Are we being screwed by GCT for the Paul Gaugin cruise?

[flahagan]

I touted the PG cruise to 2 other couples earlier this year, and with my encouragement about the good name of Grand Circle Tours, we all booked a PG cruise for June 2. We booked on Jan. 2, and were confirmed prices. Several days later, we received confirmation of the bookings with the confirmed prices. Several weeks ago, we received a very detailed travel booklet , again with the confirmed prices. Today, we all received our invoices for the remaining balances, which stated the amount we had all been confirmed at. When one of the couples called to pay the remaining balance with a credit card this afternoon, she was told she still owed an additional $1400, over and above the amount stated on today's invoice. After some argument, she was told that the original base price "must have been a mistake" and that now the price was this additional $1400! I contacted our lawyer, who said that we have a valid written contract for the original amount. I'm going to call in the morning and see what they tell me, but in the meantime, all 3 couples of us are EXTREMELY upset, as we have purchased travel insurance for this trip, and there is a supposedly non-refundable $125 per person. Plus, we're all dreaming of this trip. But none of us can afford an additional $1400. One of us even has a printout of the webpage stating the price with Jan. 1 date on it. Anyone out there have any advice for us. PLEASE!

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Sorry, is that June 2nd 2005? There is no cruise starting on the date, so I'm hoping you mean 2006. I will be on the PG on June 2nd, disembarking on the 4th, which is why I know.

 

Have no comment about your problems with GCT, sorry.

[flahagan]

Sorry, the trip begins June 2 with a 2-night stay in Tahiti, and then the cruise begins on June 4, 2005. We've been SO excited about this, but we're all very upset tonight, and just want to find out the best way to proceed. Thanks.

[NHcruisers]

Flahagan--

 

I doubt that anyone can help you w/o more information. One question might be is GCT billing you more than the brochure price less SS society discounts, less on board booking discount and TA discount (figure 5%). If this is so, than I think it would be very easy to rectify with one telephone call, maybe two.

 

If, on the other hand, you "sort of" know the TA made a pricing mistake in the original and subsequent correspondence, and you didn't correct it, than its an entirely different matter. On one hand, you might be able to prevail with the TA to eat their mistake. On the other, you could decide that a mistake was made, this is what I should have paid for the cruise, so what's the big deal?

 

So is GCT gouging you or was there a mistake made in the TA's pricing of this cruise? Only you know for sure ...

 

Bill

[NHcruisers]

I re-read your post. From what you are implying, is that GCT charged you more than the brochure price (less applicable discounts) at the time of your booking or ratcheted up your fare when the special went away. Neither is acceptable to RSSC. More info!!

[flahagan]

I don't know anything about special pricing or discounts, this is our first time with RSSC and GCT. We simply saw the cruise advertised as "from x dollars" on the GCT website, and then went to the date that had that price. We then called GCT on a 3-way conference call and were quoted that same price for that date on the lowest deck, picked out our cabins, and put down a deposit with our credit cards. I don't know brochure prices, this is a cruise-tour package that includes air from LA and 2 nights in a Radisson hotel pre-cruise. All our correspondence to this point has included the originally quoted price. Our invoice is correct. It's just that now we're being told over the phone by GTC that the price is now much higher than the invoice we just received. There was never any clue that this price was a "mistake". We're all pretty dumbfounded.

[cruiseluv]

Sounds like bait and switch . Could you cancel without penalties?

[flahagan]

There's a $125 per person cancellation fee, plus we've paid for trip insurance. I've just never heard of such a thing happening, and wondered if anyone else on this site had experienced it.

[WesW]

flahagan, this does not sound right, sorry to hear that GCT is doing this, best of luck

in getting the deal you originally booked...r/wes

[ridolphi]

Seems to me, that you've got it in writing, more than once apparently. I'd try to get to the "head" person at GCT and if they made a mistake and invoiced you wrong - what 3 times did you say? It should be their problem. Its not like they invoiced one couple wrong, they invoiced all three of you the same, and did it not only on the initial invoice, but the final payment invoice - something doesn't seem right - no way should they charge you more than whats on the website. Have you called RSSC, just for the heck of it and asked them what a price would be for your date, cabin, air, hotel, etc? Or another TA? Good luck -- I'd be screaming bloody murder right now!!

 

JoAnn:mad: :mad:

[cruiseluv]

Something else I don't understand is why were they asking you to pay the balance now? I thought balances were due 3 months prior to cruise date which would be around March 2.

 

Editing to add: When I read/ hear things like this it makes me wish I was a lawyer. I know of at least one lawyer that posts here regularly and hopefully he'll chime in and offer his opinion.

 

I would think if they took your deposit and fax/ e-mailed you a confirmation of the cost of the package they can't back out of it or that you would have some kind of legal recourse against them. Good luck!

[cruisinsince75]

Sounds too similar to what happened to us, but it wasn't a travel group it was Celebrity. We had booked a Caribbean cruise that was cancelled because they were keeping the ship over in Europe longer. So they offered us the Transatlantic cruise for the same price, sent confirmations and everything. We had cabins selected, then on these boards we found others from the earlier TA cruise were in the same cabins. When we called to find out what was going on, they denied that they ever told us that and that the faxes were sent by mistake. We were told that faxed confirmations did not mean anything and weren't legally binding. We didn't pursue it, but I bet they would have been legally binding if we cancelled our cruise on them a few days before sailing and said we wanted all our money back.

[WesW]

Flahagan, really feel for you as stated above--but this post should not be under the Radisson thread, it should be under "a other cruise line thread". People should know that this is not a RSSC booking and that RSSC has no control over GCT. It looks like Radisson is getting blamed for something they have no part or no control over. They are only the management company under contract to the owner. It is not fair for Radisson to take a reputational hit here

for what appears to be an exclusive GCT mistake.

Here is a guess at the GCT owner's email (Alan & Harriet Lewis) Alewis@gct.com or

Hlewis@GCT.com....believe in going to the top leadership to correct mistakes by loyal

customers..hope this helps..r/wes

[Dolebludger]

This matter is complicated by the involvement of GCT. I'm not familiar with their contracts. Most contracts of this type have a provision stating that legal action can only be brought in Florida or some other state where you may not live, making legal action inconvenient for you. Your attorney could best advise you. Generally, if you have it in writing, you can enforce it. But the cost of enforcing it can be prohibitive.

 

All I really can bring to this discussion is the mention that Radisson has recently been in the habit of offering deep discounts on some cruises many months ahead of sailing --- then stopping the discounts for those booking after a certain date when Radisson feels the ship will be sufficiently full without further discounting. In these cases, those who booked when the discount still applied continue to receive the discount. Of course, those who book after the discount expires don't get it. Not a problem, as everybody gets the fare he or she contracted for. On the other hand, if one books a non-discounted or "lightly discounted" cruise, according to published fares at time of booking, and Radisson later offers additional discounts, one will be given the additional discounts. But the involvement of GCT brings in factors unknown to me. This is one reason we booked our September 17 cruise on the PG through Radisson, as with Radisson we understand what the deal is. Also, we didn't want any land stay, which GCT packages along with the cruise.

 

Sometimes a letter from an attorney will do the trick. Have your attorney write to GCT, attaching your paperwork, and copy Mark Conroy at Radisson. After all, Radisson is still managing the ship, and IF GCT has fouled up, Radisson's reputation is on the line too. But if GCT merely made a clerical error on your paperwork, the laws of most states would allow them to reform the error, PROVIDED that they make you whole, with no losses for travel insurance.

 

Let us know how this turns out.

 

Thanks,

Richard:confused:

[Call me Ishmael]

If your original invoice lists the total price for

1. The cruise in the cabin category requested;

2. Airfare as requested (Econ or business); and

3. The additional hotel stay.

and you have not made any changes or failed to make deposits, etc., then yes you are being screwed.

 

You need to pound the table very hard, going up the chain of command to each successive person's supervisor and offering to provide copies of the invoices which they undoubtedly have. Get every person's name and title and an explanation of the mistake and why they think you should bear the loss of their mistake.

 

Using the terms "bait and switch" and "false advertising" as well as "consumer fraud" may be of some use.

 

Point out that you had heard good things about GCT on numerous internet travel boards and if the info is no longer accurate you will be letting the cruise and travel public know.

 

If the matter isn't resolved, file a detailed complaint with the attorney general in your state; travel sellers are often subject to special regulations over and above the ones listed above.

 

You can also pursue them in small claims court (assuming your state has one) for your out of pocket losses although there may be some technical issues of jurisdiction to resolve.

 

Disclaimer: This is not legal advice; I'm not a lawyer but I have a friend who used to be one. ;)

[WesW]

looks like there is a pattern of complaints against GCT:

 

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/travel/grand_circle.html

[Call me Ishmael]

Wow!

 

Given that GCT caters primarily to the senior set, I guess they figure they can do whatever they want. Rebilling based on currency fluctuations just kills me, because travel tour operators typically lock in their overseas' rooms and meals a year in advance (how else can they price them?).

 

Neatly buried in the fine print on GCT's website is the following:

 

"Grand Circle reserves the right to correct promotional or pricing errors at any time, or to increase the program price in the event of cost increases due to changes in airfares, cruise fares, currency fluctuations, park fee increases, taxes, or fuel surcharges. Grand Circle reserves the right to decline to accept or retain any person as a member of any tour or to cancel or alter the tour without notice, in which event your sole remedy shall be a prorated refund for any unused portion of the trip. Hotels and other accommodations are subject to change.

 

Grand Circle reserves the right to change the departure date of any trip, as well as cancel any trip or optional extension that does not reach a minimal level of participation."

 

I, for one, will cross this company off my list of prospective purveyors of travel!

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Wow, that's a real kicker, isn't it? I am really sorry for the trouble that the original posters are having. I commiserate--I am getting off the PG the day you would have boarded (if you don't cancel).

 

But I agree with another poster, that this really belongs under the "other cruiselines" threads, since it does not reflect on Radisson.

 

Wonder what kind of a price you would have gotten if you had booked through RSSC instead?

[HaloV]

OK now I'm kind of scared reading the posts. I too am going through GCT. I have not had any problems. Booked late in Dec. 2004, paid balance by Jan.11,05. My invoices are all correct. I chose GCT because it was a deal we couldn't pass up. Nobody could beat it. I hope that all of the couples get this mess taken care of. Don't stop fighting!! What is that saying? The squeaky wheel gets the oil. (or something like that) Maybe RSSC can give you a suggestion on how to handle this. H

[Call me Ishmael]

I disagree about putting this on another board:

 

1. The ship has the Radisson label;

 

2. Radisson lists the cruise package and the price on its website;

 

3. People chosing the Tahiti cruise ought to be made aware of the risks of dealing with GCT when selecting this cruise. (Note the original topic does refer to GCT.)

 

It doesn't really reflect badly on Radisson, but all complaints should be copied to Radisson for their info and with a request for comment. Unless someone has actually seen all the agreements between Radisson and GCT, it is premature to say which entity is the agent and which is the principal or if it really matters.

[new_cruiser]

The original poster was very clear about which company they were dealing with so I don't think that anything said reflects badly on RSSC. If you have ever posted to the Other Cruise Lines board, you would know that it has very little activity and therefore very little response. It is reasonable to assume that other people who have booked PG through GCT would be looking at this board. So posting here is a good way to get some feedback.

 

On to advice:

In my experience, some companies that will stonewall you with a complaint on the telephone (or sometimes by email) will change their mind and accomodate you if you send a letter. Perhaps they find that those who just make a phone call don't pursue the matter further even if they aren't satisfied. Those willing to put a stamp on an envelop tend to persist more - and of course there is a paper trail at that point. So, try writing them a letter. If that doesn't get a response in short order, you might escalate with some of the other suggestions here: a letter from a lawyer, a complaint to your state consumer agency, etc.

 

The letter may just do the trick.

[Dolebludger]

BTW, we somehow got on the GCT mailing list. I received a survey from them a couple of weeks ago. Included were questions about future itineraries for the PG. Some of the questions made me think that GCT is a bit out of its league with this ship. They were asking if we would like to cruise Antartica, around the horn in S. America, or do an Atlantic crossing on the PG! The fact that GCT would even consider getting onto those rough waters with a ship with a 15' draft like the PG is a clear indication that they don't know what they are doing.

 

 

Thanks,

Richard:eek:

[flahagan]

Thanks to all for your great information and advice!

 

ColonelWes: Thanks so much for the owners' e-mail addresses, looks like I my have to try it, especially after checking out the consumer affairs website that you posted! How can such a large company get away with practices like this? I thought there were laws against misrepresentation and bait and switch.

 

Cruiseluv: You're correct, final payment is due on March 4. But my friend is so over-the-top about this trip that she just had to call and make final payment the same day she got the invoice!

 

Dolebludger: I did contact an attorney today, and the advice was to send the correct balance due, as stated on the invoice, using the supplied credit authorization form. Of course, make copies of everything first! Then if we receive a letter disputing the amount or saying the price we were quoted was wrong, the attorney would fire off a letter to GTC. But now, after reading the consumer affairs website, I'm scared to even do that. I'm really getting frustrated.

 

HaloV: Are you on the June 4 cruise? Here's hoping you don't get any bad news, but sounds like we all may be a tad nervous now!

 

Again, thanks so much for the advice and the sympathetic words! I'll definitely keep posting as I learn more.

[dcl]

If they have the right to change the contracted price at anytime, then you should definitely have right to cancel without penalty. They can't leave the door wide open for their changes, without letting you have an out option.

 

Just go up the line of command, if you don't get the right answer, and then ask to talk to his supervisor until you get to the top dog.

If that doesn't work, definitely contact your credit card company, they can usually get better results.

[JDMOR]

I am booked on the PG for the Feb 26 sailing with two nights hotel pre-cruise. After all this, I was feeling pretty good I had booked through Vantage Travel rather than GCT. However, In looking closer I am not so sure. Looks as if their contract is about the same as GCT's. To top it off, I find that the CEO of Vantage is named Henry Lewis; who turns out to be a brother of GCT CEO Alan Lewis.

 

So, it appears everything said here probably applies also to Vantage.

 

I have had several trips on both GCT and Vantage and have always be well satisfied. Really sorry to hear this mess. No more booking for me pending something more positive about this.

 

Feb 26 is only a couple of weeks away, but I have not received my final documents yet. Keeping my fingers crossed they don't pull something this late in the game.

 

Please keep this thread going. Since Vantage/GCT bought Paul Gauguin and this is where info on the PG can be found, fans of the PG need to know.