Marella Cancellations - Customer Service up to scratch?

[Calton]

We have just got through to TUI after many attempts. My wife is now talking to a lovely lady called Dawn.

She has told us our refund will be back in the bank within 28 days.

28 days !!! Never takes that long to take our money. We haven't received the promised credit refund email even though we should have traveled on the 16th April. At least we are getting it back.

 

A tip for everyone. 

 

Ring 0203 4512868, press option 1 if you booked In a shop then option one again. This option is for payments but we got through straight away.

 

Hope everyone is well and hope this helps 👍👍

[Pensioncruiser]

We got through three weeks ago and like you spoke to a friendly lady said all ok had all our info and refund would be in our bank within two weeks or maybe sooner 🙄 still waiting 🤞

Edited May 15, 2020 by Pensioncruiser

[nancyneptune]

47 minutes ago, Pensioncruiser said:

We got through three weeks ago and like you spoke to a friendly lady said all ok had all our info and refund would be in our bank within two weeks or maybe sooner 🙄 still waiting 🤞

 

Sorry to see that Pensioncruiser.  My brother is also still waiting.  Told in the shop when they took his bank details the refund would be in his account within the week.

He had originally paid his full amount at the time of booking by credit card but was told the refund would be a bacs transfer.

 

Tui knew exactly what they were doing when they advised their shop staff not to refund to the credit card the customer paid with. 

Tui would then have been dealing with the credit card company but by saying they would refund to the customers bank they were now dealing with individuals who didn't have as much clout.

 

They then close all the shops and have a minimum number of staff working from home and making it almost impossible to get through on the telephone numbers they issued.

 

Customers who have been waiting since March seem to have been forgotten about and told lie after lie while some whose cruises and holidays in April and May have already received their refunds. 

So much for Tui saying they are working in date order.

 

Difficult times for all of us but loyal customers will remember how Tui have treated them. 

[Essex_uk]

I do hope this is just scare mongering. Unfortunately I cant get to the whole article.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/if-you-want-a-refund-for-your-tui-holiday-cancellation-youll-need-a-doctors-note-3m902mfpq

[howmuch!]

 

At this moment in tie, June 11th is the date up to which, Tui has cancelled all package holidays, and refund credits are being issued to all passengers, eventually. (Previously it was sometime in the middle of May - 14th I think)

It has always been Tui's stance, that if the holiday is still going ahead, they wont refund, you have to take the financial hit., regardless of the fact that the Gov advice says do not travel abroad. Hence,  Martin Lewis and Simon Calder have been advising paying balances, and waiting for the company to eventually cancel.

 

If the Gov advice is relaxed in future, allowing foreign travel, and Tui are going ahead with holidays, then a doctors note is a possible way of not travelling and getting a refund, under those circumstances I believe.

[rkingphoto]

I've given up with Tui/Marella, I've written to my credit card company to go down the section 75 route.

[Jim The Scot]

5 hours ago, howmuch! said:

 

At this moment in tie, June 11th is the date up to which, Tui has cancelled all package holidays, and refund credits are being issued to all passengers, eventually. (Previously it was sometime in the middle of May - 14th I think)

It has always been Tui's stance, that if the holiday is still going ahead, they wont refund, you have to take the financial hit., regardless of the fact that the Gov advice says do not travel abroad. Hence,  Martin Lewis and Simon Calder have been advising paying balances, and waiting for the company to eventually cancel.

 

If the Gov advice is relaxed in future, allowing foreign travel, and Tui are going ahead with holidays, then a doctors note is a possible way of not travelling and getting a refund, under those circumstances I believe.

 

The problem with that is,if you pay your balance and your holiday isnt cancelled but its a holiday your not comfortable going on due to the circumstances you,ve lost the whole whack.Personally  would rather cancel holiday and lose deposit or alternatively move to another date which we chose to do

 

Unless someone has got underlying health conditions that stops them flying/cruising i.d be surprised if any doctor would be willing or have the time to write a note and if someone does have underlying health conditions they could cancel now

Edited May 16, 2020 by Jim The Scot

[Pensioncruiser]

46 minutes ago, Jim The Scot said:

Unless someone has got underlying health conditions that stops them flying/cruising i

Not just that Jim its also the age thing which affects us😞. We did not pay balance and are going down insurance route for deposit 🤞. Unfortunately we also have a four figure transfer fee to be refunded, which they have agreed to, but keep missing the promised date. 

[Jim The Scot]

Of course,your correct on the age thing P

 

Must be really frustrating for the likes of yourself and others who are still waiting on refunds/monies due whilst others who have later dates have been settled.

We have friends who were due to cruise in March who eventually received  their refund a few days ago

 

TUI,s handling and communication has been poor to say the least and I know its of no comfort  but it seems many other companies are as bad

[kevinyork]

When this first started, there was a great deal of support from Tui fans on social media and gradually people are starting to loose faith. There seem to be two main issues-

 

Instead of people waiting to be contacted about their cancelled cruise, people are bombarding the phone lines about their cruise, some not until a year away, which means the few staff that are working are busy dealing with these calls and not able to work through on a departure date basis to process refunds and changes.

 

Tui took full advantage of the Uk furlough scheme to get the wages of a majority of its admin team paid for so they didn’t have to.  Now they have managed to get some  staff working from home, so why haven’t they got more doing that? With the move to go back to work unless you can work from home surely they can’t keep these staff furloughed?  Furlough is for when there is no work for the person and is an alternative to redundancy. Clearly there is work for them so they should either be working from home or going to work if that’s not possible.  They should not be continuing to use the furlough scheme. Problem is that’s a double whammy for Tui, they have to pay the wages of the staff and also have more staff available to refund people. It’s a lose, lose situation for them.

[rkingphoto]

Still waiting.

[Pensioncruiser]

26 minutes ago, rkingphoto said:

Still waiting.

Think it can take many months to resolve a section 75, fingers crossed for you. 

[lovetoholiday]

I got an email to say my November cruise was not going ahead and that I would receive a cancellation email 7 days later.  But less than a week later I got a call from them apologising for the cancelled cruise and asking if I would like a credit.  I said no as I already have a cruise for next year paid with a credit for an earlier cancelled one.

No problem they said I will activate a refund and it will be back on your card within 7 days.  As it happened it was there within 4 days even with the bank holiday in between.  Very pleased and impressed.

[rkingphoto]

Still waiting.

[verynervous]

I was booked on a. six night cruise leaving Manchester early in the morning on 30th. October. Even though the cruise was at that time still planned I cancelled when the balance was due. I later found out that the flight times had changed on the outward journey by more than eight hours. This meant I had lost most of the first day of my holiday. I contacted the flight department and stated my case. They contacted me two days later and refunded my deposit. I received it within four days.

[rkingphoto]

My refund finally hit my credit card today, now all I have to do is fight them to transfer it to my bank account without charging me for the privelege.

[Pensioncruiser]

Wished I had that problem, we have a voucher from March which they refuse to repay in cash, just two days remaining until its esculated, but I'm not holding out for a positive response, no luck with insurance, cards etc next is small claims but that will cost😕 

[Brummijam]

6 hours ago, Pensioncruiser said:

Wished I had that problem, we have a voucher from March which they refuse to repay in cash, just two days remaining until its esculated, but I'm not holding out for a positive response, no luck with insurance, cards etc next is small claims but that will cost😕 

Hi PC. Hope you and yours are all ok.

looks like loyalty unfortunately means nothing at all to TUI. Here’s hoping you eventually get an outcome that is favourable to you.

keep well.

[rkingphoto]

I just got a Mr Angry on one of the Marella facebook pages chastise me for claiming my money back.  🤣

[nancyneptune]

16 hours ago, Pensioncruiser said:

Wished I had that problem, we have a voucher from March which they refuse to repay in cash, just two days remaining until its esculated, but I'm not holding out for a positive response, no luck with insurance, cards etc next is small claims but that will cost😕 

 

 

Hi Pensioncruiser, so sorry to hear you are still having problems. Hope all will be resolved soon.

 

I have been looking at the recently released itineraries but not tempted to book anything yet as the memory of waiting to get my refund and the stressful time my brother had with trying to get his refund is still fresh in my mind. 

Some of the Tui cruises for next year are very expensive with big supplements for upgrades.

I was just watching a cruise program on TV this morning and there was a fabulous 19 day cruise to New Zealand with flights to Sydney and three nights luxury hotel included for less than some 14 night cruises with Tui. 

 

When cruises are up and running again. I will definitely be shopping around. 

 

Good luck.  Hope you get a positive outcome.

 

 

[Brummijam]

1 hour ago, rkingphoto said:

I just got a Mr Angry on one of the Marella facebook pages chastise me for claiming my money back.  🤣

There seems to be plenty of Marella  happy clappers who think that to claim back what is lawfully yours is wrong.

Strange old world isn’t it?😂
 

[rkingphoto]

6 minutes ago, Brummijam said:

There seems to be plenty of Marella  happy clappers who think that to claim back what is lawfully yours is wrong.

Strange old world isn’t it?😂
 

Mental.  I'm a snowflake, apparently.  😂

[Pensioncruiser]

4 hours ago, rkingphoto said:

I just got a Mr Angry on one of the Marella facebook pages chastise me for claiming my money back.  🤣

Perhaps he hasn't lost any money. Sorry I don't understand the snowflake quote but I am an oldie. Think we all need a pre covid cruise well I do🌞

[WeeCountyMan]

On 9/12/2020 at 12:08 PM, rkingphoto said:

My refund finally hit my credit card today, now all I have to do is fight them to transfer it to my bank account without charging me for the privelege.

Which credit card would take a fee for sending your refund back to a bank account ?

 

Barclaycard did mine upon request within 24 hours without charge, I assumed that was standard ?

 

The only downside AFAIK is that if you have accured a debit balance on the card then the CC company will deduct that amount from your refund.

Edited September 24, 2020 by WeeCountyMan

[rkingphoto]

7 minutes ago, WeeCountyMan said:

Which credit card would take a fee for sending your refund back to a bank account ?

 

Barclaycard did mine upon request within 24 hours without charge, I assumed that was standard

The only downside AFAIK is that if you have accured a debit balance on the card then the CC company will deduct that amount from your refund.

I tried to transfer it to my bank account using online banking but the charge was going to be nearly £100 because it treated it like a cash advance, but I phoned then and they transferred it for free.