You won't believe what our travel agent DID!

[dan40]

 

If I were in your shoes, I would be at this ladies business tomorrow morning with my documentation and tell her that she is to find a ship that your ENTIRE family can board for the same accommodations and price and if she doesn't that you will have the local news down here along with an attorney. No way would I settle for someone doing this to me. Good luck and let us know how this turns out.

 

Do you really think this would bother a thief ? This TA clearly decided to embezzle her clients money for purposes of her own. Those purposes may have been good or may have been bad. Doesn't matter, it is still embezzlement which is a nicer way to say thief. And my experience with the dishonest is that they consider the honest to be foolish and KNOW how to tell an honest person ANYTHING that will calm them down. They can smile, look you right in the eye and say whatever you wish to hear. Even tho they do not harbor an inkling of intention to do what they're saying. Probably don't even remember saying it mere seconds later. The ONLY thing that would be a bother to them is for you to show up WITH the Police. But the Police would not get involved in this kind of case ahead of an altercation. What to do, I have no real answer, only know they think in a manner far different from honest people.

 

Dan

[Cruising89143]

Do you really think this would bother a thief ? This TA clearly decided to embezzle her clients money for purposes of her own. Those purposes may have been good or may have been bad. Doesn't matter, it is still embezzlement which is a nicer way to say thief. And my experience with the dishonest is that they consider the honest to be foolish and KNOW how to tell an honest person ANYTHING that will calm them down. They can smile, look you right in the eye and say whatever you wish to hear. Even tho they do not harbor an inkling of intention to do what they're saying. Probably don't even remember saying it mere seconds later. The ONLY thing that would be a bother to them is for you to show up WITH the Police. But the Police would not get involved in this kind of case ahead of an altercation. What to do, I have no real answer, only know they think in a manner far different from honest people.

 

Dan

 

How knows what it would do but it is better than doing nothing which is what you gave for an answer.:rolleyes:

[TheDINGOateMyBaybay!]

OMG, I would be royally pi**ed off!!!

 

I wouldn't even know where to start. If she had an office she would have definately seen my face by now. I would for sure contact an Attny and report her to the BBB and possibly your local media if they have any sort of consumer advocate reporter.

 

I have never even heard of this type of thing happening, so I am glad that you reported it here. I guess you can't trust just anyone to make your vacation plans. Very sad.

 

Hoping that you get on your cruise anyway.

 

 

We are booked for a cruise leaving Sunday, or should I say were supposed to be booked:mad: . We booked and paid for this back in April. The travel agent took our money (for at least 12 cabins) used it, and then tried to book all the cabins at the last minute. Well needless to say, the cruise is full and 4 of us don't have a cabin. She did the same thing to another group and they don't have all their cabins! She put 6 cabins on standby. I am so furious! What chance will we have getting a cabin?

[Traveler Nina]

I am so sorry to hear what happened to you! Absolutely contact the BBB as well as ASTA & CLIA. The TA's actions go against the Code of Ethics that we are supposed to work by to become members of these organizations. From the profession's side here are a few tips when working with a TA

 

1. Look for a confirmation number for everything on the invoice or confirmation sheet given after your first deposit is made. This should be issued within a reasonable time frame (24-36 hours at the latest depending on the complexity of the booking)

 

2. Ask the agent if they will be processing the card through the Agency or direct with the vendor. If they charge it through the agency then check with your vendors within 24 hours of recieving your confirmation sheet using the booking numbers they issued to insure the correct amount due was processed. Don't forget to account for any service fees the agency may charge.

 

3. Your agent should be forth coming with information such as when payments are due etc. and contact you before the due date to collect payment. Some agents pad this date by a week or so but usually not to be fraudulent. I have had it many times where I call a client the day before the final payment was due and for one reason or another they forgot about the payment, their credit card was maxed out, could they write a check, well no because there is no time to let it clear. By calling a week in advance or "padding" the due date these potential issues can be handled without loss of the vacation.

 

Again, I am so sorry this TA has ruined your vacation and just want to assure you that we're not all bad apples and get just as upset as the general public when something like this happens. It is uncalled for and wrong. Please let us know what happens.

[cruisecruisecruise1234567]

We are booked for a cruise leaving Sunday, or should I say were supposed to be booked:mad: . We booked and paid for this back in April. The travel agent took our money (for at least 12 cabins) used it, and then tried to book all the cabins at the last minute. Well needless to say, the cruise is full and 4 of us don't have a cabin. She did the same thing to another group and they don't have all their cabins! She put 6 cabins on standby. I am so furious! What chance will we have getting a cabin?

 

 

I just checked online and there are rooms available on the CCL website. I then went to expedia and I have a 10 minute hold on 2 rooms and there is still another available #2341. My hold will expire in 10 minutes.

[Ship Addict]

I just checked online and there are rooms available on the CCL website. I then went to expedia and I have a 10 minute hold on 2 rooms and there is still another available #2341. My hold will expire in 10 minutes.

 

i must have missed something. did she say what ship she was on?

[neverpar]

Cruise x 3 must be a mind reader too!!

[newmexicoNita]

We are booked for a cruise leaving Sunday, or should I say were supposed to be booked:mad: . We booked and paid for this back in April. The travel agent took our money (for at least 12 cabins) used it, and then tried to book all the cabins at the last minute. Well needless to say, the cruise is full and 4 of us don't have a cabin. She did the same thing to another group and they don't have all their cabins! She put 6 cabins on standby. I am so furious! What chance will we have getting a cabin?

Are you serious? Did you pay with a Credit Card, did she send you an invoice or even give you cabins numbers? I can't believe this...I don't know what else to say. Was it a large agency, someone working part time or what? Sorry to ask so many questions but I am in a state of shock.

 

Nita

[newmexicoNita]

I would report them to Carnival. They aren't be allowed to do that.

you are so right about that. I am about the last person to even mention the word sue, but in this case. The worst part, if she did something like that I wonder if she could even come up with the money to pay you back. of course right now that isn't your concern, cruising is. Please keep us informed.

 

Nita

[newmexicoNita]

Sadly, I see reports like this too often. There was an agency that was doing the same thing here in Ohio. This is a reason why many like to use PVP's. It sucks that there are some TA's that are floating money to try to stay ahead.

 

Was this TA working out of their home?

 

This is the part of the cruise contract that make me leery of those super deals from TA's

 

3. YOUR TRAVEL AGENT

Any travel agent or sales agent utilized by the Guest in connection with the booking of the cruise, or this contract is solely the agent of the Guest and not Carnival. Carnival is not responsible for the financial condition or integrity of any travel agent utilized by Guest. In the event that an agent shall fail to remit to Carnival any monies paid to the agent by Guest, Guest shall be and remain liable for the fare due to Carnival, regardless of whether liability is asserted before or after embarkation. Issuance and validity of ticket contract is conditional upon final payment being received by Carnival prior to sailing. Any refund made by Carnival to an agent on behalf of Guest shall be deemed payment to Guest, regardless whether the monies are delivered by the agent to Guest. Receipt of this ticket contract, any other documentation or notification pertaining to the cruise by Guest’s travel agent shall constitute receipt by Guest.

Pardpn me for posting 3 times in a row, but please do not make a blanket statement that this happens too often. As an agent I know this isn't the case. Anyone can be dishonest, in any field. Most agents are above reproach and work very hard for their money. Working out of their homes has little to do with it if they work for a major company. One of the largest cruise line agencies in the world are all or almost all home based. Thier agents are honest, work closely together, have a major coorporation to back them up and are very well trained. you may not have meant your statement the way it came across, but for those who are not experienced travelers you may have scared enough of them to take business away from TAs.

 

Nita

[cruisecruisecruise1234567]

i must have missed something. did she say what ship she was on?

 

 

She only has 21 posts so I used my degree in rocket scientry to take an educated guess.:p

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=277789

[Ship Addict]

aha! Glad to see you were able to put that degree to good use!! :p

[petesweet]

We are booked for a cruise leaving Sunday, or should I say were supposed to be booked:mad: . We booked and paid for this back in April. The travel agent took our money (for at least 12 cabins) used it, and then tried to book all the cabins at the last minute. Well needless to say, the cruise is full and 4 of us don't have a cabin. She did the same thing to another group and they don't have all their cabins! She put 6 cabins on standby. I am so furious! What chance will we have getting a cabin?

 

 

Did you end up having to pay more per cabin because of the later reservation? (Although I presume you canceled the whole thing?)

[parisbully]

Is there any way you could give us a hint who the TA is. City. Starts with? There might be more of us out there..

[luv2cruiseny]

you should also report this agent to IATA - all travel agents have IATA numbers - http://www.iata.org/index.htm

[FromHereToThere]

Credit Cards People!. That way you can make sure your transactions are being made with the cruiseline. Make sure they keep you on the line to make that payment, and always, always ask for your booking #.

[UpstateCruizer]

request a quote for a cruise online from one site

receive numerous quotes from many independent agents

book online from one of the e-mailed quotes I select

get a Carnival booking # e-mailed to me IMMEDIATELY

go to Carnival's site and fill out the funpass IMMEDIATELY

ALL MONIES PASS IMMEDIATELY TO CARNIVAL

 

The whole process takes 20 minutes :) I print out copies of the ENTIRE process.

 

Piece of cake. :D

 

This is the exact same process we have had for all 4 of the cruises we have booked. The agency that competed for our cruise made sure to warn me when I first started cruise shopping to always make sure that the deposit shows up on our credit card has Carnival's name on it only. As soon as I get the email with the booking number I go right to Carnival's site and put all our info in. I love visiting Carnival's site and having it greet me with the number of days left til we cruise. That's part of the excitement for me :) I wouldn't say all TA's are bad but you really need to protect yourself before handing over money. :( I hope the OP gets some resolution!

[katb85]

Well time for an update. It ended up that my stepmother paid her by check. I know it was stupid, and she should have gotten a booking number, so it was her fault for not catching it. You have to realize she has used this agent for years and trusted her. Not all agents are bad, but she took advantage of her trust. We just got back from Hawaii last month on a trip we booked through her. She called my stepmother and told her that she had messed up and to please forgive her. What she has been doing was taking peoples deposits and paying off the customers who already had theirs booked. She was just rolling money around to cover herself, and she didn't receive any bookings in time to pay for ours. She went and took a loan out and tried to book the rooms and they didn't have enough rooms left. She has everyones cabin booked but mine and one other one. The other four rooms are from another group that she did the same thing to. The other one in our group just decided to take a refund, so she is sending them their money back. We REFUSE to take a refund. We want a cabin on the ship we booked on. We will not let this go away quietly and just take the money back. It's the principal of the matter to me. My sister talked to her today and told her if we didn't have documents by 5 tomorrow, that we will press charges against her. We are calling the newspapers, the television stations, anyone who will listen to us. Right is right and wrong is wrong, and I think when you do this to someone then you deserve to pay the price. The money back will not take the place of a cruise, the time that you looked forward to it.

[emmysmommy]

Well time for an update. It ended up that my stepmother paid her by check. I know it was stupid, and she should have gotten a booking number, so it was her fault for not catching it. You have to realize she has used this agent for years and trusted her. Not all agents are bad, but she took advantage of her trust. We just got back from Hawaii last month on a trip we booked through her. She called my stepmother and told her that she had messed up and to please forgive her. What she has been doing was taking peoples deposits and paying off the customers who already had theirs booked. She was just rolling money around to cover herself, and she didn't receive any bookings in time to pay for ours. She went and took a loan out and tried to book the rooms and they didn't have enough rooms left. She has everyones cabin booked but mine and one other one. The other four rooms are from another group that she did the same thing to. The other one in our group just decided to take a refund, so she is sending them their money back. We REFUSE to take a refund. We want a cabin on the ship we booked on. We will not let this go away quietly and just take the money back. It's the principal of the matter to me. My sister talked to her today and told her if we didn't have documents by 5 tomorrow, that we will press charges against her. We are calling the newspapers, the television stations, anyone who will listen to us. Right is right and wrong is wrong, and I think when you do this to someone then you deserve to pay the price. The money back will not take the place of a cruise, the time that you looked forward to it.

 

Good for you!! I hope it works out to your satisfaction - meaning you are on the ship that you should be booked on. Thanks for the update!

[jode]

We had a similar incident and this is what we experienced - - we booked with the same TA we had used for about 10 yrs - with RCL cruises. Paid in full by check (as always) - then we received a letter from the bankruptcy court saying we had to appear if we wanted to be added to the long line of people the TA owed money to as he had just filed for bankruptcy. Our cruise was about 4 weeks away. Once I got over the initial shock (I was trimming bushes in the yard and literally made a toothpick out of one I was so furious after reading the letter) I called the AG's office, Better Business, etc. They were sympathetic but not much they could do (we live MA). They did suggest I call a local radio station who airs matters like this as a consumer help and I did and they ended up interviewing me on the air - and it was amazing how many people responded. Bottom line from the AG and our credit card company was that we should always always always pay by credit card. AND the charges would have been reversed even though the cruise was still a few weeks away. We would have been reimbursed under the category of "charges for goods not received". We did file a bankrucpy claim for reimbursement, I went to the hearing, there were tons of angry upset people there and the TA and his wife looking very unconcerned and blase - claiming they had no money. The case was dismissed due to no assets etc. But I wasn't giving up (I work for a large law firm) and filed a civil suit against the TA (on the advice of my law firm and the AG's office). Went to a preliminary hearing, the magistrate said there was plenty of evidence for a full trial and he thought I had an excellent case to received something (they were going to attach the TA's business furniture etc and at that point I was so furious I would have taken a copier machine in payment). But . . .to my dismay the AG's office who was representing me called me and said that although I had a strong case they didn't have the manpower to pursue because "the cost of trial wouldn't be worth the ultimate settlement". So I reluctantly dropped the civil suit (I certainly didn't want to incur personal legal bills chasing a dead beat). But in the process I met some wonderful people at the bankruptcy hearing, and learned a very important lesson.

 

We still use a TA (certainly not that one who I think moved to FL and is in business there) but everything is done by credit card and I follow up with booking numbers, etc. We did go on the cruise - my husband convinced me that since we had taken the week off from work already we would just be sitting home fuming over our lost vacation. Oddly enough when I called RCL to tell them that I wanted to keep the cabin and had to pay the balance again because they had only the deposit on file, they quoted me a figure about $100 more than the original figure! ! ! ! This was insult on top of injury and I did have a 3 way conversation with me, the AG office and RCL and the AG's office strongly advised RCL to drop the $100 increase and give me our cabin at our original price. They finally agreed to do so. And I went to a travel fair just before our sailing and spoke to a RCL rep in person and told them our story and she (bless her) got us an upgrade to a suite. So the cruise cost us double what we had planned - but we went, enjoyed the suite and had a wonderful trip (cursing our TA all week).

 

So what I learned was (a) always use a credit card, (b) don't "depend" (or trust) the person booking if they are not employed by the cruiseline (10 years of booking with this TA did us no good), © getting booking numbers and call the cruise line to confirm, (d) the AG was not particularly helpful in getting any money for us except for eliminating the "increase" RCL was trying to charge us and (e) ALWAYS use a credit card (same as (a)) because even cruise lines can go out of business at times.

 

PS - I also learned that there was a bridal party of 18 who had booked with the same TA - - they lost all their money and I am sure have some very sad memories of their wedding day that ended up not at all what they had planned as they couldn't afford to pay the cruiseline again as we were able to.

[JLC@SD]

Credit Cards People!. That way you can make sure your transactions are being made with the cruiseline. Make sure they keep you on the line to make that payment, and always, always ask for your booking #.

 

....it is the practice of.........Don't expect........Inspect

[Ivanova]

... because even cruise lines can go out of business at times.

And although some 3rd party travel insurance will protect you when a supplier files bankruptcy, it won't cover fraud by the TA. The best protection is paying by credit card, always.

 

Ideally the credit card authorization that you sign should say who will process the charge (vendor or TA).

[beachtravel]

Pardpn me for posting 3 times in a row, but please do not make a blanket statement that this happens too often. As an agent I know this isn't the case. Anyone can be dishonest, in any field. Most agents are above reproach and work very hard for their money. Working out of their homes has little to do with it if they work for a major company. One of the largest cruise line agencies in the world are all or almost all home based. Thier agents are honest, work closely together, have a major coorporation to back them up and are very well trained. you may not have meant your statement the way it came across, but for those who are not experienced travelers you may have scared enough of them to take business away from TAs.

 

Nita

 

Ditto what Nita said. This incident really upsets me. As a TA, I take pride in my job and I'd hate for all of us to be labeled "rotten apples" just because one agent did something like this.

 

OP-What state does your stepmother live in? Besides being a TA, I also work in law enforcement in CA and might be able to help her or atleast put her in contact with people who can.

[roudy1]

Paying by credit card is always best...I know some TAs who will only accept credit card payments...hard I know but very safe for all involved. I hope OPs curise goes well.

[bcs819]

In order to do the FunPass you need passport info, emergency contact, etc...

 

My TA always has the booking number for me and my charge card is always billed for Carnival or the airline - NOT the TA...