Refund timing?

[friedaliene]

This has been a long and horrendous process to have a credit applied to my credit card.  It's not there yet!! But, a Holland - Accounting associate has advised that the credit was transacted on July 23/20.  WOOO HOOO !!!!

 

The credit card company has advised that currently transactions take between 10 - 15 business days.

 

I have called twice weekly since May to inquire about my funds.  Supposedly my credit refund was caught in an accounting loop and was sitting in "LIMBO".  I have every possible body part crossed waiting in anticipation for the credit to hit my credit card.  

 

When the funds hit my credit card I will do a "HAPPY DANCE" !! 

 

I don't know where the cruise industry is going to be the near future but I didn't want my funds locked into an "FCC".

Holland has sold 4 ships since this COVID19 began. Do I want to risk cruising before there's a vaccine.

 

Take care all - stay safe.

[friedaliene]

I'm doing HAPPY HAPPY Dance - cancelled Eastern TA with Holland.  Cruise cancelled Mar 14 - portion of credit was applied as FCC and received portion as a credit.  The cruise would have ended May 9/20.  Holland initially advised that I would be unable to receive actual credit for FCC.  It took twice weekly calls and endless e-mails but today the FCC was converted to actual refund credit to my credit card. 

 

I can finally put to bed all my follow-ups for refunds of cancellations due to COVID19.

[iancal]

Sad isn't it?

 

That it took you endless phone calls and emails to get a refund that you are entitled to after 100 plus days.

 

 

[bajakiter]

A pleasant surprise today. We cancelled our 48 day cruise on March 9 and were told by out PCC that the refund would only be in the form of a FCC. The cash refund showed up today on our Mastercard account. Called Mastercard, they are sending a direct deposit to our bank.

Delighted, as we are realistically thinking of 2022 for a cruise. Not booking ahead though. Wait and see how this all develops.

[Horizon chaser 1957]

3 hours ago, friedaliene said:

 

I can finally put to bed all my follow-ups for refunds of cancellations due to COVID19.

I envy you! I’m still waiting refunds from three major airlines for May flights they cancelled in April. Refunds from HAL came back long ago, as did our post cruise resort refunds. 

[JerriBonner]

We're still waiting too.  There have been all sorts of reasons.  First said we were not eligible, then that we had not turned in our form asking for a refund, then that it's in process. This has been since March 14.  

[friedaliene]

Holland America Accounting - Direct Phone number:

 

• 1 - 888 - 663 - 5984 - option # 3

If you call early Seattle time you have quicker response.  I have phoned later in the day and had wait times as long as 1 hr 15 minutes.

 

Use some of their lingo on them - we at Holland are being "FLUID" at this critical time.  Push them for someone to expedite your processing - this isn't always effective.  

 

I have been phoning Holland twice weekly since May 7/20.  Was advised June 21/20 that my request for credit refund had been approved by Credit Approval team.  Also, on my last call on July 21/20 advised that my refund was locked in a credit processing loop ??  Again, was this "CORPORATE" double speak?  Who knows??  What ever the last Holland associate did on July 21, moved my credit from lying in unprocessed "LIMBO" into actual being processed.

 

Twice I was declined to receive the FCC as an actual "REFUND" credit, this was mid - March and early April.  I think "luck" was on my side the end of April when I got connected to a "Resolution Manager" - Thyme.  He moved my request from declined to "Consideration" for refund approval. By no means has this process been simple. I can be a persistent pest and perhaps I finally wore them down.  All calls are documented on your Cruise account file as well as being recorded.  I kept track of all dates I called and insisted on getting the associates name at the time.  I was advised consistently that my refund was in the "Process Queue", but no one was able to definitively tell me how the request moved up the "Process Queue".

 

The last Holland credit associate on July 21/20 did something and low and behold my refund was sitting  applied to my credit card this morning July 28/20.

 

I don't know if you can request a specific Holland associate - the final person who got my refund out of the sludge and got me action was - JULIE.   

 

• 1 hour ago, JerriBonner said:

  We're still waiting too.  There have been all sorts of reasons.  First said we were not eligible, then that we had not turned in our form asking for a refund, then that it's in process. This has been since March 14.  

I hope your successful in getting your money back in your control.  We didn't want to be locked into a FCC that was time sensitive, meaning you would have to just book something to insure our money was lost to Holland's coffers. 

Edited July 28, 2020 by friedaliene

[gigianne]

I waited considerable time for a refund of a cancelled cruise (100+ days).  I have asked for an accounting of how they arrived at the amount I received, not sure how long that will take.  You would think it would be automatic to send one.  

[friedaliene]

I'm sorry to say but nothing seems logical or sensible when it comes to cruise pricing, special promotions, OBC's.

The port taxes & fees seem to be consist with other search engines or with the cruise line.  Some internet companies charge a processing fee for booking and cancelling.  We had booked with 3rd party internet and I had $25 fee when booking. Then when I terminated they charged $100 US.  Holland advised early on that the "travel agents" would have their commission paid even for COVID related cancellations.  The 3rd party service refunded me my $100 US but I chased that forever as well.  

 

If they document the figures things may not add up. After all was said and done I might have been out $25 - $35 US.

 

Of course the final refund I just received when transferred to my Canadian credit card I lost out on the exchange rate.

 

When we purchased the exchange rate for buying was 1.34 US and of course with credit cards fees.  The refund used an exchange rate of 1.3038.  With Canadian dollar in the toilet everything in US dollars hurts.  I hope that you get a balance sheet that details  their calculations.  Of course there could be mumble jumble "VOO DOO" who knows.

 

• On 7/28/2020 at 6:38 PM, gigianne said:

  I waited considerable time for a refund of a cancelled cruise (100+ days).  I have asked for an accounting of how they arrived at the amount I received, not sure how long that will take.  You would think it would be automatic to send one.  

   

[JerriBonner]

On 7/28/2020 at 4:47 PM, JerriBonner said:

We're still waiting too.  There have been all sorts of reasons.  First said we were not eligible, then that we had not turned in our form asking for a refund, then that it's in process. This has been since March 14.  

Just wanted to share that I just was credited on my AmEX my refund for a Gate1 cruise I had requested a refund for only 10 days earlier.  Kudos to Gate1!!!! Still no money from HAL after cancelling 3/14 and requesting refund then.

[Minoushka]

Just got my refund for my Nov transatcruise on Nieuw Amsterdam .....disappointed its not happening but hope cruising will resume ok after vaccine or remedy 

thankyou Holland for it 

lost my great casino bonus ...cruise never happened ..now got offers BUT ...no refunds ...so no go 

until covid is taken care of i will wait ..I miss cruising ..a lot 

[FancyTales]

What happens if you finally get tired of waiting for your refund and dispute the charges with your credit card company. Is that easier? 

[KroozNut]

1 hour ago, FancyTales said:

What happens if you finally get tired of waiting for your refund and dispute the charges with your credit card company. Is that easier? 

 

Depends... I would only go the credit card dispute route as a very LAST resort. Try to maintain your patience if you can, HAL is working through a lot of refund requests, and they're doing the best they can.

[Cruising-along]

2 hours ago, FancyTales said:

What happens if you finally get tired of waiting for your refund and dispute the charges with your credit card company. Is that easier? 

In my experience and reading others', the credit card company can take up to another 60 days.  

[TomInVT]

30 minutes ago I got my refund check from my credit card company!!!!

 

My cruise was cancelled mid March. I notified HAL that I wanted a refund not a FCC early April. July 1 HAL refunded to my credit card company. I asked for a check from the credit card company July 7th. Today I got my check. Four and a half months!

[iancal]

I would have been initiating a credit card dispute at 30 days.   End of.  Cannot believe how patient people are and how they make excuses for incredibly poor service.   Posters who have done this have seen their monies returned in three weeks or less.....not three months or more.

 

I was surprised to learn in late March that I had an future credit coming from a travel provider that does about 8 or nine times annual business that HAL does.   Their first heads up came ten days or so after our stay.  Fifteen days later another email saying a credit note was being process.  Another 15 days and the credit note was sent to us.  That is a total of 30 days from the first advice.  We did not not have to call, wait on hold, or wonder.  Crystal clear, timely communication  with time to resolution commitment met.   An organization that does cruises, AI's , hotels, etc.  The lot.  

 

Not saying that 30 days should be the norm.  But not saying that anything past 60 is, from my perspective, outside of the customer satisfaction window.

 

 

Edited August 1, 2020 by iancal

[friedaliene]

It's very true the time lag for processing seems outrageous. I will cut HAL some slack - I wouldn't want to calculate how many cruises were cancelled between beginning of March 2020 to this very day. They have dealt with thousands of refunds - air travel, excursions, specialty dining, cruise WIFI.  I give kudos to all HAL staff I have talked with over the last 5 months - always polite, courteous. If it had been me on the receiving end of all the calls they have taken - I may very well have blown a gasket.  They heard the same account from unhappy cruisers every day and remained upbeat.

 

I contacted my credit card provider and the travel insurer attached to the credit card. I was at the discretion of HAL to resolve to issue me a refund credit instead of the FCC.  Because, I cancelled  the first issue of COVID cancel policy - I was tied to this policy. According to credit card policy I had accepted policy "A" - because HAL revised and altered the policy, I was tied to the policy "A" and could not dispute even though HAL was continuously revising.  There may have been at least 4 revisions starting mid-Feb. I was at the behest of HAL if they converted my FCC to a credit refund. The credit refund hit my credit card July 27/20, I terminated my Apr 20/20 cruise Mar 6/20.

 

It may have taken 5 months for the FCC to be converted to refund credit - so I will be grateful for my refund.

 

• 3 hours ago, Cruising-along said:

  In my experience and reading others', the credit card company can take up to another 60 days.  

• 23 minutes ago, iancal said:

  I would have been initiating a credit card dispute at 30 days.   End of.  Cannot believe how patient people are and how they make excuses for incredibly poor service.   Posters who have done this have seen their monies returned in three weeks or less.....not three months or more.

   

  I was surprised to learn in late March that I had an future credit coming from a travel provider that does about 8 or nine times annual business that HAL does.   Their first heads up came ten days or so after our stay.  Fifteen days later another email saying a credit note was being process.  Another 15 days and the credit note was sent to us.  That is a total of 30 days from the first advice.  We did not not have to call, wait on hold, or wonder.  Crystal clear, timely communication  with time to resolution commitment met.   An organization that does cruises, AI's , hotels, etc.  The lot.  

   

  Not saying that 30 days should be the norm.  But not saying that anything past 60 is, from my perspective, outside of the customer satisfaction window

   

[mexico8]

On ‎8‎/‎1‎/‎2020 at 4:32 PM, friedaliene said:

It's very true the time lag for processing seems outrageous. I will cut HAL some slack - I wouldn't want to calculate how many cruises were cancelled between beginning of March 2020 to this very day. They have dealt with thousands of refunds - air travel, excursions, specialty dining, cruise WIFI.  I give kudos to all HAL staff I have talked with over the last 5 months - always polite, courteous. If it had been me on the receiving end of all the calls they have taken - I may very well have blown a gasket.  They heard the same account from unhappy cruisers every day and remained upbeat.

 

I contacted my credit card provider and the travel insurer attached to the credit card. I was at the discretion of HAL to resolve to issue me a refund credit instead of the FCC.  Because, I cancelled  the first issue of COVID cancel policy - I was tied to this policy. According to credit card policy I had accepted policy "A" - because HAL revised and altered the policy, I was tied to the policy "A" and could not dispute even though HAL was continuously revising.  There may have been at least 4 revisions starting mid-Feb. I was at the behest of HAL if they converted my FCC to a credit refund. The credit refund hit my credit card July 27/20, I terminated my Apr 20/20 cruise Mar 6/20.

 

It may have taken 5 months for the FCC to be converted to refund credit - so I will be grateful for my refund.

 

•  

•  

I am happy to report that I got the refund credit to my credit card in 3 days.    I called HAL on August 3rd to cancel and the credit was issued to  my credit card on August 6th.   I am extremely happy with the time it took after reading so many other issues.

[JerriBonner]

Hooray!  Finally we got our refund on August 7, yesterday. HAL had cancelled our March 18 cruise on March 14.  So not quite five months to get our refund.  I am sad for all these employees because it will probably be a whole year before there's safe cruising.

[tamsno]

This week refund for April 4 transatlantic appeared on credit card 149 days after I cancelled.  Very pleased but surprised as I had been expecting FCC.   Maybe this will be for the best.   Stay safe.