Final words
I posted on the forum hoping for pearls of wisdom instead I came under attack by people who said they had been in a similar situations several times before with Azamara and still they continue to book with them knowing that there was a high possibility Azamara would do the same again. Some posting were even declaring that it had happen to them several times if it was some kind of badge of honour. As my dear mother would have said, they have more money than sense.
Others parroted supply and demand and T&C’s without them actually having read them which I had before I posted on this forum
Clause 1.8 Will the price change?
We reserve the right to increase or decrease the prices of unsold holidays at anytime. The price of your chosen holiday will be confirmed in accordance with section1.2.
Hardly a supply & demand issue when there are only a dozen cabins left and over 14 months to go before the cruise.
Also in this clause they say they can increase or decrease the holiday cost if the increases exceed 2% and if they are over 8% there is the option to accept, change or refund. Some who posted haven’t read their T&C’s
For decreases there is no limitation.
I could challenge them in a court that the 20% decrease is because of a decrease in their costs, however since I’m not privy to the cost make-up of the original holiday they could cobble together any figures they want to disprove it. Equally it is not a legal requirement that they make a profit on this specific cruise but they would have to demonstrate in a legal action that the discount now being offered is not as a result of a reduction of their cost and they probably wouldn’t fancy that close examination.
Clause 1.10 Can I make changes to my booking after it has been confirmed?
A very long cause but in essence it says I can change ship or sail date for £75 per guest. I can change cabin or names for £35 however both would attract a cancellation charge.
T&C’s are a last resort and in business, you try and reach a solution that is amicable to both parties so that you retain business and goodwill on both sides. For Azamara T&C’s are a first resort.
I put the full T&C’s and exchanges for formal legal advice.
The advice I received is that Azamara are stuffing me by adopting sharp practice. I could proceed with a legal action however there is a 50/50 chance that I would lose/win and also I could possibly suffer more cost than I stand to gain. Also Azamara may not fancy the bad publicity and concede before a court case.
Unfortunately, I don’t have more money than sense and I have done what the only sensible posting from Royallondon said and rebooked. Azamara places no value on existing customers and this will be my one and only cruise with Azamara.