Travel agent booking error

[mmaichen]

We were booked on a Carnival cruise that was cancelled due to Covid and we elected to go with  the future cruise credit option with $600 onboard spending if we rebooked by 12/31/20.

we booked a new Carnival cruise for March 2023 and I made clear we were booking to get the $600 OBC.

Our cruise confirmation lists the 600 OBC.

Today a friend showed me a posting from Carnival she saw that states that you must cruise by 12/31/22 to get the 600 OBC. 
is the travel agency legally obligated to honor the $600 OBC? 

 

 

[NantahalaCruiser]

12 minutes ago, mmaichen said:

We were booked on a Carnival cruise that was cancelled due to Covid and we elected to go with  the future cruise credit option with $600 onboard spending if we rebooked by 12/31/20.

we booked a new Carnival cruise for March 2023 and I made clear we were booking to get the $600 OBC.

Our cruise confirmation lists the 600 OBC.

Today a friend showed me a posting from Carnival she saw that states that you must cruise by 12/31/22 to get the 600 OBC. 
is the travel agency legally obligated to honor the $600 OBC? 

 

 

Sounds like both you and the TA were misinformed regarding the true Carnival OBC deal - I doubt the TA has any legal obligation to honor a non-existing Carnival OBC deal.

[Flatbush Flyer]

28 minutes ago, mmaichen said:

We were booked on a Carnival cruise that was cancelled due to Covid and we elected to go with  the future cruise credit option with $600 onboard spending if we rebooked by 12/31/20.

we booked a new Carnival cruise for March 2023 and I made clear we were booking to get the $600 OBC.

Our cruise confirmation lists the 600 OBC.

Today a friend showed me a posting from Carnival she saw that states that you must cruise by 12/31/22 to get the 600 OBC. 
is the travel agency legally obligated to honor the $600 OBC? 

 

 

Your post is a bit unclear (perhaps since I am unfamiliar with the term "cruise confirmation" as it would apply to any particular TA or cruise line).

 

Whose "confirmation?" Are you talking about the cruise line's invoice OR the TA's invoice? Who was/is offering the $600 SBC (Carnival or the TA)? Often, the right TA will improve the cruise line's "deal" by adding its own perks (e.g,, commission sharing).

 

That said, if you have a Carnival invoice that says you are getting an added $600 SBC from Carnival for your booked cruise, you have documentation that you are owed that perk from Carnival. However, if you only have a TA invoice that says $600 SBC, that is your deal with the TA and, at least theoretically, the TA owes you the $600 SBC.

 

Of course, there's always the "fine print" where you might find the TA claiming "no responsibility for clerical errors." In any case, your first effort should be to discuss the possible discrepancy with the TA (after all, your friend's deadline info may be incorrect). In any case, hopefully, you have written documentation proving your agreement with the TA to do the booking was based on getting the $600 SBC (I.e., the email where you clarified/verified any verbal agreements). Armed with that documentation, you've got all sorts of remedies.

For one, if that TA sells travel in California and/or to Californians, they must register as "sellers of travel" with the Secretary of State whose office has a dispute section. (Some other states have similar rules though California's is the gold standard).

Another option for dispute is your credit card company (should the TA not be willing to do a refund or move the booking, without penalty, to an allowed Carnival "booking dates window" for any SBC Carnival is offering).

 

So, please clarify the more detailed situation and do report back here on what happens.

[thinfool]

35 minutes ago, mmaichen said:

We were booked on a Carnival cruise that was cancelled due to Covid and we elected to go with  the future cruise credit option with $600 onboard spending if we rebooked by 12/31/20.

we booked a new Carnival cruise for March 2023 and I made clear we were booking to get the $600 OBC.

Our cruise confirmation lists the 600 OBC.

Today a friend showed me a posting from Carnival she saw that states that you must cruise by 12/31/22 to get the 600 OBC. 
is the travel agency legally obligated to honor the $600 OBC? 

 

 

You may want to do your own investigation rather than relying on a friend or TA.  Clear, legible documentation is available to the public from Carnival and should clear up this issue.

If the 'use by' date is clear, and has been clear in the Carnival docs then that is what it is and will be.

As for getting anything extra from a TA....I would be surprised.

[firefly333]

41 minutes ago, mmaichen said:

We were booked on a Carnival cruise that was cancelled due to Covid and we elected to go with  the future cruise credit option with $600 onboard spending if we rebooked by 12/31/20.

we booked a new Carnival cruise for March 2023 and I made clear we were booking to get the $600 OBC.

Our cruise confirmation lists the 600 OBC.

Today a friend showed me a posting from Carnival she saw that states that you must cruise by 12/31/22 to get the 600 OBC. 
is the travel agency legally obligated to honor the $600 OBC? 

 

 

Why not just log into carnival and pull up the cruise. If you have 600 obc, it will show on the part where you go to see documents. My obc shows for next sept. You dont say if you got the 600 or not, go look, then let us know. 

[Flatbush Flyer]

9 minutes ago, thinfool said:

You may want to do your own investigation rather than relying on a friend or TA.  Clear, legible documentation is available to the public from Carnival and should clear up this issue.

If the 'use by' date is clear, and has been clear in the Carnival docs then that is what it is and will be.

As for getting anything extra from a TA....I would be surprised.

Whether it's buying a cruise or buying a car (or anything else that is a bit of a financial bite), one should always do their own homework on what are the specifics of any purchase and then clarify everything in written communications before agreements are made.

[Flatbush Flyer]

9 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

Why not just log into carnival and pull up the cruise. If you have 600 obc, it will show on the part where you go to see documents. My obc shows for next sept. You dont say if you got the 600 or not, go look, then let us know. 

Not sure about Carnival but, most cruise lines do not specify added TA perks in their own documents.

[firefly333]

Just now, Flatbush Flyer said:

Not sure about Carnival but, most cruise lines do not specify added TA perks in their own documents.

? The OP asked about the $600 carnival offers to rebook. Some speculate maybe the ta gave the exact same incentive obc, odd but ok.

 

I'm saying if I booked specifically for the $600 obc carnival offered I would go and look and verify it was added. Took me less than 15 minutes after I was booked to go check and not take a travel agents word I would get it. The post isnt about perks the ta may have offered. I'm still saying op needs to go and check their obc that it includes carnivals $600 offer to rebook, or I'd go and change the date, carnival has been allowing some to move cruises. Time to be proactive.

[Flatbush Flyer]

14 minutes ago, thinfool said:

You may want to do your own investigation rather than relying on a friend or TA.  Clear, legible documentation is available to the public from Carnival and should clear up this issue.

If the 'use by' date is clear, and has been clear in the Carnival docs then that is what it is and will be.

As for getting anything extra from a TA....I would be surprised.

While I understand that TAs handling what they may consider to be "discount" cruise lines may not be inclined to add anything to the "deal," the reality is that well established/successful cruise TAs will often add items like gratuities, "pass through" incentive funds (e.g., new customer bonus) provided to TAs by the cruise line and, of course, TA commission sharing (as refundable SBC or a $ rebate), which can be a sizable amount on an "expensive" cruise.

Across CC threads on the topic of TA commission sharing, many posts cite TA commission sharing equal to an average of 5-10% of the commissionable cruise fare (I.e., your fare les port fees/taxes. For a longer/pricier cruise, that $ in your pocket can easily be a four figure amount.

[Flatbush Flyer]

4 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

? The OP asked about the $600 carnival offers to rebook. Some speculate maybe the ta gave the exact same incentive obc, odd but ok.

 

I'm saying if I booked specifically for the $600 obc carnival offered I would go and look and verify it was added. Took me less than 15 minutes after I was booked to go check and not take a travel agents word I would get it. The post isnt about perks the ta may have offered. I'm still saying op needs to go and check their obc that it includes carnivals $600 offer to rebook, or I'd go and change the date, carnival has been allowing some to move cruises. Time to be proactive.

Reread my post #3 above. The term "cruise confirmation" does not specify Carnival or TA invoicing. For any cruise line, these are usually two separate invoices (though some TAs will only share their own invoice with a client (something I find absolutely unacceptable).

 

In any case, OP has not clarified whether it's a TA or cruise line perk. Yes, Carnival has a time limited offer. But, the TA may be offering their own version since the booking date is outside the Carnival window.

 

FWIW, it's amazing that some folks on CC have no knowledge that the practice of TA commission sharing is fairly common and widespread.

[MsTabbyKats]

OP is very clear.  She booked to get the Carnival OBC.

Booking had to be done by yesterday (12/31/20) and sailing had to be 12/31/22.

This is a perfect example of why I don't like to rely on "the expertise" of TAs.

 

OP should contact the TA "yesterday" and discuss the error.  But first, OP should use "print documents" on the Carnival website.  That will show exactly what OBC she has.

 

I doubt the TA has any obligation to do anything.......giving a $600 OBC will give her a negative commission.  If it's a large agency....there's hope!

[Madhatter12]

You will be all right,you have to sail by 4/30/23.

Edited January 1, 2021 by Madhatter12

[Saint Greg]

If that is the case I would look into rescheduling that cruise for an earlier one or removing that FCC from the 2023 cruise and applying it to a 2022 cruise.  

[Saint Greg]

17 minutes ago, Madhatter12 said:

You will be all right,you have to sail by 4/30/23.

 

They may have extended that date since OP's cancellation. That extension may or may not have gone back to the first cancellations. I want to say JH covered it not too long ago giving people longer to book. Definitely a question to ask Carnival.

 

 

Edited January 1, 2021 by Saint Greg

[Madhatter12]

Carnival keep extending the date.

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, MsTabbyKats said:

OP is very clear.  She booked to get the Carnival OBC.

Booking had to be done by yesterday (12/31/20) and sailing had to be 12/31/22.

This is a perfect example of why I don't like to rely on "the expertise" of TAs.

 

OP should contact the TA "yesterday" and discuss the error.  But first, OP should use "print documents" on the Carnival website.  That will show exactly what OBC she has.

 

I doubt the TA has any obligation to do anything.......giving a $600 OBC will give her a negative commission.  If it's a large agency....there's hope!

Perhaps you're missing my point. Even though OP specifically wanted SBC that was being offered by Carnival, there is nothing stopping the TA from paying that SBC if OP's booking fell outside the allowable dates. Again, OP did not identify whose "cruise confirmation" (TA or Carnival) cited the SBC. And BTW, not all TA perks come from commissions. There are cruise line and TA Consortia incentive pass through $$$ available to a line's top selling TAs. It's amazing what the right TA can accomplish.

 

Of course, now we know that the OP's info about 2022 was erroneous (per Madhatter12's post) and Carnival will cover the $$.

 

And then there's the reality that, like the "Pirate Code," cruise line deadlines and booking rules (under the right circumstances) are merely "a set of guidelines." Had the 2022 deadline been true, OP's TA could've asked for a deadline extension.

 

We know this for a fact having recently booked several 2022 cruises (on our preferred line) paid in part by reissued "bonus" (not OUR money) FCCs originally provided to us for multiple 2020 cruises the cruise line cancelled/modified. One significant $$$ FCC didn't meet the "cruise by" deadlines. A call to the right person at our preferred cruise line got a deadline waiver and we were able to book a $20k cruise for $149 actual out-of-pocket cost!!!

 

Edited January 1, 2021 by Flatbush Flyer

[mmaichen]

4 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Your post is a bit unclear (perhaps since I am unfamiliar with the term "cruise confirmation" as it would apply to any particular TA or cruise line).

 

Whose "confirmation?" Are you talking about the cruise line's invoice OR the TA's invoice? Who was/is offering the $600 SBC (Carnival or the TA)? Often, the right TA will improve the cruise line's "deal" by adding its own perks (e.g,, commission sharing).

 

That said, if you have a Carnival invoice that says you are getting an added $600 SBC from Carnival for your booked cruise, you have documentation that you are owed that perk from Carnival. However, if you only have a TA invoice that says $600 SBC, that is your deal with the TA and, at least theoretically, the TA owes you the $600 SBC.

 

Of course, there's always the "fine print" where you might find the TA claiming "no responsibility for clerical errors." In any case, your first effort should be to discuss the possible discrepancy with the TA (after all, your friend's deadline info may be incorrect). In any case, hopefully, you have written documentation proving your agreement with the TA to do the booking was based on getting the $600 SBC (I.e., the email where you clarified/verified any verbal agreements). Armed with that documentation, you've got all sorts of remedies.

For one, if that TA sells travel in California and/or to Californians, they must register as "sellers of travel" with the Secretary of State whose office has a dispute section. (Some other states have similar rules though California's is the gold standard).

Another option for dispute is your credit card company (should the TA not be willing to do a refund or move the booking, without penalty, to an allowed Carnival "booking dates window" for any SBC Carnival is offering).

 

So, please clarify the more detailed situation and do report back here on what happens.

Yes, I guess I was unclear.

The TA emailed me the agency’s reservation confirmation but at the bottom they had add ons. There it stated “$600 Onboard Credit provided by Carnival Cruise Line”

I appreciate the suggestions and will check with Carnival as to what their reservation shows and go from there.

[firefly333]

23 minutes ago, mmaichen said:

Yes, I guess I was unclear.

The TA emailed me the agency’s reservation confirmation but at the bottom they had add ons. There it stated “$600 Onboard Credit provided by Carnival Cruise Line”

I appreciate the suggestions and will check with Carnival as to what their reservation shows and go from there.

Carnival wouldnt talk to you if you used a ta, just log in and look yourself as I said twice above. People over complicate things. Honestly it takes a couple of  minutes to see yourself if the obc is there.

 

Log in, your cruise should be there, click open my planner, then click print. Scroll to the bottom and your obc shows even if you booked with a ta. See my screen print, 750, 50 booking incentive obc, 100 for owning ccl stock, 600 for rebooking a cruise.

 

Shows clearly I have 750 obc, dont need to call. 

 

Edited January 2, 2021 by firefly333

[mmaichen]

4 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Your post is a bit unclear (perhaps since I am unfamiliar with the term "cruise confirmation" as it would apply to any particular TA or cruise line).

 

Whose "confirmation?" Are you talking about the cruise line's invoice OR the TA's invoice? Who was/is offering the $600 SBC (Carnival or the TA)? Often, the right TA will improve the cruise line's "deal" by adding its own perks (e.g,, commission sharing).

 

That said, if you have a Carnival invoice that says you are getting an added $600 SBC from Carnival for your booked cruise, you have documentation that you are owed that perk from Carnival. However, if you only have a TA invoice that says $600 SBC, that is your deal with the TA and, at least theoretically, the TA owes you the $600 SBC.

 

Of course, there's always the "fine print" where you might find the TA claiming "no responsibility for clerical errors." In any case, your first effort should be to discuss the possible discrepancy with the TA (after all, your friend's deadline info may be incorrect). In any case, hopefully, you have written documentation proving your agreement with the TA to do the booking was based on getting the $600 SBC (I.e., the email where you clarified/verified any verbal agreements). Armed with that documentation, you've got all sorts of remedies.

For one, if that TA sells travel in California and/or to Californians, they must register as "sellers of travel" with the Secretary of State whose office has a dispute section. (Some other states have similar rules though California's is the gold standard).

Another option for dispute is your credit card company (should the TA not be willing to do a refund or move the booking, without penalty, to an allowed Carnival "booking dates window" for any SBC Carnival is offering).

 

So, please clarify the more detailed situation and do report back here on what happens.

[mmaichen]

I appreciate all of the help and checked my booking with Carnival and they do show the 600  onboard credit.

i also saw that they extended the deadlines for booking and for traveling to still obtain the  obc.

Thanks for helping this clueless cruiser!

[kdr69]

14 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

A call to the right person at our preferred cruise line got a deadline waiver and we were able to book a $20k cruise for $149 actual out-of-pocket cost!!!

😲😲$20k cruise for $149.00!!! Can I have that phone number please and just what exactly comes with that price?? 😁

[Flatbush Flyer]

4 hours ago, kdr69 said:

😲😲$20k cruise for $149.00!!! Can I have that phone number please and just what exactly comes with that price?? 😁

Oops! First a correction: The $20k cruise ended up actually costing $649 (not $149) "out-of-pocket" since one of the certificates we used was a purchased Future Cruise Deposit Certificate (vs Future Cruise Credit). That said, a net $649 is still a lot less expensive than $20k.

 

How did the math work?

 

Our first month long Oceania cruise of 2020 was modified by the Captain near the end of February due to caution about Covid and we ended up in Dubai instead of Singapore. That netted us a 50% refund plus a 25% FCC. (Note that the refund was cash in our pocket that hasn't figured into the math about the new booked cruise though it helped with some other expenses like airline change fees elsewhere in early 2020).

 

Another month long Oceania cruise in May/June was cancelled by O and we got a 100% refund plus a bonus 25% FCC.

We had a booked third O cruise for November this year also cancelled by O and our cash in that deal (beyond application of the FCCs that were then reissued) plus a new 25% FCC was moved to another 2022 cruise (not the subject of this post).

 

So, armed with four (2 per person) reissued 25% FCCs from two separate one month long cruises (and a requested/approved "cruise by" deadline extension on the earliest of those FCCs), as well as a purchased future cruise certificate with a net out-of-pocket cost of $500, we booked the "now bargain at $650" three week $20k Oceania cruise for late October/November 2022.

 

Of course, some other Oceania discounts figured into the math that reduced the $20k price tag. We also got an "early booking" discount, an "onboard booking discount" (because the cancelled cruises had been booked onboard) and a significant "air credit" (since we almost always forego the included economy air included in Oceania's O Life pricing and then do DIY bizclass tix with a combo of that air credit, FF points and cash).

 

You asked what we get for the $650 (not $149) for a 24 day Oceania cruise (Barcelona to Rome):

Extended balcony cabin on Marina

Unlimited Internet (one account)

All non-alcoholic beverages incl bottled water

All specialty restaurants

Six excursions per person

and, due to our O Club status--

     Gratuities coverage (approx $800)

     $500 Oceania SBC for the cabin

     $150 per person spa credit

      Two cruise credits which count in the  20 credits required for a free 14 day cruise anywhere O goes.

 

FWIW, I always chuckle when some CC posters say Oceania is "expensive." When you're doing longer cruises that involve intercontinental air and you enjoy inclusions that are optional costs on other cruise lines, doing the bottom line math comparisons can surprise you - especially when you also figure in O's terrific food and superb service on smaller ships with great crew and space ratios. 

 

Further, Oceania (and those of its top selling Connoisseurs Club TAs we use) always treat O regulars with considerable accommodation of reasonable requests. For example, with our O cancelled May/June 2020 cruise, we had to change airlines for a booked "replacement" cruise with far different locations. O was paying DIY air change fees up to $250 per person with the same carrier. But that did not include cancels/rebooks on a different airline. I contacted O's loyalty marketing folks and explained that the original airline (PAL) didn't fly to our new embarkation port and was charging us $250/person cancel fees for May (since they had not yet cancelled their flights due to Covid). I sent O a concise summary of all that transpired (w/ docs) and O issued $500 SBC on a future cruise of our choosing.

 

FWIW, Covid pandemic induced travel changes handing by travel providers have reaffirmed my trust in Oceania. Fast action on refunds, bonus FCCs on top of refunds, reasonable exceptions to regular rules, etc. make for good customer retention. And it's always worth remembering that, in the NCLH consortium of line's, it is Oceania that was FDR's "baby."

 

Likewise, this whole Covid mess has produced some lessons about airlines. Perhaps, I'll report on 2020 airlines behaviors in a separate post but, let me say here: If you are traveling on complicated intercontinental routings, use Star Alliance partners and do your bookings through United Airlines if for no other reason than the reservation system's online technological sophistication and the responsiveness of their telephone based service.

 

 

Edited January 2, 2021 by Flatbush Flyer

[BlerkOne]

22 hours ago, mmaichen said:

We were booked on a Carnival cruise that was cancelled due to Covid and we elected to go with  the future cruise credit option with $600 onboard spending if we rebooked by 12/31/20.

we booked a new Carnival cruise for March 2023 and I made clear we were booking to get the $600 OBC.

Our cruise confirmation lists the 600 OBC.

Today a friend showed me a posting from Carnival she saw that states that you must cruise by 12/31/22 to get the 600 OBC. 
is the travel agency legally obligated to honor the $600 OBC? 

 

 

What does YOUR cancellation notice from Carnival state? If you booked a cruise that isn't eligible, it seems to me YOU made the first mistake. It doesn't matter what someone else posted.

 

One of my cancelled cruise offers has cruise expiration date of April 2023, but if your cancellation notice isn't the same, oh well. It depends on WHEN your cruise was cancelled.

 

By confirmation, is that something where Carnival acknowledged the $600?

[kdr69]

7 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Our first month long Oceania cruise of 2020

Sigh...I dream of month long cruises.

[firefly333]

36 minutes ago, kdr69 said:

Sigh...I dream of month long cruises.

Me too except I cant be gone that long as I'm the one driving elderly parents and doing their shopping. In fact I'd be living in florida on the beach again instead of dallas if I could....but I can dream with you.