Different invoice between ta and ncl

[backsbanny]

I was wondering if anybody had the same issue.today was my final due date on an ncl cruise so i contacted ncl to check if all payments were made.Ncl assured me everything was fine and they then sent me via email the guest ticket copy confirmation.when i checked that i saw to my horror that the agent had overcharged me by more than 500 usd for a week,?total on ncl was 1980usd and on ta confirmation total was 2519usd.what should i do about that???is this legit??so i paid to the agent 550 usd more than i should have

[Guindalf]

I would think a call to your TA is in order. Ask what the extra is for and if you don't get a satisfactory answer, demand a refund of the difference.

[teakea]

TA commission, perhaps?

Edited February 9, 2015 by teakea

[backsbanny]

This kind of difference is too much to be a commision its approximately 25% of the whole price.i dont believe ncl gives such a huge commision to anybody.the only good thing is that the ta price is still better than any other rate i found elsewhere

[Pikaia]

This kind of difference is too much to be a commision its approximately 25% of the whole price.i dont believe ncl gives such a huge commision to anybody.the only good thing is that the ta price is still better than any other rate i found elsewhere

Hmmm. I wouldn't be so sure. I'm not a TA, but I have reason to believe that my TA gets a pretty hefty commission when I book through him.

[hunterjackson]

taxes and fees?

[backsbanny]

Taxes and fees the same on both invoices only the fares are different

Edited February 9, 2015 by backsbanny

[AlaskaAtLast]

Sounds like your TA has some explaining to do. Can't wait to hear what they have to say. Please update us when you hear from your TA.

 

By the way, did you get any good perks from your TA? If not, I'd be doubly po'd.

[backsbanny]

They just sent me an email stating that i paid what i was quoted at the first time and thats it..no explanation nothing whatsoever..i never wanted a refund or anything since i have got a really nice rate but without them even trying to tell me and give me a reason about this they just lost a customer for ages to come..i am really happy though that there are a lot of other tas here that are excellent

[conandrob240]

A traveler should never pay a commission. NCL pays commission ( FAR from a hefty amount BTW) to a TA that books them. The cost you'd pay if you book through NCL and through a TA should be identical. NCL pays the commission not you . Definitely check though- it is possible there was a mistake here somewhere . I wouldn't be so quick to blame the TA.

[Guindalf]

They just sent me an email stating that i paid what i was quoted at the first time and thats it..no explanation nothing whatsoever..i never wanted a refund or anything since i have got a really nice rate but without them even trying to tell me and give me a reason about this they just lost a customer for ages to come..i am really happy though that there are a lot of other tas here that are excellent

 

No you haven't. You've been ripped off!

 

A TA's job is to get the best deal for its customers, not to keep any discounts they may find. I would be sending them a letter threatening legal action if they don't refund the difference. It's YOUR money they're keeping. That's NOT the way to do business.

[punkincc]

They just sent me an email stating that i paid what i was quoted at the first time and thats it..no explanation nothing whatsoever..i never wanted a refund or anything since i have got a really nice rate but without them even trying to tell me and give me a reason about this they just lost a customer for ages to come..i am really happy though that there are a lot of other tas here that are excellent

 

Why are you messing around with email? Every TA booking I have ever made has an 800 # indicated with instructions to call if you have any questions on your booking. You have questions. Call and get them answered to your satisfaction. TA invoices are confusing. The base fare, taxes and fee amounts always seem to differ from what NCL shows on a dummy booking, but when you add it all up, it is always the same amount as NCL showed, bottom line. Probably has something to do with what they call the non-commissionable fare.

 

Is it possible the amount you saw on the NCL invoice just showed the final balance after deposit and any other payments you made prior to final?

[backsbanny]

The day that i booked this on the ta the rate an ncl if i booked it online on ncl.com would be approximately 400usd more!!so back then it was very good deal and still is even today i never found a price drop since i booked.the thing is that ncl guest copy was way less when they sent me today.i really believe that was the price that ncl gave to the ta and then he increased my invoice to make some money.i have kept both invoices and i will speak with ncl when i board the ship to see what are their thoughts about this

[backsbanny]

I called them two times and my agent is nowhere to be found having luch speaking to other guest etc

[backsbanny]

I am just going to keep it like this i will ask ncl when i board and then if sth is not legit i will pursue that legally the only problem is that i am no us citizen so thats going to be tough lol

[Demonyte]

People onboard probably can't help you at all, they don't know about most things on the reservations let alone the prices of the reservations - even if there is so much as OBC missing and passenger complains about that after boarding, they usually tell that they have to contact the HQ in Miami.

Edited February 9, 2015 by Demonyte

[hawkeyetlse]

The day that i booked this on the ta the rate an ncl if i booked it online on ncl.com would be approximately 400usd more!!so back then it was very good deal and still is even today i never found a price drop since i booked.

In that case it does not sound like you were cheated. Most US-based travel agents send your entire payment directly to NCL, and in that case it would be very strange if the amount indicated in the NCL confirmation did not match exactly what you paid. Whatever money changes hands between the NCL and TA (commissions) happens behind the scenes and it is none of the customer's business.

 

It sounds like you did not book through a US-based travel agent, is that right? And your money went through the travel agent, not directly to NCL? So maybe the agreement that your TA has with NCL is that they keep their commission and give NCL the rest.

 

But to be honest I have never seen this happen and it surprises me that NCL would allow you to see this. Maybe they don't expect you to ask for the ticket confirmation directly, or the NCL rep sent you something they were not supposed to…

i have kept both invoices and i will speak with ncl when i board the ship to see what are their thoughts about this

Why wait until you are on the ship? I don't think they will have the answers, and what are they supposed to do about it at that point? Call NCL and your travel agent before you sail and ask them for an explanation. Again, I think you got the right price, and the difference is the TA's commission.

 

Would you mind telling us which cruise you booked, for how many people, in which category? That would help us determine if the fare you paid was fair or not.

Edited February 9, 2015 by hawkeyetlse

[backsbanny]

I booked 3 people b1 stateroom total 2500 with 175 obc.i booked with a us ta but as you said payments went to the ta not to ncl direct only the deposit went to ncl direct the final payment went to the ta thats what made me suspicious and i called ncl direct since i am gold latitude they were really helpful with me they immediatelly responded great job by ncl

[Demonyte]

.., or the NCL rep sent you something they were not supposed to…

 

 

i called ncl direct since i am gold latitude they were really helpful with me they immediatelly responded great job by ncl

 

 

No matter what level of Latitudes, NCL shouldn't send the end client those documents directly if booked through a TA, everything like that should be sent to the TA or directly to the client only after request by the TA.

[backsbanny]

Its ok though as i understood the difference was the commission i am ok with that since i got a really nice rate with a very nice stateroom onboard maybe somebody shouldnt send this maybe they mistakenly did this i dont care at this time i just want the time to go fast so that i can cruise soon lol thanks guys for all your help thank you

[hawkeyetlse]

I booked 3 people b1 stateroom total 2500 with 175 obc.

But which cruise exactly? Ship/sail date? That would be a really great price for a 14-day holiday sailing but for a 2-day CTN not so much :D

[backsbanny]

Thats for 14nights back to back

[hawkeyetlse]

Thats for 14nights back to back

:eek: I think you are the one cheating them! :D

[YYC F/A]

Hmmm. I wouldn't be so sure. I'm not a TA, but I have reason to believe that my TA gets a pretty hefty commission when I book through him.

 

Without divulging any "state secrets" or breaching CruiseCritic rules... In very high level/general terms, a typical TA commission on a mass market cruise product would tend to range from around 10% to 15%, and only on a portion of your total booking cost (commissions with mass market lines are not calculated on total booking but only on a portion thereof).

 

Many folks think it's like buying a piece of furniture or a car where there can be sometimes huge retail mark ups. This is almost never the case in the travel business.

 

Also, the lower the cruise fare, the lower the overall percentage. $399 cruises might be only around $30/pp compensation to the agency.

 

To the OP, NCL is supposed to send any payment / invoicing to the agency only, and this situation would likely have been avoided.

[GeezerCouple]

If we had any question about whether the TA was keeping more than the commission she/he was entitled to, we'd notify NCL.

 

IF there is anything 'funny' going on, this may be happening on other occasions, and NCL should probably know about it.

 

GeezerCouple