Edithclara

1 hour ago, ozbrian said:

 

Not only initiated, but resolved within 4 days. Money went  into my CC account yesterday. We are with Westpac.

Thanks. Another person told me last night their Westpac MasterCard debit card was being progressed too. When you say resolved, is that for still a conditional refund or is it all finalised now? Good to have a few stories to tell my bank. 

4 hours ago, ozbrian said:

Given the lack of response from TA and Cunard I went online with my bank on Monday and lodged a disputed credit card transaction against the TA. They emailed me same day asking for additional information which I supplied. This is the response received today (Thursday same week).

 

An update on your disputed transaction

Dear Brian, 

Thank you for contacting us about a transaction charged to your Mastercard® account by ***TA name here**** for $xxxx.xx on 21/02/20.
We've now taken action to recover the transaction for the disputed value, conditionally closing this dispute file. A conditional refund will be credited to your card account within 3 business days, for the disputed amount of $xxxx.xx.

 

What happens next?
The merchant's bank has 45 days to provide us with information to validate the transaction. If the merchant challenges the chargeback with valid documentation/receipts we may need to continue with our investigation and reverse the conditional refund. If the merchant's bank does not attempt to validate the transaction within this timeframe, your dispute file will be closed with the dispute having been resolved in your favor.

 

So I'm pleased with that. I can't see how the merchant can challenge this given I clearly paid for services which weren't supplied. At best they can say we were going to pay us somewhere down the track.

 

Hi Brian, good to hear your bank has initiated the dispute. I submitted a dispute claim for my Mastercard. However the bank rejected my claim without I believe any consideration. I've escalated it to the bank's customer care team who are due to call me tomorrow. Which bank are you with?

Thanks

14 hours ago, Neuhoftraveler said:

If Cunard cancel the cruise, they have no legal basis for keeping your money.  If all else fails (or maybe even if it doesn't) your credit card agreement probably obligates the card issuer to reverse the charge.

 

The passage of time since you put down the deposit should not be an issue.  Any time limit stated for disputing charges is meant for the typical case of a goods purchase for immediate delivery, not for something in the distant future.  The only effect of the stated time limit is to require review and approval of your claim by a human being rather than automatic clearance by a computer program.

I spoke to Cunard yesterday (got through very quickly), 8 weeks to refund, if you booked through a TA, Cunard UK send a cheque to the TA. Then you're at the mercy of the TA...Thanks for that info re the credit charge chargeback. I'm in Australia.  

Congratulations Glamorkat.

2 minutes ago, bluemarble said:

 

Yes, indeed, the stated process for refunds of canceled voyages booked through travel agents is different in Australia. The FAQ on the Cunard Australia website reads as follows.

 

(Q) I booked with a travel agent and now my voyage has been cancelled due to Covid-19. How will I receive my refund?

 

(A) As your contract is with your travel agent, we do need to issue your refund direct to the agency to then manage. If however you have concerns, we would recommend following up with the travel agency directly to discuss this through. Alternatively, instead of a refund, you can choose to take a Future Cruise Credit to use on a future holiday with Cunard. This credit is issued by Cunard and linked directly to your individual Cunard World Club number.

Thanks. I hadn't read that. 

6 hours ago, pollywaffle said:

Still no communication from Cunard. I would have thought a cruise cancelled on 14th March would have been dealt with by now.......

Further to my previous post....I'd emailed cunard.aspac@carnivalaustralia.com

When we submitted our refund request on 31/3, Cunard said refunds may take up to 60 days.

So, maybe you'll be refunded very soon. Lucky you!

Might be worth emailing them?

Our concerns: 

1. Cunard pays the TA not the guest

2. Cunard said refunds may take up to 60 days, TA now says Cruise Lines are taking 6-9 months to refund to the TA. No advice from the TA about how long after the 6-9 months we will see our money....

4 hours ago, Crafty_Yearnings said:

After jumping up and down a bit, we received confirmation our refund is in the "queue" with the standard 60 days quoted, plus the proviso of possible further delays. We are just pleased to have received a personal email from an individual (not automated) that confirms that. Another helpful lady has confirmed our expenses refund is now in progress. I am happy (-ish) to wait now that I have heard from them directly. Never underestimate the impact of real, personalised communication.

I emailed Cunard Australia on 20/4 and received an automated reply saying "our reply time on emails are currently around 10-14 working days". To my surprise, yesterday, 30/4 (8 working days after sending the email), I was surprised to receive an email from them asking for clarification. I replied 30/4, so I perhaps I wait another 10-14 working days for the next chapter...

8 hours ago, hypercafe said:

I don't know how much this helps here because I live in NYS. My June trip has been cancelled and I asked for a refund. I also asked the trip insurance company for a refund of the money I paid for the policy. The said OK and posted it to my CC in one day. This was very good news as at my age, 72, the policy was expensive.

That's great. In other travel groups e.g. on Facebook , the majority  are not getting their travel insurance refunded. I think these are mostly in Australia.

12 minutes ago, sogne said:

this may only apply in the UK

Perhaps. No harm in asking...

58 minutes ago, beaveh said:

 

 

I'm in the uk and booked through a uk travel agent.

The agent has emailed me to say I can apply for the 125% FCC. It will be added to my cunard account, the travel agent will tell me when that happens and I can rebook through the travel agent if I wish to.

 

They have also advised the alternative is to apply for a refund with Cunard directly. Cunard will handle the refund, missing the TA out of the loop. I hope they can refund by bank credit rather than a cheque!!

All good input. Agree bank credit is more convenient than a cheque. However, the key point for me is that Cunard handles the refund directly with the guest, bypassing the TA. 

2 hours ago, pollywaffle said:

Thanks for your good wishes.  Yes, I filled in their form online, which at the time said it may take 45days to action.  Now it says 60 days.... even worse is South African Airways who are bankrupt....so whether we ever get our refunds on the unused tickets,  is another doubtful!  They said we would have to lose $845 each if we wanted to have cash not a voucher, even though they cancelled all flights! Grrr!

That's a lot of money to lose. I heard in February that South African airways were in trouble. I've read on a few websites that if you've paid with a credit card, it might be worth trying to claim it back . My CC bank has a transaction dispute form. Might be worth  a shot? 

11 hours ago, sogne said:

Thank you for your recent email and for taking the time to contact us.

We’re sorry that you have not received your refund within the timescale previously communicated. COVID-19 is having a significant impact on our operations especially now that the vast majority of our team are working remotely.

Your request has been received and our estimate is that refunds are likely to take a minimum of 60 days to process. Refunds for bookings made through travel agents will be made by cheque direct to guests.  We appreciate that this is not the news you were hoping for but do ask for your patience and understanding at this challenging time.

In the meantime, please accept this email as our acknowledgement of receipt.
 
Once again, thank you for contacting us.

 

 

 

 

Thank you for your recent email and subsequent emails.

We can confirm you will receive two cheques, one for each booking, as we process the cancellation and refund for each.

Once again, thank you for contacting us.

Kind regards,

Guest Relations

 

 

I cancelled 2 consectitive QV cruises for late April and early May and emailed  Cunard UK last week  the above  are the replies received  it seems likely they are dealing with cruises in date order. I successfully transferred another r QV cruise to QM" next year quickly and without fuss last week

Thanks for that info. We didn't know that "Refunds for bookings made through travel agents will be made by cheque direct to guests."

16 hours ago, pollywaffle said:

Cunard cancelled our QM2 Cruise 14/3/20 just hours before we went to board in Fremantle.

I received a call from Cunard Aust at 11am the day of embarkation asking me if I wanted a voucher or a refund. I said refund please, as we are in our 80’s we don’t know if we will want to travel for some time.  Since that call, we have heard nothing!

With the way Cunard have dealt with this, I doubt we would ever book with them again even if we are still fit to travel in coming years.

Hello pollywaffle. How disappointing. All packed and ready to go. Lucky you didn't have far to travel home. I read about another cruiseline that cancelled a cruise after passengers were all onbi

Oard ready to depart. What a letdown...

We almost booked on the QE Fremantle to Sydney embarking 18 February. Fortunately we didn't as I recently read that anyone who'd been through Singapore was denied boarding. We went through Singapore on 12 February, so....

Even though Cunard called you, just wondering if you still needed to complete the Cunard online refund request form.

Stay safe..

5 hours ago, deck chair said:

Hi

 

BEFORE you file a dispute in America please be sure to read up on what qualifies for a chargeback.  Easily researched on internet.  Plenty of resources.  You do not want to dispute casually.  Also, check out the Fair Credit Billing Act for more information.  I have a feeling having to  wait for a refund cannot be disputed.

 

Deck Chair

Thanks for the advice. 

1 hour ago, oskidunker said:

Dispute it on your credit card. Can be done online in the US. Not sure in Britain

Thanks for the suggestion.

5 hours ago, bazzaw said:

60 days!!!!! Don't be a Muggins and fall for that!! 

We've also been told it may take up to 60 days for a refund. How do you suggest we get the refund sooner? Thanks.

6 hours ago, npcl said:

The list I put together is only those ships around the US.  That is why it does not include the others you list.

 

By limiting it to those impacted by the CDC document I have both the number infected, as well as the total number of ships in the area when those ships were infected.  I also list the total number of documented cases in the US at the last possible time any of those cruises took place to show just how few active and documented cases existed at the time.

Thanks

17 hours ago, npcl said:

For those that think cruise lines are being unfairly singled out I did a little research and put together the following

 

20 ships out of approximately 100 in and around the US either had cases develop with passengers on board or among the crew after disembarking passengers. Note this list does not include those ships that did not leave from the US and that had to come all the way back to the US to disembark passengers (Zaandam,Coral Princess, etc)

 

All of these ships boarded either in late February or early March. On March 13 when the cruise lines suspended service the US had 2183 confirmed cases.

 

We have seen from the Coral Princess, the Grand Princess, the Diamond Princess, the Ruby Princess, as well as the ill crew that continue to come off the ships off shore just how fast and far this spreads on a ship.

 

• Celebrity Eclipse

• Grand Princess

• Norwegian Bliss

• Norwegian Breakaway

• Norwegian Pride of America

• Oceania Riviera

• Royal Caribbean: Liberty of the Seas

• Royal Caribbean: Oasis of the Seas

• Royal Caribbean: Symphony of the Seas

• Carnival Imagination

• Carnival Valor

• Carnival Vista

• Celebrity Infinity

• Celebrity Reflection

• Celebrity Summit

• Crown Princess

• Disney Wonder

• Grand Celebration

• MSC Meraviglia

• Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas 

 

This link includes additional ships such as the Artania, Greg Mortimer and covid-19 numbers, as of 2020.04.10

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_coronavirus_pandemic_on_cruise_ships

The USS Theordore Roosevelt is also in difficulty:

https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/coronavirus/sd-based-uss-theodore-roosevelt-has-550-covid-19-cases-navy-says/2304186/

4 hours ago, kentchris said:

You're in the UK as far as I can tell, Edithclara isn't (the '$$' must have been a hint) so you may be talking at cross purposes.

Haha, yes, not in UK. Just advising what our TA "offered" if you chose a Cunard refund. 

1 hour ago, Windsurfboy said:

're Edithclara post

 

 

Just looked on Cunard website they are still offering a full refund if they have cancelled.  Is it the TA that wants to only offer a credit note

No,  the TA is not only wants to offer a credit note. They also the full refund. But, it isn't clear to me how long you have to wait for that refund from the TA. Seems they will take longer to process the refund.

From what I've read elsewhere, if you book through a TA, you pay the TA, the TA pays Cunard.  For a refund, it just happens in reverse. Cunard pays the refund to the TA, then the TA pays the refund to the customer. Or in our case the TA gives you the option of a credit (without any incentive e.g. 150% of the cruise fare) or a refund, similar to what Cunard has done in offering a refund or an FCC.

First cancellation for us....lots to learn! Plenty of time to get my head around it,

3 hours ago, Trevor33 said:

Please can you confirm that in "Option B" if you have requested a cash refund that Cunard will now only offer a "Credit" - namely a Future cruise Credit available for two years and if not used ONLY THEN after two years you get a cash refund ? Your Clarification would im sure be very useful to many in this situation. 

My understanding is that Option B is for my TA's customers who are NOT opting for a future cruise credit with Cunard. That is, you have opted for a refund from Cunard.

In this case, my TA (not Cunard) will be offering a credit for 100% of the cruise including port fees and taxes which will be available for you for up to 24 months from your original cruise date. If this TA credit cannot be used within this period it will be refunded in full however may take 6 months onwards after request..... It seems to me that this TA's credit could be used for any future cruise you book with this TA, regardless of cruise line. I guess that's some consolation that in this case you aren't restricted to Cunard.

So, if you've told Cunard you want a refund, how long will it take to get a refund from the TA?

1. up to 60 days = Cunard refund period

2. 6 months = 6 months from when you request a refund from the TA (could be anytime during the 24 month TA's credit availability period)

I've emailed the TA asking why they (the TA) say a refund "may take 6 months onwards after request" when Cunard said "up to 60 days". Their automated reply said "We will endeavour to get back to you as soon as possible, however due to an overwhelming high volume of enquiries, please allow between 7 to 10 days for one of our dedicated consultants to respond."

When I emailed the TA I hadn't thought the TA might mean that I can't even request a refund from the TA until the TA's 24 months credit availability period has expired. And then it would 6 months onwards after the request. This means the earliest would be 30 months.....YIKES

The TA said "We have been informed by many of our suppliers that refund processing times have increased substantially, this has had an impact on our ability to process refunds within the next 3-6 months.

However, if Cunard say "up to 60 days (= 2 months)", it shouldn't take another 120 days (=4 months) for the TA to process the refund. 

I certainly want my $$ back within a reasonable time after they've received it from Cunard. 

I could be bashing my head against a brick wall!

Stay safe everyone.

5 hours ago, Edithclara said:

31 Mar:email from Cunard re 12 April QE cruise: complete online form for refund which will take up to 60 days or take 125% FCC

 

2 April:email from TA. 

.....Recently we have had to make some changes to our refund policy, which affects all cancellations. We have been informed by many of our suppliers that refund processing times have increased substantially, this has had an impact on our ability to process refunds within the next 3-6 months Regarding your voyage cancellation we are offering you a choice of future cruise credit as outlined below.

Option A- If you would prefer to receive the future cruise credit offered by Cunard. No further action is required as Cunard will default to this option.

Option B – For passengers not opting for a future cruise credit with Cunard. We will be offering a credit for 100% of your cruise including port fees and taxes, this will be available for you for up to 24 months from your original cruise date. We wish to reassure you that if your credit cannot be used within this period it will be refunded in full however may take 6 months onwards after request.....

 

 

I've emailed my TA asking why there's a difference if the time to process the refund. Ours is a simple one cabin booking. 

A call to our CC might be in order.

31 Mar:email from Cunard re 12 April QE cruise: complete online form for refund which will take up to 60 days or take 125% FCC

2 April:email from TA. 

.....Recently we have had to make some changes to our refund policy, which affects all cancellations. We have been informed by many of our suppliers that refund processing times have increased substantially, this has had an impact on our ability to process refunds within the next 3-6 months Regarding your voyage cancellation we are offering you a choice of future cruise credit as outlined below.

Option A- If you would prefer to receive the future cruise credit offered by Cunard. No further action is required as Cunard will default to this option.

Option B – For passengers not opting for a future cruise credit with Cunard. We will be offering a credit for 100% of your cruise including port fees and taxes, this will be available for you for up to 24 months from your original cruise date. We wish to reassure you that if your credit cannot be used within this period it will be refunded in full however may take 6 months onwards after request.....

The plot thickens....

45 days? Their website says "refunds may take up to 60 days to be processed." As long as we receive it!