HELP! Azamara is trying to cancel my trip because of their mistake! Horrible Cruise!

[PatG2]

1 hour ago, fingolfin269 said:

I'm just going to assume everything the OP has been saying is correct since that side is the only one talking.

 

I get that people keep asking for the price as if it makes a difference.  And in many cases it absolutely should make a difference. I do believe that price mistakes happen and that generally speaking the seller does not have to honor those price mistakes.  However, in this instance if what the OP is saying is true then I don't see how anyone can defend this company.  How far should a consumer be expected to go to protect themselves?  Per the OP, multiple calls were made to the company asking for confirmation.  Apparently even a supervisor/senior manager even commented along the lines of "wow, you got a fantastic price" and then went on to say everything looks good.  How many more times should the OP call?  Should the OP go to social media to confirm? Fly out to the corporate office?  Etc.

 

Yes, a pricing mistake was likely made.  But if the OP's side of events is true then this company needs to just eat the cost here.

Thanks fingolf. I really appreciate you commenting on the facts that have been presented instead of making up what could have happened.

[PatG2]

3 minutes ago, hiccups said:

And the irony is that under either the old or new upgrade system, Azamara could be placing someone in a suite that will not have paid any more for that cabin than the price you booked.

People pay 75% less for a cruise than others have paid all the time. Someone could have booked a Verahnda during a last minute fire sale, bid $400 to be upgraded to a suite if there were still plenty left, and ended up paying thousands upon thousands of dollars less than the person that booked a suite during the height of pricing. Same room and amenities but 75% off.

[rallydave]

Sorry Pat that they haven't gotten back to you and reconfirmed your booking.  Probably too busy trying to dream up more promotions that in some cases cost more than the full prices being advertised before the promotions that in many cases are the same price or increased pricing. from the previous day

[hubofhockey]

15 minutes ago, PatG2 said:

Thanks hubohockey. I accept you apology and thanks for sharing.

 

Well, I don't think I have anything to apologize for, but I did want to clarify that I wasn't bullying you and do understand your frustration because I have been there with them.  I never got one apology or official email from Azamara after they deleted my itinerary and failed to communicate it to me or my TA.  I get it.  I also get the oceanview thing.  I could see balcony plus refundable credit and an apology for the miscommunication.  I think I'd want something reasonable like that, but who knows?  Good luck.

 

 

[LHT28]

PATG

 so the big question is

did they cancel your bookings ?

Did you get a refund or accept their terms for another cabin

 curious minds want to know  🙂

 

 

[Wonderingabout]

So the negative posters on this topic are that if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.  And that the original poster should have known it was a mistake and not banked too much on it actually being legitimate.  But substantial discounts do happen and they are not necessarily mistakes. 

 

 I was able to purchase two round trip tickets direct from United Air Line from anywhere  the east coast to anywhere on the west coast in the next four months for $100 each when the going price at the time being well over $500 a piece.  I booked to SFO and return from Seattle.  A mistake you and I might say but no.  It was a sale that lasted from 10:00 AM to 12:00 noon one day and I was only made aware of it by an independent travel agent who happened to work in the same building as the local United Air Lines office.  I had used the agent only once a few years before but mentioned I would consider a trip to California if the price was right.   He called that morning and I made the decision by 11:00 AM..

 

Companies do sometimes make offers that are too good to be true.  Should the original poster presume that there was a mistake in the offer and not respond to the offer?  Should the original poster believe it more likely than not that it was a mistake but on the off chance that she was just lucky make the reservation and wait for the result?   With the acceptance of her payment and the confirmation of her reservations can she now presume that she was lucky and it was not a mistake?  At what point was she being unreasonable in her assumptions?  At what point would her actions be considered unreasonable?

[snowglobe]

Six years ago, I saw a ridiculously low price for a luxury resort in Jamaica. This was for an all-inclusive Valentine’s winter vacation including flights, transfers, an ocean-front verandah suite, all meals and premium liquor. I called a friend, then called the supplier direct (not a third-party agent) to book two suites. The reservations agent took my booking, and our two payments.

 

After we were done, I mentioned to her that the price was very, very low since it wasn’t a last-minute deal, and that she may want to bump a message up about it. The next day, I got a call letting me know that there had indeed been a pricing mistake. In the system, they had only loaded in the net price of the hotel - missing the flights, transfers, and their own profit percentage from the total gross. She also assured me that my booking was protected, and chuckled that, luckily, only my friend and I scored the mistaken price before they pulled the inventory pending correction. They definitely ate a loss on it, but consumer protection where I live covers this kind of situation.

 

I would definitely look into what consumer protection or a media consumer watchdog would have to say about your situation.

[travelberlin]

To the OP: I am sorry this happened to you with Azamara. The price does not matter imho. You bought the suites and got the confirmation. It is not fair nor professional to say “Sorry our mistake and your problem...”

Something similar happened to me with a river cruise, but not because of a mistake in the price, but because after receiving my deposit and confirming my cabin they sold the cruise to a group. So they offered me another cruise, which was at a time I could not make it. Thanks to my travel agent and thanks to the professionalism of the river cruise representative, they have given me my place back on the originally booked cruise.  Azamara has still time to assume the responsibility for its mistake and show professionalism. I am optimist this will be in your case. Azamara is a responsible company.

Ivi

Edited June 14, 2019 by travelberlin

[marinaro44]

Had a similar issue at that self-described six-star cruise line Regent.  Made final payment on a TA to Barcelona and was offered an attractive price to stay on to Istanbul.  Accepted the offer and thought we were set.  TA received an email from Regent saying "oops, we made a mistake; your client has to pay $1000 more."

 

TA fought it, escalated, and got nowhere.  Finally, I wrote to Regent's then-president and he fixed it.  Never easy.

[SoCalTraveler]

I recognize I'm late to this party.  From what I can read, OP booked two cabins on a cruise and Azamara confirmed.   That's a binding contract in all of the English speaking world in the absence of some part of the cruise contract which allows Azamara to cancel without penalty.  (Azamara's advertisement is typically considered an invitation to contract.  Your response to that invitation is an offer to enter into a contract.  When Azamara took your money and executed the contract, a binding agreement was formed.)

 

I have not seen what the price difference is.  I do not recommend giving in to this behavior but I would not want to ruin my vacation, scarce vacation time, and pay airline cancellation penalties over a small amount of money that you can fight about later.  You may be able to dispute the charge (either the original charge, the upcharge, or both) with your credit card company.  (In the States, read the billing error dispute information on the back of the bill. Your complaint MUST be in writing and within certain tight time limits.)  You also may be able to sue Azamara in your local small claims court.  That's a more complicated question and involves reading the very fine print venue provisions in your cruise contract.  Given the short time between booking and your credit card bill, that would seem the best way to go.  (Ordinarily, cruise lines want payment in full far enough out to avoid credit card billing error disputes.)  And disputing the credit card charge does not typically bar you from a small claims action later.

 

I had a similar experience on Royal Caribbean (Azamara's parent) where after the contract was confirmed and I had paid (for two cabins, balcony and interior), RCCL decided that my future cruise credit was incorrectly labeled and it was really an on-board credit, and that because I was getting an onboard credit, I would not get the shareholder credit because it was not combinable.  RCCL even said to me that their credits were "bewildering."   As we had an alternate Princess Cruise at a lower price in mind for the same time period, we cancelled and went on Princess for less money, and there the shareholder credit is fully combinable.  I then made RCCL an offer it could not refuse and RCCL wrote me a check for the full FCC.  No release.  No agreement to keep quiet.  A check.  For cash.  Which is just as good as money.  

[Host Jazzbeau]

1 hour ago, SoCalTraveler said:

I then made RCCL an offer it could not refuse

 

Did this involve their walking with a limp if they did not comply? 

[SoCalTraveler]

50 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

Did this involve their walking with a limp if they did not comply? 

No, and it did not involve a horse head.

 

If you check out my signature, we actually met on a cruise (my recollection is that we both had aft cabins) and you went on the Xpedition in 2015 the weeks after us.  

[Host Jazzbeau]

21 minutes ago, SoCalTraveler said:

No, and it did not involve a horse head.

 

If you check out my signature, we actually met on a cruise (my recollection is that we both had aft cabins) and you went on the Xpedition in 2015 the weeks after us.  

 

Yes, indeed – the "Save the Whales" and skip Gaspé cruise!  That aft cabin made me aware just how big that ship is – because we had to walk through several zip codes to get anywhere!  By contrast, when we got upgraded to a CW on Azamara the aft position wasn't a problem at all because the ship is so much smaller.

 

Glad to hear that no horses were harmed in the making of your post 

[PatG2]

On 6/13/2019 at 1:04 PM, LHT28 said:

PATG

 so the big question is

did they cancel your bookings ?

Did you get a refund or accept their terms for another cabin

 curious minds want to know  🙂

 

 

Update coming... Stay tuned!

[PatG2]

On 6/13/2019 at 2:58 PM, Wonderingabout said:

So the negative posters on this topic are that if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.  And that the original poster should have known it was a mistake and not banked too much on it actually being legitimate.  But substantial discounts do happen and they are not necessarily mistakes. 

 

 I was able to purchase two round trip tickets direct from United Air Line from anywhere  the east coast to anywhere on the west coast in the next four months for $100 each when the going price at the time being well over $500 a piece.  I booked to SFO and return from Seattle.  A mistake you and I might say but no.  It was a sale that lasted from 10:00 AM to 12:00 noon one day and I was only made aware of it by an independent travel agent who happened to work in the same building as the local United Air Lines office.  I had used the agent only once a few years before but mentioned I would consider a trip to California if the price was right.   He called that morning and I made the decision by 11:00 AM..

 

Companies do sometimes make offers that are too good to be true.  Should the original poster presume that there was a mistake in the offer and not respond to the offer?  Should the original poster believe it more likely than not that it was a mistake but on the off chance that she was just lucky make the reservation and wait for the result?   With the acceptance of her payment and the confirmation of her reservations can she now presume that she was lucky and it was not a mistake?  At what point was she being unreasonable in her assumptions?  At what point would her actions be considered unreasonable?

 

Thanks for sharing wonderingabout. I don't know how any reasonable person would still believe their was a pricing mistake after multiple confirmations, printing tickets and paying in full.

[PatG2]

On 6/13/2019 at 3:54 PM, snowglobe said:

Six years ago, I saw a ridiculously low price for a luxury resort in Jamaica. This was for an all-inclusive Valentine’s winter vacation including flights, transfers, an ocean-front verandah suite, all meals and premium liquor. I called a friend, then called the supplier direct (not a third-party agent) to book two suites. The reservations agent took my booking, and our two payments.

 

After we were done, I mentioned to her that the price was very, very low since it wasn’t a last-minute deal, and that she may want to bump a message up about it. The next day, I got a call letting me know that there had indeed been a pricing mistake. In the system, they had only loaded in the net price of the hotel - missing the flights, transfers, and their own profit percentage from the total gross. She also assured me that my booking was protected, and chuckled that, luckily, only my friend and I scored the mistaken price before they pulled the inventory pending correction. They definitely ate a loss on it, but consumer protection where I live covers this kind of situation.

 

I would definitely look into what consumer protection or a media consumer watchdog would have to say about your situation.

Thanks for sharing snowglobe. Unfortunately, it seems like some laws in the US are geared to protecting corporations more so than consumers. More to come on this soon.

[PatG2]

On 6/14/2019 at 1:14 PM, travelberlin said:

To the OP: I am sorry this happened to you with Azamara. The price does not matter imho. You bought the suites and got the confirmation. It is not fair nor professional to say “Sorry our mistake and your problem...”

Something similar happened to me with a river cruise, but not because of a mistake in the price, but because after receiving my deposit and confirming my cabin they sold the cruise to a group. So they offered me another cruise, which was at a time I could not make it. Thanks to my travel agent and thanks to the professionalism of the river cruise representative, they have given me my place back on the originally booked cruise.  Azamara has still time to assume the responsibility for its mistake and show professionalism. I am optimist this will be in your case. Azamara is a responsible company.

Ivi

Thanks for sharing Travelberlin. You would think that after making a mistake, most companies would not try to fix it by putting their problem onto the consumer.

Edited June 15, 2019 by PatG2

[PatG2]

17 hours ago, SoCalTraveler said:

I recognize I'm late to this party.  From what I can read, OP booked two cabins on a cruise and Azamara confirmed.   That's a binding contract in all of the English speaking world in the absence of some part of the cruise contract which allows Azamara to cancel without penalty.  (Azamara's advertisement is typically considered an invitation to contract.  Your response to that invitation is an offer to enter into a contract.  When Azamara took your money and executed the contract, a binding agreement was formed.)

 

I have not seen what the price difference is.  I do not recommend giving in to this behavior but I would not want to ruin my vacation, scarce vacation time, and pay airline cancellation penalties over a small amount of money that you can fight about later.  You may be able to dispute the charge (either the original charge, the upcharge, or both) with your credit card company.  (In the States, read the billing error dispute information on the back of the bill. Your complaint MUST be in writing and within certain tight time limits.)  You also may be able to sue Azamara in your local small claims court.  That's a more complicated question and involves reading the very fine print venue provisions in your cruise contract.  Given the short time between booking and your credit card bill, that would seem the best way to go.  (Ordinarily, cruise lines want payment in full far enough out to avoid credit card billing error disputes.)  And disputing the credit card charge does not typically bar you from a small claims action later.

 

I had a similar experience on Royal Caribbean (Azamara's parent) where after the contract was confirmed and I had paid (for two cabins, balcony and interior), RCCL decided that my future cruise credit was incorrectly labeled and it was really an on-board credit, and that because I was getting an onboard credit, I would not get the shareholder credit because it was not combinable.  RCCL even said to me that their credits were "bewildering."   As we had an alternate Princess Cruise at a lower price in mind for the same time period, we cancelled and went on Princess for less money, and there the shareholder credit is fully combinable.  I then made RCCL an offer it could not refuse and RCCL wrote me a check for the full FCC.  No release.  No agreement to keep quiet.  A check.  For cash.  Which is just as good as money.  

Very interesting. Thanks for joining SoCalTraveler. I didn't think of the credit card dispute piece. I'm glad you were able to get things worked out on your end.

[hubofhockey]

18 hours ago, SoCalTraveler said:

I recognize I'm late to this party.  From what I can read, OP booked two cabins on a cruise and Azamara confirmed.   That's a binding contract in all of the English speaking world in the absence of some part of the cruise contract which allows Azamara to cancel without penalty.  (Azamara's advertisement is typically considered an invitation to contract.  Your response to that invitation is an offer to enter into a contract.  When Azamara took your money and executed the contract, a binding agreement was formed.)

 

I have not seen what the price difference is.  I do not recommend giving in to this behavior but I would not want to ruin my vacation, scarce vacation time, and pay airline cancellation penalties over a small amount of money that you can fight about later.  You may be able to dispute the charge (either the original charge, the upcharge, or both) with your credit card company.  (In the States, read the billing error dispute information on the back of the bill. Your complaint MUST be in writing and within certain tight time limits.)  You also may be able to sue Azamara in your local small claims court.  That's a more complicated question and involves reading the very fine print venue provisions in your cruise contract.  Given the short time between booking and your credit card bill, that would seem the best way to go.  (Ordinarily, cruise lines want payment in full far enough out to avoid credit card billing error disputes.)  And disputing the credit card charge does not typically bar you from a small claims action later.

 

I had a similar experience on Royal Caribbean (Azamara's parent) where after the contract was confirmed and I had paid (for two cabins, balcony and interior), RCCL decided that my future cruise credit was incorrectly labeled and it was really an on-board credit, and that because I was getting an onboard credit, I would not get the shareholder credit because it was not combinable.  RCCL even said to me that their credits were "bewildering."   As we had an alternate Princess Cruise at a lower price in mind for the same time period, we cancelled and went on Princess for less money, and there the shareholder credit is fully combinable.  I then made RCCL an offer it could not refuse and RCCL wrote me a check for the full FCC.  No release.  No agreement to keep quiet.  A check.  For cash.  Which is just as good as money.  

 

Not to hijack this thread, but I am disappointed in Royal Caribbean.  I purchased a future cruise credit for $200 and didn't know at the time that it's not combinable with anything.  I want my money back, but they say it's not refundable.  That's kind of a scam.  I can always get OBC from a travel agent and will never use it and never get my money back.  Maybe I need to make some calls.

[BBMacLaird]

46 minutes ago, hubofhockey said:

 

Not to hijack this thread, but I am disappointed in Royal Caribbean.  I purchased a future cruise credit for $200 and didn't know at the time that it's not combinable with anything.  I want my money back, but they say it's not refundable.  That's kind of a scam.  I can always get OBC from a travel agent and will never use it and never get my money back.  Maybe I need to make some calls.

Hi hubofhockey,

I’m not familiar wi5 Royal Caribbean’s future cruise credit.

Azamara’s ‘Cruise Again’ (booked onboard) passages are combinable.

https://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/int/le-club-voyage/terms-conditions

[hubofhockey]

2 hours ago, BBMacLaird said:

Hi hubofhockey,

I’m not familiar wi5 Royal Caribbean’s future cruise credit.

Azamara’s ‘Cruise Again’ (booked onboard) passages are combinable.

https://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/int/le-club-voyage/terms-conditions

Thanks Bonnie.  It's an old Royal Caribbean credit. They never told me the restrictions when I bought it years ago.  

 

I may pick up AZ's on my October Quest cruise.  We'll see how our first Azamara cruise goes.  

[PatG2]

So for the long awaited update everybody is waiting for...

 

Like some had suggested, I told Azamara I was not happy with an OV but that I would settle for a veranda. The manager took a few days to discuss with the management team and at the end of the day came back to me with the same options. I asked if I could at least keep the OB credits that were offered which included $500 OBC, internet, and specialty dining that was part of the promo when I booked. They agreed to let me keep the credits.

 

Is it a good deal? Sure. Would I have booked the OV originally at this price? No. Although it's a good deal, there were other itineraries I liked better. However, I decided to accept because after planning the whole trip it was just too much of a headache to change everything. I'm also just tired of all this and would like to try to enjoy my cruise at this point. I'm sure I will have a good time, it was just very stressful leading up to this point.

 

I'm not a lawyer, but from my research I've learned that cruise lines have the right to cancel a "mistake price" even after it is booked. Something I completely disagree with but it seems like they can. However, I wonder at what point does this right go away? After final payment? After 1...2...3... confirmations? When a cruise is less than 2 months away? Once you've printed your tickets? At what point are they fully liable is unclear.

 

Something more important then the legal question, is the ethical one. Ok, they made a mistake.If I received a phone call immediately after or the next morning telling me about the mistake, I probably wouldn't have cared as much. Instead, immediately after and the next morning I received 2 verbal confirmations and multiple email confirmations (even more confirmations after that). It was no longer 1 price mistake at this point, it was multiple mistakes that a multi-billion dollar company should be able to prevent. Why is it that they made all the mistakes, I did all the right things, and I'm the one that suffers the consequences.

 

I hope to write very positive reviews about Azamara after my first cruise with them. I'm just disappointed on how everything went down so far.

 

Thank you all for your feedback and for sharing your stories. I appreciate your help.

 

 

Edited June 17, 2019 by PatG2

[LHT28]

Thanks  for the update

I would agree with you  they should have done more  for you

I am not an Azamara fan  hopefully it all works out for you

 

The OV  cabins  are good (we sail another line but same ships)

Hope you enjoy the cruise & can put this fiasco behind you

 

 

[rallydave]

15 minutes ago, PatG2 said:

So for the long awaited update everybody is waiting for...

 

Like some had suggested, I told Azamara I was not happy with an OV but that I would settle for a veranda. The manager took a few days to discuss with the management team and at the end of the day came back to me with the same options. I asked if I could at least keep the OB credits that were offered which included $500 OBC, internet, and specialty dining that was part of the promo when I booked. They agreed to let me keep the credits.

 

Is it a good deal? Sure. Would I have booked the OV originally at this price? No. Although it's a good deal, there were other itineraries I liked better. However, I decided to accept because after planning the whole trip it was just too much of a headache to change everything. I'm also just tired of all this and would like to try to enjoy my cruise at this point. I'm sure I will have a good time, it was just very stressful leading up to this point.

 

I'm not a lawyer, but from my research I've learned that cruise lines have the right to cancel a "mistake price" even after it is booked. Something I completely disagree with but it seems like they can. However, I wonder at what point does this right go away? After final payment? After 1...2...3... confirmations? When a cruise is less than 2 months away? Once you've printed your tickets? At what point are they fully liable is unclear.

 

Something more important then the legal question, is the ethical one. Ok, they made a mistake.If I received a phone call immediately after or the next morning telling me about the mistake, I probably wouldn't have cared as much. Instead, immediately after and the next morning I received 2 verbal confirmations and multiple email confirmations (even more confirmations after that). It was no longer 1 price mistake at this point, it was multiple mistakes that a multi-billion dollar company should be able to prevent. Why is it that they made all the mistakes, I did all the right things, and I'm the one that suffers the consequences.

 

I hope to write very positive reviews about Azamara after my first cruise with them. I'm just disappointed on how everything went down so far.

 

Thank you all for your feedback and for sharing your stories. I appreciate your help.

 

 

Thanks for the information.  Suggest you read the latest post on the thread What Happens to the Cuba Cruises.  While not the same as your mistake fare, it does show how azamara tries to take advantage of their customers for business purposes.  Interestingly the almost exact thing happened when azamara was gearing up for higher fares and more Cuba cruise.  They moved a West bound TA a month earlier expecting passengers to pay the same amount for a cruise 4 days shorter with 3 fewer ports.  Appears to be no matter what azamara always wins at the expense of the customer..

 

 

[Host Jazzbeau]

1 hour ago, PatG2 said:

Is it a good deal? Sure. Would I have booked the OV originally at this price? No. Although it's a good deal, there were other itineraries I liked better.

 

So if an OV with the original perks is "a good deal," the suites you thought you booked at that price look more and more like a "too good to be true" deal.  I agree that Azamara could/should have offered you a little more [the veranda you requested seems reasonable] – unless there is something more going on here that we haven't learned about.

 

1 hour ago, PatG2 said:

I hope to write very positive reviews about Azamara after my first cruise with them.

 

This is the right attitude at this point.  It's too bad you didn't get the deal you thought, or the more interesting itinerary you would have booked – but this is the only deal and itinerary now and it will get you the experience of trying Azamara.  If you can embark with an open mind, I'm hopeful that you will love Azamara as much as DW and I do.  Then the problem becomes working out the travel budget to cover a CC suite at a real price [we wait for the BOGOHO+ sale but it's still expensive].