Refund Status for canceled cruises: Retitled after merges

[c-boy]

25 minutes ago, SargassoPirate said:

 

 

And the fact remains that with our experiences in cancelling flights, tours, a river cruise, hotel reservations, and a partial train trip, ALL of our cancellations were handled very promptly by companies big and small.

 

If American Airlines can do it with their passenger load, why can't Princess?

 "In the case of refunds, all items on the bill -- shore excursions, pre-purchased items like drink or dining packages and stateroom gifts -- tend to be processed separately. Most cruisers will see a series of charges returned to their credit cards, rather than a single lump sum.

"Cruise refunds have taken so long to disburse because of the thousands and thousands of transactions a day, compared to maybe a hundred a day before," Foster said.  "Pair this with most of the accounting departments working from home, limited staff due to layoffs and you have a created a backlog of work."

"They then send [this information] to the credit card companies, and the same situation is happening there," Foster says.

Travel advisors say delays are being further exacerbated by backlogged credit card companies.

"The cruise lines are handling a high volume of credits and refunds right now, and it seems to take five to six weeks to process these requests and that can vary by cruise line," Paris Taylor, owner of Timeless Travel Adventures, LLC, told Cruise Critic.  "In addition to the time the vendors need to get through the transactions, travelers waiting on a refund also must wait for their credit card companies to process the refund."

 

11 minutes ago, richsea said:

Everyone here should read the article that Cruise Critic published regarding the cancellations & refunds. Then think of your own situation & multiply that by tens of thousands. Then realize that cruise line employees as well as credit card employees are processing these refunds from home. Do you really think this delay is intentional?
GET REAL!!

it was enlightening

[gmjc2]

1 hour ago, CineGraphic said:

 

My eyes are open to the fact, that nobody seems to realize or care how difficult this is for Princess to handle, and that they want their refunds now. I have several friends who are TAs and they say the calls from folks demanding their refunds started just 2 days after sailings were cancelled, even after being told that they would take at least 60 days to process. Nobody cares about the scope of this, or what may be involved, they want their money NOW, and shame on anyone who thinks they are being selfish.

 

Believe me, my eyes are wide open, and I don't like what I see: Ugliness, selfishness, and desperation, and none of it is coming from Princess.

You may not work for Princess but you could be the CEO's nephew/niece/brother/sister!!!!  It certainly seems that way!!!

 We all realize this is an unprecedented situation but that does not mean we can't expect prompt and truthful behavior from a corporation. Some folks may have come up against financial issues that they did not expect and really need that money.

[BLK03GT]

14 minutes ago, richsea said:

Everyone here should read the article that Cruise Critic published regarding the cancellations & refunds. Then think of your own situation & multiply that by tens of thousands. Then realize that cruise line employees as well as credit card employees are processing these refunds from home. Do you really think this delay is intentional?
GET REAL!!

Yet other large lines have managed to refund pax in a timely manner. 

[CineGraphic]

5 minutes ago, gmjc2 said:

You may not work for Princess but you could be the CEO's nephew/niece/brother/sister!!!!  It certainly seems that way!!!

 We all realize this is an unprecedented situation but that does not mean we can't expect prompt and truthful behavior from a corporation. Some folks may have come up against financial issues that they did not expect and really need that money.

 

I am not related to anyone associated with the line, I wish I did. Please stop grasping in an effort to either validate your statements or to somehow disqualify mine.

Please show me where Princess has been "untruthful"

I am in now way discounting "issues" have affected people's personal finances, I too am currently out of work, but that in no way makes any of this Princess's fault. To expect Princess to jump through hoops and ignore other's to address your refund on your individual timeline, is silly.

Calling your credit card company, just fouls up the works, and will slow the process down because they will now have to check things to make sure a refund they have spent time processing hasn't already been reversed. They'll have to check once before they start processing your claim, and again before they issue the FCC or refund.

[Roger88]

Have been notifed about how many days you will have to wait? Usually when you file a refund they announce the amount of days it will take to process. I am sure in your case its 90 days at least. Try calling them by the end of months to clarify things. Dont worry, there are people on this forum who wait up to 120 days. This is how it is this days 

[Ombud]

1 hour ago, Sail4th said:

Update. In fairness to Princess, when I reviewed my CC I did find that taxes and port charges were refunded May 1. I have had 9 cruises cancelled some booked almost 1 year ago so it’s a bit difficult to track, for Princess also as they told me last night that my tax and port refund was still pending. 

What was your embarkation date and when did Princess receive your form?  Was this 'refund' from Princess or credit card dispute? 

 

Edited: got it:

March 11: you canceled

March 12: form submitted

March 15: cruise date 

 

So they're up to March 15th on pre-Phase 1

Edited May 12, 2020 by Ombud

[voljeep]

Pretty sure Princess has the same group that rolled out OM working on the refunds !🍷🦄🛳️🐬🍻🛸

[Sail4th]

Cancelled March 11 the March 15 sailing to Panama on the Emerald Princess. Filled out the form on March 16th and Princess refunded the taxes and port charges on May 1st. FFC are still not posted.  

Edited May 12, 2020 by Sail4th
Missing letter

[cruisequeen4ever]

I know everyone is frustrated; I want my money back, too, but I also really want Princess to survive. Why? Because cruising is my favorite activity in the world, and this pandemic has not changed that. If everyone keeps disputing the charges with their CC company, that’ll make it even less likely that cruise lines will be able to survive, and it’ll just slow the refund process down for everyone else. I know some people have legitimately given up on cruising, but some will get upset now and file a dispute but then next year wanna book a cruise when things have settled down. I think we need to consider the future, too; if you think there’s any chance you’ll want to cruise again, try to wait out the refund in order to better ensure there will be cruises to take when this is all over. 🤞 we’ll get our refunds soon. 

[USCcruisecrazy]

15 hours ago, pms4104 said:

I acknowledge that these are challenging times ... and that Princess, along with a great many companies, is facing a monumental task.

 

Princess has chosen to offer either cash refunds or FCCs for cancelled sailings ... and those offerings keep changing.  Dou le deposit, anyone?

 

The refund offerings keep changing and being enhanced, and the number of cancellations continues to grow.    And the refund processing gets more bogged down by the hour.

 

I understood early on thar Princess stzffers were working from home ... using paper and pencil to calculate each refund one by one ... necessitated by the convoluted and ever-changing refund offers.

 

Now, I have no clue how many staffers have been tasked with refunding.

 

But, picture this:  a single person may be able to process 4, at most 5, refunds an hour x 8 hours/day x 5 or 6 workdays/week = 240 refunds/week for each processor.  For 18 ships ... from so far, 2  months of cancellations.

 

Starts to explain how long this process will take ... I should live long enough to see tbe credit on my Chase card!

 

Actually, I cancelled my 19-day Fall sailing a couple of weeks ago ... waa quoted 60 days to credit our FCDs back to credit card.  I seriously doubt I'll ever see my $200, and I'm willing to write it off  ... but that will determine with whom I spend my next vacation dollars.

 

I really feel bad for those who are waiting way longer than me for way more money.  Good luck to all! 

Very well stated.  I have no qualms about people complaining about not getting what they have coming, but at the same time, I want Princess to be aorund when this is all done.  That would serve me and many others more in the long run.  These are unprecedented times and perhaps they "wished" to meet a certain timeline but when the rubber met the road, it was too much too soon.  Patience is a virtue so I shall maintain a little patience.

[Coral]

1 minute ago, cruisequeen4ever said:

I know everyone is frustrated; I want my money back, too, but I also really want Princess to survive. Why? Because cruising is my favorite activity in the world, and this pandemic has not changed that. If everyone keeps disputing the charges with their CC company, that’ll make it even less likely that cruise lines will be able to survive, and it’ll just slow the refund process down for everyone else. 

I think everything is relative also. Some people are out $1000 while others are out $20,000. That is a huge difference in how one reacts potentially on their situation. There are also a lot of people who are suddenly out of work who never expected that and this refund could help them out tremendously. Not everyone's situation is the same - try to be sensitive to that.

[mfajxc99]

2 minutes ago, Coral said:

I think everything is relative also. Some people are out $1000 while others are out $20,000. That is a huge difference in how one reacts potentially on their situation. There are also a lot of people who are suddenly out of work who never expected that and this refund could help them out tremendously. Not everyone's situation is the same - try to be sensitive to that.

Coral,

 

Well said, I couldn't have said it better !!!

BTW, a little update on my Allianz insurance case, I've gotten the refund last Friday, it took them only three weeks.   So now I have gotten refund from United airlines, a small tour operator in Italy (ItalyTours.eu, $700+) and travel insurance, NOTHING from Princess..... this is pretty uncool to me.   I've tried to be understanding, but this is NOT the proper way of treating your clients.  

 

Janet

PS:  Sorry for mispelling your name.... I finally realized it is Coral, not Carol 😃

[SCOOTERNINJA]

I find the topic interesting and am lucky that I don't have any money tied up with Princess because I already had serious concerns with their fiscal operational standards prior to the pandemic.

 

In any event, what is really interesting is what happens to deposits and future cruise credits in the event of a Chapter 11 reorganization bankruptcy (or perhaps even a Chapter 7 liquidation).  I really don't know the answer to this but I do tend to think that those with future cruise credits and deposits could be in real trouble because those both appear to me to be simply unsecured debts subject to being wiped out in bankruptcy or forfeiture for those that fail to timely make a proof of claim with the bankruptcy court.  Theoretically, one could argue that a future cruise deposit was never the property of the cruise line and thus should not be subject to bankruptcy...but royalty owners have had a hard time making that identical argument in the recent wave of oil and gas bankruptcies.  I'm sure that in the event of a Ch. 11 that the company will try its best to ensure that those customers are compensated because a Ch.11 only works if there is an actual customer base to return to...but it is the secured creditors (i.e. banks) that really drive the bankruptcy and what ultimately happens.

 

And yes, there will be numerous bankruptcies in the cruise industry along with numerous other industries (oil and gas, airlines, retail, etc..).

[SCOOTERNINJA]

19 minutes ago, USCcruisecrazy said:

Very well stated.  I have no qualms about people complaining about not getting what they have coming, but at the same time, I want Princess to be aorund when this is all done.  That would serve me and many others more in the long run.  These are unprecedented times and perhaps they "wished" to meet a certain timeline but when the rubber met the road, it was too much too soon.  Patience is a virtue so I shall maintain a little patience.

I probably wouldn't exercise that patience in the event of any future bankruptcy filings.  The easiest way for a company to get rid of debts is for creditors to fail to submit a proof of claim after a bankruptcy filing.

Edited May 12, 2020 by SCOOTERNINJA

[ceilidh1]

1 hour ago, CineGraphic said:

 

My eyes are open to the fact, that nobody seems to realize or care how difficult this is for Princess to handle, and that they want their refunds now. I have several friends who are TAs and they say the calls from folks demanding their refunds started just 2 days after sailings were cancelled, even after being told that they would take at least 60 days to process. Nobody cares about the scope of this, or what may be involved, they want their money NOW, and shame on anyone who thinks they are being selfish.

 

Believe me, my eyes are wide open, and I don't like what I see: Ugliness, selfishness, and desperation, and none of it is coming from Princess.

Firstly, your TA friends must have received different info to any other TAs since the first cancellation announcement stated 30 days for refunds NOT 60. That goalpost moved when, as 30 days approached, no one had received anything from Princess. As 60 days approached, the goalpost moved AGAIN to.....wait, no goalpost now.

 

Secondly, I fully appreciate how tough this must be for Princess and that it is not an easy or fast process given the circumstances. That is why I allowed them to arbitrarily change our agreement from 7-10 days for refund, to 30 days, to 60 days without ANY communication to me, as the customer. I am not prepared to wait indefinitely for them to get their act together. If you think this is selfish, then you are welcome to that opinion.

 

Lastly, Princess is not the only big business affected and having to deal with this volume of refunds. Other companies appear appear to handle this in a faster manner. Carnival refunded my cruise in full within 30 days - that cruise was cancelled the same day as my Princess cruise and sailed after the Princess one. My hotel bookings were refunded by a huge online agency within 10 days of cancellation. If the cancellations by Princess are more complex due to FCCs, etc that was of their making. They could have simply issued an automatic blanket refund of all monies paid and not have to calculate ANYTHING. They chose this route in an attempt to retain as much money/customers as possible - I do not fault them for this. I DO fault them for not having an adequate system in place to deal with it.

[USCcruisecrazy]

4 minutes ago, SCOOTERNINJA said:

I probably wouldn't exercise that patience in the event of any future bankruptcy filings.  The easiest way for a company to get rid of debts is for creditors to fail to submit a proof of claim after a bankruptcy filing.

Yeah, got that!  It's a risk I am willing to take because if Princess (or CCL) goes bankrupt, I'll lose more in stocks than cruise deposits...luckily no Final Payments had been sent.  I do not expect them to go bankrupt, however.  I envision that they cut manpower, have tens of thousands of refunds in multiple categories (cruise payments, shore excursions, drink packages, etc...) and they are overwhelmed.  It will take them time to meet their obligations but they are coming.  

 

I have funds that are due from baseball tickets purchased and no games are being played.  Still no refund, but it seems they are paying those based on the timeline of the event taking place...not when it was cancelled.  So I would expect cruises for September are way back in the que and they are still processing refunds for March or April.  Just a guess, but pretty sure if I was in charge, we would refund based on sail date.

[SCOOTERNINJA]

6 minutes ago, USCcruisecrazy said:

Yeah, got that!  It's a risk I am willing to take because if Princess (or CCL) goes bankrupt, I'll lose more in stocks than cruise deposits...luckily no Final Payments had been sent.  I do not expect them to go bankrupt, however.  I envision that they cut manpower, have tens of thousands of refunds in multiple categories (cruise payments, shore excursions, drink packages, etc...) and they are overwhelmed.  It will take them time to meet their obligations but they are coming.  

 

I have funds that are due from baseball tickets purchased and no games are being played.  Still no refund, but it seems they are paying those based on the timeline of the event taking place...not when it was cancelled.  So I would expect cruises for September are way back in the que and they are still processing refunds for March or April.  Just a guess, but pretty sure if I was in charge, we would refund based on sail date.

I personally believe that most cruise lines will file for some type of bankruptcy protection.  When you have no cash flow and lenders are closing the spigot, it is sometimes the best way to stay afloat (pun intended).

[ceilidh1]

37 minutes ago, cruisequeen4ever said:

I know everyone is frustrated; I want my money back, too, but I also really want Princess to survive. Why? Because cruising is my favorite activity in the world, and this pandemic has not changed that. If everyone keeps disputing the charges with their CC company, that’ll make it even less likely that cruise lines will be able to survive, and it’ll just slow the refund process down for everyone else. I know some people have legitimately given up on cruising, but some will get upset now and file a dispute but then next year wanna book a cruise when things have settled down. I think we need to consider the future, too; if you think there’s any chance you’ll want to cruise again, try to wait out the refund in order to better ensure there will be cruises to take when this is all over. 🤞 we’ll get our refunds soon. 

I think many of us also want Princess to survive - I chose option 1 specifically for that reason. Having said that, the way this is panning out, I now question if I wish to support a company that is not being open, honest, transparent, consistent with their customers. Like many others on here, I have received ZERO communication from them since I submitted my form on March 12th. I have not received my promised FCCs or my promised refund of port fees/shorex/pre-paid items - on a sailing that was one of the first cancelled. Whether their timeline is cancellation date, sailing date, or form submission date, I am already past 60 days. Should people continue to be "patient" and hope for the best or submit credit card disputes while still within a timeline to do so?

[joe d]

I think some people are being too sympathetic to Princess's problems.  The problem that I have with Princess is that there is NO evidence that they have even started on the March 12 cancellations.

[Tophat4321]

60 days and nothing

[Coral]

2 hours ago, Cuedon said:

(Emphasis mine.)

 

I don't think what is supposed to be refunded was ever really for debate... did your TA have anything regarding when though?

No.

[npcl]

1 hour ago, cruisequeen4ever said:

I know everyone is frustrated; I want my money back, too, but I also really want Princess to survive. Why? Because cruising is my favorite activity in the world, and this pandemic has not changed that. If everyone keeps disputing the charges with their CC company, that’ll make it even less likely that cruise lines will be able to survive, and it’ll just slow the refund process down for everyone else. I know some people have legitimately given up on cruising, but some will get upset now and file a dispute but then next year wanna book a cruise when things have settled down. I think we need to consider the future, too; if you think there’s any chance you’ll want to cruise again, try to wait out the refund in order to better ensure there will be cruises to take when this is all over. 🤞 we’ll get our refunds soon. 

To be honest while I have been a customer of Princess it makes no difference to me if the cruise line survives or not. If it fails some other company will fill the space, if sufficient demand exists for the product.

 

 

[Paula_MacFan]

2 hours ago, LDVinNC said:

 

I was in IT for 35 years.  If they wanted to refund our money, they could and would be doing so.

I've been in banking for 31 years and have been saying the same thing!  Credit card refunds are not that difficult to process, especially straightforward refunds of original purchase amounts.  It's just a bunch of stalling tactics and hype to fool people in waiting longer.  I've lost so much respect for Princess in this whole ordeal.  

[suzyed]

1 hour ago, cruisequeen4ever said:

I know everyone is frustrated; I want my money back, too, but I also really want Princess to survive. Why? Because cruising is my favorite activity in the world, and this pandemic has not changed that. If everyone keeps disputing the charges with their CC company, that’ll make it even less likely that cruise lines will be able to survive, and it’ll just slow the refund process down for everyone else. I know some people have legitimately given up on cruising, but some will get upset now and file a dispute but then next year wanna book a cruise when things have settled down. I think we need to consider the future, too; if you think there’s any chance you’ll want to cruise again, try to wait out the refund in order to better ensure there will be cruises to take when this is all over. 🤞 we’ll get our refunds soon. 

I sure want them to survive too! 
I asked for FFCs in lieu of a refund because Ms. Swartz asked us to help them out but doing so.

I can’t even get the FCCs 2 months after THEY CANCELLED our cruise while we were part way through it!!!

So??

[nho9504]

18 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!

 

Let me put it this way - IF they do care as you so wishfully think they do,  then at a minimum, they could do a much better, much more transparent communication as to how they are trying but because of this and this and this, obstacles, they would need more time - just a common courtesy to tell your customers that you have difficulties and that you are trying to do your best to serve YOU, the customers, so let's get thru this together...

 

I am sure if Princess ever demonstrate a slightest effort on the above, many people here would be willing to give the company more slack...

 

Yet, what do we have seen so far?  We have to find all sorts of excuses to "forgive" Princess not doing its job.  That is NOT customers' responsibility, mind you!

When we called, we are not being told any useful information.  Worse, we are constantly being misled, if not outright lied to.  I would say the phone reps are just as frustrated as we, because they are not given any information to tell the customers.  They dont even have the access to check customers' accounts to give a "progress update"! 

 

As for answering the phone - today I called, I got the recording message about if "your sailings are after March 10, please do not call as we have to take care of those passengers first.  So at this time we would not be able to take your call."

 

This is on May 12th,  60 days from the 1st pause being announced!   I bet you many people called to ask about the status of their refunds - so Princess decides NOT to answer your calls,  to show you they care... 

 

Oh, they dont even bother to make a new recording to reflect what the latest reality is, but just switched the mechanism first put in place in early March right at the 1st pause...

 

Yeah, they care, answer your calls with a recording to essentially tell you that you would be hung up on (that actually happened) with a recording message that is 60 days OLD.

 

And you still want to give this company yet another excuse?