I sure stepped in it this time!

[Jade13]

[quote name='NetwrkEng']

I guess the only cruise VALUE this agency lends to your cruise is in their favor. :mad:[/quote]

You are clever! In any event I find their resolutions department calls me back right away.

[Krazy Kruizers]

[quote name='sail7seas'][B]I don't think it a silly fear at all. I would not deal with an agency which insisted upon the charge going to them and they would then pay HAL. That is not acceptible to me.[/B]

[B]JMHO........[/B]


[/quote]

[B][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4]I agree with you!![/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[Jade13]

[quote name='Grumpy1']

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]A couple of weeks later I got a phone call from the Customer Relations Manager. Obviously she had done her homework, as she had information from the telephone contacts that I had with them. What she didn't have was any plausible explanation as to why they had totally ignored my booking except when I contacted them. She was most apologetic and assured me that they do not do business that way. She said there should have been onboard gifts including an onboard credit. A few days ago I received a followup letter in the mail with a check for $500.[/SIZE][/FONT]


[/quote]

Hmm, a TA sent you a check for $500.00 and you are not sure if you would use them again? Maybe I am reading too fast but was there missing OBC, etc? I understand no wine or Pinnacle Grille dinner. I have never received any of these from HAL direct or the on-line TA (or another TA I used). I was happy to get my 2 top at 8:00pm on my last few cruises!

[Krazy Kruizers]

[quote name='Grumpy1']We used a TA that advertises here and also handles some of the CC group cruises. I think it is the same TA that Sail mentioned earlier. While onboard the Maasdam in 2006 on what was supposed to have been a CC group Cruise, we booked the Eurodam inaugural cruise. In spite of telling the Future Cruise Consultant to keep the booking with HAL, the booking was credited to the TA that had the Maasdam booking. Knowing that they had recently started charging cancellation fees I decided to let it ride. After all, they had provided a bottle of champagne and a Pinnacle dinner for us on the Maasdam cruise.

I heard nothing from the TA, so called them just before final payment was due to make sure they had my credit card info on file and would be processing it. "Yes, we'll be taking care of that by the due date" I was told, and a check of my credit card account showed a payment to HAL on the proper date.

Fast forward to about 2 weeks before the cruise. We had received our documents for the 3 day Prelude, which was a separate booking and directly with HAL, but had not seen the documents for the Inaugural. I called the TA and let them know what my deadline was for receiving the documents before we would be leaving. The TA called back, said they had located the docs and would send them out. I received them by Priority, not Express, Mail several days later. At least we got them before we left home.

Aboard the Eurodam, we expected to see something from the TA at the start of the Inaugural. Champagne from the Captain and Hotel Manager..Check. Champagne from the TA? Nope, nothing. Flowers? Nope. Pinnacle Grill Certificates? Nada.

What I did get was an email from the TA a few days after the Inagural started:
[LEFT][FONT=Arial][SIZE=2][FONT=Arial]Welcom[/FONT][/SIZE][/FONT]e Back![/LEFT]

[FONT=Arial]We hope you enjoyed your cruise on [B][B]Eurodam. [/B][/B]More than ever, our guests are searching for the best value and the very best customer service to help make their cruise vacation a success. Hopefully, our efforts to meet those goals were reflected in the experience you had here at ********** and onboard. To help us better understand our performance and even your experiences onboard, we’ve developed a brief 3 minute “point & click” survey for you to take. [/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]Please accept our invitation to take the survey now while your thoughts are fresh. We would be most grateful for your participation. As a token of our appreciation, we will be holding monthly drawings, chosen from completed surveys, for prizes (including T-shirts, ****** FCC’s, Cruise Gear, etc). If you’re a winner, we’ll be in touch with you by phone and email to confirm your reward![/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]You can well imagine my responses to the survey questions about how satisfied was I with their service, would I use them in the future, would I recommend them to a friend, etc. And there was a box to enter additional comments. Well, Grumpy let them have it with both barrels, stepped back, reloaded and fired again. Dayum, that felt good![/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]A couple of weeks later I got a phone call from the Customer Relations Manager. Obviously she had done her homework, as she had information from the telephone contacts that I had with them. What she didn't have was any plausible explanation as to why they had totally ignored my booking except when I contacted them. She was most apologetic and assured me that they do not do business that way. She said there should have been onboard gifts including an onboard credit. A few days ago I received a followup letter in the mail with a check for $500.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]That does help to take away the bad taste that I had toward that TA, but I'm still not convinced that they are deserving of my business in the future. I'm just not sure that my treatment was a onetime fluke that would never happen again. If I had to use them as the chosen TA for a group cruise I suppose I would, but I have another TA that I'd much prefer to use.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[/quote]

[B][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4]Now I know why we stay with the TA that we have used for over 23 years -- we can go and talk to her -- talk to her on the phone.[/SIZE][/FONT][/B]
[B][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]
[B][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4]Thankfully when we book future cruises while cruising -- the cruise consultants have always asked us if we want to use the same TA before they actually submit anything.[/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[Krazy Kruizers]

[B][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4]Sher -- Sher [/SIZE][/FONT][/B]
[B][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]
[B][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4]Where are you??[/SIZE][/FONT][/B]
[B][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]
[B][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4]What is happening??[/SIZE][/FONT][/B]
[B][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4][/SIZE][/FONT][/B]
[B][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4]We are all worried about you and your cruise!!![/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[Crusing Bob]

[B]Sher[/B], I would think under the circumstances you should be able to mention or give a clue as to this agency since they appear to be a big problem and maybe unethical.

We hope all this works out ok but I imagine you will not use them again. Here's hoping for a good outcome.

[Hutch&Pat]

This might be a place to 'complain' .... I seem to recall being able to read over comments/reviews of on-line travel agencies who were all quoting us from one website. It was very helpful to us in choosing which agency to use and we had no problems. However, in order to post a review with that site, you probably need to have used them to locate the best quote from competing agencies that they allow to quote. I would want to know if they money wasn't going to HAL and would have definitely not chosen an agency with such a review/comment no matter what the price was.
You'll really need a relaxing cruise now after that stress!
Best of luck, and keep us posted.
Pat

[kryos]

[quote name='Jade13']Hmm, a TA sent you a check for $500.00 and you are not sure if you would use them again? Maybe I am reading too fast but was there missing OBC, etc? I understand no wine or Pinnacle Grille dinner. I have never received any of these from HAL direct or the on-line TA (or another TA I used). I was happy to get my 2 top at 8:00pm on my last few cruises![/QUOTE]When I make an "expensive" booking, I "dammed" sure expect something nominal from the travel agent ... a bottle of house wine, a Pinnacle dinner ... something. After all, she's earning a decent commission on my booking and can certainly afford to part with $20 bucks or so to make me feel "looked after."

Now for your typical 10 to 14-day Caribbean, in an inside cabin ... maybe there I could see no gifts. But on a longish cruise, higher price ... the TA should really part with at least something. It ain't gonna break her. Do you have any idea how cheap some of those gifts are to TA's? The bottle of wine cost them all of about $10 bucks, the Pinnacle dinner maybe twice that. She can afford it.

That's just how I feel about it.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[localady]

[quote name='NetwrkEng']We are in the same situation. I've booked two other cruises with the agency in question, I think, and had no issues but we do not usually book very early so it was probably inside the final payment date when we booked and that may have changed things.

Or, this agency has recently changed their policy and now sits on your cash for an additional 30-40 days.

Our final payment is due Friday and no payment to HAL. Worse yet emails are unanswered/ignored and mulitple phone calls have not been returned.

I guess the only cruise VALUE this agency lends to your cruise is in their favor. :mad:[/quote]


[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=blue]Yep I believe we are getting the same Value!:mad: I am sure this agency must gets these calls daily by panicky customers.:mad: There is no doubt in my mind, I will NEVER do business with them again even if this just turns out to be unnecessary worry.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=blue][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=blue]And yes I think the fact they hold on to your money for 30-40 days after you have paid them is outrageous.......:mad: [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=blue][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=blue]P.S. KK- I was working this morning to pay for more cruises ;) but got back and still have not had a response from my TA at that agency! :rolleyes: [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[cp556]

[quote name='kryos']When I make an "expensive" booking, I "dammed" sure expect something nominal from the travel agent ... a bottle of house wine, a Pinnacle dinner ... something. After all, she's earning a decent commission on my booking and can certainly afford to part with $20 bucks or so to make me feel "looked after."

Now for your typical 10 to 14-day Caribbean, in an inside cabin ... maybe there I could see no gifts. But on a longish cruise, higher price ... the TA should really part with at least something. It ain't gonna break her. Do you have any idea how cheap some of those gifts are to TA's? The bottle of wine cost them all of about $10 bucks, the Pinnacle dinner maybe twice that. She can afford it.

That's just how I feel about it.

Blue skies ...

--rita[/quote]

I agree with you, Rita, and with what Grumpy says. I think, that in a nutshell, it's that we expect ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of our choosing that agency to book our cruise. The least they can do is send a bon voyage gift of some type to most customers.

In Grumpy's case, it's that he had to be the one to initiate all contact with the agency, and then they didn't even send him a bottle of wine! Unacceptable in my book ...

But then, my book is full of my opinions....lol

[Charliesmom]

One of the problems that this particular agency has is a revolving door for agents. The reason the agents don't get back to you is that they are gone.

However, I am extremely persistent and I press until I get to someone who will help me. If I can't get help any other way, I call the accounting department. They generally fix you up with a supervisor who CAN help you.

I also always book my cruises with my Amex platinum card because there are great benefits that go with it, including a very nice shipboard credit. (The shipboard credits more than pay for the card).

Since this agency is on HAL's list, I doubt very much Localady will get skinned. But I sympathize.

When I deal with a new agency, I always ask "Which company gets the credit card charged - you or the cruiseline?" I also ask if there is a cancellation fee. Sometimes the great deal is worth the risk of a $75.00 pp cancellation fee. The third thing I ask is "Will you chase the Amex deal?"

However, all things being near equal, I still prefer dealing with the terrific agent I have been using for the past few years because she gives me great service and I have always gotten the Amex deal, AND a booking sheet from the cruiseline showing the onboard credit.

Some agents say they don't send out your documents until right before the
cruise. This gives me the heebie-jeebies. I tell them I am leaving home a month before I actually do and need them sooner. It works!

I know you are feeling stressed over this, Localady. Just be thankful that you don't live on Grand Turk or in Cuba or Haiti and have to deal with THAT stress.

Happy sailing.

Roberta

[Jade13]

[quote name='kryos']When I make an "expensive" booking, I "dammed" sure expect something nominal from the travel agent ... a bottle of house wine, a Pinnacle dinner ... something. After all, she's earning a decent commission on my booking and can certainly afford to part with $20 bucks or so to make me feel "looked after."

Now for your typical 10 to 14-day Caribbean, in an inside cabin ... maybe there I could see no gifts. But on a longish cruise, higher price ... the TA should really part with at least something. It ain't gonna break her. Do you have any idea how cheap some of those gifts are to TA's? The bottle of wine cost them all of about $10 bucks, the Pinnacle dinner maybe twice that. She can afford it.

That's just how I feel about it.

Blue skies ...

--rita[/quote]

Rita, I was commenting on someone receiving a check back for $500.00 but still may not use that TA again, and was wondering if they were supposed to receive OBC, never receive it, and the check was to make up for it.

I'm actually surprised that no TA has ever sent me a holiday card, but for example, one I used for a Celerity cruise pre-paid the gratuities so the "bonus" was upfront, but I agree on a HAL cruise one of those $20.70 Cola cards would go a long way with me. Someone who posts here uses HAL direct and says they get something, but I never have. It must come out of the PCC's pocket.

[Jade13]

[quote name='Charliesmom']One of the problems that this particular agency has is a revolving door for agents. The reason the agents don't get back to you is that they are gone.

However, I am extremely persistent and I press until I get to someone who will help me. If I can't get help any other way, I call the accounting department. They generally fix you up with a supervisor who CAN help you.

I also always book my cruises with my Amex platinum card because there are great benefits that go with it, including a very nice shipboard credit. (The shipboard credits more than pay for the card).

Since this agency is on HAL's list, I doubt very much Localady will get skinned. But I sympathize.

When I deal with a new agency, I always ask "Which company gets the credit card charged - you or the cruiseline?" I also ask if there is a cancellation fee. Sometimes the great deal is worth the risk of a $75.00 pp cancellation fee. The third thing I ask is "Will you chase the Amex deal?"

However, all things being near equal, I still prefer dealing with the terrific agent I have been using for the past few years because she gives me great service and I have always gotten the Amex deal, AND a booking sheet from the cruiseline showing the onboard credit.

Some agents say they don't send out your documents until right before the
cruise. This gives me the heebie-jeebies. I tell them I am leaving home a month before I actually do and need them sooner. It works!

I know you are feeling stressed over this, Localady. Just be thankful that you don't live on Grand Turk or in Cuba or Haiti and have to deal with THAT stress.

Happy sailing.

Roberta[/quote]

Roberta, I don't think we are all talking about the same agency because the one I was talking about is part of "Ensemble" group and are clear that Amex benefits can not be combined. Or maybe they can't combine the OBC. For example last year I received the $300.00 OBC from this group but I didn't use Am Ex. so perhaps if i had the Am Ex platinum they just would have not paid $600.00? This years deal was a free excursion in Turkey which was first class.

[Jimbo59]

[quote name='KAKcruiser']This is one of the disadvantages of not being able to name travel agencies on this board. It would be good to warn people about this agency but you can't.[/quote]

The reason this board doesn't permit naming of travel agencies is that Cruise Critic is owned by Expedia (also a travel agency) and they don't want to promote the competition.

In this case, the Board moderators should make an exception. No agency should deposit your credit card payment in their account - only in the cruise line account.

[Jade13]

[quote name='Charliesmom']

However, all things being near equal, I still prefer dealing with the terrific agent I have been using for the past few years because she gives me great service and I have always gotten the Amex deal, AND a booking sheet from the cruiseline showing the onboard credit.



Roberta[/quote]

This online TA did send me the booking sheet from HAL showing onboard credit, which was mainly from shareholders stock.

[pms4104]

[quote name='localady']
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=blue]And yes I think the fact they hold on to your money for 30-40 days after you have paid them is outrageous.......:mad: [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/quote]
My concern about any agency, large or not, that holds my money at all, be in 3 days or 30 days, is that they are using my money to pay someone else's cruise payment. It gives the impression that the agency behaving in such a manner is in a cash-flow situation ... and sooner or later they won't make enough new bookings/take in enough new money to make payments for passengers whose money was used by the agency to pay down another client's bill. Money in/money out ... and if they've spent your money on someone else's booking, you could be SOL when it comes time for them to pay yours if they don't get new monies for other new bookings to apply to your account. Happened to an acquaintance of mine and, when the agency went belly up, she had to retain a lawyer to fight for the return of her $$$$$$$$$.

This is just one exceptionally good reason for payments to be processed on behalf of the cruiseline and not the travel agency.

[Jade13]

[quote name='camp637']My concern about any agency, large or not, that holds my money at all, be in 3 days or 30 days, is that they are using my money to pay someone else's cruise payment. It gives the impression that the agency behaving in such a manner is in a cash-flow situation ... and sooner or later they won't make enough new bookings/take in enough new money to make payments for passengers whose money was used by the agency to pay down another client's bill. Money in/money out ... and if they've spent your money on someone else's booking, you could be SOL when it comes time for them to pay yours if they don't get new monies for other new bookings to apply to your account. Happened to an acquaintance of mine and, when the agency went belly up, she had to retain a lawyer to fight for the return of her $$$$$$$$$.

This is just one exceptionally good reason for payments to be processed on behalf of the cruiseline and not the travel agency.[/quote]

You are making me nervous. I booked through this TA about a year ago for a small ship Antarctic cruise in 2009. The deposit went directly to the company that is booking the ship (it's a leased ship so you always had to go through a third party) but I had called a few months ago when I found out my HAL final did not go directly to HAL. This other cruise in Antarctica is a real fortune. I thought perhaps the reason they do this is to get you the discount? Perhaps if enough people complain they will re-evaluate there policy. What I can't understand is why this company would want to take the responsibility to take your money vs paying it directly to the cruiseline/booking agent, etc?

Perhaps they are discounting in a manner they are not supposed to be doing or just get their commission immediately this way? I just realized this was why I had a problem with a fuel surcharge refund and why I found out much later the cruise line sent it directly back to the TA.

Maybe a TA on these boards can shed some light?

[Krazy Kruizers]

[B][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=4]Sher -- prayers for you that soon everything will work out.[/SIZE][/FONT][/B]

[chrismch]

We too use an online TA however they are physically located within a 20 minute drive of my home. The only time I have used another online TA that one was located near my sister-in-laws home.

I will not use an out of area online TA just for the potential of situations like this. If this happened with my TA I would be sitting in their office in person and not leaving until the situation is resolved. And the idea that they are getting a 30 day float of your money is outrageous. If that is even in just a minimum interest bearing account by the time it is added to the other customer funds, they are greatly increasing their revenue streams without doing any additional work!

[mamaofami]

[quote name='chrismch'] And the idea that they are getting a 30 day float of your money is outrageous. If that is even in just a minimum interest bearing account by the time it is added to the other customer funds, they are greatly increasing their revenue streams without doing any additional work![/quote]


[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3]And this is exactly why they do it.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[aussiedisneyfan]

I have read with interest all the comments about the charges being made directly by HAL rather than the TAs. All our our Australian cruises but one have been booked through TAs and every single time the credit card charges have been made by them and not the cruiseline, so this was new to me.

I have just been and checked our credit card statement and our deposit was indeed charged by HAL and not the TA. So I am relieved.

Hope that everything gets sorted out for you.

[Jade13]

[quote name='aussiedisneyfan']I have read with interest all the comments about the charges being made directly by HAL rather than the TAs. All our our Australian cruises but one have been booked through TAs and every single time the credit card charges have been made by them and not the cruiseline, so this was new to me.

I have just been and checked our credit card statement and our deposit was indeed charged by HAL and not the TA. So I am relieved.

Hope that everything gets sorted out for you.[/quote]

Yes, but what this Agency in question is doing (as well as others including one I know that is European -or a European leased ship by Swan Hellinic (sp?) is have the deposit go through the cruiseline but final payment through the TA.

[Admin]

[quote name='Jimbo59']The reason this board doesn't permit naming of travel agencies is that Cruise Critic is owned by Expedia (also a travel agency) and they don't want to promote the competition.[/quote] FYI...this is not the truth and it shouldn't be posted as if it is. [quote]In this case, the Board moderators should make an exception. No agency should deposit your credit card payment in their account - only in the cruise line account.[/quote] Unfortunately, if we let members post about the bad experiences they've had with a travel agent then we'd have to let members post about how great some other travel agent is. We don't allow those discussions at all. Members can lose their posting priveledges for posting about travel agents.

[localady]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=blue]Just an update:[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=blue]Today I was attempting to cancel my other 2 cruises with the agency and they offered to put the payments directly thru to HAL if I didn't cancel. I told them that I would leave the bookings for now as they have noted that the cruises were to be paid directly to HAL. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=blue][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=blue]So for those with a similar situation, I'd recommend you call and request the same, that the payment be made directly to HAL.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[LAFFNVEGAS]

[quote name='localady'][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=blue]Just an update:[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=blue]Today I was attempting to cancel my other 2 cruises with the agency and they offered to put the payments directly thru to HAL if I didn't cancel. I told them that I would leave the bookings for now as they have noted that the cruises were to be paid directly to HAL. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=blue]So for those with a similar situation, I'd recommend you call and request the same, that the payment be made directly to HAL.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/quote]
[SIZE=4]Sher, the big question though is...Has HAL received payment in FULL yet?[/SIZE]