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Difficulty getting a refund from Princess


gyoung27
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We had planned a 50th wedding anniversary cruise on Princess for our family for over a year.  We were disappointed when our son went to his regional airport to fly to the port in Dublin and discovered that the tickets that we had booked through Princess were not there.  He contacted Princess and they booked him on a later flight.  That flight was canceled and he was not able to go on the cruise due to the Princess screw-up.  We also had trip cancellation insurance.  After spending two months of frustration trying to get a refund, all Princess is willing to do is give us travel vouchers worth 75% of the cost of our original cruise that have to be used by the end of 2020.  Since they made the mistake, wouldn't you think that they would be willing to give us a full refund and some extra perks for ruining our 50th wedding celebration?  Has anyone had success in getting a cash refund from Princess?  If so, how did you do it?

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Europe may be different from the US (unless he was flying from the US to Dublin), but didn't you get your air reservations from the cruise line, including reservation numbers for all passengers in advance?  I'm not sure what the value was but you might look into small claims court (if in the US) to recover the costs for that passenger.

 

If you have a reservation number for the flight you might need to pursue the airline.

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You won't like my answer.

 

In the Terms and Conditions of your travel contract with Princess, they clearly state that they are not responsible for any air travel. They will assist you with air travel and sell you air travel but that is where their responsibility starts and ends. Any cancellations by the air carrier or delays by the air carrier are between you and the air carrier.

 

That 75% that they are offering is being offered under the insurance you purchased for travel. They are reimbursing you under the Cancel For Any Reason clause.

 

You as the traveler had the responsibility to do everything you could to catch up to the cruise. Even at your own expense. Had you done that, then you could have filed with the travel insurance company for reimbursement for those additional out of pocket expenses under Trip delay and/or Trip Interruption.

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2 minutes ago, hallux said:

  I'm not sure what the value was but you might look into small claims court (if in the US) to recover the costs for that passenger.

 

In the contract you agree that any and all litigation will be handled in Miami by an arbitrator.

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He went to the airport and the tickets weren’t there?  

 

Princess might have promised to have tickets at his regional airport, but I find it had to understand planning a trip like that without getting something in hand.   

 

It it would be interesting to hear ALL the details.

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3 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

He went to the airport and the tickets weren’t there?  

 

Princess might have promised to have tickets at his regional airport, but I find it had to understand planning a trip like that without getting something in hand.   

 

It it would be interesting to hear ALL the details.

Yes. How does someone go to an airport without a printed (or, at least, stored electronically on cell phone) record or boarding pass with the e-tix numbers???

 

As for the insurance, OP is learning an important lessons regarding cruise T&C as well as  trip coverage (e.g., don't buy insurance from the entity against which you ma file a claim AND always read the fine print).

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5 hours ago, Underwatr said:

Airlines still use paper tickets? What does "the tickets weren't there" mean?

Everything I've seen for the longest time is that you pay if you want a paper ticket.

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  • 1 month later...

Not quite the same situation but when we had to cancel our holiday of which a Princess cruise was just one component, all it took was one phone call to our travel agent and one to the insurance company and all monies were refunded no problem.  A few days later I suddenly remembered we had booked and paid for a shore excursion through Princess;  again one phone call this time direct to Princess and was told that they had been made aware of the cancellation of the whole trip and the money for the excursion would be refunded with 48 to 72 hours.  It was actually back in our bank later the same day. 

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The OP's story makes me think of several questions.  When you use Princess's Air, you or your cruise agent will quickly receive an e-mail confirmation which includes the flights, airline booking number, etc.  If using the Flex Air option (the most popular cruise/air method) you will not actually be ticketed until about 45 days prior to the cruise and there will be additional e-mails.  It is not a matter of picking up "tickets" at the airport as you simply have an airline reservation number which is in the airline computer system.   Most folks know that it is wise to keep an eye on any airline reservation by simply looking for your reservation on the airline's own site.  Obviously the OP and their son did not take this basic travel step to verify a reservation.  In fact, most airlines prefer that customers check-in for their flights, online, about 24 hours prior to the flight.  The norm is that the airline will even send an e-mail or text message (depending on what the customer requested with their reservation) advising that it is "time to check-in."  It is difficult to understand anyone just making a reservation, never checking, not checking-in online, and just showing up at the airport.

 

But lets assume that the OP's story has all the facts and this was all the fault of Princess.  What to do?  We assume the reservation was paid for on a major credit card.  We would immediately contact that credit card company and put the entire Princess transaction (cruise and air) into "dispute."  The basis of the dispute would be that Princess failed to deliver the trip.  The credit card company should immediately refund all the money (this is especially easy if you used AMEX) and then the transaction would go through the normal review.  If nothing else, this will get the attention of Princess.   Much of the dispute process is codified in Federal Law and Regulations.  There are various time limits on filing a dispute so it is sometimes wise to file a dispute and then later work out the details or compromise.  In this case a delay in filing a dispute can only work against the consumer.

 

I will add one small piece of advice, based on a personal situation we resolved with Princess (it took months).  The Princess folks are pretty decent, but they sometimes need a lot of "prodding."  You have to keep after them, document every communication in writing, always be respectful but firm, and not give-up if you think you are right.  

 

And finally there is one more option.  There is an excellent travel advocacy group run by Christopher Elliott.  His organization are very experienced at resolving major travel problems when a consumer has been wronged.  They are very professional and will expect lots of help from your end if they are willing to intervene in your case.  Here is a link to their main web site https://www.elliott.org/ .   The rest is up to you.  

 

Hank

 

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