Be careful who you book with !

[lhcruzin]

Be careful who you book with.  Last February 2022, I booked a cruise thru a large online travel website.  The cruise was to sail February 2023.  A year ago I was told about the final payment date.  A year later the payment came due on Thanksgiving weekend.  I never received an email or phone call notification of payment due.  Being busy over the holidays, I missed the payment.  The company canceled my reservation and never even notified me that it had been canceled.  I was told that I could rebook the 1 week cruise for an additional $3000.   They kept my $500 deposit and won’t return it.   The same company sends me about 12 emails a month soliciting travel but they couldn’t bother sending an automated email reminder ?  

[hcat]

Not nice of them..expensive lesson.  We mark the date in several places!

Sorry

[wrk2cruise]

19 minutes ago, lhcruzin said:

They kept my $500 deposit and won’t return it.

 

Was your deposit paid by credit card?  The agency shouldn't be holding your deposit it should be refunded by Celebrity.   The issue is that if your reservation wasn't cancelled by the final payment date then you are in the penalty phase and Celebrity will keep the deposit.  They may give you a few days grace period but it seems like over a month has gone by.   Yes the TA should have followed up but........

[Charles4515]

17 minutes ago, lhcruzin said:

Be careful who you book with.  Last February 2022, I booked a cruise thru a large online travel website.  The cruise was to sail February 2023.  A year ago I was told about the final payment date.  A year later the payment came due on Thanksgiving weekend.  I never received an email or phone call notification of payment due.  Being busy over the holidays, I missed the payment.  The company canceled my reservation and never even notified me that it had been canceled.  I was told that I could rebook the 1 week cruise for an additional $3000.   They kept my $500 deposit and won’t return it.   The same company sends me about 12 emails a month soliciting travel but they couldn’t bother sending an automated email reminder ?  

It would have been nice of them to send a reminder but ultimately you should have kept track of the date. My travel agent does remind me, she actually asks for my final 10 days before the actual date to prevent mishaps. If it is like all my bookings the deposit went to the cruise line so the travel agency did not keep your deposit. Celebrity kept it.

[kathynorth]

Sorry to learn of your experience. I booked a cruise through celebrity’s blue chip club and just happened to call with a question and when the phone agent checked my reservation told me final payment was due that same day. No email warning or anything. I hate to think of what might have happened if I hadn’t made that call. I now put the final payment due date 1 week early on my calendar just in case. I would try to reach out to the TA management to see if there’s anything they can do to help.

[RTShaker]

My CVP just sent me an email to remind me that FP is due in a month.

[Noble724]

Your booking may have been priced as a Non-Refundable Deposit booking.  It is a lesser rate, but carries a penalty for cancelation or ship/sail date change.  You may be able to get a Future Cruise Credit for all, or at least a portion, of your deposit.  Sometimes a call directly to the cruise line helps.  Good luck...many companies are trying to make up for lost revenue and they are in a race to the bottom of the customer service barrel.

[wrk2cruise]

Even with NRD you are required to cancel PRIOR to final payment date.  Failure to do so puts the full deposit in penalty.

 

 

[Noble724]

Understand.  Hopefully, direct contact with the cruise line will result in a solution that is less painful...maybe a Future Cruise Credit.

[coaster]

Online agencies seem to be playing games now. Got lots of reminder emails from Celebrity about final payment when booking direct. A failed attempt on my part to transfer the booking to an outside agency for a higher price was the worst. Just not worth booking outside Celebrity.

Edited December 28, 2022 by coaster

[mpdog42]

2 hours ago, lhcruzin said:

Be careful who you book with.  Last February 2022, I booked a cruise thru a large online travel website.  The cruise was to sail February 2023.  A year ago I was told about the final payment date.  A year later the payment came due on Thanksgiving weekend.  I never received an email or phone call notification of payment due.  Being busy over the holidays, I missed the payment.  The company canceled my reservation and never even notified me that it had been canceled.  I was told that I could rebook the 1 week cruise for an additional $3000.   They kept my $500 deposit and won’t return it.   The same company sends me about 12 emails a month soliciting travel but they couldn’t bother sending an automated email reminder ?  

Hope It's not the same company i booked thru recently...A week after i booked .my Amex got hit for over $2000.00 worth of charges here in the US for online purchases....Not Accusing..but my recent CC activity would lean in that direction...

[retird]

I know there are many who prefer a TA to manage their bookings, but I keep hearing horror stories , especially since covid started.   Im sure many TA’s have had a hard time surviving.    Personally i always book my vacations direct with the cruise line, airline, hotel or whatever.   I control my own reservations.  If there is a screwup along the way, it is usually my fault since I am my own Travel Agent.

[Cruising89143]

Bottom line….It’s your responsibility to remember the final payment date. Celebrity has never sent me a reminder for my final payment. 

[jelayne]

We have used TAs for years and all have the credit card on file to make final payment and the authorization to do so. Never have we received a notice that final payment was due.  Unless I contact them prior to final payment to cancel then the CC is charged.

 

Its my booking, my responsibility to know the deadlines and take the appropriate action.  They give me OBC or a reduced rate but I don’t expect them to hold my hand. 

[sanger727]

I agree with the title of this thread but for a different reason. We booked our last cruise via a travel agent we found from an online competitive cruise pricing website. The guy was great when we asked questions and booked. Then they charged us the deposit, he never sent an invoice, and I never heard from him again.  I didn't worry too much at the time, I was able to confirm with the cruise company that we were booked and our deposit was paid, we still had over a year before final payment was due.

 

Fast forward to a month before our final payment was due. I had sent him many e-mails with no response and called him many times with no answer or call back. I started to get worried that his negligent attitude was going to lead to our final payment not getting made. The cruise line wouldn't accept payments from us directly. I called the main line for the travel agency and left a message on the general voicemail which got me a call back from someone else. She promised that our agent would call us back. 

 

Course he never did. I finally had to file a complaint with the better business bureau to get someone to call us back and take our payment information! 

 

Yes, be careful who you book with!

[rjrpar]

Personal Responsibility 

[rucruisn2]

We booked with this company pre- Covid.  Cancelled when Covid was really rearing it's ugly head.  Then the next day all cruises were cancelled.  The agency refused to refund the deposit penalty they bury in their fine print.  Still don't have my money but you can bet I'll never book with them again. 

[jagoffee]

8 hours ago, jelayne said:

We have used TAs for years and all have the credit card on file to make final payment and the authorization to do so. Never have we received a notice that final payment was due.  Unless I contact them prior to final payment to cancel then the CC is charged.

 

Its my booking, my responsibility to know the deadlines and take the appropriate action.  They give me OBC or a reduced rate but I don’t expect them to hold my hand. 

I agree, but my TA always notifies me about a week before the final payment is due.  I think it is a system generated reminder with another invoice attached.

 

How  does the advance authorization work with your TA?  Is it a blanket authorization with you

r CC info that is good forever? Is it a form or just verbal?  I would guess you get an revised invoice showing fully paid, so it is a little reminder.

 

 

The company that my TA UA associated with does not keep my CC in their system.  I communicate with my great TA mostly by email.  I talked to her twice, once when I deposit and again when I make my final payment.  Always do my quoting and ask questions via email.  My preferred method of communication, so I have a record.  
 

It  be nice to be set up automatically.

 

Thanks.

 

How about everyone else?  Something unique about my TA?I like Jelayne’s approach and I have never pushed the issue.

 

 

[jagoffee]

1 minute ago, rucruisn2 said:

We booked with this company pre- Covid.  Cancelled when Covid was really rearing it's ugly head.  Then the next day all cruises were cancelled.  The agency refused to refund the deposit penalty they bury in their fine print.  Still don't have my money but you can bet I'll never book with them again. 

The complete deposit?  No FCC equal to the deposit amount?

[Guindalf]

Calling the cruise line is unlikely to get you any more than being told to contact the TA involved. they will not interfere. I would contact the TA and insist on escalating your case up to CE

 

Sure, it sound rough, but there is an element of personal responsibility here. I'm sure you were informed of final payment dates when you booked and all you had to do was mark your calendar!

[Markanddonna]

Travel Agents are supposedly great until they are not. That is why we manage our own bookings.

[NevadaCruiser2023]

2 hours ago, jagoffee said:

I agree, but my TA always notifies me about a week before the final payment is due.  I think it is a system generated reminder with another invoice attached.

 

How  does the advance authorization work with your TA?  Is it a blanket authorization with you

r CC info that is good forever? Is it a form or just verbal?  I would guess you get an revised invoice showing fully paid, so it is a little reminder.

 

 

The company that my TA UA associated with does not keep my CC in their system.  I communicate with my great TA mostly by email.  I talked to her twice, once when I deposit and again when I make my final payment.  Always do my quoting and ask questions via email.  My preferred method of communication, so I have a record.  
 

It  be nice to be set up automatically.

 

Thanks.

 

How about everyone else?  Something unique about my TA?I like Jelayne’s approach and I have never pushed the issue.

 

 

First time using a TA.  When final payment time came, I reached out to him about 6 days before it was due and mentioned it wouldn't bother me if he went ahead and paid the final payment then and there.  He did and it gave me 6 days of peace. 

[sanger727]

2 hours ago, jagoffee said:

I agree, but my TA always notifies me about a week before the final payment is due.  I think it is a system generated reminder with another invoice attached.

 

How  does the advance authorization work with your TA?  Is it a blanket authorization with you

r CC info that is good forever? Is it a form or just verbal?  I would guess you get an revised invoice showing fully paid, so it is a little reminder.

 

 

The company that my TA UA associated with does not keep my CC in their system.  I communicate with my great TA mostly by email.  I talked to her twice, once when I deposit and again when I make my final payment.  Always do my quoting and ask questions via email.  My preferred method of communication, so I have a record.  
 

It  be nice to be set up automatically.

 

Thanks.

 

How about everyone else?  Something unique about my TA?I like Jelayne’s approach and I have never pushed the issue.

 

 

 

All the TA's I've used have taken my CC info for the deposit and saved it on file to use for final payment. There's never been a specific authorization other than them telling you that upon booking. I'm sure that fulfills any requirements they have. Not dissimilar to when I renew my satellite radio for the year and they advise me that they will keep the card on file and auto-renew at current rates the next year. 

Edited December 28, 2022 by sanger727

[Lastdance]

Sometimes the best lessons we learn come from our own mistakes; I stay away from big box companies, especially because of communication issues.  Trust is something you have to build with a TA and a good company, but the bottom line is to put these important dates on your calendar.  Do what you can about this situation, but change what you do from here.  It is important that you create a system that works for you!

 

Edited December 28, 2022 by Lastdance

[jagoffee]

13 minutes ago, sanger727 said:

 

All the TA's I've used have taken my CC info for the deposit and saved it on file to use for final payment. There's never been a specific authorization other than them telling you that upon booking. I'm sure that fulfills any requirements they have. Not dissimilar to when I renew my satellite radio for the year and they advise me that they will keep the card on file and auto-renew at current rates the next year. 

Thank you for the feedback.  I certainly have several reoccurring charges set up with my CC.  So, you always need to call and give your TA the same CC when you make a deposit?  jelayne’s situation seems a little different.