P&Os new cancellation policy - shockingly bad

[ellie1145]

9 hours ago, daiB said:

See my separate post.

Sorry I’m a little confused. Where does it say refunds are suspended and FCC only is legal? Many thanks.

[terrierjohn]

20 hours ago, jeanlyon said:

Yes exactly.  And along with no ports to cruise to, there is also the fact that no travel insurance will cover for this virus.  So until there is a vaccine, I don't think there will be cruising.

But that would surely apply to all holiday travel Jean? Whilst it is likely that some exclusions will apply for a while, it will be in the Insurance companies interests to provide some suitable holiday insurance, otherwise the entire sector would die.

[Britboys]

I see that P&O have found the time to send out an e-mail today from the CEO (sorry, that should be President 🙄) asking pax to bear with them and how very important we all are.  Strange that they haven't found the time to cancel beyond 11th April when the FCO have advised against all travel at least up to 16th April...

I'm a long-time and loyal P&O cruiser but the management does exasperate me at times.

[Pine Man]

I am happy to have FCC and have applied on line for this on my next cruise, which is before 1st September 2020.

 

Has anybody recently applied for FCC and did they get notification from P&O that it had been approved and the amount credited?

[ellie1145]

Just now, terrierjohn said:

But that would surely apply to all holiday travel Jean? Whilst it is likely that some exclusions will apply for a while, it will be in the Insurance companies interests to provide some suitable holiday insurance, otherwise the entire sector would die.

I guess that, just as with pre-existing conditions being covered as long as they are declared up front, and an extra premium paid, so, too, insurance companies will have the  choice of either including or excluding this virus, and to charge extra for such cover. How long it will take for insurance companies to offer such a choice is anyone’s guess.

 

They will obviously have to asses the risks and then decide whether or not to cover Coronavirus or any similar pandemic which may occur in the future. This could take some time, but as you say, this affects not only the cruise industry but the whole travel industry.

 

Insurance companies are all about assessing risk, that’s their job, so imagine this is something they will have to address if the whole travel industry is to survive.

 

One interesting thing will be how those US citizens who stubbornly refuse to buy travel insurance will get on. It may well be that whatever sort of vacation you take you will be forced to take out travel insurance.

 

But who can tell? 

[Confused.com]

Well, nobody has yet explained what "110% FCC of the full balance" actually means.

 

I mean what does "full balance" mean because p+o think it means something different to what I think it means.

 

Has anyone else taken this option and if so, was it 110% on full cost of cruise, or just 50% of it??

[Pine Man]

The only advice I can offer is that when you fill out the on line application form for Future Cruise Credit your are asked to input the following:-

 

Amount paid for your cruise booking (rounded to the nearest pound) including any flights and hotels booked through P&O Cruises (excluding any pre-purchased on-board experiences)

 

This, to me, suggests that the full amount paid will be subject to a 110% FCC.

 

https://www.pocruises.com/transfer

 

Excursions that have been booked can be cancelled on My P&O Cruises. That should be the case but that page is broken at the moment!

Edited March 23, 2020 by Pine Man

[Selbourne]

45 minutes ago, Confused.com said:

Well, nobody has yet explained what "110% FCC of the full balance" actually means.

 

I mean what does "full balance" mean because p+o think it means something different to what I think it means.

 

Has anyone else taken this option and if so, was it 110% on full cost of cruise, or just 50% of it??

Whilst I’m afraid that I cannot answer your question, I agree that the wording makes no sense. On the basis that you have been the only person to query this, perhaps someone else will explain, as clearly we are the only two people for whom it makes no sense whatsoever!

[Selbourne]

1 hour ago, Britboys said:

I see that P&O have found the time to send out an e-mail today from the CEO (sorry, that should be President 🙄) asking pax to bear with them and how very important we all are.  Strange that they haven't found the time to cancel beyond 11th April when the FCO have advised against all travel at least up to 16th April...

I'm a long-time and loyal P&O cruiser but the management does exasperate me at times.

I agree. It’s a great shame that the sentiments in the email don’t match the actions of the company. Moving the goal posts and treating customers as fools are never wise moves if you are serious about retaining customer loyalty. As a loyal customer since 1996, my current views on how P&O has handled this situation makes my chances of booking a new cruise with them at any time in the next few years probably less than 20% - and dropping. 

[wowzz]

8 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

I agree. It’s a great shame that the sentiments in the email don’t match the actions of the company. Moving the goal posts and treating customers as fools are never wise moves if you are serious about retaining customer loyalty. As a loyal customer since 1996, my current views on how P&O has handled this situation makes my chances of booking a new cruise with them at any time in the next few years probably less than 20% - and dropping. 

Careful - I expressed the same opinion on another thread, and Terrierjohn tore me off a strip for "bellyaching " !

[Britboys]

10 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

I agree. It’s a great shame that the sentiments in the email don’t match the actions of the company. Moving the goal posts and treating customers as fools are never wise moves if you are serious about retaining customer loyalty. As a loyal customer since 1996, my current views on how P&O has handled this situation makes my chances of booking a new cruise with them at any time in the next few years probably less than 20% - and dropping. 

Completely understand the sentiments but I do feel most of the big lines are doing pretty much the same thing.  It seems to be the smaller and/or luxury lines that are being more flexible...

[Selbourne]

11 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Careful - I expressed the same opinion on another thread, and Terrierjohn tore me off a strip for "bellyaching " !

To be clear, I feel desperately sorry for the hard working staff at P&O, several of whom I have known for years and consider to be friends. Terribly uncertain times for them. However, I have lost a fortune on my investments lately, most of which I cannot leave untouched for 5 to 10 years in order for the markets to recover, and I cannot afford to have many thousands more of my hard earned cash shoring up the cash flow of a business that, for entirely legitimate reasons, is unable to provide me with the holidays that I have paid for. I don’t see that as my personal responsibility. 

[terrierjohn]

21 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Careful - I expressed the same opinion on another thread, and Terrierjohn tore me off a strip for "bellyaching " !

As Selbourne says this must be a very stressful time for P&O staff who will be worried about the security of their jobs,  so it's not surprising they are not entirely sympathetic with our individual concerns about slow refunds or that we are no longer able to get a refund. But equally I sympathise with Selbourne, and anyone reliant on drawdown for their pensions, or for anyone worried about job security.

I am also sorry for sounding off to you wowzz, but my concern is that things are bound to get worse, and we will all need to get used to losing out on a wide range of things before this crisis is over.

[amajaa]

We cancelled our Iona May cruise when they first said if you were ‘At Risk’ as husband Is over 70. We were told we would get a full refund. Does this still stand as this was before the new cancellation policy was published?

[cjthedjeu]

There is an article in the Independent today by Simon Calder explaining that the whole travel industry has been petitioning the government to change the current legal provisions for cancellations, forgive me, I cannot find the link just now. Across the board it looks like all companies will be giving holiday vouchers which are valid for 2 years and if you are not able to use them, then you would get your money back. This is designed to try and ensure we still have a travel industry next year otherwise if all companies continue to have to pay out in cash for cancellations while having no revenue streams then they will inevitably go bust. Please try not to be so critical and selfish at this incredibly difficult time, try to think of others and also look after your own and everyone else's health. 

[NoFlyGuy]

24 minutes ago, cjthedjeu said:

There is an article in the Independent today by Simon Calder explaining that the whole travel industry has been petitioning the government to change the current legal provisions for cancellations, forgive me, I cannot find the link just now. Across the board it looks like all companies will be giving holiday vouchers which are valid for 2 years and if you are not able to use them, then you would get your money back. This is designed to try and ensure we still have a travel industry next year otherwise if all companies continue to have to pay out in cash for cancellations while having no revenue streams then they will inevitably go bust. Please try not to be so critical and selfish at this incredibly difficult time, try to think of others and also look after your own and everyone else's health. 

 

Fully agree!

[AnnieC]

Here's the link to Simon Calder's article: https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/package-holiday-refund-rules-suspended-abta-coronavirus-a9417261.html

[Pine Man]

26 minutes ago, cjthedjeu said:

Please try not to be so critical and selfish at this incredibly difficult time, try to think of others and also look after your own and everyone else's health. 

 

My sentiments precisesly

[SHIPS CANARY]

Having just read the latest E-MAIL from P&O and having read the latest ABTA information, It is obvious that P&O is waiting for ABTA to say they do not have to give refunds but to give FCC. For those that have not seen the E-MAIL there is the talk of empathy. Empathy is a two way thing why have they not canceled cruises knowing full well that they will not sail this is causing worry to thousands of passengers that have payed there money. Money that over the next few months will be badly needed by passengers that will be out of work, layed off, seriously ill, etc. Unlike the past Cruise passengers that had to be wealthy most passengers are now ordinary working people. Passengers should be given the choice of refund or FCC that would then depend on what passengers feel they can afford to do, that would be EMPATHY.

[Windsurfboy]

It's not up to ABTA, the government must change the law. If and when my June  cruise gets cancelled,  and they offer me 110% cruise credit  and then try and charge me 120% for the same thing. I will ignore P&O and simply use the consumer credit  act  to get a refund from my credit card company, for goods and services not recieved.  It would be a brave government that rescinded the consumer credit act, and legally difficult to exclude just the travel industry whilst providing protection for all other goods and services

[zap99]

4 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

As Selbourne says this must be a very stressful time for P&O staff who will be worried about the security of their jobs,  so it's not surprising they are not entirely sympathetic with our individual concerns about slow refunds or that we are no longer able to get a refund. But equally I sympathise with Selbourne, and anyone reliant on drawdown for their pensions, or for anyone worried about job security.

I am also sorry for sounding off to you wowzz, but my concern is that things are bound to get worse, and we will all need to get used to losing out on a wide range of things before this crisis is over.

If it looks like my August Iona cruise won't be going, I will cancel and not pay the final balance. As I only paid a 5% deposit, no big deal. If  FCC is available I will take it. If I had paid the balance and P&O cancel I would want the refund as detailed in their T&C's when I booked. The money should be in my bank,not theirs.

[wowzz]

Although I have been critical of P&O, especially in the way they have kept moving the goal posts, I do have some sympathy for them and for the rest of the holiday industry.  I would probably be more sympathetic if in the past they had been more flexible in the application of their t&cs. They are now being hoist with their own petard. 

We have an April 12th cruise booked - cost around £3500. Not yet cancelled as P&O are hoping the rules will be changed before they officially pull the plug. I've looked at other similar cruises for 2021 and 2022, and can't see anything similar at that sort of price. So, if we cannot get a refund, which I doubt, we'll just take the credit note, and cash it in two years time. Fortunately we can afford to do without the money, but many others, especially in the current environment, cannot.

I think that at the very least, 50% should be repayable in cash, with the rest held as a credit note.  That way, both parties would have some satisfaction.  

[funinhounslow]

Sorry, if they cancel the cruise I expect a full refund. 
 

Not sure why I should give Carnival a four figure interest free loan for a couple of years...

[Windsurfboy]

I have over £23000 owing from P&O and Cunard. Yes I  can suffer the loss and survive but why should I.  I don't want to go on a cruise in next 2 years. Cunard and P&O even though they are owned by carnival which owns 100% of shares are British companies listed in UK. Thus they will be eligible for the cheap loans offered by the chancellor, as part of the corona virus survival  package,   this will provide the liquidity they need. THEY DO NOT AND SHOULD  NOT BE ALLOWED TO STEAL IT FROM THEIR CUSTOMERS 

[Windsurfboy]

WRITE TO YOUR MP AND LET'S US LOBBY AGAINST THIS BATA TRAVEL INDUSTRY PROPOSAL