Travel agent reservation jacking?

[sherin65]

We are booked on a cruise next March. A friend and her family are booking also.

I gave her the royal carib. phone number from their website. She booked for her family.

 

RC is now saying that a travel agency has claimed her booking and she can't make changes through RC(she just wanted to change some dinner seating requests) she has to go through her travel agent. The problem is she has no idea who this travel agency is or how she booked through them when she thought she called RC. How can she find out how this happened?

 

Can she transfer her booking from this TA(if she even finds out how to contact them) to RC?

 

I feel really bad because I gave her the phone number but I know I was on the RC page, I have it bookmarked.

 

 

Sher

[Merion_Mom]

Sher, please post the phone number that you gave to your friend. Perhaps someone on this board could help you get to the bottom of this.

 

Carol

[Retired not Expired]

Has her family sailed with RCI before? If so, and she used a TA, then this booking was probably reverted to them. Most cruise lines do this unless you state otherwise.

[sherin65]

1-866-562-7625 This is the number I think I gave her. This is the RC number I have written at the top of my fax reservation. Then again maybe I read it off the website.

 

I had given all of the info to her and a catalog then she called me wanting the number. I told her it was on the brocure but she said she couldn't find all the stuff I have her and she needed to get it booked because the prices were going up. :o I was in a hurry at the time so I don't remember if I read it off the fax or if I was on the RC homepage.

[sherin65]

Has her family sailed with RCI before? If so, and she used a TA, then this booking was probably reverted to them. Most cruise lines do this unless you state otherwise.

 

No, this is their first cruise. Maybe she dialed the number wrong. Could there be a TA with a very close number to RC's numbers?

[critterchick]

I think Retired is correct. Whenever we book onboard, they say, "we'll transfer this to your TA." If we didn't want them to, we would say so at that time. I'm surprised they won't at least tell her who the TA is, though. She should call back & explain her dilemma. If the customer service rep won't help her, she should ask for a supervisor.

 

If all else fails, there will be some time on embarkation day where the maitre d' is available to change table assignments, so she could check in there.

[Retired not Expired]

No, this is their first cruise. Maybe she dialed the number wrong. Could there be a TA with a very close number to RC's numbers?

 

Have you sailed them before using a TA and did your friend link her reservations with yours?

[lauram]

This is very strange. Has she made a payment on the reservation or received a confirmation? If so, from whom?

[lrovnan]

Isn't there a website that is very similiar to Royal Carribean's and it's an actual travel agency? I thought someone posted about this a month or so ago.

[Retired not Expired]

Isn't there a website that is very similiar to Royal Carribean's and it's an actual travel agency? I thought someone posted about this a month or so ago.

 

Yes, there is, but if she used the phone number posted and did not misdial, that is the one for RCI.

[hdawson]

Irovan. Yes there is. One is http://www.royalcaribbeancruise.com I would never book with one that tries to use another company's reputation to get sales.

[RDeagazio]

Sher,

 

Have your friend call RCI reservations at 800-327-6700. When she gets an agent have her explain that she made her booking directly with the cruise line and did not request the booking to be transferred. If they don't help, have her ask for a Supervisor. Have her explain that she has NO idea who this agency is etc. Ultimately the customer has the control-- if one of my clients makes a booking with me and then decides to change to another agency, they can request to have their booking moved and I have no control over this, so it would stand to reason that RCI should do what your friend wants.

 

In the worst case scenario, why not just have your friend transfer the booking to your TA or a TA in their hometown? At least then they know who they're working with.

 

Good luck

[lauram]

In the worst case scenario, why not just have your friend transfer the booking to your TA or a TA in their hometown? At least then they know who they're working with.

Excellent suggestion!:)

[Arizona Cruz Chic]

Once a TA makes or takes over a resveration, you as the cruiser cannot make any changes, all changes must be done through TA. Afterall thats what your paying them for!! :D :D

 

And I agree with having your reservation moved to a TA closer to you that you know and trust.

 

***

[cruisinfanatic]

Has her family sailed with RCI before? If so, and she used a TA, then this booking was probably reverted to them. Most cruise lines do this unless you state otherwise.

The certainly do not. The only time Royal Caribbean gives your booking to a ta is when you book onboard.

[Driftwoodgal]

And they don't give the booking to the TA unless you tell them that it is OK. We had an online TA that wouldn't take any coupons from the C & A magazine. I chose not to use this TA agent again and when I booked on board explained that I wanted nothing to do with this company again. I booked directly with the ship and transfered my booking to a different TA at a later time.

[imsulin]

Something sounds really fishy here! I'm an outside contractor TA, and will tell you that a TA CANNOT take over a booking from the cruise line, or from another TA without the client's consent! I'm wondering if the OP gave a phone number that was listed on the website posted by hdawson. I've looked through my list of RCI toll-free numbers, and this number was not on it.

[Schplinky]

I'm guessing that if someone hi-jacked the booking, then their "service charge" for tranferring the booking to another agent is going to be real high

[imsulin]

Uptate: I just called the number provided by the OP. It IS a number to RCI, but it's for booking through an RCI "Vacation Specialist"...kind of like a Carnival "Personal Vacation Planner". Anyway, I explained that "someone" had booked their cruise by calling this number, and their booking was transferred to a "travel agency". I asked several times how this could have happened without the client's consent, and was told that this client should call the RCI "Resolutions Department" to get this resolved. So, sherin65, please have your friend call: 1-800-205-9812 and give their booking number. Hope this helps!

[Ericknow32]

Uptate: I just called the number provided by the OP. It IS a number to RCI, but it's for booking through an RCI "Vacation Specialist"...kind of like a Carnival "Personal Vacation Planner". Anyway, I explained that "someone" had booked their cruise by calling this number, and their booking was transferred to a "travel agency". I asked several times how this could have happened without the client's consent, and was told that this client should call the RCI "Resolutions Department" to get this resolved. So, sherin65, please have your friend call: 1-800-205-9812 and give their booking number. Hope this helps!

You did one of the nicest things I have seen on these boards. I am not the OP but I would like to thank you for being such a nice person.

[jaxon41]

Second that -- it was a very nice and helpful thing to do.

[Cruisemom39]

Uptate: I just called the number provided by the OP. It IS a number to RCI, but it's for booking through an RCI "Vacation Specialist"...kind of like a Carnival "Personal Vacation Planner". Anyway, I explained that "someone" had booked their cruise by calling this number, and their booking was transferred to a "travel agency". I asked several times how this could have happened without the client's consent, and was told that this client should call the RCI "Resolutions Department" to get this resolved. So, sherin65, please have your friend call: 1-800-205-9812 and give their booking number. Hope this helps!

Its unnerving to think the OP DID call RCI and this happened. What's up with that?? Is there some TA in the pocket of this vacation planner/RCI? There should never be any policy, formal or informal, that allows a booking to be given to a TA w/o the pax consent - even if RCI thinks they are doing the pax a favor (or whatever other reasoning they can provide). And now the OP has to spend his/her "free time" resolving this issue? What a pain in the neck. I can't imagine making a simple call to book a cruise and then having the aggrevation of multiple calls to resolve this nonsense.

[CaptData]

One other thing, sorry. She may have to pay a fee to this agency anyway for transfering/cancelling this cruise.

[Cruisemom39]

One other thing, sorry. She may have to pay a fee to this agency anyway for transfering/cancelling this cruise.

Something is very wrong with this whole picture....

[rjg41]

One other thing, sorry. She may have to pay a fee to this agency anyway for transfering/cancelling this cruise.

 

No! She did not authorize them to get the booking in the first place.

 

You must escalate this within RCI until it is fixed. Someone pulled a fast one here and don't give up until it is resolved at no cost to your friend.

 

Could someone at the "Vacation Specialist" desk be pulling a fast one on RCI and taking bookings for an agent friend or be a part time agent themselves?