Azamara refund problems (merged)

[uktog]

12 hours ago, beachmudhut said:

Thanks for your comments SUNLOVER, very helpful.

Just off the phone from my insurers (UK) - was asking about paying the balance on another holiday would I be covered - they asked me in that case to ask for an extension before making the payment (in case we are not able to go because of restrictions on flights) and if we do need to still make the payment to keep the email trail that I did try for an extension.  In that case the policy would cover me for cancellation costs.

 

I also asked about the voucher vs refund question and they said if the voucher was for the cost of the travel, it would be covered by ABTA rules in future but if it was for 125% of the cost of the travel, this counts as an incentive voucher and is not covered by ABTA rules.  Now that is just one insurers agent's interpretation but I thought I was share it.

[sunlover33]

28 minutes ago, uktog said:

I also asked about the voucher vs refund question and they said if the voucher was for the cost of the travel, it would be covered by ABTA rules in future but if it was for 125% of the cost of the travel, this counts as an incentive voucher and is not covered by ABTA rules.  Now that is just one insurers agent's interpretation but I thought I was share it

That’s interesting, especially as Azamara has sent us a FCC voucher for 125% even though we stated very clearly we wanted a refund. I understand they have done this with a number of people.

[Lindy028]

2 minutes ago, sunlover33 said:

That’s interesting, especially as Azamara has sent us a FCC voucher for 125% even though we stated very clearly we wanted a refund. I understand they have done this with a number of people.

We have had nothing from Azamara since the notification on 10th March that our Quest cruise had been cancelled. I think we all naively thought that the promise of 100% refund plus 25% FCC meant just that, sadly it is proving to not be the case. Like many, we are sick and tired of being fobbed off with blatant untruths.

I also agree with you that ABTA cannot move the goal posts retrospectively, would anyone have any confidence going forward if the government did agree to these new terms!

[nigelc]

33 minutes ago, Lindy028 said:

We have had nothing from Azamara since the notification on 10th March that our Quest cruise had been cancelled. I think we all naively thought that the promise of 100% refund plus 25% FCC meant just that, sadly it is proving to not be the case. Like many, we are sick and tired of being fobbed off with blatant untruths.

I also agree with you that ABTA cannot move the goal posts retrospectively, would anyone have any confidence going forward if the government did agree to these new terms!

 

Hi Lindy, I was booked on the same cruise as you and have received all of my money back just over a week ago - cabin upgrade bid and Indulgence package to my credit card and cruise/flights/hotel/transfers to my bank account via my TA. However, it was not an easy task getting them to refund. In the end, I decided to go down the "Small Claims Court" route and sent the TA the initial "letter before action", with the intention of filing a claim in I did not receive a refund within 14 days. I sent the e-mail to both the Customer Service department and the TA's Head Office - while Customer Services replied that the refund could take up to 90 days, their Head Office called me the next day to say that the full refund was being made and would be in my bank within 5 days - which it was. I guess, as they have no defence against my claim, they did not want to be liable for the extra costs of the small claims case.

Edited April 16, 2020 by nigelc
grammer error

[Lindy028]

Nigel, thanks for that information, we have exhausted all possibilities, our insurance company are not answering the phone and just leave a message saying if this is related to Covid 19 cancellation, contact your provider. I am glad that you at least have had all your monies back. We will try the same thing, however I have no faith that with this TA we will get anywhere, but it’s worth a go!

[BrendaJ]

I feel very bad for the people who have had their cruises cancelled, have paid in full, and are frustrated in waiting for a refund.   I think much of the anxiety I’m seeing here is due to fear that a refund might not appear at all, and many people’s financial status has worsened recently.

 

I have an expected refund from Azamara, but I am taking a different slant on things.   During this unprecedented time, the cruse lines are likely short on all manner of resources, are facing the challenges of staff trying to work from home (I used to be in IT and let me tell you, it’s harder to set up securely than it might seem) and have never before had to deal with such a volume of cancellations, refunds, changes, and shortage of cash flow.

 

My wish is that the company continues to survive so that I can continue to enjoy cruises with them.   I honestly cannot picture a happy retirement if the cruise industry disappears.   I desperately want to experience another wonderful Azamara cruise.  I was on the ill-fated March 2 Pursuit, and it solidified my option that Azamara has unparalleled on-board customer service - which reminds me, I need to write a love letter to Captain Carl).

 

My thought is, then, what little things can I do to assist in the survival of the industry that brings me so much pleasure?   For me, I am willing to do the following:  accept a FCC over a refund, move bookings out if required, and exercise patience in waiting for any refunds/vouchers coming my way.     I understand this action plan is not feasible or desirable for many, and I don’t intend to suggest that anyone else’s viewpoints are invalid.   Long before COVID-19, I once waited over 2 months for a refund of a flight than an airline cancelled.   I think during these exceptional times, a long wait is to be expected.   Personally, I can wait for my refund a long, long time as I’m not spending any money hanging around my house - this month, I will have the lowest number of purchases on my credit card ever! 😀

 

I currently have cruises booked with Celebrity, Azamara and Crystal and I actually just booked a new cruise yesterday (and yes, paid a deposit).

 

I am facing this trying time with the optimism that the industry will recover, and we’ll someday be able to experience the pleasure of cruising with Azamara again.

[MakingUpForLostTime]

5 minutes ago, BrendaJ said:

I feel very bad for the people who have had their cruises cancelled, have paid in full, and are frustrated in waiting for a refund.   I think much of the anxiety I’m seeing here is due to fear that a refund might not appear at all, and many people’s financial status has worsened recently.

 

I have an expected refund from Azamara, but I am taking a different slant on things.   During this unprecedented time, the cruse lines are likely short on all manner of resources, are facing the challenges of staff trying to work from home (I used to be in IT and let me tell you, it’s harder to set up securely than it might seem) and have never before had to deal with such a volume of cancellations, refunds, changes, and shortage of cash flow.

 

My wish is that the company continues to survive so that I can continue to enjoy cruises with them.   I honestly cannot picture a happy retirement if the cruise industry disappears.   I desperately want to experience another wonderful Azamara cruise.  I was on the ill-fated March 2 Pursuit, and it solidified my option that Azamara has unparalleled on-board customer service - which reminds me, I need to write a love letter to Captain Carl).

 

My thought is, then, what little things can I do to assist in the survival of the industry that brings me so much pleasure?   For me, I am willing to do the following:  accept a FCC over a refund, move bookings out if required, and exercise patience in waiting for any refunds/vouchers coming my way.     I understand this action plan is not feasible or desirable for many, and I don’t intend to suggest that anyone else’s viewpoints are invalid.   Long before COVID-19, I once waited over 2 months for a refund of a flight than an airline cancelled.   I think during these exceptional times, a long wait is to be expected.   Personally, I can wait for my refund a long, long time as I’m not spending any money hanging around my house - this month, I will have the lowest number of purchases on my credit card ever! 😀

 

I currently have cruises booked with Celebrity, Azamara and Crystal and I actually just booked a new cruise yesterday (and yes, paid a deposit).

 

I am facing this trying time with the optimism that the industry will recover, and we’ll someday be able to experience the pleasure of cruising with Azamara again.

Brenda,

 

Great post and thanks for a breath of fresh air. Your optimism is delightful.

 

 

[nigelc]

51 minutes ago, BrendaJ said:

I am facing this trying time with the optimism that the industry will recover, and we’ll someday be able to experience the pleasure of cruising with Azamara again.

 

I agree with you 100%, as someone who tries to cruise at least 3 times a year I really do hope we will be able to start cruising again soon. However, I have learnt from this experience and, while I agree that the staff on board the ships are excellent, I have no confidence in the management of Azamara - so for me its a no thanks and they can keep their 25% FCC.

[ptrpanpens]

No problem being optimistic. Just be sure you have a large supply of masks and gloves. You will need them!

[missminnie]

5 hours ago, nigelc said:

 

Hi Lindy, I was booked on the same cruise as you and have received all of my money back just over a week ago - cabin upgrade bid and Indulgence package to my credit card and cruise/flights/hotel/transfers to my bank account via my TA. However, it was not an easy task getting them to refund. In the end, I decided to go down the "Small Claims Court" route and sent the TA the initial "letter before action", with the intention of filing a claim in I did not receive a refund within 14 days. I sent the e-mail to both the Customer Service department and the TA's Head Office - while Customer Services replied that the refund could take up to 90 days, their Head Office called me the next day to say that the full refund was being made and would be in my bank within 5 days - which it was. I guess, as they have no defence against my claim, they did not want to be liable for the extra costs of the small claims case.

Hi

 

Thanks for your experience.  Any chance we could see a copy of the letter or wording used?  We've got seperate issues with both Celebrity and Emirates.  Both keep saying our refund is being processed on "x" date and then when that date comes and passes, they come up with another excuse.

Ours was cancelled in the first round and they both confirmed 14 days.  We gave them a month and now 6 weeks on, excuse after excuse.  I've been furloughed which is ok but at less than 50% salary, I need those monies returned asap in case I don't go back to my job.

 

Thanks

[MakingUpForLostTime]

5 hours ago, nigelc said:

 

Hi Lindy, I was booked on the same cruise as you and have received all of my money back just over a week ago - cabin upgrade bid and Indulgence package to my credit card and cruise/flights/hotel/transfers to my bank account via my TA. However, it was not an easy task getting them to refund. In the end, I decided to go down the "Small Claims Court" route and sent the TA the initial "letter before action", with the intention of filing a claim in I did not receive a refund within 14 days. I sent the e-mail to both the Customer Service department and the TA's Head Office - while Customer Services replied that the refund could take up to 90 days, their Head Office called me the next day to say that the full refund was being made and would be in my bank within 5 days - which it was. I guess, as they have no defence against my claim, they did not want to be liable for the extra costs of the small claims case.

Smart!

 

i thought a 3 page letter to Larry (Ex Azamara CEO) explaining why it was vital for Azamara’s survival to treat loyal customers with more respect would have got me my money. Instead he quits! Apparently it’s to spend more time with his family. I suspect he was frustrated that all that he worked for is going to hell in a hand basket. It’s nice to see loyal Optimism amongst my fellow cruise passengers. Maybe I can trade someones FCC for my Bre-x stock certificate. Same value.

[nigelc]

2 hours ago, missminnie said:

Hi

 

Thanks for your experience.  Any chance we could see a copy of the letter or wording used?  We've got seperate issues with both Celebrity and Emirates.  Both keep saying our refund is being processed on "x" date and then when that date comes and passes, they come up with another excuse.

Ours was cancelled in the first round and they both confirmed 14 days.  We gave them a month and now 6 weeks on, excuse after excuse.  I've been furloughed which is ok but at less than 50% salary, I need those monies returned asap in case I don't go back to my job.

 

Thanks

 

Copy of the letter attached (sent as an e-mail) - hope it helps.

Pre- Court Letter 2.doc

[missminnie]

8 minutes ago, nigelc said:

 

Copy of the letter attached (sent as an e-mail) - hope it helps.

Pre- Court Letter 2.doc 29.5 kB · 2 downloads

That's great - thank you ever so much.

 

They have until Sunday evening to confirm when our refund has been made and then we shall issue this letter.  We wouldn't mind timescales if they had outlined these at the outset but the constant excuses are wearing thin.

[nigelc]

3 minutes ago, suzyluvs2cruise said:

 

Because Azamara and Celebrity are both part of the Royal Caribbean umbrella refunds/issuing of FCCs are taking a long time for all 3 brands. Why do you think you're waiting in line with others? 

 

To be honest, I think people are waiting because Azamara simply does not want to release the funds back to the customer.

[baymenow]

We got $4800 each FCC as we had to cancel our March 23 cruise .  If we’d cancelled 2 days prior we woudd have had125% FCC but because we cancelled 2 days prior to that we only got 100% fcc.  NOW were trying to book a cruise March 2021 and they are saying that passenger 1 gets the $4800 credit but passenger 2 only gets 50% credit.  That means passenger 1 would owe $2100 and passenger 2 would have $1700 credit!!  This is BS and when i talk to my other cruising friends they are not being treated that way.  Crystal is doing the right thing.  We are repeat Azamara cruisers but will be looking elsewhere.

[suzyluvs2cruise]

54 minutes ago, nigelc said:

 

To be honest, I think people are waiting because Azamara simply does not want to release the funds back to the customer.

 

I agree....and, to me, it's probably due to a directive from Corporate. In the big scheme of things Azamara guests are no more important than a Celebrity or Royal Caribbean guest. 

[Andy]

1 hour ago, suzyluvs2cruise said:

 

Because Azamara and Celebrity are both part of the Royal Caribbean umbrella refunds/issuing of FCCs are taking a long time for all 3 brands. Why do you think you're waiting in line with others? 

 

It's always been my understanding that all three brands are run independently. Unless something has recently changed, I doubt that folks waiting for refunds/FCC's at Azamara, are being thrown in with Royal Caribbean & Celebrity Guests.

 

While it's possible there's a directive from the RCCL Executive team - IMO, that would be a poor decision for all involved. I absolutely believe it''s a case of tremendous amount of paperwork/accounting/procedural stuff going on, and that all takes time.

 

For those that are upset about refunds, I sincerely hope it will be resolved as soon as possible.

[suzyluvs2cruise]

5 minutes ago, Andy said:

 

It's always been my understanding that all three brands are run independently. Unless something has recently changed, I doubt that folks waiting for refunds/FCC's at Azamara, are being thrown in with Royal Caribbean & Celebrity Guests.

 

While it's possible there's a directive from the RCCL Executive team - IMO, that would be a poor decision for all involved. I absolutely believe it''s a case of tremendous amount of paperwork/accounting/procedural stuff going on, and that all takes time.

 

For those that are upset about refunds, I sincerely hope it will be resolved as soon as possible.

 

I was asking Making Up for Lost Time "Why he thought he was waiting in line with others?" as his posts were indicating he thought that as a Azamara guest he should be treated differently. 

Yes....a 3 brands are operated individually but there may well be a directive from the RCCL Executive Team about processing refunds. There also may be fewer employees doing this job for all 3 brands thus slowing down the process. I also think all cruise lines are trying to hang on to $$$ as long as they can. 

[Wendy The Wanderer]

This is happening with other luxury lines.  Look around.

[suzyluvs2cruise]

8 minutes ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

This is happening with other luxury lines.  Look around.

 

I think it's Industry wide and all lines are trying to hang on to $$$. That's why they're encouraging the FCC and sweetening it with an offer of 125%. 

[BBMacLaird]

2 hours ago, baymenow said:

We got $4800 each FCC as we had to cancel our March 23 cruise .  If we’d cancelled 2 days prior we woudd have had125% FCC but because we cancelled 2 days prior to that we only got 100% fcc.  NOW were trying to book a cruise March 2021 and they are saying that passenger 1 gets the $4800 credit but passenger 2 only gets 50% credit.  That means passenger 1 would owe $2100 and passenger 2 would have $1700 credit!!  This is BS and when i talk to my other cruising friends they are not being treated that way.  Crystal is doing the right thing.  We are repeat Azamara cruisers but will be looking elsewhere.

 

I believe you meant to post this on one of the other threads...about refund or FCC, since this thread is about how people are doing.

But putting that aside, I’m wondering if you booked your original cruise under a BOGOHO (buy one get one half off) special promotion?

[baymenow]

Yes we originally got bogoho and spouse paid 6799 I paid 3099.  But fcc certificate shows we each got 4949 fcc which means for the new cruise we’re trying to book spouse would owe 1510 on new cruise and I would have 1720 fcc credit.  This is all wrong!!!

[BBMacLaird]

26 minutes ago, baymenow said:

Yes we originally got bogoho and spouse paid 6799 I paid 3099.  But fcc certificate shows we each got 4949 fcc which means for the new cruise we’re trying to book spouse would owe 1510 on new cruise and I would have 1720 fcc credit.  This is all wrong!!!

 

Oh I see what you’re saying. I’ll share this with our Customer Service, and you should also write to AzamaraCustomerService@azamara.com to see if they can help you book the March 2021 cruise you want.

 

[baymenow]

Thank you.  I’m sure we wont be the only guests with this issue!!  We appreciate whatever you can do.

[downundermatt]

Like hundreds of thousands I am waiting on a refund for my (March) cruise.

Problem is I paid the initial payment one one card (which I have since cancelled.

And the final payment on a different new card - Obviously I had no idea this virus would leave to any cancellation.

I live in Australia, and my agent is in the US - I called him to ask if the whole deposit can go to the new card.

He advised no, and I will have to ask for a cheque.

This has been a nightmare, as we have both lost our jobs, and the amount is close to USD2000.

I was thinking it would be better to have the money go direct to my card that is open and I don't want it

going to a cancelled card as I guess it would take months to retrieve.

And I guess Azamara Australia won't talk to me as its a US booking, Azamara US won't talk to me as the booking

is made through a travel agent..

 

Help and advice most appreciated, especially if someone has had a similar issue resolved.