Refund Status for canceled cruises: Retitled after merges

[marybrodo]

1 hour ago, PrincessLuver said:

 

I no longer have any sympathy  for Princess.  They canceled our cruise and at the same time canceled our Princess Vacation Protection which denied us the ability to access this insurance to get our money back.  I am not sure if Princess owns the company that provides Princess Vacation Protection either?

 

When you are owed over $15,000 through no fault of your own I expect a reputable company to make good on returning that money and to do it quickly.  

 

I have seen nothing that Princess has done or said that makes me think people are going to get their money back.  Until Princess becomes responsible to it's customers and starts refunding money that it owes I will remain skeptical and believe that they are just playing games and have no intentions of being honest with their customers and returning any money and are only offering worthless FCC at this time.  

 

 

My cruise was canceled by Princess on 3/12 (like so many others here).  After a quick call to Princess, I quickly filled out the form by about 10 a.m. that day.  The agent I had called told me I would get a refund within 10 to 15 days.  Not a penny yet.

 

Five days later, on 3/17, I received a call from a Princess vacation planner, trying to coerce me into putting down a deposit for a new cruise in anticipation of the refund and FCC that I would be receiving. I also received an email from him, so I have this in writing.  This is probably the thing that has undermined Princess' goodwill with me more than anything else:  they don't have enough resources, they claim, to process refunds (and, as I say above, I have not received anything: not for the cruise, EZ Air, excursions, specialty dinners, etc.) but they have enough resources to man the phones to try to get you to make a reservation. 

 

They are making a lot of unforced errors.

 

[springfire]

16 minutes ago, marybrodo said:

 

 

My cruise was canceled by Princess on 3/12 (like so many others here).  After a quick call to Princess, I quickly filled out the form by about 10 a.m. that day.  The agent I had called told me I would get a refund within 10 to 15 days.  Not a penny yet.

 

Five days later, on 3/17, I received a call from a Princess vacation planner, trying to coerce me into putting down a deposit for a new cruise in anticipation of the refund and FCC that I would be receiving. I also received an email from him, so I have this in writing.  This is probably the thing that has undermined Princess' goodwill with me more than anything else:  they don't have enough resources, they claim, to process refunds (and, as I say above, I have not received anything: not for the cruise, EZ Air, excursions, specialty dinners, etc.) but they have enough resources to man the phones to try to get you to make a reservation. 

 

They are making a lot of unforced errors.

 

All the cruise lines are in desperate situations.   They will be forced to cancel even more cruises in the future.  They have no easy way out.  I am just not sure I will ever see my money back.

[LDVinNC]

29 minutes ago, marybrodo said:

 

 

 

 

Five days later, on 3/17, I received a call from a Princess vacation planner, trying to coerce me into putting down a deposit for a new cruise in anticipation of the refund and FCC that I would be receiving. I also received an email from him, so I have this in writing.  This is probably the thing that has undermined Princess' goodwill with me more than anything else:  they don't have enough resources, they claim, to process refunds (and, as I say above, I have not received anything: not for the cruise, EZ Air, excursions, specialty dinners, etc.) but they have enough resources to man the phones to try to get you to make a reservation. 

 

They are making a lot of unforced errors.

 

 

My friends had a Holland America cruise at the end of May cancelled - they did get their money back pretty much right away.  They have received several calls asking them to book again, to which they reply "no, thanks".

[Mackenzie1]

12 minutes ago, springfire said:

All the cruise lines are in desperate situations.   They will be forced to cancel even more cruises in the future.  They have no easy way out.  I am just not sure I will ever see my money back.

 

That's my view, too.  It may take years for cruising to come back because of the cultural changes that this virus has caused.  People may feel the need to hunker down and wear masks when out in public for 18-months or longer, and it may take years before people feel comfortable going to restaurants or coffee shops even if they reopen.  Things may change once a vaccine or cure is found for this virus, but if our refunds depend on cruises resuming in the near future, I am doubtful any of us will see refunds. 

Edited April 9, 2020 by Mackenzie1

[BIGADORF]

16 hours ago, mbglib said:

When did you complete the form for reimbursement on independent air fare, if I may ask?  Thank you.

2nd week in March

[mbglib]

11 minutes ago, BIGADORF said:

2nd week in March

Thank you.  That is when I did as well.  I haven't heard anything yet.

[ceilidh1]

14 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

This thread certainly seems to be living up to the literal name of this website (Cruise Critic).  Call me naive or flame me, but I think many posters here seem to be a bit unreasonable (I only looked this page and the previous one).  

 

So far, Princess has stepped up and done more than I would have imagined for passengers stuck on ships, for cancelled cruises, etc.  (I realize that in some cases, they were forced into a process, so don't go there).  They are acting concerned and appear to also be acting diligently.  I think Jan Swarz has struck the right tone.  No doubt a lot of the same resources that might review and confirm complex refund situations may also have been involved in getting people home.  

 

Princess set a refund standard - sure it was a long one, but under circumstances maybe not that terrible.  IDK if most people ready to - or already done it - call banks and create a charge dispute are afraid of insolvency, or just want money back they wouldn't otherwise have had if travel proceeded.  Do you all realize you are simply creating MORE work and expense for Princess because every dispute with a vendor charge creates a case that the bank has to file to the vendor?  Then the vendor has to check into it to see if legit and respond to the bank again.  It wouldn't surprise me if there are not extra service charges and expense involved to the vendor.  Someone wrote the credit card companies, or banks, are bending over to help people.  Sure - they can reap in more fees as I am thinking a disputed charge-back might come with something like we would get as a NSF charge.  You are creating more work for Princess team and slowing down refunds at the same time.

 

And those who write that this slow service is making them dump CCL brands next time, well I'd be curious to know if RCL brands, for example, are getting people refunds any quicker or treating guests any better.  IDK as I am not using other brands.  But who are you going to sail with next time that you think can do better? 

 

So, call me a Princess cheerleader if you like.  I don't work for them.  I am both a customer and a shareholder and I want them to get over this contagion and come back new - both as a cruiser and an investor.  I have an upcoming cruise later this year that could very well be in danger and we will have decisions to make in terms of making FP or not.  But I see no reason at this time to pile anymore hurt on this company. 

 

As an added piece to what was posted above, if you booked via a TA you may wish to check in with them prior to disputing with your credit card company. Our agency received this email this week (I have **** out the name so as not to break any rules here):

 

"***** has kindly asked that you advise your customers to refrain from requesting a charge-back to their credit card. They have recently come across many examples where the refund was being processed and the consumer had also requested a charge-back.  Many of you may not be aware that the industry practice is that any charge-backs are passed back to the travel agent, this includes charge-backs due to fraud. ***** is working with the banks and credit card processors to actively reject all charge-backs, however if the chargeback is approved by the bank, the travel agent/center would be on the hook for the full amount paid by the customer. "

 

I get that the wait is frustrating - I am personally waiting on refunds from both Carnival and Princess and have clients waiting on HAL and NCL. If my clients decide to do a chargeback and I end up having to pay out of pocket for that, I would be financially ruined. I'm not saying don't dispute, I'm recommending giving your agent a call/heads up if you plan on doing so. That way, they are not blindsided if the chargeback lands on their desk!

[dog]

25 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

As an added piece to what was posted above, if you booked via a TA you may wish to check in with them prior to disputing with your credit card company. Our agency received this email this week (I have **** out the name so as not to break any rules here):

 

"***** has kindly asked that you advise your customers to refrain from requesting a charge-back to their credit card. They have recently come across many examples where the refund was being processed and the consumer had also requested a charge-back.  Many of you may not be aware that the industry practice is that any charge-backs are passed back to the travel agent, this includes charge-backs due to fraud. ***** is working with the banks and credit card processors to actively reject all charge-backs, however if the chargeback is approved by the bank, the travel agent/center would be on the hook for the full amount paid by the customer. "

 

I get that the wait is frustrating - I am personally waiting on refunds from both Carnival and Princess and have clients waiting on HAL and NCL. If my clients decide to do a chargeback and I end up having to pay out of pocket for that, I would be financially ruined. I'm not saying don't dispute, I'm recommending giving your agent a call/heads up if you plan on doing so. That way, they are not blindsided if the chargeback lands on their desk!

who is the email from? Credit card company or cruiseline or your travel agency?

 

 I understand your concern as an agent. 

[npcl]

3 hours ago, PrincessLuver said:

 

I no longer have any sympathy  for Princess.  They canceled our cruise and at the same time canceled our Princess Vacation Protection which denied us the ability to access this insurance to get our money back.  I am not sure if Princess owns the company that provides Princess Vacation Protection either?

 

When you are owed over $15,000 through no fault of your own I expect a reputable company to make good on returning that money and to do it quickly.  

 

I have seen nothing that Princess has done or said that makes me think people are going to get their money back.  Until Princess becomes responsible to it's customers and starts refunding money that it owes I will remain skeptical and believe that they are just playing games and have no intentions of being honest with their customers and returning any money and are only offering worthless FCC at this time.  

I doubt that using the insurance would have helped in this case anyway.  After all a pandemic is not a covered reason, neither is failure to refund by the cruise line.  The cancel for any reason coverage is an FCC from the cruise line.  So don't see why you are complaining about them canceling the insurance because as far as this situation it was worthless anyway.

[voljeep]

21 minutes ago, dog said:

who is the email from? Credit card company or cruiseline or your travel agency?

 

 I understand your concern as an agent. 

additionally, was the agent paid directly to agent account? - then the agent paid Princess ?

[ceilidh1]

25 minutes ago, dog said:

who is the email from? Credit card company or cruiseline or your travel agency?

 

 I understand your concern as an agent. 

The email was to our agency from a travel provider (not a cruiseline in this case). Every agency/agent has different rules and ways to process. I'm definitely not saying people shouldn't file a dispute and would never tell my clients NOT to - everyone needs to do what is best for their situation. I'm just saying that those who booked through an agent should run it past the agent just so they are aware in case it comes back on them!

[san diego sue]

What I don't understand how can the travel agency be charged back if credit card charges show Princess cruises as the one charging and receiving the money.(unless the agency charged the card and later paid Princess .I wouldn't book with any agency that didn't charge my card via Princess direct. 

[ceilidh1]

7 minutes ago, voljeep said:

additionally, was the agent paid directly to agent account? - then the agent paid Princess ?

All agencies are different - which is why it's a good idea to let your agent know!

[ceilidh1]

2 minutes ago, san diego sue said:

What I don't understand how can the travel agency be charged back if credit card charges show Princess cruises as the one charging and receiving the money.(unless the agency charged the card and later paid Princess .I wouldn't book with any agency that didn't charge my card via Princess direct. 

All agencies are different - which is why it's a good idea to let your agent know!

 

My agency pays cruiselines directly, but any additional (non cruise) expenses like hotels/flights would go through a supplier. So if a customer disputed the entire charge our agency might end up having to pay for the hotels/flights.

 

I'm not advocating that people shouldn't dispute....only to let TAs know if that is the route they are taking.

[bluesea321]

9 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

I'm not advocating that people shouldn't dispute....only to let TAs know if that is the route they are taking.

 

I can understand your concern since you are a TA but what would that accomplish?  The only reason I see is to give a heads up to the TA so the TA can try to talk the customer into not disputing.  If the customer disputes regardless, the outcome is the same to the TA.  Princess slow refund process (if one can call it that) is bad for the customers and bad for the TAs.  

[ceilidh1]

1 hour ago, bluesea321 said:

 

I can understand your concern since you are a TA but what would that accomplish?  The only reason I see is to give a heads up to the TA so the TA can try to talk the customer into not disputing.  If the customer disputes regardless, the outcome is the same to the TA.  Princess slow refund process (if one can call it that) is bad for the customers and bad for the TAs.  

I can only speak for myself but I would certainly appreciate knowing that a chargeback might be coming my way. No GOOD TA would try to talk a customer out of doing what a customer feels is the best thing for them. If they did, I would say get a better TA!

[voljeep]

26 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

I can only speak for myself but I would certainly appreciate knowing that a chargeback might be coming my way. No GOOD TA would try to talk a customer out of doing what a customer feels is the best thing for them. If they did, I would say get a better TA!

what advantage, if any, is for a cruiser to use a TA that they pay directly instead of using a TA, but paying Princess directly ??

[LDVinNC]

1 hour ago, voljeep said:

what advantage, if any, is for a cruiser to use a TA that they pay directly instead of using a TA, but paying Princess directly ??

 

I am somewhat confused by your question, but whenever I have booked and paid for a cruise, the credit card charge shows Princess as the charging entity.   If the TA shows, you have no guarantee that Princess got the funds.

[bigdaddy930]

Hi, my 3/29 emerald princess cruise has been cancelled by Princess. On 3/12 I filled in the online form for choosing Option I or Option 2 and I choose Option 2 (cash refund & FCC) and then I received an email receipt from Princess. Up until now I have not received any refund yet. I booked this cruise with a TA. I paid the cruise with Credit card and gift card. I just want to make sure is this all I need to do and wait for the refund?

[Cruise Raider]

10 minutes ago, bigdaddy930 said:

Hi, my 3/29 emerald princess cruise has been cancelled by Princess. On 3/12 I filled in the online form for choosing Option I or Option 2 and I choose Option 2 (cash refund & FCC) and then I received an email receipt from Princess. Up until now I have not received any refund yet. I booked this cruise with a TA. I paid the cruise with Credit card and gift card. I just want to make sure is this all I need to do and wait for the refund?

 

Since you received an email receipt, it is my understanding this is all you need to do.  

[susantx3]

9 hours ago, ceilidh1 said:

As an added piece to what was posted above, if you booked via a TA you may wish to check in with them prior to disputing with your credit card company. Our agency received this email this week (I have **** out the name so as not to break any rules here):

 

"***** has kindly asked that you advise your customers to refrain from requesting a charge-back to their credit card. They have recently come across many examples where the refund was being processed and the consumer had also requested a charge-back.  Many of you may not be aware that the industry practice is that any charge-backs are passed back to the travel agent, this includes charge-backs due to fraud. ***** is working with the banks and credit card processors to actively reject all charge-backs, however if the chargeback is approved by the bank, the travel agent/center would be on the hook for the full amount paid by the customer. "

 

I get that the wait is frustrating - I am personally waiting on refunds from both Carnival and Princess and have clients waiting on HAL and NCL. If my clients decide to do a chargeback and I end up having to pay out of pocket for that, I would be financially ruined. I'm not saying don't dispute, I'm recommending giving your agent a call/heads up if you plan on doing so. That way, they are not blindsided if the chargeback lands on their desk!

I think you are sincere, but the email sounds like "Fan Fiction".   Good luck  'rejecting all charge-backs".  If they are serious about making refunds, what fight the chargebacks?

 

Edited April 10, 2020 by susantx3

[ceilidh1]

6 minutes ago, susantx3 said:

I think you are sincere, but the email sounds like "Fan Fiction".   Good luck  'rejecting all charge-backs".  If they are serious about making refunds, what fight the chargebacks?

 

Fan fiction? Ok...

 

I posted the email as an advisory to people that use TAs that may not know this COULD be an outcome (as I said, every agency has different procedures). People can choose to believe it or not, makes no difference to me either way. If you have an agent that you work with and like/trust then would it not be (at the very least) respectful to contact them and let them know you are pursuing a chargeback?

 

At the end of the day I hope we all get our refunds and both cruiselines AND travel agents are able to remain in business.

 

Since this appears to be veering off topic, I will say no more on the subject...

[dog]

16 minutes ago, susantx3 said:

I think you are sincere, but the email sounds like "Fan Fiction".   Good luck  'rejecting all charge-backs".  If they are serious about making refunds, what fight the chargebacks?

 

when I book a cruise through a TA I ask her to book it through the cruiseline rather then a third party ( ie: air c vac). The receipt I get comes directly from Princess cruises with my TA name, agency etc on the top. Payment shows up on my credit card company from Princess. Not my TA   So, I see no reason why the dispute would create problems for my TA. ( of course I would tell her first). I would only file a dispute if my TA was not getting anywhere with requesting my refund with the cruiseline. 

[susantx3]

2 minutes ago, dog said:

when I book a cruise through a TA I ask her to book it through the cruiseline rather then a third party ( ie: air c vac). The receipt I get comes directly from Princess cruises with my TA name, agency etc on the top. Payment shows up on my credit card company from Princess. Not my TA   So, I see no reason why the dispute would create problems for my TA. ( of course I would tell her first). I would only file a dispute if my TA was not getting anywhere with requesting my refund with the cruiseline. 

Oskidunker is spot on and I quote his wisdom "Baloney. They are deliberately hoarding money. Not that I blame them as they are trying to stay solvent." 

 

They have recently added 10 Billion to their coffers.  The problem with not making quick refunds, is the fact it is slowing new bookings.  I tried to book the same cruise for the same price a year in advance and was told to pay more money now, refund from your canceled cruise may show up in 90 days.

[dog]

3 minutes ago, susantx3 said:

 

 

They have recently added 10 Billion to their coffers.  The problem with not making quick refunds, is the fact it is slowing new bookings.  I tried to book the same cruise for the same price a year in advance and was told to pay more money now, refund from your canceled cruise may show up in 90 days.

Yeah. I looked at using my FCC for 2021. Very few choices for me without paying an extra 1100 pp plus $250 pp deposit. I will be waiting it out until we see some movements on some cash refunds. I will no longer make pre cruise purchases or book my air through the cruiseline.  I have been positive towards how Princess was handling things except for the reversal on giving me Option 1 that Princess rep said I was eligible for. 
the videos by Jan Swartz mean less today.