Celebrity Change Fee Look Back

[Bobsgonecoastal]

Let me preface this alert by saying it gives me no pleasure to complain about Celebrity as they have been our go to for many years.  As Elite Plus customers, we have always found them to be easy to work with until now.

 

I recently moved a reservation made on board during a cruise in 2020.  It has been moved a number of times.  Each change required that the $100 per person change fee be dealt with.  All moves were made outside of any penalty period.  I either paid the $200 change fee ($100 X 2) or in most cases, the Celebrity TA waived the fee.

 

Following the last move on July 14, the Rep at the Philippine call center sent me a booking confirmation with $1,200 in change fees added to the price of the cruise.

I asked what that was all about, and he stated the booking had been moved before and those were the change fees due.  I explained that in each transaction the fees were dealt with before the telephone conversation ended.  Each of the confirmations reflected the discussed and agreed upon price and terms.  He agreed to remove 3 of the change fees, but that 3 would remain totaling $600.   

 

After my experience with this retroactive charging for change fees, my advice to anyone who pays for or has change fees waived, is to ask the Celebrity TA to send that to you in writing.  Keep these with the records with any booking you change where a change fee applies.  It's fool me once thing.

 

Smooth sailing and blue skys

 

 

 

 

[Oceangoer2]

If you can support that you have already paid these change fees on prior cruises, I'd escalate it to the Engagement Centre, and if no satisfaction then higher up to the president's office....email address is floating around in CC posts so perhaps do a search if required.  The offshore staff is still being 'educated'.

[Arizona Wildcat]

17 minutes ago, Bobsgonecoastal said:

Let me preface this alert by saying it gives me no pleasure to complain about Celebrity as they have been our go to for many years.  As Elite Plus customers, we have always found them to be easy to work with until now.

 

I recently moved a reservation made on board during a cruise in 2020.  It has been moved a number of times.  Each change required that the $100 per person change fee be dealt with.  All moves were made outside of any penalty period.  I either paid the $200 change fee ($100 X 2) or in most cases, the Celebrity TA waived the fee.

 

Following the last move on July 14, the Rep at the Philippine call center sent me a booking confirmation with $1,200 in change fees added to the price of the cruise.

I asked what that was all about, and he stated the booking had been moved before and those were the change fees due.  I explained that in each transaction the fees were dealt with before the telephone conversation ended.  Each of the confirmations reflected the discussed and agreed upon price and terms.  He agreed to remove 3 of the change fees, but that 3 would remain totaling $600.   

 

After my experience with this retroactive charging for change fees, my advice to anyone who pays for or has change fees waived, is to ask the Celebrity TA to send that to you in writing.  Keep these with the records with any booking you change where a change fee applies.  It's fool me once thing.

 

Smooth sailing and blue skys

 

 

 

 

I think you mean you spoke to a Celebrity vacation planner and not a travel agent.  If you booked directly with Celebrity then simply write a short concise email or letter and send it to the resolutions department or to the office of the president of Celebrity. 

Just the facts step by step.  I used jennifermorales@celebrity.com

She is the director or the resolutions department

[Bobsgonecoastal]

Oceangoer2,

when a Celebrity TA verbally waives the change fee over the phone, they don't provide that in writing.  When you cruise with them frequently, the TAs will usually do that but nothing is sent that would indicate that took place.  In the future, I will ask that anything the TA promises be sent in writing for future proof.  My experience has always been that the the fee is always dealt with at each transaction.  I have never experience retro active charges that were not disclosed on the booking confirmation such as cancellation fees, etc.

I'm assuming that Celebrity is having some department look back to see if they can recover some revenue they perceive they are due. 

[Bobsgonecoastal]

5 minutes ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

I think you mean you spoke to a Celebrity vacation planner and not a travel agent.  If you booked directly with Celebrity then simply write a short concise email or letter and send it to the resolutions department or to the office of the president of Celebrity. 

Just the facts step by step.  I used jennifermorales@celebrity.com

She is the director or the resolutions department

Arizona Wildcat,  you are 100% correct, Celebrity vacation planner.  I worked with a great CVP for years, sorry to say he's gone. He would handle all my needs including booking servicing.  Now booking service is usually handled by an overseas call center.  I'll probably start using an outside TA since there doesn't seem to be an advantage to going internal. Thanks for the contact info, I will continue to pursue this.

Pre Covid, you could call or email Captains Club and they would handle just about everything.  Those were the halcyon days of cruising.

[Oceangoer2]

23 minutes ago, Bobsgonecoastal said:

Oceangoer2,

when a Celebrity TA verbally waives the change fee over the phone, they don't provide that in writing.  When you cruise with them frequently, the TAs will usually do that but nothing is sent that would indicate that took place.  In the future, I will ask that anything the TA promises be sent in writing for future proof.  My experience has always been that the the fee is always dealt with at each transaction.  I have never experience retro active charges that were not disclosed on the booking confirmation such as cancellation fees, etc.

I'm assuming that Celebrity is having some department look back to see if they can recover some revenue they perceive they are due. 

We have had 3 great CVP's over many years with X, one of which waived a change fee for us.  I can't remember the circumstance, but I think the cruise was booked onboard and it was non-refundable which, if changed, invokes the $100 pp. The amount appeared on our new cruise booking confirmation and I questioned it.  It was waived and we rec'd a new booking confirmation.  I appreciate our circumstances may be different but I was only trying to help.

[JLMcruise]

36 minutes ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

I think you mean you spoke to a Celebrity vacation planner and not a travel agent.  If you booked directly with Celebrity then simply write a short concise email or letter and send it to the resolutions department or to the office of the president of Celebrity. 

Just the facts step by step.  I used jennifermorales@celebrity.com

She is the director or the resolutions department

Jennifer is out on maternity but you will get an automatic email back with an email address to write to. I forward my email to that address and had a call back within 10 minutes.  I sent a very detailed email with 3 items that needed to be address. The gentleman who called obviously had my email in front of him and he went thru all 3 items and corrected them. The phone call took an hour - so plan lots of time on the phone. I had called 4 other times and held for an hour prior to giving up and was disconnected one of the time.