Bumped from Cunard Cruise

[Nm hehappysailing]

Hope someone can please advise . We paid a deposit for our 28 day Mediterranean cruise back in November , and the balance on June 7. Booking was confirmed fully paid . I was able to log into MyCunard on June 8 and 10 etc to view shore excursions , dining etc . Until yesterday when my login wouldn’t work . I rang Cunard direct -who could see my name in the system but refereed to the TA.  TA called me this afternoon to say they’d been a glitch and I no longer have a cabin . Ship is fully booked and can only offer me a spot on the waiting list ! We have non-refundable return flights to Europe for this ‘dream’ holiday that’s been snatched away.  I don’t what do or how likely someone will cancel in the next six weeks . I can’t stop crying . Any suggestions please ?

[exlondoner]

3 minutes ago, Nm hehappysailing said:

Hope someone can please advise . We paid a deposit for our 28 day Mediterranean cruise back in November , and the balance on June 7. Booking was confirmed fully paid . I was able to log into MyCunard on June 8 and 10 etc to view shore excursions , dining etc . Until yesterday when my login wouldn’t work . I rang Cunard direct -who could see my name in the system but refereed to the TA.  TA called me this afternoon to say they’d been a glitch and I no longer have a cabin . Ship is fully booked and can only offer me a spot on the waiting list ! We have non-refundable return flights to Europe for this ‘dream’ holiday that’s been snatched away.  I don’t what do or how likely someone will cancel in the next six weeks . I can’t stop crying . Any suggestions please ?

1. Hugs.

2. Very bad.

3. I’m sure lots of people will cancel within six weeks. You and your TA need to check assiduously on the website twice a day. And don’t give up hope.

[Host Hattie]

Welcome to Cruise Critic, I'm sorry that you are in this position. Did they tell you what number you are on the waiting list ?

What date is your sailing?

[Nm hehappysailing]

Thanks September 23 , so only 6 weeks away .  Been on a number cruises over my life but this a first . TA told me they were reaching out to Cunard and suggested other choices such as hotels but nothing can replace this itinerary of so many ports within a month . Friends are booked on the same cruise & paid the same day with the same TA, but their booking held. 

[exlondoner]

I hate to say this, but I do feel in this situation the more frequently you make a (polite) fuss, the more likely you are to be successful. Your TA should not be suggesting other choices, except perhaps a better cabin. Your TA should be fighting for you to get what you paid for.

[stan01]

This is where it helps to have a travel agent who is an advocate and fighter, not a pleaser.  They should be calling Cunard directly and escalating to get this resolved in your favor so you are made whole.  At 28 days it is likely a multi-segment cruise making this harder to pull off.  You may need to change cabins but should be compensated for that inconvenience.

[Pushpit]

I am sorry to hear about this, it's not a common occurence. Is this V22C on Queen Victoria, departing Rome on 16 September? That is indeed sold out, currently, but there are some Queen Anne options on 12 and 22 September. There is usually a high level of changes with so many people on board, and Cunard may well release staterooms as cancellations come through. So if you are on a wait list then hopefully this will clear. Also Cunard will be holding some staterooms for guests / Insight speakers, without actually knowing for sure they are needed. Obviously keep checking twice a day at your end to see if the website shows availability at some point too.

 

Ultimately this is for your travel agent to resolve to your satisfaction. I don't know the Australian consumer protection laws in this space but in Europe things like linked flights are protected by the TA - who therefore have every incentive to keep your show on the road. I would be hopeful this will work out OK in the end.

[3rdGenCunarder]

15 minutes ago, stan01 said:

This is where it helps to have a travel agent who is an advocate and fighter, not a pleaser.  They should be calling Cunard directly and escalating to get this resolved in your favor so you are made whole.  At 28 days it is likely a multi-segment cruise making this harder to pull off.  You may need to change cabins but should be compensated for that inconvenience.

 

I just looked, and you're right, it's a multi-segment. With so much overlap in bookings, the system sometimes makes mistakes. I can't remember if it was Cunard or another line, but a few years ago, the final Alaska/coastal/transcanal overlap led to a lot of cancellations, especially on the short coastal. I am NOT trying to excuse Cunard on this, just pointing out how it likely happened. 

 

This cruise and all of its segments appear to be sold out. At six weeks, they could have started assigning cabins to guarantees. @Nm hehappysailing, did you have a specific cabin or a guarantee? I would be surprised to see a guarantee bump an assigned cabin, but anything is possible.

 

I agree with @exlondoner, keep calling. Call your TA every day. Keep trying your login. And, although Cunard isn't supposed to speak to you about this, as you have a TA, call Cunard. You might get a sympathetic person who will talk to you. 

 

Good luck, I hope it works out.

Edited August 1 by 3rdGenCunarder

[david63]

I'm not sure how if you have a confirmed booking that there has suddenly been a "computer glitch".

 

Do you have written confirmation from Cunard (not your TA) that the booking is confirmed after the balance was paid?

 

Did you book the flights through the same TA?

 

I don't know what the law is in Australia in this situation but if I were you I would be seeking legal advice.

 

I don't want to sound alarmist but I would be having serious concerns about the TA - did they actually pay Cunard?

 

As a minimum I would be looking for a full refund of all monies paid from the TA.

[Nm hehappysailing]

15 minutes ago, stan01 said:

This is where it helps to have a travel agent who is an advocate and fighter, not a pleaser.  They should be calling Cunard directly and escalating to get this resolved in your favor so you are made whole.  At 28 days it is likely a multi-segment cruise making this harder to pull off.  You may need to change cabins but should be compensated for that inconvenience.

Absolutely - she told me she’d be working on it all afternoon . But I haven’t heard anything since . I had paid a higher price for a glass balcony.  Someone else has scored my room

[Nm hehappysailing]

1 minute ago, david63 said:

I'm not sure how if you have a confirmed booking that there has suddenly been a "computer glitch".

 

Do you have written confirmation from Cunard (not your TA) that the booking is confirmed after the balance was paid?

 

Did you book the flights through the same TA?

 

I don't know what the law is in Australia in this situation but if I were you I would be seeking legal advice.

 

I don't want to sound alarmist but I would be having serious concerns about the TA - did they actually pay Cunard?

 

As a minimum I would be looking for a full refund of all monies paid from the TA.

The money was paid to the TA

(well known ) and still shows on their receipts . Had to be paid by June 10 , & I paid June 7.  Had a booking confirmation number that I was able to log into Mycunard etc . Friends were travelling with the same agents but their booking is fine . 

[Host Hattie]

From the date it looks like V422F from Trieste. 

I hope your travel agent can sort it out for you. What sort of cabin did you have booked?

[3rdGenCunarder]

Just now, Nm hehappysailing said:

The money was paid to the TA

(well known ) and still shows on their receipts . Had to be paid by June 10 , & I paid June 7.  Had a booking confirmation number that I was able to log into Mycunard etc . Friends were travelling with the same agents but their booking is fine . 

 

Check your credit card account. Does it show payment to the TA or to Cunard? 

[ovccruiser]

I book through a TA and always always get the booking form from Cunard sent to me with all amounts of monies paid deposits etc with a receipt from the TA. I would seriously be looking at your TA to see what they have done with your money. 

 

Good luck if you choose the wait list

[Nm hehappysailing]

4 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

I just looked, and you're right, it's a multi-segment. With so much overlap in bookings, the system sometimes makes mistakes. I can't remember if it was Cunard or another line, but a few years ago, the final Alaska/coastal/transcanal overlap led to a lot of cancellations, especially on the short coastal. I am NOT trying to excuse Cunard on this, just pointing out how it likely happened. 

 

This cruise and all of its segments appear to be sold out. At six weeks, they could have started assigning cabins to guarantees. @Nm hehappysailing, did you have a specific cabin or a guarantee? I would be surprised to see a guarantee bump an assigned cabin, but anything is possible.

The 28 day starts Sept 23 Trieste and ends in Southhampton Oct 21, via Malta, Turkey , Greece , Spain etc . We’ve planning it since early November . 

[Nm hehappysailing]

1 minute ago, Host Hattie said:

From the date it looks like V422F from Trieste. 

I hope your travel agent can sort it out for you. What sort of cabin did you have booked?

A glass balcony on deck 5 .  What was extra change is that Cunard could still see my name on their system 

[Pushpit]

1 minute ago, Nm hehappysailing said:

The 28 day starts Sept 23 Trieste and ends in Southhampton Oct 21, via Malta, Turkey , Greece , Spain etc . We’ve planning it since early November . 

There is a Queen Anne Med sailing departing Southampton 22 September and back there on 11 October. It does include Trieste.

[3rdGenCunarder]

1 minute ago, ovccruiser said:

I book through a TA and always always get the booking form from Cunard sent to me with all amounts of monies paid deposits etc with a receipt from the TA. I would seriously be looking at your TA to see what they have done with your money. 

 

Good luck if you choose the wait list

 

Right, which is why I asked about the credit card. I don't know if there are rules about it in Australia, but in the US, agencies can take your money and then pay the cruise line, so the account shows a payment to the TA. I have never had a TA that does this; it's too easy to make mistakes (or worse). I always see CUNARD LINE on my credit card statement. 

[Host Hattie]

Hopefully a balcony cabin will open up, that will be easier than a Grills suite as there are a lot more of them.

[Host Hattie]

1 minute ago, Pushpit said:

There is a Queen Anne Med sailing departing Southampton 22 September and back there on 11 October. It does include Trieste.

But only had PG left last time I checked. 

[Nm hehappysailing]

2 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

Right, which is why I asked about the credit card. I don't know if there are rules about it in Australia, but in the US, agencies can take your money and then pay the cruise line, so the account shows a payment to the TA. I have never had a TA that does this; it's too easy to make mistakes (or worse). I always see CUNARD LINE on my credit card statement. 

Hard lesson learnt . Cc payment was taken by TA.  I did ask Facebook groups before paying them & appeared to have a good rep overall .  TA rep told me it was new accounting software they caused the glitch but it doesn’t ring true , esp as my friends went through fine on the same day with them . But they chose a cabin right opposite to lifts . And no one contacted me ! I had to find myself by pure chance 

[WantedOnVoyage]

Distressing.  I put in four plus decades in the "travel business" and never heard of anyone getting "bumped" from a confirmed, paid for cabin or even guarantee... either in the days of berthing books or computers.  

 

What is odd is that you could access the booking after final payment, too... had that not been paid in for whatever reason, the booking would have been cancelled the and presumably not show in "My Cunard"

 

Personally, I would reach out directly to Cunard on this... I appreciate there will be "you have to speak to your agent" reflex action... but ask to speak to the supervisor. He or she can at least offer some explanation as how this happened and what THEY intend to do about it. In the end, Cunard has your money (we presume) and the ultimate provider of what you paid for. It sounds like the payment may not have been posted by Cunard properly. 

[King Amo]

Wasn't there an incident of this a month or so ago, for someone's honeymoon getting bumped? I'm pretty sure it ended up being resolved (although not necessarily with an appropriate level of goodwill gesture), but can't remember what tactics were used to get there. I'll see if I can find it, but I'm sure someone else will be quicker in doing so. 

[WantedOnVoyage]

BTW... did your agent send you the Client Copy of your reservation confirmation when final payment was received by them from you?  This is automatically sent to the agent and will show the total amount paid in and 0.00 owed.  

 

 

[*Miss G*]

4 minutes ago, King Amo said:

Wasn't there an incident of this a month or so ago, for someone's honeymoon getting bumped? I'm pretty sure it ended up being resolved (although not necessarily with an appropriate level of goodwill gesture), but can't remember what tactics were used to get there. I'll see if I can find it, but I'm sure someone else will be quicker in doing so. 

 

Here it is: