"Agency issue"....???

[ocngypz]

Stupidly, I booked thru this agency after a great quote from cruise compete, and a conversation w/ a knowledgeable female on the staff. I was a sucker for the pay-in-full option since my cc had a great promotion if I charged so much by the end of October.

 

What will happen to those of us in this boat (so to speak) of having the entire cruise $$ in the hands of this agency if the FL atty gen'l shuts down it's operations?

 

I have learned from the cruiseline that my booking is under another agency's name.

 

 

Your booking is under another agency's name because the person you booked with uses that agency as a Host Agency. That Host agency is a member of a Consortium whose name sometimes also appears as the one holding group space.

[English_in_Spain]

Reading all of this I can't believe, in the USA, you don't have the same sort of help that is available to consumers in the UK.

 

In the UK, you can either go to the CAB (Citizens Advice Bureau) who will give you advice or you can report the company to the Trading Standards to report the sort of thing that is happening with this travel agent.

 

I find it incredible that this agent has been getting away with this for so long without being prosecuted. In the UK he would be having his own vacation by now - in jail.

 

Is the problem because of the different states having their own laws?

[Texas Tillie]

Reading all of this I can't believe, in the USA, you don't have the same sort of help that is available to consumers in the UK.

 

In the UK, you can either go to the CAB (Citizens Advice Bureau) who will give you advice or you can report the company to the Trading Standards to report the sort of thing that is happening with this travel agent.

 

I find it incredible that this agent has been getting away with this for so long without being prosecuted. In the UK he would be having his own vacation by now - in jail.

 

Is the problem because of the different states having their own laws?

 

Yes, part of it is that different states have different laws. Also, I assume that the deposit you loose if you cancel (that we get refunded) goes to pay for some of your consumer "protection".

[serendipity1499]

Since no one else was taking the initiative to ask if this agency could be named I e-mailed Laura & asked if it was OK in this case..

This is her reply:

Quote: Hello ***********

Thanks for writing.

Our guidelines are that you cannot discuss travel agents -- whether your experience is good or bad -- at this time. It simply wouldn't be fair to allow the discussion of travel agents in a negative light, without allowing members to post positively as well. Therefore, we simply do not allow the discussion.

However, if an agency has gone out of business, we will allow the discussion.

LauraS Unquote