Travel Agent Refusing to Transfer Booking

Hello. Quick question..

We booked a cruise through a travel agent. Sailed the cruise and booked another while onboard. We weren't aware that this new sailing would automatically go back to the original travel agent that we used.

Per RCI's policy, you may transfer the booking as long as it is NOT paid in full, and it hasn't been more than 60 days since it was booked. I'm fine on both parts.

I contacted the agent who has our booking to inquire how to move this booking to another agency that is offering a more favorable option for us, and he basically bashed the other agency's offer and flatly said that we cannot transfer this booking.

What are my options here?

Thanks in advance.

Hello. Quick question..

 

We booked a cruise through a travel agent. Sailed the cruise and booked another while onboard. We weren't aware that this new sailing would automatically go back to the original travel agent that we used.

 

Per RCI's policy, you may transfer the booking as long as it is NOT paid in full, and it hasn't been more than 60 days since it was booked. I'm fine on both parts.

 

I contacted the agent who has our booking to inquire how to move this booking to another agency that is offering a more favorable option for us, and he basically bashed the other agency's offer and flatly said that we cannot transfer this booking.

 

What are my options here?

 

Thanks in advance.

Did the agent make the comment in an email? If so, contact RCI and inform them that your TA are refusing to release your booking.

Did the agent make the comment in an email? If so, contact RCI and inform them that your TA are refusing to release your booking.

They did make the comment in email. I hadn't thought about calling RCI. I will give them a call today and see what they advise.

Hello. Quick question..

 

We booked a cruise through a travel agent. Sailed the cruise and booked another while onboard. We weren't aware that this new sailing would automatically go back to the original travel agent that we used.

 

Per RCI's policy, you may transfer the booking as long as it is NOT paid in full, and it hasn't been more than 60 days since it was booked. I'm fine on both parts.

 

I contacted the agent who has our booking to inquire how to move this booking to another agency that is offering a more favorable option for us, and he basically bashed the other agency's offer and flatly said that we cannot transfer this booking.

 

What are my options here?

 

Thanks in advance.

The 60-day limit applies to bookings that are direct with Royal, not with travel agents.

However, you may be able to call C&A and tell them that you had no idea that the new booking you made onboard was going to the current travel agent. They may be able to override the rules and take the booking away from the agent.

Hello. Quick question..

 

We booked a cruise through a travel agent. Sailed the cruise and booked another while onboard. We weren't aware that this new sailing would automatically go back to the original travel agent that we used.

 

Per RCI's policy, you may transfer the booking as long as it is NOT paid in full, and it hasn't been more than 60 days since it was booked. I'm fine on both parts.

 

I contacted the agent who has our booking to inquire how to move this booking to another agency that is offering a more favorable option for us, and he basically bashed the other agency's offer and flatly said that we cannot transfer this booking.

 

 

What are my options here?

 

Thanks in advance.

RIC's policy, that I highlighted above. is for transferring a direct booking made with RCI (either on a ship to from home) to a TA and not vice versa.

When booking a new cruise on a ship, it is not unusual for them to transfer it to the agent on record. They normally ask you first if you want this to be done but some do forget.

My only suggestion would be to call RCI and inquire as to what can be done.

Your options are: cancel and rebook. The TA has no obligation to transfer your booking to another TA.

Your options are: cancel and rebook. The TA has no obligation to transfer your booking to another TA.

The TA may have a cancel fee. I'd try to get it moved by Royal first.

They did make the comment in email. I hadn't thought about calling RCI. I will give them a call today and see what they advise.

Please come back and let us know if they were able to resolve this for you!

Your options are: cancel and rebook. The TA has no obligation to transfer your booking to another TA.

If the OP does that, she will lose any benefits that she got for booking on board. In addition to that, when rebooking, she will be booking at the current price which may have increased.

Personally I would cancel and rebook with other agent. Also contact RCI if the agent refuses to cancel .

This happened to my family, didn't have to cancel and rebook. I notified RCI that agent he did want to release the bookings (a total of 8 cabins), they said he had no choice. I had to submit the transfer form for each cabin and a letter of why I wanted it removed from him.

We lost the few perks that the TA had promised, however we had no faith that he would come thru with those anyway.

Hello. Quick question..

 

We booked a cruise through a travel agent. Sailed the cruise and booked another while onboard. We weren't aware that this new sailing would automatically go back to the original travel agent that we used.

 

Per RCI's policy, you may transfer the booking as long as it is NOT paid in full, and it hasn't been more than 60 days since it was booked. I'm fine on both parts.

 

I contacted the agent who has our booking to inquire how to move this booking to another agency that is offering a more favorable option for us, and he basically bashed the other agency's offer and flatly said that we cannot transfer this booking.

 

What are my options here?

 

Thanks in advance.

I can feel your pain and I might be able to help you make this right. I went through the same fiasco......it was a total nightmare which took me six months to complete. I can't tell you how many phone calls I made, how many people I spoke with at RCCL who gave me misinformation or how much anger and frustration I felt throughout this whole ordeal! Hopefully my information will enable you to get it done a lot quicker, and avoid going through what I did.

We did an Open Booking while on the Quantum this past February, and while filling out the form, a Sales Rep. advised us to put down "No Agent" in the area where it asked which travel agent you wanted to use. By doing this, your Open Booking would be in RCCL's name. We also didn't want to have our current agent be on the booking, because we no longer wanted to use him. They said when you actually went to apply this booking to a cruise, it could then be put into your new travel agent's name. My husbands was correct when we received his.....it said RCCL on it. Mine, unfortunately, had the travel agent we booked the cruise with on it, even though I, too, wrote down "No Agent!"

Here is what I was told to do. RCCL will have you first contact the agent who now holds your Open Booking. You must request they fill out a transfer form with all of your information on it, and have them transfer the booking from the agent's name to yours. Once that is completed, RCCL will then be able to transfer it to your new agent. Well, my agent was very compliant, so he said, and he did the process twice. After they supposedly do the transfer, you must wait 7-10 days to call RCCL to see if it was completed in their system. Well, each time I would call RCCL to see if the transfers were made, of course they hadn't gone through....my booking was still in the travel agents name. After many hours of being on the phone with different people at RCCL, and encompassing many months through this whole ordeal, I was finally able to speak to a Supervisor. Many other times when I was talking to people at RCCL, I had asked to speak to someone higher up, but was denied. This made me very angry. After over five months had gone by, I was finally able to find someone who could actually help me. I got someone who finally let me speak to a supervisor! Evelyn, the supervisor I was transferred to, had such sympathy for all that I had gone through. She said I will help you get this taken care of. She couldn't believe all I had been through! Of course, every time you call RCCL, there is documentation of your call. She read first-hand what I had gone through, and she was very apologetic that it was taking so long to resolve. She told me, if the agent isn't doing his job and the transfer isn't going through, then I could send in a personal request to have this taken care of. I could either send by regular mail, or email, a letter to the Resolutions Department explaining my situation, and they should definitely do the transfer for me. You must have your signature on either the email or letter for them to accept it. I was able to do this, and Evelyn told me she would watch for my email. After about two weeks, I received an email from her that it was received, and would be processed. After six months, my transfer was finally going to be completed!

I sincerely wouldn't wish on anyone what I have gone through! And it still gets me so upset to think of all the times I had asked for some help, and wasn't given any! I was always told I had to go through the required steps.....which was a crock to me! drhall, since your agent said nothing could be done, definitely do the letter to the Resolutions Department. You must include your membership number and the Open Booking number for the transfer request, along with an explanation of your agent saying there is nothing he will do for you. If you would give me your email address, I will send you Evelyn's information. She was definitely my saving grace in all of this! I don't know if it's possible to privately send that to me or not through these message boards. Good luck, my friend!

Personally I would cancel and rebook with other agent. Also contact RCI if the agent refuses to cancel .

How can an agent refuse to cancel?

How can an agent refuse to cancel?

I had one agent that refused to cancel without a $100 cancellation fee. He hadn't done anything before I was going to cancel.

She was definitely my saving grace in all of this! I don't know if it's possible to privately send that to me or not through these message boards. Good luck, my friend!

It is crazy that you had to go through all that for something that was RCI's fault. They should have fixed the problem that they created.

I have had bookings taken away from TA's on 2 occasions. 1st was the TA made bad comments as in your case, RCL took the booking away from her. And 2nd time was the booking got transferred to the TA I had used onboard. I didn't want to use him again and RCL took the booking away from him. If they at first deny you, appeal it.

It is crazy that you had to go through all that for something that was RCI's fault. They should have fixed the problem that they created.

You are so right! I told your exact comment to every Rep I had spoken to. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to matter. And I went through all of this for a hundred dollar voucher! ha ha Never again.

I had one agent that refused to cancel without a $100 cancellation fee. He hadn't done anything before I was going to cancel.

This is why it's so important to understand the terms you are booking under. While I wouldn't use an agent that charged these fees, they are fundamentally entitled to if they choose and it's in their terms and conditions (which, by booking with them, you have agreed to)

Hello. Quick question..

 

We booked a cruise through a travel agent. Sailed the cruise and booked another while onboard. We weren't aware that this new sailing would automatically go back to the original travel agent that we used.

 

Per RCI's policy, you may transfer the booking as long as it is NOT paid in full, and it hasn't been more than 60 days since it was booked. I'm fine on both parts.

 

I contacted the agent who has our booking to inquire how to move this booking to another agency that is offering a more favorable option for us, and he basically bashed the other agency's offer and flatly said that we cannot transfer this booking.

 

What are my options here?

 

Thanks in advance.

My experience is similar except that I asked the Future Cruise person (Ricardo on the Explorer) to please not assign a new booking to my current T/A, with whom I haven't been very happy. BUT, somehow the agent found out about it, and e-mailed to ask why the booking hadn't been assigned to him. I reported this to Ricardo, and he said there was no way RC had told him about it. (Still don't know how my agent found out about it.) So, it was left that I could assign it to anyone when I got home or leave it with RC. I did assign it to a local agent with whom I'm happy to deal with face-to-face and keep the business here.

But, I have a Celebrity Cruise booked with this same first agent, and I wanted my local agent to have it, partly because I want to cancel it, book another cruise on the same ship and keep the perks. If I just cancelled and re-booked the new one, I would lose the perks. So, while in the local agent's office, we called RC and this is what I had to do. First, I had to send an e-mail to the former agent, asking him to to e-mail agencychanges at RC and release the booking back to RC. Then, my new agent sent an e-mail to agencychanges telling them that she was taking over the booking.

I'm sure the old agent will drag his feet on this, and so I sent a copy of my e-mail to him to RC agencychanges, showing the date I requested this of him. Fingers crossed!

Good luck with yours. Let me know what happens ... kits59 at shaw dot ca

Marie

RCI informed me that I will need to write and fax a letter to their Guest Sales & Service Administration department requesting that I want my agent to release the booking--but that the agent is refusing to comply to my request. RCI will (essentially) send the agent a letter demanding that they release the booking. It takes them 7-10 business days to process this request.

I read the terms with the current agent and would have been fine to pay a fee if he asked me, but he flatly said I can't make any transfers to the booking, period. I could cancel and rebook the entire cruise, but the current rate is quite a bit higher than what I paid, so it's not worthwhile for us.

I sent the fax to RCI five minutes ago, so we will see what happens from here. Thanks for pointing me in that direction!

I will report back.

RCI informed me that I will need to write and fax a letter to their Guest Sales & Service Administration department requesting that I want my agent to release the booking--but that the agent is refusing to comply to my request. RCI will (essentially) send the agent a letter demanding that they release the booking. It takes them 7-10 business days to process this request.

 

I read the terms with the current agent and would have been fine to pay a fee if he asked me, but he flatly said I can't make any transfers to the booking, period. I could cancel and rebook the entire cruise, but the current rate is quite a bit higher than what I paid, so it's not worthwhile for us.

 

I sent the fax to RCI five minutes ago, so we will see what happens from here. Thanks for pointing me in that direction!

 

I will report back.

Thanks for reporting back. I've read here that Royal is pretty good about getting the booking back, especially if it was made on board and you were not aware of the default policy of assigning it to the agent who booked the current cruise.

It's good to hear that RCI will do something. Let us know what the outcome is.

Hello. Quick question..

 

We booked a cruise through a travel agent. Sailed the cruise and booked another while onboard. We weren't aware that this new sailing would automatically go back to the original travel agent that we used.

 

Per RCI's policy, you may transfer the booking as long as it is NOT paid in full, and it hasn't been more than 60 days since it was booked. I'm fine on both parts.

 

I contacted the agent who has our booking to inquire how to move this booking to another agency that is offering a more favorable option for us, and he basically bashed the other agency's offer and flatly said that we cannot transfer this booking.

 

What are my options here?

 

Thanks in advance.

I'm curious, do you want to transfer the booking because you are unhappy with the Travel Agent, or because a different Agency offers a bit better deal? If it's only getting a little bit more OBC or something, maybe the better move would be to just leave the booking with an agent you have used before and change next time you book. If it's because your agent is not efficient and you aren't happy with him, then by all means pursue getting it changed.

One other thought, if the deal with the new TA is good enough, just cancel and lose the booking and go ahead and book with the new TA. It's always really about the bottom line. Which deal, after all fees, credits, OBC, etc. ends up in your best interest.

I've read here that Royal is pretty good about getting the booking back, especially if it was made on board and you were not aware of the default policy of assigning it to the agent who booked the current cruise.

We always book future cruises while on board. It's only by reading cc boards that I know that RCI assigns the new booking to your current TA. I had to fill out a form saying that I wanted the new booking in my name and to give a reason.

I'm curious, do you want to transfer the booking because you are unhappy with the Travel Agent, or because a different Agency offers a bit better deal? If it's only getting a little bit more OBC or something, maybe the better move would be to just leave the booking with an agent you have used before and change next time you book. If it's because your agent is not efficient and you aren't happy with him, then by all means pursue getting it changed.

One other thought, if the deal with the new TA is good enough, just cancel and lose the booking and go ahead and book with the new TA. It's always really about the bottom line. Which deal, after all fees, credits, OBC, etc. ends up in your best interest.

I see no reason that OP should lose the benefits of the earlier booking just to satisfy the TA. I also see no reason to do business with a TA who would pull such a stunt. Obviously, the TA is just being an ass trying to retain the original booking. Any TA with any sense of customer service would not act in this manner. Time to change TA.