MoniMommy

On 4/21/2020 at 12:22 PM, MoniMommy said:

I decided to call one more time before initiating the CC dispute. I was told last week that teh funds has been posted on 4/11. Today I was told that the funds were posted on 4/11 and released to the bank on 4/19. So I learned that posting and releasing are not the same. She also told me that the funds would come back as 2 payments and she told me the amount of each payment. So I am hopeful that I really will get my money.  This is not from a canceled cruised. I put down a deposit on a Sep cruise and I have decided to cancel. IFF cruises are happening in September, I am sure there will be plenty of cabins and I can jump on board and pay a few weeks before sailing. At this point I am not willing to have Royal hold my money. When cruises do resume I will book something close to sailing. 

Update: So, I did receive the refund of my $750 deposit today. Looks like lots of people got their refunds today. Glad I didn't need to do a dispute. Ordinarily, I wouldn't be anxious about a refund but in the case I was afraid they would go bankrupt and I would not get it.  Glad this is over. 

26 minutes ago, njkruzer said:

Boarded 3/14, got off 3/14.  Requested refund instead of FCC on 3/26 via link in email.   Cc shows it being refunded 4/20.  Might be a unique situation as I've heard longer timeframes. 

This is probably a question for another thread, but why did they let everyone board to begin with?

3 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

While I think that it sucks they are not changing the terms.  This is in the terms and conditions of the Next cruise booking. 

 

http://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/NextCruise/17057524_NextCruise_ShipTour_Flyer_Final.pdf

 

If additional payments have been made on the NDN reduced deposit booking fulfilling the standard minimum required deposit and the booking is cancelled prior to the final payment due date, an FCC will be issued for the minimum deposit less the $100 per person service fee in countries where FCCs are offered.

I think @derfp is saying that what was signed on the ship does not contain these terms. I would think that what derfp signed overrides the policy on the website unless what derfp signed said refer to website x for full terms and conditions.

3 hours ago, derfp said:

I experienced a similar situation this morning with a call to C&A.  Originally booked next cruise in April 2019 for an Indy cruise in nov 2020.  Paid the $200 deposit and signed the agreement acknowledging the non refundable  deposit and subject to $100 pp penalty if cruise cancelled/changed.  In October I paid an additional $900 toward my final COD.  On March 23, last month, I cancelled the cruise and asked for full refund of $900, knowing my deposit would be forfeited.  During the call I was told I would only receive $600 as deposit in normally $500.00 and therefore I would forfeit the full deposit.  I pointed out that the agreement I signed did not reference “normal $500 deposit”.. after much discussion and asking to speak with supervisor they agreed to reimburse me the $900.  After 30 days, no refund, hence my call today.  First they told me refund was processed on April 10.  I stated I had not received refund, I checked with bank (cap 1) this morning.  Then they told me funds were released on April 19... for 2 different amounts, totaling $600.  Similar delay tactic I’ve here on boards.  I pointed out that once bank receives funds it does not take more than a day to show up as “ pending” credit.  They again referenced the $500.00 original amount for deposit.  Needless to say we had another discussion that escalated with supervisor intervention...again I felt the delay, deflect approach.  I immediately contacted CAP 1 and initiated a dispute claim.  The bank rep noted that that have been processing a lot of similar claims.  The whole process may take up to 90 days but I will not accept RCCL ignoring the realities of their own policies and their attempt to keep my money.    After 18 cruises with RCCL there will be no more.

thanks for letting me vent.

I'm glad you shared this experience. So many defend Royal and cruise lines by saying you should have read the terms. In this case they are changing the terms. The terms said that the $200 was non needfor. They want to change it now and claim its $500. Do you still have a copy if what you originally signed?

3 minutes ago, bonanza41 said:

So this morning I awoke to emails from Chase.  They want more information for a couple of the charge backs and have not credited that account until they receive the info. That is on my Sapphire Reserve.  My Chase United card was credited completely with no questions. Hmmmmm.  

 

 

As to your question, have the dates of your charges and the amounts ready when you call.  Also have your sailing dates available. We were on hold for only a few minutes so it should go quickly. Good luck.

 

What info are they asking for in the email?

8 minutes ago, Wilda said:

I talked to Celebrity yesterday. My cruise was scheduled for May 2.  I was told by the rep that it would be processed by May 11.  

 

Here's the kicker- she told me that every single refund was being processed manually because they do not have a program that will back out the penalty fees that are automatically assessed when you cancel a cruise.  What a bunch of malarkey.  I plan on formally disputing it with AmEx  on April 24, which is one month after they cancelled my cruise.

 

This is a billion dollar company that can't write software that will back out the penalty charges when generating a refund??? Bull!

 

Cathy

I am waiting for a refund of a deposit from Royal that us refundanle and no where near the penalty phase. So no reason it has to be manual. They are just slow tracking it.

1 hour ago, rolloman said:

Just curious if you actually received the money? I was told the same line on Monday when I called...posted on the 6th, sent to my bank on the 19th....yet my account shows nothing returned. Seems to be more games being played....how low can they go?

Have not received money. Just checked my credit card. I will give it until the end of the week. Then , I will dispute.

I decided to call one more time before initiating the CC dispute. I was told last week that teh funds has been posted on 4/11. Today I was told that the funds were posted on 4/11 and released to the bank on 4/19. So I learned that posting and releasing are not the same. She also told me that the funds would come back as 2 payments and she told me the amount of each payment. So I am hopeful that I really will get my money.  This is not from a canceled cruised. I put down a deposit on a Sep cruise and I have decided to cancel. IFF cruises are happening in September, I am sure there will be plenty of cabins and I can jump on board and pay a few weeks before sailing. At this point I am not willing to have Royal hold my money. When cruises do resume I will book something close to sailing. 

37 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Took cruise, and got an FCC

Yes, she took the cruise and also received FCC because of several complaints. Despite this, she still filed a CC dispute.

7 minutes ago, justKirbo said:

 

It was one bucket for us. We had a total of $1000 in deposit for four people in two rooms and when it was credited to our card, it came through as four credits of $250 each, one for each passenger. 

How long did it take to get your refund?

6 minutes ago, steveru621 said:

 

Isn't that fraud?

Thats a good point. She was likely banned for trying to commit fraud rather than for filing a dispute. 

3 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

It's not a simple reversal - the money goes into several buckets at RCI when a booking is paid and has to be pulled from those (hence not a single credit) - I assume all that is done manually. Given the increased volume, folks working from home (not as efficient and start up issues) I can see how the initial set of refunds is taking a while. I expect the process to improve over time.

 

Or, some think RCI is doing this deliberately and keeping the money because they feel like it.

I am waiting for the return of a deposit. Thats probably just one bucket.  Still haven't seen a refund.

5 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Some have reported that RCI may ban folks who have disputed credit card charges.

I read one story on Elliott.org but this was a person who took a cruise, complained, received a FCC for her troubles, and still filed a credit card dispute which she lost. She was then banned. I don't know if banning customers for credit card disputes is a regular practice. I hope not, but if I am that will be a sign that we shouldn't cruise again even though it means forfeiting the $900 FCC that we have.

2 minutes ago, badvector said:

This. Exactly!

 

Going through the same issue for my Port fees, Internet plan and taxes from a March 30 sailing that I cancelled the afternoon of March 13. Royal cancelled the cruise 7 hours later so I only get 100% cruise credit. Yeah, whatever. Called two days ago (4/16) to see where my money was. CSR said it was refunded on 4/7. I said my account isn't showing any credits. She said they refunded it in 3 different amounts and I needed to check with my bank. I told her again that I'm looking at my account online and it would have the most recent info.  She told me again, they refunded the money and I needed to check withe the bank to see what was going on.  Called the bank and they have nothing pending. They recommended I open a dispute. Started the dispute process the same day (4/16). We'll see what that does.  Somebody isn't being honest through this process and it appears to be Royal.

 

Thank you for sharing your experience. I will call royal more time and make a  note of the name of the agent and time. I will then file a credit card dispute. If Royal bans me from crusing with them, so be it. 

20 minutes ago, rolloman said:

Two things...you may have misunderstood the agent you talked with or the agent misspoke?  What they seem to be stating... the money is in their bank, the request for refund has been processed but they have not released the funds to your/my/our bank accounts. 

No, that's not what she meant because she told me to call my bank.

Just now, karena1 said:

Wrong,  I am on no conference calls or anything like that.  I just know they have thousands of people looking for refunds so it is going to take time.  So please stop attacking me.  I mostly book for family and friends, I am a tiny fish in a huge pond. I have 18 personal cruises booked, and have some refunds for extras coming and from one cruise coming.  So I am waiting like everyone else.  I just choose not to bash Royal over it and be patient that I will eventually get my refunds.  I was told by Royal when I called that at a minimum it would be 30 Business days to get a refund. 

 

I get your position. What is your explanation as to why I was told they posted the refund to the bank on April 11 and to check with my bank as to why I have not gotten refund. The bank says they posts refunds in 24 hours and that gas been my experience with other refunds.

1 minute ago, karena1 said:

It takes time.  Minimum 30 business days from when your refund was requested.  My clients have not received theirs yet either.  It will happen, just have to be patient.  

But my problem. In my case Royal isn't saying be patient.  They are claiming that they already issued my refund and that the bank hasn't released it. So they are just lying.

29 minutes ago, steveru621 said:

 

 

Banks holding on to credits are a myth perpetuated by merchants.  Every posting is electronic and not reviewed by a bank employee.  I can't imagine how many employees a bank would need to review every credit submitted electronically. A submitted credit should post within one business day.

 

So it kind of seems like they have no intention of giving the refund. I was told they posted it to the bank on April 11th and that I need to contact the bank. Does this mean that they have no intention of giving refunds but rather just intend to string customers along until they file for bankruptcy protection?

I am going to give it another week and then do a credit card dispute. If Royal were saying they will issue a refund in X  days, I would wait since a credit card dispute takes 90 days. But royal is telling me that they issued the refund to Capital One (she even told me the last 4 digits of card number) and that the bank is holding it. If that is true, which I doubt, I don't see any alternatives. According to Royal its not a matter of waiting for it to be refunded. Their position is that it has been refunded. So I need Capital One to investigate where it went.

If cruising becomes safer again, and Royal is still in business, I would like to use my $900 FCC. I know that cruise lines sometimes ban those who so credit card disputes. But I'll have to take that chance. I also feel if they go bankrupt, it's a good idea to dispute sooner rather than later.

8 hours ago, LINDAE3213 said:

as an update to my post yesterday.    

1) got generic email back from executive order saying sorry -- we are busy but refund is coming.  asked more questions for details and info in writing but got nothing back.

 

2) called 800 # service this morning and asked agent to tell me what he sees on each reservation - he explained that April 6th date on my cxld Freedom cruise is just the date my refund was given to Accounting Dept as approved to be refunded...... this has nothing to do with processing my credit back to my credit card.  And my Empress deposit refund ( cxld 3/24)  was showing April 13th as approved to be refunded to Accounting dept

 

3) called Capital One and asked a lot of questions -- he explained that refunds are posted within 24 hours so there is no way Royal processed anything to them on April 6th as it would have shown within a day.  ( see pt 2 above - the refund was not processed yet to the credit card company just processed internally within Royal )  Then I spoke with disputes and they explained it is not worth doing as it takes them 90 days to seek resolution back from Royal before they finalize things -- yes they would credit me immediately but it creates more chaos as already discussed on this board.

 

4) I asked my TA to get me something in writing with my reservation #'s, amounts and dates of return for my 4 reservation #'s  - 2 Freedom March 2020 and 2 Empress May 2021 and she said they won't put anything in writing but they assured her they would return my Empress deposit in another week or so and my Freedom money by May.

 

I think they would have been better off telling everyone 90 days and surprising us with 60 days on the refunds.

It is better to over deliver then over promise.

 

For now the entire way they are handling it has disgusted me.   After 23 cruises, my time with RCCL is over.

 

 I just emailed my TA again to please cancel my Oasis refundable deposit for Oct 2020.  It is only $400 for 3 cabins and it will probably take til July to get that money back but mentally I am done. 

 

 I just can't do business with a company that treats me poorly.  I need honest communication even if it is bad news.. not sorry we can tell you stuff on the phone but we won't put it in writing. .....to me that is shady.

 

Ironically enough -- my plumber over charged me last week -- I emailed them on Sat - they checked the bill, confirmed the overpayment (sales tax calculation error )  and said they would process a refund -- it came yesterday.. 3 business days

 

 

I called today. I am waiting on my refund for the deposit on a September cruise that I canceled. She said it was posted on April 11 and it's up to the bank to credit my account. That set didn't sound right but I wanted to believe her. I paid with a Capital One Credit Card. So based on this post she is obviously lying.  They are using my money as an interest free loan. If they wanted to pay me intrest, I would gladly let them keep it. 

9 hours ago, jennmaybe said:

 

Not the impression I got it all. It sounds like his card has been paid in full, so he is not accruing any interest on it. He even included the response he got from the credit card company.

Could you link to that thread?

17 minutes ago, Jobeth66 said:

Land-based resorts pay taxes to support the local infrastructure, as do land-based guests.  A ship sailing from Baltimore to St. Martin has a passenger that gets sick off the coast of Florida, and the passenger is evacuated to Florida.  Florida has gotten no taxes or other benefit either from the cruise line or the passenger.  There is no support going into the infrastructure, only money flowing out.

That's true. I know cruise passengers pay tax but I think that's for port fees. At hotels there is often both a state tax and a city/county tax. 

On 4/2/2020 at 12:45 AM, pokerpro5 said:

 

Let's do a simple supply-and-demand exercise for a moment.

 

When cruising starts again, do you think there will be more or less demand for it, as compared to the same time in 2019?

 

There will be much, much, much, MUCH less demand.  Nearly everyone I know has stated they have no desire to get on a cruise ship for at least a few years, and perhaps they never will again.  There's even two cruise ships still stuck in the water and unable to find a port to accept them!  This is an absolute nightmare scenario for the industry.

 

With the demand MUCH less than before, and the supply of cruises the same, do you think they can get away with charging the same prices as before?

 

Obviously not.  The only way they will entice the public to  give cruising a chance again would be to give some spectacular deals, where people are willing to take a shot.

 

If you are paying the same thing for the next cruise compared to the one you had cancelled, you are getting an absolutely horrendous deal.

 

Oh, and if NCL can't run for a few more months and goes under, guess what happens to your FCC?  Poof, gone!

 

So yes, it's your money, and you can do what you want with it.  But if you think booking today for these inflated prices is the right play, rather than getting a refund, I don't know what to tell you.

Also in terms if demand, with many unemployed demand will be less. There is also the posibility of a recession. Even employed people will be more conservative with discretionary spending.

On 3/30/2020 at 3:26 PM, mnsweeps said:

Along with credit card chargebacks, I have also officially filed a complaint against NCL on http://myfloridalegal.com/contact.nsf/contact?Open&Section=Citizen_Services . Per NCL cancellation policy, I was supposed to get refund between 7 to 14 days but at this point going back and forth they asking me for at least 90 days. This is nothing but short of delaying tactics. If you delay your payment by one day after due date you know what NCL does, right?

 

I would suggest anyone who feels betrayed by NCL to file the complaint using the link. I heard FL AG office is anyway investigating NCL for fraudulent C19 claims.

What is C19?

26 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

There was no guarantee before this pandemic nor will their be after, that you are evacuated to a US hospital regardless of your insurance.  You are evacuated to the nearest hospital that Roysl seems acceptable and then it is then up to your  insurance company to get you to a US hospital.

 

If you get sick enough to be evacuated and you are close to Cozumel you are going to a hospital in Cozumel for treatment until your insurance company makes arrangements to move you.  Insert other countries in place of Cozumel as the case may be. 

Yes, makes sense. In many emergencies you need to go to the closest appropriate facility and then once stabilized insurance can help you get a medical evacuation back home.