Refund Status for canceled cruises: Retitled after merges

[PrincessLuver]

3 hours ago, BigTimeCruiser said:

If this is in fact true, I suspect that the company will fold and we won't see any funds reimbursed.  If I'm wrong in my assumption, it would be nice for the highly paid executives at Princess to make their intentions known.

 

Evidently, Princess is not in the business of having their clients best interest at heart or being transparent and honest anymore.

[npcl]

6 hours ago, LDVinNC said:

 

If they would just TELL the TA's and us what the REAL story is...conflicting answers do not inspire confidence.

Telling the real story might inspire even less confidence

[billco]

24 minutes ago, PrincessLuver said:

 

Almost all credit card companies and banks will issue you a check if you have a surplus credit balance and request it to be paid back to you.  Usually, a simple call will do it.

Thanks. I didn’t know that. First time I have been in that situation.

[dog]

37 minutes ago, cherylandtk said:

TLDR 🤷‍♀️

 

LIKE, A LOT.

[SCOOTERNINJA]

45 minutes ago, cherylandtk said:

TLDR 🤷‍♀️

Haha, ok.  No one forces you to read anything so don't necessarily see the point.  But in any event, I hope that you read your contracts.  Telling a court that 'too long, didn't read the contract' is rarely effective ;)

[cruzsnooze]

Small claims court would be easy to file and be heard but some amounts of refunds exceed the $5000 limit.

[SCOOTERNINJA]

1 minute ago, cruzsnooze said:

Small claims court would be easy to file and be heard but some amounts of refunds exceed the $5000 limit.

Actually, many small claims courts across the country have raised their limits to $50,000 and more.  The problem is a question of jurisdiction.  Princess will likely claim that cruise deposits are subject to their terms and conditions which limit remedies and venue.

 

Finally and perhaps more importantly, a small claims court judgment is relatively worthless in the event of bankruptcy; this is because a party with a judgment of a small claims or any other court is merely an unsecured creditor in bankruptcy and doesn't get paid until all of the banks and other secured creditors are paid in bankruptcy which happens relatively rarely (basically unsecured creditors are up poop creek when bankruptcy rolls around).  If it were my money, I would certainly go the credit card chargeback route if available over a court claim at this point.

[LDVinNC]

1 hour ago, npcl said:

Telling the real story might inspire even less confidence

 

Yeah, you may have a point!

[LDVinNC]

1 hour ago, PCWalton1 said:

What did you tell Citibank when you went to them to dispute the charges?

 

 

I filed a CC dispute with Citi.  I simply told them we had a cruise planned and of course it did not happen.  They asked a few questions and did whatever they do to enter the dispute.  I had 4 charges (deposit on 1 cruise, partial fares on 2 cruises, and an air upgrade charge) at different times.  Two days later the largest provisional credit showed up and I hope to see the others tomorrow.  It was easy.

[dag144]

I told Citibank that I have been waiting over 60 days or a refund that Princess cancelled.  My dispute was entered by Citi and I received a provisional credit in two days.  Simple

[dag144]

If you go the small claims route, you must file in California.  It's in the small print in the cruise contract.

[PCWalton1]

6 hours ago, dag144 said:

I filed my dispute with Citibank on May 13th and received the provisional credit today May 15th.  I'm sorry that I got my months mixed up.  I waited 60 days plus to file my dispute and Citibank handled it quickly and efficiently.

What did you tell them when you filed the dispute? I have a May 2nd Royal Princess cruise that I filed on March 16th for option 2 (refund). May 5th Princess sends me a letter again offering extra FCC and stating if I still want a refund do nothing till May 31 so they are essentially resetting the clock. My payments were on my debt card on Feb 25th 2019, November 25, 2019 and January 6, 2020. I want to dispute all three as I have no confidence they will ever pay. I strongly feel they will file for bankruptcy and we will all be SOL. 

 

   

[thinfool]

46 minutes ago, SCOOTERNINJA said:

in the event of bankruptcy; 

Whom do you think will declare bankruptcy.

This is a Princess forum...Princess cannot declare bankruptcy.

[windsor26]

10 hours ago, Coral said:

In the US - it is kept in a holding account for future cruises (for example, FCC can't go towards future taxes).. You can contact your TA to have it refunded.

Thanks  Yes our TA has noted that they will do the refund but not happened yet

[PrincessLuver]

3 hours ago, SCOOTERNINJA said:

What happens to those cruise deposits for now cancelled cruises? This is certainly a question that appears to be pondered on here quite a bit.  From the stories - few appear to be receiving refunds.  Perhaps those complaining on here about having yet to receive their refunds just happen to be the small minority of people that slipped through the cracks by no fault of Princess.  But the skeptic and realist in me finds that doubtful.

 

So what is the best way to receive a refund?  Certainly you can put blind faith trust in Princess - - after all you had a nice prior cruise with them and really enjoyed the Friday desert so surely they will do the right thing. 

 

For those unwilling to believe that Princess will undoubtedly perform and refund the money with all of the perks that they promise - there may be the option of the 'Credit Card Dispute' process.   This is where a credit card company/bank basically overturns a sale on behalf of the cardholder and refunds the cardholder's money.  Often and under many cards, this should be a relatively smooth process if the cardholder can prove that they paid for a service that was ultimately not delivered (i.e. such as paying for a cruise that never takes place).  More information can be obtained here:  https://chargebacks911.com/credit-card-dispute/ and on many other sites.  Certainly, everyone should be familiar with their particular bank/credit card and the various terms and conditions. If you aren't, a simple call to a representative at said company should be beneficial.

 

But how long do I have to file a chargeback dispute?  Once again, this is relatively important and you should contact your bank/credit card company should you have any questions on your individual contract with them.  But what may be concerning is what happens if the company files bankruptcy?  Some banks/card companies have recently limited chargeback coverage for the 'financial insolvency of a travel supplier.'   See article here:  https://thepointsguy.com/news/chase-trip-cancellation-interruption-changes/ . So if a cruise company were to file bankruptcy or announce an 'ability to continue as a going concern,' this potentially could be the financial insolvency in which a card issuer declines to provide coverage.  Once again, everyone should review and be up to date on the terms of their particular card.

 

What does this all mean?  If you are inclined to go through the credit card process and if you have concerns whether Princess is actually going to issue a timely refund as it has said that it will do or if you are concerned that Princess may go a bankruptcy route, you might want to consider a credit card dispute sooner rather than later.  I am sure that a few thousand bucks of refunded money in your pockets could go a long way in this tough environment.

 

Here is to hoping you all receive your refunds!  I certainly always take what a company with cash flow problems tells me with a grain of salt.

 

Thanks for a nice and accurate summary......the Princess cheerleaders might not agree but thanks again!!!

[Pierlesscruisers]

10 minutes ago, thinfool said:

Whom do you think will declare bankruptcy.

This is a Princess forum...Princess cannot declare bankruptcy.

 

Really? Why is that?

 

Tom

[susantx3]

8 hours ago, Triger said:

Unfortunately we would be considered unsecured creditors and would not receive any $. Common share holders would also lose their investment and any other supplier, etc.

Interesting to note recent financing to secure additional operating capital is being secured using their ships, so if they declare bankruptcy they can negotiate with their secured creditors and resume operations. A common practice.

 

 

I brought through Costco, If they go Bankrupt Costco pays  up (using Credit Card Dispute process)  That is one benefit of doing a charge back

 

https://www.travelweekly.com/Mark-Pestronk/Addressing-agent-liability-in-the-midst-of-the-Covid-19-pandemic

 

 

https://www.travelweekly.com/Mark-Pestronk/Agency-can-be-liable-for-suppliers-breach

Edited May 16, 2020 by susantx3

[cherylandtk]

1 hour ago, PCWalton1 said:

What did you tell them when you filed the dispute? I have a May 2nd Royal Princess cruise that I filed on March 16th for option 2 (refund). May 5th Princess sends me a letter again offering extra FCC and stating if I still want a refund do nothing till May 31 so they are essentially resetting the clock. My payments were on my debt card on Feb 25th 2019, November 25, 2019 and January 6, 2020. I want to dispute all three as I have no confidence they will ever pay. I strongly feel they will file for bankruptcy and we will all be SOL. 

 

   

Use March 16, the day you originally requested the refund as your response date. Use Princess’ cancel date (March 12?) as the date the refund clock started. Tell your credit card company Princess cancelled, you accepted their refund offer and it has now been two months without any refund from Princess and you want to dispute the original payments that Princess failed to provide their services for.

[PrincessLuver]

1 hour ago, Pierlesscruisers said:

 

Really? Why is that?

 

Tom

 

It might all fall under Carnival Cruise Lines?

[riffatsea]

Today theCarnival corporation told the business community that " only" 38% of passengers actually asked for  cash refunds.  They didn't bother to say that NOone has received that refund to this date!!

 

We took option 2 and have received our FCCs but no credit card refunds.

[Paula_MacFan]

24 minutes ago, riffatsea said:

Today theCarnival corporation told the business community that " only" 38% of passengers actually asked for  cash refunds.  They didn't bother to say that NOone has received that refund to this date!!

 

 

Exactly!  If 'only' 38% wanted a refund, then what is the holdup??  Plus the cheerleaders have defended Princess by citing the thousands of passengers based on total ship capacity.  Now we find out it's a fraction of the passengers actually seeking a refund.  This just makes the whole lack of refunds all the more reprehensible.  

[JJG99]

Yeah!!!!

Just checked our individual Princess Captain Circle accounts and we have received our 225% FCC on the base fare from the  <48 hour notice cancelled Sky Princess cruise that was due to sail on 14th March. No notification from Princess that they had given us our FCC onto our account, so as someone previously said- just keep going onto your account and check.

Our was one of the first cruises cancelled by Princess- so hang in there everyone- it will happen!!!! 

Still no taxes/port charges or shore excursion refunds into our CC, but will check the status of that with our TA on Monday.

To be honest- I never thought that we would see it.

Jenny

[dog]

6 hours ago, TM said:

Unfortunately the initial charge for FCDs hit my credit card last August.  My credit card company will only allow disputes for charges within the last 2 billing cycles.  So I'm SOL.  Fortunately it's only $800 which is certainly a lot less than many other posters.

I would call again. You did not and will not receive what you paid for   If no luck get rid of that credit card.  Or file dispute by sending in paperwork, anyway

Amex refunded my $2k deposit made July 2919. Since The cruise date was not until Oct 2020 and cancelled March 1 st, refundable before final payment. 

Edited May 16, 2020 by dog

[PCWalton1]

56 minutes ago, JJG99 said:

Yeah!!!!

Just checked our individual Princess Captain Circle accounts and we have received our 225% FCC on the base fare from the  <48 hour notice cancelled Sky Princess cruise that was due to sail on 14th March. No notification from Princess that they had given us our FCC onto our account, so as someone previously said- just keep going onto your account and check.

Our was one of the first cruises cancelled by Princess- so hang in there everyone- it will happen!!!! 

Still no taxes/port charges or shore excursion refunds into our CC, but will check the status of that with our TA on Monday.

To be honest- I never thought that we would see it.

Jenny

You may have got the FCC but don't hold your breath on the CC credit.

[dog]

1 hour ago, JJG99 said:

Yeah!!!!

Just checked our individual Princess Captain Circle accounts and we have received our 225% FCC on the base fare from the  <48 hour notice cancelled Sky Princess cruise that was due to sail on 14th March. No notification from Princess that they had given us our FCC onto our account, so as someone previously said- just keep going onto your account and check.

Our was one of the first cruises cancelled by Princess- so hang in there everyone- it will happen!!!! 

Still no taxes/port charges or shore excursion refunds into our CC, but will check the status of that with our TA on Monday.

To be honest- I never thought that we would see it.

Jenny

That’s great. Happy for you!  Thanks for posting.