TA changed the final payment due date

[Tazzycat]

I originally booked a 4-night cruise with the cruise line directly, but after the cruise ine employee lied to me every time she took a breath, I transferred the booking to an independent TA, who told me that everything would be the same. Now that the booking is transferred, the TA has moved up the final payment due date to 75 days before sailing, even though the cruise line's website and phone answering employees state that the final payment is due 60 days out from sailing date.

 

Why do TA's tell you one thing and then change the rules on you once they have the booking? Why do TA's have different final payment due dates than the cruiselines?

 

I am getting sick of cruise- selling people lying to me. I can't find anyone to trust, and it makes me sad and angry.

[cruiselover57]

I originally booked a 4-night cruise with the cruise line directly, but after the cruise ine employee lied to me every time she took a breath, I transferred the booking to an independent TA, who told me that everything would be the same. Now that the booking is transferred, the TA has moved up the final payment due date to 75 days before sailing, even though the cruise line's website and phone answering employees state that the final payment is due 60 days out from sailing date.

 

Why do TA's tell you one thing and then change the rules on you once they have the booking? Why do TA's have different final payment due dates than the cruiselines?

 

I am getting sick of cruise- selling people lying to me. I can't find anyone to trust, and it makes me sad and angry.

 

Hi there,

 

I was in the same situation and the reason for this is because the TA wants to be sure they have time to process everything beforehand. To me, it's not really a big deal paying 2 weeks ahead of time but the TA should at least tell you their reasoning of why they need it earlier than the cruise line. PS - if you ever cruise over a major holiday, be prepared to pay up 3 months ahead of time.

[leaveitallbehind]

Hi there,

 

I was in the same situation and the reason for this is because the TA wants to be sure they have time to process everything beforehand. To me, it's not really a big deal paying 2 weeks ahead of time but the TA should at least tell you their reasoning of why they need it earlier than the cruise line. PS - if you ever cruise over a major holiday, be prepared to pay up 3 months ahead of time.

 

That has never happened with us. The final payment date with the cruise line has always been the same with the TA. I'm not sure what would take more than the 60 day (or as specified) timeframe to process everything - especially when much of that comes from the cruise line the TA. Maybe they need to look into a different TA next time. I also question the OP on being lied to by everyone from the cruise line to the TA - can't see any reason for that. Perhaps they're just not clear on what has been said. Better luck in the future!

[Keith1010]

Almost all TA's pad the date. I don't think two full weeks is necessary but a week or so makes sense. You certainly don't want to miss the date.

 

If two weeks is a problem then call the TA and ask if they can do it a week before.

 

Keith

[Jesscap5]

I think the reason why some do this is because it gives them and you plenty of time to pay your final payment before the cruise line get's involved. If someone's credit card declines then the TA has time to get a hold of the client to get a new number or find out what's going on. That way the booking doesn't get canceled from the cruise line.

[lvtotrvl1]

As a TA I can tell you that it's best to make final payment date for clients about a week or so ahead of time. Gives plenty of time to get the payment from the client by the cruiselines final due date. It's just a precaution so your cruise doesn't cancel. I really don't see why someone would be upset by that. Even if you don't pay your TA at the 75 days, it won't cancel, until the cruiselines date.

 

You would be surprised how many times you will have to call some clients to get final payment from them.

[G'ma]

I originally booked a 4-night cruise with the cruise line directly, but after the cruise ine employee lied to me every time she took a breath, I transferred the booking to an independent TA, who told me that everything would be the same. Now that the booking is transferred, the TA has moved up the final payment due date to 75 days before sailing, even though the cruise line's website and phone answering employees state that the final payment is due 60 days out from sailing date.

 

Why do TA's tell you one thing and then change the rules on you once they have the booking? Why do TA's have different final payment due dates than the cruiselines?

 

I am getting sick of cruise- selling people lying to me. I can't find anyone to trust, and it makes me sad and angry.

 

TA's can ask for final payment anytime they want. It's a privately owned business.

 

It's a good idea to check everything out before you plop your money down with one.

[mikedw]

Use to be a TA and we always added a week or two to final payment. Like the other poster said, you be quite surprised how many people forget all about it or some people go away for a few days and you can't get ahold of them. Better safe then sorry.

[Tazzycat]

I thought that I had an honest cruise line rep but then i found out that she lied about what the definition of "group" was, and told all of us in that group, individually on separate phone calls, that she would give us a group discount, but then 2 months after we booked, she changed her mind and started giving us new rules as to what was considered to be a "group" like, certain cat cabins did not qualify, even though we had booked two of those cat cabins on the first day we spoke to her; then the number of people in the cabin had to be a certain number or that cabin would not qualify, and then we learned that she had no business making any promises to us at all about giving us a group discount because she didn't even work in the groups department. The cruiseline's website says that eight cabins makes a group. No caveats, no asterisks, no limitations, just a simple statement that can be ignored by anyone at the cruiseline when they want to do so.

 

I told the CEO by email that his website is falsely advertising because what it says in writing is not how the groups department interprets that simple statement, and then depending on whom you speak to in the groups dept, you will get a different answer. And if you really want to get a variety of answers, just make ten calls to the cruiseline and ask ten different people. Where is the truth in writing? On the website where it states eight cabins make a group.

 

I wrote a complaint letter to the CEO, the cruise line let us all transfer our bookings, and then the independant TA told us that everything would be the same: the deposits, the total prices, the cabins and the final payment deadline.

Then later, she changed her mind and moved the final payment date closer. Grrr.

 

Are there any honest TA's out there? My blood pressure can't take this. I need a vacation.

 

 

Of course I understand that the final deadline is just that, so it's my responsibility to get them paid before that deadline, but I am old enough to do that myself without a TA changing the payment deadline on her own. It takes 15 seconds to run a credit card.

 

The cruise line is getting paid in full 60 days before they give me what I paid for, anyway. How many other things have such rules?

[Krazy Kruizers]

When we book our cruise, on the confirmation sheet our TA always has the date listed as to when our final payment is due -- usually 75 days before the cruise sails.

[mrsmep]

What happens if I can't get hold of my TA befor final payment due date? According to my paperwork, my final pyment is due Nov 10. I emailed my TA Wed and tried calling (goes to voicemail). Just a little concearned...thanks, Maria

[G'ma]

I originally booked a 4-night cruise with the cruise line directly, but after the cruise ine employee lied to me every time she took a breath, I transferred the booking to an independent TA, who told me that everything would be the same. Now that the booking is transferred, the TA has moved up the final payment due date to 75 days before sailing, even though the cruise line's website and phone answering employees state that the final payment is due 60 days out from sailing date.

 

Why do TA's tell you one thing and then change the rules on you once they have the booking? Why do TA's have different final payment due dates than the cruiselines?

 

I am getting sick of cruise- selling people lying to me. I can't find anyone to trust, and it makes me sad and angry.

 

Here's my take on it.

 

Unless I was paying the TA by cash or check, I'd never, ever pay the cruise off earlier than required.

 

If the TA gave me that information, I'd simply decline and say that I'll give my information a day or two before the cruise line requires it.

 

There is NO reason at all for an agency to set their own pay-off date on a cruise unless they are planning to take payment in their name and use the money a couple of weeks before sending the cruise company a check...and that is against the law.

 

The cruise lines final payment date is the same date to everyone, everywhere, no matter where you made the booking.

 

Tell your TA that you are prepared to pay a couple days ahead and that's it. If she doesn't like it....then have her return your booking to the cruise line.

[mikedw]

Here's my take on it.

 

Unless I was paying the TA by cash or check' date=' I'd never, ever pay the cruise off earlier than required.

 

If the TA gave me that information, I'd simply decline and say that I'll give my information a day or two before the cruise line requires it.

 

There is NO reason at all for an agency to set their own pay-off date on a cruise unless they are planning to take payment in their name and use the money a couple of weeks before sending the cruise company a check...and that is against the law.

 

The cruise lines final payment date is the same date to everyone, everywhere, no matter where you made the booking.

 

Tell your TA that you are prepared to pay a couple days ahead and that's it. If she doesn't like it....then have her return your booking to the cruise line.[/quote']

 

I had clients who I waited until a day or two before the cruise line deadline that I called and they were out of town for several days. Luckily it never happened to my clients but the agency had clients who had there res cancelled because we just couldn't get ahold of them. If you start dictating how a private business is going to do stuff, I would have turned you down as a client, because if something went wrong, you would blame the agent for everything. The owner did turn down clients that he thought didn't fit how we did business.

[toberman]

I had clients who I waited until a day or two before the cruise line deadline that I called and they were out of town for several days. Luckily it never happened to my clients but the agency had clients who had there res cancelled because we just couldn't get ahold of them. If you start dictating how a private business is going to do stuff, I would have turned you down as a client, because if something went wrong, you would blame the agent for everything. The owner did turn down clients that he thought didn't fit how we did business.

 

We also pay a week or so ahead of schedule. The money doesn't go to our TA, it's on a credit card slip to Princess and they forward it on. I'd rather be safe than sorry and be sure it reaches Princess in time. I have no problem with my TA doing this, I'm thankful he's conscientious.

 

Janette

[cruisemom42]

The cruise line is getting paid in full 60 days before they give me what I paid for, anyway. How many other things have such rules?

 

Well, airline tickets come readily to mind. Sometimes I have booke airfare for trips as much as 10 months in advance, and paid in full.

 

I'm sure there are many other examples -- special hotel deals that require prepayment in full, custom-made items, etc.

 

Really, is this a big deal?

[G'ma]

I had clients who I waited until a day or two before the cruise line deadline that I called and they were out of town for several days. Luckily it never happened to my clients but the agency had clients who had there res cancelled because we just couldn't get ahold of them. If you start dictating how a private business is going to do stuff, I would have turned you down as a client, because if something went wrong, you would blame the agent for everything. The owner did turn down clients that he thought didn't fit how we did business.

 

You can't preach to the choir. I was in the retail travel industry for 32 years.....I KNOW how it works.

 

As a full service agency, you advise your clients of final payment at the time the reservation is made. A couple of weeks prior, you call and remind them and follow up with a copy of the invoice showing the date.

 

You don't take their money weeks before it's due. There is no reason to do so.

 

It's called "follow-up" and is the agents responsibility to do it...as part of customer service.

 

And, any "agent" that would require me to pay weeks before the money was due wouldn't get my business in the first place.

[G'ma]

Well, airline tickets come readily to mind. Sometimes I have booke airfare for trips as much as 10 months in advance, and paid in full. The fare rules on most airline tickets require payment at the time of reservation or within 24 hours. You know this upfront when you make the reservation.

 

I'm sure there are many other examples -- special hotel deals that require prepayment in full, custom-made items, etc. Some hotel rate promotions require instant payment......you know this upfront.

 

Really, is this a big deal?

 

Cruise lines, as a rule, don't have these requirements. Their payment information is posted on their website. An agent who requires payment weeks before it's due, in my opinion, is fishy.

[cruisemom42]

Cruise lines' date=' as a rule, don't have these requirements. Their payment information is posted on their website. An agent who requires payment weeks before it's due, in my opinion, is fishy.[/quote']

 

Thank you for totally misunderstanding my post and taking it out of context.

 

Clearly, the question I was answering was the rhetorical one posed by the OP and HIGHLIGHTED in the quote that I used. Namely, this:

"The cruise line is getting paid in full 60 days before they give me what I paid for, anyway. How many other things have such rules?"

[vacation luvver]

"The cruise line is getting paid in full 60 days before they give me what I paid for, anyway. How many other things have such rules?"

 

As someone posted upthread, sometims hotels offer deals in which you have to prepay your room, but if you cancel, you aren't entitled to a refund. And any time I send away for a three-year magazine subscription, I have to pay upfront. I am not allowed to say, "Send me the magazines for three years, and then I'll send you the money."

 

In September, I went on a Royal Caribbean cruise as part of a group of approx 300 people. We had to book through a particular TA. The literature I received from Royal Caribbean said that while they have a particular deadline for receiving payment in full, if you're part of a group, the deadline would be earlier (but it didn't say how much earlier).

 

The TA said that the deposit had to be in the form of a check in the amount of $400.00 per person, payable to the travel agency and not Royal Caribbean. This made me uneasy, but I sent the check. I made payment in full on my credit card, and the credit card bill reflected a payment to Royal Caribbean, not the travel agency. Everything went very well regarding receiving my cruise documents.

 

But I would never use a TA again, unless I wanted to be part of a group, and the only way was to book with a particular TA. When I book directly with the cruiseline, I am given my reservation number (yes, the TA gave me my reservation number), and if I have any questions, I can just call the cruiseline and tell them my reservation number, and anyone who answers the phone can help me. When I booked with the TA, she was the only one who could help me. None of the other TAs at her agency could help me. They would just tell her to call me. I'm not saying that they should have called me, because I don't really know how travel agencies operate. I'm just saying that it's easier for me if whoever answers the phone can help me, than if I have to wait for one particular person to call me back.

 

Regarding making final payment to a TA, it's tricky, because no matter what the TA does, someone is going to get annoyed. Some clients will get annoyed if the TA wants payment early, saying "I'm a grownup! I'm perfectly capable of handling my own affairs and getting my payment to you on time!" while others, if they aren't called, will completely forget about it, and blame the TA if he/she calls at the last minute (the day payment is due) and he/she can't reach them, and they lose their reservation. I guess you just can't please everyone!

[imsulin]

Working as a TA in a brick & mortar agency years ago, it was routine to add a couple of weeks to the final payment sate for two reasons:

 

1. Some clients would make final payment by CC or debit card. Sometimes, there wasn't enough credit on the card left for final payment, and sometimes the client's card had a lower overall limit. Debit cards usually have a daily charge limit, as they are connected to a checking account, and even though we'd advise the client to contact their bank to authorize the overpayment, this did not always happen. I once had a client with a $500.00 per day debit card limit, and it took three different days for him to make full payment. All payments made by CC or debit card were called directly in to the cruise line. There were times a card was denied, so this extra padding allowed us to contact the client for an alternate form of payment.

 

2. Some clients made their final payment by cash or personal check, neither of which are accepted by cruise lines. So, we'd have to deposit these funds into our agency's bank account, and then do a Check Request" to have an agency check issued to the cruise line, which they will accept. This could take several days as the agency had to wait for the funds to clear, and then it would take a few more days for the agency check to arrive at the cruise line by mail. Even with the two week padding, there were times the client paid late, and were then charged an overnight Fedex fee to get the agency check to the cruise line on time.

 

These reasons for our two-week padding were clearly stated (and explained) on our Terms and Conditions form, which clients had to sign. It really is a form of protection for the client.

 

Hopefully, I've been able to explain why agencies do this. (Remind me some time to tell you about the arrogant guy with the AMEX card who nearly lost a $20,000.00 trip)

 

Happy cruising!

[ugen512]

No offense to the original poster but customers often hear what they want. They cannot change the rules of groups, the policy is set and even if their policy changes during prior to final payment, they would follow the policy of when you booked.

 

The T/A can set a payment date prior to the cruise line's. The customer has the option of asking for a different date. This is, as advised previously, a back up so if something happens, you can cancel prior to standard penalty.

[imsulin]

You can't preach to the choir. I was in the retail travel industry for 32 years.....I KNOW how it works.

 

As a full service agency' date=' you advise your clients of final payment at the time the reservation is made. A couple of weeks prior, you call and remind them and follow up with a copy of the invoice showing the date.

 

You don't take their money weeks before it's due. There is no reason to do so.

 

It's called "follow-up" and is the agents responsibility to do it...as part of customer service.

 

And, any "agent" that would require me to pay weeks before the money was due wouldn't get my business in the first place.[/quote']

 

I have to say that you're very wrong. Were you a TA that actually booked cruises and land trips? If so, you really don't have an understanding of how a full-service travel agency operates. We had clients like you who refused to sign our Terms and Condition form for your stated reasons, so we didn't book them. This was long before the internet TAs became operative.

[newbiecruiser09]

Here's my take on it.

 

Unless I was paying the TA by cash or check' date=' I'd never, ever pay the cruise off earlier than required.

 

If the TA gave me that information, I'd simply decline and say that I'll give my information a day or two before the cruise line requires it. [/quote']

 

And then if a day or two before the cruise line requires it, the TA's computer system crashes, or there's a power outage in the area or the TA's building is evacuated, then what? You can't make it to the cruiseline directly and there is nothing the TA can do. You're SOL.

 

It takes 15 seconds to run a credit card.

Unless there is a problem with the TA's system, or the credit card processor's system or the TA has a gazillion payments to make that day and for some reason the system won't let them, etc etc etc.

 

I believe most TA's ask for the payment about 10 days before the cruiseline requires it so that they can make sure your payment is made on time, and to make sure there is no problem either with your card or with the many systems involved. 15 extra days (calendar not work days too) is not that much. 3 extra months now that might be excessive.

[imsulin]

It's not the TA who runs your credit or debit card - it's the cruise line, when the TA calls it in. They are the agency who informs the TA if the card has been approved or denied. If approved, the cruise line rep. gives the TA an "approval code", which the TA then gives to the client. If it is denied, the rep. cannot tell you why, but informs the TA, who then has the responsibility to inform the client. It can often take several days for the client to contact his CC or bank, or to find another method of payment. This is one reason why the "padding" is a good idea. It's really to protect the client. It's also why we had the client sign out T&C form, which stated the reasons for "padding" the final payment date.