Cunard's Cancellations/Refunds Update 23rd April 2020

[ozbrian]

22 hours ago, Solent Richard said:

 

 

Good morning Oz.

 

I read many of your comments however I do find it difficult to formulate an opinion as there never appears to be too much detail i support of some statements..."Cunard Australia are useless..."

 

 

 

And why would you use my quote in your response when I'm not the one who called them useless?

 

 

[jland]

Ozbrian, in fairness I think Solent Richard quoted from my post where I said and still say Cunard Australia are useless and then added your post to it, so he was answering both of us in one post.

I think the email you received from Cunard sums up their attitude brilliantly.

[Clagmeister]

18 hours ago, Windsurfboy said:

 

 

Clagmeister, like you I filled in the refund form on the 16th March, initially told 45 days , but like you nothing yet. Looks like they haven't got to 16th March yet. It's a pity they don't have a clock,  say we are up to xx March so we'd  know where we stand. Like you I'm thinking about credit card route but they say it could take time (they would wouldn't they), so use it as a last resort if sure Cunard won't refund you. Looking at P&O on CC refunds for Mid March are slowly but surely being paid. Will be patient for a bit longer.

Windsurfboy. I never filled in a claim  form because my cancellation was over the telephone. However, when I noticed that people were submitting forms, I did email Cunard and received reassurance that a claim form was unnecessary and my refund claim was being processed and would be with me shortly. That was some while ago and I only mention this for the information of others who may wonder if the telephone cancellation was sufficient to proceed.

[Bedruthen]

We booked via a travel agent and received our refunds for our transatlantic crossings in May and June a month ago. We were fortunate that our U.K. agent has just come in the top 3 travel companies for their customer service and certainly our refund experience bears this out. The only query I have is regarding the FCC. The deposit part of our booking was not refunded but replaced with a FCC, for which we have received no notification from Cunard. Does anyone know if this FCC will show up anywhere on our cruise personaliser account? What should we expect to receive from Cunard regarding this - if anything?

[netpj]

Hello Bedruthen.  FCC should be reflected in your Cunard account (not sure if it is applied against a specific cruise).  Did you receive your refund by cheque or credit card?  We are waiting for a number of refunds from Cunard, including the crossing at the end of our shortened World Cruise.  They have said we will receive refunds by cheque eventually.  That particular crossing was to have been mid April. We also used a highly regarded UK agent.  Thanks. 

[PORT ROYAL]

2 hours ago, Bedruthen said:

We booked via a travel agent and received our refunds for our transatlantic crossings in May and June a month ago. We were fortunate that our U.K. agent has just come in the top 3 travel companies for their customer service and certainly our refund experience bears this out. The only query I have is regarding the FCC. The deposit part of our booking was not refunded but replaced with a FCC, for which we have received no notification from Cunard. Does anyone know if this FCC will show up anywhere on our cruise personaliser account? What should we expect to receive from Cunard regarding this - if anything?

 

You should have received a FCC Reference Number, which is issued for every FCC.  It is held on your Acount by Cunard within Cunard's computer system.  Unfortunately, you are unable to view it.  But you can reguest a reference confirmation, also showing value, which Cunard will issue by E mail as a hard copy for your records.  Just ask your TA to obtain for you.

[bazzaw]

11 hours ago, Clagmeister said:

Windsurfboy. I never filled in a claim  form because my cancellation was over the telephone. However, when I noticed that people were submitting forms, I did email Cunard and received reassurance that a claim form was unnecessary and my refund claim was being processed and would be with me shortly. That was some while ago and I only mention this for the information of others who may wonder if the telephone cancellation was sufficient to proceed.

My cruise was cancelled by Cunard by email on 19 Feb - with promise of a full refund. I have not heard a single thing from them since!! Without this forum, I would have known nothing about how to apply for a refund or even that I had to. 

[Dahani]

For the benefit of anyone else in the UK who is looking for a refund and is 'given' a Refund Credit Note by the TA instead. 

 

http://www.travelmole.com/mobi_news_feature.php?news_id=2042761&c=setreg&region=2

 

Aviation Minister Kelly Tolhurst has caused yet further confusion around Refund Credit Notes after telling ministers at a Transport Select Committee meeting that consumers would have to check their contract with the tour operator to see if they were financially protected.

ABTA is recommending members offer RCNs as an alternative to cash refunds for holidays they've been forced to cancel due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It insists that they will be ATOL protected if a tour operator goes bust before they're cashed in or exchanged for a holiday, but when asked at today's meeting if this was the case, Tolhurst said: "That will depend on the contract between the customer and the tour operator."

However, it's unlikely any tour operator contracts refer to RCNs as these have only been issued since March when the Foreign Office advised against all non-essential travel, prompting millions of holiday cancellations.

ABTA has been asking the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy for months to confirm that RCNs have the same ATOL protection as package holidays, but so far BEIS has refused to do so.
 

However, Tolhurst said her department is discussing with the Treasury the possibility of underwriting vouchers. Acknowledging that the governments of some other countries have already taken action, she said she was 'working at pace' on this with HMT.

Following the meeting, Kane Pirie, leader of the Right to Refund campaign, said:  "The cat is out of the bag now. Refund Credit Notes are  not  all ATOL protected. In contrast, all ATOL certificates are. We see no benefit to customers in accepting a Refund Credit Note even if their tour operator refuses to refund. Indeed, we see material risk as their ATOL protection is now as clear as mud.
 "We have warned from the beginning that only the CAA can confirm ATOL protection. ABTA's delusions of grandeur, a trade club dressing up as a regulator, have been exposed. We urge ABTA, yet again, to please reconsider their position on this, for the good of their members as well as the public."

 

 

[Colin_Cameron]

Hi Dahani,

 

You’re the only one I’m aware of that has been given a Refund Credit Note, hence my thoughts/questions the other day. 

 

Colin.

 

 

[ozbrian]

Given the lack of response from TA and Cunard I went online with my bank on Monday and lodged a disputed credit card transaction against the TA. They emailed me same day asking for additional information which I supplied. This is the response received today (Thursday same week).

 

An update on your disputed transaction

Dear Brian, 

Thank you for contacting us about a transaction charged to your Mastercard® account by ***TA name here**** for $xxxx.xx on 21/02/20.
We've now taken action to recover the transaction for the disputed value, conditionally closing this dispute file. A conditional refund will be credited to your card account within 3 business days, for the disputed amount of $xxxx.xx.

 

What happens next?
The merchant's bank has 45 days to provide us with information to validate the transaction. If the merchant challenges the chargeback with valid documentation/receipts we may need to continue with our investigation and reverse the conditional refund. If the merchant's bank does not attempt to validate the transaction within this timeframe, your dispute file will be closed with the dispute having been resolved in your favor.

 

So I'm pleased with that. I can't see how the merchant can challenge this given I clearly paid for services which weren't supplied. At best they can say we were going to pay us somewhere down the track.

 

[Colin_Cameron]

Like a number of others on here we received an email on Monday re pre-purchased shore excursions, saying it had been refunded to our credit card and should show up on our CC statement within five days.

 

Happy to report that it showed up late last night.

 

Unfortunately it's only a drop in the ocean compared to cruise refund we're still waiting for. But it's a start.

 

P.S. This was one that Cunard emailed to say was cancelled and would be refunded, before the online claim form was available.

Edited May 21, 2020 by Colin_Cameron
punctuation

[Edithclara]

4 hours ago, ozbrian said:

Given the lack of response from TA and Cunard I went online with my bank on Monday and lodged a disputed credit card transaction against the TA. They emailed me same day asking for additional information which I supplied. This is the response received today (Thursday same week).

 

An update on your disputed transaction

Dear Brian, 

Thank you for contacting us about a transaction charged to your Mastercard® account by ***TA name here**** for $xxxx.xx on 21/02/20.
We've now taken action to recover the transaction for the disputed value, conditionally closing this dispute file. A conditional refund will be credited to your card account within 3 business days, for the disputed amount of $xxxx.xx.

 

What happens next?
The merchant's bank has 45 days to provide us with information to validate the transaction. If the merchant challenges the chargeback with valid documentation/receipts we may need to continue with our investigation and reverse the conditional refund. If the merchant's bank does not attempt to validate the transaction within this timeframe, your dispute file will be closed with the dispute having been resolved in your favor.

 

So I'm pleased with that. I can't see how the merchant can challenge this given I clearly paid for services which weren't supplied. At best they can say we were going to pay us somewhere down the track.

 

Hi Brian, good to hear your bank has initiated the dispute. I submitted a dispute claim for my Mastercard. However the bank rejected my claim without I believe any consideration. I've escalated it to the bank's customer care team who are due to call me tomorrow. Which bank are you with?

Thanks

[Clagmeister]

22 hours ago, bazzaw said:

My cruise was cancelled by Cunard by email on 19 Feb - with promise of a full refund. I have not heard a single thing from them since!! Without this forum, I would have known nothing about how to apply for a refund or even that I had to. 

Their communication has been problematic and it is very much a case of taking the driving seat yourself. I have only managed to get some idea of the status of my refund by emailing the Company. Still waiting though.

[bazzaw]

15 hours ago, ozbrian said:

Given the lack of response from TA and Cunard I went online with my bank on Monday and lodged a disputed credit card transaction against the TA. They emailed me same day asking for additional information which I supplied. This is the response received today (Thursday same week).

 

An update on your disputed transaction

Dear Brian, 

Thank you for contacting us about a transaction charged to your Mastercard® account by ***TA name here**** for $xxxx.xx on 21/02/20.
We've now taken action to recover the transaction for the disputed value, conditionally closing this dispute file. A conditional refund will be credited to your card account within 3 business days, for the disputed amount of $xxxx.xx.

 

What happens next?
The merchant's bank has 45 days to provide us with information to validate the transaction. If the merchant challenges the chargeback with valid documentation/receipts we may need to continue with our investigation and reverse the conditional refund. If the merchant's bank does not attempt to validate the transaction within this timeframe, your dispute file will be closed with the dispute having been resolved in your favor.

 

So I'm pleased with that. I can't see how the merchant can challenge this given I clearly paid for services which weren't supplied. At best they can say we were going to pay us somewhere down the track.

 

I have learned two things about this situation - one is to never deal with a TA again and the second is to only pay by Credit Card!!! I did the worst of both.I paid a TA by Bank Transfer - direct to their account - and in Australia 😞

 

[ozbrian]

10 hours ago, Edithclara said:

Hi Brian, good to hear your bank has initiated the dispute. I submitted a dispute claim for my Mastercard. However the bank rejected my claim without I believe any consideration. I've escalated it to the bank's customer care team who are due to call me tomorrow. Which bank are you with?

Thanks

 

Not only initiated, but resolved within 4 days. Money went  into my CC account yesterday. We are with Westpac.

[ozbrian]

7 minutes ago, bazzaw said:

I have learned two things about this situation - one is to never deal with a TA again and the second is to only pay by Credit Card!!! I did the worst of both.I paid a TA by Bank Transfer - direct to their account - and in Australia 😞

 

 

G'day Bazza,

 

Cunard still haven't paid anything out but using a TA could add a couple of months to the process in this instance.

I use TA's because they are generally cheaper and will add extras like OBC

I always use CC for the free travel insurance plus extra protection in cases like this.

 

It's a bugger but it looks like you have no choice but to wait - hope it's not too long.

[jland]

1 hour ago, ozbrian said:

 

Not only initiated, but resolved within 4 days. Money went  into my CC account yesterday. We are with Westpac.

ozbrian, I’m sure you know this but just in case remember Cunard can still dispute this matter with Westpac. I believe they have 6-8 weeks to do so and if Cunard wins the money will be withdrawn from your account. Did Westpac tell you anything along those lines when you raised the dispute with them?

[Edithclara]

1 hour ago, ozbrian said:

 

Not only initiated, but resolved within 4 days. Money went  into my CC account yesterday. We are with Westpac.

Thanks. Another person told me last night their Westpac MasterCard debit card was being progressed too. When you say resolved, is that for still a conditional refund or is it all finalised now? Good to have a few stories to tell my bank. 

[Edithclara]

2 hours ago, bazzaw said:

I have learned two things about this situation - one is to never deal with a TA again and the second is to only pay by Credit Card!!! I did the worst of both.I paid a TA by Bank Transfer - direct to their account - and in Australia 😞

 

I read elsewhere that even if you only pay the deposit by CC you can submit a chargeback claim for the full cruise amount. Not sure if that's the case in Australia. From what I've read here and on other social media some banks are not playing nicely,  including my bank. 

[jland]

10 minutes ago, Edithclara said:

I read elsewhere that even if you only pay the deposit by CC you can submit a chargeback claim for the full cruise amount. Not sure if that's the case in Australia. From what I've read here and on other social media some banks are not playing nicely,  including my bank. 

Edithclara, I think the problem for the bank is the ACCC. Correct me if I’m wrong but I think they said if a  company has offered a refund but are slow paying out, they are  eventually going to pay and therefore have fulfilled their obligations. But then the ACCC is like a candle in the wind, probably changed that view by now.

[ozbrian]

59 minutes ago, jland said:

ozbrian, I’m sure you know this but just in case remember Cunard can still dispute this matter with Westpac. I believe they have 6-8 weeks to do so and if Cunard wins the money will be withdrawn from your account. Did Westpac tell you anything along those lines when you raised the dispute with them?

 

G'day

 

I paid the TA so Westpac got the money from the TA's bank, not Cunards.

 

If you read the reply I quoted they said the merchants bank had 45 day to provide evidence that they had supplied the goods/services. I paid but never got the goods. I don't see how they can dispute.

[ozbrian]

1 hour ago, Edithclara said:

Thanks. Another person told me last night their Westpac MasterCard debit card was being progressed too. When you say resolved, is that for still a conditional refund or is it all finalised now? Good to have a few stories to tell my bank. 

 

Hi,

 

The money is back in my account. It is a conditional refund as the TA's bank has 45 days to supply evidence that they have supplied the services. Never say never, but good luck with that 🙂

[ozbrian]

1 hour ago, Edithclara said:

I read elsewhere that even if you only pay the deposit by CC you can submit a chargeback claim for the full cruise amount. Not sure if that's the case in Australia. From what I've read here and on other social media some banks are not playing nicely,  including my bank. 

 

Definitely not the case in Australia. You could only claim what you paid for on the CC. Luckily my bank seems to be one of the good ones.

 

1 hour ago, jland said:

Edithclara, I think the problem for the bank is the ACCC. Correct me if I’m wrong but I think they said if a  company has offered a refund but are slow paying out, they are  eventually going to pay and therefore have fulfilled their obligations. But then the ACCC is like a candle in the wind, probably changed that view by now.

 

I initially contacted the ACCC but are yet to receive a response. I haven't seen the advise you mention where a promise to refund fulfills their obligations.

 

My bank refunded the full amount in 4 days with no mention of the ACCC. I did supply an email trail where the 45 day and 60 day promises were missed - that may have helped.

[Edithclara]

On 5/20/2020 at 8:06 PM, Clagmeister said:

Windsurfboy. I never filled in a claim  form because my cancellation was over the telephone. However, when I noticed that people were submitting forms, I did email Cunard and received reassurance that a claim form was unnecessary and my refund claim was being processed and would be with me shortly. That was some while ago and I only mention this for the information of others who may wonder if the telephone cancellation was sufficient to proceed.

Clagmeister, I've been trying to get confirmation that my refund request has been received. Which email address did you contact for confirmation? Thanks.

[Edithclara]

7 hours ago, jland said:

Edithclara, I think the problem for the bank is the ACCC. Correct me if I’m wrong but I think they said if a  company has offered a refund but are slow paying out, they are  eventually going to pay and therefore have fulfilled their obligations. But then the ACCC is like a candle in the wind, probably changed that view by now.

Jland, that could still be their view. Others on social media have contacted the ACCC about their TA and have received a standard response saying they're having on-going discussions with the travel sector, contact fair trading if you wish to take it further.