Advise!! got my docs, but now they say I owe $500!!

[sheilb4]

Almost there I think.....

Seems that the original $500 was never posted. I had cancelled the cc after I paid it off shortly after that.....

#1. How was I even able to secure a cruise without a deposit...?

#2. There have been 6 different occasions that my TA has spoken to RCCL since I made the booking up to yesterday, not once did anyone inform her there was a balance of $500.

#3. How could RCCL even issue tix if there was a balance, that myself nor TA were aware of?

Bottom line is .....the $500 has to be paid before tomorrow pm.

The incentive I had to originally transfer my booking over to TA was the obc she offered me...$450...

SO, guess what I have had to forego now in order to set this cruise straight....yup...the obc....

Oh and get this.....RCCL honored the extra $50 back to my TA for her "trouble"........unbelievable!

Well, a few lessons learned for sure....gotta look at the positive...I still have my cruise, and the obc was $$ I never really had anyway I guess....

:confused: Thank you all so very very much for all your fabulous input.

[sheilb4]

I forgot one more thing.....

#4. How on earth did I get a rate reduction and $400 obc awarded to me just 2 days ago IF I still had a balance due of $500 after I had made my final payment 6 weeks ago?

anyway, all done.

Lesson learned....always book directly with cruise line, and document everything!

[SliderNc]

The best bet is to get your credit report and you can do this online at anytime and it is right in front of you. It will list all of your accounts for the last 7 years that were open, there current reported balances. You said you closed the card that you put the deposit on in the past year so it should be listed there. Also, if you had a zero balance and closed the card and they tried to issue a refund to it, they should have mailed you a check for it since your balance would have been +500 in your favor on a card that was closed.

 

Although the first digit denotes the type of card it is, there are over 200+ issuing banks in the US for credit cards, believe it or not. The first 6 digits will signify which bank issued the card, better know as the Bank Identification Number (BIN). I don't think just knowing the first digit is going to help.

 

At this point, the ball is in RCCL's court. They say you owe $500. Your TA says you owe nothing. RCCL will stop you from getting on the boat, regardless of what you TA says. So you have a choice. You can urge your TA to make it right or you can pay the $500 and sort it out post-cruise with your TA if you feel they are responsible. Until that $500 gets paid or RCCL sees an accounting error on their side, you won't be getting on the ship, regardless of how much you've already paid. Sorry to be harsh, but that's just the fax. You have to "jump in" and do some detective work to make this right I think.

 

Good luck.

[BecciBoo]

Been following....glad you have resolved it to your satisfaction or as close as possible anyways. TAs are usually good people who work hard for their money. But because of similar problems, namely not being able to discuss my booking with the RCCL agents, I too will never use a TA again. The only problems I have ever had with a booking were the two with the TAs. And really, the problems were not their fault at all, but the convenience of solving my own problems make it much easier to do it myself. I love you gals and guys who are TAs out there though. You're good people.

[Desert Cruizers]

Sheilb4, Wonderful, we are so happy for you. We have a TA and will always use her, but I do feel for all who have had bad expereinces with a TA. The important thing with anything we are buying, is documenting or having proof of payments. Now you can relax and enjoy your cruise.

[sheilb4]

Thanks for the info everyone...yup, RCCL have the upper hand and could refuse me boardingng/cancel my cruise without proof from my end.....

I have lost all my OBC from my TA, but she still earned $50 today for her "inconvenience"!!!

Just have to just "suck it up" so to speak! I am fortunate enough to be going on a cruise right....:)

Very disappointed with inefficiency of RCCL accounting dept.

Guess my TA lucked out huh.

[ladylawyer]

Thanks for the info everyone...yup, RCCL have the upper hand and could refuse me boardingng/cancel my cruise without proof from my end.....

I have lost all my OBC from my TA, but she still earned $50 today for her "inconvenience"!!!

Just have to just "suck it up" so to speak! I am fortunate enough to be going on a cruise right....:)

Very disappointed with inefficiency of RCCL accounting dept.

Guess my TA lucked out huh.

 

I have been following this with great interest. First, I'm so sorry for what you've had to go through. It was unacceptable.

 

Am I correct in understanding that the $500 was credited back to one of your credit cards, so that you never actually were out that money? If that's true, then at least that's one small good thing.

 

What I'm not understanding is the OBC thing. If you now have to pay the $500, your TA will still get her full commission (plus, apparently, the $50 "inconvenience fee"). So, then, why is she dishonoring the OBC committment? Maybe I missed the explanation. However, if the above is true, then I think it would be reasonable to expect that she gives the OBC she offered to you when you accepted by booking the cruise with her.

 

If I've missed something, I apologize.

 

BTW, my TA always forwards me the Guest Copy of the Booking Confirmation from the cruise line. That way, I know what is there and what isn't. I doubt that you'll use a TA again, given this experience, but if you do, I would insist on receiving that. Good luck!!! ~ L

 

PS: One thing I forgot to mention ... If this had to happen, at least it wasn't at the dock. I recall another thread where the OP showed up at the Port and discovered a $500 discrepancy and was told, "Pay or don't board." Now, that would be a stressful way to start a cruise ...

[micro yaya]

so the moral to this story is book with a local ta, get to know them, and let them know you, this way you have someone to go to not a phone call away.........

[pepsicruiser]

Another thing to look into is finding out this credit card company you cancelled. Surely you have checks or something to find out what cc you had. Call your checking acct bank and tell them the dates of these transactions/checks and they can send you copy of your acct. with checks/payments. IF this cc company did send you a check as your acct. was closed and it was tossed out/lost and never cashed they would have a record of it and could replace it. Don't let this go and do some research when you return.

 

Also, like someone above said why wouldn't your ta give you the obc still? Something doesn't sound right.

[kjkrmk]

As I read this, it didn't get messed up until after transfer to the TA. I have had 2 transfers to TA go bad and have mixed up crap to sort out. Since then, for a half dozen cruises or so, we have booked straight with RCI and not had an issue. For me, the headache and BS I had to go through with the TA's was not worth a few OBC$ or a VISA gift card from them. To me, booking with a TA simply adds one more layer to the program, pay TA and TA pays RCI. One more chance to screw it up.

 

Glad you got it sorted out and BTW, it looks like we will be on the same cruise with you if you are going on the Freedom 10/18. 20th Anniversary cruise for us, BD for you. Happy BD!

[torpeedo]

Very confusing but one thing to look into. If your cancelled credit card was credited with $500? I'm sure they wouldn't break their necks to let you know that either so you need to find your credit card number and Co and call them to see if you have a credit out there somewhere in computer space.. Hope so, that will make you whole!

[Beowulfpk]

Credit card companies will have all your records saved. I don't keep any paper statements, but I'm able to pull transactions from years ago online.

 

I think it would be worth your time to find out what happened to that original $500 deposit. RCCL is basically saying it was never paid or was refunded when you transferred. You should be able to get a date and amount on every transaction that was made before and after the transfer from RCCL and the TA. Then you should be able to match it with your credit card history.

 

Its possible they applied a $500 credit to your old credit card, which you may have gotten and then you just payed off the remaining balance, but if they applied a credit after you canceled your card it could be sitting out there in accounting limbo land.

[HRHPrinceJim]

BTW, my TA always forwards me the Guest Copy of the Booking Confirmation from the cruise line. That way, I know what is there and what isn't. I doubt that you'll use a TA again, given this experience, but if you do, I would insist on receiving that. Good luck!!! ~ L

 

My TA does the same thing for me! :D

[crusinmama06]

sheilb4 - something suddenly got VERY fishy for me. This NJ TA promised you $450 in OBC? And then - after a price drop, suddenly says "Royal Caribbean" says you still owe $500?

 

Something stinks here. I hate to say it and please forgive me if I am totally wrong - but let's recap...

 

You found this TA online - right, because they offered a $450 OBC (which the TA's aren't suppose to do according to RCCL)

 

You transferred

 

You paid off

 

You found a $400 price drop

 

And a day later, you OWE $500 and your OBC is now gone?????

 

Could it be possible that the TA is trying to renig on the OBC they promised because they didn't make as much as they thought they would on the cruise????? And they created this RCCL story?

 

You said it yourself....you have the tickets. RCCL sent them to you. You should have been paid in full.

 

RCCL doesn't pay $450 in OBC, the TA was. So the TA is sending a check for $450 to RCCL to pay off your cruise for you?????

 

Seems VERY fishy, sorry :(

[sheilb4]

Ladylawyer -What I'm not understanding is the OBC thing. If you now have to pay the $500, your TA will still get her full commission (plus, apparently, the $50 "inconvenience fee"). So, then, why is she dishonoring the OBC committment? Maybe I missed the explanation. However, if the above is true, then I think it would be reasonable to expect that she gives the OBC she offered to you when you accepted by booking the cruise with her.

As I didn't want to use another cc for the extra (new)$500 payment,(that I am still unconvinced is due) the TA said she would pay RCCL with the $450 OBC that she was going to give me for the cruise...(and the only reason I transferred from RCCL to her was for the OBC!!!)

BTW I am still waiting for proof of this payment ..I asked her for an official receipt from RCCL today....still waiting...is there anything else I can/should do? Thanks.

 

Cruisinmama - I also had the same gut feeling of something not quite right here too, I called RCCL several times and finally one person in C&A confirmed the $500 was due but would not discuss anything else with me of course...still very very odd...never mentioned until I received the rate reduction 2 days ago....

but yes, I guess the TA gets her commission and an extra $50 for all her trouble...yeah right!! grrrrr.

[sheilb4]

kjkmk..Glad you got it sorted out and BTW, it looks like we will be on the same cruise with you if you are going on the Freedom 10/18. 20th Anniversary cruise for us, BD for you. Happy BD!

Thanks, sorted but I still have a bad feeling about the integrity of it all...anyway, Happy BD to you too on the same cruise...:)

[crusinmama06]

Cruisinmama - I also had the same gut feeling of something not quite right here too, I called RCCL several times and finally one person in C&A confirmed the $500 was due but would not discuss anything else with me of course...still very very odd...never mentioned until I received the rate reduction 2 days ago....

but yes, I guess the TA gets her commission and an extra $50 for all her trouble...yeah right!! grrrrr.

 

Remembering back to page one, did you say that this cruise was $4,800? So then the TA would get approx $480 for the entire agency as commission (give or take a few bucks pending on the agencys percentage of commission it receives from RCCL)

 

If she is just an agent, then she would only get a percentage of that $480. I am trying to figure out how she can afford to give back $450 in OBC and still make money on the booking to begin with.

 

Things that make ya go HMMMMMMM :D

 

Glad it all worked out sheilb! You'll be on your cruise, sipping a froo froo drink and forgetting all about this in a few weeks. ENJOY! :D

[TBSCruiser]

sheilb4 - something suddenly got VERY fishy for me. This NJ TA promised you $450 in OBC? And then - after a price drop, suddenly says "Royal Caribbean" says you still owe $500?

 

Something stinks here. I hate to say it and please forgive me if I am totally wrong - but let's recap...

 

You found this TA online - right, because they offered a $450 OBC (which the TA's aren't suppose to do according to RCCL)

 

You transferred

 

You paid off

 

You found a $400 price drop

 

And a day later, you OWE $500 and your OBC is now gone?????

 

Could it be possible that the TA is trying to renig on the OBC they promised because they didn't make as much as they thought they would on the cruise????? And they created this RCCL story?

 

You said it yourself....you have the tickets. RCCL sent them to you. You should have been paid in full.

 

RCCL doesn't pay $450 in OBC, the TA was. So the TA is sending a check for $450 to RCCL to pay off your cruise for you?????

 

Seems VERY fishy, sorry :(

 

I am with you, can't figure out where the $450 was coming from. Rccl only allows a 10% of the BASE fare for OBC which would mean after you added the non-commisionables and taxes and such it would have been about a $7000 sale? Sounds like the TA promised way more then she could deliver.

[ladylawyer]

Ladylawyer -What I'm not understanding is the OBC thing. If you now have to pay the $500, your TA will still get her full commission (plus, apparently, the $50 "inconvenience fee"). So, then, why is she dishonoring the OBC committment? Maybe I missed the explanation. However, if the above is true, then I think it would be reasonable to expect that she gives the OBC she offered to you when you accepted by booking the cruise with her.

As I didn't want to use another cc for the $500 payment,(that I am still unconvinced is due) the TA said she would pay RCCL with the $450 OBC that she was going to give me for the cruise...(and the only reason I transferred from RCCL to her was for the obc!!!)

 

Cruisinmama - I also had the same gut feeling of something not quite right here too, I called RCCL several times and finally one person in C&A confirmed the $500 was due but would not discuss anything else with me of course...still very very odd...never mentioned until I received the rate reduction 2 days ago....

but yes, I guess the TA gets her commission and an extra $50 for all her trouble...yeah right!! grrrrr.

 

Thanks for the explanation. So, the TA is paying the $500 that RCI says you owe. If it turns out that the $500 was actually refunded to your credit card, then you really won't be out anything ... again, assuming that you had the money all the time (I'm not judging ... the exact thing happened to me. I always check for the charges, but the credits appear on a different part of the credit card bill, and I didn't notice when a credit came in). I really hope that is the case, with you.

 

It's too bad that your TA didn't keep better records, too ... because now she has to front the money for you, and she may not see her commission for up to 90 days. I'm sure that is a mistake that she won't make again.

 

As for RCI sending you your cruise docs without a full payment ... I've heard of it happening, but it really shouldn't happen. My guess is that someone noticed it when you found the price drop. Who knows if it would have been caught, otherwise?

 

I'm just glad that you'll get to go on your cruise ... and really hope that you are able to sort out the details (maybe before you leave, and the TA will restore your OBC). Have a wonderful cruise; the bad stuff is behind you now. ~ L

[ladylawyer]

sheilb4 - something suddenly got VERY fishy for me. This NJ TA promised you $450 in OBC? And then - after a price drop, suddenly says "Royal Caribbean" says you still owe $500?

 

Something stinks here. I hate to say it and please forgive me if I am totally wrong - but let's recap...

 

You found this TA online - right, because they offered a $450 OBC (which the TA's aren't suppose to do according to RCCL)

 

You transferred

 

You paid off

 

You found a $400 price drop

 

And a day later, you OWE $500 and your OBC is now gone?????

 

Could it be possible that the TA is trying to renig on the OBC they promised because they didn't make as much as they thought they would on the cruise????? And they created this RCCL story?

 

You said it yourself....you have the tickets. RCCL sent them to you. You should have been paid in full.

 

RCCL doesn't pay $450 in OBC, the TA was. So the TA is sending a check for $450 to RCCL to pay off your cruise for you?????

 

Seems VERY fishy, sorry :(

 

Michelle, I know that TAs aren't allowed to offer a lower price than the posted price on RCI (except with the new promotion that going on, allowing a TA to apply OBC to the cruise price); but I was unaware that they are not allowed to offer OBC - which is coming off their commission, presumably. Is this a new policy? Thanks!

[TBSCruiser]

Remembering back to page one, did you say that this cruise was $4,800? So then the TA would get approx $480 for the entire agency as commission (give or take a few bucks pending on the agencys percentage of commission it receives from RCCL)

 

If she is just an agent, then she would only get a percentage of that $480. I am trying to figure out how she can afford to give back $450 in OBC and still make money on the booking to begin with.

 

Things that make ya go HMMMMMMM :D

 

Glad it all worked out sheilb! You'll be on your cruise, sipping a froo froo drink and forgetting all about this in a few weeks. ENJOY! :D

 

the commission is ONLY paid on the base fare, not on the total.

[ladylawyer]

Remembering back to page one, did you say that this cruise was $4,800? So then the TA would get approx $480 for the entire agency as commission (give or take a few bucks pending on the agencys percentage of commission it receives from RCCL)

If she is just an agent, then she would only get a percentage of that $480. I am trying to figure out how she can afford to give back $450 in OBC and still make money on the booking to begin with.

 

Things that make ya go HMMMMMMM :D

 

Glad it all worked out sheilb! You'll be on your cruise, sipping a froo froo drink and forgetting all about this in a few weeks. ENJOY! :D

 

HMMMMMMMMMMMMM ... It DOES make you wonder, doesn't it!

 

As you know, Michele, there are a LOT of great TAs out there!!! :D

[TBSCruiser]

Michelle, I know that TAs aren't allowed to offer a lower price than the posted price on RCI (except with the new promotion that going on, allowing a TA to apply OBC to the cruise price); but I was unaware that they are not allowed to offer OBC - which is coming off their commission, presumably. Is this a new policy? Thanks!

 

 

there is a strict amount that is allowed to be offered. 10% of the BASE fare which is the amount you pay MINUS the taxes and fees and also MINUS a chunk that they call Non-commissionable fare.

[sheilb4]

You are all so great with your wonderful advise etc...like I said before, its a lesson learned....there are several possibilities of how this may have all occurred, but still makes me go...hmmmmmmm...??? too.:confused:

My next 2 trips for next year I booked directly with RCCL and will NOT be transferring over to anyone! :eek:...AND I will keep records of every transaction too! oh my! Thanks again all you wonderful cc'ers! xx

[Cheerysmom]

Something makes my antenae wriggle when you said that you got special rate for a Tuesday special . .. Those tuesday specials are only for new bookdings . ... . .

 

Is it possible that your TA did a new booking for you in order to get that special rate for your mom, but it might have changed the rest of your ressie. .. ..

 

Either way, your TA has some explaining to do . .. .

 

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

Paula