How Do I get my refund?

[Kellyann]

I am due a $200 refund that should be credited to my VISA bill but Carnival has figured out a way to avoid the conversation. An excursion on my 10/1/22 cruise was cancelled and I expected to see the credit on next bill but it didn't happen.  I keep checking my VISA bill but no luck.  I tried calling Carnival but that's a joke unless you want to book a cruise.  I finally e-mailed their customer care and got a instant reply that they will get back to me in the next 45 days!  This sounds like something that could have happened before computers but now it's borderline scam.  Any ideas?

[Schoifmom]

When was the excursion cancelled?  If it was cancelled during your cruise, it would have been credited to your S&S account.

[Island Dog]

I'd dispute the charge directly with your credit card. They will give you a conditional credit for the amount while they investigate the matter with Carnival directly. In my experience, once the CC contacts the cruise line directly, miraculously they process the refund immediately. Go figure.

[Joe817]

3 minutes ago, Island Dog said:

I'd dispute the charge directly with your credit card. They will give you a conditional credit for the amount while they investigate the matter with Carnival directly. In my experience, once the CC contacts the cruise line directly, miraculously they process the refund immediately. Go figure.

Excellent advice! 👍

[JT1962]

Did you check your final bill from the cruise? They usually credit it back to your Sail & Sign account. 

[Jamman54]

As stated above, if your excursion was canceled during the cruise, the refund would have been credited to your sail and sign account. If canceled before the cruise it would have been credited back to the original form of payment. Which was it? 😎

[Island Dog]

If you don't have your folio you can request it here:

 

https://www.carnival.com/request-forms/sail-sign-statement.aspx

[Kellyann]

The excursion was cancelled the night  before Amber Cove ($171).  The VISA credit does show on Sail & Sign along with another small credit, so my final statement states Carnival owes me $199.  I appreciate all the good advice.  I will contact Capital One again.

[Clarasgrandma]

If you have a future cruise booked, you could call and ask carnival to apply your credit amount to your balance…..I did that once when I got tired of waiting for my refund.

[Angelboys3]

When I've had any issues and couldn't get through to any department other than the one for new bookings, I'd choose that one and when they picked up I told them my issue and asked to be transferred. It always resulted in a quicker response time for me. 

[Island Dog]

12 hours ago, Kellyann said:

The excursion was cancelled the night  before Amber Cove ($171).  The VISA credit does show on Sail & Sign along with another small credit, so my final statement states Carnival owes me $199.  I appreciate all the good advice.  I will contact Capital One again.

A "dispute" is the only way to recoup your credit immediately. All the lines have been famously slow at issuing refunds ever since Covid caused the cancelation of the first sailing.

[Kellyann]

Just an update.......Carnival ought to be ashamed and if I believed the Better Business Bureau pulled any weight, I'd contact them.  Now it's just the point.  I called VISA again and started a disputed charge for $199.  They have tentatively credited my account while they wait to hear from CCL.  My T.A. called CCL and after bouncing around to 3 different useless people, she was told they are short staffed and I'll just have to wait.  How come the "short staffed" only applies to credits but bills get processed within a week.  So from my 10/1 cruise to the 10/25 form letter telling me I need to wait at least 45 days, it will take 3 months to receive my credit. This is a terrible way to treat customers when charges on your credit card appear in a nanosecond.  It appears I just need to practice patience.  My purpose in writing this update is in the hope that CCL will apologize for their lack of business acumen and to credit my VISA.  BTW I'm a loyal customer and one credit away from platinum status.

[Badfinger]

2 hours ago, Kellyann said:

Just an update.......Carnival ought to be ashamed and if I believed the Better Business Bureau pulled any weight, I'd contact them.  Now it's just the point.  I called VISA again and started a disputed charge for $199.  They have tentatively credited my account while they wait to hear from CCL.  My T.A. called CCL and after bouncing around to 3 different useless people, she was told they are short staffed and I'll just have to wait.  How come the "short staffed" only applies to credits but bills get processed within a week.  So from my 10/1 cruise to the 10/25 form letter telling me I need to wait at least 45 days, it will take 3 months to receive my credit. This is a terrible way to treat customers when charges on your credit card appear in a nanosecond.  It appears I just need to practice patience.  My purpose in writing this update is in the hope that CCL will apologize for their lack of business acumen and to credit my VISA.  BTW I'm a loyal customer and one credit away from platinum status.

 

Too late for a worthless apology IMO.

 

Just another example of CCL doing CCL things....

[silvercrikhix]

$199 X how many customers, for how long = how much in  ill gotten gains? 
CCL must think we’re all idiots. I realize the scale seems to be tipped far in that direction But, really? Thanks for being such an honest, customer oriented company. NOT 

[mistycruiser]

I'm pretty sure that once the refund was credited to your S&S account which created a credit to that account that Carnival will mail you a check and your Visa account will have no bearing on the refund so your dispute on the credit card will be a waste of time.  You should instead be waiting on the mail for a refund check from Carnival.  JMHO

[Kellyann]

Another update as I wait for my $200 refund due me from Oct 1 cruise.  When I contacted Capital 1 to dispute $171 of the refund because the cancelled excursion was purchased through them, they credited my account for that amount pending a response from CCL.  Shortly after CCL responded with their form letter to Cap 1 "that goods were as described and received in good condition".  $171 was now back on my credit card with the notice that I could dispute.  I sent 10 pages of docs to support the fact that the excursion was cancelled including my last day 10/8 sail & sign statement.  Now the $171 credit is back on but when CCL sends them another form letter, it'll go back on my account.  We had planned a repeat of this cruise April 2023 but CCL will never see me again.  This would have given me platinum status but this is not a company to which I want to give any more money.   This is my advice if you have a credit pending on your final day of cruising, just go to the stores and spend it  because you will never see it again.  Is this any way to run a business?

[tree.critter]

On 11/7/2022 at 7:08 PM, Island Dog said:

If you don't have your folio you can request it here:

 

https://www.carnival.com/request-forms/sail-sign-statement.aspx

So sorry off topic but thanks for sharing this link, very useful one to save!

 

[canes20]

5 hours ago, Kellyann said:

Another update as I wait for my $200 refund due me from Oct 1 cruise.  When I contacted Capital 1 to dispute $171 of the refund because the cancelled excursion was purchased through them, they credited my account for that amount pending a response from CCL.  Shortly after CCL responded with their form letter to Cap 1 "that goods were as described and received in good condition".  $171 was now back on my credit card with the notice that I could dispute.  I sent 10 pages of docs to support the fact that the excursion was cancelled including my last day 10/8 sail & sign statement.  Now the $171 credit is back on but when CCL sends them another form letter, it'll go back on my account.  We had planned a repeat of this cruise April 2023 but CCL will never see me again.  This would have given me platinum status but this is not a company to which I want to give any more money.   This is my advice if you have a credit pending on your final day of cruising, just go to the stores and spend it  because you will never see it again.  Is this any way to run a business?

When we have had credit, we received an egiftcard by the time we drove home from the port.

[Kellyann]

I would have been fine with a gift card to spend on the April cruise I intended to take.  What a shame that there is not a human being to contact over this issue.  The humorous part is the only e-mail you can write to is "icare@canival......" and you get an immediate response that they will look into your inquiry within 45 days.  Got 2 of them already.

[cruisingguy007]

20 hours ago, Kellyann said:

I would have been fine with a gift card to spend on the April cruise I intended to take.  What a shame that there is not a human being to contact over this issue.  The humorous part is the only e-mail you can write to is "icare@canival......" and you get an immediate response that they will look into your inquiry within 45 days.  Got 2 of them already.

 

I've been waiting for a few weeks for gift cards as well so it's not just credit card funds. I even called in after a week and they said the cards have been issued and would be sent in short order. Still waiting.  

Edited December 21, 2022 by cruisingguy007

[Sailin_Pirate]

20 hours ago, Kellyann said:

I would have been fine with a gift card to spend on the April cruise I intended to take.  What a shame that there is not a human being to contact over this issue.  The humorous part is the only e-mail you can write to is "icare@canival......" and you get an immediate response that they will look into your inquiry within 45 days.  Got 2 of them already.

Hopefully Carnival isn't like other companies where when you email CS multiple times you get moved to the end of the list.

 

This should have been handled on the boat what you explained happened isn't policy.

 

[Jamman54]

31 minutes ago, Sailin_Pirate said:

This should have been handled on the boat what you explained happened isn't policy.

 

Correct. Since the excursion was cancelled during the cruise, the cost should have been credited to her sail and sign account, and that amount would have been deducted from the final bill. If there still was an overage, it would have been sent to her as a check. Happened to us many times, both ways. 

[Kellyann]

21 hours ago, cruisingguy007 said:

 

I've been waiting for a few weeks for gift cards as well so it's not just credit card funds. I even called in after a week and they said the cards have been issued and would be sent in short order. Still waiting.  

What number did you use to call?  The only one I've ever seen is if you want to book a cruise.

[Kellyann]

21 hours ago, Jamman54 said:

Correct. Since the excursion was cancelled during the cruise, the cost should have been credited to her sail and sign account, and that amount would have been deducted from the final bill. If there still was an overage, it would have been sent to her as a check. Happened to us many times, both ways. 

It is a very telling statement that it "happened to us many times".  You have to wonder how many others have had their refunds ignored?  Not that CCL cares whether I cruise with them again, but I will bad mouth them as a company that has abhorrent business practices.  As I said in an earlier post, if you have a credit left on your final cruise day, spend it because you may not see that money again.

[canes20]

16 minutes ago, Kellyann said:

It is a very telling statement that it "happened to us many times".  You have to wonder how many others have had their refunds ignored?  Not that CCL cares whether I cruise with them again, but I will bad mouth them as a company that has abhorrent business practices.  As I said in an earlier post, if you have a credit left on your final cruise day, spend it because you may not see that money again.

 

He received his refund many times.