Travel agency cancelled my Celebrity booking without permission - any suggestions?

[Hydrokitty]

Just double check, when you book on board, that they aren't automatically assigning your reservation to the travel agent they have on file for you.

 

We booked on board in July and were quite surprised that the booking was automatically assigned to the same travel agent that had booked the cruise we were currently on. This wasn't a problem for us - but it may be for you!

 

Same thing happened to me and I told X that I was unhappy with the booking agent and they said there was nothing they could do since they booked the cruise I was on. I am going to try again next month when we sail and if they will not allow me to change agents, I will not book....that might get them to come around to my way of thinking. I would really prefer to deal with X one on one. It's a control issue.

[FengShui@Sea]

Hank ~ thanks for the suggestions. I wouldn't have thought to attach copies but that is a great idea. I had already filed an online complaint with the BBB.

 

I also plan to use the links posted by 'bEwAbG' and 'notjaded' (lol - at this point I feel very jaded!).

 

I know the cruise can be replaced, but I believe the cancellation was done purely out of spite, as it had been several days since our email exchange. What he did violates the Code of Ethics set out by the ASTA, and most likely some law. I know there are many great travel professionals out there, and I've worked with some in the past. I just didn't realize the damage a bad one could do, but know now! :rolleyes:

[chrismakris]

I find it very strange that a company you have dealt with for so many cruises would treat you in such a way. I think a little bit of the problem is that you live so far away. There's no threat of a face to face encounter. It's usually why I don't book with an online TA(that being said if the deal is too good to pass up I would use one in a second).

 

When you use someone locally I believe it makes them more responsive to you. Not only if there's a problem you can go see them face to face and work on a solution, they would not want to lose you as a customer but everyone you would refer to them. (And no, I'm not a travel agent looking for business [emoji12])

 

 

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[FengShui@Sea]

Same thing happened to me and I told X that I was unhappy with the booking agent and they said there was nothing they could do since they booked the cruise I was on. I am going to try again next month when we sail and if they will not allow me to change agents, I will not book....that might get them to come around to my way of thinking. I would really prefer to deal with X one on one. It's a control issue.

 

In the past I have been able to do an onboard booking directly with Celebrity rather than the agency that booked the current cruise, but Celebrity had me sign a form stating that was my wishes.

 

Holly

[villauk]

Same thing happened to me and I told X that I was unhappy with the booking agent and they said there was nothing they could do since they booked the cruise I was on. I am going to try again next month when we sail and if they will not allow me to change agents, I will not book....that might get them to come around to my way of thinking. I would really prefer to deal with X one on one. It's a control issue.

 

You can easily change the booking agents for an onboard future cruise by just completing the form X have in the Future Cruises office when you make the reservation. You can even request for it to be held by X themselves. Unsure why you were told otherwise?

[Hydrokitty]

You can easily change the booking agents for an onboard future cruise by just completing the form X have in the Future Cruises office when you make the reservation. You can even request for it to be held by X themselves. Unsure why you were told otherwise?

 

I probably didn't word the request properly...eg: I don't think I specifically requested not to book with the agent, I just expressed dissatisfaction...from the responses I've received I know to make my intentions plainly clear next time.

[Orator]

I might file a claim in Small Claims Court if I suffered any financial loss as a result of the agent's malpractice. They might want to reach out to you for a settlement if they either feel that your claim has a fair chance of being successful or if they just want "the problem" to go away. Might want to contact someone you trust who is more knowledgeable than I to advise you on legal actions.

[Nashna]

I was a travel consultant and agency manager for 30 years. Rarely, we did have clients that wished to transfer their bookings (usually to get a better deal). We always were gracious and assisted the client with their transfer to another source. This is just good business practice. Unfortunately, the travel agency community is now open to just about anyone. If that company is a dues paying member of ASTA, (American Society of Travel Agents) then contact ASTA at their headquarters. Unfortunately, many agencies use the ASTA logo..without actually being members. I would also go on YELP in Orlando and tell your story online. This company should not be doing business with the public if they are so unprofessional.

 

If Celebrity won't help you, I would contact some of the larger, reputable cruise agencies to see if they can help you by taking over the booking. Perhaps, they might be able to match what the Orlando agency was giving you. Obviously, you do not want your commission $$ going to this unprofessional agency. Whatever you have received in writing from the Orlando agency, should be used to document your transactions.

[varoo]

Same thing happened to me and I told X that I was unhappy with the booking agent and they said there was nothing they could do since they booked the cruise I was on. I am going to try again next month when we sail and if they will not allow me to change agents, I will not book....that might get them to come around to my way of thinking. I would really prefer to deal with X one on one. It's a control issue.

 

This looks like it may have been a misunderstanding, or just a new employee who was unfamiliar with the booking procedure. Sorry that you did not ask to speak with someone higher up.

 

They may not allow you to change agents on an existing booking,

but who gets your new booking is entirely your choice.

 

When you book a cruise on a Celebrity ship there is a form to fill out and sign where you specify where you want the new booking to go.

 

You may assign a different travel agent (if you wish to use one) or just keep the booking in your own name and assign no agent at all at that time.

After all, it is your cruise and you are the one who is paying for it.

 

Your new cruise will go back to the previous travel agent by default only if you fail to specify otherwise.

 

 

Whenever we book a cruise on board, they almost always remember to ask us whether or not we want to use the previous travel agent again.

 

But regardless of whether or not they ask, we let them know that we do not want the booking to go to any TA, and fill out the form stating that we want to keep the booking ourselves.

 

Even if we will probably end up using the same TA again, we want to keep our options open at that early booking stage.

 

 

Celebrity gives you the following 60 days to compare offers from different travel agencies and pick the one that will be best for you for that particular cruise.

Or if no TA offers anything really worthwhile, you can just keep the booking in your own name and deal directly with Celebrity yourself.

 

It really can pay to check around for each cruise before deciding because TA offers can vary greatly. Different travel agents are better for different cruises.

 

For some cruises, it is hardly worthwhile even to bother with any TA at all.

 

If you do decide to transfer your booking to a TA near the end of the 60 days, it is very easy to fill out and submit the transfer form online (as long as you make sure to do it within 60 days). It only takes a few minutes.

 

Believe me, it is much, much easier to keep the booking yourself initially and then transfer it to a TA later,

instead of giving it to a TA initially, then later realizing it was a mistake and trying to get it back. :eek:

 

Good luck to you and also to the OP!

 

 

[ChucktownSteve]

After so many booking horror stories about Celebrity not honoring perks from cruises booked on board if changes need to be made later, and that they wouldn't honor a website promotion for me once, I no longer feel that booking on board is a benefit for me.

Edited September 17, 2016 by ChucktownSteve

[deliver42]

Unless things changed, there is one major cruise TA in Orlando and they are in a 2 story building with countless agent. I had trouble with them many years ago, and since then have only booked direct.

[Fish Lover]

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions.

 

Unfortunately, the travel agency is located in Orlando, FL so I would need the US equivalent contact information for the Association of Travel Agencies.

 

I am going to speak to the Resolutions Dept. at Celebrity to see if anything can be done. I believe once the travel agency cancels the reservation they cannot get it reinstated, but as Curt advised Celebrity probably can.

 

The travel agency is completely ignoring my emails so there's not much I can do in dealing with them. However, you better believe I will be sharing their name with everyone I meet on the 10 cruises that we have booked over the next 18 months! ;)

 

First, if this is a chain TA, you can always write to the CEO of the company.

 

Second, if you fail to reinstate your reservation with all perks in tact, you can the TA to small claims court for the amount of money you lost plus the court filing fee. This is at best negligence on their part and at worst intentionally to cause harm.

 

While I do not recommend being litigious over every little thing, I do believe in holding company's accountable.

Edited September 17, 2016 by Fish Lover
spelling :)

[PRH]

On board while booking a B2B we were told to call Celebrity and request the b2b deduction. Did so. They said it would be deducted from our total close to final pay. When we called to find out why it had not been deducted--final pay due this week, we were told by Celebrity that they would not honor it because of the perks we got from booking on-board! Then tried to tell me that the perks were "way out of line." I had kept the paperwork--we booked during a special promotion last spring. So they agreed to leave the perks as is but still refused the b2b deduction. Grrrrr

[jagoffee]

On board while booking a B2B we were told to call Celebrity and request the b2b deduction. Did so. They said it would be deducted from our total close to final pay. When we called to find out why it had not been deducted--final pay due this week, we were told by Celebrity that they would not honor it because of the perks we got from booking on-board! Then tried to tell me that the perks were "way out of line." I had kept the paperwork--we booked during a special promotion last spring. So they agreed to leave the perks as is but still refused the b2b deduction. Grrrrr

 

What is exactly is a B2B deduction? Is it normally for all B2bs?

[Hlitner]

Booking onboard has its issues since you lose some of your leverage with various cruise/travel agents. The last time we booked a X cruise onboard, we asked the onboard agent not to transfer the booking to any agency. The onboard deal was very good and we were able to get a desirable hump cabin. Later that same day we e-mailed one of our favored cruise agencies, told them we had done a future booking, and asked if they (the cruise agency) would give us pre-paid gratuities plus $200 OBC if we transferred the booking. The following day the agency agreed to our terms and we later stopped back at the future cruise office and asked them to transfer the booking to that agency. A bit of a hassle, but worth it. So we got a bunch of extra perks for booking onboard...and further enhanced the booking with about $450 in other goodies from our cruise agency.

 

Hank

Edited September 17, 2016 by Hlitner

[beachgirl32931]

Wow! I hope you get a resolution other than booking yourself. If that's the way they treat a repeat customer I wonder how they treat new customers.

 

Here's the link to the file a complaint with the State of Florida.

http://www.freshfromflorida.com/Contact-Us/File-a-Complaint

[Hydrokitty]

This looks like it may have been a misunderstanding, or just a new employee who was unfamiliar with the booking procedure. Sorry that you did not ask to speak with someone higher up.

 

They may not allow you to change agents on an existing booking,

but who gets your new booking is entirely your choice.

 

When you book a cruise on a Celebrity ship there is a form to fill out and sign where you specify where you want the new booking to go.

 

You may assign a different travel agent (if you wish to use one) or just keep the booking in your own name and assign no agent at all at that time.

After all, it is your cruise and you are the one who is paying for it.

 

Your new cruise will go back to the previous travel agent by default only if you fail to specify otherwise.

 

 

Whenever we book a cruise on board, they almost always remember to ask us whether or not we want to use the previous travel agent again.

 

But regardless of whether or not they ask, we let them know that we do not want the booking to go to any TA, and fill out the form stating that we want to keep the booking ourselves.

 

Even if we will probably end up using the same TA again, we want to keep our options open at that early booking stage.

 

 

Celebrity gives you the following 60 days to compare offers from different travel agencies and pick the one that will be best for you for that particular cruise.

Or if no TA offers anything really worthwhile, you can just keep the booking in your own name and deal directly with Celebrity yourself.

 

It really can pay to check around for each cruise before deciding because TA offers can vary greatly. Different travel agents are better for different cruises.

 

For some cruises, it is hardly worthwhile even to bother with any TA at all.

 

If you do decide to transfer your booking to a TA near the end of the 60 days, it is very easy to fill out and submit the transfer form online (as long as you make sure to do it within 60 days). It only takes a few minutes.

 

Believe me, it is much, much easier to keep the booking yourself initially and then transfer it to a TA later,

instead of giving it to a TA initially, then later realizing it was a mistake and trying to get it back. :eek:

 

Good luck to you and also to the OP!

 

 

 

Thanks Varoo.....I will keep this in mind.

[Karynanne]

What is exactly is a B2B deduction? Is it normally for all B2bs?

 

 

Celebrity decided which B2B cruises qualify for this deduction. We utilized it in April/May for TA cruise, followed by a Med cruise. But Celebrity will not honor it for our upcoming Med. cruise, followed by a TA, in three weeks.

No consistency by Celebrity. Not a big surprise either.

 

 

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[SusieV]

I've never received anything additional for a B2B, with the exception of the hotel perk that no longer exists if there is a night between your two sailings.

[Janet524]

We received a $50 discount on both legs of our upcoming b2b. Didn't know about it, just saw the line item on our reservation confirmations

 

 

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[jagoffee]

Celebrity decided which B2B cruises qualify for this deduction. We utilized it in April/May for TA cruise, followed by a Med cruise. But Celebrity will not honor it for our upcoming Med. cruise, followed by a TA, in three weeks.

No consistency by Celebrity. Not a big surprise either.

 

 

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Thanks

[CHEZMARYLOU]

We got a $50 price reduction on each portion of our December B2B.

[AlbertaCruisers]

I've never received anything additional for a B2B, with the exception of the hotel perk that no longer exists if there is a night between your two sailings.

 

We hadn't received anything either on any of our B2Bs until recently, when I booked onboard, the agent did something different and actually flagged it as a B2B, I knew it was different then normal as the price for both weeks and the total price showed up on the second invoice (which wasn't normal for me). The $50 per cruise discount showed up automatically by the next day when I got a new invoice due to a change in cabin #. When I got home I called Captain's club and they added the $50 per leg discount for all the other B2Bs I have booked. Going forward I going to ask for it and make sure they book it as a B2B (I think some of the agents don't know the right code, or something like that).

[Redtravel]

Many years ago ( before using internet) I booked a Celebrity cruise with a TA that kept my deposit check too long. Booked about a year in advance for a Xmas week cruise. Celebrity cancelled my cruise. When the TA did give Celebrity the deposit. the cabin that I had chosen(midship)was not available. Instead without my knowing, the TA rebooked another cabin. When I got an invoice for the final payment, I noticed that the cabin no. had changed. I called the TA and was told that Celebrity did it. I called Celebrity. They told me the real story. TA said that it really didn't matter where the cabin was ( new cabin was at the bow) and that the ship was sold out. And, if I cancelled, there were no available cruises with open cabins that week. She was right about the sold out ship. I cancelled that cruise. Booked another cruise with a different TA for the same week. When talking to Celebrity, I was told to always use a credit card and call Celebrity to make sure that the payments were received by them. That happened more than 20 years ago and I still get mail from that terrible TA.

[fantasy51]

That happened more than 20 years ago and I still get mail from that terrible TA.

 

I have just decided to start sending such mail back in a new envelope with no stamp on it. That way the recipient has to pay for the stamp plus a surcharge. I hope that will make them take my name off a list when 2 phone calls have not achieved anything.