Compass Reward Booking Problem

[seamare]

Well I thought I had found the cruise I wanted to take, was in the middle of securing the booking with an online agent and was going over all the details. I casually mentioned that I had a Compass Reward Certificate that I would be using.

 

Well, he got all huffy with me, stated that I should have told them that in the beginning and that using the certificate would change the price quoted.

 

There was alot of double talking involved, the agent just wouldn't tell me what the cost would now be for each person. I think that the total was increased by $76 to use the certificate, very hard to follow.

 

Has this ever happen to anyone else and are you suppose to state in the beginning that you are using the certificates?

[AngelinaM]

I have used Compass Rewards twice (with two different travel agencies) and never had a problem or had a TA get upset with me. I never tell them that I am using them prior to being quoted the price. It is not necessary to because the agent loses out on nothing by you using them as it does not affect their commission.

Maybe your TA does not understand what the coupons are and thinks that it is going to affect his commission.

I may look into a new TA unless you have some attachment or other good reason for keeping this guy. You can find great deals using online agencies and the service is fine; that is what I do.

[cliffd64]

Drop that travel agent like a bad habit...

 

1.) The compass rewards are just like cash as far as the TA should be concerned. All they have to do is mail it in. It does not affect their commission. You should not have to notify them prior to booking.

 

2.) If any TA tries to raise your price due to using your rewards certificate, then they are suspect and ripping you off. You should steer way clear of these types of operators.

[seamare]

Thanks for responding - I did use the same agency last year, and did not have a problem, maybe I slipped in under their radar. I won't use the name but it was an agency that responds to the online quotes.

 

I guess I need to keep shopping - I'm just disgusted with that agent, like you stated, run and running I am.

[CRUZIN TOM]

Its alswyas nic to talk to the same TA when booking a reservation. Pr at least an agency who knows what's going on. The cheapest on-line booking agent is probably working out of their home. (I not saying that's a bad thing). But on 2 occasions when I was doing some shopping on line for some pricing, both TA's were out of thier homes, and neither had ever cruised before. Though I have been using the same agency now for over 10 years, I still shop around to see if I can beat the prices. Generally never.:)

[judyf]

I wouldn't use that TA either. I had a little problem last time but I submitted them well after final payment and it all got worked out in the end and I got my $500 off both cruises so far.

 

 

I love them.

[roboref]

When booking my fall cruise, the lowest fare I found, when I called had the price quoted online and then I casually mentioned that I would be using the Compass Rewards certificates.

 

The agent then quoted a higher cost (around $100 more p/p). I told them to just stop the booking process, since I would not use them. They stated that using the certficates had never been a problem with any other agencie when booking. I went to the next best priced agent and had no problems using the certificates. I questioned both online referrer and the agents manager and got absolutely no where with them. I even quoted them the language from the back of the certficate to no avail.

 

Good thing I had not completed the booking and I had the freedom to go somewhere else.

[seamare]

Roboref - sounds just like the agency I was talking to - even checked with his supervisor. There was another online agency that had just as good of a quote but I was going with the one that I had used last year. Always alittle leary about these online agencies.

[cmdchiefthom]

I've been using the same online agent for the past 10 years, and she has never had an issue when I've submitted my coupon, or coupons as final payment. She's just glad I've saved my self more money.;)

[Writeratsea]

Roboref - sounds just like the agency I was talking to - even checked with his supervisor. There was another online agency that had just as good of a quote but I was going with the one that I had used last year. Always alittle leary about these online agencies.

We have used the Compass Rewards without any problems. Last year's cruise to Bermuda we saved $500, this year's cruise $1,000. These were siginificant savings and we probably would not have cruised without them. So having earned them we wanted to make sure they were properly applied. It is applied by NCL just like cash. Except this year, our balance was $930 and NCL wouldn't give us the remaining $70 as a credit, even though I am still trying. The certificates should be a non issue and there is no justification for raising your quote. I would say it was good that this happened before you had a major issue and had to use this TA to solve a problem. If such a minor, non issue was so monumental how would he react to a real issue, and how much help would he be. I always believe things work out for the best and I am sure any new TA would be an improvement.

 

When shopping for a new TA, you need to ask questions. I think it is important that the TA whether online or not should have cruised before. There are so many programs available to TA's in either free or discounted travel, that it is not an excuse not to have cruised if they profess to be a professional. Another important question is do they charge a fee if you cancel the cruise. Most good TA's don't, they know it is important to keep you flexible as you try different dates. You are also more apt to book if there is no penalty. I am talking about cancelling before final payment of course. I would also ask if they are familiar about handling the Compass Rewards certs, since the application of them is going help you pay for the cruise.

 

The only stipulation with them is that they cannot be used for down payment only towards final payment. However NCL has a new program called Cruise Rewards. You pay for $250 for a certificate and get $100 onboard credit instantly. I think you are allowed to buy up to 4 per cabin

once you are onboard. You have a year to book the cruise and 2 1/2 years to sail. The best part is that the certificate is good for an entire deposit, even for suites (not for the villas or Owners suites however). We plan on buying some when we cruise in 11 days.

 

Good Luck!:)

[Writeratsea]

I forgot to mention that for a deposit, you can just use one Cruise Rewards certificate for the cabin rather than $250 per person. This saves you upfront money. If you cancel the cruise they just give you back the certificate. And if you run out of time to use them, there is the option of letting someone else use them for a $50 transfer fee. So this is a program where I don't think you can lose. You get a lot of benefits just for letting NCL use you money while you decide which cruise to go on.

[Preds]

However NCL has a new program called Cruise Rewards. You pay for $250 for a certificate and get $100 onboard credit instantly. I think you are allowed to buy up to 4 per cabin

once you are onboard. You have a year to book the cruise and 2 1/2 years to sail. The best part is that the certificate is good for an entire deposit, even for suites (not for the villas or Owners suites however). We plan on buying some when we cruise in 11 days.

 

Good Luck!:)

Actually each adult in a cabin can buy up to 4 Cruise Rewards certificates. My wife and I bought 6 combined on our recent Alaska cruise. It's a great program.

 

As for the original poster and using the Compass Rewards certificates, as others have stated, the TA's commission is NOT affected by this program, and any TA who tries to increase the cost of the cruise if you elect to use them should quickly find themselves without a customer. I'll also point out that when we use these certificates (we've used them 3 times now with combined savings of $5,500 thus far), we send them straight to NCL, bypassing the TA altogether. I do send the TA a copy, but he agrees and prefers not to be a middle man with them.

[Writeratsea]

Actually each adult in a cabin can buy up to 4 Cruise Rewards certificates. My wife and I bought 6 combined on our recent Alaska cruise. It's a great program.

 

As for the original poster and using the Compass Rewards certificates, as others have stated, the TA's commission is NOT affected by this program, and any TA who tries to increase the cost of the cruise if you elect to use them should quickly find themselves without a customer. I'll also point out that when we use these certificates (we've used them 3 times now with combined savings of $5,500 thus far), we send them straight to NCL, bypassing the TA altogether. I do send the TA a copy, but he agrees and prefers not to be a middle man with them.

We did the same thing with our certificates. We filled out the information on the back about the reservation, cruise sailing date, TA's information and sent it to NCL ourselves via registered mail. I know this sounds like overkill but I wanted to make sure they did not get lost and the $12 is a small price to pay for peace of mind. The TA was more than happy to let me do all the work and I sent him a copy. It went very smoothly and took only two weeks to get applied.

[Crusin'Cousins]

Not sure if this would be considered legitimate and therefore reasonable for an agency to quote a higher price once they learn that BofA certificates are to be used for payment.

 

A travel agency in our area, which I believe to be very reputable, buys up several cabins at a time from NCL for various cruises. The agency then turns around and resells the cabins to their customers at a reduced price. I recently called to express interest in a particular cruise and was quoted a price. When I mentioned that I would be using the certificates, I was told that since the certificates would need to be forwarded on to NCL, I would not be able to take advantage of their special pricing. Apparently, the agency buys the spaces from NCL in advance and when the cabins are sold the customers send a check to the agency for a repayment of money the agency has already given to NCL. Due to this situation I was told that I would not be able to take advantage of their special pricing.

 

This sounds legitimate to me, but if you experts out there think something is a little "fishy", I would like to know so I can question their practice a little further.

 

Anyone familiar with this sort of situation? Thanks!

[Writeratsea]

Not sure if this would be considered legitimate and therefore reasonable for an agency to quote a higher price once they learn that BofA certificates are to be used for payment.

 

A travel agency in our area' date=' which I believe to be very reputable, buys up several cabins at a time from NCL for various cruises. The agency then turns around and resells the cabins to their customers at a reduced price. I recently called to express interest in a particular cruise and was quoted a price. When I mentioned that I would be using the certificates, I was told that since the certificates would need to be forwarded on to NCL, I would not be able to take advantage of their special pricing. Apparently, the agency buys the spaces from NCL in advance and when the cabins are sold the customers send a check to the agency for a repayment of money the agency has already given to NCL. Due to this situation I was told that I would not be able to take advantage of their special pricing.

 

This sounds legitimate to me, but if you experts out there think something is a little "fishy", I would like to know so I can question their practice a little further.

 

Anyone familiar with this sort of situation? Thanks![/quote']

This is fishy. Our TA in NH blocks space cabins in various categories on different cruises. Our particular cabin that we like and rebook every year is only available through them. Friends of ours who used another agency wanted to use our TA but could not get their favorite room as it was blocked booked by the other TA.

 

The agency doesn't actually buy the spaces, they just guarantee to the cruise line that they will sell the particular cabins. In return only this TA can sell those particular cabins. They get a better price for guaranteeing the purchase of the spaces and the cruise line has basically presold some of its inventory. Depending upon the contract, the TA can return some unsold rooms at a specified time. If they return too many rooms, the cruiseline might reevaluate using them. So to keep their exclusive, they try to sell out their allotment and sometimes have to eat what they don't sell.

 

I know last year on the Majesty, before our Bermuda cruise in September we got an email from the agency offering unsold cabins. It was a flat price of $399 and included the taxes. Quite a bargain but the email came on Friday for the Sunday sailing. They still sold out and something like this is perfect for retired people who can leave at a moments notice.

[Crusin'Cousins]

You have come through again for us...

 

Based on your input, I followed-up again with the agency I mentioned above that would not provide us with their reduced pricing if we used the BofA certificates. The response again was that we would have to pay the higher price currently available from NCL if we wanted to use the certificates. I knew that this company (Hxxxxx Txxxxx) was actually legitimate, so I took the issue up with the office manager.

 

Well, to make a long story short, the reps didn't know anything about the BofA certificates, but the management did. Once we were speaking with people in-the-know, we had no problems using the certificates and getting the reduced pricing for our next cruise. (A good deal I might add!)

 

It's unfortunate, but if you know you are right, which I did based on what I learned from these boards, you can get people to follow through and do what they are supposed to do.

 

Thanks a lot!

[Writeratsea]

You have come through again for us...

 

Based on your input' date=' I followed-up again with the agency I mentioned above that would not provide us with their reduced pricing if we used the BofA certificates. The response again was that we would have to pay the higher price currently available from NCL if we wanted to use the certificates. I knew that this company (Hxxxxx Txxxxx) was actually legitimate, so I took the issue up with the office manager.

 

Well, to make a long story short, the reps didn't know anything about the BofA certificates, but the management did. Once we were speaking with people in-the-know, we had no problems using the certificates and getting the reduced pricing for our next cruise. (A good deal I might add!)

 

It's unfortunate, but if you know you are right, which I did based on what I learned from these boards, you can get people to follow through and do what they are supposed to do.

 

Thanks a lot![/quote']

It was great to hear that everything worked out for you. This situation really illustrates the value of these boards. People share experiences and expertise to help other members solve problems. I am sure the good price was worth taking the extra time to talk with someone knowledgeable enough in the agency. Sometimes the reps confuse the certificates with discount or other type of coupons which of course would cost the agency money. These certificates have been earned by using the related credit card for purchases and are simply a reward certificate, just the same as cash with certain limitations.

Enjoy your cruise. I love this program as it really doesn't cost me extra money, just a reward for using a particular credit card for purchases I would make anyway.:)

[EVdriver]

I had a problem a few years ago with a travel agent that insisted on increasing the price when she found out I was using Compass Reward certificates. I tried explaining that it did not affect her commission to no avail. Finally I contacted the right person at MBNA (thanks to info found at Cruise Critic) and had MBNA talk to the travel agent. Eventually everything was resolved, but it was a big hassle.

 

For our last three cruises, I just book directly through NCL. I may lose out on a small cabin credit or some other discount an agent might offer, but there are no problems at all using the certificates when booking direct.