"Agency issue"....???

[north east girl]

So.....after a week of turmoil I am headed out to catch a ferry for Seattle to see a play. I don't think I would have been able to leave home and do this if my issue had not been solved. Since I have been "playing" with you all here online for a week.....I just thought you would like to know I am taking the day off!!! I feel like I should invite you all to come with me since you have been my lifeline.

Want to come play in Seattle with me today? Going to be a lovely day!!

Karen

Hi Karen I have been reading all through your posts, great it is all sorted out now. Did I notice you are sailing on 26th September, if you are we are also going on the 26th september for our first trip with cunard to new york from southampton to celebrate our silver wedding.

 

I have been planning this trip for nearly a year now, have had great fun getting the wardrobe together with advise from all my fellow cc posters.

 

Hope you enjoy your trip, looking forward to reading your blog.

 

Take care Karen

[alwayshappytocruise]

Enjoy your day Karen!! Seattle is one of my favorite cities in the world, we spent a few days there in May. So glad everything worked out for you.

Lynda

[mamaofami]

Karen, I'm so glad you changed the CC numbers. Now you can enjoy your cruise with no worries.

[mamaofami]

I am so glad you have cancelled your credit card - we were also caught out by this agency. They waited until we were on the cruise we had booked then put through a duplicate charge for the same amount already paid.

 

It took us 4 months to get it refunded by the credit card company. The travel agent kept saying it was an error and they would refund it and it would take 2 weeks - never happened.

 

I contacted the BBB and made a complaint,they were helpful and contacted the agency, I also filed a complaint with the www.fraud.org however it would seem that they just make a note of them unless it is huge amount to see if there is a pattern.

 

 

I also contacted ************* to ask why they are still allowing them to list - that was in May -they responded that they are aware of the issue and are taking measures to ensure it doesn't happen again, however I am still getting quotes from this agency through them.

 

I encourage everyone who has been overcharged, funds not paid to cruise line etc to file the appropriate complaints, perhaps if enough of us do, we can stop this fraud.

 

 

These practices are really very very scary.

[HeatherInFlorida]

CruiserJohn, it's none of my business or anyone else's, really, who you choose to do business with but you brought it up so I'll put in my 2 cents and you can toss it if you want:).

 

We all want to save money, but allowing a TA to hold onto your money from the time of booking until final payment is taking a massive risk. You are trusting them to make the payment when it's due to the cruise line.

 

They may or they may not (in Karen's case they did not), but clearly what this agency is doing is taking new deposits and/or pre-payments, using the money for their needs in the hope that when payment comes due for your cruise they will have new money to use.

 

Living in a world where we all know now about Bernie Madoff, I wouldn't consider doing this for a single second even if it saved me 50% ... especially in this economy. They may have gotten away with this for years, but now times are tough. On top of that, the word is out about this agent and bad news travels fast.

 

So it's your call. We're all adults here, but you're playing with fire.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Heather I totally agree. To me it is down right scary. There are plenty of agencies out there that will give 10% off or more (depending on the price of the cruise and how much commission is actually paid to the agency from the cruise line) including the one I work for and you DO NOT have to pay in full early and the money goes direct to the cruise line. I would think that everything all of us have read here would be a huge warning to John or anyone else using a company that takes the money early and places it in their own account and does not pay it direct to the cruise line. Unless....Cruiser John is affiliated with the company in question :rolleyes: :D

 

Sorry John but I would just becareful, your Oceania cruise is really a long way away and so many things can happen to a company that is floating money in just a matter of days.

[QueensChick]

I am cruising!!

 

 

My cruise is paid in FULL!!

 

...

 

I am cruising on my DREAM trip September 26th WOOHOO!!

 

Karen,

 

I'm beside myself with relief. :D Have a wonderful cruise!

[mamaofami]

Cruiser John,

I'm so in agreement with Heather, Lisa, and Jade. You are taking a terrible chance with your cruise. Everything we've read here should be a very large RED light going off. No one can make you change your mind, but please think about it and protect yourself. I would never pay a year in advance in this economy.

[ohiolady]

Came here via link from the Cunard board and read thru all the pages with great interest. Fortunately knew the great outcome before I started.:)

 

I am so very, very happy for you Karen and wish you an absolutely wonderful trip. And now you can get back to the fun and enjoyment of planning your trip.:cool:

 

Hope the poster at the Cunard board having problems with this ta has as good an outcome as you did.

 

The only words I have for the scum at the ta are unprintable.:mad:

 

Eileen

[Kween Karen]

I posted this in a new thread but I wanted to be sure you all saw it here because it was so VERY wonderful and because you have been my lifeline over the past week.

 

Today I had a thrill......I took a ferry from the peninsula where I live into Seattle for the day. It was a gorgeous day and my friend and I walked all along the waterfront and lots of other places. The Amsterdam was docked in Seattle and I saw her many times today. We cought the 4:30 ferry home and as we were pulling out on the ferry the Amsterdam also pulled out of her berth. What a thrill.....we sailed in Elliott bay together before she went north and we went west!! Beautiful ending to a stressfull week.......and my heart was soaring with excitement! Only 2 months and I will be pulling out of Elliott bay again.....and NOT on a ferry!!

[COLLEYBERRY]

If that isn't a perfect ending to an extraordinary story ,I don't know what is.:)

[Kween Karen]

I really do know how to spell "caught"....my fingers were just too excited. Then I copied and pasted it in 2 other places so now I look like a dummy in 3 places!! Oh well....it's the stress. Guess I better put this in the other places too!

[cruz chic]

Karen, I'm so glad you had such a peaceful ending to your week. You certainly deserve it.

[tksail]

Karen- I have just read this entire thread and am so glad to hear that you had a happy ending. I was alerted to this thread by a friend who knew I had a similar experience with the SAME ENTITY.

 

The different twist? I was charged THREE times for the same Princess Cruise. It turns out that the agency everyone now knows the name of ALSO operates under another name. They charged me first under the one agency in August, then again under the second agency in September, then sent my credit card #s to Princess who charged me again in November (legitimately), over $3500 each time.

 

It took FOUR months to remove the first overcharge and NINE months to remove the second overcharge. The ordeal lasted from August 08 to June 09. My credit card company could not comprehend that the travel agency had two names and at first believed all were legitimate charges. I was emotionally, physically, and mentally drained by the time it was over, but thank goodness, it is over!!

 

Thank goodness I, too, had a great support system through Cruise Critic people who became good friends on the boards.

 

So many people on this thread have given good advice. I am glad that you changed your credit card #.

 

Have a great cruise!!

[operafan]

They are the worst travel company in the GALAXY! Fallout from their slimy business practices is going to be huge. I feel for all the people who are going to be taken by these scam artists.

[MightyQuinn]

They are the worst travel company in the GALAXY! Fallout from their slimy business practices is going to be huge.

LOL. You're good. :D:D

[seagarsmoker]

Karen, so glad this all worked out for you and we hope you have the cruise of a lifetime!

[serendipity1499]

Karen- I have just read this entire thread and am so glad to hear that you had a happy ending. I was alerted to this thread by a friend who knew I had a similar experience with the SAME ENTITY.

 

The different twist? I was charged THREE times for the same Princess Cruise. It turns out that the agency everyone now knows the name of ALSO operates under another name. They charged me first under the one agency in August, then again under the second agency in September, then sent my credit card #s to Princess who charged me again in November (legitimately), over $3500 each time.

 

It took FOUR months to remove the first overcharge and NINE months to remove the second overcharge. The ordeal lasted from August 08 to June 09. My credit card company could not comprehend that the travel agency had two names and at first believed all were legitimate charges. I was emotionally, physically, and mentally drained by the time it was over, but thank goodness, it is over!!

 

Thank goodness I, too, had a great support system through Cruise Critic people who became good friends on the boards.

 

So many people on this thread have given good advice. I am glad that you changed your credit card #. Have a great cruise!!

 

What a mess...It's getting more & more complicated every day..:mad::mad:

HAL, Cunard, Princess & RCCL Psgrs. have all had big $$$$ problems with this Agent, operating under two names..

I'm not an Attorney, but this looks very much like fraud to me, not mistakes by an Accounting Dept., unless someone in Accounting is skimming $$ from the Agents account.. Isn't anything being done to shut them down & prosecute them?

Have you all filed a complaint with the Fla. Dept. of Agriculture & also the Fla. Attorney General?

Betty

[jtl513]

I'm not an Attorney, but this looks very much like fraud to me, not mistakes by an Accounting Dept., unless someone in Accounting is skimming $$ from the Agents account.

This company is only "1 to 4" employees according to one profile I read (and can't find again right now).

[operafan]

jtl513- That sounds about right. When I called the other day to make a "booking" the operator told me "All three of them are at lunch." I called back later and got someone named "RC". When I asked for his last name he wouldn't give it because "There are 3 Richard's in the office and all I needed to do was ask for "RC". At that point I figured I'd really jerk him around and told him I had between 20 and 26 people that wanted to go on a "Grand Voyage". In deluxe suites. He was eager to say the least............

[CowPrincess]

:D at operafan :D

[AirGorilla]

jtl513- that sounds about right. When i called the other day to make a "booking" the operator told me "all three of them are at lunch." i called back later and got someone named "rc". When i asked for his last name he wouldn't give it because "there are 3 richard's in the office and all i needed to do was ask for "rc". At that point i figured i'd really jerk him around and told him i had between 20 and 26 people that wanted to go on a "grand voyage". In deluxe suites. He was eager to say the least............

 

+1!

[Bayou Lady]

I am cruising!!

 

My cruise is paid in FULL!!

 

 

The very nice HAL lady called me and was beside herself with the good news. The money wire came through.....and my cruise is paid in full. She was very surprised......she didn't expect it to come through today. She said this could have taken weeks and had fully expected that. She was so happy for me....made me feel really good.

 

I will give more details later.....just wanted to pass this news to you all who have given me so much support during this ordeal.

 

I am cruising on my DREAM trip September 26th WOOHOO!!

 

 

Karen,

 

I found you on the Solo board and was so jealous of you taking a dream cruise but when it went off to this thread my heart dropped. I had to keep reading to find out what happened. I am so glad everything worked out and I have learned so much about booking through a TA.

 

Thanks for the lesson and I hope you enjoy your cruise.

 

 

Mary

[Raihi]

jtl513- That sounds about right. When I called the other day to make a "booking" the operator told me "All three of them are at lunch." I called back later and got someone named "RC". When I asked for his last name he wouldn't give it because "There are 3 Richard's in the office and all I needed to do was ask for "RC". At that point I figured I'd really jerk him around and told him I had between 20 and 26 people that wanted to go on a "Grand Voyage". In deluxe suites. He was eager to say the least............

It would be great if a ton of people called , and pretended they were interested in their cruises, make tons of demands, etc. , make them go crazy!

[LAFFNVEGAS]

jtl513- That sounds about right. When I called the other day to make a "booking" the operator told me "All three of them are at lunch." I called back later and got someone named "RC". When I asked for his last name he wouldn't give it because "There are 3 Richard's in the office and all I needed to do was ask for "RC". At that point I figured I'd really jerk him around and told him I had between 20 and 26 people that wanted to go on a "Grand Voyage". In deluxe suites. He was eager to say the least............

:D I can only imagine how eager he was.

What I find interesting is that many on line agencies will give you a bio about their company with a link that says "about us" they do not:rolleyes: Also they claim they offer FREE Travel Insurance but do not give a name of a company which means they are trying to be Self Insured. That in itself seems like a warning to me as well.

But on a good note in these economic times they also say they are hiring :D