Policy to transfer reservations to an outside agency has changed!

[zelker]

I just found out through the Holland America website that their policy - as well as Seabourn's - has changed.  Where it used to be that you could request a transfer to an outside agent any time prior to final payment, the new policy, which apparently went into effect at the beginning of April, now requires that the request happens within 60 days of booking and you have to contact Seabourn to get a form to fill out and return before the transfer can happen.  

 

This new policy does not make me happy … I like to control my own bookings until closer to final payment.  Now it means I have to involve my travel agent way earlier in the process, contact them to contact Seabourn if there's a change to pricing or perks, which introduces a third party into the mix and slows things down.  😞  

[wripro]

1 hour ago, zelker said:

I just found out through the Holland America website that their policy - as well as Seabourn's - has changed.  Where it used to be that you could request a transfer to an outside agent any time prior to final payment, the new policy, which apparently went into effect at the beginning of April, now requires that the request happens within 60 days of booking and you have to contact Seabourn to get a form to fill out and return before the transfer can happen.  

 

This new policy does not make me happy … I like to control my own bookings until closer to final payment.  Now it means I have to involve my travel agent way earlier in the process, contact them to contact Seabourn if there's a change to pricing or perks, which introduces a third party into the mix and slows things down.  😞  

Isn't that why you use a TA in the first place?

[zelker]

I don't need to use a TA to book travel.  I use a TA to take advantage of their discounts/perks.  Some people want to have their hands held from the beginning, I do not.  

 

In any case, I'm sure I'm not alone in doing this so am just sharing the info.  If it doesn't impact you, don't worry about it.

 

 

Edited May 15, 2019 by zelker

[Hoyaheel]

1 hour ago, zelker said:

I don't need to use a TA to book travel.  I use a TA to take advantage of their discounts/perks.  Some people want to have their hands held from the beginning, I do not.  

I agree with you. I dislike using a TA but do because I'm too cheap to leave money on the table. On the other hand, if I'm going to use a TA, I do it from the beginning (from booking at least; I do all my own research)

[Ka Honu]

I'm with wripro and Hoyaheel on this one. Either find an experienced, trustworthy TA who specializes in the line(s) you're booking and let them handle it start to finish or do it yourself the whole way. As Abe Lincoln purportedly said, "It is not best to swap horses while crossing the river."

 

Jus' sayin'...

Edited May 15, 2019 by Ka Honu

[SLSD]

zelker, Thank you for this information.  We always appreciate each bit of knowledge that may come in handy.  

[whystayhome]

Have been spending quality[?] time on the phone with Seabourn lately. 

 

I booked a cruise in January before the rule change and hadn't transferred it to my TA because it's easier for me to keep an eye on pricing and speak with Seabourn directly than call her to call them.  Anyway, I told them if I couldn't transfer the booking to my TA, given that I had made it at a time before the 60-day rule went into effect, we would just cancel the booking [don't want to - I got a great price].  A supervisor got involved and I was told I would get an email indicating the outcome.  They sent me the form to fill out without an explanation, so I don't know if they'll approve a transfer or not. If they don't we will cancel, as the rebate I get from her is significant.

 

Next, I called about another cruise and put it on a 3-day hold.  I asked if I could have my travel agent call them to finalize the booking if we decide to go and was told I would have to fill out the form, even though I did not give them a deposit so the booking really does not exist.  Again, they sent me the form. This is a very big pain in the neck and I can see it becoming very difficult to book a last-minute voyage.  I don't quite get the point of this.  I'm thinking of giving a fake name when I call...

 

Linda

[wripro]

4 hours ago, whystayhome said:

Have been spending quality[?] time on the phone with Seabourn lately. 

 

I booked a cruise in January before the rule change and hadn't transferred it to my TA because it's easier for me to keep an eye on pricing and speak with Seabourn directly than call her to call them.  Anyway, I told them if I couldn't transfer the booking to my TA, given that I had made it at a time before the 60-day rule went into effect, we would just cancel the booking [don't want to - I got a great price].  A supervisor got involved and I was told I would get an email indicating the outcome.  They sent me the form to fill out without an explanation, so I don't know if they'll approve a transfer or not. If they don't we will cancel, as the rebate I get from her is significant.

 

Next, I called about another cruise and put it on a 3-day hold.  I asked if I could have my travel agent call them to finalize the booking if we decide to go and was told I would have to fill out the form, even though I did not give them a deposit so the booking really does not exist.  Again, they sent me the form. This is a very big pain in the neck and I can see it becoming very difficult to book a last-minute voyage.  I don't quite get the point of this.  I'm thinking of giving a fake name when I call...

 

Linda

May I ask why if you know which cruise you want put on hold you don't just have your TA do it in the first place?

[whystayhome]

 

4 hours ago, wripro said:

May I ask why if you know which cruise you want put on hold you don't just have your TA do it in the first place?

 

Because I didn't think the new rule would be applied to  cruises where there was no deposit given.  I just don't like to bug my travel agent until I'm sure I want to go ahead and my husband agrees he definitely wants to do a particular cruise, too, because it's a waste of her time if we change our minds.  Often, I put the cruise on hold while I look for flights and once I nail down the flights I make the deposit. If I can't find good flights, I withdraw the hold [I think that happened once]. Starting today, I will have my travel agent put cruises on hold for me so there won't be an issue. But I find this annoying and not what I expect as part of a luxury experience. I get a zillion Seabourn emails a month; you'd think they could have informed all of us about this new policy before it went into effect.

 

Linda

[wripro]

The luxury with Seabourn is on the ships, not the reservations department.

[whystayhome]

Inasmuch as I booked my Cuba cruise before the policy change, Seabourn did finally allow me to fill out the form and the booking/deposit is transferred to my agent.  Have not decided about the cruise on hold yet, so will cross that bridge when we get there. Now that I know the drill, I'm OK with it.  It was just the passing of the ex post facto law that had me peeved.

 

Linda