Cancelling Cruises because of the C word

[majortom10]

12 minutes ago, PRINCESSTHE BEST said:

This is from a company that has emailed us all and askedfor our continued support and loyalty during this unprecedented time, yeah right 🙄

Loyalty works both ways but unfortunately P&O have only had it one way and its not been from them. They have also always stuck to T&Cs and Booking Conditions in the past when you phoned with a problem but now they want to move the goal posts to their benefit as usual.

[arlowood]

I know it's no consolation for those wrestling with P&O over cash refunds but I have seen the other side of the coin in the last week and from an unexpected source.

I had booked a holiday (flight + hotels) with BA for my daughter's 50 so that she and the son-in-law could spend a few days in New York just after the Easter weekend. As this virus issue developed I knew their holiday was in doubt and sure enough I got an email from BA at the beginning of last week cancelling the flights. The email did state that a voucher could be accepted but it also confirmed that I could opt for a refund. As things developed further I called and requested a refund last Thursday. Got through quickly and the call was processed efficiently and I was told to expect the funds within 7 to 10 working days. Checked my Barclaycard this morning and the money was back😄. BA must be in as much if not more financial stress than P&O but they have done the honourable thing.

Second experience was Rentalcars.com. Booked car rental in Vancouver for a post Alaskan cruise that will almost certainly be cancelled. Decided to take the cautious approach and request a refund. Processed it online on Monday and the money was back on my card today. So it can be done.

However my wife is still struggling with a local coach operator to get her funds refunded after their trip was cancelled. The coach company are insisting that they have been advised by ABTA to only offer credit notes that can be redeemed for cash at a later date. This has been the strategy requested by ABTA but as yet the Government has not changed the legislation. The fight goes on

[grapau27]

9 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

Loyalty works both ways but unfortunately P&O have only had it one way and its not been from them. They have also always stuck to T&Cs and Booking Conditions in the past when you phoned with a problem but now they want to move the goal posts to their benefit as usual.

Given the current situation I would have thought it would be a 

Win Win for P&O to let everyone use the FCC against an existing booking.

[staygulf]

25 minutes ago, arlowood said:

I know it's no consolation for those wrestling with P&O over cash refunds but I have seen the other side of the coin in the last week and from an unexpected source.

I had booked a holiday (flight + hotels) with BA for my daughter's 50 so that she and the son-in-law could spend a few days in New York just after the Easter weekend. As this virus issue developed I knew their holiday was in doubt and sure enough I got an email from BA at the beginning of last week cancelling the flights. The email did state that a voucher could be accepted but it also confirmed that I could opt for a refund. As things developed further I called and requested a refund last Thursday. Got through quickly and the call was processed efficiently and I was told to expect the funds within 7 to 10 working days. Checked my Barclaycard this morning and the money was back😄. BA must be in as much if not more financial stress than P&O but they have done the honourable thing.

Second experience was Rentalcars.com. Booked car rental in Vancouver for a post Alaskan cruise that will almost certainly be cancelled. Decided to take the cautious approach and request a refund. Processed it online on Monday and the money was back on my card today. So it can be done.

However my wife is still struggling with a local coach operator to get her funds refunded after their trip was cancelled. The coach company are insisting that they have been advised by ABTA to only offer credit notes that can be redeemed for cash at a later date. This has been the strategy requested by ABTA but as yet the Government has not changed the legislation. The fight goes on

So ABTA are actively advising them to flout UK law? Incredible. 

Edited March 25, 2020 by staygulf

[PRINCESSTHE BEST]

13 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

Given the current situation I would have thought it would be a 

Win Win for P&O to let everyone use the FCC against an existing booking.

Not at all. By insisting you create a new booking they are filling the cruises for the next couple of years. In the meantime they are taking the government handouts and claiming on their insurance for losses. Check the Carnival share price, it is on the way up again. The stock market knows what’s happening.

[galeforce9]

30 minutes ago, arlowood said:

I know it's no consolation for those wrestling with P&O over cash refunds but I have seen the other side of the coin in the last week and from an unexpected source.

I had booked a holiday (flight + hotels) with BA for my daughter's 50 so that she and the son-in-law could spend a few days in New York just after the Easter weekend. As this virus issue developed I knew their holiday was in doubt and sure enough I got an email from BA at the beginning of last week cancelling the flights. The email did state that a voucher could be accepted but it also confirmed that I could opt for a refund. As things developed further I called and requested a refund last Thursday. Got through quickly and the call was processed efficiently and I was told to expect the funds within 7 to 10 working days. Checked my Barclaycard this morning and the money was back😄. BA must be in as much if not more financial stress than P&O but they have done the honourable thing.

Second experience was Rentalcars.com. Booked car rental in Vancouver for a post Alaskan cruise that will almost certainly be cancelled. Decided to take the cautious approach and request a refund. Processed it online on Monday and the money was back on my card today. So it can be done.

However my wife is still struggling with a local coach operator to get her funds refunded after their trip was cancelled. The coach company are insisting that they have been advised by ABTA to only offer credit notes that can be redeemed for cash at a later date. This has been the strategy requested by ABTA but as yet the Government has not changed the legislation. The fight goes on

You’re luckier with BA than I have been.  They cancelled my Italy flight 14 days ago and I have yet to receive the refund. 

[grapau27]

10 minutes ago, galeforce9 said:

You’re luckier with BA than I have been.  They cancelled my Italy flight 14 days ago and I have yet to receive the refund. 

We were due to fly BA Newcastle- Heathrow on March 19th before transferring to Gatwick for P&O flight to Barbados on March 20th.

BA refunded in 2 Days but our hotel booking £130 Sofitel with H.Es to date as a non refundable has drawn a blank even though I asked for a credit only.

Edited March 25, 2020 by grapau27

[staygulf]

10 minutes ago, grapau27 said:

We were due to fly BA Newcastle- Heathrow on March 19th before transferring to Gatwick for P&O flight to Barbados on March 20th.

BA refunded in 2 Days but our hotel booking £130 Sofitel with H.Es to date as a non refundable has drawn a blank even though I asked for a credit only.

I suppose it reinforces the reason to book hotels with someone like Booking.com where you can usually cancel  up to 24 hours(some times later) before arrival. 

[Selbourne]

24 minutes ago, staygulf said:

So ABTA are actively advising them to flout UK law? Incredible. 

Yes, that is exactly what they are doing and many travel companies, P&O included, have adopted the ‘advice’ as if it was law. I accept that, for some people, having FCC deducted from a future (already booked) cruise would help, but I hope that doesn’t become a compromise position. I want a full refund for our May cruise, as soon as it is cancelled by P&O, and will accept nothing else. That’s the legal position and the law hasn’t changed, nor do I think it would be acceptable for any change in the law to apply to bookings made prior to that change. 

[grapau27]

1 minute ago, staygulf said:

I suppose it reinforces the reason to book hotels with someone like Booking.com where you can usually cancel  up to 24 hours(some times later) before arrival. 

It does although I normally only use them for airport parking and disappointed so far with their response so lesson learned.

Sofitel said if I booked direct they would have been amenable to refund.

 

[staygulf]

3 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Yes, that is exactly what they are doing and many travel companies, P&O included, have adopted the ‘advice’ as if it was law. I accept that, for some people, having FCC deducted from a future (already booked) cruise would help, but I hope that doesn’t become a compromise position. I want a full refund for our May cruise, as soon as it is cancelled by P&O, and will accept nothing else. That’s the legal position and the law hasn’t changed, nor do I think it would be acceptable for any change in the law to apply to bookings made prior to that change. 

I realised that P and O were taking that stance but hadn’t appreciated that it was on advice from ABTA. They only act in their clients interests not ours. I agree that the law should stand and cannot be retrospectively altered. I put in a cancellation notice 9 days ago and have requested a full refund. As I’ve said before, nothing less will be acceptable. 

[NoFlyGuy]

30 minutes ago, PRINCESSTHE BEST said:

Not at all. By insisting you create a new booking they are filling the cruises for the next couple of years. In the meantime they are taking the government handouts and claiming on their insurance for losses. Check the Carnival share price, it is on the way up again. The stock market knows what’s happening.

 

Stock markets usually overreact both on the upside and downside. It's the nature of the beast.

Remember the financial crises of 2008 - there were various dead cat bounces before the final slump.

I've no idea of what Carnival plc's insurance arrangements are or what help they may or may not get from the UK government. 

[PRINCESSTHE BEST]

46 minutes ago, NoFlyGuy said:

 

Stock markets usually overreact both on the upside and downside. It's the nature of the beast.

Remember the financial crises of 2008 - there were various dead cat bounces before the final slump.

I've no idea of what Carnival plc's insurance arrangements are or what help they may or may not get from the UK government. 

Insurance/Self-Insurance
We use a combination of insurance and self-insurance for
a number of risks including claims related to crew and guests, hull and machinery, war risk, workers’ compensation, property damage and general liability . liabilities associated with certain of these risks, including crew and guest claims, are estimated actuarially based on, among other things, historical claims experience, loss development factors and other assumptions . our expected loss accruals are based on estimates, and while we believe the amounts accrued are adequate, the ultimate loss may differ from the amounts provided .

[P&O SUE]

I’ve just seen an email in my junk folder for an invoice for my cancellation! This is for 10th April cruise. Must mean the money will soon be in my account.

[emam]

If you were to get a refund and paid by cc, where does the refund go. Do you get it in your bank or back to the cc. If it goes back to your cc, that is a lot of money sitting on your card. Also not really a cash refund for us.

[staygulf]

Just now, emam said:

If you were to get a refund and paid by cc, where does the refund go. Do you get it in your bank or back to the cc. If it goes back to your cc, that is a lot of money sitting on your card. Also not really a cash refund for us.

You can transfer large credit balances from your cc to your bank account 

[emam]

1 minute ago, staygulf said:

You can transfer large credit balances from your cc to your bank account 

Thanks.

[PRINCESSTHE BEST]

33 minutes ago, emam said:

If you were to get a refund and paid by cc, where does the refund go. Do you get it in your bank or back to the cc. If it goes back to your cc, that is a lot of money sitting on your card. Also not really a cash refund for us.

 

32 minutes ago, staygulf said:

You can transfer large credit balances from your cc to your bank account 

I was told I would be getting a cheque within 45 days.

[wowzz]

2 hours ago, staygulf said:

I suppose it reinforces the reason to book hotels with someone like Booking.com where you can usually cancel  up to 24 hours(some times later) before arrival. 

Actually, I would say that in the majority of cases you are far better booking direct, rather than through a middle man such as Booking.com. You may get a better price  to begin with, but if you have to cancel, things can go seriously wrong.  

[emam]

7 hours ago, PRINCESSTHE BEST said:

 

I was told I would be getting a cheque within 45 days.

Thanks

[Tablelamp]

10 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Yes, that is exactly what they are doing and many travel companies, P&O included, have adopted the ‘advice’ as if it was law. I accept that, for some people, having FCC deducted from a future (already booked) cruise would help, but I hope that doesn’t become a compromise position. I want a full refund for our May cruise, as soon as it is cancelled by P&O, and will accept nothing else. That’s the legal position and the law hasn’t changed, nor do I think it would be acceptable for any change in the law to apply to bookings made prior to that change. 

 

My cruise starts on 17th May on Aurora.  Like you I am going to insist on a full refund.  Trouble is, P & O have more power to their elbow and the chances of getting through to them on the telephone is ?.  
 

I paid £15 for a letter from my GP stating that I had an underlying health condition, only to find that P & O had moved the goalposts.     £15 Wasted.

[P&O SUE]

9 hours ago, emam said:

If you were to get a refund and paid by cc, where does the refund go. Do you get it in your bank or back to the cc. If it goes back to your cc, that is a lot of money sitting on your card. Also not really a cash refund for us.

I was told refunded to card paid from. Luckily for me I actually paid by my debit card which is very unusual for me. I now have a credit balance on my credit card from the cruise parking, but a small amount.

[brian1]

7 hours ago, wowzz said:

Actually, I would say that in the majority of cases you are far better booking direct, rather than through a middle man such as Booking.com. You may get a better price  to begin with, but if you have to cancel, things can go seriously wrong.  

I always book the refundable options.Sometimes they are a few quid more.Best example was my booking in Modena on the day of the lockdown,which was cancelled even though I phoned the hotel and they said they were open,which I ignored.The hotel had my money by then,cos the refund has to be applied 24hrs before.Bottom line,Booking .com used their clout and got me a refund.

[staygulf]

8 hours ago, wowzz said:

Actually, I would say that in the majority of cases you are far better booking direct, rather than through a middle man such as Booking.com. You may get a better price  to begin with, but if you have to cancel, things can go seriously wrong.  

I’ve never had a problem with Booking.com. I’ve never had to pay for hotels upfront apart from last year in Cape Town, so there has never been a question of obtaining a refund. 

[brian1]

10 hours ago, NoFlyGuy said:

 

Stock markets usually overreact both on the upside and downside. It's the nature of the beast.

Remember the financial crises of 2008 - there were various dead cat bounces before the final slump.

I've no idea of what Carnival plc's insurance arrangements are or what help they may or may not get from the UK government. 

I think the main reason for this spike,is the 2 trillion dollar boost by Trump.