Refund through travel agency

[stevetod]

Just wondering If I take the refund instead of the FCC and I booked through my travel agent can the agency charge a fee before providing the refund?

[Wine-O]

10 minutes ago, stevetod said:

Just wondering If I take the refund instead of the FCC and I booked through my travel agent can the agency charge a fee before providing the refund?

 

If you take a refund, it will come direct to your credit card you used.  You can go ahead and go on line and cancel yourself.  Maybe someone can point you to the correct link.    Your TA will still get their commission.  🍷

[PROCRUISE]

2 minutes ago, Wine-O said:

 

If you take a refund, it will come direct to your credit card you used.  You can go ahead and go on line and cancel yourself.  Maybe someone can point you to the correct link.    Your TA will still get their commission.  🍷

 

The Wine-O information is correct. Our TA volunteered to even call the cruise line and go for 100% refund. No reason for her to sit on the phone for hours when we simply went online after our Alaskan cruise was cancelled and made the choice of option #2 for full refund, including air also which was purchased through the cruise line. Will see it all credited to our credit card within 60 days. hopefully.

[Mr. Click]

With in an hour of Celebrity canceling our May 18 cruise that we booked with a big, online TA I got both text and email from Celebrity with a direct link to pick a refund or a FCC.  Took about 3 minutes to get it done.  THe one thing I had to look up wis our reservation number.  Quick. easy and now TA involved at all. Now I just have to wait 45 days to see my money and that sucks.  

[Jim_Iain]

I booked via a Travel Agent and selected the FCC for 2 cruises and 100% Refund for a 3rd.   The FCC's were sent both to me and Iain independently by Celebrity, they also sent our agent a consolidated FCC with both listed on one sheet.   She forwarded it on to me.   I have not yet received my refund but told it will come back to the original form of  payment.

 

Whether you TA charges fees is between you and your Agent.   Mine does not charge  fees.

[Mr. Click]

If my TA were to try to charge a fee on this they would be my ex-TA in a heart beat and my cardiologist said the toehr day that my heart is beating well....

[Kartgv]

Yes, they can charge a fee if it was disclosed to you at the time of booking.   Ours does charge a $50pp fee; they waived the fee on our cancellation of a May cruise, but did charge it on a September cancellation.  I don't  begrudge them the small fee - they've given us many thousands of dollars in OBC over the years as well as good service.   We just hope they can stay in business until (if?) cruising picks up again.  

[Wine-O]

7 hours ago, Kartgv said:

Yes, they can charge a fee if it was disclosed to you at the time of booking.   Ours does charge a $50pp fee; they waived the fee on our cancellation of a May cruise, but did charge it on a September cancellation.  I don't  begrudge them the small fee - they've given us many thousands of dollars in OBC over the years as well as good service.   We just hope they can stay in business until (if?) cruising picks up again.  

 

TA's who charge for a cancellation in these times are just plain wrong and unethical.  Think about it.  They are still getting their commission on cancelled cruises, they don't have to give you any OBC out of that commission (which enticed you to book with them), and then they charge you $50 on top of that?   Time to find another TA.  🍷

[maxsales]

28 minutes ago, Wine-O said:

 

TA's who charge for a cancellation in these times are just plain wrong and unethical.  Think about it.  They are still getting their commission on cancelled cruises, they don't have to give you any OBC out of that commission (which enticed you to book with them), and then they charge you $50 on top of that?   Time to find another TA.  🍷

Sorry but you need to look at that post a little closer. Poster stated they were not charged a fee for the May canceled cruise which the TA would have received commission for as the cruise-line canceled.  They were charged a fee for the  September cancellation which they chose to cancel as the cruise line had not at that point. so the TA receives no commission on that cruise thus per their terms and conditions whicH the poster accepted when he chose to book through them. 

[Wine-O]

53 minutes ago, maxsales said:

Sorry but you need to look at that post a little closer. Poster stated they were not charged a fee for the May canceled cruise which the TA would have received commission for as the cruise-line canceled.  They were charged a fee for the  September cancellation which they chose to cancel as the cruise line had not at that point. so the TA receives no commission on that cruise thus per their terms and conditions whicH the poster accepted when he chose to book through them. 

My understanding if they cancelled under the "Cruise with Confidence" policy anytime up to 48 hours before the cruise, the TA's still get their commission.  At least that's how I've been reading it.   If I'm reading that wrong, at least a reputable TA shouldn't charge a cancellation fee based on the current environment, the over 70 Dr. note thingy, etc.  I would certainly get a new TA.   🍷

[jelayne]

Kartgv didn’t say when in September there sailing was scheduled but CWC is only good for sailings up until 9/1/2020.  So if the sail date is beyond that then it is a normal cancellation and the TA wouldn’t be getting any commission.  

[Wine-O]

2 hours ago, jelayne said:

Kartgv didn’t say when in September there sailing was scheduled but CWC is only good for sailings up until 9/1/2020.  So if the sail date is beyond that then it is a normal cancellation and the TA wouldn’t be getting any commission.  

 

Fair enough!  TA's should get in line with what others are doing during these times, by not penalizing people for changes and cancellations.  Just my opinion, and would not use that TA again.  There are plenty out there that give great OBC and don't charge cancellation fees.  🍷 

[Kartgv]

The September cruise was not until 9/18, so no commission for the agency.   We'll stick with the TA for several reasons.   Whether or not we stick with Celebrity is another story!

[omeinv]

15 hours ago, Mr. Click said:

If my TA were to try to charge a fee on this they would be my ex-TA in a heart beat and my cardiologist said the toehr day that my heart is beating well....

 

Several large TAs have agreements allowing them to charge customers fees for changes or cancellations.  If they had such an agreement, and applied it in this case, I'd suggest you consider that the relatively low price of finding out the type of company you're dealing with.  It would be akin to the old saying "If you loan a friend $20.00, and never hear from them again, it was probably worth it".

 

The other aspect that may be more critical is that some travel agencies process the credit card charges themselves, versus having the charge done directly be the cruise line.  You can tell by how the charge appeared on your credit card statement.  If it shows "Celebrity Cruises", it was processed directly.  If it shows something else, like your travel agency name, or perhaps the name of their wholesaler, the charge was made by an agency, and they made the payment to Celebrity.  If that's the case, you are waiting for your refund from the agency; while they are waiting for it from Celebrity. 

 

Harris

Denver, CO

[Mr. Click]

2 hours ago, omeinv said:

 

Several large TAs have agreements allowing them to charge customers fees for changes or cancellations.  If they had such an agreement, and applied it in this case, I'd suggest you consider that the relatively low price of finding out the type of company you're dealing with.  It would be akin to the old saying "If you loan a friend $20.00, and never hear from them again, it was probably worth it".

 

The other aspect that may be more critical is that some travel agencies process the credit card charges themselves, versus having the charge done directly be the cruise line.  You can tell by how the charge appeared on your credit card statement.  If it shows "Celebrity Cruises", it was processed directly.  If it shows something else, like your travel agency name, or perhaps the name of their wholesaler, the charge was made by an agency, and they made the payment to Celebrity.  If that's the case, you are waiting for your refund from the agency; while they are waiting for it from Celebrity. 

 

Harris

Denver, CO

I am well aware of these TA and their agreements. I currently use one of them but in the current situation with trips being canceled by the cruise line I think it is just wrong for any TA to charge a fee.  The airlines are waiving their change and redeposit fees and I think the TA should be doing the same.  Ihave even had tour companies waive their no refund clause in this mess.

[omeinv]

3 minutes ago, Mr. Click said:

I am well aware of these TA and their agreements. I currently use one of them but in the current situation with trips being canceled by the cruise line I think it is just wrong for any TA to charge a fee.  The airlines are waiving their change and redeposit fees and I think the TA should be doing the same.  Ihave even had tour companies waive their no refund clause in this mess.

I completely agree.  I don't use a travel agency at all, but I certainly wouldn't use ne that charges a change fee in normal times.

 

Any agency that's imposing a change or cancellation fee during this period certainly doesn't deserve to have customers. 

 

Harris

Denver, CO

[jelayne]

I think we use the same TA as Kartgv and they don’t charge a fee for a change but they do charge a $50 pp fee if you cancel.  We cancelled a cruise that is covered by CWC and they didn’t charge a cancellation fee for that cruise.

 

We have a B2B booked for later this year and we will probably cancel before final payment for potential surgery that would make travel impossible for about 4 months.  If  CWC isn’t extended to cover these sailing or these cruises not cancelled 

and we have to cancel the TA gets no commission.   I have no problem with the $50 cancellation.  The TA handled the transfer of the bookings from X, has processed 3 price drops, 1 cabin change and corrected 2  mistakes  made by X on the original invoice.  That is worth something.  
We have saved a lot of money over 20  cruises thru group rates they frequently have and gotten even more in refundable OBC.  

[Mr. Click]

2 hours ago, omeinv said:

I completely agree.  I don't use a travel agency at all, but I certainly wouldn't use ne that charges a change fee in normal times.

 

Any agency that's imposing a change or cancellation fee during this period certainly doesn't deserve to have customers. 

 

Harris

Denver, CO

In normal circumstances I am fine with the fee because they did a lot of work getting me booked. In the current world if the cruise is canceled there should be no fee.  Even if I cancel I would not be happy about seeing a fee right now.  Currently for me we canceled our Alaska trip at final payment, no fee because we booked it onboard and transferred to them and Iceland and Ireland just canceled this week  by Celebrity. Next up is The Best of Italy in October. The airline has already canceled our flights but I won't touch the cruise booking until it is time for final payment. No plans to go but I will play the waiting game for now.  With the current over 70 rules I am not booking anything now.

[maxsales]

21 hours ago, Wine-O said:

My understanding if they cancelled under the "Cruise with Confidence" policy anytime up to 48 hours before the cruise, the TA's still get their commission.  At least that's how I've been reading it.   If I'm reading that wrong, at least a reputable TA shouldn't charge a cancellation fee based on the current environment, the over 70 Dr. note thingy, etc.  I would certainly get a new TA.   🍷

Commission protection occurs when the cruise  is canceled by the cruise-line and the reservation has been paid in full. If a reservation is canceled with the cruise with with confidence program, but has not been paid in full there is no commission protection. 
 

most travel agents don’t have a cancellation fee, more my rethink that after this crisis, but those that do clearly state it upfront so clients know what to expect. That now becomes a moral issue to waive or not waive the fee. Remember this currently travel agents are working twice as hard for in many cases no commission. Those two to three hour hold times are real,, and many many cruises that don’t have commission protection are being canceled or rebooked.