Ncl Double Charge

[KAYEF]

NCL charged us our Final Payment TWO TIMES. I've been fighting that second charge and they finally removed it.

Now, today, they charged us AGAIN, the same amount (our Final Payment). That makes THREE CHARGES TO OUR CREDIT CARD for one Final Payment.

The effort it takes to battle them is incredible..............then, they merely charge it AGAIN!

My TA seems to get nowhere with NCL on these charges...........

I just cannot believe it's a "computer error."

Computers are run by human beings..............and why, after three added weeks, would they charge us a third time??????

Better check your credit card bills...........we check daily online.........the bad thing about that is when I see a third billing for something we've already paid, it's hard to stay calm!

[2Cruise4Ever]

NCL charged us our Final Payment TWO TIMES. I've been fighting that second charge and they finally removed it.

Now, today, they charged us AGAIN, the same amount (our Final Payment). That makes THREE CHARGES TO OUR CREDIT CARD for one Final Payment.

The effort it takes to battle them is incredible..............then, they merely charge it AGAIN!

My TA seems to get nowhere with NCL on these charges...........

I just cannot believe it's a "computer error."

Computers are run by human beings..............and why, after three added weeks, would they charge us a third time??????

Better check your credit card bills...........we check daily online.........the bad thing about that is when I see a third billing for something we've already paid, it's hard to stay calm!

 

I certainly understand your frustration. I would be through the roof myself. I suggest calling your credit card company and dispute the charge. Then NCL has so much time to respond before the credit card company removes the charge. That way, you and your TA do less work. I hope it works out for you.

[beachseasand]

Yes I agree how frustrating!! It is no fun to pay all this money and get this level of frustration. One time you might understand if it is quickly rectified but 3x that is awful!! Yes definitely dispute through your credit card company, it works.

 

My final payment is due in January sure hope this does not happen.

 

Hope it is resolved soon and you can enjoy your cruise:o

[7SeasLover]

Credit card companies are very quick and very helpful with disputed charges. They will not only SEE the triple billing, they will get on the vendor to move quickly to resolve it. The CC company does not want to lose you as a customer!

 

Much less frustrating than dealing with the vendor. And yes, computers DO do such things. Happens in our office - we flag a billing to do or not do somehting and POOF it does it again. No reason, no explanation - it just does it. My computer is infected with typos! I really do know how to spell, but this darn computer keeps on making embedded mistakes! Sheesh! ;)

 

Good luck. Let us know how it finally resolves!

[Retired not Expired]

Credit card companies are very quick and very helpful with disputed charges. They will not only SEE the triple billing, they will get on the vendor to move quickly to resolve it. The CC company does not want to lose you as a customer!

 

This one certainly sounds like an NCL problem but don't be too quick giving credit card companies this much credit.

 

I once bought several items from a company and returned one the next day for a credit. The CC company gave me the credit and then charged me again for the single item. My wife worked for the company I had bought the item from so she pulled the sales tape to make sure the problem wasn't on their end. It was not. The CC company had me send a copy of both sales slips and the company I bought the item from called the CC company to back me up. The charge was removed but was then added again. An idiot in accounting was seeing the credit but not the charge in that amount and didn't have enough sense to know that sometimes several items are bought with one charge.

 

Again we had to send in copies of the receipts and the sales company called them. Charges were removed and then re-added again. We went through all this over and over for over six months. I wrote letters to almost every officer of that CC company as well as customer service before we finally got it resolved.

 

Needless to say, we no longer have that credit card, but "What's in your wallet?"

[Guest BeckyThane]

I just cannot believe it's a "computer error."

We were double-charged by Princess earlier this year -- another computer error. It affected us and a couple thousand other cruisers who'd made payments that day. I called my TA when I saw the double-charge, he called, Princess, and it was resolved within 24 hours.

 

Since you can't seem to get satisfaction with NCL, however, I'd be calling my credit card company if I were you. They can put those extra charges in suspense while they are investigated.

[newmexicoNita]

As others have said, you can call your CC company and they will take it from there although they may want you to fill out a form or try to talk to NCL again. This would be funny if it weren't so frustrating to you. A computer error as someone said, not to long ago is usually a human error. That being said, errors to happen, why it has happened to you twice is something else again.

 

Have a good Christmas and try to get to the bottom of this Tues. Let us know.

 

NMNita

[KeystoneCruiser]

I agree with Nita on all points.

 

1.) Let your Credit Card company do the fighting with NCL.

 

2.) I can see ONE computer mistake (the second charge), but I can't see TWO mistakes by the same computer. Someone had to tell it to make the charge again on the third one.

[KAYEF]

I'm planning to get on this tomorrow.........couldn't get through today at all.

To tell you all the truth, I've lost all hope in a dispute. I've been "fighting" a charge since September with my B of A credit card reps and getting NOWHERE.

They even sent me PROOF that I made the charge in Alaska (I was not there) and the proof had another person's full name and signature on it plus the credit card number was nothing like mine.

I faxed them back my refusal of their "proof" and they don't agree.......it's still going on.

The TOP person insists I loaned my card to someone else.........yet the number on the charge slip isn't anything like mine!

I'm giving up on credit card "customer service"...............This cruise is costing us more each week.

[2Cruise4Ever]

Oh, my goodness, you are having a time of it aren't you. That really sucks. OK, here's what I would do about the Alaska charge and the cruise charge: get another credit card from another company, and transfer all but the cruise and Alaska charges and then cancel this card. Call the Better Business Bureau and file a complaint against them. It sounds like the second charge came from the credit card company now that we have more info about the previous dispute. Also, I would find out what federal agency governs credit card companies (like the FCC regulates phone companies, etc.) and file a complaint with them, too. An injustice has been done and I would fight it with everything I have until it has been resolved. Please let us know how it turns out.

[Retired not Expired]

I'm planning to get on this tomorrow.........couldn't get through today at all.

To tell you all the truth, I've lost all hope in a dispute. I've been "fighting" a charge since September with my B of A credit card reps and getting NOWHERE.

They even sent me PROOF that I made the charge in Alaska (I was not there) and the proof had another person's full name and signature on it plus the credit card number was nothing like mine.

I faxed them back my refusal of their "proof" and they don't agree.......it's still going on.

The TOP person insists I loaned my card to someone else.........yet the number on the charge slip isn't anything like mine!

I'm giving up on credit card "customer service"...............This cruise is costing us more each week.

 

Like I said in my earlier post, credit card companies make mistakes too and people give them way too much credit on resolving them. And when they do, it is MUCH more of a fight to get it resolved than with a charge from another company. It seems to just keep recurring.

 

Good luck. Mine took over six months with many calls and letters.

[Tomcruiser48]

Let the Credit card co. do the work.

The only time i had a charge show up two times was a hotel.

I filled out an online form on C/C site, got a reply fast,

then a second reply within 12 hours saying it was fixed.

When i got home i had a letter from Hotel outlining the mistake

and a coupon for a free night at the hotel.

Good luck and have a great Cruise.

 

Tom

[rrlacruiser]

I also was double charged from Norwegian. They said that anyone who paid on December 6, and 7 was double charged and anyone who was refunded on those days were double refunded as a result of a "computer error". It was also my final payment. It took me over a week to get my money back, but the thing is that I was paying through my debit card out of my bank account and as a result to that " when you are counting on money in your account" I bounced several checks. I called my TA and all they could tell me was to keep calling Norwegian not once did they try to help. I called my bank and the only answer I got from them was that it was not a banking issue. Now I have been calling Norwegian for the overdraft charges in my bank account and they are pretty much saying OH WELL not once did I get an apology or nothing so I have to eat the 145.00 in overdraft charges. We sail in March 07, So I haven't even taken My cruise yet. The least Norwegian could have done was offer an onboard credit or something. (yeah right) so after many days of being on the phone back and forth I finally filed a complaint against them to the BBB and found out that they do not belong and that they have a very poor report against them. So now what do I do? Cruisers Beware

[newmexicoNita]

I also was double charged from Norwegian. They said that anyone who paid on December 6, and 7 was double charged and anyone who was refunded on those days were double refunded as a result of a "computer error". It was also my final payment. It took me over a week to get my money back, but the thing is that I was paying through my debit card out of my bank account and as a result to that " when you are counting on money in your account" I bounced several checks. I called my TA and all they could tell me was to keep calling Norwegian not once did they try to help. I called my bank and the only answer I got from them was that it was not a banking issue. Now I have been calling Norwegian for the overdraft charges in my bank account and they are pretty much saying OH WELL not once did I get an apology or nothing so I have to eat the 145.00 in overdraft charges. We sail in March 07, So I haven't even taken My cruise yet. The least Norwegian could have done was offer an onboard credit or something. (yeah right) so after many days of being on the phone back and forth I finally filed a complaint against them to the BBB and found out that they do not belong and that they have a very poor report against them. So now what do I do? Cruisers Beware

If your story is exactly how it happened and there is no reason to believe it didn't happen that way, you should fire your TA and expect NCL to pay your overdraft charges. AS for filing with BBB, don't bother. They are not quite what they used to be plus all cruise companies as well as many other companies have less than perfect recoreds. Can you imagine how many people get upset and the first thing they do is call BBB. You say they don't belong, where did you call? this part I really have to wonder about as each local BBB is run separately from the others or that is what I have been told. BTW, why did you report them and not your TA? NMnita

[Toyz711]

3 Christmas' ago, a major department store had a computer glick. i was working the customer service desk at one store in florida. everyone (and i do mean everyone) who made purchases using visa, got double billed. they would come in with their visa bill and tell us to take off the charge. they were not happy when we told them that it was not that easy.

the head office was taking care of it, but it took a couple of weeks to get it all taken care of and a month for it to show up on their bills. some of those visas were debit. i loved it when i asked it it was a visa card and they told me it was a debit card. i would have to ask them if it had a visa or mc logo on it. they didn't know that it they didn't use their pin number, the machines ran it as a credit card.

 

it does happen. sorry it happened to your debit card, but NCL doesn't know it was a debit card. on their machines it shows up as a visa or mc or whatever. when we do a major payment like the final payment of our last cruise, we transferred the money to a credit card and paid it that way. we were nervous about messing up our bank balance.

[KeystoneCruiser]

Now I have been calling Norwegian for the overdraft charges in my bank account and they are pretty much saying OH WELL not once did I get an apology or nothing so I have to eat the 145.00 in overdraft charges. We sail in March 07, So I haven't even taken My cruise yet. The least Norwegian could have done was offer an onboard credit or something. (yeah right) so after many days of being on the phone back and forth I finally filed a complaint against them to the BBB and found out that they do not belong and that they have a very poor report against them. So now what do I do? Cruisers Beware

 

The BBB is basically worthless these days, as Nita said. The BBB in our area will not give out bad reports on companies who are members of their service. Someone told me that it a BBB office got sued one time for a negative report and ever since them have been hesitant to provide negatives. Like Nita said, it is very rare when someone with a positive report calls the BBB and so most companines have poor reports.

 

NCL, in my opinion is responsible for the overdraft charges and should do something to help. Now even if NCL is not responsible for your overdraft charges, the RIGHT thing for NCL to do would be to handle them since it was their fault. Unfortunately, NCL doesn't usually do what is right for their customers when it affects their income. We have seen too many instances of that on here lately.

 

Don't expect an apology from NCL either, it won't come as they don't want to risk looking guilty. I call the NCL run and hide syndrome.

 

Its like I have always said: NCL, great ships and crews but just hope you don't have to deal with their inept corportate office!

 

 

A solution would be to remove the daily service charge from your daily bill until the $145 is made up. Now unfortunately that takes away from the service people on board and won't hurt NCL corporate. Also, make sure you mention this in your comment cards on board. I also would write a letter to NCL immediately. Be firm, explain your story in a rationale manner. Don't threaten them but ask for your $145.

 

Good luck

[rrlacruiser]

I reported Norweigan to the bbb the southeast florida branch, I did not report my TA didn't even think of that I was just so p.oed at Ncl. I asked for my overdraft charges back, and my answer was that they did not know if they could return them to me they would have to investigate it.

I would even be happy with an onboard credit in the amount of my O/D charges being that I already paid the o/d myself. as far as my TA they were very aplogetic but how is that going to help me? I hired a TA so I did not have to deal with Norweigan , I guess I just paid the middle man for nothing considering I am the one doing all the arguing

[Toyz711]

i should warn you, returning money to your account through a debit card is harder then just doing a charge back through the credit card companies. the banks take longer getting the money back to your account, they have to do their thing first. credit card companies post it to your account as soon as they know know the facts.

yes, NCL will have to research it. it may not have been their fault. but due to all the crooks in the world, they have to protect themselves.

charge backs to a credit card can take as little as 3 days to a week, most people don't see it on their bills for 2 months depending on their billing dats. with a debit card, i had to tell people to not plan on seeing it for at least 2 weeks to a month..depending on their banks.

[newmexicoNita]

I reported Norweigan to the bbb the southeast florida branch, I did not report my TA didn't even think of that I was just so p.oed at Ncl. I asked for my overdraft charges back, and my answer was that they did not know if they could return them to me they would have to investigate it.

I would even be happy with an onboard credit in the amount of my O/D charges being that I already paid the o/d myself. as far as my TA they were very aplogetic but how is that going to help me? I hired a TA so I did not have to deal with Norweigan , I guess I just paid the middle man for nothing considering I am the one doing all the arguing

You didn't pay the middle man anything or I hope you didn't as most of us do not charge for our services. As for reporting NCL I think Keystone gave you about the same answer I did. Reporting will do nothing other than maybe satisfy you and give you one more place to vent. As for double charging, again it was pointed out, NCL didn't know it was a debit card. Give them a little time, after the first of the year. If there was a screw up for a couple of days, it will take them quite a while to straighten things out. if you keep calm (I know this isn't easy) and are polite with them you may get your OBC. Of course you would be happy with $145 credit, who wouldn't be? Again, the best way to handle this is to stay as professional as you can. BTW, you may want to write a letter to the top management. That might help. Again, don't explode, don't accuse, just simply tell them about the over draft. Good luck,

NMNita

[CruisinMatt]

Why don't you email Colin Vietch? Many here have posted of great delight and problems fixed after a simple email to him..

[rrlacruiser]

I can understand that they have to research this, but I dont feel like I should have to eat the O/D charges. My husband and I don't make much money, and since Katrina its been one thing after another, the double charge could not have come at the worst time ( Christmas ) When I talked to Norwegian they said that it was their Merchant Bank who made the mistake not them In my eyes I could not care less who made the mistake all I know that I was double charged I authorized my TA to withdraw the funds next thing I know I am fighting with Norwegian myself. and thats right I know that it is hard to return the funds into my account thats why I said an onboard credit would do. I faxed Norwegian all of my information from the bank showing where I was double charged showing them the checks that came through when the money was taken out twice I bounced 5 checks that totaled about 98 dollars and was charged 29 dollars for each check like I said this could not have happened at the worst time

[Stillfloatin']

Our group also got double charged for our final payment for our March Pearl cruise. Interestingly, it's two back to back cruises and in our group of 6, some of us got double charged on the first cruise and some of us got double charged on the second cruise but none of us got double charged for BOTH cruises even though final payment was made at the same time for all us (in December). It took 2 weeks, and a lot of frustrating calls from my TA to NCL before we started getting credit. Looks like I better check to make sure they didn't do it again. :eek:

[Toyz711]

believe me, i do know the feeling. we live week to week, DH didn't get a bonus check this year, no pay check last week..he is sales, commission only...we have moved 4 times in 7 years. that is why i don't use debit cards, i use one for groceries and dh uses it for gas ..charges add up.

 

i learned a lot working for that customer service desk. this stuff is more common, happens in all fields and does get taken care of. the fact that the bank's computer is the one that double charged..yes, i believe that. merchant bank is not part of NCL, just the bank they use. have you had your bank research the charges? you can fill our a form to deny the charges, then your bank is authorized to deal with the other bank. sometimes banks don't like to do this, but they can. one bank can talk to another bank faster. plus it keeps the charges from adding up any more, i have had my bank removed the charges when they found out how much problem i was having and that it was not my fault.

next time use a credit card, really, make a one-time payment to the credit card (we did it on-line) 24 hours later we made our final payment for the cruise. then the credit card company insures the transaction.

[VoyageVirgin]

What an awful thing to have happened, and understandably frustrating to say the least. I would like to think that under the circumstances my own bank (who I have dealt with for years) would reverse the charges and waive the overdraft charges. Did you try dealing with your bank as well? I realize that NCL systems were at fault for the double billings - and it seems from other posters that they are trying to repair the error just not in a timely manner. Hopefully, you'll reach a resolution soon. I really wouldn't want to be working in NCL's accounting department right now, sounds like they have numerous glitches to rectify.

 

M

[firefly333]

I do hope your bank will waive the overdraft charges since they are not your fault.