Very annoyed with TA

[Richiebaseball]

[quote name='cruisnseas']Oh and regarding the rule of not naming TAs...imagine how easy it would be to make up lots of "positive reports" for a TA in return for benefits, etc. It happens with other industries all over the net. I am sure Cruise Critic just wants to avoid that drama.[/QUOTE]

While that's certainly part of it, I would imagine the fact that agencies pay a lot of money to advertise on Cruise Critic probably is one of the larger concerns. Imagine what would happen to those advertising dollars if agencies could simply head to the forums and post their information.

[SunFunCruiser]

How long has it actually been? Because I have had RCCL tell me it will take up to two billing cycles to get a credit, but then it shows up in lass than a week.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

[quote name='SunFunCruiser']How long has it actually been? Because I have had RCCL tell me it will take up to two billing cycles to get a credit, but then it shows up in lass than a week.[/QUOTE]

But you didn't book in Australia which has different policies than those of us who book in the U.S.

Bill

[Paulxyz2004]

[quote name='Richiebaseball']While that's certainly part of it, I would imagine the fact that agencies pay a lot of money to advertise on Cruise Critic probably is one of the larger concerns. Imagine what would happen to those advertising dollars if agencies could simply head to the forums and post their information.[/quote]

I doubt them being able to post good reviews would hurt the advertising business a lot. But potential bad reviews be it by real customers or the competition and the pressure of advertisers to remove them would be a nightmare. So it´s a wise decision for sure to not allow it, for whatever the reason might be.

[cruisnseas]

[quote name='Richiebaseball']While that's certainly part of it, I would imagine the fact that agencies pay a lot of money to advertise on Cruise Critic probably is one of the larger concerns. Imagine what would happen to those advertising dollars if agencies could simply head to the forums and post their information.[/QUOTE]

The agencies that advertise here, are owned by the company that owns CC.

[1cat4jan]

I find it interesting that charges get applied to the credit card the same day and credits can take anywhere from one day to a couple of weeks.

hmmmmmmmmmmmm - wonder why that is? ;)

The worst part - a credit card payment which is due prior to when the credit is posted. Thus ending up with a large credit on your credit card bill.

If that happens to you, you can either wait it out because if it's your usual credit card, the credit will get "worked off" with your spending - but if you want the money back right away, call the credit card company and ask for a check.

[denamo]

[quote name='teajak']Not true at all, you only hear about the bad ones and the screw ups instead of the great ones like the one I have.[/quote]

Totally agree. We have one of those who is definitely forthcoming with information.

Thanks to the OP relating their experience. Good to know a question to ask if ever needed to change to a different agency. Does seem crazy that it would take so long.

As far as not being able to mention TA's here on CC is a positive. One can never know all of the story from just one side, and I would want my TA to be doing his job rather than trying to defend an action taken regarding one account. If anyone has been here on CC for any length of time, there are times when pertinent details to a story have been left out. Once everything comes to light, the story makes sense, as does the CC policy.

[cruisnseas]

[quote name='1cat4jan']I find it interesting that charges get applied to the credit card the same day and credits can take anywhere from one day to a couple of weeks.

hmmmmmmmmmmmm - wonder why that is? ;)

The worst part - a credit card payment which is due prior to when the credit is posted. Thus ending up with a large credit on your credit card bill.

If that happens to you, you can either wait it out because if it's your usual credit card, the credit will get "worked off" with your spending - but if you want the money back right away, call the credit card company and ask for a check.[/QUOTE]

I mean no offense here...

I always hated this argument. Royal doesn't get the money the same moment it is charged. Your bank just removes it from your availability. It still takes the same amount of time to transfer hands. Just as Royal cannot spend money it has not received from your bank (even though the charge has gone through on your end) you won't see money that Royal has refunded but your bank has not yet received.

Beyond that, banks will often hold a refund for a day or two after receiving it for "processing." This is done to maximize their profits through using it to lend to other banks in overnight loans (sister works for a large international bank).

Onto another topic regarding the suggestions to dispute a charge. A good idea, but one to be thought about carefully. I had a case with a woman that was unhappy about the length of time to get a refund so she disputed the charge. And Royal cancelled six of her upcoming cruises. She claimed fraud and so, to protect themselves, Royal cancelled all charges made on that card. She lost great pricing, great rooms and promotions. All because she didn't want to wait for her refund. I've seen this happen with other companies, too. It is quite common that when a dispute is filed, all charges pending are cancelled as a protective measure.

[Desert Cruizers]

The question comes up often of whether to use a TA or book with the cruise lines. To book with the cruise lines is more direct and you can deal with them directly, while using a TA means any changes have to go thru them to the cruise lines. Booking thru a TA is beneficial if you have a dispute as they can assist you faster in getting it resolved. As previous mentioned, an excellant TA and they are out there, I use one, will take care of any requests promptly, alert you to specials, and can be reached during a weekend. Our TA calls the cruise lines to authorize them to charge our CC and within a week I have a statement showing my balance. I also will check my CC to see when the payment was actually made to the cruise lines and pay off our cruises within 2 months of sailing.

[Richiebaseball]

[quote name='Paulxyz2004']I doubt them being able to post good reviews would hurt the advertising business a lot. But potential bad reviews be it by real customers or the competition and the pressure of advertisers to remove them would be a nightmare. So it´s a wise decision for sure to not allow it, for whatever the reason might be.[/QUOTE]

It absolutely would affect advertising revenue and in a large way. You have to realize that agencies pay thousands each month to advertise here. If you could simply post a review and name an agency and how great they were and how much money they saved you or onboard credit they offered, that's advertising that you can't put a price on. Literally. Many agencies would line people up to offer reviews that weren't really reviews at all but simply posts in order to get the name out more and more. And if you're paying thousands a month to Cruise Critic to advertise and then you see that it can be done for free, what would you do? Would you continue to pay that much money? I wouldn't.
Your other reasons are very valid as well. And the spam issue is certainly one aspect. But make mistake, it's all about the benjamins.

[Richiebaseball]

[quote name='cruisnseas']The agencies that advertise here, are owned by the company that owns CC.[/QUOTE]

That's not even close to being correct. Cruise Critic is owned by Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor used to be owned by Expedia however it was spun off in 2011 into a seperate company in order to seperate the reviewing sites from the site selling travel. Now Expedia likely owns a large stake in Tripadvisor however that company is not run by Expedia.

As for the other dozen or so agencies that regularly advertise here on Cruise Critic, they are not owned by either Tripadvisor or Expedia.

[cruisnseas]

[quote name='Richiebaseball']That's not even close to being correct. Cruise Critic is owned by Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor used to be owned by Expedia however it was spun off in 2011 into a seperate company in order to seperate the reviewing sites from the site selling travel. Now Expedia likely owns a large stake in Tripadvisor however that company is not run by Expedia.

As for the other dozen or so agencies that regularly advertise here on Cruise Critic, they are not owned by either Tripadvisor or Expedia.[/QUOTE]

I never stated Expedia "controls" this site.

You'd be surprised to find how who Expedia either 1. owns or 2. has a controlling stake in.

Of all the ads (other than cruise lines directly) I have never seen one not owned by wholly or in the majority by Expedia.

[Richiebaseball]

[quote name='cruisnseas']I never stated Expedia "controls" this site.

You'd be surprised to find how who Expedia either 1. owns or 2. has a controlling stake in.

Of all the ads (other than cruise lines directly) I have never seen one not owned by wholly or in the majority by Expedia.[/QUOTE]

Since they are publicly traded companies it's really not a surprise and it's very easy to find the information by reading the various filings that are required under federal law.

Here are some of the advertisers [url]http://www.cruisecritic.com/shipshop/[/url]

Honestly you don't have to look very far to find one not owned by Expedia. Or two. Or three. And so on, and so on.

[travelplus]

I think Travel Agents should not be allowed to book clients if they are not doing their part of the deal. When I use a TA for my cruise I make sure that they are doing their job. As soon as the deposit is made I go on RCCL using my confirmation number given by the TA to make sure that it all is in order.

I then link my reservation and add the Crown and Anchor numbers to the reservation and make any special requests for dining assignments etc. If the room is not in a good location I would tell the TA. On the last cruise and on this cruise we booked an Oceanview Guarantee and got a good room on deck 2 for this cruise and on Deck 3 for the last cruise. While my Father and I don't mind walking the stairs we like the location for easy on and off at ports and the room is close but not right next to the elevator and stairs.

I have asked the TA questions and got a good response within 24 hours. The TA has been cordial and as stated on the signature of his e-mail to contact his manager if he is doing a good job. I did just that saying how helpful our TA has been. We got a decent OBC and quick service.

It sounds like your TA dropped the ball. I would be inclined to call the manager of your TA to see what is up with your booking. Don't be shy or feel bad because you the client need a response to see whats going on. It pays to be ten steps ahead of the agent.

I have used the tips here on CC such as asking when to expect our EDocs, what date is the final payment, and when the fare went down I immediately contacted the TA and got the fare reduction. If you think you can be lazy and let the TA do everything then you may be disappointed to find you got a bad cabin or not enough OBC.

Good luck and please keep us posted on the outcome.

[mikedw]

Was it group space? The TA that I use to work for use to have a lot of group space booked and we added on things like bus transportation and some tours which had nothing to do with the cruise lines, so the payment was always process through the agency and not the cruise lines.

[DT1304]

Thanks to all of you for your comments.

As a follow up.....

I called RCCL this morning, and they have confirmed that the deposit was transferred to the TA last week. (When I spoke to the travel agent on Friday last week she said she is still waiting for it)

I will be giving the travel agent another call tomorrow (as today is a public holiday here) to give her another "gentle reminder"

[ehfl]

You say you had better service when booking directly through RCL.....so why, exactly, are you using a TA?

[DT1304]

I never said that I had better service dealing directly with RCCL. I booked my cruise through another TA where I had better service.

The only things I booked directly with Royal Carib were shore excursions.

As for my reasons for using a TA, I am a family with three kids, and when making a booking at pretty much the last minute, while also having specific requirements such as connecting cabins etc, I find it easier to deal with a TA than using the RCCL website. (Having said that I suppose I could have also called them directly but the TA concerned always had better cabins available for me in the past than when I called RCCL directly.