How long is reasonable to wait for deposit return

[BuckeyeMan]

2 hours ago, goncruzn said:

I cancelled my June 8th Med cruise on March 4th which was prior to the "peace of mind" policy and was told 7-10 business days for the refund. It is now 34 business days, 48 total days and no refund. I wound up speaking with the "executive" department and was told even though I cancelled prior to any cancellation or new policy, just the sheer amount of requests is taking up to 90 days. They show it "pending" in their system. At this point, I'm not going to work myself up over it and I'll just wait. I have to admit that initially I was quite upset (no, angry) because no one could give me any information on why it was taking so long and the refund line is just a recording that gives you no information at all. They need to do better responding to people's questions and concerns over the refund process.

 

My situation is almost identical to yours except my cancel date was March 13th. Still nothing.  I did turn my over to my CC company April 5th though.  Was told 7-10 days when I cancelled.  That obviously did not happen.  

[KateQ22003]

On 3/29/2020 at 12:35 PM, hallux said:

Actually, NCL SAID the refund is payable WITHIN 90 days.

 

Here are the words right off the site - "will receive a refund to be payable within 90 days of request"

 

People are only 6 days out from submitting the request, time will tell how long that wait actually is.  There's a phrase in business - "under promise, over deliver". NCL is estimating an extended time because they simply do not know exactly how long it will take so when it takes more than 30 days people won't come crying to customer service asking when their refund will show up.

 

See my post #8, it's not as simple as "send this customer $2,000", the money has to actually be available in the correct account in order to issue it to the credit card company as a refund and they have to have that for 25,000 people a week.  This is why it takes 2 seconds to take your money but weeks to refund in "cash".

 

Logic seems to be taking a backseat to emotion.

Do you really think transferring money from one account to another takes a lot of time? With my bank, I click three buttons to transfer money from one account to another. This is just an excuse, and not even a creative one.

[KateQ22003]

On 3/29/2020 at 6:07 PM, julig22 said:

If you cancel, then you have to abide by the cancellation policy - unless you are more than 120 days out, you can't get a full refund.  Under normal circumstances,  you would not win a CC dispute, regardless of the timeline, if you aren't due a refund.  You are responsible to pay the cancellation penalty if between 30 and 120 days, take the FCC, or file a claim through your travel insurance, if your reason is covered.  How far back a bank would allow a chargeback claim if you cancel probably varies by bank, although I would think that if you are promised a refund and it doesn't come, they would process your claim, using the date you cancelled to start the time.

 

If your cruise is cancelled, you could dispute through your CC if the cruise line refuses to refund your money.  In that case, you can dispute the amount AFTER they fail to refund your money, once you have filed a claim.  Some feel the 90 day timeline is unreasonable, others think that by filing a claim while they wait will somehow save them from losses if NCL files bankruptcy.  I disagree with both.

 

Are people doing otherwise - of course.  Are people getting immediate refunds through their CC- kinda.  They are getting temporary chargeback credits.  Will those chargebacks remain in their accounts - nobody knows. 

Yea, no. Any bank worth their salt has no problem charging back NCL for services not rendered. They aren't temporary, and they will absolutely remain in their accounts. 

[KateQ22003]

19 hours ago, spanishguy1970 said:

Yes, you will get a temporary fix, credit. However, all NCL has to do is show the credit card that they are in the process of refunding your money and the credit card will close the case in NCL favor, telling you that if they don't do so, file a dispute again.

This is absolutely false, and this information needs to stop being spread around this board. Any good credit card company will take care of YOU,  not NCL. Waiting 90+ days for a refund is bogus, and no CC is going to think it's ok.

[Jobeth66]

2 hours ago, KateQ22003 said:

Yea, no. Any bank worth their salt has no problem charging back NCL for services not rendered. They aren't temporary, and they will absolutely remain in their accounts. 

 

Some people seem to think that if you file a chargeback the credit card company is going to contact the cruise line, and when the cruise line says 'yeah, we are going to refund them in a few months, eventually' the credit card company is going to reinstate the charge until the cruise line gets around to refunding.

 

I don't think that's how it's going to work.  The credit card company is going to say 'Hey, cruise line - our customer says you're not able to provide a service they paid for, is that true?' and the cruise line is going to say 'yep, that's true'.

 

Dispute closed in favor of the customer.

[spanishguy1970]

14 hours ago, Sam Ting said:

That’s not true at all. They will give a temp credit  then when and if ncl responds the cc company will tell them the chargeback stands and make the credit permanent. Not only that, my understanding is there are also punitive measures as well as fees with chargebacks. 
 

Maybe  if more peeps took this route they would get their act together. 

well sorry to say it is true. I was looking to get my refund and i spoke with my bank ( mastercard) and she told me that if NCL has within the guidelines of the refund the " intention" of returning the money to customers within 90 days, yes you will get a temporary fix on your credit card ( refund) but if NCL can show ( proof) that they have been refunding money to other customers you will temporarily lose the case against NCL, however the agent told me that if the refund does not happen within the established guidelines i would be able to dispute again in which case i would win my refund. Is she wrong, hmm maybe but that's what she told me, each bank may be different. I am still wondering of all the customers filing disputes, who actually won the case and received their full refund. I am still waiting for someone to say, yes, to getting their permanent refund. We opted to take the FCC mostly because we have insurance and if by any chance NCL files bankruptcy we will get our money back.

Edited April 22, 2020 by spanishguy1970

[spanishguy1970]

3 hours ago, KateQ22003 said:

This is absolutely false, and this information needs to stop being spread around this board. Any good credit card company will take care of YOU,  not NCL. Waiting 90+ days for a refund is bogus, and no CC is going to think it's ok.

please read my message above, is not false, I called and that was what i was told, for my individual case ( mastercard), i guess i should have stated that at first, as i said other credit card companies may be different.

Edited April 22, 2020 by spanishguy1970

[All-ready2cruise]

4 minutes ago, spanishguy1970 said:

please read my message above, is not false, I called and that was what i was told, for my individual case ( mastercard), i guess i should have stated that at first, as i said other credit card companies may be different.

 

I know most on this thread are US citizens but the way spanishguy discribes his cc case is exactly the way it is in Canada except that, we don't get a temporary "fix". The cc company will stop charging interest on the amount being requested as a chargeback.  Then, the CC company will investigate by calling out the merchant.  If said merchant has said they will refund the money to cc, they are given a limited time to do so.  

 

I've been told that if they don't refund within that period of time, cc company will refund and go after the merchant to reimburse them.  

 

In this case with NCL, the fact that they've offered an equal value coupon instead of a cash refund would be enough to satisfy the cc company. So, in my case, b/c I cancelled the cruise, I wouldn't even get past first base with my cc company.  

[KateQ22003]

20 minutes ago, spanishguy1970 said:

please read my message above, is not false, I called and that was what i was told, for my individual case ( mastercard), i guess i should have stated that at first, as i said other credit card companies may be different.

Which bank is this that told you this?

[spanishguy1970]

Just now, KateQ22003 said:

Which bank is this that told you this?

capital one

[Mattc875]

We canceled our cruise on the 1st of April before final payment was due. We made a few different payments with two different credit cards. We are showing a reimbursement on our capital one, but not on our Chase credit card yet. They started the reimbursement on the 18th.

[CruiseFuse]

We canceled our July Mediterranean cruise at the end of March.  Final payment date was April 2.  We had paid everything when we booked on our cc and later added excursions, etc.  We received our excursion money back on our cc in about 7 days and the rest was refunded back yesterday.   So, less than 30 days.  When I had canceled, I had been told it could take up to 90 days due to the sheer volume of refunds they were processing.   

[zqvol]

On 4/21/2020 at 7:29 AM, Peachypooh said:

I filled out the refund form yesterday for my  cancelled cruise. It says to allow 90

days to see the refund on my credit card. I know that people (and I agree) think that this

is way too long and it is NCL's way of holding on as long as possible to our money. (I am

assuming it is legal for them to do this but in my opinion given the circumstances of

some people's lives not particularly customer friendly). As people start to get their

refunds please keep us updated as to how long it took. I am hoping for a much shorter

time frame.

 

good luck, IMO it is going to be closer to 180 days than it is to 90. I hope for everyone's sake and peace of mind that I am wrong and that it actually appears in 45 days.

[goncruzn]

13 hours ago, Jobeth66 said:

 

Some people seem to think that if you file a chargeback the credit card company is going to contact the cruise line, and when the cruise line says 'yeah, we are going to refund them in a few months, eventually' the credit card company is going to reinstate the charge until the cruise line gets around to refunding.

 

I don't think that's how it's going to work.  The credit card company is going to say 'Hey, cruise line - our customer says you're not able to provide a service they paid for, is that true?' and the cruise line is going to say 'yep, that's true'.

 

Dispute closed in favor of the customer.

 

Everyone has a valid point regarding this, but I do know six years ago I cancelled a membership that was an automatic debit. For two months the charges came out of my account. I disputed with the bank, the money was refunded to me temporarily while the bank did their investigation. Once that was over, a letter was sent to me stating the vendor was processing the refund and the letter also pointed out that in the fine print of my contract, it was stated the refund could take x amount of days. The bank then pulled the money back out of my account and it was one of the largest banks in the country. Needless to say I was not happy, but I did finally receive the refund from the company.

 

If the cruise line can prove they are processing refunds, it's hard to say whose favor the bank may rule in favor of.

[Robinsoncruiseso]

A couple of notes.  Yes, if you file a chargeback against a cruise line, they may ban you from all their lines, ie NCL could ban from Oceana, Regent.  Second, the credit card issuers know of the cruise lines policies and offers of refunds.  While the disputed charge is temporarily removed from your account, the merchant will have 30 days to respond.  Third...if you had used a TA, the TA could have commission recalled by NCL in the amount of the entire chargeback.  TA's have been hit enough through all this.

Best advice is to give it 90 days.  Probably won't take that long.  Those NCL employees who are working their butts off to handle screaming rude customers AND process these refunds/FCC by hand are not doing anything intentional to delay the payments. They are working in order of cruise departure date.  I completely understand that you want your money back, but given the state of everything with this pandemic....we all need to chill, just a bit.

[luv2kroooz]

4 hours ago, Robinsoncruiseso said:

While the disputed charge is temporarily removed from your account, the merchant will have 30 days to respond. 

...respond that the customer is right and we owe them a refund, but we haven't gotten around to it yet. That's a pretty weak response in my opinion and the temporary credit becomes permanent.

[Sam Ting]

On 3/28/2020 at 9:20 PM, julig22 said:

Nobody has said it will take 90 days to get your refund.  So far, we are 5 business days into the refund process for the March 13-April 11 cancellations.  Outside that time period, the process is probably different. 

 

I would expect that if you had a simple CC transaction to book your cruise, your refund will also be simple and there is no reason to believe that it won't be in your account soon (BTW - you probably will NOT get a notification from NCL - it will just magically show up in your account).  But not every transaction is a simple credit card reversal.  Some people paid by check.  Some people paid with multiple credit cards.  Some people may have closed the account.  Some people may have moved.  Some people have applied for refunds for cruises that they canceled, not NCL.  Some people have applied for refunds and canceled the CC transaction.  Some people have applied for refunds and used their FCC as well.  And probably many more creative actions. Those are the transactions that will take time - so allow 90 days covers every situation, including the fast ones.

 

To the OP who had their Asia cruise cancelled, what did they tell you about refunds?  I had a couple of modified cruises and they notified us in late December - my airfare and transfers were credited to my CC immediately and they gave us a list of options with timelines to decide between rebooking and refunds.  So in your case, I would think that your refund should have already been issued, unless you chose a different option?

 

I'm not defending NCL in any way but perhaps a little more understanding?  Not an excuse, but nobody who had a cancelled cruise was expecting this money back - it was spent.  If your argument is that you are paying interest, then call your bank and explain - contrary to popular belief,  they might temporarily suspend the charges (to be clear, I don't mean doing a chargeback) or reverse the interest if you ask.  As to the argument that they took your money right away, not entirely true.  They might have gotten a credit but for large purchases, it could be up to 55 days or more before they get anything. I time major charges so that they hit at the beginning of a billing cycle (30 days) plus 25 days grace period, so the money is in my bank, not theirs.

 

Understanding?  Lol.   That’s their problem they cannot process refunds just as quickly as they take your money.  They agreed to the chargeback process when they chose to accept credit cards.  If you end up losing money because you did not do a chargeback then it’s your own fault. God helps those who help themselves you know. 

[luv2kroooz]

9 hours ago, goncruzn said:

If the cruise line can prove they are processing refunds, it's hard to say whose favor the bank may rule in favor of.

Not hard at all. If the merchant agrees that a refund is owed, it is easier for the bank to make the temporary credit  permanent. Then,  the merchant no longer has to issue the refund or go through the mechanics of proving they are processing the refund, and the case is closed. It's the quickest, most fair resolution. 

 

You have to remember by the time the consumer initiates the dispute, the bank investigates and the merchant responds, a fair amount of time has passed since the cancellation. The credit card company isn't going to undo the chargeback and make the consumer pay for a cancelled cruise only to have the merchant reissue a credit for the same in a week or two. That wouldn't make any sense.

[Jobeth66]

11 hours ago, goncruzn said:

 

Everyone has a valid point regarding this, but I do know six years ago I cancelled a membership that was an automatic debit. For two months the charges came out of my account. I disputed with the bank, the money was refunded to me temporarily while the bank did their investigation. Once that was over, a letter was sent to me stating the vendor was processing the refund and the letter also pointed out that in the fine print of my contract, it was stated the refund could take x amount of days. The bank then pulled the money back out of my account and it was one of the largest banks in the country. Needless to say I was not happy, but I did finally receive the refund from the company.

 

If the cruise line can prove they are processing refunds, it's hard to say whose favor the bank may rule in favor of.

 

I would have ended my relationship with that bank and credit card immediately.  Completely unacceptable.  I hope they pulled the finance charges related to that transaction from your account, at least.

[babydaryl24]

Has anyone that cancelled in the US, before Peace of Mind, that was told verbally 7 to 10 business days, for OVER $5,000 received their refund? and notice I said REFUND, not chargeback.  When I post this on the FB group, 10+ people always tell me how they got their chargeback money. I'm inquiring about refund actually processed by NCL that was for a significant amount.

 

I cancelled on March 10th. I was told 7 to 10 business days. IT was NOT under Peace of Mind. I am owed $7000+.  I've seen NOTHING.

Edited April 23, 2020 by babydaryl24

[hallux]

19 minutes ago, Jobeth66 said:

I hope they pulled the finance charges related to that transaction from your account, at least.

 

Something that might be missed is that cruises are often charged so far in advance that the CC bill is paid already.  Maybe I'm in the minority, but when I get my CC bill it's paid in full by the due date so I would have finance charges associated with a cruise charge.  

[Jobeth66]

Just now, hallux said:

 

Something that might be missed is that cruises are often charged so far in advance that the CC bill is paid already.  Maybe I'm in the minority, but when I get my CC bill it's paid in full by the due date so I would have finance charges associated with a cruise charge.  

 

Depends on what is booked and when.  I paid mine in full as well, but not everyone who has a $6000+ charge on their card can afford that. (Mine was for an Alaska Cruise Tour)

[hallux]

2 minutes ago, Jobeth66 said:

but not everyone who has a $6000+ charge on their card can afford that.

I get that people deserve vacations, but if someone can't afford to pay off the credit card bill and rely on their credit line to afford the cruise, maybe they need to consider a more economical vacation?

[Jobeth66]

22 minutes ago, hallux said:

I get that people deserve vacations, but if someone can't afford to pay off the credit card bill and rely on their credit line to afford the cruise, maybe they need to consider a more economical vacation?

 

Or maybe they plan to pay it off over time.  Or maybe they have a big tax return check coming and are going to pay it off then.  Or maybe they have a bonus coming.  Maybe they have a no-interest finance deal and it makes sense for them to pay it over time.

 

It's not up to anyone but the person involved to decide what they can and cannot afford and what is right for them, and it's incredibly privileged to suggest otherwise.  

Edited April 23, 2020 by Jobeth66

[KateQ22003]

21 minutes ago, hallux said:

I get that people deserve vacations, but if someone can't afford to pay off the credit card bill and rely on their credit line to afford the cruise, maybe they need to consider a more economical vacation?

I don't really think that's for us to judge.