Princess says they can't make it right!!!

[When and How]

We paid the balance on our cruise on "cyber Saturday" to get double bonus points on our credit card. The transaction went through on the following day, 24 hours later and we lost out. Visa says Princess processed payment on the Sunday. Princess says they posted it on the Saturday, and that they "can't" help with this. So we are just put of luck because somebody, probably Princess screwed up. Has anyone else had similar problems? Not a great way to start a cruise.

[caribill]

Sounds as if this was a credit card company promotion.

 

The date of sale and the date the credit card company can be different.

 

Have you checked the credit card company site to see if they list a purchase date?

 

For example, one purchase on a credit card I have shows the two dates, the date of sale and the date the credit card company processed it.

11/12/2012 11/13/2012 WALGREENS #3760 $x.00

[Kamloops50]

We paid the balance on our cruise on "cyber Saturday" to get double bonus points on our credit card. The transaction went through on the following day, 24 hours later and we lost out. Visa says Princess processed payment on the Sunday. Princess says they posted it on the Saturday, and that they "can't" help with this. So we are just put of luck because somebody, probably Princess screwed up. Has anyone else had similar problems? Not a great way to start a cruise.

 

Most business like Princess can take up to 48 hrs to process your credit card.

Most credit cards post Sat & Sun transactions on the next normal business day. They get instant approval but it will be posted the next business day.

[deedeetoo]

It sounds like the credit card company is not giving you points because the transaction wasn't processed on the day you called it in. What do you want Princess to do? They can't give you credit card points. They didn't know that you had a time sensitive issue with processing it. Even if you told the rep you spoke to, I doubt it went any further. I'm not sure what you are looking for.

[cherylandtk]

The company you need to discuss this with is the bank/credit card offering the promotion. You made the payment on the right day, the credit card company is the one that can make it right. Their records will show that Princess got an authorization for your payment on that day.

[RickEk]

From what I understand, the Princess booking system processes credit card payments in "real time". They'll get an instant approval code from the credit card company when the payment is submitted.

[Loonbeam]

There are actually four dates involved with a credit card transaction.

 

Date 1 - Submitted - The card is run and an approval generated with a placed hold - This is often referred to as the transaction date.

Date 2 - Processor - The bank that handles transactions for the merchant receives the transaction. This date is typically the same as date 1 unless there is a maintenance cycle.

Date 3 - Transfer - The date and time where the transaction moves from the vendor bank to the CC bank. This is typically fast but can take up to a few hours, which can span a calendar day. This is especially true on days like Black Friday, etc because the volume is so high,

Date 4 - Posting, the charge is verified, applied to account, interest accrues and related hold clears. Funds start their way to merchant account.

 

I suspect the issue is between dates 2 and 3. Princess may very well have processed the charge on Saturday, but their processing bank may not have until Sunday. Barclay's will see the transfer date, since that's when it hits their system and think the charge was processed Sunday.

 

When the charge posts to your account, check the transaction date. If it IS saturday, they should give the points (unless the terms refer to posting date). If Sunday, the issue is probably at the bank Princess uses. Princess has no control over their processing, and they honestly won't be motivated to help you.

[lovevacadays]

The company you need to discuss this with is the bank/credit card offering the promotion. You made the payment on the right day, the credit card company is the one that can make it right. Their records will show that Princess got an authorization for your payment on that day.

 

From what I understand, the Princess booking system processes credit card payments in "real time". They'll get an instant approval code from the credit card company when the payment is submitted.

 

I agree that this isn't a Princess problem. I would nudge your credit card company to honor the day you actually submitted your payment to Princess

[Pam in CA]

Lesson learned is to never wait until the last minute to make payment, whether it's a promotion or regular final payment. :(

[Essiesmom]

Lesson learned is to never wait until the last minute to make payment, whether it's a promotion or regular final payment. :(

 

I don't think this is the OP's problem. I read it as they paid final payment early, on a particular date in order to get double points. Only it hasn't worked out. EM

[rdsqrl]

I don't think this is the OP's problem. I read it as they paid final payment early, on a particular date in order to get double points. Only it hasn't worked out. EM

Yeah, but it was last minute for the promotion. Or, wait, no it wasn't. I misread it, and maybe Pam did, too. I thought he meant that Saturday was the last day for the promo but I guess if the promo was called "Cyber Saturday," it was the only day for the promo! So confusing . . .

 

It totally sounds like it's the bank's problem. When I use my Nordstrom card on double rewards days, I can charge online right up until midnight and I get the double points for my purchase, regardless of when the charge eventually hits my bank. So, similarly, Princess charged him on Saturday. Just because the transaction didn't get to First National Bank of Mean Grinches until Sunday or Monday or next St. Swithin's Day, that's not Princess's problem.

[dtb55]

...It totally sounds like it's the bank's problem. When I use my Nordstrom card on double rewards days, I can charge online right up until midnight and I get the double points for my purchase, regardless of when the charge eventually hits my bank. So, similarly, Princess charged him on Saturday. Just because the transaction didn't get to First National Bank of Mean Grinches until Sunday or Monday or next St. Swithin's Day, that's not Princess's problem.

 

If that's the case, I would skip the phone calls and instead send a letter or email to the Bank's main office explaining the situation and ask them to honor the promotion.

 

 

Denise

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Pam in CA]

Yeah, but it was last minute for the promotion. Or, wait, no it wasn't. I misread it, and maybe Pam did, too. I thought he meant that Saturday was the last day for the promo but I guess if the promo was called "Cyber Saturday," it was the only day for the promo! So confusing . . .

You're right. I didn't catch that this was a one day promotion. If that's the case, how the he** did the bank expect any booking to qualify if they were not prepared to process the same day. It would be interesting to know the details of the promotion because if this is the case, it might not be legal. Depending on what the terms of the promotion were, and if the bank won't fix this, I'd register a complaint with the Promotion Marketing Association. They oversee the legalities of promotions. http://www.pmalink.org/

[caribill]

You're right. I didn't catch that this was a one day promotion. If that's the case, how the he** did the bank expect any booking to qualify if they were not prepared to process the same day. It would be interesting to know the details of the promotion because if this is the case, it might not be legal. Depending on what the terms of the promotion were, and if the bank won't fix this, I'd register a complaint with the Promotion Marketing Association. They oversee the legalities of promotions. http://www.pmalink.org/

 

Can't tell from the information provided if this "cyber Saturday" promotion by the credit card company was for any charge or limited to cruise company charges.

 

In any event, I agree that the OP did what was needed to meet the terms of the promotion. OP needs to work up the chain of command at the bank.

[skynight]

Suggest a call to the credit card bank. In many banks the cust. service staff have the authority to add points to your account.

[Steelers36]

I wonder if the OP simply spoke to a Princess CSR and did not actually speak to the accounting/credit department. There may have been an internal processing delay.

 

This post made me smile because one of the cardinal rules of cruising is to arrive in the embarkation city the day before. I guess a corollary is to phone Princess to request payment application a day before as well (and then request it to be applied on your day of choosing).

 

But I would make sure I was speaking directly to accounting.

[TracieABD]

I am with Rdsqrl on this one. Sounds like a bank issue. Your CC company knows the exact time stamp of the charge.

[boca7]

We paid the balance on our cruise on "cyber Saturday" to get double bonus points on our credit card. The transaction went through on the following day, 24 hours later and we lost out. Visa says Princess processed payment on the Sunday. Princess says they posted it on the Saturday, and that they "can't" help with this. So we are just put of luck because somebody, probably Princess screwed up. Has anyone else had similar problems? Not a great way to start a cruise.

One minute after I chg anything on my Visa I receive a return email fromVisa detailing the chg. If you don`t have this service then look into it, you can`t blame Princess, they always put it thru immeadiately to make sure its valid, unless you gave it to a 2nd party to call it in & they screwed up.

[Sea Hag]

For online transactions, this is the "normal" way they happen. Transaction gets submitted to the payment gateway, which is entirely separate from the credit card company or the merchant. At this time, it may be approved or declined. If it's approved, that doesn't mean the transaction actually went through. Instead, it goes into a batch with all the other transactions for that merchant, for that day. Once every 24 hours, the merchant's batch is processed. That's when the transaction actually goes through. The time of day that the batch is processed is usually set up for the merchant. If a merchant's batch transaction time is, for instance, 1:00 AM, then any transaction that goes through for that merchant before midnight on a given day is actually processed the following day. I don't know if this is what happened with the OP, but this is how things work for online transactions.

[RickEk]

I wonder if the OP simply spoke to a Princess CSR and did not actually speak to the accounting/credit department. There may have been an internal processing delay.

 

This post made me smile because one of the cardinal rules of cruising is to arrive in the embarkation city the day before. I guess a corollary is to phone Princess to request payment application a day before as well (and then request it to be applied on your day of choosing).

 

But I would make sure I was speaking directly to accounting.

 

 

A Princess CSR would apply the money to booking immediately. It's one of the screens that comprise the booking and the system would get an immediate confirmation... they don't just take the number down and then process it later. That's verboten.

[FritzG]

One minute after I chg anything on my Visa I receive a return email fromVisa detailing the chg. If you don`t have this service then look into it, you can`t blame Princess, they always put it thru immeadiately to make sure its valid, unless you gave it to a 2nd party to call it in & they screwed up.

 

Even if this happens, and the charge is ok'd it still might not post until the next day. I always check my account when I make final payment, and there have been times when it doesn't get posted until a day or two later.

 

This a bank issue, not Princess's.

[GHDPeter]

It would also depend on the location of the charging agent ( Princess ) the time zone they were in and the closing time of their batch process.

 

In my business in Australia our credit cards are batched off at 8pm Sydney time which is 7pm my time, any transactions after this time are not processed until the next business day.

 

Any transactions on Saturday and Sunday are approved and secured on the day but not processed by my bank until Monday. The transaction still reports as occurring on the Sat or Dun but funds are not cleared until Monday.

 

Princess would have received approval of your transaction so the issue is with your Credit Card company.

[traveling psych nurse]

I too would talk to my credit card company. My first cruise with Princess the fraud department of my card company called me within the hour to make sure the charge was really mine.