Double deposit charged

[urkidn]

Got my credit card statement and discovered that NCL has double charged the $1200 deposit. A week later they posted a refund but only for $99. I guess they decided to make final payment on my behalf except the total is still $160 more than the original booking. I booked through an online agency who doesn't have a phone (first and last time for CQ). They did acknowledge my email but have yet to fix the situation. NCL won't talk to me, only the booking agent. Fortunately, the credit card company has kindly suspended one of the payments so I won't have to cover it until it is resolved.

 

Anyone ever have this happen? If so, how long did it take to get a refund?

[ManyMore]

I have booked many times with online travel agents and i could find a phone number for all of them. Are you sure you just didn't look in the right place?

[urkidn]

I have booked many times with online travel agents and i could find a phone number for all of them. Are you sure you just didn't look in the right place?

 

I am quite sure. This is what they have posted on their site "Don't Call Us! We do not have a telephone number. Phones are costly and we pass the savings along to you. Our website does it all!"

[JWestShuh]

What site did you go through?

[urkidn]

***********. I just got a reply saying that NCL's accounting department isn't open on weekends and they only process refunds on Tuesdays and Thursdays plus it takes up to 3 days for it to go through. If all goes well, it should go through by the end of next week or after the long weekend.

[urkidn]

Oops, forgot I can't post the actual name. First word cruise, last word quick.

[garycarla]

Accounting screwups take time. It appears this person wanted an INSTANT fix. Give it a few days. It will work out.

[cannon_fodder]

I've only booked two cruises, with two different agents on two different lines.

 

Both times the deposit was entered twice. Now, if you are not in the US then simply refunding your money still puts you out since you get dinged a foreign exchange charge. When they refund you get dinged again and you could lose about 4-5% of the deposit value.

 

There is a way to void the transaction but it seems that travel agents and/or the cruise lines were incapable both times.

[garycarla]

It sure would be nice if original posters would come back and tell us what happened.

[urkidn]

After 2 months, I still haven't seen a credit for the double charge. I advised my credit card company when it didn't come through as promised so they are now investigating the issue. The travel agent claims it to be an error made by NCL but without being able to talk with NCL myself, who knows what actually happened. Apparently it takes 6-8 weeks to investigate and my final payment will be due by that time anyway so I'm not sure how it will all work out.

[urkidn]

TA emailed yesterday and wants to leave the charge as is and send me a refund cheque for the $160 which is the commission discount difference. Full payment is due in January so I guess NCL doesn't want to issue a refund a month before. I find the whole thing wrong. It is my decision when I make final payment, not theirs, as long as I do it by the deadline. As far as I'm concerned it is still an unauthorized charge so I will leave it to my credit card company to handle. If they want to keep the charge suspended until final payment is due, then so be it. It's 2 weeks to Christmas and I don't feel like I should have to come up with the extra cash right now to cover it.

[blindrid]

Oops, forgot I can't post the actual name. First word cruise, last word quick.

 

And they have a banner ad on CC. I was ready to book through them and when I saw a BS line about no phone and the savings is passed on that when I passed on them.

[urkidn]

Bottom line, if these guys will not step up to the plate to act on your behalf as a consumer they are not doing their job as a TA. Saving $160 isn't worth the hassle of dealing with this outfit. Another thought, because correspondence is totally through email, if you have a reservation and the price drops or you want to change cabins, you can't just get on the phone, talk to someone and have it happen. You have to send an email and wait, sometimes days (I have yet to receive a response to an email I sent 2 days ago but mind you, they probably hate me by now).

 

I have booked with other online agencies, no problem but booking through this company was definitely a poor decision on my part. I considered canceling the reservation all together and re-booking elsewhere but the price has risen about $600 and I already have bought airfare for this date.

 

Live and learn!

[salty dingo]

Savings? Phooey! If I can't call a live human being if there is a problem, no amount of savings is going to be worth it.

 

I would avoid a TA with a "don't call us" policy. Talk about baloney!

[ocngypz]

NCL's accounting department is terrible. It took me 2-1/2 months to resolve one credit card problem on behalf of my client. What they did was put through an authorization hold for $7000+ first. and then they charged the card the same $7000+. So my client was in the hole for $14000! I kept calling.. and calling.. and kept getting the same old story that they'd issue the release in a couple of days one they were sure the payment had gone through.

 

I had one very irate client on my hands.... and there absolutely nothing I could do to fix NCL's stupidity.

[LuvBNatC]

NCL once double-charged my credit card for a deposit and my TA could get nowhere with them because NCL kept claiming they'd already issued a credit for the mistake when they really hadn't.

 

I put the item in dispute with my card company, and it stayed that way for several months (in spite of NCL's claims they'd reversed the charge) until one night I got a call from a collection goon representing NCL who threatened to ruin my credit rating if I didn't pay it!

 

I reported this to my credit card company, somewhat hysterically, and they somehow straightened NCL out and got the charge off my bill at last.

 

The incident sticks in my memory because it was the first and only time I've ever been harassed by a collection agency. Thanks, NCL. :rolleyes:

[S.S.Oceanlover]

It seems from reading a lot of different threads on CC that NCL plays hardball when it comes to money. They don't give an inch even when it's obvious they made a mistake.:(

 

Bill

[urkidn]

Funny, I just got an email saying final payment is due soon. I'm not sure what to do about that one because they already have my money that they don't want to give up but if I don't "officially" pay the balance, they can cancel my reservation. I really don't want to have to wait months and months for a refund which appears to be the way they handle things. This sure takes all the fun out of vacation planning!

[LuvBNatC]

urkidn, at this point I think I would turn to a higher power...no, not the one who works in strange and mysterious ways. Something more immediate. Like the Better Business Bureau, your State Consumer Affairs office, your State Corporation Commission or Attorney General's Office. Maybe even a local TV station who helps people resolve issues like this. Whatever resources you have who could intervene in this.

 

Conde Nast Traveler magazine has an Ombudsman column that helps people unravel such messes. I'm sure NCL would hate to see their nefarious practices laid bare in a letter published there.

 

NCL has no incentive to stop jerking around passengers and TAs until they start seeing some bad press and take a little heat from outside consumer protection entities.

 

Good luck!

[lvtotrvl1]

I have to agree that I would never use a company that doesn't take phone calls! Wonder how much the savings were for the problems that you are going through....this isn't a flame in any way..... I just don't see how a company can survive without customer service available. I am a TA and do book alot via emails with clients, so I understand that, however I always contact them via phone at least once to let them know I am here if they have any questions....