Whats happening? SB refunds and payments Covid19

[teamflames]

3 hours ago, Rambo_Trout said:

 

We never had any notification, the money just appeared on our CC Statements.

Oh, good to know, I will pay more attention. Thanks for the update. What has happened to Seabourn communication throughout this pandemic? Been silent all the way along.

[SLSD]

11 hours ago, Rambo_Trout said:

Great News!

 

This morning, my £ 19,000 arrived on my Credit Cards, with a processing date of 8th May, which was Day 59 from when Seabourn Officially cancelled our Cruise.

 

 

This is the best news!!  I am just so glad that someone has gotten a refund.  Hopefully all the others will follow in quick succession!

 

[rols]

On 5/6/2020 at 6:56 PM, texswamper said:

 

May not be true if the thread about Seabourn cruises being canceled thru 10/30/20 if actually true.  We have a 10/3/20 Med cruise on Encore that we haven't made final payment on, so now I will just wait and see if the email arrives today from Seabourn. 😞

You can read it on seabourn’s own site

 

https://www.seabourn.com/en_US/news/pause-global-cruise-operations.html

 

yours is already cancelled. 

[texswamper]

7 minutes ago, rols said:

You can read it on seabourn’s own site

 

https://www.seabourn.com/en_US/news/pause-global-cruise-operations.html

 

yours is already cancelled. 

 

Yes, we've already been notified more than a week ago and our refund has already been requested.  Now we wait...................

[zimflyer]

Call this a.m. in Australia from our US Agent. SB refunded cruise ; due to Amex dispute. Amex confirms this...

 

Could you kindly update the spreadsheet. Still no refund of our cancelled air/hotels yet.  Please

Show Cruise refunded thru Amex.

 

The only badly worded email abour the travel cost refunds was this:

"

Hello,

 

We apologize for the delay.  Your refunds are in the process.  Please give us sometimes to complete them.

 

Thank you for your patient,

 

Mimi Ayele

Cash Operations and Refunds
Holland America Group

 

"

Hopefully more will receive some refunds soon. If in doubt, recommend the credit card dispute, it means SB HAS TO ACT...

 

FYI the Agent told me that refunds on Celebrity Group taking 30-38 working days, days, NCL about 45 to 69 but almost all Carnival longer.. 

 

Good luck to us all for future cruising too... interview from Intl. Air Transport Association (IATA) spokesman this a.m. on TV, he stated air travel might or possibly start with 2% of flights by end 2020 few regional/domestically only. Little International likely before late 2021 if any meaningful services, and not back to previous levels until 2023...

 

Ouch.

[rols]

12 hours ago, zimflyer said:

 

Good luck to us all for future cruising too... interview from Intl. Air Transport Association (IATA) spokesman this a.m. on TV, he stated air travel might or possibly start with 2% of flights by end 2020 few regional/domestically only. Little International likely before late 2021 if any meaningful services, and not back to previous levels until 2023...

 

Ouch.

Well while getting on a plane, especially for a flight longer than a couple of hours, requires the passenger to don a mask I'm sure that I and many other people will be staying home. The last flight I took was 22 hours home from NY and had I been required to wear a sweaty face covering for the duration, I'd have swum home. 

 

Flying will get back to normal when and only when people are able, and feel safe, to gather together in numbers for an extended period without such measures. That may be a vaccine, it may be herd immunity, it may be people just deciding en-masse that enough is enough, I have no idea, but until then, I shall confine myself to the 721.5sq.km of Singapore. It is fortunate that we flew and cruised and travelled as much as we did the past 20 years, if I have to take a break from travelling, I can live with it. Forward staycation (and no need to board the cats!). 

[rallydave]

Anybody else wondering what the 50% staff reduction due to layoffs and furloughs plus a 20% reduction in pay for those left in Seattle will mean for refunds and FCCs??  Reductions from Seattle Times article dated 5/14/2020.

[notjaded]

My wife and I each have two future cruise deposits (FCD-a total of $2K) with SB, and know that they are supposed to be automatically refunded if not used within four years. Does anyone know --in normal times--if one could successfully have them refunded?

 

Many thanks.

 

And, congrats to those who have gotten their specific cruise deposits refunded. I'm nearing day 60, so I will contact Chase after that time and initiate a dispute.

[rols]

28 minutes ago, notjaded said:

My wife and I each have two future cruise deposits (FCD-a total of $2K) with SB, and know that they are supposed to be automatically refunded if not used within four years. Does anyone know --in normal times--if one could successfully have them refunded?

in normal times you can have them refunded. I had one refunded when it was coming close to expiration and it was clear we wouldn't be use it before it did. These days .. I have no idea how long it would take to get one back. 

[MightyQuinn]

1 hour ago, notjaded said:

My wife and I each have two future cruise deposits (FCD-a total of $2K) with SB, and know that they are supposed to be automatically refunded if not used within four years. Does anyone know --in normal times--if one could successfully have them refunded?

 

In normal times, there has been no problem getting FCDs refunded within the 4-year expiration time frame.  Even now in the age of covid, we recently requested a refund for two FCDs and received a credit back to our AMEX in slightly over a month.  But if you look at the Refund Roll Call thread, there are others who are still waiting for their FCD refunds so there is no assurance that it will happen quickly.  Best to get the request in ASAP so you're in the refund conga line.  You want to be in the game before the music stops.

[notjaded]

2 hours ago, rols said:

in normal times you can have them refunded. I had one refunded when it was coming close to expiration and it was clear we wouldn't be use it before it did. These days .. I have no idea how long it would take to get one back. 

 

1 hour ago, MightyQuinn said:

 

In normal times, there has been no problem getting FCDs refunded within the 4-year expiration time frame.  Even now in the age of covid, we recently requested a refund for two FCDs and received a credit back to our AMEX in slightly over a month.  But if you look at the Refund Roll Call thread, there are others who are still waiting for their FCD refunds so there is no assurance that it will happen quickly.  Best to get the request in ASAP so you're in the refund conga line.  You want to be in the game before the music stops.

Thanks for the insights!

[SLSD]

7 hours ago, MightyQuinn said:

 

In normal times, there has been no problem getting FCDs refunded within the 4-year expiration time frame.  Even now in the age of covid, we recently requested a refund for two FCDs and received a credit back to our AMEX in slightly over a month.  But if you look at the Refund Roll Call thread, there are others who are still waiting for their FCD refunds so there is no assurance that it will happen quickly.  Best to get the request in ASAP so you're in the refund conga line.  You want to be in the game before the music stops.

Hmmmm... We got out our paperwork on our FCDeposits and it was not clearly stated that you could ask for a refund before the four years were up.   We had not really considered asking.  I am really hoping that Seabourn will still be there when we decide to cruise again.  I just read an article which said that international flights will not be back to normal until 2023.  That gave me some pause.  While none of us can read the future, I am not expecting Seabourn to be sailing this year.  

[Covepointcruiser]

Where are flights suspended?   I flew to Florida last week, U.S., with no problem.   There were fewer flights, but there were still flights going to much of the world at IAD (Dulles) outside of DC.   Probably not as many flights but they are still flying.

 

Where have flights been stopped?   

[Reef Knot]

 60 days since I requested a refund and received this:

At least I'm not ignored !

Dear ,
Club number: 

We know you are waiting for your refund for your cancelled voyage and may be frustrated by how long it is taking. We fully understand and apologize for this situation. Please be assured that we have received your request and currently have it in our queue. We are doing everything we can to expedite the processing of an unprecedented number of refunds and future cruise credits during this challenging time. We ask for your continued patience as we work through each booking carefully. Due to the unique nature of this situation, we are unable to use our usual automated process. Our team is working hard to manually process this large volume of requests while working from home. This is our commitment to ensuring each and every booking is handled accurately and as efficiently as possible, in hopes of avoiding any further frustrations for you, our valued guest.

We also want to share that we have extended the book-by and sail-by dates associated with our Future Cruise Credit (FCC) offer. Guests who elect option 1 to defer their cruise fare refund and receive 125% FCC will now have 12 months to make their new booking for any cruise sailing prior to December 31, 2022. If you originally selected option 2 to receive a refund only and wish to change to option 1, please contact us at the appropriate office:

Seattle Office (USD/CAD Currency):
Contact us at 800-929-9391 or 206-626-9190 (local)
We are available:
Monday – Friday 6:00am to 5:00pm PT
Saturday 6:00am - 3:30pm PT

Southampton Office (GBP Currency):
Contact us at 0344 338 8615
We are available Monday – Friday 9:00am to 5:30pm 

Sydney Office (AUD Currency):
Contact us at 13 24 02
We are available Monday – Friday 8:30am to 7:00pm

As always, we thank you for your understanding and hope you and your loved ones are staying healthy and safe during this uncertain time. We sincerely hope to have the opportunity to meet and exceed your expectations on board one of our ships in the future.

Best regards,

Seabourn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[scottie920]

1 hour ago, Reef Knot said:

 60 days since I requested a refund and received this:

At least I'm not ignored !

Dear ,
Club number: 

We know you are waiting for your refund for your cancelled voyage and may be frustrated by how long it is taking. We fully understand and apologize for this situation. Please be assured that we have received your request and currently have it in our queue. We are doing everything we can to expedite the processing of an unprecedented number of refunds and future cruise credits during this challenging time. We ask for your continued patience as we work through each booking carefully. Due to the unique nature of this situation, we are unable to use our usual automated process. Our team is working hard to manually process this large volume of requests while working from home. This is our commitment to ensuring each and every booking is handled accurately and as efficiently as possible, in hopes of avoiding any further frustrations for you, our valued guest.

We also want to share that we have extended the book-by and sail-by dates associated with our Future Cruise Credit (FCC) offer. Guests who elect option 1 to defer their cruise fare refund and receive 125% FCC will now have 12 months to make their new booking for any cruise sailing prior to December 31, 2022. If you originally selected option 2 to receive a refund only and wish to change to option 1, please contact us at the appropriate office:

Seattle Office (USD/CAD Currency):
Contact us at 800-929-9391 or 206-626-9190 (local)
We are available:
Monday – Friday 6:00am to 5:00pm PT
Saturday 6:00am - 3:30pm PT

Southampton Office (GBP Currency):
Contact us at 0344 338 8615
We are available Monday – Friday 9:00am to 5:30pm 

Sydney Office (AUD Currency):
Contact us at 13 24 02
We are available Monday – Friday 8:30am to 7:00pm

As always, we thank you for your understanding and hope you and your loved ones are staying healthy and safe during this uncertain time. We sincerely hope to have the opportunity to meet and exceed your expectations on board one of our ships in the future.

Best regards,

Seabourn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I got the exact same email this morning. Obviously just a generic notification. I don’t honestly think Seabourn have a clue where any of us on in this process and we will just have to wait. Very disappointing that an organisation the size of Carnival do not have computer systems to manage their refunds. 😡

[Mauzac]

I had the same also.  Getting a bit fed up of waiting to be honest.  Knowing we have two cruises back to back (more cost advantageous to book them seperately) with two different SB reference numbers means that even when I receive the first credit back, I still have to wait for the second one to reach the top of the queue.

 

I am not planning to book a cruise any time soon, but I might have been looking at 2021/22 and dreaming but until I get our considerable payment back, I'm not looking at anything.  

 

[rols]

12 hours ago, Covepointcruiser said:

Where are flights suspended?   I flew to Florida last week, U.S., with no problem.   There were fewer flights, but there were still flights going to much of the world at IAD (Dulles) outside of DC.   Probably not as many flights but they are still flying.

 

Where have flights been stopped?   

Perhaps domestic flights are less affected but international travel has all but stopped. Examples, our flag carrier, Singapore Air has 96% of flights cancelled, Emirates was down below 2% flying last I looked, BA, all flights from Gatwick cancelled until further notice and most other routes flying once a week, EasyJet, none flying, RyanAir, none flying. Many countries currently have quarantines on returning residents and absolute bans on non-residents. I can't actually think of the nearest country to here I could fly to at all, not Malaysia, not Indonesia, Thailand, Australia or NZ. Even if I found one I could go to, I'd face 2 weeks quarantine at a government facility at my own expense when I returned. 

My sister-in-law just returned from Sweden, it took her nearly 2 weeks before she found a flight which wasn't cancelled before it took off and that ended up going via Doha, 6 people on the plane to Doha, 4 from there to Singapore. There is a skeleton service flying to bring residents home worldwide with a couple of flights a week but for the most part international flights are completely suspended because there are vanishingly few people who can enter many countries right now. 

[ab21au]

8 hours ago, rols said:

Perhaps domestic flights are less affected but international travel has all but stopped. Examples, our flag carrier, Singapore Air has 96% of flights cancelled, Emirates was down below 2% flying last I looked, BA, all flights from Gatwick cancelled until further notice and most other routes flying once a week, EasyJet, none flying, RyanAir, none flying. Many countries currently have quarantines on returning residents and absolute bans on non-residents. I can't actually think of the nearest country to here I could fly to at all, not Malaysia, not Indonesia, Thailand, Australia or NZ. Even if I found one I could go to, I'd face 2 weeks quarantine at a government facility at my own expense when I returned. 

My sister-in-law just returned from Sweden, it took her nearly 2 weeks before she found a flight which wasn't cancelled before it took off and that ended up going via Doha, 6 people on the plane to Doha, 4 from there to Singapore. There is a skeleton service flying to bring residents home worldwide with a couple of flights a week but for the most part international flights are completely suspended because there are vanishingly few people who can enter many countries right now. 

It is the same in AUS, only AUS citizens are allowed in and they must quarantine in a hotel at their expense for 14 days. QLD state border is closed, only Queenslanders are allowed in. 
 

Qatar has had flights to BNE but only to bring returning Australians home. Emirates and Etihad have announced they are about to do the same. 
 

 

[tv24]

Well it could be worse than our unending waits for cruise refunds.  Today I received an email from the company I  used to rent a tourist apartment in Lisbon.  Our cancelled Seabourn crossing was to have left us happily in Lisbon in mid-April.  After the crossing was cancelled, I cancelled the Lisbon apartment and negotiated a partial refund around March 22.  The email today apologized for the long delays in processing refunds and announced that all of us waiting will have to wait until September 1!  Yikes!  That's more than 5 months after my cancellation!  I fear the rental company is going bankrupt, although the email continues to assure that refunds will be processed.

 

On the other hand, today I learned that the hotel we were to have checked into in New York City on June 29 will continue to be closed.  They have promised refunds, and even though we booked through a third party with a non-refundable prepaid, the third party has agreed to process a full refund within 30 days.  Good news...and bad news.

[wesport]

I have two emails confirming my refund will take up to 60 days.  One from my TA and one directly from Seabourn.  My 60 days is up 6/2, so I will wait until then. I will then reach out to my TA who will call Seabourn. Will make my decision as to whether to dispute at that point. I know its always best to reach out to the merchant to make it right, but we shall see. 

[rallydave]

8 minutes ago, wesport said:

I have two emails confirming my refund will take up to 60 days.  One from my TA and one directly from Seabourn.  My 60 days is up 6/2, so I will wait until then. I will then reach out to my TA who will call Seabourn. Will make my decision as to whether to dispute at that point. I know its always best to reach out to the merchant to make it right, but we shall see. 

While I am glad some people are actually getting notifications directly from Seabourn, will reach 60 days from my cancellation in 2 days and have received absolutely nothing from Seabourn except on the day of cancellation an invoice showing my penalty.  Our TA has reached out to Seabourn several times becasus the promise days has passed several times without any Seabourn response.

 

The problem I see in waiting to file a dispure is that this gives the merchant, in this case Seabourn another 45 to 60 days to respond before the credit card company makes the temporary credit perminent.  Have been using credit cards for over 50 years and have found that there are no downsides to a dispute and many upsides.  Of course people have reported their TA or cruise line telling them to not dispute as theat will delay their refund.  Of course they will say this as it is in their interest to not be forced to take action on the disputed amount promptly.

 

At this point not a lot of difference in waiting but, it can and will extend your refund once you file.  The positive side is that thecredit will go on your account and item you currently purchase will not require a payment.   Good luck, counting the hours to the 60 day mark but, already have the credits on my account and just waiting a short time until either Seabourn refunds or the credits become final and we can move on.

[Mauzac]

1 hour ago, wesport said:

I have two emails confirming my refund will take up to 60 days.  One from my TA and one directly from Seabourn.  My 60 days is up 6/2, so I will wait until then. I will then reach out to my TA who will call Seabourn. Will make my decision as to whether to dispute at that point. I know its always best to reach out to the merchant to make it right, but we shall see. 

 

I'm 66 days on one cruise and 51 on the other.  I am waiting until the second of my B2Bs gets to 60 (another 9 days) and I am then chasing - easier to do it for both.  I am hoping that before that time comes, I will've received the first refund!  

[whystayhome]

Just got an email from Chase this morning saying you can dispute a transaction digitally, making it really easy to file a claim.  We were "thrown" off the Encore prematurely over 60 days ago, and no refund received on the $10,000+they have promised to pay.  Will be disputing soon.

 

Linda

[rallydave]

17 minutes ago, whystayhome said:

Just got an email from Chase this morning saying you can dispute a transaction digitally, making it really easy to file a claim.  We were "thrown" off the Encore prematurely over 60 days ago, and no refund received on the $10,000+they have promised to pay.  Will be disputing soon.

 

Linda

Got the identical email today and it was only about my Business Card.  Have been able to dispute on all my other cards on line for many years and in fact filed my dispute three weeks ago on Seabourn on line without haveing to talk to anyone.  

 

Might want to reread the email as only applicable to Business Card as others have had that ability for many years as long as not more than 3 months old.  Otherwise you have to phone in for older charges to dispute.

[MHF]

2 hours ago, whystayhome said:

Just got an email from Chase this morning saying you can dispute a transaction digitally, making it really easy to file a claim.  We were "thrown" off the Encore prematurely over 60 days ago, and no refund received on the $10,000+they have promised to pay.  Will be disputing soon.

 

Linda

Hey neighbor, yes, Chase makes it easy.  Search and Find the transaction based on payor or date or whatever, click the dispute box, type in a few details, and done.  I had to dispute a United flight for another trip.  UAL refused the refund even tho' DOT says they should refund.

 

My 5/5 Encore cruise was canceled 3/11 and I've heard nothing from SB except an email reply last month that it could be 90 days.  I did receive the shore excursion credit last week but not the cruise dollars.

 

Melissa in Urbana