have not heard anything else.

 

Any advice?

 

At this point - I'd just let it go. After what the cruise and all the other expenses cost...........:cool:

[Sinjan]

Not so for us...

With our credit card company, when we disputed a charge a while back, it was credited back to our account right away. Our CC company took our word on the issue. They knew we were not where the bad charge was made.

 

We have had a few bad charges over the years that were reversed and never had to do paper work.

 

If it were me, I would write a follow up letter to Carnival stating what you have here and set a date for Carnival to get the credit to your cc. If Carnival doesn't give you a credit by that date, reverse the charge with the CC company. Also tell them about the phone call and letter that Carnival didn't respond to.

 

When I have returned things used on a ship...I don't think I have ever gotten any kind of paperwork.

 

 

Credit card companies handle their card holder accounts differently than they do the vendors who accept their cards.

 

When a card holder disputes a charge they are issued a pending credit for the amount in dispute. This amount is available for the card holder to use, but keep in mind if the case is resolved in favor of the merchant and the amount added back to the card, the card holder can be charged over the limit fees.

 

In the case of the merchant, the $$ in dispute is automatically debited from their account and held by the card company. ALONG WITH charge back fees. I've seen these fees as high as $75 for one transaction. So in the case of the OP, CCL would get dinged for $100 over a $25 charge. BTW, the fee is NOT refunded if the merchant proves the charge and gets the disputed amount back. They have to eat the fee regardless of the outcome.

 

I am a retired office manager and had to deal with these issues on the rare occasions they came up. From my experience, the ONLY thing that a card company will accept as proof is a signed credit card charge slip for the item(s) in dispute. The company I worked for did most of its business via the net. We would have email trails between us and the customer detailing what was being ordered and the prices involved along with the customers intent to call with their card number. The card companies (mc, visa, discover) would not accept this as proof. HAD to be signed receipt.

 

I suspect a large vendor such as CCL would weigh the cost of the charge back against the amount of the charge and act accordingly.

[KY Transplant]

Credit card companies handle their card holder accounts differently than they do the vendors who accept their cards.

 

When a card holder disputes a charge they are issued a pending credit for the amount in dispute. This amount is available for the card holder to use, but keep in mind if the case is resolved in favor of the merchant and the amount added back to the card, the card holder can be charged over the limit fees.

 

In the case of the merchant, the $$ in dispute is automatically debited from their account and held by the card company. ALONG WITH charge back fees. I've seen these fees as high as $75 for one transaction. So in the case of the OP, CCL would get dinged for $100 over a $25 charge. BTW, the fee is NOT refunded if the merchant proves the charge and gets the disputed amount back. They have to eat the fee regardless of the outcome.

 

I am a retired office manager and had to deal with these issues on the rare occasions they came up. From my experience, the ONLY thing that a card company will accept as proof is a signed credit card charge slip for the item(s) in dispute. The company I worked for did most of its business via the net. We would have email trails between us and the customer detailing what was being ordered and the prices involved along with the customers intent to call with their card number. The card companies (mc, visa, discover) would not accept this as proof. HAD to be signed receipt.

 

I suspect a large vendor such as CCL would weigh the cost of the charge back against the amount of the charge and act accordingly.

 

 

A very interesting and eye opening post.

[sharecruises]

I wouldn't let it go...

 

I would keep calling and writing carnival to get them to reverse it.

 

Surely they can do a "golf club" count on the ship?? If none are missing then they would know.

 

if Carnival refuses, then charge it back

[dmdiver]

DMDIVER, ccard companies automatically credit your card when you do a chargeback. but your not to utilize it until the matter is cleared up.

 

nunu, and if you do that every time. eventually that can add up to hundreds.

 

i agree that to call carnival, let them try and straighten it out. they may reverse that. if not, honestly to me as well, its the point of the matter, i'd do a charge back. doesnt cost you anything but time to file. and it will get them to definately look into the charges

 

Yes, they do the credit & it is on the statement. I don't worry about over the limit charges as I never charge enough to get that close to the limit. Discover doesn't require any paperwork to fill out - you can dispute the charge online, too.