Just Need to do a bit of Venting

[goodycruising]

$4000 :eek::eek::eek::eek:

 

I wonder how long it will end up taking? I guess as the Aussie credit card company has to deal with an overseas company it might take longer, but I thought a disputed transaction would be handled much quicker than that.

 

I can't believe they are having trouble working out which on-board shop it was or whatever, and that RCI has such bad record keeping in this digital age that it would take so long to trace. They make you sign for every t-shirt, coffee and bar drink you get, so they should just be able to get the receipt from accounting.

 

Once they couldn't fix on an answer to prove the charge in a reasonable timeframe, they should have given you a credit on the proviso that when they could prove it then they would have the option of charging you. (even though you know you haven't incurred it.)

 

We had a friend that had her credit card hacked and $7000 worth of airfares charged on it overseas. I am sure hers was resolved faster than this.

 

Yep, debit cards, automatic deductions etc, they are all a way for your bank account to be emptied. It was good that you used a credit card at least. I didn't understand when I first saw that on these CC boards, but I get it now!

 

Do keep us updated with the result please

 

$4000 !!! I am still feeling your frustration :eek::eek:

[Trekker954]

I did contact my credit card company and they are investigating. They said it could take up to 45 days. It's just frustrating because we had such a great time on the cruise and then I come home and check my account and was like :eek:

 

It kind of ruins it ya know???

 

 

Are you waiting for your Credit Card company to resolve? Whenever I've challenged something on my credit card, the cc company recommend I call the overcharger company and try and resolve first. I had two of these issues with hotels in 2013 and both were resolved within a couple of days. I was only to call my cc company back if I couldn't work it out with the company. So if you haven't I highly recommend you call Royal Caribbean Resolutions dept now.

[cruisnseas]

I love everyone offering legal advice (preserve your rights, etc) based on US law. I imagine the OP's bank does not succumb to US law as the OP is in Australia. While most countries have good consumer protection laws, our dispute laws are far more robust than other nations'

 

OP, it is possible Royal won't be able to give you an itemized statement because they won't know what that charge is for right away. Sometimes (although it is completely inexcusable) one credit card will get charged for someone else's expenses.

 

I'm sorry it has taken so long. There is really no excuse for that. You need beyond Resolutions. I recommend calling the corporate office at 305-539-6000. Get to the Receptionist. Ask for the office of the CEO. This will get you to the folks that respond for him. They are a small group (and can be hard to reach, they are Monday - Friday around 8am - 5pm Eastern time which means this will be late night/early morning for you). They have a lot more access to a lot more information. They can fix this if you give them a few days.

 

Good luck

[BillOh]

I did contact my credit card company and they are investigating. They said it could take up to 45 days. It's just frustrating because we had such a great time on the cruise and then I come home and check my account and was like :eek:

 

It kind of ruins it ya know???

 

If it wasn't your debit card and you still have other available credit don't let it ruin a good experience. It will get resolved. I work for a Fortune 100 company and we are horrible to deal with over the holidays.

[Ocean Boy]

Just an FYI, I recently had a dispute where RCI lost my deposit in their system. Every time I called Resolutions, they charged my card again. What was supposed to be a $500 deposit turned into $2000 charged to my card. Long story short, I had to email Adam Goldstein to get it straightened out. It took almost two months from start to finish to get my refund. If you've already tried Resolutions go straight to Adam Goldstein.

 

AGoldstein@rccl.com

 

By the way, keep up the patience even if you have to fake it. Good luck.

 

That doesn't sound like a great start for a cruise. For me half the fun of cruising is the anticipation. I think that would have put a bit of a damper on things.

[grand isle joe]

Wow that is some transaction fee......hope you can fix it quickly BUT do you get the points on your credit card anyway?

[goose30]

Wow! That is quite an overcharge. RCI owes you a refund plus interest on that one.I hope you called your credit card company and disputed the charge. Then you should quickly hear from RCI since they will not be paid by the credit card company.

 

Yes they sure do owe you interest on that one. For a whole year it will amount to about $20. The phone calls will probably cost more.

Edited January 2, 2014 by goose30

[LA_CA_GAL]

First thing:

 

Call you CC company and preserve your dispute rights!!!!!

 

Get the credit card company on your side to figure out what happened. It certainly appears you have an issue with RCI's billing system, but your immediate, and legal, remedy is with your credit card issuer! DO NOT LET THAT DEADLINE PASS!

 

Much of this will likely have to be done, unfortunately, in writing. The dispute is the key step as that, and only that, will preserve your rights...

 

(Assuming Australia processes work at least similar to US processes.)

 

I agree.

 

Contact the cc company, tell them that the card was charged without authorization, you will not pay it, they need to resolve it.

 

I would also inform them that if it not taken care of in a timely manner, I will cancel the cc and pay NONE of the outstanding balance. And I would do just that.

[Big_G]

That doesn't sound like a great start for a cruise. For me half the fun of cruising is the anticipation. I think that would have put a bit of a damper on things.

 

It's my upcoming Allure cruise. Enough time has passed since they fixed it to take the edge off. The aggravating part was three different people plus a supervisor in Resolutions could see the error but the bean counters in Accounting couldn't. :rolleyes:

[lady_cruiser]

The OP wins! I was charged twice for a purchase of $27.00 but this wasn't by Royal, it was a shop in Falmouth. A simple dispute with my credit card company and one of the charges was taken off my statement.

 

Hope you get this straighten out soon OP.

[Sherlock43031]

take a deep breath and don't threaten to do anything. once you contact your CC company and dispute a charge the charge is suspended until the issue is resolved. they are not going to pay the $4k unless RCI convinces the CC that indeed it's a valid charge which from what you are saying they won't.

[lady_cruiser]

I agree.

 

Contact the cc company, tell them that the card was charged without authorization, you will not pay it, they need to resolve it.

 

I would also inform them that if it not taken care of in a timely manner, I will cancel the cc and pay NONE of the outstanding balance. And I would do just that.

 

Yes you can cancel the card and stop paying on it if they don't handle it as fast as you think they should but by doing so you also risk ruining your credit. Which can stop you from getting that new car or home you might have your eye on.

 

Sometime it takes three or four billing cycles to resolve an issue as large as $4,000.

Edited January 2, 2014 by lady_cruiser

[Aquahound]

I don't really understand the suggestions to threat canceling the credit card. :confused: Is it different in Australia....are they responsible for charges under dispute? If not, then just let it ride. Canceling a card before a dispute is resolved could hurt the card holder a lot more than the bank.

 

Op - You're doing the right thing. You gave RCI a chance and they failed to respond adequately, so you disputed the charge. I know its frustrating, but i suggest just being patient. It'll probably have the right ending. Although, it would be nice to know why RCI made this charge.

[Familygoboston]

wowza! That would get me worked up too! I have to disagree with people who say, "oh wait it out, it will correct itself"

 

You need to contact your CC issuer and find out the policy for your card and the steps you need to take with your card, country and bank.

 

You can try calling any and all of the numbers listed for Royal, it may take them a while to sort out, so keep scrupulous notes; date, time, who you called and their title. It's difficult to prove you "didn't" buy something, ( theres no receipt for "not" buying something, can they search your home?? Not really) If you worked with an established travel agent, try to get them involved; even having a third party in the business who can vouch that you aren't a scam artist, will help. Ultimately, they are going to have to produce a slip with your signature on it, and if they can't you should prevail! So stay firm but polite and hopefully it will clear up!

 

Just a thought...did you use internet on board? Sometimes if you "sign up" for an internet package with your seapass and go over you can see big charges you don't expect. (and you could have "gone over" without your knowledge if the device was downloading data when you weren't aware of it.) But if it wasn't on your bill when you were on board, that's unlikely.

 

Good luck, be sure to let us all know if you get it resolved! Fingers crossed!

[LA_CA_GAL]

I don't really understand the suggestions to threat canceling the credit card. :confused:

 

Problems have been caused to the OP that were none of the OP's doing.

 

Informing the problem creators that they need to fix the problem is quite reasonable.

 

Stating that their failure to correct the problem will require the OP to fix the problem, which will require the OP to pay the $4,000 or to not pay the $4,000 and cancel the relationship. That is not a threat, it just stating the action that will be taken.

[Aquahound]

Problems have been caused to the OP that were none of the OP's doing.

 

Informing the problem creators that they need to fix the problem is quite reasonable.

 

Stating that their failure to correct the problem will require the OP to fix the problem, which will require the OP to pay the $4,000 or to not pay the $4,000 and cancel the relationship. That is not a threat, it just stating the action that will be taken.

 

The credit card company is not the "problem creator." RCI is. The CC is just the middle man here. They need to, and I'm sure will do their due diligence on their end. But like any CC dispute, it takes time. The OP said they just contacted them today. It's awfully premature to threaten them with canceling.

[F27TW]

1. You know it was a mistake, they happen.

2. You know your account will be corrected. No way will you be expected to pay for $4000 worth of charges you didn't charge.

3. Things like this are frustrating but no permanent damage will be done.

4. Your cruise was great, why let this taint it? Our very worst cruise was still a great vacation with family and a lot of good memories. (It's a very long story but the short version is: it was a 10 day cruise on a Princess ship, we missed 4 of our 7 ports and the other three were shortened because of previously known engine problems of which the ship was in emergency dry dock before our cruise, so internet was down, pool was unusable for half the cruise, and other areas weren't available and we received $100 compensation!! So things can get bad on a cruise!)

 

I am sorry you are having to deal with such crap, but don't let it wear on you.

 

 

OMG no ... this is NOT one of those "just wave it off .. it'll correct itself" kind of situations .. this is not a $10 mini bar charge .... or an erroneous $25 pool towel charge ...

For you, maybe $4,000 isn't much to stress over (and how nice for you being so wealthy), but for most of us, that's a huge amount of money ... and theres no WAY I would rest till I got this resolved.

To say "things like this are frustrating and no permanent damage will be done..." is ridiculous. $4000 (really $4500 in AUD) disappearing from your account is more than just frustrating. And how do you know there was no damage done? What if this stupid error by RC overdrew their checking account?

This is not a blasé "oh golly gee ... mistakes happen once in a while" kinda moment. The OP has every right being PISSED !

And they should not have to have made even more than one call to the line before it got straightened out .. getting the run around only makes this even more inexcusable.

Edited January 2, 2014 by F27TW

[Big_G]

 

Just a thought...did you use internet on board? Sometimes if you "sign up" for an internet package with your seapass and go over you can see big charges you don't expect. (and you could have "gone over" without your knowledge if the device was downloading data when you weren't aware of it.) But if it wasn't on your bill when you were on board, that's unlikely.

 

Good luck, be sure to let us all know if you get it resolved! Fingers crossed!

 

This happened to me a few years ago when I downgraded our AOL package and my away at college daughter unbeknownst to us kept using it even though she had internet access through her school. It wasn't pretty.

[Ocean Boy]

It's my upcoming Allure cruise. Enough time has passed since they fixed it to take the edge off. The aggravating part was three different people plus a supervisor in Resolutions could see the error but the bean counters in Accounting couldn't. :rolleyes:

 

I didn't realizw that you are doing Allure this year. When are you going? We're on Allure in March.

[DrD]

To say "things like this are frustrating and no permanent damage will be done..." is ridiculous. $4000 (really $4500 in AUD) disappearing from your account is more than just frustrating. And how do you know there was no damage done? What if this stupid error by RC overdrew their checking account?

 

Well that's not quite true, you don't actually have to pay the CC bill for along time. She's not actually out the money, only on paper.

 

I'd still be frustrated though.

 

Good luck OP! I'm sure it will work out. I just hope it doesn't turn out to be some kind of fraud or theft.

Edited January 2, 2014 by DrD

[Thetrail]

I cannot believe that you would waste your time disputing $4000.

 

If you had a good cruise, just pay the balance and stop nit-picking the extra charges....

 

The nerve!!!....:)

[Big_G]

I didn't realizw that you are doing Allure this year. When are you going? We're on Allure in March.

 

Allure the end of this month and Reflection the end of March. I wish this snow would've waited until I was gone.

[Onessa]

We've really become low-key on our last few cruises. No beverages, pre-paid tips, no on-board charges. Our last two cruises we've had NO charges to our seapass. Makes reconcilliation of the credit card a bit easier!

 

Mistakes may happen, but the hastle of dealing with them really makes me question whether I want to spend any money on-board!

[evelyn51]

I cannot believe that you would waste your time disputing $4000.

If you had a good cruise, just pay the balance and stop nit-picking the extra charges....

 

 

 

You are YOU? I wish to retract my benefit of the doubt of one of your previous replies on another thread! (yesterday)

 

 

WOW just WOW!

Edited January 2, 2014 by evelyn51

[Sherlock43031]

threatening the CC company is silly.. does anyone on here actually think canceling the card means they won't need to pay the balance? the bank will eventually get a judgement and send it to a collection agency while dinging your credit score. the only person they end up hurting is themselves. in the scope of thing $4k to the credit card company is nothing.

 

wasting their time calling every number at RCI is just that wasting their time how people do you think have the authority to refund a credit card?

 

taking them at their word that this is a CC and not a debit card then once they depute the charge it will be suspended pending the outcome of the CC companies investigation. the CC company will have the correct numbers (not public) to talk to the correct people at RCI.