Regent: It’s time to do the right thing!

[liptastic]

Thanks Susan. Yes have to say I was disappointed at Regents response. The April Splendour cruise we booked onboard 2 years ago for my recent retirement after almost 41 years nursing. It’s the most expensive cruise we have taken since we began cruising in 2003. It’s a very substantial amount of £ as we have booked a special suite. 
Anyway we are very lucky to have an excellent TA who is working on all their client’s behalf. 
Hope you are staying safe in these frightening times we find ourselves in,  Jean.

[flossie009]

@DaisyUK,

Yes, I think everyone in the travel industry is overwhelmed at the moment, including both ABTA & Regent.

[redmaid]

Susan, hope you and David are both well.  Looking for some advice from you please.

As you know we booked through the UK TA that you recommended when we met on board several years ago and have used them ever since.  Know I can’t quote the name here but hope they are not the same as an earlier poster was having problems with.

We have a cruise booked in May (on Oceania but presume the principal is the same)

which is now suddenly fully wait listed.  Presumably this means it will be cancelled.

As we have a Regent cruise booked for next March we don’t really want FCC so are holding out hoping for it to be cancelled.  If this happens how do we apply for the refund - through our TA or direct with Oceania?  Presumably it will be refunded to the credit card so do they then refund to us or do we have to keep it there and use towards our final payment to Regent for next March?

Roger &   Mary

 

[ronrick1943]

27 minutes ago, redmaid said:

Susan, hope you and David are both well.  Looking for some advice from you please.

As you know we booked through the UK TA that you recommended when we met on board several years ago and have used them ever since.  Know I can’t quote the name here but hope they are not the same as an earlier poster was having problems with.

We have a cruise booked in May (on Oceania but presume the principal is the same)

which is now suddenly fully wait listed.  Presumably this means it will be cancelled.

As we have a Regent cruise booked for next March we don’t really want FCC so are holding out hoping for it to be cancelled.  If this happens how do we apply for the refund - through our TA or direct with Oceania?  Presumably it will be refunded to the credit card so do they then refund to us or do we have to keep it there and use towards our final payment to Regent for next March?

Roger &   Mary

 

The way I understand it, but this is the US---Regent called/e-mail to are TA that the cruise was cancel, TA send me a copy of the cancellation and asked what I want to do on this cruise.  Full refund or 125% FFC.  I chose full refund on this cruise, Regent send a cancellation notice with amount to be refunded to my credit card.  On the other cruise I took the FFC and applied it to another cruise we booked.

[flossie009]

2 hours ago, redmaid said:

Susan, hope you and David are both well.  Looking for some advice from you please.

As you know we booked through the UK TA that you recommended when we met on board several years ago and have used them ever since.  Know I can’t quote the name here but hope they are not the same as an earlier poster was having problems with.

We have a cruise booked in May (on Oceania but presume the principal is the same)

which is now suddenly fully wait listed.  Presumably this means it will be cancelled.

As we have a Regent cruise booked for next March we don’t really want FCC so are holding out hoping for it to be cancelled.  If this happens how do we apply for the refund - through our TA or direct with Oceania?  Presumably it will be refunded to the credit card so do they then refund to us or do we have to keep it there and use towards our final payment to Regent for next March?

Roger &   Mary

 

Hi Roger & Mary,

Long time no see. Yes we are both well .......... but disappointed we won't be enjoying Bangkok or getting on a cruise next week as previously planned. Hope you are keeping safe & well 🙂

 

As regards dealing with the cruise-line, same procedure as @ronrick1943 describes.

Regent emailed our TA regarding the cancellation, who forwarded it to us immediately. TA has dealt with all our various questions and is chasing Regent (who are being very slow with the promised refund and somewhat obtuse with some FCC)

I get the feeling that the Regent UK office does not have any autonomy at this time; all the strings are being pulled by NCLH in Miami; unfortunately with scant regard for the UK Booking Conditions or ABTA advice regarding cancellations & significant amendments. Probably the same for Oceania as they use the same office in Southampton.

 

Hope to meet up with you again in the future, when the world returns to normality.

All the best

S & D 

[v4e]

I notice Regent has now listed all cruises sailing before July 1 as "Wait Listed"  Looks like a cancel of everything till July 1.

 

 

[irishwitchy]

2 hours ago, v4e said:

I notice Regent has now listed all cruises sailing before July 1 as "Wait Listed"  Looks like a cancel of everything till July 1.

 

 

Yup,  my cruise starts on June 30 and it wasn’t waitlisted a couple of days ago, but it is now.     I’m thinking that some folks started to request these cruises with the idea they would be able to get the 125% fcc for a future cruise and go knows Regent doesn’t need that happening at this point.   However,  now I need to contact by TA to find out my next steps, so thanks v4e! 

[AuntyJan]

1 minute ago, irishwitchy said:

Yup,  my cruise starts on June 30 and it wasn’t waitlisted a couple of days ago, but it is now.     I’m thinking that some folks started to request these cruises with the idea they would be able to get the 125% fcc for a future cruise and go knows Regent doesn’t need that happening at this point.   However,  now I need to contact by TA to find out my next steps, so thanks v4e! 

Irishwitchy, Toolworker and I were talking on our rollcall about my similar issue......  check out the link he posted.

[cruiseluv]

3 hours ago, irishwitchy said:

Yup,  my cruise starts on June 30 and it wasn’t waitlisted a couple of days ago, but it is now.     I’m thinking that some folks started to request these cruises with the idea they would be able to get the 125% fcc for a future cruise and go knows Regent doesn’t need that happening at this point.   However,  now I need to contact by TA to find out my next steps, so thanks v4e! 

Oh, I don't know if that was their motivation. Maybe they truly don't know what cruises in this period will be a go ( although many of them are a virtual impossibility) , and finally realized it was not right to keep accepting new bookings on them.

[DaisyUK]

JMariner - thanks for your input. The only conclusion I can reach is that this is a company about to go under, otherwise why risk antagonising a good, repeat customer who books cruises every year. I will certainly advise Regent USA as you suggest. In the circumstances, I am relieved to have Regent Reassurance to fall back on - assuming Regent survives of course. 

[flossie009]

9 hours ago, JMARINER said:

Here in the USA a travel agent is only a conduit for payment. That is to  say, the agent takes your credit card number and give it to Regent for processing. At a later time, Regent pays the Agent their commission. So in the US, the situation you describe would be impossible for the Agent to pull off as the refund from Regent would go back to the original credit card. I assume that the payment situation in the UK is the same, and  if so your agent is talking out their A$$. 

Our UK TA & Regent (UK) operate in the same manner as you describe.

However not sure whether @DaisyUK's (ex)TA was working in the same way; otherwise how did the TA expect to get their sticky fingers on a large proportion of the refund?

Since @DaisyUK has now been effectively forced to go down the Regent Reassurance route, the end result is that Regent retains the customer's money and presumably the TA retains their commission.

[DaisyUK]

I am not sure whether the agent will get the commission, or not. Regent UK told me that I am free to use a different TA to book the future cruise if I wish, so presumably if I were to do this the new TA would get the commission. Not sure. In any event, I feel for the individual who booked this cruise in the first place so may leave this one booking with her before abandoning ship, so to speak. In my view, it is an appalling way for the TA to behave, and I will make sure that everyone who needs to know what has happened, does. 

[piscean]

I had my 16th March cruise cancelled and was offered a full refund and a 25% future cruise credit. I immediately booked the 16th April cruise (at the time it looked ok!)
I have been refunded for the first cruise which comprised of credit card payments (these are back on the card) and a cheque payment which our TA returned to us.

By the way I had to pay in full for the 2nd booking, less the fcc....

I’m using another TA for the 2nd booking and they would insist that Regent cancelled the cruise, even though we could have cancelled on a significant change, Government advice  being over 70!  We would be covered under the ABTA/Atol Package Regulations.  I persisted and am now waiting to see what I am refunded.....

 

[spindrift]

Not to place anymore worry on our already worried minds, but I was reading an article on the debt issue of NCL (can’t find it right now but it was in a posting on Cruise Critic) and it didn’t look good. Would someone like to comment on this?  

[mrlevin]

Even before the stock dropped drastically in price, debt was over 100% of equity.  Total liabilities as of 12/31/19 were $10.169B.  Total market capitalization as of last Friday was $1.86B.  Interest expenses in 2019 were $294M; that was before withdrawing these last two lines of credit.  You do the math.  NCLH needs to let us (investors in more ways than one) know that they have a plan; a plan that will work even if there are more cancellations.

 

Just my two confederate sense.

 

Marc

[spindrift]

Yes male in.  Not a positive position. 

[JMARINER]

9 hours ago, flossie009 said:

Our UK TA & Regent (UK) operate in the same manner as you describe.

However not sure whether @DaisyUK's (ex)TA was working in the same way; otherwise how did the TA expect to get their sticky fingers on a large proportion of the refund?

Since @DaisyUK has now been effectively forced to go down the Regent Reassurance route, the end result is that Regent retains the customer's money and presumably the TA retains their commission.

First. I assume she paid with a credit card. If so and the Agent took the money, instead of going thru directly paying Regent and then waiting for Regent to pay the Agent the earned commission: In that event the Agent committed fraud against her  and  she has recourse directly thru the Credit Card company to reverse and get refund of that total amount. (I my humble opinion.)

 

J

[Pam]

On 3/20/2020 at 10:51 PM, Travelcat2 said:

 

I know that I can do that but am too lazy.  I thought that you would click on the link in the short article to get to the Business Insider article.  Sorry that I didn't explain it well. 

 

I would have clicked on a link if there had been one, it must have been taken away because I disabled the ad blocker before the short article ever came up.  Oh well, we tried, thanks.

 

I can't cancel our Alaskan cruise because there are six of us and I booked named suites for all of us (four, not six); this was going to be our big grand-slam family trip.  I am old, my son-in-law has to fight hard for time off, one granddaughter is in grad school and could be doing international internship (if international travel ever starts back up), lots of ifs to look at.  Luckily, I booked our air and it is refundable.

 

And now our cruise shows all waitlisted; it was to disembark in Vancouver on 7/1.

 

 

Edited March 23, 2020 by Pam

[spindrift]

Just to clarify,  if my June14 cruise is cancelled (it will be), I fall under Regent reassurance which only gives me FCC or will it allow a full refund?  
I’m so confused.   I read where some folks are getting a full refund for their cruise, some an FCC, some a combination.   
this is a boiling pot for sure. 

[Pcardad]

No - if Regent cancels you should be able to choose between 100% refund and 125% FCC.

[boblerm]

1 hour ago, spindrift said:

Just to clarify,  if my June14 cruise is cancelled (it will be), I fall under Regent reassurance which only gives me FCC or will it allow a full refund?  

If you cancel before Regent officially cancels , you will receive 100%FCC.

If Regent cancels, we are all assuming that we will be able to choose between 100% refund vs 125%FCC since that is what they did for the recent cancelations. But as far as I know, Regent has not yet announced what the policy will be for new cancelations.

[labonnevie]

On 3/22/2020 at 6:45 AM, piscean said:

I had my 16th March cruise cancelled and was offered a full refund and a 25% future cruise credit. I immediately booked the 16th April cruise (at the time it looked ok!)

 

Also on the April 16th cruise. Hoping Regent will do the right thing and offer us the same - a full refund (we want our money back) AND a 25% FCC, which we would apply to already booked cruise(s).

Times of crisis like now are when companies can really show their customers their true colors. The goodwill they make or lose never goes away!

[cruiseluv]

8 minutes ago, labonnevie said:

Also on the April 16th cruise. Hoping Regent will do the right thing and offer us the same - a full refund (we want our money back) AND a 25% FCC, which we would apply to already booked cruise(s).

Times of crisis like now are when companies can really show their customers their true colors. The goodwill they make or lose never goes away!

I dont think that what you're proposing has ever been an option . If they cancel, it has been either 100% refund OR 125% FCC. 

[labonnevie]

Did I read post #63 above incorrectly?

[Pam]

On 3/20/2020 at 7:01 PM, Pam said:

I have an ad blocker, too, but I can disable it for one page.  That was a very short article; said from March 30 through mid-June.  That was it.

Jackie, I found the link.  It basically said the same thing, a half dozen different times.  Only affecting non-public facing personnel in the US.