Cruise Canceled; Credit Card Payment Due

[lvz2cruz]

I booked a cruise in February just after my statement date ended.  It is on my March statement due early April.  It is a May cruise so I paid in full.

Celebrity canceled the cruise last week and I immediately opted for the credit over FCC.

This is on the Celebrity visa which we only use for their cruises and probably won't book another for quite a while.  

Can I dispute the charge since cruise is canceled and not pay rather than pay and have huge credit once they finally post refund?

Edited March 29, 2020 by lvz2cruz
add fact

[hcat]

Good questiin.  Best answer would be from the card company. Hope you'll share what you learn,

 

We were thinking about filing a dispute on a lagging deposit refund,..but  were recently assured it is now in process

[Lastdance]

12 minutes ago, lvz2cruz said:

I booked a cruise in February just after my statement date ended.  It is on my March statement due early April.  It is a May cruise so I paid in full.

Celebrity canceled the cruise last week and I immediately opted for the credit over FCC.

This is on the Celebrity visa which we only use for their cruises and probably won't book another for quite a while.  

Can I dispute the charge since cruise is canceled and not pay rather than pay and have huge credit once they finally post refund?

I was traveling with a friend, and Celebrity put both of our credits on my card, so I have to write her a check.  I have no idea why this happened, but it is what it is.  My answer would be that you could try to dispute; however, you may receive the credit while you are waiting for the dispute to be handled.  It is anyone’s guess.  Most likely, it will be the credit...good luck!

[paulh84]

That is not what a credit card dispute is for. A phone call to your card issuer will get the process started for them to send you a refund check if you pay the full balance due. It’s the law. They can’t keep a balance on your account. 

[az_tchr]

34 minutes ago, hcat said:

Good questiin.  Best answer would be from the card company. Hope you'll share what you learn,

 

We were thinking about filing a dispute on a lagging deposit refund,..but  were recently assured it is now in process

You can, but you are disputing a legitimate charge.  I presume you requested the refund from your post.  If so you can either call the bank who issued the card and they might waive the payment and fees. 

If not when the credit is issued simply call and request they transfer the $$ to your payment account.  A transfer takes seconds.

[Cruising89143]

We’re kind of in the same boat (no pun intended). We booked a B2B on X a few weeks back and both cruises were canceled. We opted for a refund. We applied for the refund on 3/15. As of today it has not happened. Our card has billed out and I am waiting to see if the credits hit before the actual due date. If not then we will be forced to pay the balance. 
 

I spoke with a very nice Celebrity agent last week. She stated that it’s taking anywhere from 12-15 days not including weekends at best to handle refunds. They’re being done one by one and obviously overwhelmed. Our refunds have supposedly been in process since that date but nothing so far. Seems that everyone from X is working from home right now so not sure how the communication process is going. I don’t want to think this but it seems that the cruise lines are holding onto cash as long as possible. Have read that some cruise lines other than RCI and X are stating up to 90 days for refunds to be issued. 
 

Article stating that employees are working from home.

 

https://www.seatrade-cruise.com/news/when-passes-great-vacations-will-be-huge-demand-fain

[hcat]

Wow... 90 days is way too long.   Seems like customers would be  "floating" credit to  the cruise lines, if that's the correct term. Hopefully not X!

[lvz2cruz]

5 hours ago, az_tchr said:

You can, but you are disputing a legitimate charge.  I presume you requested the refund from your post.  If so you can either call the bank who issued the card and they might waive the payment and fees. 

If not when the credit is issued simply call and request they transfer the $$ to your payment account.  A transfer takes seconds.

I'm not sure it is a legitimate charge.   I paid for a service that the company is not providing and they cancelled.   
It doesn't make sense to me to pay for something which the seller has stated they will not be fulfilling and I know I won't receive.  

 

[mjscruffy]

I was in the same situation with the same Celebrity Visa card.   I spent nearly 3.5 hrs on hold, speaking to three different card representatives and eventually was successful in filing a dispute based on the fact that Celebrity was no longer providing the service for which I had contracted.  I had to send them a copy of the letter canceling my cruise.  They would not remove the charge outright, but will not charge interest or late fee on the amount of the cruise until the dispute has been settled.  Their estimate on that happening is 90 days.  In the meantime I keep my cash in my account.  It was worth the long hold to me. 

[az_tchr]

1 hour ago, lvz2cruz said:

I'm not sure it is a legitimate charge.   I paid for a service that the company is not providing and they cancelled.   
It doesn't make sense to me to pay for something which the seller has stated they will not be fulfilling and I know I won't receive.  

 

They have promised you either a refund or FCC.  The contract that you accepted covers that.  They certainly have a legal responsibility to refund your money, but you need to tell them if you want a FCC or refund. 

You certainly can do as you see fit, but the charge was definately legitimate. You booked a cruise.

Calling their bank that issued the credit card is a good idea.  The terms of the credit card Are with the issuing bank - not Celebrity.  They can easily and quickly transfer the refund to another account if they do not agree to waive you paying the amount due.

This is simple and just requires a bit of your patience.

 

 

[lvz2cruz]

8 minutes ago, az_tchr said:

They have promised you either a refund or FCC.  The contract that you accepted covers that.  They certainly have a legal responsibility to refund your money, but you need to tell them if you want a FCC or refund. 

You certainly can do as you see fit, but the charge was definately legitimate. You booked a cruise.

Calling their bank that issued the credit card is a good idea.  The terms of the credit card Are with the issuing bank - not Celebrity.  They can easily and quickly transfer the refund to another account if they do not agree to waive you paying the amount due.

This is simple and just requires a bit of your patience.

 

 

As stated in OP,  I immediately responded that I wanted card credited rather than FCC.   I received a text about cancellation at 5:05 pm and got on email and had same message with place to click to request refund.  I had this complete by 5:10 so I hope I am near top of refund list.   

The fact that they canceled and refund should be coming makes me think it is disputable.  Why should one pay for a service the vendor has said they cannot provide and will refund?  I cannot think of something more obviously disputable.

[rsail203]

I've been waiting for my 50% refund for a cancelled cruise and refunds on cancelled excursions since Mar. 8th. Nothing so far, even though excursions were booked and cancelled online. I received the FCC in 4 days.

Edited March 30, 2020 by rsail203
Gave more info

[paulh84]

1 hour ago, lvz2cruz said:

As stated in OP,  I immediately responded that I wanted card credited rather than FCC.   I received a text about cancellation at 5:05 pm and got on email and had same message with place to click to request refund.  I had this complete by 5:10 so I hope I am near top of refund list.   

The fact that they canceled and refund should be coming makes me think it is disputable.  Why should one pay for a service the vendor has said they cannot provide and will refund?  I cannot think of something more obviously disputable.

Sorry, but you do not have disputable charge. You booked a cruise. The merchant is in process of refunding you. Now the card issuer will contact the merchant, clearly understanding that refunds are perhaps slower than normal, and then deny the dispute.
 

You may not be happy with the amount of time it is taking but CFPB and Visa have very clear guidelines on this. 

[Shadow9612]

It is disappointing that companies can take your deposit 'instantaneously' to book a cruise,  but take weeks (or more) to give a refund. 

 

Aeroplan is sometimes worse in refunding taxes paid on a cancelled booking, bordering even on unreasonable (admittedly,  not always).

 

 

[ldubs]

5 hours ago, cruisingator2 said:

We’re kind of in the same boat (no pun intended). We booked a B2B on X a few weeks back and both cruises were canceled. We opted for a refund. We applied for the refund on 3/15. As of today it has not happened. Our card has billed out and I am waiting to see if the credits hit before the actual due date. If not then we will be forced to pay the balance. 
 

I spoke with a very nice Celebrity agent last week. She stated that it’s taking anywhere from 12-15 days not including weekends at best to handle refunds. They’re being done one by one and obviously overwhelmed. Our refunds have supposedly been in process since that date but nothing so far. Seems that everyone from X is working from home right now so not sure how the communication process is going. I don’t want to think this but it seems that the cruise lines are holding onto cash as long as possible. Have read that some cruise lines other than RCI and X are stating up to 90 days for refunds to be issued. 
 

Article stating that employees are working from home.

 

 

I was going to say 12 -15 doesn't sound bad based on what I'm reading on other forums.   Taking 90 days for a refund -- yikes!  

 

Anyway, I also read someone called their card company and explained the situation including the anticipated delay for the refund. The card company filed the dispute and cleared it when the refund finally arrived.  So, it sounds like credit card issuers understand the situation.   

[upwarduk]

 

refunds on cancelled excursions since Mar. 8th. Nothing so far, even though excursionswere booked and cancelled online.

 

I cancelled my excursions on line on March 10th and the refund showed on my Credit Card on March 27th- the day I paid the Credit Card Bill!! The date Celebrity actually made the refund was 24/03.20.

 

[hcat]

7 hours ago, mjscruffy said:

I was in the same situation with the same Celebrity Visa card.   I spent nearly 3.5 hrs on hold, speaking to three different card representatives and eventually was successful in filing a dispute based on the fact that Celebrity was no longer providing the service for which I had contracted.  I had to send them a copy of the letter canceling my cruise.  They would not remove the charge outright, but will not charge interest or late fee on the amount of the cruise until the dispute has been settled.  Their estimate on that happening is 90 days.  In the meantime I keep my cash in my account.  It was worth the long hold to me. 

Does that mean you do not have to pay the  charge for now?

If yes,  that is a good outcome, esp since X cancelled the cruise and is apparently slow to refund.

 

We  paid our card  balance with the final payment in full  and thereafter  cancelled, so I do not think filing a dispute would work  for our refund.  We hope it shows up this week.

[mjscruffy]

Yes, I do not have to pay the charge for now.  We'll get the refund one way or the other but I don't have to move money out of my account to pay the bill.  It will eventually all wash out. 

[Wolf 8]

23 hours ago, lvz2cruz said:

I booked a cruise in February just after my statement date ended.  It is on my March statement due early April.  It is a May cruise so I paid in full.

Celebrity canceled the cruise last week and I immediately opted for the credit over FCC.

This is on the Celebrity visa which we only use for their cruises and probably won't book another for quite a while.  

Can I dispute the charge since cruise is canceled and not pay rather than pay and have huge credit once they finally post refund?

 

Yes you could dispute the charge, Celebrity would then show that when incurred it was justified along with the subsequent sequence of events showing that they're playing nice.  Were it me I'd pay the bill then have my credit card company just cut me a check when the refund credit is posted.

[Cruising89143]

I just spoke to a Celebrity rep. He placed me on hold and spoke to someone in revenue. The expectation is now 30 days from the date a refund was requested. Personally I would not hold my breath for that timeframe either. Right after we canceled we did receive refunds for shore excursions and specialty dining within a few days. I still think that this is more about holding funds as long as possible. I know that they’re busy but it’s not hard for the cruise line to process refunds. 

[GeorgesGal]

Given the vast number of reservations which have been cancelled, I can understand a lengthy wait for refunds.  There are multiple THOUSANDS out there!  .Not just the ship you were booked on, but across their entire fleet

 

Donna

Edited March 30, 2020 by GeorgesGal

[PTC DAWG]

Just pay the min due on the credit card until refund hits...I don’t see the issue here?  
 

If after the refund hits, and you have a negative balance, The credit card issuer will issue you a refund...

[Denny01]

Agree with PTC DAWC - under a similar situation, I paid the minimum and a refund covered the rest, and after one call, the CC removed the interest charge. Probably an email or using the CC’s ‘chat’ on their website which most now have would suffice and cut down on waiting on the phone since there are lots calling. The CC companies are well aware of doing this since they’ve done it in the past for years and are looking a tons of existing requests. 

 

Den

[Wolf 8]

9 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

Just pay the min due on the credit card until refund hits...I don’t see the issue here?  
 

If after the refund hits, and you have a negative balance, The credit card issuer will issue you a refund...

 

My hope is that they pay the balance in full rather than pay the minimum and incur the ruinous interest rates that credit card issuers levy.

[mitz18]

15 hours ago, rsail203 said:

I've been waiting for my 50% refund for a cancelled cruise and refunds on cancelled excursions since Mar. 8th. Nothing so far, even though excursions were booked and cancelled online. I received the FCC in 4 days.

 

I cancelled mine on March 9th; just received the FCC email yesterday.  Still waiting for refund of $800+ for taxes/fees, ppd excursions & bev package upgrade.  I figured I'd give it to the 30 day mark and then call (if I can be patient that long).