My TA wants to charge me $33 of any changes that we make to our reservation!

[Denny01]

And what may happen after telling the TA you are moving to Celebrity booking, the TA may come back with a “oh, there’s been a misunderstanding. You won’t be charged”. I’d thank them and continue with the transfer. 
 

den

[wrk2cruise]

I believe the TA has to agree to release the reservation unless there is some egregious behavior on the part of the TA.    I would hope the TA do the right thing here.

 

Moving the reservation back to Celebrity may restrict your ability to transfer to another TA.  Maybe this isn't an issue given this TA experience.   I suggest on your next sailing to seek advice of other travelers for recommendations of reliable TA who doesn't charge any fees.  Many of these will still provide 8-10% benefits in the form of OBC.

[Redtravel]

Added to that some cruise lines have change fees.  It does take time to make changes. While I do not want to pay extra fees, I understand them.  On my most recent cruise, not on Celebrity,  cruise charged me $50 pp to adjust fare.  My TA also took $100 off my OBC.  I did save $2000.  Worked for me.  They probably are trying to stop minor changes.  

[az_tchr]

19 hours ago, wrk2cruise said:

I wouldn't cancel as you may not get the same deal you currently have (although if you just repriced today then maybe you could and that might be the easiest thing to do).

 

Otherwise explain to the TA that wasn't the arrangement when they started servicing the reservation and it's not a standard practice of other well known TAs.   Suggest that they continue to service this reservation without fees (if that was the original agreement) or release the reservation back to Celebrity.

 

Like I said it would be easier to just cancel and rebook with one of the well known agencies if you can get the same pricing today.   Of course if it is NRD then that can be another issue.

 

Disagree - if that TA had a policy of charging $33 for changes then the OP accepted those "fine print" terms when they booked. I am aware of others who had a great deal but charged $50 for changes and one $100 if I cancelled. I moved on.

[Jim_Iain]

16 hours ago, DrivesLikeMario said:

I have one client that has me calling the cruise line so often to get obscure questions answered, that as soon as I book a new cruise for her, I automatically get out a sheet of paper to document all the calls I'll be making, who I spoke with, what date and time.  By the time she sails about a year later, I will have filled up BOTH sides of that 8.5 x 11" paper.  I seriously spend more time on her bookings than any other client by far.  It drives me batty, but I also know she appreciates what I do for her.  In other words, servicing a booking is part of the deal.  I want this client so I'm willing to do the extra work for her every single time.  You need a TA who appreciates your business!

You sound like a wonder travel professional.   

[Jim_Iain]

3 hours ago, Redtravel said:

Added to that some cruise lines have change fees.  It does take time to make changes. While I do not want to pay extra fees, I understand them.  On my most recent cruise, not on Celebrity,  cruise charged me $50 pp to adjust fare.  My TA also took $100 off my OBC.  I did save $2000.  Worked for me.  They probably are trying to stop minor changes.  

I agree that some cruise lines may have a change fee but the OP is discussing a Celebrity Cruise (I presume since she is posting here).   To my knowledge Celebrity doesn't have any change fees except to change ship or date with a NRD.  

 

 

[yvrbos]

So I contacted the TA and they contacted their cruise provider as it is different in Canada to transfer a cruise. They have asked for it to be transferred back to Celebrity. It took a couple of calls to Celebrity, numerous emails to the TA clarifying what needed to be done, and a couple of emails to Celebrity.

 

Now it is just a wait and see if it is transferred.

 

Thank you for all your help. It makes a difference being able to reprice, upgrade, or add more perks without a penalty.

[Fouremco]

5 minutes ago, yvrbos said:

So I contacted the TA and they contacted their cruise provider as it is different in Canada to transfer a cruise. They have asked for it to be transferred back to Celebrity. It took a couple of calls to Celebrity, numerous emails to the TA clarifying what needed to be done, and a couple of emails to Celebrity.

You live in Boston, but you used a Canadian TA? I know that a lot of Canadians use US TA's, but this is the first time I've seen the reverse.

 

And what is a "cruise provider"? You have a TA, who normally deals directly with a cruise line, but I'm not familiar with this other party.

[Georgia_Peaches]

Sounds like you need to get a new TA.  I'd be in big trouble if my TA started charging me every time I made a change.  I am regularly changing our stateroom based on price drops.

[clskinsfan]

On 2/25/2020 at 5:10 PM, TMLAalum said:

A cabin move to the same category should not incur re-pricing nor a TA fee. The big box we use only reduces the amount of their cash card when there is a significant reduction in fare. When I first began using them to book cruises in 2011, they'd charge a $25 fee for re-pricing. I guess they wised up and decided that lesser cash back was more palatable to their members than the fee....

I am sure I use that same "big box" and they are outstanding about changing reservations. I wish I could publish the name because they are by far the best TA I have ever used.

[yvrbos]

Yes I live in the states, but my sister who is Canadian is paying for the cruise so we went with her TA.

 

According to the TA, they use encore as their cruise provider. Not sure what this means, but that the TA books solely through them. So they have to work directly with them, not Celebrity. I am also in contact with Celebrity to see if they can do anything on their end.

[WonderMan3]

On 2/25/2020 at 12:19 PM, MamaFej said:

There are far too many good, ethical, honest TAs out there to keep doing business with one like this. 

 

I hope you find one soon and can transfer your booking before final payment. 

 

What was dishonest or unethical about this? The agent told the customer that there would be charges for any future changes, not for the change they just made. The customer is now free to move their booking elsewhere if they don't like that. It might be displeasing to have a fee system like that but as long as the customer is informed about it I don't see how it is dishonest or unethical. The agent is doing work for that fee. Likely that agency started to implement that to avoid some customers taking advantage of the agents by making continual changes to their bookings. This fee policy would encourage customers to make any and all changes in one shot to avoid incurring multiple fees and creating extra work for the agent. Customers who don't like that can choose to book with another agent. I do wonder though why this fee policy wasn't outlined at the time of initial booking (or perhaps it was in some documentation that the OP didn't see?) so the customer could decide whether to book with that agent in the first place, unless it was a new policy change made by the agency for all new and established bookings going forward.

[Fouremco]

3 hours ago, yvrbos said:

Yes I live in the states, but my sister who is Canadian is paying for the cruise so we went with her TA.

 

According to the TA, they use encore as their cruise provider. Not sure what this means, but that the TA books solely through them. So they have to work directly with them, not Celebrity. I am also in contact with Celebrity to see if they can do anything on their end.

I'd really have to question a TA who goes through a second TA to make bookings. Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me, and the primary TA gets a smaller cut from the cruise line. That means less flexibility in providing perks, and may explain the decision to start charging for changes.

 

I hope that it all works out for you.

[yvrbos]

As far as their booking policy, nowhere on the documents that we received or on their website do they claim any type of additional fees.  In an email explaining that they would be implementing these charges, they stated that they normally don’t do that. 

 

Now that I know that they will be charging these fees and all the mistakes they have made in quoting us much higher prices (For instance, I found a $460 airfare through Celebrity Air and they quoted us a fare of $1200 through Celebrity Air. I found a cruise price of $2500 they quoted us a fare of $4100. I ended up booking my own air through Celebrity and had them match the quote for the cruise. So many reasons to transfer the booking!)

 

This was an important lesson about how a travel agent works. Next time, I will interview a travel agent to be sure that they will reprice, upgrade, and add additional perks if they become available all without fees. I am sure those TAs exist.

[davekathy]

15 hours ago, yvrbos said:

Yes I live in the states, but my sister who is Canadian is paying for the cruise so we went with her TA.

 

According to the TA, they use encore as their cruise provider. Not sure what this means, but that the TA books solely through them. So they have to work directly with them, not Celebrity. I am also in contact with Celebrity to see if they can do anything on their end.

Just as a heads up, your post will most likely be removed as it's against CC guidelines to mention any TA by name on CC. 

[yvrbos]

I didn’t mention a TA, it is a consolidator. You can’t book directly with them. Only travel agents can use them to book Celebrity Cruises! My travel agency has to use them to book a Celebrity Cruise.

Edited February 27, 2020 by yvrbos

[yvrbos]

If you check their Canadian website, you will notice that they are not a travel agency. Please note, they are out of Canada.

[davekathy]

9 minutes ago, yvrbos said:

If you check their Canadian website, you will notice that they are not a travel agency. Please note, they are out of Canada.

I Googled Encore before posting to you and IMO it looked like a travel agency both in Canada (Quebec) and California (Saratoga). CC will decide. If it's not, no biggie. 

[yvrbos]

The postings on this thread have been so supportive. I would hate to lose this input, so it does mean something to me. If you look at the Canadian website, people can not book. It is used only by travel agents. So I am not advertising an agency that those on the boards can use. It is not out of California. That is a completely unconnected agency.

[Ontario Cruiser]

I book US customers in USD all the time no problem

Ontario Cruiser

 

[yvrbos]

Transfer was made. Success! I can now reprice, upgrade, or add additional perks if any of this becomes available and I won't have to pay a fee. Yeah!

Edited February 28, 2020 by yvrbos

[Fouremco]

Good outcome! Enjoy your cruise.