HAL.com mistake but they want me to pay

[juliecat]

I booked a cruise for later this month on HAL using the online booking engine and then transferred the booking to my agent (spur of the moment trip). I included air and transfers in the booking and the invoice listed it as paid in full (as of 8/1). The invoice lists air add-on and my home airport but does not state the airports that I'm flying to or from (the cruise in Vancouver to LAX so round trip would be an obvious default and the tranfers are for both airports).

I just got a frantic call from my TA telling me that HAL says the air is one way in the booking and I need to pay another $160 for the air the other direction. There was no way to book one way air on HAL.com, so I could not have made this selection. I called HAL myself. They admit this was a computer error but will not honor the price on the invoice. The customer service agent says I have to have my travel agent call back and speak to a supervisor; she will not deal with me since I transfered the booking to an agent.

Do I have any hope of the cruiseline honoring the original contract? I am a Mariner, but it doesn't seem to be worth much.

Any advice?
Julia

[tarps14]

Definitely need to set up a three-way call between your TA, yourself and HAL. That way you can hear directly what there response is to your TA and you're not getting info second hand. In my opinion, if you have it in writing then there isn't much they can say different. JMO. I hope it works out for you!:)

[sail7seas]

Julia........Were you aware of the error at the time you were booking? Did you know that there was a computer glitch and you were thinking you would get the return fare included for no extra cost?

I'm only asking so I can understand. That is all. Did you think you were getting something for nothing at the time you made the booking or did you honestly believe you were booking and paying for round trip air and transfers?

[juliecat]

I thought I was paying for round trip air. I went back to the on-line booking page this evening, and I don't even see an option for one way air. The price for the air was very close to ( ~$30 more) the PDX-VAN plus LAX-PDX air price I pulled up on expedia.

[hammybee]

Agree with tarps 14. You need a three-way call and you need it ASAP. None of this sounds plausable. If HAL had an error, then HAL is going to eat the cost of the return trip and chaul it up to the cost associated with identifying the error.

Most of the time itis less costly to book air independent of any cruise line whichis why most do so.

Please keep us posted on how this turns out.

[sail7seas]

Do you agree that the proper price for the round trip air and the transfers (as compared to expedia and other site prices) really should be $160 higher than what your invoice says? Do you think the price they are asking you pay is the proper sum that should have been charged? Can you book that air and transfers for much less anywhere else?

[juliecat]

The original pricing in the booking was $209 for air plus $40 for transfers. I could book the round trip air today for $201 (would have been lower if I had booked the air 5 weeks ago when I booked the cruise). The new price they want me to pay is $369. If I had been given the $369 price at the time of booking, I would have booked independent air and just purchased the transfers from HAL.

[cruzincurt]

Sounds like a computer glitch in the booking. I don't understand why you would transfer the booking to a TA in the first place.

[refman]

just wondering why you booked on-line and then transferred to a travel agent? hal will only deal with the agent now and i`m not sure you`ll get the same level of open communication that you started with from the initial booking or am i missing something? you did the research and then gave the commision to an agent for the work you did. just curious.

[juliecat]

I have a TA I use several times a year; just like to keep business going his way and have someone to turn to in case something goes wrong (like when the airline lost my luggage on the way to a cruise in Europe). Occassionally he gets me some perks, but that's not the main reason I use a TA.

[happy cruzer]

Your invoice would not list destination airports, remember the cruiseline reserves the right to fly you just about anywhere and then bus you to the ship -right like Seattle rather than Vancouver and you don't know where until the tickets arrive. therefore there is really no way for you to have known there was an error in the price.

On something like this, you need to decide what you want to do. Are you alone or are more people involved are their arrangements ok.

I think the 3 way call is an excellent idea.

You need to know before the call if you are willing to walk away from this reservation. If you are, I think you can get them to honor the invoice or at least provide an OBC of at least $100, refund your air fare and let you book it yourself. Also don't forget to get a credit for the transfers too if you want to just do those yourself too.

If you can't walk away from the trip, you will probably just need to get an air and transfer refund and do those yourself.

I think you can walk away from this reservation and rebook with anyone including Hal if you want to if the principle of thing gets to you.

Good luck, and let us know what you decide.

[refman]

well, i hope all turns out for your cruise, but ive always used hal after getting slammed and scammed by a local family owned agency who could`nt of screwed things up more unless it was intentional.GOOD LUCK

[juliecat]

If you can't walk away from the trip, you will probably just need to get an air and transfer refund and do those yourself.


The cruise is 21 days away; would they still allow me to change this?

[sail7seas]

Probably not.



Do you agree that the proper price for the round trip air and the transfers (as compared to expedia and other site prices) really should be $160 higher than what your invoice says? Do you think the price they are asking you pay is the proper sum that should have been charged? Can you book that air and transfers for much less anywhere else?

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Julia, Not sure where you live but if the price they claim you paid was just a one way to Vancouver, would it be cheaper just to buy a one-way home from LAX. I know living in Las Vegas the part of our flight from LAX to home was very cheap. I actually purchased my own tickets many months ago with a non-stop on Air Canada to Vancouver then Lax to LAS on TED. I paid $185 per person, we felt we got a really good deal.

[dakrewser]

Just tell them to cancel the air and book your own...

[happy cruzer]

The cruise is 21 days away; would they still allow me to change this?

OK I am assuming that you want to go on the cruise and that you don't mind booking the air yourself from your question. also assuming that you paid by credit card.

When you and your TA talk to a Hal supervisor, get them to tell you exactly what the problem is and how much more money they think you owe. If they again tell you they had a problem and did not quote the air amount correctly and that they want 160 more for the airfare. Then you have to explain to them that you do not intend to pay any more for the air. I think you are concerned that hal will demand more money or cancel the entire reservation therefore take the time to make sure that the cruise is not part of the discussion. That you and hal are only taking about the air fare and the cruise, port and taxes are fine the way it are. Then explain that you would like to see one of the following:

You want hal to honor their agreement/contract/invoice because you believe that they are legally required to and that you could go to your credit card company and disbute the charge but would prefer that they take care of the mistake.

If they say that they won't honor the invoice, get them to refund the air and transfers, then you can rebook that yourself. But also tell them that their computer's mistake is going to cost you time and money. It has cost you the time researching air fares and dealing with hal to try to get this resolved. then ask them for compensation and let them make an offer. know what you think is appropriate I think probably $100 OBC, they may offer a Pinnacle Grill dinner or bottel of wine or something and this can later be converted into a OBC, so just decide what you think is good enough ahead of time.

Bottomline they are requesting more money from you. As far as I can tell they really can not do this, I think they are allowed to pass on fuel surcharge or airline fees that gets added after booking time but other than that if the fares go up or down they are supposed to live with it. Plus you know that they are collecting enough money that they will not lose money they just won't make the profit on air that they are used to. I really think they will be happy to get out of the air mess and just sell you the cruise with port and taxes.

Before you get off the phone with them make sure that you know exactly to the penny how much is staying on the invoice and how much is going to be refunded. I think that they may even be able to email the new invoice to the TA while you wait on the phone to confirm that is correct.

So this is the worse case as I see it. If hal threatens to cancel the entire reservation because they want more money, then I would be very angry. It's not right for them to not honor the air agreedment but to hold the entire thing hostage would make me angry. I would personally not do business with them if they were to do that. I would call my credit card and protest the charge and I then I would spend some time writing letters.

But I do not think the worse case is going to happen. I think you will only be talking about the air fare and transfers and you will reach an agreement. Good luck! And hope I could help a little.

[Allis154]

Having dealt with a HAL computer gliche last year, I don't you will any satisfaction. My advice? Cancel the HAL air and book it on you own.

[happy cruzer]

Hi, julie, one last thing. everyone including my self is suggesting that you will probably be better off booking the air yourself.

However please be careful and not tell hal that you are cancelling anything. Please read my email and make sure that they are telling you that they want more money or want to be released from the air part of your contract.

If you come into the deal saying that you want to cancel something and you are 21 days from sailing they may try to charge you the cancellation fees, they could make all their profit off the cancellation fees.

so just take some time and go through it with them slowly, and make sure that you don't ever use the cancel word. say that you want a refund to let them out of the air obligation. ok!:)

[Hojo's redbeard]

Sounds like HAL has some serious issues with their computer glitches costing cruisers money. The glitch involved with my booking cost me over $300. If HAL doesn't learn how to fix the glitches for one, and more importantly, handle them properly when they do happen, they are going to see people opting for the competition more readily.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Don't know if she can really cancel the air at this time. OP mentioned that she is leaving at the end of the month, booked this cruise as a last minute deal, and it is all ready paid in full.

[Krazy Kruizers]

julicat

Do keep us informed as to what you find out or decide to do.

[zaandam_2]

having used the hal website in the past, i can say there is NO option for one-way air. the website allow you to enter your departure city, then quotes prices with and without air. those are the only options. HAL screwed up on this one, and they should honor their quote. of course, HAL's contract lets them out of any obligation but they should do the right thing on this one.

[newmexicoNita]

AS a TA myself, it is nice that you booked and then gave the business to your local Travel Agent. I can guarantee you he appreciates this. Now, to your problem: I hope you can get it clearned up especially if you have found a better price, but my gut feeling is you can't. No one can hold a company responsible for computer glitches. Not fair maybe but normally the case. I don't think you can cancel the air this late either, but good luck and let us know how things come out. NMNita

[happy cruzer]

Hi, Nita, Do you think that HAL can hold the passenger responsibile to pay more for the airfare? Are you saying that she must pay the $160 or lose her deposit because of their computer glitch? she is not trying to get a better price, just the price that she was quoted at booking or a refund for the airfare.

I think Julie has alot more choices that just coughing up more money or losing a deposit. I outlined those earlier. I am very interested in hearing more of your opinion. thanks.

[newmexicoNita]

Hi, Nita, Do you think that HAL can hold the passenger responsibile to pay more for the airfare? Are you saying that she must pay the $160 or lose her deposit because of their computer glitch? she is not trying to get a better price, just the price that she was quoted at booking or a refund for the airfare.

I think Julie has alot more choices that just coughing up more money or losing a deposit. I outlined those earlier. I am very interested in hearing more of your opinion. thanks.
I don't know, that is why I said to follow through. I am not the only one on this thread that feels she may be up a creek without a paddle. If the airfare should have come out one way and showed something different than, like ads that have wrong prices, I am not certain she can get an adjustment. I am not saying I think HAL is right I am just saying what I feel the outcome will be. I hope I am wrong. I wonder why you are jumping down my throat about this? NMNita

[cruisin240]

This is just a thought.....if you transferred the booking to the TA...isn't it now their responsibility? Didn't they take this booking over? Maybe they will give you the commission to help you with the extra airfare cost..I still think this transferring a booking is so strange, why do the cruise lines allow this?

[happy cruzer]

Hi, Nita, I am so sorry that it sounded like I singled you out negatively. I wanted your opinion because you are a TA and I thought you would have experience with this.

It just seems illegal to me to:

book a cruise and air on 8/1 and put the cancellation policy on the passenger
then come back 1 mo later asking for $160 for a mistake made in calculating airfare
and if you don't pay us more then you face the cancellation penalty.

If I were to have a company try to stick me that bad, I would disbute the charge with my credit card company and go to the Federal Trade commission.

I think an ok solution is that they refund the air and let you do better if you can. But even that is not a good trade practice.

Let's hope Julie gets a good compromise! And peace and I am so sorry if I went off the deep end.

[newmexicoNita]

This is just a thought.....if you transferred the booking to the TA...isn't it now their responsibility? Didn't they take this booking over? Maybe they will give you the commission to help you with the extra airfare cost..I still think this transferring a booking is so strange, why do the cruise lines allow this?
I happen to agree with you: why do they allow us to take them over? I am not complaining you understand, but I have always wondered the same thing. I somewhat understand if you book while still on the ship. It is a way to get people to commit and still be able to use their TAs. I also can't quite understand why, with only 3 weeks to go she would transfer it, but again, what do I know. I will be interested to find out what transpires and if she can get this resolved. NMNita

[serendipity1499]

This is just a thought.....if you transferred the booking to the TA...isn't it now their responsibility? Didn't they take this booking over? Maybe they will give you the commission to help you with the extra airfare cost..I still think this transferring a booking is so strange, why do the cruise lines allow this?

Cruisin...This has been going on for as long as I can remember..It went on when I began in the Airline Business..Many times Psgrs book with a carrier & release bookings to TA's for any number of reasons..

1)They could have seen an ad in the Sun. paper or on-line after hours & wanted to be sure to get a discount (three day sale which could have been the last day & the TA was closed..)

2) Or could have booked on board a HAL cruise..Hal often has discounts or OBC's for booking on board..They suggest you release it to your TA later..

3)Or you might want to get a particular cabin locked it & then release the booking to a TA...

Last year we made a booking directly with HAL... Four months later we released the booking, at HAL's suggestion, to an on-line agent... The TA was quoting a price of over a thousand dollars less than our HAL invoice.. After discussing it with a HAL Supervisor we released the booking with his blessing..:)

Happy cruising all..:) Betty

[sail7seas]

I did it once. We decided during an evening we wanted to book a Suite for a particular cruise. Went on line to check it out and found there was only one suite left. We had to take it right then or risk losing it. In the morning, I contacted my TA and told her to take over the booking. All I did was preserve that suite from disappearing by the time her office opened in the morning.

[DD]

AS a TA myself, it is nice that you booked and then gave the business to your local Travel Agent. I can guarantee you he appreciates this. Now, to your problem: I hope you can get it clearned up especially if you have found a better price, but my gut feeling is you can't. No one can hold a company responsible for computer glitches. Not fair maybe but normally the case. I don't think you can cancel the air this late either, but good luck and let us know how things come out. NMNita

Just wanted to pipe in my agreement on this one. We really do appreciate the business when you transfer your reservations to us. I try to show my appreciation in return by giving a significantly higher discount than I normally would and also trying to pull some onboard perks (Pinnacle, wine, etc). I try to make it a win-win for both myself and the client because I'm fully aware that the client did not have to do this.

[juliecat]

Gotta love my TA! He had his supervisor call a supervisor at HAL and they agreed to honor the original price on the contract. I now have the round trip air at the price originally quoted and paid in full.

Thanks to everyone for their advice. My TA went into the call back with a list of my preferences on how to handle this and really came through.

BTW, this was one of those 72 hour sales that ended before the TAs office opened on Monday morning so I wanted to grab the fare while I could.

Julia

[zaandam_2]

juliecat - thanks for letting us know how it turned out.

[happy cruzer]

This is truly a good solution. Did they assign the flights too? I hope you love it all and have a great vacation!

[RuthC]

Congratulations! Oh, how I love a happy ending. :)
Now go and have a great cruise.

[tarps14]

........and that would be the reason she released to her TA in the first place! Clearly they knew exactly who to call. I wonder if she hadn't released to a TA would this have come to the same conclusion? I gotta say I doubt it. You hope that HAL knows what side the bread is buttered on and clearly this TA could have lost them some business in the long run (okay, maybe not a huge amount in the grand scheme of things, but you get my point).

Good for you! Your persistence paid off. Hang on to that TA with both hands!:D

P.S. Have a great cruise!

[serendipity1499]

juliecat..Great to hear that this was resolved for you..Thanks for letting us know..Enjoy your cruise..:)

[LAFFNVEGAS]

juliecat, that is great. I am so glad everything turned out great:) Thanks for letting us know.

[newmexicoNita]

Gotta love my TA! He had his supervisor call a supervisor at HAL and they agreed to honor the original price on the contract. I now have the round trip air at the price originally quoted and paid in full.

Thanks to everyone for their advice. My TA went into the call back with a list of my preferences on how to handle this and really came through.

BTW, this was one of those 72 hour sales that ended before the TAs office opened on Monday morning so I wanted to grab the fare while I could.

JuliaCongratulations and I do understand why you grabbed it. You have a good TA, but he has a great cliant. This may help some see the value in a good travel agent. yes, we sometimes can get things accomplished you can't do on your own. Can we solve all problems? Of course and normally when we can't we do feel bad, but if nothing else, we know who to contact and there is power in numbers. NMNita