Anybody else charged twice for Onboard Account?

My husband and I have just returned from a cruise on the the Queen Elizabeth. 2 days after the voyage our onboard charges were debited from our Barclays Bank account which were correct. 2 days after that I was alerted by text that our bank account was in arrears. I phoned the bank and was advised that a further amount was pending, from Cunard. This, in effect caused our account to go overdrawn, 2 standing orders could not be honoured and our account would be frozen until this charge was lifted or monies could be transferred. I rang Cunard's very unhelpful customer service who repeatedly told me in robot fashion that it was a pre-authorised payment and would clear in a few days. Our bill had already been cleared and this action was totally under handed and done without our consent. It was over 48 hours until we could use an ATM to withdraw cash. This left a sour taste and marred what we thought was an enjoyable trip. I've since submitted a complaint to Cunard and waiting to hear back. Isn't this practice illegal! It certainly isn't practical! Has anybody experienced similar?

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

I have experienced multiple pending charges but they were for small amounts and cleared, I use a credit card though.

I have heard of issues with debit cards.

Was the full amount taken twice ?

Sorry to hear it spoiled your trip.

See this thread for some similar experiences with debit cards

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2285989

We were charged for 'inclusive' drinks on the last day off the cruise. When we received our statement on the last morning there was a charge of $120 for our 'free' drinks. Went to guest relations before disembarking, and was assured it would be corrected, that was on the 8th December.

Check my credit card account on the 10th, and I found I had been charged, so fired off an email, it was acknowledged by return, expect a reply in 5 to 30 days. Still waiting, not at all impressive service from Cunard.

Incidentally, pre cruise we stayed at the Hilton Ageas Bowl, they put a hold on my credit card of £200, which remained on for one month, be warned!

What they tend to do is place a hold (pre-authorisation) on your card every day for your previous day's spend. Then at the end, they debit the whole amount. So in effect they charge you twice (once for the final amount like a normal transaction, and once for the same amount but made of up lots of smaller amounts).

Then in a few days (which for some people can be quite a long time), the holds automatically clear.

Cunard could just convert the holds to actual charges, but they choose not to. I imagine because that is too much like hard work, so they just submit a single payment at the end and let the bank clear the holds over time.

The problem for you comes because if you use a debit card (like you did), you in effect need twice the available balance to cover your on board account. It's not so much of a problem using a credit card (As long as you have a big enough limit of course).

It's pretty poor, but it's not illegal. They do it so they are guaranteed to get their money.

My husband and I have just returned from a cruise on the the Queen Elizabeth. 2 days after the voyage our onboard charges were debited from our Barclays Bank account which were correct. 2 days after that I was alerted by text that our bank account was in arrears. I phoned the bank and was advised that a further amount was pending, from Cunard. This, in effect caused our account to go overdrawn, 2 standing orders could not be honoured and our account would be frozen until this charge was lifted or monies could be transferred. I rang Cunard's very unhelpful customer service who repeatedly told me in robot fashion that it was a pre-authorised payment and would clear in a few days. Our bill had already been cleared and this action was totally under handed and done without our consent. It was over 48 hours until we could use an ATM to withdraw cash. This left a sour taste and marred what we thought was an enjoyable trip. I've since submitted a complaint to Cunard and waiting to hear back. Isn't this practice illegal! It certainly isn't practical! Has anybody experienced similar?

Sorry to hear about this, however it is standard hospitality industry practice. Many hotels and cruises (etc) put a "hold" on your account when you check in, or each day, to ensure they get paid. they don't actually take the money they've "held", but present a final bill to your bank at the end of your stay for the total amount you've spent. The "held" amounts gradually drop off your account within 10-30 days (depending on the bank).

This occasionally catches people out, sad to say. However it is perfectly legal, and indeed, as I said above, standard practice.

It is clearly explained, easy to find, and covered in detail in the FAQ in the brochure (and I presume on line in the "small print"). Therefore I feel your complaints will fall on deaf ears.

Cunard (and other cruise lines) say that the problem of the long delay for the "holds" to drop off your account is the fault of your bank who set the time limits (typically between 10 and 30 days).

Conversely your bank will tell you that it is Cunard's fault and they can't remove "holds" on your account in case it is a legitimate charge they don't know about yet and could be presented for payment shortly (after all, they don't know how much you've spent).

The only way that I've found to get around this is to pay off all (or most) of your account before the last night on board as a cash credit on your on board account. This cancels (or reduces) the final bill presented to your bank for payment.

Otherwise, do as I do; always ensure that at least twice your projected on board spend is in your account, or be prepared to "top up" your bank account immediately on leaving the ship transferring from another account you hold (in my experience Cunard don't present the final bill for two-three days).

Sorry again, best wishes, don't give up cruising, esp cruising with Cunard :)

(Edited to add: I posted this and then discovered that Mr Toad had posted similar whilst I was typing. Sorry)

We got caught like this when using a pre-paid money card, which you load with a fixed amount of money. If there is a hold on the card and the balance is low you can't use it.

I am sorry to hear you have had problems with Cunard. It's not quite the same issue I had, but I would very much recommend putting in a formal complaint via the Cunard website. Make sure that you explain the problems it has caused you and that you have incurred charges as a result.

It may not do any good, but it's worth trying.

Thanks for all your posts, I've made a formal complaint and waiting to hear back. This was only my fourth cruise with them, with no previous experience of this. We promptly paid our account; they got their money. I understand the process of a pre-authorised payment but there was no reason to install a second payment - it's basically a security breach.

Thanks for all your posts, I've made a formal complaint and waiting to hear back. This was only my fourth cruise with them, with no previous experience of this. We promptly paid our account; they got their money. I understand the process of a pre-authorised payment but there was no reason to install a second payment - it's basically a security breach.

Have you checked your bank account? Have the "holds" "dropped off"?

My fault I'm sure, forgive me please, I don't understand in what way this is a "security breach"?

Please report back if there is any development on this, if you are able, thank you.

Thanks for all your posts, I've made a formal complaint and waiting to hear back. This was only my fourth cruise with them, with no previous experience of this. We promptly paid our account; they got their money. I understand the process of a pre-authorised payment but there was no reason to install a second payment - it's basically a security breach.

Their procedure is certainly not a recent introduction. On your previous cruises it will have occurred but depending on the balance in your current account at the time it's perfectly possible that you would never have noticed it. It's just that this time you did notice it.

I too, like Pepper, fail to grasp why you consider this to be s security breach. Could you explain your reasoning to myself and Pepper?

I fear you may have missed Mr Toad's post and my comments above.

 

Have you checked your bank account? Have the "holds" "dropped off"?

My fault I'm sure, forgive me please, I don't understand in what way this is a "security breach"?

 

Please report back if there is any development on this, if you are able, thank you.

Their procedure is certainly not a recent introduction. On your previous cruises it will have occurred but depending on the balance in your current account at the time it's perfectly possible that you would never have noticed it. It's just that this time you did notice it.

 

I too, like Pepper, fail to grasp why you consider this to be s security breach. Could you explain your reasoning to myself and Pepper?

Just to add my two penn'orth in agreement with you two gentlemen.

It has been standard practice for years, across both the cruise and hospitality industry, to take these 'authorisations': and quite rightly so in my opinion.

I can never understand the logic of using a Debit Card anyway, particularly when there are such advantageous exchange rates to be had on credit cards like Halifax Clarity. with the added advantage of not having to pay till well after the statement date.

I am getting really impressive service from Cunard shore side. I emailed on December 10 about a $120 overcharge, got an acknowledgement, told to wait up to 28 days for an answer, nothing so far.

Tried the Freephone today, its gone, rang the number on the acknowledgement, 'Thank you for calling P&O' ??? and the usual wait, I gave up in the end.