Nonrefundable deposits? Always nonrefundable?

[pablo222]

I wonder how many "non-refundable" deposits they would have to give back?

 

If princess always listened to hard-luck stories, why would anyone

buy insurance?

[wtrmdr]

Here we go again. Non refundable means non refundable. To me it does not require any further explanation. It is the same as people complaining that they have to cancel after full payment and want Princess to be considerate of them as they didn't buy insurance.

Sorry but if they can afford the full value if cancelled within two weeks then they can afford the non refundable deposit.

I for one would be very annoyed if this person got anything when they knew what they bought. I BUY CANCELLATION INSURANCE

 

They would have been perfectly happy if the deposit could have been applied to a future cruise.

[paul929207]

They would have been perfectly happy if the deposit could have been applied to a future cruise.

Unfortunately, that was not a provision of their contract. They either took the cruise they booked or they forfieted the deposit.

[Astro Flyer]

They would have been perfectly happy if the deposit could have been applied to a future cruise.

It's stated that it's a "non-refundable, non-transferable" deposit so transfering it to a future cruise is not allowed either.

[GHDPeter]

Hi,

 

Firstly, the reason that they are unable to cruise is not due to the injury, but due to the lack of vacation time that is now available to him, he could of course taken time off without pay as I am assuming that the holiday time off work had already been approved.

 

Secondly the required deposit I think from memory for cruises up to 30 days is now 20% for departures after may 2013. If you read the terms and conditions the reason that the deposit is non-refundable is not because of a special condition during the sale of the fare but because the cancelation penalty 180 days down to 75 days before departure date is the deposit amount

 

Sailings less than 30 nights (including World Cruise sectors)

Days Prior to Departure Cancellation Charge

181 days or more N/A - Full refund

180 – 75 days >Deposit amount^

74 – 43 days 25% of total fare^

42 – 15 days 50% of total fare^

14 days or less 100% of total fare

 

The cut off dates are

 

Sail date 75 Days 180 Days

9-Jun-13 26-Mar-13 11-Dec-12

14-Jun-13 31-Mar-13 16-Dec-12

16-Jun-13 2-Apr-13 18-Dec-12

23-Jun-13 9-Apr-13 25-Dec-12

5-Jul-13 21-Apr-13 6-Jan-13

17-Jul-13 3-May-13 18-Jan-13

29-Jul-13 15-May-13 30-Jan-13

 

These conditions are agreed to by every customer booking with Princess ( you can't make a booking without agreeing to them ) and are agreed to by the Travel Agent on behalf of the client. If they had booked through a travel agent and were not advised of the terms and conditions, then the problem is with the travel agent not with Princess.

 

 

But lets look at this from another point of view, how would we feel if we had booked a cruise, paid a deposit and then got a phone call from Princess to say that they were refunding our money because they had decided to sell the cabin to somebody else?

[jpthomas27]

And I don't think special treatment based on the category of cabin booked is a criteria to be used for a request to waive the rules which are clearly stated.

 

I agree, but for some reason there is a common feeling that becasue someone has more money than others (and can afford a suite) that they are somehow special and not held to the same rules as others.

 

Becasue I save for 12-18 months in order to afford a balcony, and a suite is merly pocket change for you, then you should be allowed exemptions for some reason?

 

The speed limit is the same for all of us, regardless of how much your car costs.

[BratDet]

I am also a CCL shareholder, and although

I have not traveled in a suite,

all but one of my cruises have been balconies....

 

Remember, the cruise line is not making their $$ off on people thru their cabin...it is thru all the extras....so there are those in insides, balconies, and suites who spend a lot extra...and those who spend little....so...

Size (of your cabin) doesn't matter! ;)

 

Bernadette

[Lookingforfacts]

The OP has come to the wrong place for support. There is nothing wrong with asking for consideration. The few times I've had to ask for consideration on non-refundable purchases, not a cruise, I always take the position non-refundable means the company isn't required to offer a refund. It doesn't mean they're not allowed to do so. I'll always, politely, cut the person off and say something like I agree you're not required to do anything. Do you have the authority to make an exception? Can you please tell me how to contact a person who has the authority.

 

Non-refundable deposits protect the company (cruise line) from either having an unsold cabin or having to reduce the price (flash sale) to fill the cabin. Non-refundable deposits can also be a way to benefit from, take advantage, of customers who have legitimate issues. The OP isn't sure of the dates of the cruise. Hypothetically the cruise is 6 months out and the cruise line has a waiting list for suites. Keeping the deposit, regardless of terms, would be a greedy money grab.

 

I don't care what the terms of the booking say. Under the terms of our booking the cruise line can serve us franks and beans, skip every port and only owe us a few dollars in port taxes/fees. Assume the cruise line is going to offer the minimum required under the terms and conditions we "agree" to and no one would book a cruise.

 

Again don't know the dates. Is it more then 75 days? Can they resell the suite at full price? Keeping the full deposit under those circumstances is a money grab.

[CantanaLobo]

I think if someone wants to be able to get their deposit back, they should pay for a refundable deposit. If they make a deal with the cruise line for a non-refundable deposit in exchange for whatever considerations (e.g. the amount of the deposit is reduced) then they should not get the deposit back.

 

Having said that, it would be nice with the non-refundables if you could move the deposit to another cruise for a suitable change fee (providing it's done before final payment). That would annoy customers less and keep the crusielines from having to decide on hardship cases while letting them get revenue when life intrudes on the passengers plans.

 

OTOH, I'm not president of a cruiseline, so I'm probably missing something. :)

[Loonbeam]

If you think about it, the original deposit amount would be the change fee (since you would forfeit it)..

 

As the previous poster noted, there is always the option for the line to make exceptions in extraordinary cases (even with insurance, for example, I am in favor of being more flexible with the rule on the death of a passenger or immediate family member - not because of financials, because of stress). But these should be just that, extraordinary exceptions.

 

It's important to note that very often, NRNT fares are priced with that paradigm in mind, and are usually lower. The lower price is predicated on the guaranteed revenue. Making exceptions disrupts the model and would predicate higher fares in that class.

 

 

I think if someone wants to be able to get their deposit back, they should pay for a refundable deposit. If they make a deal with the cruise line for a non-refundable deposit in exchange for whatever considerations (e.g. the amount of the deposit is reduced) then they should not get the deposit back.

 

Having said that, it would be nice with the non-refundables if you could move the deposit to another cruise for a suitable change fee (providing it's done before final payment). That would annoy customers less and keep the crusielines from having to decide on hardship cases while letting them get revenue when life intrudes on the passengers plans.

 

OTOH, I'm not president of a cruiseline, so I'm probably missing something. :)

[Pam in CA]

Unlike purchasing something else that's non-refundable, cruise lines offer insurance plus you have the option to get insurance independently. So even though the deposit or fare isn't refundable, it really is because you can submit an insurance claim. No one expects to fall and break a leg, no one expects to lose a job, no one expects to have a Spring snowstorm that will close the airport, etc. The vast majority of people's reasons to cancel are unexpected, and legitimate. Where would the line be drawn for an exception? Particularly since the passenger can get most of their money back?

 

Booking with a non-refundable deposit is a conscious decision. Booking a cruise without insurance is also a conscious decision. The person gambles that nothing can or will happen. When it does, you've lost your bet. That's what it comes down to.

[notentirelynormal]

The OP has come to the wrong place for support. There is nothing wrong with asking for consideration. The few times I've had to ask for consideration on non-refundable purchases, not a cruise, I always take the position non-refundable means the company isn't required to offer a refund. It doesn't mean they're not allowed to do so. I'll always, politely, cut the person off and say something like I agree you're not required to do anything. Do you have the authority to make an exception? Can you please tell me how to contact a person who has the authority.

 

Non-refundable deposits protect the company (cruise line) from either having an unsold cabin or having to reduce the price (flash sale) to fill the cabin. Non-refundable deposits can also be a way to benefit from, take advantage, of customers who have legitimate issues. The OP isn't sure of the dates of the cruise. Hypothetically the cruise is 6 months out and the cruise line has a waiting list for suites. Keeping the deposit, regardless of terms, would be a greedy money grab.

 

Again don't know the dates. Is it more then 75 days? Can they resell the suite at full price? Keeping the full deposit under those circumstances is a money grab.

 

The OP wrote:

 

That means that he cannot then take off work and go on a vacation in June or July (not sure of their sail date). Their deposit was somewhere around the $2,500 area.

 

It was less than the 75 days - the penalty period anyway. You should keep in mind, if the friend had just bought insurance there would be no issues. So, the guy books a cheaper fare on a non refundable sale, doesn't take insurance, gets hurt and now can't get time of work - and now is bad mouthing the company for his own short comings and circumstances.

 

In all honesty, if my friend did the same as this guy, then tried to convince me Princess was the one at fault, I would laugh in their face at them trying to convince me the company was the one at fault. I just wish people would take responsibilities for their own actions instead of placing blame on others.

[LH25]

In all honesty, if my friend did the same as this guy, then tried to convince me Princess was the one at fault, I would laugh in their face at them trying to convince me the company was the one at fault. I just wish people would take responsibilities for their own actions instead of placing blame on others.

 

 

I would feel bad for my friend, but I wouldn't blame the company who was following the rules both parties agreed to.

[GHDPeter]

The deposit for a cruise in June or July was never going to be refundable after the 30th January ( 180 days before the last sailing in July) to ANYBODY no matter what the reasons why you could not cruise.

[windsor26]

I do not understand why anyone would not take out insurance but then of course as we live in Australia THE DEPOSIT IS NEVER REFUNDABLE so we always take out insurance immediately we book

Those customers from North America are very lucky that they mostly have a refundable deposit UK and New Zealand have the same rules as we in Australia so would not understand not taking insurance :confused:

[paul929207]

The deposit for a cruise in June or July was never going to be refundable after the 30th January ( 180 days before the last sailing in July) to ANYBODY no matter what the reasons why you could not cruise.

I am not sure about Australia, but most cruises booked thru US TA's or Princess don't have final payment due until 75 days before sailing. Longer cruises are 90 days. So, final payment is due today (April 23) for cruises leaving about July 7 (too lazy to count the days to be exact).

[GHDPeter]

I am not sure about Australia, but most cruises booked thru US TA's or Princess don't have final payment due until 75 days before sailing. Longer cruises are 90 days. So, final payment is due today (April 23) for cruises leaving about July 7 (too lazy to count the days to be exact).

 

Final payment might be due today, but the penalty for cancelling between 180 days and 75 days is the deposit paid. At least that is what is says on our passage contracts in Australia.

 

On a side note, I was on P & O UK Aurora world cruise segment earlier this year and I saw that the Future Cruise Credit/Deposit system that they offer is non-refundable if you don't use it. In Australia after 2 years on Princess and P & O they refund them if not applied to a cruise.

[skf]

The buyer has recourse through insurance so it's really not all or nothing.

__________________

-- Pam

The old maxim holds true..."They bought their own problem". This is why God invented travel insurance.

[paul929207]

I don't recall where OP (and the friends) are from. In the US, the deposit is refundable until the final payment unless a non-refundable deposit booking is made.

[GHDPeter]

US contract states

CANCELLATION POLICY EXCEPTION. If you have purchased a specially priced promotion that is 100% non-refundable from the point of payment, you are not entitled to any refund, payment, compensation or credit whatsoever of your cruise or cruisetour fare if you cancel your booking.