Has Oceania Financial Problems or.......

[Paul123]

Yes has Oceania financial problems or do they always take for ever to pay back the deposit from a cancelled cruise.

 

Over three weeks ago I asked my TA to cancel two b2b cruises I had booked for next year with Oceania. Since then I have been regularly monitoring my debit card account to ascertain if the $3000 involved had been returned to me.

 

Last Monday, after chasing-up my TA, I was informed that Oceania said that my cruise bookings were indeed cancelled and the refund of the deposit was being processed! On Wednesday last I asked my TA to again ask Oceania the status of my refund as it still hadn't been credited to my account. After talking to them she advised me that I should give it another 48 hours.

 

As of today Saturday, over three weeks since asking my TA to cancel my cruises with Oceania, I am concerned that maybe Oceania have some kind of cash flow problems within their group. Can anyone advise me what their experience has been in obtaining refunds of booking deposits from Oceania.

 

Incidentally, when in the past I have had to cancel a cruise from other lines I have had the refunded deposit back in my account usually within 2 days or cancellation.

 

I certainly don't want to set of alarm bells about Oceania's financial position but this does seem to me to be an unacceptable situation to find myself in.

[Druke I]

We had to cancel Aus/NZ last year - deposit was credited to our credit card account within a week.

[PA Nana]

We had to cancel w/Oceania and it was credited to our card within 3 days.

[Paul123]

Thank you both for your responses. It does therefore now worry me that the situation has changed between then to now in the amount of time being taken to refund my deposit.

[cruiseyguy]

Paul-I'm sure you'll get your money eventually and I "think" O is financially OK. But it is possible they may be squeezing out extra interest revenue by holding onto deposits scheduled for refund a little longer. Not a nice thing to do but hard also hard to prove they are doing it.

[Paul123]

Paul-I'm sure you'll get your money eventually and I "think" O is financially OK. But it is possible they may be squeezing out extra interest revenue by holding onto deposits scheduled for refund a little longer. Not a nice thing to do but hard also hard to prove they are doing it.

 

I hope you are right and they are not going belly-up. If they would just say it will take 'x' amount of time that would be fine but to just say it is being processed and then nothing appears in my account does cause me real concern. This is especially relevant when you think what happened to the old company that proceeded Oceania and from where they bought their three ships!! De ja vu...I hope not.

[LHT28]

Yes has Oceania financial problems or do they always take for ever to pay back the deposit from a cancelled cruise.

 

Over three weeks ago I asked my TA to cancel two b2b cruises I had booked for next year with Oceania. Since then I have been regularly monitoring my debit card account to ascertain if the $3000 involved had been returned to me.

 

Is yours an online TA in Central Florida?

Was the charge made to OCEANIA or the TA?

 

Is it a debit card or credit card?

 

Debit cards I am not sure ...here in Canada they do not credit our debit cards but stores will give us cash back for refunds.

It may take a cycle or 2 for the credit card company to show the refund.

 

We have always had a refund to our CC with 2 weeks but usually shorter.

 

I would give them a few more days.

 

Lyn

[Paul123]

Is yours an online TA in Central Florida?

Was the charge made to OCEANIA or the TA?

 

No mine is rated A+ on the local BBB board and the deposit went straight to Oceania plus the foreign currency transaction thing at 3%. I'd highly recommend them if I was able on here. I cruise at least four times a year so am very regular and savvy regarding the industry, its practices and problems.

 

Is it a debit card or credit card?

 

Debit cards I am not sure ...here in Canada they do not credit our debit cards but stores will give us cash back for refunds.

It may take a cycle or 2 for the credit card company to show the refund.

 

My Visa debit card is used exclusively for all my USA or $ transactions and always has cancelled refunds back into my account within a few days of a cancellation. No I can assure you that's not the problem.

 

We have always had a refund to our CC with 2 weeks but usually shorter.

 

I wish I was being treated the same.

 

I would give them a few more days.

 

It would appear I have no option but to give them a few more days!!

All I'm doing is giving a heads-up about my personal situation and hoping that this is a temporary one off and not something more serious

[LHT28]

Since then I have been regularly monitoring my debit card account to ascertain if the $3000 involved had been returned to me.

 

As I said I do not know how the USA refunds with debit card but when I had a refund coming from an airline ...it did not show up on my CC for weeks after I cancelled.

 

I would call VISA and see if they have anything in the file that is not showing in your online account (if that is how you are monitoring it).

Mine did not show until I got my CC statement

[Paul123]

As I said I do not know how the USA refunds with debit card but when I had a refund coming from an airline ...it did not show up on my CC for weeks after I cancelled.

 

I would call VISA and see if they have anything in the file that is not showing in your online account (if that is how you are monitoring it).

Mine did not show until I got my CC statement

 

I just said, a refund from a cruise line shows up almost immediately as it is directly on to my BANK ACCOUNT statement on line. This is because it is tied to my debit card and as soon as there is a transaction either way, credit or debit, the amount is shown on line. I have been using my US bank issued card for many many years and this is not the first time I have ever cancelled a cruise so I do know how it all works!!

 

Further my TA has been told that the money was being processed and not yet paid when she last spoke to them on Wednesday so the issue is Oceania not my bank card or statement.

 

I know none of us want to think of anything negative about Oceania but this situation has caused me some concern now.

[LAexNY]

I certainly don't want to set of alarm bells about Oceania's financial position but this does seem to me to be an unacceptable situation to find myself in.

 

If you don't want to set off alarm bells, why are you posting this?

 

Have you looked at your account with Oceania online to see if the cruises are still showing up as booked?

[meow!]

... has Oceania financial problems ...

We have no information and are just guessing from what we have read. For now, it is not likely that Oceania has any problem, their ships still have higher occupancy rates than most others. However, down the road, with two large ships more than doubling their capacity, who knows. Their owner, Apollo, is not likely to be dragged down by their cruise lines alone, but being businessmen, when profits and losses dictate, it is plausible that they may then want to "divest".

 

As we are rationally objective, the reason that we continue to mention this "large newbuilds" potential problem is becuase the percentage increase in capacity for Oceania is higher than many other cruise lines. For example, Silversea now has 2x295 + 2x382 = 1,354 berths (other than the tiny expedition ship). Their one newbuild, at 540, increases capacity by 40%. Oceania now has 3x680 = 2,040 berths, while their two newbuilds will add 2x1,258 = 2,516 berths, a more than 120% increase. Do you know of another cruise line which is going to have such a magnitude of increase in the next couple of years?

 

I am not saying that Oceania will not be able to fill those new berths. As I have just said they have a relatively high occupancy now. However, the larger the percentage increase, the more challenging it will be to fill all that increase. Only time will tell. Hope for the best.

[CintiPam]

Yes has Oceania financial problems or do they always take for ever to pay back the deposit from a cancelled cruise.

 

Over three weeks ago I asked my TA to cancel two b2b cruises I had booked for next year with Oceania. Since then I have been regularly monitoring my debit card account to ascertain if the $3000 involved had been returned to me....

 

As of today Saturday, over three weeks since asking my TA to cancel my cruises with Oceania, I am concerned that maybe Oceania have some kind of cash flow problems within their group. Can anyone advise me what their experience has been in obtaining refunds of booking deposits from Oceania.

 

I certainly don't want to set of alarm bells about Oceania's financial position but this does seem to me to be an unacceptable situation to find myself in.

 

Perhaps the TA did not immediately follow up on this because your cruise was not scheduled until next year, so perhaps it is not Oceania dawdling for "over three weeks"?

 

Perhaps not, and Oceania indeed is being slow with your refund.

 

I truly do not consider myself an Oceania apologist, just a person who has enjoyed my two cruises with Oceania, but in my opinion, and only in my opinion, naming your thread like you did and continuing posting so vociferously today is a bit extreme to get Oceania's attention.

 

But I assume that your thread, which indeed raises alarm bells, will get what you need: Oceania's attention, and your refund will appear soon.

 

Good luck and happy cruising!

[Liv4cruzin]

Let me first say I have never had to cancel an O. cruise. But my experience w/ purchasing w/ a debit card, quite often a refund comes in the form of "cash back". In other words, they didn't simply reverse the charge from my checking account. With that said, is it possible that O. has issued a refund in the form of a check to the TA? Then the TA would have to process a refund check to you? Just a thought.

[sammiekay]

My experience has been with Oceania, they wait till Friday to send in the cancel trips for refunds on the Credit Cards, then it's up to the CC to issue your credit.......This is want my TA has told me in the past.....sk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

c

[LHT28]

With that said, is it possible that O. has issued a refund in the form of a check to the TA? Then the TA would have to process a refund check to you? Just a thought.

 

I was thinking the same thing.

 

maybe Oceania does things different from other cruise lines

[LHT28]

Incidentally, when in the past I have had to cancel a cruise from other lines I have had the refunded deposit back in my account usually within 2 days or cancellation.

 

I certainly don't want to set of alarm bells about Oceania's financial position but this does seem to me to be an unacceptable situation to find myself in.

It is a giant leap from not getting your refund in 2 days to the cruise line going belly-up.

 

Lyn

[GrammieK]

I believe that the OP said it was over three weeks he had been waiting, not 2 days.

[Jancruz]

Simply ask your TA to have Oceania expedite the charge..when they call on Monday

Jancruz1

[hezzy]

We cancelled a November cruise about 2 weeks ago and it was credited back to our Amer. Express within 3 days.

[Paul123]

We cancelled a November cruise about 2 weeks ago and it was credited back to our Amer. Express within 3 days.

I'm pleased this all worked out for you.

 

My TA advised me the following a few hours ago:

 

"For the Oceania cruises - your 1st segment refund went back to your card ending xxxx on July 23rd.

Your 2nd segment will be returned tomorrow. This is current as of a few moments ago after speaking to a rep at Oceania".

 

Unfortunately for me no refund from Oceania has been received as of a few minutes ago. It certainly was not credited to my card on 23rd as I've been advised.

 

Obviously I have again asked my TA to investigate further. I will be interesting to see what happens with the second $1500 owed from this b2b booking as I'm advised it will be credited back to my card tomorrow!!

[fjdelrio]

PAUL123:

 

Please contact me at your convenience (305 514 2301) so you can provide me with the particulars and I will find out why it has taken so long to process your refund.

 

FDR

[Paul123]

PAUL123:

 

Please contact me at your convenience (305 514 2301) so you can provide me with the particulars and I will find out why it has taken so long to process your refund.

 

FDR

 

Thank you Frank. Cavalry to the rescue! I'll phone.

 

Paul

[A Knitter]

PAUL123:

 

Please contact me at your convenience (305 514 2301) so you can provide me with the particulars and I will find out why it has taken so long to process your refund.

 

FDR

 

He is a class act!!

[Paul123]

For good order sake I can report that I have indeed talked with FDR who is now on my case. He has assured me that it is the case at Oceania that refunds are made immediately automatically and he can not fathom what could have happened in my case. I guess all will be revealed in due course. Some of the posters on this thread have confirmed that they did indeed receive refunds within a few days. I seem to be the exception.

 

As the previous poster said, FDR is 'a class act' and this will be proved to me very shortly when my bank account is $3,000 better off.

 

The general accessibility of the President of this company to pax with real concerns over their problems with his company is testimony to the reasons why this company is doing so well in a very competitive market.

 

FDR did again confirm that their booking levels are right back on target and few cabins are available on most of their ships.

 

I hope this matter is now closed.