Warning re advance purchase of OBC

[royerhouse]

I budgeted carefully for my recent cruise on the Gem. I wanted to cruise with NO worries, so I even purchased OBC to be applied to our sail and sign accounts about six weeks before the cruise. ($500 for me and $500 for my husband, with my debit card). This Canada/New England cruise was very port-intensive and I guess we just didn't shop or spend much on the ship this time, because we each had a credit balance of slightly over $300 on our SNS accounts at the end of the cruise. On the morning of debarkation, the guest services desk told me they could not give me cash for the remaining funds as they were purchased as OBC. (If I had handed them $1000 at embarkation, they could have). They also could not just credit the debit card with which I purchased the OBC. They said NCL would issue me a check and mail to my home address within 3-5 days. Two weeks later, I called NCL because I hadn't received anything, and now I'm told it may be up to 30 days before I receive MY money! This is a nice scheme for NCL, it seems to me. They have had use of my money (interest free) for two months now, and it may be another month before I receive my check? Sounds fishy to me! Anyone else had this issue??

[SissasMomE]

30 days is not at all unusual for any agency to issue a refund.

[rvsullivan]

The warning should not be about purchasing OBC, but about not using a debit card. Although there are many, many posts on here warning about utilizing debit cards, NCL also has warning on their home page. Debit cards cause issues in most cases. You are correct, cash would have worked better or a credit card.

[khaide612]

This is how it works with OBC refunds. For future cruises, put your cash on the side and then use that to fund your account. You said it best: "They have had use of my money (interest free) for two months now, and it may be another month before I receive my check?" Why give them your money that early?

[matj2000]

Why would people just send money to the cruise line.

For an OBC and Especially with a Debt card?

I never thought it was a big deal looking at a balance at the end of the trip.

Everything costs the same no matter when you pay it.

It is not like your are going to go on some wild spending rampage and regret it in the morning.

Good luck retrieving your unused money....

[sparks1093]

The warning should not be about purchasing OBC, but about not using a debit card. Although there are many, many posts on here warning about utilizing debit cards, NCL also has warning on their home page. Debit cards cause issues in most cases. You are correct, cash would have worked better or a credit card.

 

The outcome would have been the same if the OBC had been purchased with a credit card.

[sparks1093]

Why would people just send money to the cruise line.

 

For an OBC and Especially with a Debt card?

 

I never thought it was a big deal looking at a balance at the end of the trip.

 

Everything costs the same no matter when you pay it.

 

It is not like your are going to go on some wild spending rampage and regret it in the morning.

 

Good luck retrieving your unused money....

 

 

 

 

Different people handle money differently. For me it was easier to pre-purchase the OBC prior to the cruise rather than put it in a savings account where it could have been spent, just the way it is for us. We had no problems spending the OBC.

[royerhouse]

The warning should not be about purchasing OBC, but about not using a debit card. Although there are many, many posts on here warning about utilizing debit cards, NCL also has warning on their home page. Debit cards cause issues in most cases. You are correct, cash would have worked better or a credit card.

 

Using the debit card had nothing to do with it. I asked. There was no hold placed on the debit card or anything like that. Even if I had used a credit card or paid them cash, the problem is that I purchased OBC, PRIOR to the cruise. I understand the warning about the debit card being used at embarkation or during the cruise and that's why I purchased OBC instead. And yes, I should have just given them cash at embarkation.

Edited October 14, 2014 by royerhouse

[royerhouse]

I just posted so people would know. If I had known this beforehand, I wouldn't have done it! Everything I read before I did it said any excess would be refunded; it just didn't say how long it would take. I'm a savvy spender and i like to be ahead of things. I figured I was super-prepared. I knew I had seen refunds given on board before to friends who sailed with us and just figured it would be refunded at debarkation. It seemed to me that OBC was as good as cash, if not better. That is all!

[royerhouse]

30 days is not at all unusual for any agency to issue a refund.

 

That's not necessarily true, but for those who take that long, there is a definite business advantage to it!

[BuffetPantsPls]

The outcome would have been the same if the OBC had been purchased with a credit card.

 

no,

 

beucase you can easily call your credit card and put a notice for refund with them or simply tell your credit card, you only spent this much so you need them to work out the difference since they wont refund you.

 

the cc will most llikely give you a refund first aand they'll sort it out with the cruise line.

 

why? because you are the cc's customer and not the cruise line.

 

a debit card means you remit actual cash. it's tougher to get cash back once given away.

 

edit: oh since you prepaid you'd have to wait for the cc to mail you back a check too. I typically just ask to keep the credit balance on my account

Edited October 14, 2014 by BuffetPantsPls

[SissasMomE]

That's not necessarily true, but for those who take that long, there is a definite business advantage to it!

 

Agreed :)

[mpk218]

For the record , this is not new or unusual .. This has been the way for many a year..

 

Doesn't make it pleasant , just the way it is .. ;)

 

We live , we learn ..

[mugtech]

So how much interest were you out by missing 90 days of interest on $600?

Why didn't you put the $1,000 in the same place you are now not having the $600, earn all that interest, and pay your OB expenses, $400, with a NCL CC and earn 800 points, worth $8 if used properly. Usually people who throw nickles around like they are manhole covers use such devises to come out a few bucks ahead.

[sparks1093]

no,

 

beucase you can easily call your credit card and put a notice for refund with them or simply tell your credit card, you only spent this much so you need them to work out the difference since they wont refund you.

 

the cc will most llikely give you a refund first aand they'll sort it out with the cruise line.

 

why? because you are the cc's customer and not the cruise line.

 

a debit card means you remit actual cash. it's tougher to get cash back once given away.

 

edit: oh since you prepaid you'd have to wait for the cc to mail you back a check too. I typically just ask to keep the credit balance on my account

 

The credit card company won't do anything until they hear from the cruise line- the cruise line did not refuse to issue a refund, they are working on that, just not as fast as the OP would like.

[sparks1093]

So how much interest were you out by missing 90 days of interest on $600?

Why didn't you put the $1,000 in the same place you are now not having the $600, earn all that interest, and pay your OB expenses, $400, with a NCL CC and earn 800 points, worth $8 if used properly. Usually people who throw nickles around like they are manhole covers use such devises to come out a few bucks ahead.

 

At two percent compound interest you'll earn just over $3 in interest in 90 days. Trick would be to find a CD that pays that high for that short a period of time.

[Demonyte]

no,

 

beucase you can easily call your credit card and put a notice for refund with them or simply tell your credit card, you only spent this much so you need them to work out the difference since they wont refund you.

 

the cc will most llikely give you a refund first aand they'll sort it out with the cruise line.

 

why? because you are the cc's customer and not the cruise line.

 

Incorrect. The passenger got what they paid for, which is X amount of credit to be used while onboard. This prepayment (or as it officially goes, prepurchasing of credits) is very different compared to the situation where the card itself is given to back up the onboard account.

 

The fact that they didn't use all of that credit doesn't mean that the charge originally made on the card (CC in your example) would need to be refunded. It's the same as if you go to a grocery store and buy one gallon of milk with some kind of cash back offer, the original charge isn't incorrect even if you become entitled to some kind of refund at some later time.

[maywell]

Actually, I kinda surprise they are giving you a refund since OBC brought directly from the NCL is use it or lose it (my understanding, correct if I'm wrong). Me personally, would had went shopping or gambled at casino to use it up (or my understanding is you can use the casino to withdraw the OBC, again as in correct me if I'm wrong). Guess, its a lesson learn - don't buy too much OBC if you're not planning to shop, drink, gamble, dining out heavily.

 

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[rvsullivan]

Actually, I kinda surprise they are giving you a refund since OBC brought directly from the NCL is use it or lose it (my understanding, correct if I'm wrong). Me personally, would had went shopping or gambled at casino to use it up (or my understanding is you can use the casino to withdraw the OBC, again as in correct me if I'm wrong). Guess, its a lesson learn - don't buy too much OBC if you're not planning to shop, drink, gamble, dining out heavily.

 

Sent from my SGH-T399 using Tapatalk

 

 

Purchased on board credit is fully refundable. NCL issued OBC (promotions) is not refundable.

[rvsullivan]

For the OP. What reason did NCL give you on the last night for not giving you your unused OBC? Every cruise I've been on has a line on the last night and many are receiving cash refunds. I don't understand why they would not give you the money?

[calex]

Just curious, can you use the pre-paid OBC in the casino without incurring a service charge?

[LuvBNatC]

It never ceases to amaze me how businesses have systems so sophisticated that they can take your money in the blink of an eye, yet if they have to give any of it back, it can take weeks for them to figure out how to reverse the transaction in the very same system.

 

It's called "maxing out the float" and it stinks.

 

NCL is probably good for the refund if you stay on top of them, but getting the runaround is annoying in the extreme.

[mugtech]

It never ceases to amaze me how businesses have systems so sophisticated that they can take your money in the blink of an eye, yet if they have to give any of it back, it can take weeks for them to figure out how to reverse the transaction in the very same system.

 

It's called "maxing out the float" and it stinks.

 

NCL is probably good for the refund if you stay on top of them, but getting the runaround is annoying in the extreme.

 

So don't put yourself in that position.

[maywell]

So don't put yourself in that position.

Words to live by.[emoji52]

 

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[royerhouse]

For once, I didn't play in the casino, so I don't know about the OBC and the service fee. Not playing is probably why I had a credit! Lol Our friends who were with us don't gamble, so we did other things.

Edited October 14, 2014 by royerhouse