Communication from Princess’s Collection Dept

[Just love 2 cruise]

I am hoping my fellow Canadians who had booked a Princess cruise and went through their credit card company for the refund for their deposits have possible answers to my current problem. 
 

Like many fellow cruisers who cancelled cruises in 2020 I too cancelled my TA In April 2020 but Princess was extremely slow in refunding my fully refundable deposit of $1297.00 CDN. So, like many I got my Credit Card company involved who did refund me the deposit in June 2020. About three weeks later Princess also refunded the deposit. I called my CC immediately to ask them to stop the process and they advised they could not do it but must follow their procedure to investigate the claim. I called the CC three times over the next few months to tell them I have a double refund and to take their money, they said the would look Into it. 

Advance 6 months and I now have a letter from Princess’s Accounts Receivables and Collections  saying I owe them a USD $1015.62. I checked with my CC first and they confirmed they did get their money from Princess so their accounts are balanced and they advised me to deal with Princess regarding the double payment. I know I do owe the money back but it is the manner in which I am being asked to pay up.
 

The return address on the envelope is different that where I am to send money, the telephone number provided by the writer cannot be found on reverse telephone lookup. The email address for any communication was hagroup.com (not Princess) and the letter itself looks to have been photocopied. One cannot be too careful with scams out there,  so I called Princess’s 1-800 and they washed their hands of dealing with it and referred me back to the letter. 
I did call the writer who said their department can only take USD funds, they have no way of dealing with another currency. Our exchange rate is not the best and I do not want to pay in USD for a Canadian purchase. How is this possible that a company as large as Princess cannot deal in my currency? They certainly booked my cruise in Canadian dollars! 
 

How can I be sure that the letter is legitimate and I can safely give this person my credit card number over the telephone? Has anyone else received such a letter and responded to them? I really just want to be sure this is not a scam because of all the discrepancies in the communication. 
 

Jan

[ceilidh1]

1 hour ago, Just love 2 cruise said:

I am hoping my fellow Canadians who had booked a Princess cruise and went through their credit card company for the refund for their deposits have possible answers to my current problem. 
 

Like many fellow cruisers who cancelled cruises in 2020 I too cancelled my TA In April 2020 but Princess was extremely slow in refunding my fully refundable deposit of $1297.00 CDN. So, like many I got my Credit Card company involved who did refund me the deposit in June 2020. About three weeks later Princess also refunded the deposit. I called my CC immediately to ask them to stop the process and they advised they could not do it but must follow their procedure to investigate the claim. I called the CC three times over the next few months to tell them I have a double refund and to take their money, they said the would look Into it. 

Advance 6 months and I now have a letter from Princess’s Accounts Receivables and Collections  saying I owe them a USD $1015.62. I checked with my CC first and they confirmed they did get their money from Princess so their accounts are balanced and they advised me to deal with Princess regarding the double payment. I know I do owe the money back but it is the manner in which I am being asked to pay up.
 

The return address on the envelope is different that where I am to send money, the telephone number provided by the writer cannot be found on reverse telephone lookup. The email address for any communication was hagroup.com (not Princess) and the letter itself looks to have been photocopied. One cannot be too careful with scams out there,  so I called Princess’s 1-800 and they washed their hands of dealing with it and referred me back to the letter. 
I did call the writer who said their department can only take USD funds, they have no way of dealing with another currency. Our exchange rate is not the best and I do not want to pay in USD for a Canadian purchase. How is this possible that a company as large as Princess cannot deal in my currency? They certainly booked my cruise in Canadian dollars! 
 

How can I be sure that the letter is legitimate and I can safely give this person my credit card number over the telephone? Has anyone else received such a letter and responded to them? I really just want to be sure this is not a scam because of all the discrepancies in the communication. 
 

Jan

Princess just sent me an invoice! - Princess Cruises - Cruise Critic Community

 

This thread shows lots of others have started receiving these letters, too. I am in the same boat as you - Canadian, paid in Canadian Dollars but payment demand in USD. I have received 2 demands in 2 days, each for different amounts (maybe due to exchange rates?). I have yet to hear back from them, despite having left 2 voicemails and 2 emails. Ball is in their court now.

[CineGraphic]

It's very simple, you owe the money, pay it.

Princess can't talk to you, or collect the funds directly  from you because they have turned it over to a collections agency. The collections agency is not Princess. They bought the debt from them, and if they only accept US Dollars, so be it. The fact that you don't like the exchange rate has no bearing on the situation. Pay them.

[dog]

I would call Princess and ask for a Supervisor. Ask if you can repay Princess directly in CAD. 
I can see the problem, as too much time has passed, but would still  be Leary with so many scams. 

[Just love 2 cruise]

25 minutes ago, dog said:

I would call Princess and ask for a Supervisor. Ask if you can repay Princess directly in CAD. 
I can see the problem, as too much time has passed, but would still  be Leary with so many scams. 

I did call Princess and ask and because it is now over in ‘Collections’ apparently that department can only take USD. 

[Just love 2 cruise]

59 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

Princess just sent me an invoice! - Princess Cruises - Cruise Critic Community

 

This thread shows lots of others have started receiving these letters, too. I am in the same boat as you - Canadian, paid in Canadian Dollars but payment demand in USD. I have received 2 demands in 2 days, each for different amounts (maybe due to exchange rates?). I have yet to hear back from them, despite having left 2 voicemails and 2 emails. Ball is in their court now.

I am wondering if your contact is the same as mine..E. Perez? I have had no problem speaking to her directly, in fact she picks up the telephone immediately! If others are getting these letters then can I assume that the letter is legitimate and not very well thought out for guests who are not American?

[Just love 2 cruise]

48 minutes ago, CineGraphic said:

It's very simple, you owe the money, pay it.

Princess can't talk to you, or collect the funds directly  from you because they have turned it over to a collections agency. The collections agency is not Princess. They bought the debt from them, and if they only accept US Dollars, so be it. The fact that you don't like the exchange rate has no bearing on the situation. Pay them.

Thank you for your direct response. I know I owe the money and the collection department is still part of Princess as that is the letterhead used. 

[ceilidh1]

16 minutes ago, Just love 2 cruise said:

I am wondering if your contact is the same as mine..E. Perez? I have had no problem speaking to her directly, in fact she picks up the telephone immediately! If others are getting these letters then can I assume that the letter is legitimate and not very well thought out for guests who are not American?

Same contact. I have only been able to call outside of office hours as I am at work during their office hours. I would prefer to correspond via email so I have a paper trail.

 

Despite the fact they claim to only take USD there is. nothing to prevent you sending a cheque in CAD for the exact amount you owe. Any bank accepts cheques in different currency. The exchange tate is then factored theirend.

[ceilidh1]

1 hour ago, CineGraphic said:

It's very simple, you owe the money, pay it.

Princess can't talk to you, or collect the funds directly  from you because they have turned it over to a collections agency. The collections agency is not Princess. They bought the debt from them, and if they only accept US Dollars, so be it. The fact that you don't like the exchange rate has no bearing on the situation. Pay them.

Princess has in-house collections so it IS part of Princess. While I agree that if money is owed it should be paid back, Princess could have saved themselves this process by either responding to the chargebacks or simply checking their chargebacks prior to refunding.

 

in my case, I don’t owe the money as my bank already cancelled the credit. So I’m not chasing them on this. Already spent enough time and energy on it in he first place.

[Just love 2 cruise]

2 hours ago, ceilidh1 said:

Same contact. I have only been able to call outside of office hours as I am at work during their office hours. I would prefer to correspond via email so I have a paper trail.

 

Despite the fact they claim to only take USD there is. nothing to prevent you sending a cheque in CAD for the exact amount you owe. Any bank accepts cheques in different currency. The exchange tate is then factored theirend.

Good point! I did get an email response from E. Perez

[CineGraphic]

2 hours ago, ceilidh1 said:

Princess has in-house collections so it IS part of Princess.

 

Thanks for pointing that out, but my other point remains valid, once you have been turned over to the collections department, nobody else with Princess can get involved or help you.

 

I wonder if they'd accept a new booking from you while you still owe them money.

[brisalta]

7 hours ago, Just love 2 cruise said:

The email address for any communication was hagroup.com (not Princess) and the letter itself looks to have been photocopied.

 

hagroup.com is Holland America Group which is part of CCL. Princess Cruise Lines is part of the Holland America Group.

Various back office functions are shared by the constitutent cruise lines of Holland America Group.

It would be nice if Princess and the other lines listed on their web sites which functions are shared with Holland America Group.

Edited January 14, 2021 by brisalta

[dog]

3 minutes ago, brisalta said:

 

hagroup.com is Holland America Group which is part of CCL. Princess Cruise Lines is part of the Holland America Group.

Various back office functions are shared by the constitute cruise lines of Holland America Group.

There’s their answer. It should be sent. 
I would do as suggested. Send check in CAD for what they refunded you in error. 
 

[brisalta]

7 hours ago, Just love 2 cruise said:

I am hoping my fellow Canadians who had booked a Princess cruise and went through their credit card company for the refund for their deposits have possible answers to my current problem. 
 

Like many fellow cruisers who cancelled cruises in 2020 I too cancelled my TA In April 2020 but Princess was extremely slow in refunding my fully refundable deposit of $1297.00 CDN. So, like many I got my Credit Card company involved who did refund me the deposit in June 2020. About three weeks later Princess also refunded the deposit. I called my CC immediately to ask them to stop the process and they advised they could not do it but must follow their procedure to investigate the claim. I called the CC three times over the next few months to tell them I have a double refund and to take their money, they said the would look Into it. 

Advance 6 months and I now have a letter from Princess’s Accounts Receivables and Collections  saying I owe them a USD $1015.62. I checked with my CC first and they confirmed they did get their money from Princess so their accounts are balanced and they advised me to deal with Princess regarding the double payment. I know I do owe the money back but it is the manner in which I am being asked to pay up.
 

The return address on the envelope is different that where I am to send money, the telephone number provided by the writer cannot be found on reverse telephone lookup. The email address for any communication was hagroup.com (not Princess) and the letter itself looks to have been photocopied. One cannot be too careful with scams out there,  so I called Princess’s 1-800 and they washed their hands of dealing with it and referred me back to the letter. 
I did call the writer who said their department can only take USD funds, they have no way of dealing with another currency. Our exchange rate is not the best and I do not want to pay in USD for a Canadian purchase. How is this possible that a company as large as Princess cannot deal in my currency? They certainly booked my cruise in Canadian dollars! 
 

How can I be sure that the letter is legitimate and I can safely give this person my credit card number over the telephone? Has anyone else received such a letter and responded to them? I really just want to be sure this is not a scam because of all the discrepancies in the communication. 
 

Jan

 

Send an email to Jan Swartz. She is now Group President of Holland America Group.

Express your concerns about how to pay from Canada and also how to know if the letter and addresses are valid as your transaction was with Princess CL.

Include a photo of the letter.

 

[Just love 2 cruise]

20 hours ago, brisalta said:

 

hagroup.com is Holland America Group which is part of CCL. Princess Cruise Lines is part of the Holland America Group.

Various back office functions are shared by the constitutent cruise lines of Holland America Group.

It would be nice if Princess and the other lines listed on their web sites which functions are shared with Holland America Group.

Thank you, your answer has put most of my concerns regarding legitimacy of the letter to rest. I had assumed correspondence would have come from princess.com not hagroup.com

[SJunie]

@Just love 2 cruisewere you able to pay your Account Receivable invoice in Canadian dollars instead of USD?

[Just love 2 cruise]

No, I was not able to pay in CDN dollars but I did negotiate a decrease in the amount payable to cover the fluctuating exchange rate. Every demand letter I got had a different amount payable and when I used my bank’s rate of exchange the value was different and higher than what I actually paid in the beginning! . Super glad that fiasco is over with!

[thinfool]

Your efforts have been extensive and commendable.  Even so, in the US, if your account is given to a collection agency, your credit rating will take a huge hit.  Obviously you do not deserve that...Princess should take a hit.  Have you noticed a change in your FICO score....or whatever you may have in Canada?

Regardless, if this situation resulted in a negative outcome for you, I would be raising a huge fuss.

[Just love 2 cruise]

I have not checked our FICO (Equifax in Canada) but I do not believe it was affected as the collection was still part of Princess’s department within their Accounts Receivable and had only just been started by them (first letter was December 15, 2020). Having worked in Financial Institutions for most of my career I was not too worried about the issue going on to affect my credit score. I knew I owed the money but assumed it was to my credit card company not Princess. Miscommunication from my credit card company and then the letter from Princess with an mailing address as a PO Box that differed from the envelope, an email that was not addressed as Princess, Customer Service not knowing anything about the person who had written the letter and finally a payment demand in USD for a deposit paid in Canadian were all raising the hairs on the back of my neck for authenticity. In the end, the letter was legit and the balance was paid within 30 days of the initial letter. And I have a follow up letter confirming the balance has been paid in full.

But you are right, if there were/are repercussions To my credit score I will be bringing it to Princess’s attention. If only they had not taken 3 months to refund a fully refundable deposit none of this would have happened. But that is my 20/20 hindsight. Let us hope sailing can resume by the end of the year or early 2022 at the latest. 

[SJunie]

@Just love 2 cruise Thank you for sharing your experience. I too, am in the same boat as you were. Because I no longer even have that credit card, I have to wait for my hard copy statements to arrive from the bank, so that I can double check everything.

Even though I have apprised Princess of this, I still get weekly emails and phone calls. How interesting that they are so quick to return all my emails and phone calls now when they weren't at all when I was trying to get MY refund.

[Just love 2 cruise]

20 minutes ago, SJunie said:

@Just love 2 cruise Thank you for sharing your experience. I too, am in the same boat as you were. Because I no longer even have that credit card, I have to wait for my hard copy statements to arrive from the bank, so that I can double check everything.

Even though I have apprised Princess of this, I still get weekly emails and phone calls. How interesting that they are so quick to return all my emails and phone calls now when they weren't at all when I was trying to get MY refund.

This happened to my girlfriend who was taking the cruise after ours. She made her deposit in the fall of 2019 and Her card was compromised in January 2020  so she got a new card. However, when Princess was slow in returning her deposit her credit card company got involved and refunded her the deposit. Princess did eventually refund her the deposit (approximately June 2020) but because it went automatically to the old card she was not able to see the refund as she no longer got statements. It was a mess but eventually 7 months later and her persistence to her credit card company to look for the refund as she was getting biweekly letters from Princess she demanded Visa return the money to Princess. (Personally I think she should have paid Princess directly as I had done because now she waiting for proof from Visa that the deposit was returned so she can forward the confirmation to the contact on the letter at Princess).
Getting the credit card company involved at the beginning when things were crazy and Princess was so slow in processing the refunds was great, especially with my large deposit outstanding ($1000 +) but the after effect of returning the funds is a bit of a nightmare. 

I hope you have success in proving that you did receive the refund from Princess on your old credit card and then can reimburse Princess and close the file. As an after thought....did you get a different credit card with the same bank? In my girlfriend’s case since her old card was closed and a credit showed up (the refund) the credit balance was transferred to her new card but did not show as a Princess transaction but just as a credit with no reference as to where it came from and that credit transaction showed up about 2-3 months AFTER the initial refund was processed by Princess back to credit card. I mention this because it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. 

good luck
 

[ceilidh1]

2 hours ago, Just love 2 cruise said:

This happened to my girlfriend who was taking the cruise after ours. She made her deposit in the fall of 2019 and Her card was compromised in January 2020  so she got a new card. However, when Princess was slow in returning her deposit her credit card company got involved and refunded her the deposit. Princess did eventually refund her the deposit (approximately June 2020) but because it went automatically to the old card she was not able to see the refund as she no longer got statements. It was a mess but eventually 7 months later and her persistence to her credit card company to look for the refund as she was getting biweekly letters from Princess she demanded Visa return the money to Princess. (Personally I think she should have paid Princess directly as I had done because now she waiting for proof from Visa that the deposit was returned so she can forward the confirmation to the contact on the letter at Princess).
Getting the credit card company involved at the beginning when things were crazy and Princess was so slow in processing the refunds was great, especially with my large deposit outstanding ($1000 +) but the after effect of returning the funds is a bit of a nightmare. 

I hope you have success in proving that you did receive the refund from Princess on your old credit card and then can reimburse Princess and close the file. As an after thought....did you get a different credit card with the same bank? In my girlfriend’s case since her old card was closed and a credit showed up (the refund) the credit balance was transferred to her new card but did not show as a Princess transaction but just as a credit with no reference as to where it came from and that credit transaction showed up about 2-3 months AFTER the initial refund was processed by Princess back to credit card. I mention this because it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. 

good luck
 

My situation sounds exactly the same! After 5 months of waiting for a $6K refund and Princess not responding in way, shape, or form I had no other choice than to do a chargeback on my credit card. Covid resulted in me going from a 3 figure income to zero overnight and that $6K was a month's rent and food on the table! My bank issued temporary credits immediately and, after about a month or so, sent me a cheque for the money. I thought it was all sorted...until, 2 months later Princess ALSO issued me a refund!!!! I immediately contacted my bank and informed them and they said that they would reissue the credits and pay Princess back. Once again, I thought all was sorted....

 

Fast forward to a few weeks ago and the Princess letters start arriving, on a weekly basis saying that I owe them money. Each time the amount is different (I assume due to the exchange rate). I have supplied proof of the credits that were reissued and they are "trying to track down the money". The demands for payment continue to arrive. On Monday, they removed the FCCs that were awarded as part of the 1st round of cancellations. I have no idea what is going on over there and don't have the energy or will to spend even more time on the phone with them. I did chat with my bank last week and the rep I spoke with said that Princess could not affect my credit score (this is in Canada - not sure about the US) and also that the onus is on them to CHECK potential charge backs prior to issuing refunds. That is what makes it so frustrating - they claimed over and over that refunds were taking so long in the beginning due to them having to be done manually to ensure accuracy. Well, it seems that didn't work out too well!

 

I have decided just to let them deal with it now. I know I don't owe them any money. They owe me FCCs, but I don't have the energy to chase them on it just yet...

[Just love 2 cruise]

Oh dear..I feel your pain and frustration. Your credit card company has provided proof that the funds were returned to Princess or do you just have proof the funds were deducted from your CC? 
My bank’s credit card company would not return the money saying the transaction was an International one and once funds were given to me by my credit card company and the 45 days to dispute by Princess had expired they say the case is closed. According to my CC company once a charge is disputed outside of Canada they get Visa International involved to follow through on the dispute. They never go back through Visa International to return the duplicate money and that is why I had to deal with Princess directly. However, in my girlfriend’s case her bank is ‘returning’ the money to them so not sure how that process will work. But I will tell her of your situation too because I suspect that while the money has been returned their accounts receivable are a mess to track down a returned deposit with no reference booking # that went into a USD account and therefore the amount would have been  changed. 
I am sorry about your losing the FCC and hopefully that can be reinstated. 
if you can show Princess the day funds were taken  from your CC then at least they can start looking at that day. As others have suggested perhaps a call or letter to the CEO would help as it would appear they need more staff in AR to sort this out. 

[cruzmaniac]

Hello,

 

I just found your topic today on a search for info on hagroup.com email.  Hopefully by now you have gotten your issues squared away and are still following this topic.  I too was confused with who the letter came from and contact incomplete information provided.  Would you possibly still have eperez's information as my letter only gives a phone number of 855-468-2418 and the answering system answers and asks for an extension number.  There is no etension number on the letter/invoice so after repeating for me to enter the extension number it hangs up on me.  I just emailed eperez@hagroup.com and haven't heard back yet but wondered if you have an extension number so I can call back again.  I just want to pay this off but was cautious due to incomplete information provided.

 

Any help is appreciated.  Thank you!!

 

[SJunie]

On 12/22/2021 at 12:43 PM, cruzmaniac said:

Hello,

 

I just found your topic today on a search for info on hagroup.com email.  Hopefully by now you have gotten your issues squared away and are still following this topic.  I too was confused with who the letter came from and contact incomplete information provided.  Would you possibly still have eperez's information as my letter only gives a phone number of 855-468-2418 and the answering system answers and asks for an extension number.  There is no etension number on the letter/invoice so after repeating for me to enter the extension number it hangs up on me.  I just emailed eperez@hagroup.com and haven't heard back yet but wondered if you have an extension number so I can call back again.  I just want to pay this off but was cautious due to incomplete information provided.

 

Any help is appreciated.  Thank you!!

 

Hello, I hope you have been able to resolve the issue now. The email address and the telephone number that you have for Eli Perez are the same info that I got.

I found that she was very quick to respond to emailed communication as Princess wants their money!