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Refund Roll Call


JPH814
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1 hour ago, notjaded said:

Can you sort your spreadsheet by refund request date and show the results? Also, sort by cruise date and show those results?

 

JPH814 is so kind as to create and maintain this chart.  FYI, no need to add to his workload - it took me 3 seconds to copy and paste his table into an excel spreadsheet.

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6 hours ago, JPH814 said:

 The following is the  data  for people who have received refunds sorted by Cruise Date:

Cruise Fare Cruise  Date Refund Request  Date  Refund Received Date Days since Request Request to  Refund   Cruise to refund
Flaminjune 3/14/2020 2/24/2020 5/13/2020 96 79            60
Sueweldon 3/14/2020 3/15/2020 5/23/2020 76 69            70
Rambo Trout 3/22/2020 2/27/2020 5/12/2020 93 75            51
Zimflyer 3/22/2020 3/17/2020 5/10/2020 74 54            49
Happyhoppies 3/22/2020 3/17/2020 5/23/2020 74 67            62
Twinkles 3/28/2020 3/15/2020 5/18/2020 76 64            51
Teamflames 4/15/2020 3/10/2020 5/25/2020 81 76            40
Sunburned Tongue 4/17/2020 3/9/2020 5/23/2020 82 75            36
SF Voyage 4/17/2020 3/9/2020 5/24/2020 82 76            37
Bobal 5/6/2020 3/11/2020 5/24/2020 80 74            18
mhf 5/6/2020 3/26/2020 5/21/2020 65 56            15
Hoosier74 7/18/2020 3/18/2020 5/29/2020 73 72          (50)

 

 

The following is the same data sorted by Refund Request Date

 

Cruise Fare Cruise  Date Refund Request  Date  Refund Received Date Days since Request Request to  Refund   Cruise to refund
Zimflyer 3/22/2020 3/17/2020 5/10/2020 74 54            49
Rambo Trout 3/22/2020 2/27/2020 5/12/2020 93 75            51
Flaminjune 3/14/2020 2/24/2020 5/13/2020 96 79            60
Twinkles 3/28/2020 3/15/2020 5/18/2020 76 64            51
mhf 5/6/2020 3/26/2020 5/21/2020 65 56            15
Sunburned Tongue 4/17/2020 3/9/2020 5/23/2020 82 75            36
Sueweldon 3/14/2020 3/15/2020 5/23/2020 76 69            70
Happyhoppies 3/22/2020 3/17/2020 5/23/2020 74 67            62
SF Voyage 4/17/2020 3/9/2020 5/24/2020 82 76            37
Bobal 5/6/2020 3/11/2020 5/24/2020 80 74            18
Teamflames 4/15/2020 3/10/2020 5/25/2020 81 76            40
Hoosier74 7/18/2020 3/18/2020 5/29/2020 73 72          (50)

Thanks for that! How about posting both, including those who have failed to get refunds in the data set?

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I've been following this thread and would note that the increasing number of people who have filed disputes with credit card companies have likely contributed to refunds for others being further delayed. That's not a criticism of anyone, just an observation. When a credit card dispute is filed, the company gets notified and has a limited amount of time to respond. So the people dealing with refunds get increasingly diverted to handling the credit card disputes -- either approving them and clearing them off their books, or disputing them if the amounts differ, but lots of paperwork and documentation in any case. The effect is that the people who dispute via credit card are jumped to the head of the line, and everyone else experiences longer delays. People on the thread have criticized "lies" from the cruise line, but the longer-than-promised times are likely because the circumstances keep changing. Now that some refunds have been coming through, hopefully they have now hit their stride with a processing system and the delays won't stretch out even longer. 

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1 hour ago, cruiseej said:

I've been following this thread and would note that the increasing number of people who have filed disputes with credit card companies have likely contributed to refunds for others being further delayed. That's not a criticism of anyone, just an observation. When a credit card dispute is filed, the company gets notified and has a limited amount of time to respond. So the people dealing with refunds get increasingly diverted to handling the credit card disputes -- either approving them and clearing them off their books, or disputing them if the amounts differ, but lots of paperwork and documentation in any case. The effect is that the people who dispute via credit card are jumped to the head of the line, and everyone else experiences longer delays. People on the thread have criticized "lies" from the cruise line, but the longer-than-promised times are likely because the circumstances keep changing. Now that some refunds have been coming through, hopefully they have now hit their stride with a processing system and the delays won't stretch out even longer. 

I strongly disagree with your argument.

People didn't start disputing the charges with their credit cards until the waiting time was passed the promised delivery date and became unreasonable. If SB had acted in better faith there would have been no need or reason to file disputes.

From my personal experience I can tell you that Viking River refunded 2 of my deposits in THREE days; Oceania refunded 2 of my deposits in 42 days; American cruise line in about 1 month.  I have read of some refunds on Celebrity in similar timeline.

I am over 90 days waiting for my SB tax refund.

All these lines (except American) are part of at least as large a group as SB is - they have as many if not more passengers to deal with and are doing a better job. If they could do it, why couldn't SB who labels itself luxury and charges luxury prices - one would expect luxury service as well (on and off the ship).

Edited by Paulchili
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6 hours ago, sfvoyage said:

 

JPH814 is so kind as to create and maintain this chart.  FYI, no need to add to his workload - it took me 3 seconds to copy and paste his table into an excel spreadsheet.

Good idea. Never thought I could just copy/paste! So, here is the chart, sorted by cruise date. Looks like that is a primary factor for refunds:

Cruise Fare Cruise  Date Refund Request  Date  Refund Received Date Days since Request Request to  Refund
Flaminjune 3/14/2020 2/24/2020 5/13/2020 91 79
Sueweldon 3/14/2020 3/15/2020 5/23/2020 71 69
jkwestlake 3/21/2020 3/27/2020   59  
Rambo Trout 3/22/2020 2/27/2020 5/12/2020 88 75
cruzluvers 3/22/2020 3/9/2020   77  
Sunburned Tongue 3/22/2020 3/9/2020   77  
Zimflyer 3/22/2020 3/17/2020 5/10/2020 69 54
TV24 3/28/2020 3/15/2020   71  
Twinkles 3/28/2020 3/15/2020 5/18/2020 71 64
Mauzac 4/5/2020 3/14/2020   72  
Scottie920 4/5/2020 3/16/2020   70  
Teamflames 4/15/2020 3/10/2020 5/25/2020 76 76
SF Voyage 4/17/2020 3/9/2020 5/24/2020 77 76
Sunburned Tongue 4/17/2020 3/9/2020 5/23/2020 77 75
Mauzac 4/20/2020 3/30/2020   56  
Marazul 4/22/2020 4/2/2020   53  
astride 4/29/2020 3/30/2020   56  
swaxxy 4/29/2020 3/30/2020   56  
DC Traveler 5/2/2020 4/13/2020   42  
Bobal 5/6/2020 3/11/2020 5/24/2020 75 74
mhf 5/6/2020 3/26/2020 5/21/2020 60 56
Mark56 5/9/2020 3/16/2020   70  
Astride 5/16/2020 4/15/2020   40  
Zelker 5/23/2020 4/15/2020   40  
DFW 5/23/2020 4/16/2020   39  
jph814 5/23/2020 4/17/2020   38  
DuffyMcDuffy 5/31/2020 4/14/2020   41  
ON Cruiser 5/31/2020 4/14/2020   41  
Flyfishingwidow 6/3/2020 4/15/2020   40  
Wyattsaubt 6/6/2020 4/15/2020   40  
MTN1 6/23/2020 4/13/2020   42  
JRS51 6/27/2020 3/25/2020   61  
crudoll 6/27/2020 4/15/2020   40  
Wire 6/27/2020 4/16/2020   39  
Jodiandfrank 7/18/2020 3/16/2020   70  
Westport 7/18/2020 4/3/2020   52  
Foyt 7/25/2020 3/23/2020   63  
Whystayhome 7/31/2020 5/6/2020   19  
labate 8/14/2020 5/7/2020   18  
Clou 9/16/2020 3/27/2020   59  
TV24 10/3/2020 5/7/2020   18  
Whystayhome 10/24/2020 5/6/2020   19  
Not Jaded 12/20/2020 3/20/2020   66  
Wire 12/20/2020 3/22/2020   64  
Clou 12/22/2020 4/13/2020   42  
         
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
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Clou 12/22/2020 4/13/2020   42  
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
           
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Whilst I am very pleased that people on this list are getting refunds because we're all in it together.. it is a tad irritating when there are funds credited on either cruise dates after ours, or refund request date after us.  It means there is no pattern to this and I wonder if I should be shouting louder?! 

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39 minutes ago, Mauzac said:

Whilst I am very pleased that people on this list are getting refunds because we're all in it together.. it is a tad irritating when there are funds credited on either cruise dates after ours, or refund request date after us.  It means there is no pattern to this and I wonder if I should be shouting louder?! 

My sentiments exactly. We are in the same boat, pardon the pun.  Same cruise date although looks like you filed your claim a couple of days before. I think yes we should be shouting louder but will we be heard.

 

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As one of the “lucky ones” on the list having received the refund on May 23, my sister, on the other hand, who booked from the UK for the same cruise and requested refund on the same day as me, still has not received hers. She isn’t a CC member.  So I don’t understand how this works either. We booked from Canada. 

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19 hours ago, sunburned tongue said:

That is correct. Still nothing on the March 22.

I, and I suspect some others, thought that there was maybe a pattern emerging whereby a batch of refunds was processed at the end of the week, and then appeared on CCs over the weekend or on the Monday. But so far this weekend that theory doesn't seem to have any legs. I note from today's marketing email from SB that they are offering a 10% discount on new AND EXISTING bookings for full payment by July 31. Uh-oh !!

Well, looks like my theory does have some validity. Refund for the March 22 voyage from Sydney appeared on my Amexes today 31st, with a processing date of May 29. Same pattern as the other one, no sign of the FCDs that were used for the original deposit, but second deposit and final balance to the correct Amex accounts. Now all I have to do is get my airfare back from Qatar.

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31 minutes ago, dalliowner said:

AT LAST.

 

Received today  Cruise cancelled on March 11 , requested refund March 12  received today  May 31  (81 Days)

Brilliant news. Congratulations.  I’m at Day 76 since cancellation so should I dare to hope my refund will arrive this week?

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12 hours ago, cruiseej said:

I've been following this thread and would note that the increasing number of people who have filed disputes with credit card companies have likely contributed to refunds for others being further delayed. That's not a criticism of anyone, just an observation. When a credit card dispute is filed, the company gets notified and has a limited amount of time to respond. So the people dealing with refunds get increasingly diverted to handling the credit card disputes -- either approving them and clearing them off their books, or disputing them if the amounts differ, but lots of paperwork and documentation in any case. The effect is that the people who dispute via credit card are jumped to the head of the line, and everyone else experiences longer delays. People on the thread have criticized "lies" from the cruise line, but the longer-than-promised times are likely because the circumstances keep changing. Now that some refunds have been coming through, hopefully they have now hit their stride with a processing system and the delays won't stretch out even longer. 

You are correct. I was a manager in retail for 36 years, and when we got a dispute, we dropped everything to respond to the dispute.  With that being said, I understand the reasoning behind why people did this. I sent an email to the owner of the TA I use, and his generic response was that Seabourn is not acting like a luxury cruise line and asked for my patience. 

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1 hour ago, wesport said:

You are correct. I was a manager in retail for 36 years, and when we got a dispute, we dropped everything to respond to the dispute.  With that being said, I understand the reasoning behind why people did this. I sent an email to the owner of the TA I use, and his generic response was that Seabourn is not acting like a luxury cruise line and asked for my patience. 

 

13 hours ago, Paulchili said:

I strongly disagree with your argument.

People didn't start disputing the charges with their credit cards until the waiting time was passed the promised delivery date and became unreasonable. If SB had acted in better faith there would have been no need or reason to file disputes.

From my personal experience I can tell you that Viking River refunded 2 of my deposits in THREE days; Oceania refunded 2 of my deposits in 42 days; American cruise line in about 1 month.  I have read of some refunds on Celebrity in similar timeline.

I am over 90 days waiting for my SB tax refund.

All these lines (except American) are part of at least as large a group as SB is - they have as many if not more passengers to deal with and are doing a better job. If they could do it, why couldn't SB who labels itself luxury and charges luxury prices - one would expect luxury service as well (on and off the ship).

Yes and no.

If you read through the posts, some waited 60 days and then filed with their credit card companies and some did not.  

I also agree that companies faced with these kinds of appeals through the credit card company have to prioritize them over regular business.  Why?  Because some of those challenges are not correct and, if they do not meet the credit card company's timeline, they must pay the claim by default.  There is no question that resources dedicated to credit card disputes take away from resources available for normal flow processing.  

 

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7 hours ago, Mauzac said:

Whilst I am very pleased that people on this list are getting refunds because we're all in it together.. it is a tad irritating when there are funds credited on either cruise dates after ours, or refund request date after us.  It means there is no pattern to this and I wonder if I should be shouting louder?! 

I agree that it is unusual - or at least counter intuitive.  But I can see a number of valid reasons.

  • Was the credit due to a challenge  through the credit card company or the normal flow of business?
  • Was the customer in the US or another country, subject to different laws or regulations?
  • Are all refunds the same?  Are some more difficult to process than others? I know my reservation was on one ship, it was transferred to a different ship with a price adjustment, then the price went down so I got a further reduction.  I can show credit card statements that I paid  $10,000.  But then there were two refunds of $1000 and $500 months later.  I am due $8500.  But it would be wrong to simple process the refund of $10,000 without looking to see what other refunds may have been already paid.  
  • Is there one flow of work - one "assembly line"?  Or does different Seabourn employee or group of employees  handle a certain ship or a certain cruise or a certain batch of requests?  Are they all in the same city, subject to the same lockdown procedures?  Are they able to work from home?  Remember, there are people processing these refunds.  

I could argue that there is a reason for Seabourn to delay all requests (for example, to manage its cash flow ).  But I do not think there is someone picking and choosing which ones to delay just for the sake of delaying.

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35 minutes ago, JPH814 said:

I also agree that companies faced with these kinds of appeals through the credit card company have to prioritize them over regular business.  Why?  Because some of those challenges are not correct and, if they do not meet the credit card company's timeline, they must pay the claim by default.  There is no question that resources dedicated to credit card disputes take away from resources available for normal flow processing.  

 

OK - I agree with that.

My point was that I got 5 refunds from 3 different lines well within 60 days. Why couldn't SB do that as well?

I did wait more than 60 days with SB before filing a claim and am currently close to 100 days and still no money.

Several of my calls with messages left on their answering machine (around day 90) were left unanswered (I did not call before 60 days).

Not to mention that my refund was requested on 2/27 - long before they were swamped. I am happy for those that received their money in a timely fashion but I can only relate to my own experiences.

Edited by Paulchili
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I haven't challenged through the credit card system, because as far as I'm aware, being in the UK, they won't handle it at the moment, because the refund is quite likely on its way.  And having waited this long, I would rather it came through from SB, in other words I'm giving them the chance to refund me.  

 

I wouldn't think for one minute anyone at SB is deliberately picking and choosing which to delay... there will be reasons, we're just not aware of them! 

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14 hours ago, cruiseej said:

I've been following this thread and would note that the increasing number of people who have filed disputes with credit card companies have likely contributed to refunds for others being further delayed. That's not a criticism of anyone, just an observation. When a credit card dispute is filed, the company gets notified and has a limited amount of time to respond. So the people dealing with refunds get increasingly diverted to handling the credit card disputes -- either approving them and clearing them off their books, or disputing them if the amounts differ, but lots of paperwork and documentation in any case. The effect is that the people who dispute via credit card are jumped to the head of the line, and everyone else experiences longer delays. People on the thread have criticized "lies" from the cruise line, but the longer-than-promised times are likely because the circumstances keep changing. Now that some refunds have been coming through, hopefully they have now hit their stride with a processing system and the delays won't stretch out even longer. 

While I agree that disputes impact the flow of refunds, the problem lies with Seabourn in that their promised refund/FCC timeline started at a very reasw onable approx two weeks and then got extended at least 5 times to the 60 day mak.  After a reply that the refund/FCC would come by the end of the week and at the end of the week it extended to two more weeks I fest compelled to dispute as on the list I wasn't even close to the longest waiting person.

 

There is a limit on how far back one can go with a dispute and it varies by card type and card issuer.  If Seabourn had been honest from the beginning and the beginning approx 2 weeks was spelled out on line within the book with confidence page with others and myself.  I'm sure many of us would have waited had we believed the many incorrect responses and moving of dates out and out and out., I really wanted to dispute  over a month ago but, held off for the sake of not interrupting the flow but,  enough was enough and literally 3 weeks after disputing got a message that my dispute was accepted in full, the money had previusly been credited to my account and now the account shows settled and the money is in process of being refunded by a transfer to my credit union account.

 

So, don't blame those of us who waited long enough and had promises not kept many times  We did consider others and had to do what we had ot do.

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11 minutes ago, Mauzac said:

I haven't challenged through the credit card system, because as far as I'm aware, being in the UK, they won't handle it at the moment, because the refund is quite likely on its way.  And having waited this long, I would rather it came through from SB, in other words I'm giving them the chance to refund me.  

 

I wouldn't think for one minute anyone at SB is deliberately picking and choosing which to delay... there will be reasons, we're just not aware of them! 

Yes there is a reason and that is cash flow so they are more important than theri customer.  Let's see how they do with cash and fewer customers.

 

Plus I understad with the Part 75 rules in the UK they only have 14 days to refund which from reading other boards, people who send a letter notifying the cruise line that they will file suit because of the 75 day limit have gotten their money immediately.

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6 minutes ago, rallydave said:

Yes there is a reason and that is cash flow so they are more important than theri customer.  Let's see how they do with cash and fewer customers.

 

Plus I understad with the Part 75 rules in the UK they only have 14 days to refund which from reading other boards, people who send a letter notifying the cruise line that they will file suit because of the 75 day limit have gotten their money immediately.

silly company...trying to stay in business.  

Let's see, do we repay customers their deposits  or pay our employees?  Or do we pay the debt on the ships that we have built.  Or the fuel bill or food bill (all that stuff that we ordered and had delivered and now we don't know what to do with ? 

I know, let's balance things...delay a bit what we can, cut costs where we can. But let's keep the lights on so we can still be in business a year from now when things are (close to ) normal.  

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So a lot of chatter and at least some good news.

I decided to start tracking whether people are from the US (u) or from outside the US (n) .  It will be interesting to see if any patterns are evident there.

  As of Date: 5/31/2020        
  Cruise Fare Cruise  Date Refund Request  Date  Refund Received Date Days since Request Request to  Refund
n Daliowner  3/11/2020 3/12/2020 5/31/2020 80 80
  Flaminjune 3/14/2020 2/24/2020 5/13/2020   79
n Sueweldon 3/14/2020 3/15/2020 5/23/2020   69
u jkwestlake 3/21/2020 3/27/2020   65  
u cruzluvers 3/22/2020 3/9/2020   83  
  Happyhoppies 3/22/2020 3/17/2020 5/23/2020   67
n Rambo Trout 3/22/2020 2/27/2020 5/12/2020   75
n Sunburned Tongue 3/22/2020 3/9/2020 5/31/2020   83
n Zimflyer 3/22/2020 3/17/2020 5/10/2020   54
n rgaudet 3/28/2020 3/15/2020   77  
u TV24 3/28/2020 3/15/2020   77  
  Twinkles 3/28/2020 3/15/2020 5/18/2020   64
n Mauzac 4/5/2020 3/14/2020   78  
n Scottie920 4/5/2020 3/16/2020   76  
  canadalin 4/8/2020 3/15/2020   77  
  Teamflames 4/15/2020 3/10/2020 5/25/2020   76
  SF Voyage 4/17/2020 3/9/2020 5/24/2020   76
n Sunburned Tongue 4/17/2020 3/9/2020 5/23/2020   75
u Hencol 4/20/2020 3/31/2020      
n Mauzac 4/20/2020 3/30/2020   62  
u Marazul 4/22/2020 4/2/2020   59  
n astride 4/29/2020 3/30/2020   62  
u swaxxy 4/29/2020 3/30/2020   62  
  DC Traveler 5/2/2020 4/13/2020   48  
u Bobal 5/6/2020 3/11/2020 5/24/2020   74
u mhf 5/6/2020 3/26/2020 5/21/2020   56
u Mark56 5/9/2020 3/16/2020   76  
n Astride 5/16/2020 4/15/2020   46  
u DFW 5/23/2020 4/16/2020   45  
u jph814 (US) 5/23/2020 4/17/2020   44  
u Zelker 5/23/2020 4/15/2020   46  
  DuffyMcDuffy 5/31/2020 4/14/2020   47  
n ON Cruiser 5/31/2020 4/14/2020   47  
u Flyfishingwidow 6/3/2020 4/15/2020   46  
u Wyattsaubt 6/6/2020 4/15/2020   46  
  MTN1 6/23/2020 4/13/2020   48  
  crudoll 6/27/2020 4/15/2020   46  
  JRS51 6/27/2020 3/25/2020   67  
  Wire 6/27/2020 4/16/2020   45  
  Hoosier74 7/18/2020 3/18/2020 5/29/2020   72
u Jodiandfrank 7/18/2020 3/16/2020   76  
u Westport 7/18/2020 4/3/2020   58  
  Foyt 7/25/2020 3/23/2020   69  
u Whystayhome 7/31/2020 5/6/2020   25  
  labate 8/14/2020 5/7/2020   24  
u Clou 9/16/2020 3/27/2020   65  
u TV24 10/3/2020 5/7/2020   24  
u Whystayhome 10/24/2020 5/6/2020   25  
u Not Jaded 12/20/2020 3/20/2020   72  
  Wire 12/20/2020 3/22/2020   70  
u Clou 12/22/2020 4/13/2020   48  
  Average         71.429
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4 minutes ago, JPH814 said:

silly company...trying to stay in business.  

Let's see, do we repay customers their deposits  or pay our employees?  Or do we pay the debt on the ships that we have built.  Or the fuel bill or food bill (all that stuff that we ordered and had delivered and now we don't know what to do with ? 

I know, let's balance things...delay a bit what we can, cut costs where we can. But let's keep the lights on so we can still be in business a year from now when things are (close to ) normal.  

In other words, we the customers, stand at the end of the line because other creditors would not put up with the cr**p we  have to. Not a good place to be.

If that is where SB believes the customer belongs then it's time for me to patronize someone else (see my 3 other lines' responses above).

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4 minutes ago, JPH814 said:

silly company...trying to stay in business.  

Let's see, do we repay customers their deposits  or pay our employees?  Or do we pay the debt on the ships that we have built.  Or the fuel bill or food bill (all that stuff that we ordered and had delivered and now we don't know what to do with ? 

I know, let's balance things...delay a bit what we can, cut costs where we can. But let's keep the lights on so we can still be in business a year from now when things are (close to ) normal.  

Would agree with you except all three large companies in the US have stated they have enough money for a year or more without any new money coming in so the money is there and the same money for refunds will be there in 60 or 90 or how long it takes to pay. 
 

and don’t forget they are not sending out FCCs either and sending those out will allow people to book and send more money as well so IMHO not a good way to stay in business not to mention those of us who would book and help keep the lights on but won’t snd May never again because of the precedence being set. 

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12 hours ago, Paulchili said:

It is primary except when it isn't (in a number of cases). 🙂

There are 52 data points (cruise bookings) listed on the chart. For the first 26 of them by date, 11 have been refunded (42%), for the next 26, two have been refunded (8%). I'll leave it at that and you can draw your own conclusions.

 

Edit: Note that I manually reanalyzed the data with the most recent chart posted by OP. There may be an error or two, but the substance of the results are the same.

Edited by notjaded
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14 hours ago, Paulchili said:

I strongly disagree with your argument. People didn't start disputing the charges with their credit cards until the waiting time was passed the promised delivery date and became unreasonable. If SB had acted in better faith there would have been no need or reason to file disputes.

 

 

@Paulchili  I'm not sure why you're saying you disagree with me. You are stating why people have chosen to dispute through their credit card rather than continuing to wait for Seabourn to process the promised refunds. I fully understand that. All I was doing is explaining that as more and more people file credit card disputes which require the company to respond quickly, it means others who are waiting for refunds have been delayed further because their limited staff has to jump to deal with the credit card disputes.

 

34 minutes ago, rallydave said:

So, don't blame those of us who waited long enough and had promises not kept many times  We did consider others and had to do what we had ot do.

 

@rallydave Please don't put words in my mouth. If you re-read my original post, I absolutely and explicitly said I was not criticizing anyone for doing what they deemed to be the best action for them. I was only explaining to people who are still waiting for refunds that the growing number of credit card disputes are the latest of many reasons why processing pending refunds is taking longer than they said it would.

 

1 hour ago, JPH814 said:

Are some more difficult to process than others? I know my reservation was on one ship, it was transferred to a different ship with a price adjustment, then the price went down so I got a further reduction.  I can show credit card statements that I paid  $10,000.  But then there were two refunds of $1000 and $500 months later.  I am due $8500.

 

I think this is a good illustration that it's not as easy as it might seem to process the refunds. Each case is different and requires checking multiple sources and systems. They need to identify all the charges and credits for each customer and I identify where they came from, which often span multiple credit cards over multiple years, document FCC amounts and dates to be restored, deal with air and ground and excursion add-on purchases, and properly credit travel agents for the proper commissionable amount (which is different than the amount paid or refunded). I would imagine processing some bookings might take 30 minutes or an hour to piece together, document, and process through various systems. And let's remember that the ones they were dealing with first were the customers who had trips truncated or aborted, who submitted additional out-of-pocket air and hotel bills to be reimbursed, which undoubtedly took considerable time to sift through. And I'd guess a small cruise line like Seabourn had only a handful of people who dealt with the complexity of processing refunds prior to this explosion of work.

 

Am I suggesting Seabourn should get a free pass because the delays are reasonable under the circumstances? Absolutely not! One thing they could have done so much better is sending out communications to their customers, to apologize and to be transparent about why it was taking so long. (That work could have been done by people other than the few who could process the refunds.) From what I've seen reading multiple forums, none of the luxury lines gets a passing grade in this regard, nor have the others been significantly faster in completing refunds, either. 

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