Refund Status for canceled cruises: Retitled after merges

[Doubt It]

Doing a credit card dispute is the most effective way to ensure a customer gets their funds back.

 

I note many on the CC boards who are "floating a loan" to the cruise companies and are proud of it.

 

To each their own.

 

My analysis indicates that the cruise lines are deliberately withholding client refunds for corporate purposes - hence the moving goal posts, excuses etc.

 

 

[Paula_MacFan]

3 hours ago, Roberto256 said:

 

 

 

Is it necessary to mock everyone who is having a problem?

 

 

 

 

I find the 'ignore user' feature very handy -- you may as well 😀

[travelhound]

15 hours ago, remydiva said:

Sharing this CC article
https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/5342/?source=132418

 

posted on a Princess FB page called Princess cruises Information 

 

 

 

Thanks for posting this.

[PrincessLuver]

5 hours ago, Battleship02 said:

Maybe the people who process them have been stood down and have to stay home as per government orders on social gatherings and workplaces in some countries.

 

Where ever they are Princess has said over and over that they are working very hard on processing refunds......it appears they have processed almost none in 2 months.....surely with all the hard work we would have heard of refunds for cruise fares going back by now.....they are either highly incompetent or highly corrupt at this time.....I think the latter is most likely true now.

[SargassoPirate]

8 hours ago, mthomp5 said:

 

I also used my Costco Visa.  Since I’m losing hope in Princess, I went online and I found the charge when I made my payment in January and it’s looks like it’s pretty easy to dispute online...just click then “Dispute” link.  I am giving them until May 13 because that would be 60 days from when I submitted my request for Option 2.  I wasn’t sure if Costco visa would ask for documentation once I clicked on the “dispute” link. But I have my option 2 form ready and the Princess FAQs that explain what the option gets for the cruise date ranges.  I also have notes from my phone calls with Customer Relations. 

 

 I also used my Costco Visa card with CitiBank.  My cancelled cruise was on the Ruby for April 4.  A few days after the original sailing date of April 4 had passed,  I filed a dispute with CitiBank for the cruise line's failure to provide the service.  I had a provisional refund credited to my account in 24 hours.  A couple of weeks later, CitiBank contacted me for some documenation, so I sent them my booking document with the confirmation numbers, amount paid, etc.  They replied via email that my paperwork had been received and that the merchant (Princess) had a dealine to respond.

 

In my one prior instance of filing a dispute, when the response deadline came and went without  any response on the part of the merchant, the provisional refund became permanent.

 

One way or the other, I'm getting a refund.  Princess can reset their refund clocks all they want - CitiBank's clock is still running.

[PrincessLuver]

12 hours ago, CineGraphic said:

 

Just because they've missed a few deadlines doesn't mean they don't care. You're assuming way too much, in an unprecedented situation.  If they truly didn't care about you as you claim, they wouldn't even answer the phones. Sheesh!

 

This is why we are not getting refunds because evidently Princess has their staff posting on CC to spin their failures as a company!!!

[LDVinNC]

Had an email exchange with my TA yesterday.  She said she contacted Princess and our second FCC for our cancelled B2B should be received in a few days.  We got the first one several weeks ago. Hah. I do not care about the FCC anyway.

 

The refunds will be processed according to sailing date - April 11 and May 9.  60 days.  I am NOT waiting until June and July for our money.  One of the credit cards we used has a June deadline for disputes.

 

I think the TA, while trying to be helpful I guess, is spouting the same platitudes as Princess. I cannot believe the TA's do not have more leverage with Princess to get them moving.  They are on the front lines with (against?) their customers.

[CineGraphic]

4 hours ago, Roberto256 said:

 

 

 

Is it necessary to mock everyone who is having a problem?

 

 

 

 

Don't confuse poking holes in arguments, or pointing out a lack of logic with mocking.

[Steelers36]

Threads on refund complaints are sprouting like dandelions in the Spring and threaten to outnumber the long-time record held by formal wear threads.

[CineGraphic]

13 minutes ago, PrincessLuver said:

 

This is why we are not getting refunds because evidently Princess has their staff posting on CC to spin their failures as a company!!!

 

If you seriously believe that I work for Princess.....well, I just won't say what I think of that because it would break the forum rules.

[SargassoPirate]

I posted this on another thread, but it bears repeating here.  

 

Because of the cancelled April 4th Ruby Princess cruise, we were essentially stuck in Australia having been on several weeks of land travel that would lead up to the cruise as our way back to the US.  After the cruise was cancelled, we initially booked flights home from Sydney on April 4 since that was when our land travels were set to terminate.  As conditions in Australia changed and the states started to close their borders, and some airlines stopped flying, we revised our land travels several times and ended up rebooking several legs of our trip in order to get to Sydney earlier than planned and catch the one daily flight from there to the US.  Even with the rebookings and disruptions to our schedule, we never suffered a loss that would be compensable by our travel insurance.  Why?  As we cancelled, each company stepped up and issued refunds or vouchers for future travel without question and almost immediately.  Those included:

 

Great Souther Railway - vouchers for the full cost of the trip on The Indian Pacific even though we were able to complete one leg of the journey.

Viator - immediate refunds on several tours in Perth, Adelaide, and Sydney

Murray River Cruise - immediate refund to our credit card

Hawaiian Airlines  -  speedy refund to our credit card for a flight we cancelled

American Airlines - voucher for balance of one rebooked flight and full refund for a flight we cancelled

Hilton Grand Vacations Club - immediate restoration of points and fees for cancelled booking

 

These were a range of large and small companies, with a corresponding customer service staff.  

 

So, why is Princess taking so long?

 

[ghstudio]

 
.....they are either highly incompetent or highly corrupt at this time.....I think the latter is most likely true now.

I don’t think it’s corrupt...I think it’s a business/financial decision to delay.....not a personnel/system caused delay.


Sent from my iPad using Forums

[BLK03GT]

3 minutes ago, SargassoPirate said:

 

 

So, why is Princess taking so long?

 

Oh come now - you should be perfectly happy, in fact excited, by the prospect of lending money to a company that "has just missed a few deadlines".  UAL and SWA refunded me the same day, similar to your vendors.  Princess isn't because they can't or are holding funds to stay viable for just a little bit longer.  

[dog]

13 hours ago, Battleship02 said:

I had a cruise booked for April and it was cancelled early on. I was supposed to be going on the Diamond Princess. I got a refund to my credit card for the full fare amount. However I have not received a few hundred dollars worth of tax refunds that I was told was coming by cheque. The cruise was cancelled in February and I got my refund after 3 weeks. I did not have to ring up and ask.

So an April cruise, cancelled in Feb. atleast there are a few

more people reporting refunds. Happy for you. My heart goes out to those who still waiting.   Thanks for posting 

[SargassoPirate]

6 minutes ago, BLK03GT said:

Oh come now - you should be perfectly happy, in fact excited, by the prospect of lending money to a company that "has just missed a few deadlines".  UAL and SWA refunded me the same day, similar to your vendors.  Princess isn't because they can't or are holding funds to stay viable for just a little bit longer.  

 

I like your sense of humor.  Smiling helps ease the pain.  Here is our own press release: 

 

"Due to reduced air flight availability, the closure of cruise ports in regions around the world,  other factors impacting international travel, and Princess Cruises long delay in issuing refunds for a cruise they cancelled, Sargasso Pirate and She Who Must Be Obeyed are extending our pause of cruising operations and have therefore made the extremely difficult decision to cancel any further bookings with Princess Cruises."

 

 

[chrysalis]

5 minutes ago, SargassoPirate said:

 

I like your sense of humor.  Smiling helps ease the pain.  Here is our own press release: 

 

"Due to reduced air flight availability, the closure of cruise ports in regions around the world,  other factors impacting international travel, and Princess Cruises long delay in issuing refunds for a cruise they cancelled, Sargasso Pirate and She Who Must Be Obeyed are extending our pause of cruising operations and have therefore made the extremely difficult decision to cancel any further bookings with Princess Cruises."

 

 

…..and you missed  using that wonderful phrase "going forward"!

[Coral]

I think they are queuing up payments and then they will all be released over a matter of days. Such as the FCC, most got those over a 3 day period (I am still waiting). I also think most at Princess who we speak to don't really know what Corporate is up to so they are just giving us the information they are given (they are not purposely lying to us).

 

I don't believe that it is taking forever to calculate each person properly or that working from home is slowing it down that much (some maybe). I do think Pause 1 should be released before Pause 2.

 

I do have to say this has also changed my perception as Princess as a cruise line. Not in a good way.

[Roberto256]

52 minutes ago, CineGraphic said:

Don't confuse poking holes in arguments, or pointing out a lack of logic with mocking.

 

I'm not confusing anything.

 

Your comments are disrespectful of the people posting about their problems.

 

We get that you are love-blind.

Edited May 12, 2020 by Roberto256

[mthomp5]

1 hour ago, SargassoPirate said:

 

 I also used my Costco Visa card with CitiBank.  My cancelled cruise was on the Ruby for April 4.  A few days after the original sailing date of April 4 had passed,  I filed a dispute with CitiBank for the cruise line's failure to provide the service.  I had a provisional refund credited to my account in 24 hours.  A couple of weeks later, CitiBank contacted me for some documenation, so I sent them my booking document with the confirmation numbers, amount paid, etc.  They replied via email that my paperwork had been received and that the merchant (Princess) had a dealine to respond.

 

In my one prior instance of filing a dispute, when the response deadline came and went without  any response on the part of the merchant, the provisional refund became permanent.

 

One way or the other, I'm getting a refund.  Princess can reset their refund clocks all they want - CitiBank's clock is still running.

Thank you SargassoPirate.  I’ll have my paid booking confirmation ready in case Citibank as for it too.

[Roberto256]

1 hour ago, Paula_MacFan said:

I find the 'ignore user' feature very handy -- you may as well 😀

You are, of course, correct.

 

But, sometimes I just can't resist poking the sanctamonious.

 

Bad me.  Bad!

[Ombud]

I filed a dispute with my USAA visa yesterday after the refunded $434.32 failed to show up. I almost cancelled the dispute over the weekend when Princess assured me I would have it on May 12th. USAA rep talked me out of that. Could only find a $429+ charge on that voyage and wrote a long (980 character) explanation as to why I'm disputing. All said, I'm luckier than most. This will make me 'whole' on 2 of the 3 cancelled voyages. (Really not concerned about missing 1074 FCC on cancelation #1). Missing this last deadline was the last straw

[jagoffee]

Obviously, this is a very unique set of circumstances.  I am confident that Princess does not have any automated method for dealing with the cash refunds and FCCs.  They likely did not even have a process to deal with all this volume. Therefore each cancellation  needs to be manually (in the system) checked, confirmed, and turned over for a cash refund.  This is more difficult because people are working from home.  I suspect that at least two people are involved in each transition.  Because of the volume, Princess must be very understaffed struggling to find qualified/trained staff.  It is really not fair to expect Princess to hire more staff/ increase overhead when they have no revenue.   I recall when just one or two cancellations would cause a back up for processing refunds.

 

I suspect you will find that all high volume cruise companies are struggling with these processes.  

Perhaps not unlike each states struggling with processes and paying unemployment benefits.  The system/processes were not designed for 30 million or so applicants.

 

Although certainly possible, I doubt that Princess has completed the required steps and that Princess is just holding up the refund at the final step.  Some of you feel that this is exactly what is happening, but I seriously doubt it.
 

Each group of cancellations will probably benefit from some level of improved processes.  
 

As long as you eventually get the cash refund or FCC with a bonus, does it really matter?  If you had taken the cruise, the money would be gone.  The interest of the funds is very low anyway.  Princess has provided much joy to most of us for a long time.  We cannot take the cash refund and use it on a different kind of the vacation on the scheduled cruise date.

 

IMO

[gmjc2]

We have not started any disputes yet as we were going to allow the 60 days for the 2 cruise companies to refund but now I am wondering if I should not  wait ?

 

B of A has not credited any money to my daughters card over 2 disputes started 2 weeks ago. We sent all the required documents and answered all the questions.

 

 

[Ereggae]

Princess claims they have limited staff, working from home, who has to process each booking manually to process all refunds, which are being done in cruise departure date order and translates into thousands of passengers per cruise.  Today is my 60th day so I will give them until Friday of this week before disputing with the bank.

[CineGraphic]

8 minutes ago, Ereggae said:

Today is my 60th day so I will give them until Friday of this week before disputing with the bank.

 

3 whole days. Wow.

With everyone now disputing with their credit card issuers, Princess will have to check to see if you've already received a reversal after putting in the time to work on your refund. This will just slow things up even more.