Restricted Pricing on Mariner-Help!

[cbt]

Our travel agent booked us on Mariner for the Aug. 1 sailing. We paid him cash for our cruise and received our documents a couple weeks before sailing. When we got to Port Canaveral to Embark, RCCL told us we were booked under a price restriction that we didn't qualify for and we owed another $1200. They couldn't explain and said we would have to contact our travel agent. The travel agent says this has never happened to them before and keep giving us the run around about "checking into it". Has this ever happened to anyone before. I would be very interested in hearing about it so please e-mail me at cbt@nc.rr.com.

[SUSANITA]

I will try to "sincerely" answer your question, rather than make you feel like a fool like the above poster was intent on doing. You aren't a fool, this has happened to ALOT of people!

 

Yes, it happens alot, unfortunately. The TA's book you under a certain reduced fare code (FL or NY residency code, Senior citizen rate, etc...) which you are not actually eligible for. The TA's do this in order to offer you a more competitive price to earn your business, or possibly to earn more commission (??). However, RCI finds out, and won't let you board at that rate, and make you pay more at the pier.

 

The thing that STINKS is that they should at least call you a few days before embarkation to let you know that you won't be allowed to board unless you pay the additional fare, and give you that time to work it out with your TA or dispute it with the credit card company (which is why you should pay with a credit card). To find out at the pier that your TA has essentially "screwed" you, and that you have to pay more or not take your vacation is the ultimate slap in the face. RCI should SERIOUSLY penalize the TA's that do this!!!

 

DO NOT let your TA give you the runaround, DEMAND that they fix this or report them to the BBB.

[BaumD]

RCCL put the word out to all TA's months ago that they would no longer put up with TA's who use this tactic of booking non qualified passengers with restricted fares. Your TA knew this and should be held accountable.

[jrm9999]

Wow that really sucks CBT. You didn't know. All you did was book through the TA and assume everything was ok.

 

Don't give up, keep after the TA. There is no excuse for it.

[Sea Island Lady]

I am really sorry this happened to you. :( Not only would I report this to the BBB, but I would put an article in the newspaper (if it is a local TA) if you do not get compensated.Too bad we cannot name TA's anymore. I am sure there are people on this board that would love to know who the TA is.

[suekay]

cbt

Please don't be put off posting on this board - not everybody is as rude as Ownersuite :( - most people are friendly and willing to offer help and advice to anybody who asks:) . Why not take a look at a new thread posted by Susanita (along the lines of "I think I need to grow thicker skin to keep posting here")- I'm sure it will soon have plenty of replies that will show you that we are mostly nice people around here:D

 

I hope the problem you experienced at check-in didn't ruin your cruise and that you get it sorted out soon

[cbt]

I was a little taken aback by the first response, however, I do appreciate the following responses from the "friendly folks" and knew you guys were out there. Please keep up the support.... I need all the "ammo" I can get to use with the travel agent. Thanks again.

[dobie]

Our friends on the Adventure in Feb had the same thing happen, RCI said they were booked as Seniors and handed them a document to read regarding booking into fares not available to them. Thing is, I had booked the cruise, and found out about a price reduction a month before the cruise that was available to residents of TN. They were eligible for it, we, from AZ, were not. So our TA lowered their price. RCI somehow goofed and it was coded as a senior discount instead of a resident discount. They were told they had to pay $800 to get onboard. We insisted that they call Miami, and they did. The port agent in San Juan ended up apologizing "for the incompetence of those in Miami", and we boarded the ship. The port agent was very clear when telling them the fare they were booked under and why they were not eligible (too young.....). So be persistent....

[TheRoses]

cbt...you could also try calling one of the news stations to report the problem. We are over in charlotte and channel 9 (i think) has a "watchdog" section that will check into the problem and call the person out on TV who has commited the wrong. The Charlotte observer also has a reporting section that does the same thing. Helps to make businesses accountable and also notifies others about the problem.

[jealdaka]

This has happened a lot. Mostly from large online agencies that you think are "giving" you a great price. On the other hand, sometimes there is a mistake. What does the TA say? Your documents should have indicated that they were issued at a special fare and indicated that if you did not qualify you would have to pay the difference. Do you still have yours? Read the first couple of pages and see if it is there. It may be on the front cover.

[gkrebs]

Im probably going to be blasted for this one but I just have to laugh out loud. Ownersuite posted on another thread that he/she was ignorant. Didn't know how to use the quote function. I wonder who this person was before since there is only 13 posts. Sorry I was laughing my butt off when I read it after they posted to the OP

[Merion_Mom]

gkrebs: I'm going to go out on a limb here.............I believe that our friend OwnerSuite has been known under several different names here.........right, Seymour?

 

Carol

[Brad1185]

I guess you paid the extra amount. I dont know what I would do. If you did pay it and had a good time I admire that. For now Im thinking that I would have to forfit the cruise and return home. I would be upset to the point that I would be miserable the whole time.

[PTarbay]

I like the idea of calling the local news stations and paper.I'll bet with that kind of publicity they will try to make things right real fast.

[NancyK]

I have to agree with PTarbay - call your local paper!! :mad:

 

TheRoses - I think you must live somewhere around me - I live over in the Ballantyne area of Charlotte - :D NancyK

[TheRoses]

Nancy K...we are in Indian Trail off 74 beside Lake Park :D

[berd0625]

CBTCan you let us know if this was a local TA or an online TA? No names necessary. I've gotten very good prices online and am always concerned about this happening to me.

 

This was a problem in the past as some have mentioned. It seemed to have been under control for the last year or so.

 

Thanks

[ACCagent]

Okay, these are the steps that I would suggest to work this out. You may have already done some.

 

1. Ask the TA to fax you a copy of the passenger portion of the original booking so you can see if they charged you the correct amount. I suppose an unthical TA could charge you a higher rate and book you at a discounted rate. Very few would but there can be a dishonest person in any field. ( That's another good reason to pay on a credit card )

 

2. Ask the TA if they have found out what the problem is yet and are they fixing it. If not satisfied with the answer, ask to speak to her supervisor.

 

3. Call RCl customer service and find out for yourself what type of rate you were charged and what it should have been AND WHY.

 

4. If all of these steps provide no satisfactory answers, then you may want to go to the other steps people have suggested. The reason I would not do it first is that you indicated she is "working on it". That may be true and the problem may be within RCL instead of with the TA. You would hate to give her bad publicity if she hasn't done anything wrong and really is trying to find out what happened. I have a friend (agent) that had a similar thing happen to one of his clients and the cruise line made the mistake, not him. It took several days to clear it up and get the client refunded by the cruise line. In that instance he had booked a family of 4 and had even given the birthdates of the clients to the booking agent. At the port they were told they were booked under a "senior rate". They weren't. As someone mentioned, the ticket booklet should have said if you were booked under a special low fare.

 

Good luck getting it resolved. I just think how bad this could be if it happens to a person that travels with just cash and could not make the extra payment to get on the ship. It should NEVER happen to anyone.

[Sea Island Lady]

I might add that you tell the TA prior to any publicity that you plan to expose them. This way, they have a second chance to make it up to you.