Cunard's Cancellations/Refunds Update 9th June 2020

[Colin_Cameron]

On 7/8/2020 at 5:38 PM, Colin_Cameron said:

Day 118 and finally the refund for our Fremantle-Cape Town  QM2 voyage has arrived. 

The saga continues.

 

Day 123 and my bank has informed me that Cunard’s cheque has been bounced by their bank!

 

I’m hoping it’s because they’ve realised that they’ve sent two cheques. Maybe it’s just me but I’d have thought they’d stop the second one, not the first? Here’s hoping the second one goes through OK.

[seacruise9]

Hi, 

 

I have received refunds on my credit card for the two cruises that I had booked with Cunard: (i) Queen Victoria cruise scheduled to depart on April 26, 2020 - refund request submitted on March 30; and (ii) Queen Elizabeth cruise scheduled to depart on May 30, 2020 - refund request submitted on April 23. It took a couple of telephone calls, but the refunds have been processed.

 

Chuck

[majortom10]

Still getting no response either on Cunard's Facebook page forum or by direct PM about the fact that they have refunded me twice for one cruise. Have sent them cheque back which they havent cashed and have even escalated it further by e-mailing David Dingle Chairman of Carnival UK and Simon Palethorpe President of Cunard and guess what even they have ignored me. So I have come to 2 conclusions eeither Cunard are awash with money and dont need the refund or they are completely in meltdown and havent got a clue what they are doing. I fear the second is correct.

Edited July 15, 2020 by majortom10

[Beth Y]

I've made several calls to Customer Service regarding a refund for my May 3 Queen Victoria Norway cruise, which Cunard cancelled on April 20.  It is unacceptable that they have not yet refunded the $3,300 which I am owed, especially since I've already received a refund for my cancelled May 24 QM2 crossing.  

On Monday's call I was told that I'd hear back from a manager in Guest Relations.  Still no response.  I'll try their Facebook page next, and I'd appreciate it if anyone would share names and email addresses for top management at Cunard.  

 

What a way to run a cruise line!  Celebrity was SO much better -- they sent me a refund for my TA within a month of the date that they cancelled.

[majortom10]

2 hours ago, Beth Y said:

I've made several calls to Customer Service regarding a refund for my May 3 Queen Victoria Norway cruise, which Cunard cancelled on April 20.  It is unacceptable that they have not yet refunded the $3,300 which I am owed, especially since I've already received a refund for my cancelled May 24 QM2 crossing.  

On Monday's call I was told that I'd hear back from a manager in Guest Relations.  Still no response.  I'll try their Facebook page next, and I'd appreciate it if anyone would share names and email addresses for top management at Cunard.  

 

What a way to run a cruise line!  Celebrity was SO much better -- they sent me a refund for my TA within a month of the date that they cancelled.

I had to initially wait 60+ days and they only refunded me because I threatened Section 75 through my credit card and then they didnt know what they were doing and did it twice.

[exlondoner]

4 hours ago, Beth Y said:

On Monday's call I was told that I'd hear back from a manager in Guest Relations.  Still no response.  I'll try their Facebook page next, and I'd appreciate it if anyone would share names and email addresses for top management at Cunard.   a way to run a cruise line!  Celebrity was SO much better -- they sent me a refund for my TA within a month of the date that they cancelled.

 

Yet, as here, there is a thread on the Celebrity board of people bemoaning the long waits they have had.

[Edithclara]

19 hours ago, Beth Y said:

I've made several calls to Customer Service regarding a refund for my May 3 Queen Victoria Norway cruise, which Cunard cancelled on April 20.  It is unacceptable that they have not yet refunded the $3,300 which I am owed, especially since I've already received a refund for my cancelled May 24 QM2 crossing.  

On Monday's call I was told that I'd hear back from a manager in Guest Relations.  Still no response.  I'll try their Facebook page next, and I'd appreciate it if anyone would share names and email addresses for top management at Cunard.  

 

What a way to run a cruise line!  Celebrity was SO much better -- they sent me a refund for my TA within a month of the date that they cancelled.

I initially had a quick response when tweeted them something like "Where's my refund for ......?", they asked me to send them a Twitter Direct Message. Once we'd touched base, we switched to Facebook Messenger. Very helpful. 

[LadyL1]

Very unexpectedly, we saw on our credit card statement the deposit and extra payment 😁👍for Upper Class on Virgin, relating to the cancelled Canadian cruise from New York this October. Cunard cancelled this in June.

BUT, we are now at 125 days waiting for a much larger sum for a cruise that was cancelled in March, to sail May. I have used every means of communication possible, to no avail. Last Friday week I did speak to a very helpful lady (home working) who we were always delighted to contact to make bookings, in better circumstances. Perhaps this stroke of luck will help. Obviously she could not make the refund in question, as that remains with Shoreside operations,  although she did say she would try to accelerate (a term used many times) our refund, and it should take 10 -14 days from her intervention. She confirmed the money was just dormant on our account. I will ring tomorrow to see if anything has been initiated, if not we will be in contact with AMEX.

I do realise The company is in challenging times, and their mode of working has been severely disrupted, but if you call Cunard, the recorded message churns out to all that refunds will be made in 60 days.

[Book bug]

Have now received full refund to credit card for our may 20 QM2 cruise, requested week after cunard cancelled. Also last month got refund for excursion we cancelled prior to cruise being cancelled,  as knew cruise was not going to happen but waiting for cunard to cancel

[resordanis]

Hi all,

we today received our out of pocket expenses for our cancelled QE 15th March cruise. We now have received everything and have nothing outstanding thankfully.😁 Good luck to everyone still waiting.

[sydgal]

😍

Great news. Thanks Cunard. Now the only thing left is to restart the cruises.

[Beth Y]

On 7/15/2020 at 7:55 AM, Beth Y said:

I've made several calls to Customer Service regarding a refund for my May 3 Queen Victoria Norway cruise, which Cunard cancelled on April 20.  It is unacceptable that they have not yet refunded the $3,300 which I am owed, especially since I've already received a refund for my cancelled May 24 QM2 crossing.  

On Monday's call I was told that I'd hear back from a manager in Guest Relations.  Still no response.  I'll try their Facebook page next, and I'd appreciate it if anyone would share names and email addresses for top management at Cunard.  

 

What a way to run a cruise line!  Celebrity was SO much better -- they sent me a refund for my TA within a month of the date that they cancelled.

My refund was FINALLY applied to the credit card on the 17th, almost three months after Cunard cancelled this cruise.    Good luck to all who are still waiting!

[bluemarble]

Cunard may be making some progress with customer communications regarding refunds. Just received this email about a refund request for pre-purchased shore excursions on our canceled voyage. I submitted this refund request 29 days ago (on June 29th) via the online form. This is for a US booking that was made through an online travel agent.

 

Your refund claim for your pre-cruise purchases.

 

Dear Mr **********,

 

Firstly, we would like to thank you for your patience and would like to apologise for the time it has taken for us to respond to your pre-cruise purchase refund request. The impact of Covid-19 upon our business has been extremely significant, and the complexity and scale of this task has meant it has taken us a lot longer than we would have liked.

We are pleased to confirm that your refund claim has now been processed. The money will be returned to the original payment card, please see details below:

Booking reference: ******
Voyage number: M018A

Shore experiences refund: US$220.00
Restaurant reservation refund: US$.00
Drinks package refund: US$.00
Spa package refund: US$.00
Gifts and other pre-cruise purchases: US$.00
Total refund amount: US$220.00

Please note that the amount in your local currency may be slightly more or less than you originally paid due to the exchange rates applied by your card issuer.  

If you are due a refund on your holiday booking, this will be processed separately to any refunds for your pre-cruise purchases and we will be in contact shortly. Thank you for bearing with us.

Once again we apologise for the length of time it has taken us to respond to your refund request. We thank you for your understanding as we work our way through these difficult circumstances. 

Best wishes,

The Cunard Team

[majortom10]

2 hours ago, bluemarble said:

Cunard may be making some progress with customer communications regarding refunds. Just received this email about a refund request for pre-purchased shore excursions on our canceled voyage. I submitted this refund request 29 days ago (on June 29th) via the online form. This is for a US booking that was made through an online travel agent.

 

Your refund claim for your pre-cruise purchases.

 

Dear Mr **********,

 

Firstly, we would like to thank you for your patience and would like to apologise for the time it has taken for us to respond to your pre-cruise purchase refund request. The impact of Covid-19 upon our business has been extremely significant, and the complexity and scale of this task has meant it has taken us a lot longer than we would have liked.

We are pleased to confirm that your refund claim has now been processed. The money will be returned to the original payment card, please see details below:

Booking reference: ******
Voyage number: M018A

Shore experiences refund: US$220.00
Restaurant reservation refund: US$.00
Drinks package refund: US$.00
Spa package refund: US$.00
Gifts and other pre-cruise purchases: US$.00
Total refund amount: US$220.00

Please note that the amount in your local currency may be slightly more or less than you originally paid due to the exchange rates applied by your card issuer.  

If you are due a refund on your holiday booking, this will be processed separately to any refunds for your pre-cruise purchases and we will be in contact shortly. Thank you for bearing with us.

Once again we apologise for the length of time it has taken us to respond to your refund request. We thank you for your understanding as we work our way through these difficult circumstances. 

Best wishes,

The Cunard Team

They certainly are not making improvements in customer relations in the UK I have been trying to sort out the problem that they refunded me twice for same cruise and dont seem to want the extra £2394. I have sent cheque not cashed and been ignored completely by Facebook and e-mail to Simon Palethorpe, David Dingle and Josh Weinstein they obviously dont want the money back.

[babs135]

17 hours ago, majortom10 said:

They certainly are not making improvements in customer relations in the UK I have been trying to sort out the problem that they refunded me twice for same cruise and dont seem to want the extra £2394. I have sent cheque not cashed and been ignored completely by Facebook and e-mail to Simon Palethorpe, David Dingle and Josh Weinstein they obviously dont want the money back.

I wonder if there is a point in time when you can claim the money as yours?!!

[Marion B]

   Every day I read people's success stories of obtaining refunds.  It kept hope alive for me.

   Queen Victoria June 7th cruise cancelled April 23rd.  Live in US.  Booked with TA.  Money refunded in full - cruise and Cunard air.  Original credit card shut down due to hacking, but money found its way to new one.

   To all those still waiting, I sincerely hope your day will come very soon.

   Best wishes to all,

Marion

[majortom10]

6 hours ago, babs135 said:

I wonder if there is a point in time when you can claim the money as yours?!!

It gets even worse even though I have sent a cheque and been trying to pay back over payment refund for now nearly 6 weeks and been totally ignored by Cunard. I have today received an e-mail from their accounts department saying how hard they have been working and the number of refunds and that errors are some times made they have realised I was paid my refund twice and would I now return it by bank transfer or cheque (which I did 5 weeks ago) they now want a refund of more money than what they double refunded me. Cunard get even more incompetent and their accounts department havent got a clue what they are doing.

 

[babs135]

20 hours ago, majortom10 said:

It gets even worse even though I have sent a cheque and been trying to pay back over payment refund for now nearly 6 weeks and been totally ignored by Cunard. I have today received an e-mail from their accounts department saying how hard they have been working and the number of refunds and that errors are some times made they have realised I was paid my refund twice and would I now return it by bank transfer or cheque (which I did 5 weeks ago) they now want a refund of more money than what they double refunded me. Cunard get even more incompetent and their accounts department havent got a clue what they are doing.

 

Ouch!

[Neuhoftraveler]

21 hours ago, majortom10 said:

they now want a refund of more money than what they double refunded me

This is beyond absurd.  Bank transfers cost money (at least in the US they do.)  Are they authorizing you to deduct that cost?  And why Is an additional amount requested?  Changes in exchange rates?  If so, I can't imagine why Cunard shouldn't be made to eat the difference.

 

This would make a great article for a syndicated travel journalist.  You might consider finding one that tends to side with consumers.  That often gets vendors' attention.  Maybe even the editor of Cruise Critic?

[majortom10]

8 minutes ago, Neuhoftraveler said:

This is beyond absurd.  Bank transfers cost money (at least in the US they do.)  Are they authorizing you to deduct that cost?  And why Is an additional amount requested?  Changes in exchange rates?  If so, I can't imagine why Cunard shouldn't be made to eat the difference.

 

This would make a great article for a syndicated travel journalist.  You might consider finding one that tends to side with consumers.  That often gets vendors' attention.  Maybe even the editor of Cruise Critic?

There is no changes in exchange rates we are in UK and booked through UK TA. When I requested cash refund in April they asked how much I had paid which I said £2394 when I received my double refund they automatically deposited £2394 and sent a cheque through post with a receipt for exact same amount. E-mail received never mentioned cheque I sent on 22nd June which has not been cashed and is either lost or sitting on somebody's desk but have now cancelled. No apologies or why they have asked for more money £2443.40 or any breakdown on costs which amounts to this figure. Sent e-mail saying I am not paying it by bank transfer or cheque as amount is incorrect not yet had reply to that e-mail or phone call as promised yesterday from manager of accounts department.

 

[latserrof]

46 minutes ago, Neuhoftraveler said:

 

 

This would make a great article for a syndicated travel journalist.  You might consider finding one that tends to side with consumers.  That often gets vendors' attention.  Maybe even the editor of Cruise Critic?

Have you ever read any of Cruise Critic's articles?

[Neuhoftraveler]

38 minutes ago, latserrof said:

Have you ever read any of Cruise Critic's articles?

Yes.  That's why I said "Maybe even."  And that's why it occurred to me that if the Major could get someone like her to contact Cunard and tell them, "This is really too much," they might actually do something.

 

In the US, some of the (surviving) newspapers run a weekly consumer-oriented travel column, and people will sometimes bring their complaints to those columnists who then contact the travel supplier with a view to writing up how successfully they solved the problem.  If one of the major UK dailies has such a column, it might be something for the Major to try.

[bazzaw]

Finally - all cruise refunds have come back to us - $30,000 AUD. It took  3 months from date of the 1st cruise and 5&1/2 months from date of the 1st cancellation by  Cunard in mid-February. Our 1st cruise was meant to be a 35 day from Yokohama to Vancouver on QE - with about 10 days each in Japanese and Canadian ports . That was cancelled very early in the Coronavirus situation - long before it metastasized across the World from China. As the situation developed in China, in late January it became plainly obvious to us that QE's cruises from the end of it's Australian cruise season was looking problematic and we knew that something was going to have to happen. So, although it took them a while to make a decision, Cunard finally cancelled our cruise and put out some ridiculously low priced fares for a cruise direct to Vancouver from Sydney via Honolulu . We very quickly  jumped on the opportunity to experience 25 nights in a Q4  Penthouse Suite- something that would normally be WAAAY outside of our financial capacity 🙂 But alas- it was not to be!!! 😞  Now - who knows what the future holds.? I don't believe that we will see Cunard ships in Australian waters for some years now - and any future Cunard cruises for us would require International flights - which I also think will not be viable for a few years either. But it has been great while it lasted - with two "3 Queens " cruises including the one starting at Southampton during Her Majesty's Silver Jubilee - and the last one with a Trans-Atlantic to New York on QM2 and a trip to the Norwegian Fjords. We also did a long cruise on QE from San Francisco to Sydney via many South Pacific ports and our very first Cunard cruise was on QM2 from Sydney to Auckland, That was only a short 4 day crossing - but we had previously witnessed QM2 for our first time enter Sydney Harbour in the early morning 10 years ago and it was a spectacle to behold - some years later we also saw her berthed in Southampton as we put-putted past her on the Hythe Ferry. We never ever dreamed then that we would eventually have 3 cruises on her - she is by far our favourite !!!!! 

[ozbrian]

On 8/1/2020 at 1:28 AM, bazzaw said:

Finally - all cruise refunds have come back to us - $30,000 AUD. It took  3 months from date of the 1st cruise and 5&1/2 months from date of the 1st cancellation by  Cunard in mid-February. 

 

G'day Bazza, great news!

 

Terrible it took so long but you got there in the end.

 

Brian

 

[AussieVoyager]

With this statement from the Australian Prime Minister, what's the betting that Cunard's November 2020 resumption date will now be cancelled altogether?

 

Scott Morrison has declared his “hope” that COVID-19 border restrictions will be eased by Christmas but warned Australians it was unlikely that normal movement without any restrictions will be restored by summer.

The prospect could stop thousands of Australians spending Christmas with relatives and loved ones and comes amid concerns that the Queensland border closures, while popular with voters, are not based on clear medical advice.

Just months ago, the Prime Minister had hoped the border restrictions would be lifted by July, a hope that now seems abandoned in the wake of the second wave in Victoria.