Never Again on RCCL! Poor Customer Service!

[notladjr]

On 7/10/2019 at 1:55 PM, gooselover said:

Oh believe me I did try disputing with my credit card company.  Deposit was $2000 for the 6 of us.  I lost the dispute

You did not lose the  $2000 deposit. You lost $100 per person so $600 total.

 

I understand your angst and hate they have gone to these nonrefundable deposits. However I am 100% certain, at least if you booked online and not on the phone, that during the booking process at least once the word nonrefundable was in front of you.

 

I reluctantly book non-refundable because they have the refundable fares so much highter it makes it worth it to me to take the chance I won't have to cancel because that is a pretty low percentage and I would rather risk that than the more likely event of me paying a lot more for the actual cruise. 

 

My advice would be to suck it up  and take the $600 loss, rebook for a date that works, and consider this a life lesson. You can blame RCL but all of the other cruise lines have also gone this route as well and your experience would have been the same there as well.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

54 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

That’s my point, with a refundable booking you do indeed get 100% of your money back.  

OK...but my time is worth something doing it with RCI’s reservation roulette...

[not-enough-cruising]

6 hours ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

The largest travel company in the world...they have a cruise specialty travel office a mile from the home.

 

I referenced how cryptic the info is on the RCI website...and just one of many ways to avoid that experience.

My TA won’t even quote or book NRD, and we get fares from them lower than RCI websites posted NRD. 

[Clarea]

9 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

My TA won’t even quote or book NRD, and we get fares from them lower than RCI websites posted NRD. 

 

Sounds like your TA limits bookings to group space.

[not-enough-cruising]

Just now, Host Clarea said:

 

Sounds like your TA limits bookings to group space.

They do or I do, either way, that’s the only way I’ll book, too many benefits on the line not too 

[MisterBill99]

1 hour ago, Host Clarea said:

 

Sounds like your TA limits bookings to group space.

 

I recently booked Oasis for next year thru a big online agency. I got the CP balcony at a group price that was refundable and it was the cheapest price in that category . But BW and ocean balconies were cheaper in a NRD fare (and they had that group number available but it just wasn't cheap). So it's really variable.

[Clarea]

2 hours ago, MisterBill99 said:

 

I recently booked Oasis for next year thru a big online agency. I got the CP balcony at a group price that was refundable and it was the cheapest price in that category . But BW and ocean balconies were cheaper in a NRD fare (and they had that group number available but it just wasn't cheap). So it's really variable.

 

I didn't realize that group space could also be non-refundable.

[Thorben-Hendrik]

18 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

 

I didn't realize that group space could also be non-refundable.

Never heard this!🤔

Always refundable!👍

[Clarea]

3 minutes ago, Thorben-Hendrik said:

Never heard this!🤔

Always refundable!👍

 

Maybe Ken will see this.

[not-enough-cruising]

43 minutes ago, Thorben-Hendrik said:

Never heard this!🤔

Always refundable!👍

I agree, I’ve never booked (or been offered) a non refundable group rate 

[xcell]

On 7/11/2019 at 9:12 AM, gooselover said:

In all my years of cruising, only Carnival had the easy saver option, a nonrefundable deposit.  In all the times I have booked with RCL, a nonrefundable deposit was not even an option at the time!  I haven't booked a cruise in about 4 years, so things have changed I guess.  I never thought for one minute that the deposit was nonrefundable as it had never been in the past.  I booked the cruise over the phone after looking it up on line.  I prefer to speak with an agent really, so that's the way I booked it.  Again, with no clue that things had changed, I never thought RCL was doing the nonrefundable.  The agent never spoke of it...not once, I gave him the credit card and made the deposit.  It was after that that I received my documents via email.  Again, everything looked normal.  I never suspected this was nonrefundable.  No, I didn't read the cruise documentation...again thinking all was the same as it was years ago.  No mention from the rep.  I had no idea.  Yes, this was a lesson learned.  However, with RCL refusing to pull the tape to prove the rep never mentioned it to me, I thought this is no way to treat your customers.  With our business, and I will reiterate this again, we have booked many cruises but had to cancel.  Our business is unpredictable as to when we can get away, so yes, I have booked and cancelled....always with a full refund.  I just didn't know anything had changed I didn't see anything different, the rep never mentioned it, and the cruise documentation that I got  looked the same.  Never did I suspect this was nonrefundable.  I can't say that enough.  You all who mock me for cancelling and losing the deposit, I was not going to pay another $600.  My son and his family could not go.  This was a lesson, an expensive lesson learned.

 

If you looked online and went to the end of the booking (because a seasoned cruiser, whether with RCCL or any other cruise line would reasonable do that to see all the taxes, discounts, etc...  -- it will tell you there it is a NRD (non -refundable deposit).

 

Just chalk it up to your mistake -- take some ownership in the situation.

 

Throw your money away or use it to book another cruise but I hope you don't look at things more carefully, and try to make the best of a bad situation and look to yourself before blaming others....

 

[xcell]

8 hours ago, MisterBill99 said:

 

On the page when you enter your personal information to make a reservation. It does not give you an option of seeing refundable and non-refundable pricing up front, like you see when you search for hotel rooms. Nor does it tell you that the price it's showing you is non-refundable when showing the different cabin options (or until you get to that page, which is after you selected your cabin).

 

Show me where the refundable fare option is on the RCCL site.

 

Also, rather than saying "minimum deposit" under the cancellation policy, it should show the actual deposit amount to make it clear what is at stake.

 

 

Some cruises will offer the refundable rate online but mostly, in my experience, it's the non-refundable rate and if you want the refundable rate, then you have to call in and ask.  

[MisterBill99]

4 hours ago, MisterBill99 said:

 

I recently booked Oasis for next year thru a big online agency. I got the CP balcony at a group price that was refundable and it was the cheapest price in that category . But BW and ocean balconies were cheaper in a NRD fare (and they had that group number available but it just wasn't cheap). So it's really variable.

 

1 hour ago, Host Clarea said:

 

I didn't realize that group space could also be non-refundable.

 

Maybe I wasn't clear but that was not what I was saying. I was pointing out that the group rate wasn't always cheaper than the non-group non-refundable rate. Obviously if the group rate is the cheapest rate, then booking it is a no-brainer since it is also refundable. But if the NRD rate is cheaper (as it was for several categories on this sailing) then you need to decide what is more important.

[MisterBill99]

19 minutes ago, xcell said:

 

Some cruises will offer the refundable rate online but mostly, in my experience, it's the non-refundable rate and if you want the refundable rate, then you have to call in and ask.  

 

Exactly! Which is why the people who said "oh, you should have told the system you wanted a refundable fare when you were pricing it online" are wrong. Holland America does a nice job showing two different rates when booking (with and without restrictions). Royal doesn't.

[BNBR]

On 7/10/2019 at 2:55 PM, gooselover said:

Oh believe me I did try disputing with my credit card company.  Deposit was $2000 for the 6 of us.  I lost the dispute

 

Didn't read all 12 pages, but if nobody else let you know... 

 

You just need to dispute it a second time.  It's common to lose the first dispute. Dispute it again, which starts a different process and it's highly unlikely they will even fight it.  It'll go to pre arbitration, and they won't bother. You can also demand arbitration. 

[MisterBill99]

16 minutes ago, BNBR said:

 

Didn't read all 12 pages, but if nobody else let you know... 

 

You just need to dispute it a second time.  It's common to lose the first dispute. Dispute it again, which starts a different process and it's highly unlikely they will even fight it.  It'll go to pre arbitration, and they won't bother. You can also demand arbitration. 

 

He should also only dispute $600 of it.

 

But isn't there a time limit of disputes? Seems like this was booked 6+ months ago which I think is too long.

[BNBR]

5 minutes ago, MisterBill99 said:

 

He should also only dispute $600 of it.

 

But isn't there a time limit of disputes? Seems like this was booked 6+ months ago which I think is too long.

 

Time limits depend. It's not typically from purchase but date of the service. I think it would be fine.  Just saying it's worth a second dispute. I've done it plenty of times after losing a first dispute. And as a business owner, customers do it to me on occasion.... You NEVER win the second dispute, even the provider suggests not even fighting it. The customer always wins it.

[MisterBill99]

15 minutes ago, BNBR said:

 

Time limits depend. It's not typically from purchase but date of the service. I think it would be fine.  Just saying it's worth a second dispute. I've done it plenty of times after losing a first dispute. And as a business owner, customers do it to me on occasion.... You NEVER win the second dispute, even the provider suggests not even fighting it. The customer always wins it.

 

I think you're being overly optimistic on their chances of winning. The bottom line is that the booking confirmation that was received DID say that it was a non-refundable fare, and it could have been canceled within 24 hours if they had noticed back then. Also not clear that Capital One even opened the dispute the first time so this would not be a second dispute.

Edited July 15, 2019 by MisterBill99

[BNBR]

9 minutes ago, MisterBill99 said:

 

I think you're being overly optimistic on their chances of winning. The bottom line is that the booking confirmation that was received DID say that it was a non-refundable fare, and it could have been canceled within 24 hours if they had noticed back then. Also not clear that Capital One even opened the dispute the first time so this would not be a second dispute.

 

You don't really have to win a dispute. A second dispute is a totally different process. They claim they already disputed and lost. It was definitely opened as that's the process.  Then you file the dispute again. I can assure you, I know EXACTLY what I'm talking about.  It's not hard to get your money back. 

[motheroftwocats814]

The deposits have been non-refundable for years now. The sales reps are trained to read off the terms when taking the booking. Sorry that happened. Expensive lesson.

[chrismch]

11 hours ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

OK...but my time is worth something doing it with RCI’s reservation roulette...

Can you book a specific cabin number in advance on RCI and it not be a non-refundable fare?

When I just tried to do a sample booking and picked a cabin, my only option was NRF

 

I thought the only way to get a refundable fare was to book a guaranty cabin? Can you book a specific room and still get a refundable (without it being paid by travel insurance)?

[Clarea]

4 hours ago, chrismch said:

Can you book a specific cabin number in advance on RCI and it not be a non-refundable fare?

When I just tried to do a sample booking and picked a cabin, my only option was NRF

 

I thought the only way to get a refundable fare was to book a guaranty cabin? Can you book a specific room and still get a refundable (without it being paid by travel insurance)?

 

For US/Canadian individual (not group) bookings, a specific stateroom can be booked either either refundable or non-refundable deposit, as long as the category is Junior Suite or below.

 

In order to see the refundable price on Royal's website, you must fill in all the passenger info and the next page will have a checkbox to select refundable.  They really don't want people to know about this option.

[xcell]

4 hours ago, chrismch said:

Can you book a specific cabin number in advance on RCI and it not be a non-refundable fare?

When I just tried to do a sample booking and picked a cabin, my only option was NRF

 

I thought the only way to get a refundable fare was to book a guaranty cabin? Can you book a specific room and still get a refundable (without it being paid by travel insurance)?

 

For any refundable rat -- you need to call in, unless they offer it online, which seems to be a rare occurrence.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

52 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

 

For US/Canadian individual (not group) bookings, a specific stateroom can be booked either either refundable or non-refundable deposit, as long as the category is Junior Suite or below.

 

In order to see the refundable price on Royal's website, you must fill in all the passenger info and the next page will have a checkbox to select refundable.  They really don't want people to know about this option.

👍

[chrismch]

Yes, with the site having that so far in the process, they don't want to facilitate booking refundable rates.