credit card refused on solstice

[scruffts2007]

can anyone explain as I seem to have no success with celebrity after sales service.

 

before the cruise telephoned cc company told where and when we were going, set up pre-cruise on board expenses account, paid with said credit card pre-cruise two excursion and speciality meal. all ok

 

Once on board, second day then got telephone call from guest services to say cc was refused. telephone call was made to cc company as this had happened at maimi hotel the night before cruise, cc company said the 3 digit security code was not entered correctly but everything was in order with card and loads of credit. This was explained to guest services, who grudgingly accepted the fact.

 

This experience was repeated two or three times on cruise, then on last night went down at 7 pm to check that everything was ok...yes no problem. Then at 11 pm telephone call was recd from guest services to say cc was refused

 

Then they demanded cash to settle up which we had enough of fortunately --sadly this left a bad taste for celebrity and as we were frightened to buy even a bottle of wine in case we didn't have enough cash at the end of the journey.

 

the credit card firm say the card is in order, so why does celebrity work this way? any ideas of what happens

[Gonzo70]

I am not sure why you think your credit card being declined is Celebrity's fault? :confused:

 

Sounds like an issue with your credit card, not Celebrity.

[cruisestitch]

This is an example of why I never travel with only one card. Sadly, it seems to be an issue that your card was not U.S. based, as it had already happened at the pre-cruise hotel. Upsetting, to be sure, and I feel for you as this is one of the times when travel is no fun at all. But they could not let you leave without settling the account, one way or another.

[numbersix]

can anyone explain as I seem to have no success with celebrity after sales service.

 

before the cruise telephoned cc company told where and when we were going, set up pre-cruise on board expenses account, paid with said credit card pre-cruise two excursion and speciality meal. all ok

 

Once on board, second day then got telephone call from guest services to say cc was refused. telephone call was made to cc company as this had happened at maimi hotel the night before cruise, cc company said the 3 digit security code was not entered correctly but everything was in order with card and loads of credit. This was explained to guest services, who grudgingly accepted the fact.

 

This experience was repeated two or three times on cruise, then on last night went down at 7 pm to check that everything was ok...yes no problem. Then at 11 pm telephone call was recd from guest services to say cc was refused

 

Then they demanded cash to settle up which we had enough of fortunately --sadly this left a bad taste for celebrity and as we were frightened to buy even a bottle of wine in case we didn't have enough cash at the end of the journey.

 

the credit card firm say the card is in order, so why does celebrity work this way? any ideas of what happens

 

 

Maybe an idea would have been to be standing with them at the desk while you/they called the credit card company?

[scruffts2007]

the same card was accepted by celebrity for setting up on board expenses and used precruise for purchase of items, if the card has a problem why was it accepted then and items charged - no the card is neither faulty or over its limit.

 

I would like to know how it works on board ship - some one said they have to get approval every day from the cc firm

 

as mentioned before it just leaves you not wanting to go back with them (have sailed with ncl, msc, and rcci with no cc problems)

[scruffts2007]

and its a mastercard

 

 

one person mentioned that the security code on the back of the card is not used in the usa. at the miami hotel the c.c said the security code had not been entered correctly, when this was explained to solstice guest services they said they didn't do that, when it was insisted upon it seemed to go though .....until the next time, when of course the person you had seen before is never there and you have to go over the whole story again

[letsgo39]

the same card was accepted by celebrity for setting up on board expenses and used precruise for purchase of items, if the card has a problem why was it accepted then and items charged - no the card is neither faulty or over its limit.

 

I would like to know how it works on board ship - some one said they have to get approval every day from the cc firm

 

as mentioned before it just leaves you not wanting to go back with them (have sailed with ncl, msc, and rcci with no cc problems)

 

Your beef is with your CC company not Celebrity. What did thay say? Why were the charges refused? Was it a American Express Card as sometimes they are not as widely accepted as Visa and Mastercard.

[If only]

the same card was accepted by celebrity for setting up on board expenses and used precruise for purchase of items, if the card has a problem why was it accepted then and items charged - no the card is neither faulty or over its limit.

 

I would like to know how it works on board ship - some one said they have to get approval every day from the cc firm

 

as mentioned before it just leaves you not wanting to go back with them (have sailed with ncl, msc, and rcci with no cc problems)

 

I would have phoned MC myself to find out why it was being rejected but the other poster is correct it has nothing to do with Celebrity & everything to do with Mastercard. Have you phoned them since you returned to find out any explanation? Could the daily limit be less than the charge if there is one?

[Gonzo70]

the same card was accepted by celebrity for setting up on board expenses and used precruise for purchase of items, if the card has a problem why was it accepted then and items charged - no the card is neither faulty or over its limit.

 

I would like to know how it works on board ship - some one said they have to get approval every day from the cc firm

 

as mentioned before it just leaves you not wanting to go back with them (have sailed with ncl, msc, and rcci with no cc problems)

 

I have heard some odd reasons for not wanting to go back to a cruise line before, but having your credit card rejected is a new one. Likely when they preauthorized charges at various times during the cruise your credit card company denied the preauthorization. The reason they permitted you to use the card for setting up onboard expenses and precruise purchasing of items was because your credit card company allowed these charges and/or preauthorizations. This has absolutely nothing to do with Celebrity. They want your money; it would be very silly of them to not accept payment. It has an equal chance of occurring with any cruise line. It is no more or less likely to happen on your next cruise if it is with Celebrity, RCI, NCL, Carnival or any cruise line.

 

As another poster recommended, always bring at least two credit cards with you when you travel; you never know when one card may have issues. If your cruise was otherwise good with Celebrity, do not rule out sailing with them again. You are totally misattributing the blame; Celebrity did not do anything wrong here; you simply did not understand what transpired.

[cujosmom]

the same card was accepted by celebrity for setting up on board expenses and used precruise for purchase of items, if the card has a problem why was it accepted then and items charged - no the card is neither faulty or over its limit.

 

I would like to know how it works on board ship - some one said they have to get approval every day from the cc firm

 

as mentioned before it just leaves you not wanting to go back with them (have sailed with ncl, msc, and rcci with no cc problems)

 

Royal Caribbean is the parent company to Celebrity.

[pbrady]

We were on the Eclipse in February and had the same issue. It was Celebrity, not the cc company. We did all the right things before the cruise & my husband & I have 2 separate cc accounts b/c of my work. Neither worked onboard. We kept getting letters saying the cc company denied the use. We called the cc company right from guest relations - they said they never denied anything. This happened 3 days in a row. (by the way, the guest relations person told us Celebrity's accounting always has cc issues) The day before the last day we also got the notice to pay in cash - by now we were mad. When we went down to guest relations, the bill was paid - accounting said they never said there was an issue with the cc. After I showed them the 3 letters, they said "well it was OK this time". To us the worst part was the time wasted at Guest Relations every day & calling the cc company. Also, the cc company asked for the denial number every time we called and they would take care of it immediately. Celebrity couldn't give us one.

[scruffts2007]

the cc has a limit of several thousands . we spent 280 odd on ship just in case we didnt have enough dollars in cash to settle up

 

I will check again with the cc company but I know it will be "wasnt us mate" its them .and I they are right think it is celebrity..but let us see

[kitty9]

I assume you called the CC company to let them know you're going to be out of country. I've had a problem with credit cards refusing to take charges because I was out of the country and didn't inform them. Consequently they refused charges until I called.

[bighairtexan]

I does surely sound as if the credit card company was the source of the confusion since it happened BEFORE arriving on Celebrity, at the Miami hotel. I've had the same thing happen w/ a CC buying a pair of shoes and it was declined. It had a zero balance and the shoes were NOT over my 25K limit! Never got an explanation.

 

But do (as the OP said they did) CALL YOUR CC company from your HOME PHONE to report your upcoming trip. Inform them of where you're going and when you're going. I've told this story before but in the Caymans I purchased a very expensive ring. They tried to call my home to verify the authenticity of the purchase but (DUH) I wasn't home. So they used my previous phone number and called my EX husband who was thrilled that his alimony payments were going to buy jewelry in the Caymans.

 

Celebrity (and jewelry stores and hotels) only go by the authorization or lack of one given to them by the CC company.

 

And SCRUFFTS, if you hadn't previously had the issue at the hotel I'd be less certain it was the CC company. But it sounds as if they got their wires crossed starting from when you got to Miami, which isn't Celebrity's fault. But I'm guessing you're right. I've yet to have a CC company say "Why YES! We totally messed up and we're so sorry."

[numbersix]

There's a million reasons the card may have been rejected...and none of them haev to do with X. As Gonzo said, they want their money, and all they want/need is an authorization from your CC...if they get it...then charge goes through and it's end of story.

 

Yes...the 3 digit code on the back is used in North America...usually when the card is not presented (over the phone, online, et cetera). A 'hold' can be put on your card by, for example, car rental compnies...up to $1500 for a 1 day rental...these 'holds' sometimes take up to a few days to drop off. Maybe the CC company misheard or misrecieved the CC number(s). there could be lots of reasons why a card could be rejected. If it's 'OK', usually it's not too much trouble (a phone call) to clear it up.

[pbrady]

I can't believe almost everyone that posted here blamed the OP. If you weren't there, you don't know. I have never had this issue before the Elcipse and I am a loyal (Elite) Celebrity cruiser, neary 30 cruises total. However, I would never rush to judge a situation that can be very frustrating and insist it can't be Celebrity's fault. I can tell you I was told Celebrity has this issue more often then you know. Sorry Scruffs2007 that people are so judgemental. Please don't let this scare you from the boards.

[scruffts2007]

seems that one poster had same problem, yes as mentioned in my first posting the cc was telephoned before leaving to say it was going to be used, in the refusal in miami the cc said it was the hotel who in error for not imputing the security code

 

As mentioned before this was told to celebrity numerous times, the experience of the poster before is similar to mine

[Gonzo70]

I can't believe almost everyone that posted here blamed the OP. If you weren't there, you don't know. I have never had this issue before the Elcipse and I am a loyal (Elite) Celebrity cruiser, neary 30 cruises total. However, I would never rush to judge a situation that can be very frustrating and insist it can't be Celebrity's fault. I can tell you I was told Celebrity has this issue more often then you know. Sorry Scruffs2007 that people are so judgemental. Please don't let this scare you from the boards.

 

Nobody is blaming the OP or rushing to judgment; we are just trying to clarify the issue for the OP so they don't swear off Celebrity because of an issue with their credit card. This is far, far, far more likely an issue with the credit card company than with Celebrity. In all my time on Cruise Critic I have never seen this topic (Celebrity refusing a valid credit card) come up before.

[Orator]

Had my card declined on the 4th segment of a B2B2B2B. Used another card. When I returned home received an e-mail from American Express saying that they believed that someone tried to use my card and they couldn't provide the security code. Told me that they tried to charge $2000 for something I would never purchase. Obviously the security of the card was compromised so it was cancelled and a new card was issued. Thank you American Express and Celebrity. Never leave home without a second card.

[cruisestitch]

Not trying to blame the OP at all. Because it happened at the hotel, clearly there was some underlying problem with the card's use in the US, and the cruise shows as a US charge no matter what the location of the ship is.

[Booyakasha]

When a credit card gets declined once for a security reason. Which it sounds like what happened to you at the hotel...... than security is turned up. Especially if someone (Celebrity) keeps trying over and over again to run a charge. We all see the commercials on TV where the Customer Service at many credit card companies is terrible and it is true. The 3 digit security code is not necessary when the physical card is there and swiped. The problem here is with your card for the most part. Celebrity should have worked with you and your CC company to move the charge through this would require a phone call where you are IDed by the CC company and verbally approve the charge. I am sure Celebrity runs in to this problem many, many times per cruise.

 

B.

[dzcruisers]

We just had the same kind of problem on the Jewel OTS. I called the credit card company from the financial officers office and Cap One told me no one had tried to enter charges so nothing had been declined. I had the ship's financial officer speak to him and Cap One assured him there was no problem with the card and perhaps they had submitted the wrong cc code.

He preauthorized our Cap 1 card on line. The next day we had the same problem again. We switched to a different card and ended up with charges being authorized on both accounts. Anyway it was a huge mess. I didn't make any demands but asked them to please fix it. They called me later in the cruise, accepted full resposibility and said what they had done was not an acceptable way to treat a guest. They gave us a nice compensation and we think it has been straightened out.

 

The gal in the guest services office said that since they have initiated their policy of making individual cruise expense charges each day they have problems with many credit cards. Capital One felt they (the cruise ship) must have been entering the incorrect cc code. Believe me it is often not the credit card companies fault.

[RJL58]

We were on the Eclipse in February and had the same issue. It was Celebrity, not the cc company. We did all the right things before the cruise & my husband & I have 2 separate cc accounts b/c of my work. Neither worked onboard. We kept getting letters saying the cc company denied the use. We called the cc company right from guest relations - they said they never denied anything. This happened 3 days in a row. (by the way, the guest relations person told us Celebrity's accounting always has cc issues) The day before the last day we also got the notice to pay in cash - by now we were mad. When we went down to guest relations, the bill was paid - accounting said they never said there was an issue with the cc. After I showed them the 3 letters, they said "well it was OK this time". To us the worst part was the time wasted at Guest Relations every day & calling the cc company. Also, the cc company asked for the denial number every time we called and they would take care of it immediately. Celebrity couldn't give us one.

 

the same thing happened to me in march on Eclipse when using an Amex credit card based in UK. No probs in Miami at hotels dining or bars, but second weeks cruise X declined, called CC from Cozumel who said not declined, card was well with no probs, on X talked to a GR manager who apologizes and blamed the SHIPS accounting software for the probs, they were having headaches with the system rejecting cards and Miami had not yet done a fix.

[jgnova]

I've learned, as others have said, the importance of calling the CC companies before leaving home, even though they say "don't leave home without it." We spent a week in Miami a couple of years ago, charging dinners, some stuff at Home Depot, souvenirs, etc. Then our card was declined at a gas station (in a not nice neighborhood). I called and was told they thought the card had been stolen since we were using it away from home and our spending pattern didn't match their profile for people on vacation. Maybe they didn't like us buying gas when we hadn't rented a car on their card?

 

j

[RJL58]

When a credit card gets declined once for a security reason. Which it sounds like what happened to you at the hotel...... than security is turned up. Especially if someone (Celebrity) keeps trying over and over again to run a charge. We all see the commercials on TV where the Customer Service at many credit card companies is terrible and it is true. The 3 digit security code is not necessary when the physical card is there and swiped. The problem here is with your card for the most part. Celebrity should have worked with you and your CC company to move the charge through this would require a phone call where you are IDed by the CC company and verbally approve the charge. I am sure Celebrity runs in to this problem many, many times per cruise.

 

B.

 

you are correct and the CC company knows by logs in there system when a hit for payment or authorization has occurred and by who.....they knew this by my 1st week when X asked for a "deposit" on credit limit in mid week of cruise and final payment in early hours of last night.