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Travel Agent did not pay cruise company. So no FCC


Topher500
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17 hours ago, davekathy said:

I like mine better. No second chance. 

I think you misunderstood "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me" I have always taken it to mean anyone can be fooled once, but after that you must take the responsibility to not allow it to happen again. A second time would be on you so you must prevent it from happening. It does not mean you should allow that second time to happen because that would be on you.

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18 hours ago, drsel said:

I also used a large US online travel agent to book a PO cruise and my CC statement showed that the deposit amount of $135 was paid to the US online agent and not PO Cruises.

The US agent also said that they will directly debit my credit card with the final payment in July without me needing to phone them.
This will happen automatically.

My booking is showing on the PO website, so I don't think I should worry

That is not the norm on this side of the "pond."  I would seek out another agency (look for the best deals) in the future.  The problem with that kind of indirect payment can be messy if the agency goes bankrupt or does not make the actual pmt to the cruise line.   

 

Hank

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21 hours ago, Topher500 said:

@Flatbush Flyer My payment deadline was 26th May. I had paid in full on the 6th May. NCL announced cancellations on 16th June. I am unaware that there could or should have been any other payment instructions. I made the original booking 1st Aug 2019 and paid deposit at that point. Cruise date is 23rd Aug

Thanks

What I am not understanding is...If your deadline for final payment was 26 May - was this the cruise line deadline, or the agency deadline?  Sometimes agencies want payment a week or two in advance of cruise line deadline.  But if you paid the agency in time, but they did not forward the payment to the cruise line, why did the line not cancel your reservation for non-payment?  Or was the actual cruise line deadline after the date (16 June) they cancelled the cruise?  EM

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@Essiesmom Sorry I am not sure how to reply to your message. The 26th May was travel agent deadline. The Travel Agent have called it "Loss of deposit" stage which I think means they were still within Cruise company deadline. I have no idea what the actual cruise company deadline is.

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2 hours ago, ontheweb said:

I think you misunderstood "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me" I have always taken it to mean anyone can be fooled once, but after that you must take the responsibility to not allow it to happen again. A second time would be on you so you must prevent it from happening. It does not mean you should allow that second time to happen because that would be on you.

No I didn't misunderstand, and know exactly what the saying means. Not that our off topic conversation is even of any importance, :classic_rolleyes: I believe you misunderstood what I said. Both sayings mean the something. Now back to the topic of the thread...Any TA I've used has always directly paid the cruise line for deposits and final payment while I'm on the phone with the TA. I wouldn't use a TA that didn't do it that way or charges a fee. 

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For what it's worth, we use a large US online agency.  The charges on the credit card bill always show the cruiseline, not the agency, and charged on the date we made the authorization.  For final payment, we receive a call or email a week or so before it is due, reminding us that it will happen on the appropriate date.

I see that this agency does book P&O; however, we have not done any P&O bookings.

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2 hours ago, drsel said:

How can a booking be confirmed with the cruise line (and show on the Cruise lines website) without actually paying the deposit to the cruise line?

When they fail to make the  final payment 

That is what this thread is  about 

 

 It would  be  a good plan to at least put your Country in your profile

There are regional differences  in booking cruises & policies

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2 hours ago, davekathy said:

No I didn't misunderstand, and know exactly what the saying means. Not that our off topic conversation is even of any importance, :classic_rolleyes: I believe you misunderstood what I said. Both sayings mean the something. Now back to the topic of the thread...Any TA I've used has always directly paid the cruise line for deposits and final payment while I'm on the phone with the TA. I wouldn't use a TA that didn't do it that way or charges a fee. 

"The something", do you mean the same thing?

 

And I agree that it would be unwise to use a TA that did not make the charge directly to the cruise line. One time when booking with our usual TA, I mentioned that it was the last day to get the American Express pay $500 and get a $100 credit, and his reply was that he would immediately make the payment. 

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2 hours ago, drsel said:

Yes, I gave a simple explanation, so that the two expert Cruise critics would not argue over it.

Expert. Now that's funny.  Discussing not arguing! 😛 At least ontheweb (and others) and  I agree it's unwise to use a TA that doesn't immediately forward the deposit or balance directly to the cruise line instead of diverting into their account first. 

Edited by davekathy
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I would never use an agency that held my money in their account until due date.  What if the agency goes out of business in the meantime!  Travel Agencies have gone bankrupt in the past and there were no monies to pay back to the customers.

Side not: never book with an agency that charges a fee if you cancel.

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1 hour ago, ontheweb said:

"The something", do you mean the same thing?

 

And I agree that it would be unwise to use a TA that did not make the charge directly to the cruise line. One time when booking with our usual TA, I mentioned that it was the last day to get the American Express pay $500 and get a $100 credit, and his reply was that he would immediately make the payment. 

Yes. :classic_rolleyes: I need to reread my posts before hitting submit or before the edit window expires. 

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1 hour ago, davekathy said:
 
Expert. Now that's funny.  Discussing not arguing! [emoji14] At least ontheweb (and others) and  I agree it's unwise to use a TA that doesn't immediately forward the deposit or balance directly to the cruise line instead of diverting into their account first. 

This is my first booking with this giant agent who was recommended by my fellow cruisers on my past cruises.


This giant agents name is also clearly mentioned in the Cruise critic featured article by Erica Silverstein on  "Booking a Cruise Through a U.S. Travel Agent."    So, it is definitely legitimate.
https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=1119


The FAQs on my agent's website clearly states that
"your credit card statement will reflect direct billing from the cruise line "
but my CC statement shows $135 paid to the agents name, not P&O Cruises.

But if the agent has kept the money, how did P&O Cruises website have my booking?
Doesn't PO take a deposit ?
Does PO confirm a booking without any deposit?

Edited by drsel
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13 minutes ago, drsel said:

this is my first booking with this giant agent who was recommended by my fellow Cruisers in my past Cruises.
this giant agent is also recommended in the Cruise critic thread on choosing a US online travel agent.

The FAQs on my agent's website clearly states that
"your credit card statement will reflect direct billing from the cruise line "
but my CC statement shows $135 paid to the agents name, not P&O Cruises.

But if the agent has kept the money, how did P&O Cruises website have my booking?

Doesn't PO take a deposit ?
Does PO confirm a booking without any deposit?

 

I don't think anyone is suggesting that this agent kept your deposit money.  But if your credit card shows the charge to the agent, not the cruise line, what proof do you have?  That's the point.  Since booking shows on P&O website, they probably have forwarded your money.  But you will have a much bigger worry when you make the final payment, if it also shows the charge to the agent.  And since the agent's website says that the charge should have shown as P&O, I would be calling the agent to find out why they didn't follow their own T&C – they at least owe you an explanation and a chance to tell them to make sure the final payment goes directly to the cruise line.

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37 minutes ago, drsel said:

This is my first booking with this giant agent who was recommended by my fellow cruisers on my past cruises.


This giant agents name is also clearly mentioned in the Cruise critic featured article by Erica Silverstein on  "Booking a Cruise Through a U.S. Travel Agent."    So, it is definitely legitimate.
https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=1119


The FAQs on my agent's website clearly states that
"your credit card statement will reflect direct billing from the cruise line "
but my CC statement shows $135 paid to the agents name, not P&O Cruises.

But if the agent has kept the money, how did P&O Cruises website have my booking?
Doesn't PO take a deposit ?
Does PO confirm a booking without any deposit?

Obviously recommendations aren't always in everyone best interest. Buyer beware. All your questions are questions you should have asked the TA before booking and now need to be asking your TA. Questions I always ask the TA we have used or are using is, do you charge a service fee for booking or canceling a cruise. When I make a payment (deposit or final payment) do you directly pay the cruise line. Something I suggest you do for future bookings. If they charge a fee I will not do business with them. If they do not directly pay the cruise line I will not do business with them. Another thing is when I book a future cruise(s) while on a cruise I do not allow the new booking(s) to go directly to the TA of record. 

Edited by davekathy
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13 minutes ago, drsel said:

I also noticed that the initials of this giant agent have been mentioned by some posters in other threads.
Quite a few Cruise critic members have used them.

I have too. Which surprises me that CC even published the article. I've read and seen post disappear on different CC forums for using that specific TAs initials. 

Edited by davekathy
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I have too. Which surprises me that CC even published the article. I've read and seen post disappear on different CC forums for using that specific TAs initials. 
The agents initials are just recently mentioned in this thread
https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2754132-making-the-decision-pulling-the-plug-or-holding-fast/

Making the decision (pulling the plug or holding fast?)
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9 minutes ago, drsel said:

The agents initials are just recently mentioned in this thread
https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2754132-making-the-decision-pulling-the-plug-or-holding-fast/

Making the decision (pulling the plug or holding fast?)

Yes. That's why I said I was surprised CC even published the article you attached in your post #42. Goes against their (CC) own guidelines. IMO it needs to be removed. 

Edited by davekathy
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Yes. That's why I said I was surprised CC even published the article you attached in your post #42. Goes against their (CC) own guidelines. IMO it needs to be removed. 
That article is very useful and informative, especially for Australians.
So I don't think they will take it down.
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