"No-Risk Deposit" is a lie

[KiwiCouple34]

Just a warning to all booking Celebrity.

 

In October 2020 I booked a cruise for August 2021with a deposit that was "No-Risk" refundable until 09 April 2020. Due to work commitments I wanted to cancel the cruise and get a refund of the "Refundable" deposit a few days prior to the expiry of the refundable period.

 

Long story short, Celebrity Cruises are refusing to refund the deposit claiming it was not refundable (the first lie). They say the "No-risk" deposit scheme only started being offered in March 2021, so I must have been mistaken. (Second lie). The "No-risk" deposit is mentioned on the forums way back.

 

They have been dishonest.

[mom says]

Are you living in a time warp, or did I do a Rip van Winkle today?

[KiwiCouple34]

Oh yeah...good pickup. Booked October 2019 for August 2020.

[Ronin23]

Deposit scheme only started being offered in March 2021? 

 

Your dates are all over the place, cant understand what you are on about. You joined today just to rant?

Edited April 9, 2020 by Ronin23

[KiwiCouple34]

I mistyped. Booked October 2019 for August 2020. Not a rant; just a warning about dishonesty.

[twins_to_alaska]

If you have the letters "NRD" anywhere in the Booking Charges section of your Booking Confirmation pdf from Celebrity that's actually non-refundable deposit not no-risk deposit.

[Bo1953]

9 hours ago, KiwiCouple34 said:

Just a warning to all booking Celebrity.

 

In October 2020 I booked a cruise for August 2021with a deposit that was "No-Risk" refundable until 09 April 2020. Due to work commitments I wanted to cancel the cruise and get a refund of the "Refundable" deposit a few days prior to the expiry of the refundable period.

 

Long story short, Celebrity Cruises are refusing to refund the deposit claiming it was not refundable (the first lie). They say the "No-risk" deposit scheme only started being offered in March 2021, so I must have been mistaken. (Second lie). The "No-risk" deposit is mentioned on the forums way back.

 

They have been dishonest.

Presuming you have dates incorrect (mad rush to expose X), do you have a paper trail for the "No-Risk" deposit issue?

 

Surely you must have a confirmation which will indicate that your deposit is either refundable or non-refundable????

 

bon voyage

[wrk2cruise]

It's not always in the booking charges, it might be in the Promotions Applied section (the NRD reference).

 

One way to tell for sure is if this line appears directly above the Final Payment date information

 

 

Many people were unaware they selected a NRD rate.  Some people who saw an attractive "price reduction" also ended up repricing their reservations to a NRD without their knowledge.

 

Also could be a bad customer service representative.  They really haven't been offering NRD for too many years.  Prior to that everything was refundable deposits even if they didn't have the fancy "No Risk Deposit" advertisement on them.

Edited April 9, 2020 by wrk2cruise

[Georgia_Peaches]

Two things:

1.  Check your cruise booking confirmation and carefully read the fine print.

2.  If after that you still feel there is an error on Celebrity's part, call and speak to a different representative.

 

We have a NRD on a cruise in March 2021.  If we change our minds, we get the deposit applied to a future cruise minus the "restocking" (cancellation) fee.

 

I don't think it's a matter of Celebrity being dishonest as there are laws against that in terms of false advertising.  It's likely more about not fully understanding the terms and conditions at the time of your booking.  You can learn a lot of good information on these boards (I know I have).  Good luck!

[NantahalaCruiser]

10 hours ago, KiwiCouple34 said:

I mistyped. Booked October 2019 for August 2020. Not a rant; just a warning about dishonesty.

Often the type of deposit - refundable or non-refundable - is difficult to identify.

 

Confusing - yes, obscure often - yes, but not dishonest.

[d9704011]

1 minute ago, NantahalaCruiser said:

Often the type of deposit - refundable or non-refundable - is difficult to identify.

 

Confusing - yes, obscure often - yes, but not dishonest.

I agree.  When pricing and booking we have to be on the lookout for NRD and RD offerings.  It will be noted on the offer.

[little britain]

Where did the OP make their booking??  Different rules for different countries?  In UK all deposits were NRD.

[Georgia_Peaches]

47 minutes ago, little britain said:

Where did the OP make their booking??  Different rules for different countries?  In UK all deposits were NRD.

Good point.  I assumed they were in U.S. because they didn't say otherwise...but you know what they say about assuming...

[twins_to_alaska]

I had never noticed the lines after Balance Due like:

The minimum deposit for this reservation is Non-Refundable. A change fee of 100 USD per guest will apply for ship or sail date changes.

vs for refundable

Deposit has been posted to your reservation. Final Payment is due by ...

Thanks for pointing that out as well as!

[Jim_Iain]

Curious with you handle if this was a U.S. or a New Zealand booking.   It makes a big difference in the T&C's.

 

Also as others have said.   Check your confirmation and see if you booked a non-refundable.   All of my Non-Refundables have an indication of them being non-refundable.

[Fouremco]

4 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Good point.  I assumed they were in U.S. because they didn't say otherwise...but you know what they say about assuming...

Of course, "KiwiCouple" might suggest where they live. Assuming that they aren't just big fans of the fruit. Or the bird!  

[Jim_Iain]

9 minutes ago, twins_to_alaska said:

I had never noticed the lines after Balance Due like:

The minimum deposit for this reservation is Non-Refundable. A change fee of 100 USD per guest will apply for ship or sail date changes.

vs for refundable

Deposit has been posted to your reservation. Final Payment is due by ...

Thanks for pointing that out as well as!

 

Agree -  This is what is on my reservation confirmation.

 

[KiwiCouple34]

It's a New Zealand based booking.

 

When I booked the cruise in October 2019, the payment instructions said:

No risk deposit $800 NZD

Refundable until April 10, 2020

Lock it In

 

I hit the button to "Lock it in", paid via credit card, and and got an email confirming the transaction. There's nothing about RD or NRD. I did not select any promotional fares at a discount that make it un-refundable or anything like that.

 

On 07 April, I went to cancel and they informed me the deposit was not refundable, saying I was mistaken thinking it was a "No Risk Deposit".

 

They also informed me that No-risk deposits had only just started to be offered and they weren't around in October 2019 which I know is untrue.

 

We have spoken to three different call centre people who are just reading off their screen. I understand they are busy and probably brand-new staff with the crisis, but I don't particularly feel like donating $800 to a multi-billion dollar corporation.

 

If it was a small business, I would have a different attitude.

 

We weren't 100% sure if we could do the trip, so I booked fully-refundable airline tickets, did not pre-pay hotels, and read carefully the T&Cs for the cruise deposit. So this wasn't a case of not being diligent. That's why I say the company acted dishonestly and to be wary when they make offers.

 

Suspecting the port will remain restricted (two countries involved), I have left the booking in place. If I cancel; they keep the money; if they cancel, I get it back.

[wrk2cruise]

Apology.  Didn't realize you weren't booking under North America T&C.   From your posting it sure looks like it should be refundable.

 

Do you have a written invoice?  If not can you request one.  It should certainly be indicated on there one way or another.

[cl.klink]

18 hours ago, KiwiCouple34 said:

Just a warning to all booking Celebrity.

 

In October 2020 I booked a cruise for August 2021with a deposit that was "No-Risk" refundable until 09 April 2020. Due to work commitments I wanted to cancel the cruise and get a refund of the "Refundable" deposit a few days prior to the expiry of the refundable period.

 

Long story short, Celebrity Cruises are refusing to refund the deposit claiming it was not refundable (the first lie). They say the "No-risk" deposit scheme only started being offered in March 2021, so I must have been mistaken. (Second lie). The "No-risk" deposit is mentioned on the forums way back.

 

They have been dishonest.

 

What's the difference between dishonest, and not correct or consistent?

 

- Joel

[RickT]

Assuming you booked directly with Celebrity, your booking confirmation (and you need to look at the promo and any breakdown) will indicate if it was a Non-refundable deposit. Feel free to post. My current booking has a non-refundable deposit and it’s identified in my booking by Sailnowsav NRD.

 

And sorry to disagree with you, but the No Risk Bookings have only been an option since the Virus started affecting new bookings.

[KiwiCouple34]

2 minutes ago, RickT said:

 

And sorry to disagree with you, but the No Risk Bookings have only been an option since the Virus started affecting new bookings.

No risk bookings are new, but no risk deposits are not.

[RickT]

4 minutes ago, KiwiCouple34 said:

No risk bookings are new, but no risk deposits are not.

Agree... Ultimately whatever is on your booking receipt is what you booked.  If it says non-refundable anywhere, that is what you booked.  If the receipt does not say that then you will need to escalate this to a manager (or Captain’s Club if you’re a member) for resolution.

 

Please keep in mind that the X employees are under extreme pressure dealing with passengers who have had their cruises cancelled.  If their system says NRD that’s what they have to go with.  If your paperwork does not say that then this will be resolved.  

[KiwiCouple34]

8 minutes ago, cl.klink said:

 

What's the difference between dishonest, and not correct or consistent?

 

- Joel

Call it what you like. Inconsistency, misleading advertising or a website error. I call it corporate dishonesty when they refuse to investigate my experience.

 

I won't book with them again, but I'm sharing as a warning that the statement of "No risk deposit" at the purchase stage is not necessarily true. 

[txjim09]

17 hours ago, Ronin23 said:

Deposit scheme only started being offered in March 2021? 

 

Your dates are all over the place, cant understand what you are on about. You joined today just to rant?

You responded just to rant?  Feel better now?