Reverse Early Saver? 🤔 Now I owe?!

[blakeamy]

Anyone else having trouble getting their early saver forms approved for the correct fare? I was booked for $1247 with $50 OBC. I submitted for the fare $1227 with $50 OBC. Since I'm past final payment, that should have given me an extra $20 OBC. Instead, they approved me for $1197 that did not include OBC, which is equals the same fare I was already booked for. I resubmitted it and was approved again for the $1197. I talked to a PVP and he said he would check on it for me. Still hasn't been corrected, so I submitted again and now I OWE $10 because that fare is no longer available. Carnival was experiencing high call volumes, so I got disconnected. I tried to submit again (writing out ALL of the details in the notes each time), and I still owe $10 that's due today. I've never had this problem before. I wonder if they are able to read the notes I submit or if they just skip over them?? :confused:

[shof515]

what might of happen is the port taxes/fees/etc went up from your intital booking. so when carnival repriced your booking, they used the most current port taxes/fees for your cruises

 

on my sunshine cruise in about 4 months, the port taxes/fees is about 15 dollars more then what is currently on my reservation.

[bakersdozen12]

Honestly, I have no idea. But, I would say pay the $10 in the meantime, so they don't cancel your cruise. If they can figure out the problem, I'm sure you will get it back. But it's not worth loosing your booking over $10. And cancellation for non-payment seems to be automated, so it will definitely happen. Don't risk it.

 

Anyway, good luck. And please keep us updated. I'm really curious what is going on here!

[bakersdozen12]

what might of happen is the port taxes/fees/etc went up from your intital booking. so when carnival repriced your booking, they used the most current port taxes/fees for your cruises

 

on my sunshine cruise in about 4 months, the port taxes/fees is about 15 dollars more then what is currently on my reservation.

 

 

That's a really good point. This is why I always go through an entire mock booking before submitting any price match. Because I want to know exactly what the final price would be, with taxes and fees included.

[blakeamy]

what might of happen is the port taxes/fees/etc went up from your intital booking. so when carnival repriced your booking, they used the most current port taxes/fees for your cruises

 

on my sunshine cruise in about 4 months, the port taxes/fees is about 15 dollars more then what is currently on my reservation.

 

 

Nope, the port fees are the same as when I originally booked. They were pricing for the wrong fare, and now that the sale is over, they are pricing for a higher fare that makes a balance due.

[blakeamy]

Honestly, I have no idea. But, I would say pay the $10 in the meantime, so they don't cancel your cruise. If they can figure out the problem, I'm sure you will get it back. But it's not worth loosing your booking over $10. And cancellation for non-payment seems to be automated, so it will definitely happen. Don't risk it.

 

Anyway, good luck. And please keep us updated. I'm really curious what is going on here!

 

 

That's what I was worried about, cancelling a cruise for $10 due. It's just not worth the risk.

 

I just received an email that my payment was overdue and the cruise was at risk for being cancelled, so I submited payment. I would have thought they would catch an early saver form that results in an overdue payment.

Edited March 2, 2017 by blakeamy

[bakersdozen12]

Nope, the port fees are the same as when I originally booked. They were pricing for the wrong fare, and now that the sale is over, they are pricing for a higher fare that makes a balance due.

 

 

I would think if they matched to the wrong fare, even if they can't now match to the correct fare, they should at least revert you back to the original. I mean, it's only 10 bucks. But still.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[klfrodo]

Was all this aggravation and personal time spent worth $20. I would hope your time is more valuable than that even if it all went smoothly.

$100? sure

$20? not even close

[blakeamy]

Was all this aggravation and personal time spent worth $20. I would hope your time is more valuable than that even if it all went smoothly.

$100? sure

$20? not even close

 

 

Isn't it the point of early saver though? $20 here and there add up. I was supposed to get $20 OBC, and now I owe $10 instead. It's just not right, and it shouldn't be this difficult to price match.

[doneinne]

I think the price matching should be automatic with early saver. The customer shouldn't have to go through the loops.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Normal 1]

When you are ES the price you match to is the net of the cruise fare and any OBC you have. In your case, $1197.

 

I use a carnival PVP just for this reason. I could easily book myself online but Linda is there if I have trouble with ES forms.

 

 

You should call the toll free Carnival number and ask to speak to a supervisor and calmly explain the situation, they should be able to restore you to the original fare with the $50 OBC.

[ItsAllAboutTheSass]

I think the price matching should be automatic with early saver. The customer shouldn't have to go through the loops.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

The LAST thing I want is Carnival's IT department to be somehow in control of the financial end of my booking.

[Jamericannn]

Why didn't you just call your PVP in the first place? I never do this form thing. I always call my PVP and get it done right there. I am always afraid to wait and the price change. I have even called before and my PVP wasn't available so I got a random PVP to do it without any issue. I have never been told to use the form.

[firemanbobswife]

Sounds like you got a CSR, not a PVP. If you had a PVP, you would have their dedicated extension to call. Mine takes care of it while I am on the phone with him. I have called the 800 number before and they told me to submit the form. So no more booking online or over the phone for me - only with my PVP.

 

And for those who just can't fathom why in the world someone would prefer a PVP when they can do it all on their own, this is a prime example amongst many. It saves me time and frustration. Plus it doesn't cost anything. There's no downside (and I will never again use a TA no matter what the perks, so that's out of the question).

[firemanbobswife]

I had to submit a form for a friend that didn't use my PVP because when I called in the CSR said she wouldn't do it over the phone. I told her I didn't want to because what if the fare changed between now and the time it was processed? She said they would still get the lower price because it would be based off of the time stamp from when the email was sent. Now I don't know if that's right because you will constantly get conflicting info based on who you talk to there. For those of you that have always had a good experience calling in, you need to play the lottery as you are extremely lucky.

[2Shoes2Go]

We have found we can send a brief text to our PVP's phone, with booking number and rate, and she can do the adjustment for us. She sends a new confirmation to our email. Very easy!

[Jamericannn]

I have called the 800 number before and they told me to submit the form.

 

 

It depends on who answers the phone because I have called the 800 number when my PVP was unavailable and the rep took care of it over the phone in no time. If I call and someone says no I would hang up and call again and hope to get someone who will assist.

[blakeamy]

I had a great PVP that always took care of things immediately over the phone. He is no longer there, so I have a new guy calling me claiming to be my PVP. He called a couple days ago to see if I needed help booking. I told him I was already booked, and I mentioned having trouble getting my price matched. He said he would look into it for me, but he didn't sound too hopeful. Since he couldn't get this done, I won't be calling him for any problems or future bookings. So, I have to call the general phone number that says they are experiencing high call volumes, and then it disconnects. Maybe they need to hire a few more people to answer calls. :confused:

[firemanbobswife]

It depends on who answers the phone because I have called the 800 number when my PVP was unavailable and the rep took care of it over the phone in no time. If I call and someone says no I would hang up and call again and hope to get someone who will assist.

 

 

I've had 2 people at Carnival actually tell me that. I don't have the time or patience to deal with nonsense and to keep calling back. So I told any friends or family that want me to take care of their bookings, that they either use my PVP or they are on their own.

[janjan3839]

I do the mock booking also. In the past we have had price drops, but usually something else changes, either the gratuities, or taxes and fees. I think I will get a bargain, and end up paying more for something else. I am watching a cruise for 2/2018 and the taxes and fees increased from $120 to $135. I will just keep watching before I book, or have my PVP call me when there is a decent offer.

[lostsoulcruiser]

Anyone else having trouble getting their early saver forms approved for the correct fare? I was booked for $1247 with $50 OBC. I submitted for the fare $1227 with $50 OBC. Since I'm past final payment, that should have given me an extra $20 OBC. Instead, they approved me for $1197 that did not include OBC, which is equals the same fare I was already booked for. I resubmitted it and was approved again for the $1197. I talked to a PVP and he said he would check on it for me. Still hasn't been corrected, so I submitted again and now I OWE $10 because that fare is no longer available. Carnival was experiencing high call volumes, so I got disconnected. I tried to submit again (writing out ALL of the details in the notes each time), and I still owe $10 that's due today. I've never had this problem before. I wonder if they are able to read the notes I submit or if they just skip over them?? :confused:

 

 

This happened to me so allow me to provide the explanation I was given. When you booked your cruise, you were locked into a specific fare code which includes the OBC. Requesting the lower fare effectively changes the booking, and thus the booking code, with your new booking code and new price point which may or may not have an OBC. You essentially are rebooking your cruise, cancelling the former reservation and replacing it with a new one. The PVP or whoever you were dealing with should have explained this to you. In my case, once this was explained I passed on the first price drop but picked up a second on where my fare was reduced by $60, I lost my $50 OBC, so I was $10 ahead. A third price drop occurred later effectively giving my back my OBC. I cannot say if this is exactly the same as your situation but sound similar. In my case, I dealt with a Carnival representative on their 800 number and not a PVP. Good luck.

[blakeamy]

I tried calling carnival several times yesterday and today, but they continued to hang up on me after the "we are currently experiencing high call volumes right now" message. I did decide to finally press 0, and it kept me on hold. At the ONE HOUR mark, I decided to hang up and just resubmit another early saver form since there was a new sale. Now I owe another $40 (even though the mock booking was $10 cheaper than my current rate), and my OBC has been increased by $50. So basically, I get my $10 back that they overcharged, but I still don't get the $20 I had originally tried to submit for. It's ridiculous that it's this difficult to get a price match, but at this point, I give up. I've never had any problems with customer service in the past, but they are obviously understaffed. Next cruise, I will find a PVP to book and handle any issues that may come up. Thanks for all the advice. Happy cruising!! :cool:

[arpie05]

This happened to me so allow me to provide the explanation I was given.

SO I delete most of what lostsoul said because i got the same explanation when it happened to me! I 100% disagree with their explanation/logic. While I understand their logic - My understanding and I have been booking ES for 5-6 years (since it started) that once ES; always ES. So if the rate of my room drops - it should not affect my ES status.

In my case I submitted the form (which I had done 2x already no problem but this was before (i guess) the OBC w ES rate went into effect) for a price drop of $20. Well - instead of dropping my rate they bumped me to IS and dropped my rate further but I was still short $10 OBC. I did not want to be IS - if I did I would have booked. Well this was Saturday night at about 8 pm when I realized and I called the 800 number and got transferred eventually to customer service. It took 45 mins in all but I got my original room, rate back and OBC. It is important to keep all those CabinConfirmations emails as that was what they used to put it through - I had to forward it to the agent working w me. The original person I got was way over her head but she stayed on the line to make sure I wasn't dropped. Even though it was a long process - I felt like the customer service I got was 5*

 

But I am like the original poster - I do not believe this CCL logic is right. I understand how OBC works when accumulating it with price drops (and it is annoying that you can't use it if you want to switch/upgrade your cabin - its my money that I've paid - so why do I have to spend $40 to switch to Ocean view from Interior or to switch to a 4J from a 4B???) :rolleyes:

 

So basically if you have OBC from a promotion you have to deduct that from your cabin price to see if your cruise rate dropped/:rolleyes: I 100% do not agree - I get their point but disagree 100%. Currently my cabin rate is $20 less. Someone could book that rate today then because they are offering an oBC credit - (Oh like they are now but those rates are higher) maybe they qualify but they didn't let me with my ES rate (which is what the OBC is tied to) match the reduced cabin rate.

And ironically when I got my OBC - there was 2 ES rates One was reg ES and the other was a special residence's ES rate BUT the cabin rate was the same.

I wonder what would have happened with my last cruise I booked ES - the OBC was for paying off the cruise 10 months early... but I had to cancel that one. :loudcry:

Anyway - I have vented a bit and see I'm not the only this happened to.

[Cushing985]

I just went through all of this type of issue. I can tell you when you submit for a lower cruise rate it is essentially considered a new booking and if you have OBC from a promotion you'll lose it if the promotion has ended (and it probably has).

 

Anyway, I submitted the form because my PVP was off (it was a Sunday). Carnival immediately approved it and in the same email told me I now owed them $140.00 (previously the cruise was paid in full). On Monday, my PVP couldn't figure out what Carnival did so she called her supervisor who was also in the dark. They finally got hold of an accounting supervisor and she was able to fix everything after a hour on the phone with her. At the end she told me I did everything correctly but in the future to just call the 800 number to get the adjustment.

 

Someone earlier questioned why the OP even bothered for $20.00. I alway book ES and I submit claims anytime the fare budges downward. On the current cruise my PVP has submitted quite a few adjustments and I now have $375.00 in OBC. Those $10.00 and $20.00 dollar adjustments do, in fact, add up.

[blakeamy]

I just went through all of this type of issue. I can tell you when you submit for a lower cruise rate it is essentially considered a new booking and if you have OBC from a promotion you'll lose it if the promotion has ended (and it probably has).

 

Anyway, I submitted the form because my PVP was off (it was a Sunday). Carnival immediately approved it and in the same email told me I now owed them $140.00 (previously the cruise was paid in full). On Monday, my PVP couldn't figure out what Carnival did so she called her supervisor who was also in the dark. They finally got hold of an accounting supervisor and she was able to fix everything after a hour on the phone with her. At the end she told me I did everything correctly but in the future to just call the 800 number to get the adjustment.

 

Someone earlier questioned why the OP even bothered for $20.00. I alway book ES and I submit claims anytime the fare budges downward. On the current cruise my PVP has submitted quite a few adjustments and I now have $375.00 in OBC. Those $10.00 and $20.00 dollar adjustments do, in fact, add up.

 

 

Thank you for backing me up on the price drops. It's the point of early saver to be able to price match for any amount it decreases and any number of times. I usually have good results when calling the 1-800 number, but they seem really busy these days. I'm still baffled why 2 of my early saver forms resulted in a balance due, but since my cruise was in danger of being cancelled and I couldn't get though to the 1-800 number, I paid it. In the future, I will stick to booking the past guest rate.