HELP - Major TA Issue w/ Cancellation

[waterrats]

One place you might want to contact is "The National Association of Commissioned Travel Agents" in Alexandria VA. If you haven't been to the area, there is an association for everything. Their website is http://www.nacta.com/.

 

Good hunting for any information.

[Bazel]

This is clearly "agent error". Ask to speak with the manager and inquire "I am confident you carry E&O (errors and ommissions) insurance for these types of situations. If this is an Independent she or he, too, should be carrying E&O insurance - which BTW a $400 error ain't worth making a claim.

 

The agent is 100% responsible for cancelling due to non-payment.

[folashade]

First and foremost do not plan a group cruise. Let everyone purchase their own cruise using whatever method that suits them.

 

As you can tell, I'm a laid back kind of person and believe in cutting my losses and moving on quickly so it won't hurt so bad. Thanks again for everyones help. You guys/gals are awesome.

 

First and foremost you have a GREAT attitude. You can't get to stressed out over it so that it affects the trip etc. It's a lot of work being a group leader but when the event finally comes its fine. I just sat down with my TA to go over the cabin selection (with the exception of the triples they were all GA) Everyone was moved up least one category. My cabin went from an 8A to 8C and my aunt & uncle were in a cabin next to me (which was not good :p ) My TA got on the phone and had Carnival move them away from me which is great!

[brodie]

I work in a customer service environment everyday and I find it amazing when people assume that things will happen?? As a group leader you need to be accountable for what happened and not pin it on the TA. You most certainly received some perk for being the group leader and as such you assumed a risk, right? Or are we allowed to be selective when it comes down to assuming?

[Happy ks]

I planned a group of friends and family cruise vacation for last summer. When we started making our plans, I did all the info gathering and presented it to the group. Then, I made our reservations and allowed all others in our group to make their own reservations. You would have to pay me big bucks to take on the responsibility of the group because of what is happening here.

 

It does sound like the TA did try to contact the guilty party (the would be cruisers who reneged on their promise with a good faith deposit). She got no response. The cancellation fee should be the responsibility of the non-compliant party, they were the ones who did not honor the contract. I have to admire the OP for agreeing to pay half the fee, after the other party ignored the TAs emails and calls. With friends like that, who needs enemies?

 

Now we know why the cruiselines ask for such a large deposit in most cases. There are too many bums in the world. I usually use online TAs, I've had good results with them. I'm a bit perplexed why people here are blaming the TA instead of the real culprits in this story.

[Cruising89143]

I work in a customer service environment everyday and I find it amazing when people assume that things will happen?? As a group leader you need to be accountable for what happened and not pin it on the TA. You most certainly received some perk for being the group leader and as such you assumed a risk, right? Or are we allowed to be selective when it comes down to assuming?

 

First of all if you read his comments, this was not a true group cruise as he did not book eight cabins so therefore there is no TC for him.

 

It is the responsibility of the TA to inform the passenger that if they did not have the full deposit down by a certain time then their reservation would be cancelled. That is what they are being paid to do which is part of their job.

 

My take on this is the TA does indeed have a group on this particular sailing but the OP only has a certain amount of that group space booked and the other space has been sold by the TA to other passengers. Now she is stuck with a cabin due to her not following up with the passenger booked in the cabin. That is why I as a customer would demand that the TA put me through to Carnival with the TA on the phone. The truth would come out.

[SAYHEYRENEE]

Even when I booked a cruise myself, I was told upfront when the payment was due. Received one letter in the mail, then an email confirming due date.......on all letters it let me know to mail it approx 5 days before it was due and it would be cancelled if I didn't pay on time and the penalty for doing so.

 

 

How can this travel agent charge someone she doesn't have a contract with is beyond me.

 

Another observation is that being a group leader (at least on these boards) is a lot of work. Constant emails, questions etc. I think the free berth is worth it but it definitly is not free.

[cynt]

I just wanted to update everyone on this situation. After numerous emails/calls back and forth, the TA did pay the $400 cancellation fee and she overnighted our documents last night. So prayerfully this evening I'll have the cruise docs and this huge fiasco will be over.

 

Huge lesson learned. I don't know about you but I'm ready to CRUISE!!!

[dms_cruisers04]

Good to hear. Enjoy the cruise.

[Guest nhrich]

Great news, and it's something she should have done a long time ago. Have a GREAT cruise!

 

Rich, ACC

Carefree Vacations

[MamaTene]

And that is the EXACT way it should have worked out. The TA was in error from the beginning and KNEW IT! Obviously the agency hoped you wouldnt be diligent in your endeavors to right the wrong THEY caused! Good for you!

[melizard]

Don't be so quick!

 

When I booked a family cruise last year for 21, when I got in my room, there were all kinds of goodies. I thought it was because I had some correspondance with Bob D. himself.

 

This happened daily, and was even visited by the hotel manager during dinner, making sure all was well, and was even invited to a VIP cocltail party.

 

Found out later it was all because I was group leader.

 

 

 

 

Hmmmmm,

I'm the group leader on my next cruise. We have 18 people going with us. Maybe that will be the case with me too. :D I made sure they were all payed up. I used a local TA and a majority of the people who are going with us live an hour away. I would call them occasionally to see if they had mailed it in. We are all payed in full now and I don't have to worry with it anymore...

[Chief Cruiser]

No she can't charge your card BUT she can hold your cruise documents.

 

If I'm not mistaken, I think the cruise line has a back up set of cruise docs at the pier. If the T/A does hold up the docs, I don't think it will keep anyone from cruising. Correct me if I am wrong.

[pyrrhus]

Okay, even if the ABC family did not explicitly tell the TA they were cancelling, the OP stated that it was in a contract that if they did not pay the deposit by x date, it would be cancelled. That, to me, as a consumer and as a business person, tells me that if I simply forego paying the deposit by x date, then my cruise will be cancelled. Why didn't this happen? If the TA was being "nice" by not cancelling, she should have followed up with the family or the group leader to find out if they were paying or not since SHE gave them the grace period. Now that it is to the cancellation period point, Carnival is requiring a $400 cancellation fee...Carnival will require it be paid, whether it comes from the TA or the family. (Unless alternate negotiations are reached.)

 

In my opinion, the TA slacked off by not following her contract. Perhaps she was being nice, but then she neglected to follow up and now someone owes Carnival $400, and she knows she will have to pay it if someone else doesn't. Please request that 3-way call with Carnival and get to the bottom of this.

 

To me when failure of one party to fulfill all requirements of a contract makes that contract voidable not void, at the discretion of the injured party. The injured party would have the discretion to continuing honoring the contract or not.

 

 

Michael

[pyrrhus]

I see your point. Thats why I always hope that people educate themselves so they know what to ask for before settling on the first quote. (I have also seen where organizers add hundreds of $$$ to a inital cruise price and insist on checks payable to them etc and inflate the price) as both a consumer/organizer you should know what the ball park figures are.

 

I hope the TA is not dipping into the perks!

 

 

I had a former roommate while I was in law school that started an online cruise company (not sure if it still exists, he left sold out his share of the business) and would often use the "perks" to lower cabin rates for his Cruise Companies "group cruises". So if he booked a block of 25 cabins (not unusual from what I remember back in 1999) He would get 2 or 3 free cabins plus group discounts. The cruise I went on with him started out at somewhere around $800 per person for a balcony, then with discounts and the free rooms, it dropped the balcony prices to around $650 and insides to less then $400.

 

Of course I am learning that cruise companies are clamping down on thsoe types of activities, but there has to still be some way to manipulate the system.

 

 

Michael

[cynt]

Well, with 3 days to spare, I'm finally doing the DOC DANCE!!! Received the docs last night via DHL. YIPPEEE!!!

[sotadragon]

I'm glad everything worked out for you! Have an absolutely FABULOUS time on your cruise!

[mc'smom]

Congratulations. :)