TA cancellation fee

[Saab4444]

They called me because they have to get verbal permission to charge my card the fee.

 

I do believe that $100 for less than 10 minutes worth of actual work is over priced. I do think that a fee of $50 would be sufficient. I understand they need to have some kind of penalty for people booking cruises, but per person seems excessive to me for the amount of work they do.

 

 

 

To their credit, they did offer me a voucher for $100 good for a year. So they did what is within their bounds to help make me a happy customer. Which was nice of them.

 

 

 

Regardless, the fee is paid, the cruise is cancelled. And someone who is on the same cruise will find a nice cabin open for them to switch to.

 

 

You are all lucky in America with the fees. In most European countries you pay high cancelation fees from the date of booking, even if the cruise is over one year ahead. I always have big arguments with them even if I just want to make an adjustment that is for the benefit of RCI. They always try to claim 10% fee at least for any change. This is rediculous!

[BekkaW]

I think it's really rude to publicly scold a Cruise Critic Member and actually insinuate they are lying.

 

They knew and agreed to terms which they now dont like. Where is the con??

 

I'm not insinuating, I'm stating it clearly. They said they were conned and this is a bare faced lie.

[Royalty X]

How do you know they only did 10 min of work? You don't know how much work went into them securing the lower prices / perks that they are offering. Also travel agencies get paid a commission. they aren't paid until you travel if you cancel they do not get paid for the booking you cancelled. Even if they didn't do much work for you they are not getting paid by the cruise line since the reservation was cancelled

 

As a TA (albeit in Australia), everything jonj has said is true. I'm sorry you had to cancel your cruise MaryZ, but if it was "just a 5 or 10 minute job", why did you not book it yourself? Something has kept you going back to that TA time and time again (whether it be price, service, whatever). In the grand scheme of things, $50 per person is a lot less than what the agent would've made in commission, had you completed your booking. The majority of agents wouldn't take home that $100 in their pay packet either. The agency gets a cut, and the agent would take maybe 10 or 15% (minus income tax). I'm sure the agent appreciated the $10 or so they got for the 5 to 10 minutes work.

 

I hope you give the agency another chance next time you book. :)

[sr4mjc]

i'm confused as to who the t.a. is, what company? is it an online company? I feel silly because everyone seems to know except me. :confused:

 

eta- I suppose your not allowed to say on the boards, is that it?

 

See post #7, which will likely be deleted soon.

[nelblu]

Wow, due to my house being raised in spring with a starting date of April 15, 2016 I had to cancel my anthem of the seas cruise.

 

This particular cruise agency with the last letters of "con" truly is a con.

$100 for them to cancel it. It's $50 a person. Ridiculous.

It took them 5 minutes to book it because all they did was follow what I said. It takes them less than 5 minutes to cancel it.

 

I have booked quite a few cruises with them before. I will never book with them again.

 

I'm not defending--I use the same agency, and going in I know the cancellation penalty. However, I take a chance which is made up by the add'l perks.

[FLACRUISER99]

I'm not defending--I use the same agency, and going in I know the cancellation penalty. However, I take a chance which is made up by the add'l perks.

I agree, sometimes you do get what you pay for!:D

[tinkertwo]

See post #7, which will likely be deleted soon.

 

thanks. i have never heard of them but i just googled.

[Karter]

I have used that company for many years and booked 30+ cruises with them. I am well aware of the cancellation policy and have no problem with it. I have saved many thousands of dollars booking through them so if I do cancel a cruise one day oh well it is a drop in the bucket compared to what they have saved me.

 

I actually have a regret in the opposite direction. I booked directly with RCCL on board but wasn't sure if I was really going to do the cruise or not so I never transferred the booking now I am mad that I gave up $500 to $600 in OBC because I didn't transfer it. If I had booked it and changed my mind I could have easily booked a new cruise with them and avoided the cancellation fee. Their policy states any changes incur the cancellation fee but I have never had a problem just moving to a different ship and/or date

 

Why would you expect them to do a service for you and not get compensated, They told you upfront what their fee was if you cancelled and you evidently agreed with it at the time of the booking. I do not see a con anywhere here.

 

Plus with their loyalty program i think it will be hard to find any other agency that can match their benefits.

[cruisinfanatic]

I have used that company for many years and booked 30+ cruises with them. I am well aware of the cancellation policy and have no problem with it. I have saved many thousands of dollars booking through them so if I do cancel a cruise one day oh well it is a drop in the bucket compared to what they have saved me.

 

I actually have a regret in the opposite direction. I booked directly with RCCL on board but wasn't sure if I was really going to do the cruise or not so I never transferred the booking now I am mad that I gave up $500 to $600 in OBC because I didn't transfer it. If I had booked it and changed my mind I could have easily booked a new cruise with them and avoided the cancellation fee. Their policy states any changes incur the cancellation fee but I have never had a problem just moving to a different ship and/or date

 

Why would you expect them to do a service for you and not get compensated, They told you upfront what their fee was if you cancelled and you evidently agreed with it at the time of the booking. I do not see a con anywhere here.

 

Plus with their loyalty program i think it will be hard to find any other agency that can match their benefits.

what are their benefits compared to a TA that does not charge a cancel fee?

[AmandaKaye79]

The biggest benefit is a lower price. I just booked using a TA (not this one) and my cruise price for a balcony on freedom of the seas June 26 was $1149pp. On Royals site it was $1571pp. Booking with the TA also includes free gratuities as well as the $300 OBC from Royal for booking a balcony or higher. The TA can get discounted cabins when they book a group booking. Then the discount is shared to the client. My TA also charges $100 to cancel; however, given the $850 I just saved, if I needed to cancel, it would be fine and I would use them again.

[grandgeezer]

On December 5, Celebrity Cruises announced that this agency won their 2015 President's Award for being their top partner, the second time in three years. You can go to their web site and read that, and all the other awards they've won from all the cruise lines. Great price, great perks, works for us. To each his own though.

[MisterBill99]

I booked with these folks once and have not used them since because of the cancellation fee. I know a lot of people swear by them, and they do have great deals. But the last time I tried to book with them (for a cruise that I knew I would not be cancelling), it was during one of their big sales and I waited several hours for a callback, only to be told that the agent I spoke to did not see the same price I was seeing online and that I should book thru their website. I use someone who has their own agency (thru "one" of the big "cruise " agencies), and she is almost always available (I can email her at 10pm and get a quick response) and she does not charge me for cancellations or changes. I've also been able to get pretty comparable deals to the other company for the cruises that I booked. And for the cruise I tried to book thru the other agency, my agent had a comparable offer.

 

Also, the one time that I used them, they messed up two things on my reservation, I booked two cabins (one for us, one for friends) and used a future cruise certificate (the old one that allowed you to get OBC on up to 3 cabins). The OBC that the second cabin was supposed to get for using the certificate did not show up, and they did not have our reservations linked for dining. Our friends didn't care that much about the missing OBC and we did all specialty dining so not being at the same table in the MDR wasn't an issue, so I didn't bother complaining at the time. I did complain in a post-cruise survey that the agency sent me, but no one ever got back to me. That really disappointed me.

[MisterBill99]

On December 5, Celebrity Cruises announced that this agency won their 2015 President's Award for being their top partner, the second time in three years. You can go to their web site and read that, and all the other awards they've won from all the cruise lines. Great price, great perks, works for us. To each his own though.

If you cruise enough, an occasional cancellation charge is not a big deal, especially if you're doing well on the perks by booking with them. When I was looking for a new agent a few years ago, I was careful to read thru the T&C of each one that I checked, after being surprised that one of them had a cancellation charge (I had never seen that before, at the time). Many people (like the OP) do not think to check and are surprised when they get hit with it. Some places charge to make changes as well (like getting a price drop). I don't think that this agency does. The agent that I eventually chose charges neither.

 

As you say, to each their own. Some people are happy to do without the extra perks and prefer to book directly with the cruise line so they have control over their reservation. Others book with an agent who gives them personalized service and get almost nothing other than a bottle of wine and they're happy with that.

Edited December 29, 2015 by MisterBill99

[Can'tStayHome]

This is an interesting conversation...

 

We've booked many cruises through this agency and agree that there was no "con" involved. Each time we've booked, we were sent an email outlining the terms and conditions. Before they did anything with our booking request, we had to respond to the email with an electronic signature, which authorized them to proceed.

 

A few months ago, we had to cancel a booking. They kept the $100 per person penalty. A few days later, we were surprised to receive an email from them with a $200 "Goodwill Voucher". It was applicable as onboard credit for a future cruise booked through them. I'm not sure why we would get this when others haven't.... Perhaps it was because we've booked so many trips with them.

[MisterBill99]

A few months ago' date=' we had to cancel a booking. They kept the $100 per person penalty. A few days later, we were surprised to receive an email from them with a $200 "Goodwill Voucher". It was applicable as onboard credit for a future cruise booked through them. I'm not sure why we would get this when others haven't.... Perhaps it was because we've booked so many trips with them.[/quote']

That is a fair thing to do and would make me more likely to use them in spite of the policy. Did it have any restrictions or could it be used with any other promotion or an existing reservation?

Edited December 29, 2015 by MisterBill99

[cruisinfanatic]

I see no reason to book with an agency that charges fees. There are plenty that charge no fees and give same deals if there is a group booking plus OBC

[niceneasy]

You're so right. The $100 fee isn't enough. Next time I'll send flowers:D

I am sorry that you needed to cancel and that you were charged the agreed upon cancellation fee for 10 minutes of work. I have also booked many cruises with them and was extremely pleased with the price, OBC and prepaid gratuities that I had received for the 10 minutes of work.

 

Recently I booked a cruise that I knew that I might change or cancel so I opted to use another TA that charged no cancellation fee.. The downside is that if their are no changes to that booking then the trip will be $200 higher. Sure, I will be upset for the increased cost but there is no one to blame but me. It's a choice that I have made just as it was a choice that you have made. You rolled the dice? However, kudos to the agency for sending the $100 voucher which shows that they value you as a customer.

[nelblu]

As an addendum to my post (#30), I wanted to book 3 balcony cabins on Oasis for the upcoming Easter week. There would have been 9 pax (3 small children). Called CC and asked if the cancellation fees, which would have totaled $450, could be waived as the youngest would be 2.5 years at cruise time and had some concerns. Was told that we would discuss when and if it occurred. Was not comfortable with the answer and booked directly with RCL.

[grandgeezer]

There are many options to book a cruise, be it through cruise lines or travel agents (brick and mortar and online). Pick the one that best serves you individual needs and the hell with everybody else. As you can see by all the posts, there are a lot of options out there to choose from.

[MisterBill99]

I see no reason to book with an agency that charges fees. There are plenty that charge no fees and give same deals if there is a group booking plus OBC

I'm with you. But clearly this works for the agency in question and they do not feel it affects their business. Or maybe the cancellation fees they collect more than make up for the lost revenue they'd get from other customers they'd get. Or they have enough business that it doesn't really matter that some people go elsewhere. Or perhaps there is a certain group of customers that book a lot of cruises that they eventually cancel, and this agency doesn't want their business.

Edited December 29, 2015 by MisterBill99

[FLACRUISER99]

I see no reason to book with an agency that charges fees. There are plenty that charge no fees and give same deals if there is a group booking plus OBC

I'll disagree, we often use a local brick & mortar TA that usually offers transportation to the port, this is a unique benefit that other TA's do not offer. Using a TA with or without a cancellation fee is a decision that each of us have to judge.

[grandgeezer]

I'm with you. But clearly this works for the agency in question and they do not feel it affects their business. Or maybe the cancellation fees they collect more than make up for the lost revenue they'd get from other customers they'd get. Or they have enough business that it doesn't really matter that some people go elsewhere. Or perhaps there is a certain group of customers that book a lot of cruises that they eventually cancel, and this agency doesn't want their business.

 

I think your last post might be more accurate than the first couple. I know a lot of people who book cruises on a whim, until something better comes along. We have a friend that booked nine cruises this year and took only two of them. Why not? they get their down payment back and no penalty. If you are a high volume broker, chances are you are going to have quite a few cancellations. If you are low volume, a few cancellations might not bother you. I'm sure they are high volume as they have 108 employees, the last I heard, when they moved into their new 37,000 sq ft building.

[KMagz]

This is the very reason I do not book with that particular agency. Great perks but I'm not comfortable with the cancellation fees. Yes, they must be doing well so it's no harm / no foul on either side.

 

Also, I've never been able to get an actual person who can take or service a reservations on the phone on the first call (at least as recently as a year ago.) Every call I've ever made was screened through a receptionist -- then I must wait on a call back from someone who has price quote & booking capabilities.

[DandDM]

For what it's worth, I usually book with a different large online TA that has a clearly stated $50 cancel/change fee. Even though I have made numerous cancellations and changes over the years, have never been charged. But even if I was, am still happy with their service and promotions so would continue to use them.

[Karter]

This is the very reason I do not book with that particular agency. Great perks but I'm not comfortable with the cancellation fees. Yes, they must be doing well so it's no harm / no foul on either side.

 

Also, I've never been able to get an actual person who can take or service a reservations on the phone on the first call (at least as recently as a year ago.) Every call I've ever made was screened through a receptionist -- then I must wait on a call back from someone who has price quote & booking capabilities.

 

They recently changed that policy now you usually get an agent when you call. They said it was in response to customer comments about not liking the call back format.