P&Os new cancellation policy - shockingly bad

[Mattsudds]

41 minutes ago, MickD said:

Apparently P&O call centre at the moment is refusing refunds stating they have taken advice from ABTA.

This is complete nonsense ABTA are lobbying the government at the moment to have the travel package act temporarily changed so that holiday companies can refuse refunds and give out credit notes or FCC’s with full protection on them incase the companies go bankrupt.

They are telling Boris that if everybody wants refunds many firms will go bankrupt.

At the moment the law still stands that they must give a full refund within 14 days if a holiday is cancelled by them.

But apparently P&O are not sticking to the law and don’t want to hand out refunds.

So best keep an eye on the abta website for any developments.

My cruise is due April the 12th so the day it’s cancelled will be emailing them for a full refund, and will be obviously keeping email with date on incase the law is temporarily changed after I’ve sent the email.

obviously if it’s changed before they cancel my cruise I will have no option but to take the FCC 

I hope that the difficulties getting refunds from the call centre are only for cruises currently still operating. If P&O or any other company were to refuse refunds for trips they cancelled, that would be a very different matter.  Thanks to P&Os disgraceful new policy, I think that the best advice is 

1) Pay nothing until you absolutely have to. Final payment only on the final due date etc. Watch out for this particularly if you booked via a travel agent because they often have to get your money weeks before P&O’s payment deadline. The sooner you hand over your money, the sooner you lose control of it. 
2) if you cruise is NOT cancelled but you think it will be, wait until it is cancelled and get your money back. Don’t feel the pressure for a future cruise credit unless you are really sure you want to cruise again. 
3) If your cruise is cancelled, demand the refund immediately. Before the rules change

4) If you book with any company that cancels and refuses a refund, dispute the charge on your credit card. I am not suggesting that P&O are in this category, but I would still consider immediately disputing this charge because I don’t think long refund delays are acceptable in the circumstances. Talk of 45-60 days to wait is too long. 
 

 

[jeanlyon]

I am sure the reason it is going to take that long is the actual process.  First of all, the person who cancelled mine puts it through with a code.  One code for cancellation and refund, another for 50% refund 50% FCC and so on.  That then goes to Finance for them to process.  The ones who b ooked through a TA have to go to them to sort out their commission and the discount they gave to the customer, the others are P&O direct bookings.  When you imagine 2000 passengers on one cruise for one/two weeks, over all the ships, you are talking about 20,000+ customers.  I can well imagine how long that would take.

[ellie1145]

On 3/19/2020 at 1:05 PM, molecrochip said:The government approach originally was to drag it out to end of July with fewer people affected at anyone time. This has been abandoned. Now, we are likely to see the peak in 3-4 weeks which means by early/mid May, 95% of all cases should have arisen. 

 

Therefore I would expect cruises returning to normal by early June with maybe exceptions for Oceana’s fly cruise season and the need for Azura to undertake a postponed dry dock.

Seriously? You think cruising will return to normal by June?

 

That sounds wonderful news if it’s true. I’d really like to believe you, but from what I’m reading daily it’s pie in the sky.
 

What expert information are you basing that on? Italy has not yet reached their peak, hundreds are dying each day, we aren’t even close to the peak. And what about all the other countries which have barely started feeling the effects of the pandemic. Are they going to open their doors and welcome cruise passengers to their shores as a priority?
 

China has been on lock down for weeks, and they are realistic enough to realise that when they start easing restrictions there could well be another surge in cases. Yet you are thinking the cruise industry will start filling up ships with potential CoronaVirus victims and spreaders?

 

As far as cruising goes (and we’ve done a considerable number) my main wish is simply to be alive at the end of this.

[molecrochip]

If we are following a China trajectory then they are starting to ease restrictions after about 2.5 months. That’s should mean we start easing restrictions mid May. maybe early a June is optimistic but late June shouldn’t be.

 

Obviously a stage two outbreak would change things.

 

If we are following Italy then this could go on longer.

 

The UK government’s action in the coming five days should give us a clue.

[wowzz]

2 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

If we are following a China trajectory then they are starting to ease restrictions after about 2.5 months. That’s should mean we start easing restrictions mid May. maybe early a June is optimistic but late June shouldn’t be.

 

Obviously a stage two outbreak would change things.

 

If we are following Italy then this could go on longer.

 

The UK government’s action in the coming five days should give us a clue.

The future of cruising really has nothing to do with the UK government,  but more to do with major cruise destinations such as Spain and Italy.  Does anyone seriously think that these countries will open up their ports to thousands of foreigners anytime this year?

[ellie1145]

But where would these cruises go?  The rest of the world won’t be clear by then. Some countries haven’t even started. And who would want to go to some countries? China for instance, or Italy or Spain? Or pretty soon the USA? People are dying at the rate of hundreds a day in Italy. How on earth are they going to get back to welcoming tourists to Venice, Rome or Florence and will that be their priority? At the moment, having enough capacity to cremate their dead is their priority. Yet cruising could be back in 2 and a half months?
 

Maybe all cruises could sail round and round the U.K.?
 

I very much hope that governments will be very cautious about opening up borders and lessening restrictions. 
 

I don’t want to believe it but, personally, I think our cruising days will be a long time coming, and restoring confidence will be paramount. It would only take one cruise ship that gets back to a normal itinerary and which ends up with the virus onboard and sick people with nowhere that will allow them to disembark, for the whole industry to shut down again.

 

And I for one don’t want to be a guinea pig. Much as I love cruising, and it’s been my life for 54 years, my health and my family come first. I would have to be VERY sure before I jump on a cruise ship again. 

Edited March 22, 2020 by ellie1145

[ellie1145]

11 minutes ago, wowzz said:

The future of cruising really has nothing to do with the UK government,  but more to do with major cruise destinations such as Spain and Italy.  Does anyone seriously think that these countries will open up their ports to thousands of foreigners anytime this year?

Exactly!

[jeanlyon]

Yes exactly.  And along with no ports to cruise to, there is also the fact that no travel insurance will cover for this virus.  So until there is a vaccine, I don't think there will be cruising.

[Confused.com]

Can someone please clarify my confusion. Booked to go on 23 May cruise to Med on Britannia for 14 nights. Balance paid in full. Phoned p+o yesterday to cancel and rebook for 1 Aug expecting to receive FCC of 110% of the full amount we've paid. After all, the latest cancellation terms table says "110% FCC of the full balance". Now, call me stupid, but surely the above translates to 110% of all you have paid? 

 

But, no, p+o inform me that it's 50% cash refund + fcc of 110% of the remaining 50% of what we've paid. I queried this with her, saying that surely it's what you've paid + 10% on top in the form of a fcc? She was adamant this wasn't the case. Anyway, decided to sit it out and wait for them to cancel now, despite the extra £400 obs if we did manage to go in May.

 

Can anyone clarify (in plain English) what "110% FCC of the full balance" actually means.

 

Thanks

[wowzz]

10 minutes ago, Confused.com said:

Can someone please clarify my confusion. Booked to go on 23 May cruise to Med on Britannia for 14 nights. Balance paid in full. Phoned p+o yesterday to cancel and rebook for 1 Aug expecting to receive FCC of 110% of the full amount we've paid. After all, the latest cancellation terms table says "110% FCC of the full balance". Now, call me stupid, but surely the above translates to 110% of all you have paid? 

 

But, no, p+o inform me that it's 50% cash refund + fcc of 110% of the remaining 50% of what we've paid. I queried this with her, saying that surely it's what you've paid + 10% on top in the form of a fcc? She was adamant this wasn't the case. Anyway, decided to sit it out and wait for them to cancel now, despite the extra £400 obs if we did manage to go in May.

 

Can anyone clarify (in plain English) what "110% FCC of the full balance" actually means.

 

Thanks

Seems baffling to me as well.

As an aside, I think you are being very optimistic if you think cruises will be taking place in August this year. I would be looking at August 2022.

[jeanlyon]

I will put here the cancellation policy.   Not sure if I understand it fully.

 

 

Policy-change--18-March-1.jpg.webp

Edited March 22, 2020 by jeanlyon

[emam]

26 minutes ago, jeanlyon said:

I will put here the cancellation policy.   Not sure if I understand it fully.

 

 

Policy-change--18-March-1.jpg.webp 42.57 kB · 1 download

 

Jean, it won't open or download. Could just be me though.

[P&O SUE]

8 hours ago, Tablelamp said:

A nightmare trying to get through to P&O.  Hopefully, my May cruise will be cancelled.  I wonder what the quickest, easiest and most secure way will be of getting a refund.  Any ideas anybody?

my cruise for early April was cancelled by P&O. They sent me an email and in it was a link to click on and claim a refund. I did this but no money back yet as it says allow up to 45 days.

[jeanlyon]

46 minutes ago, emam said:

 

Jean, it won't open or download. Could just be me though.

Yep, sorry,   A link is better

 

https://www.pocruises.com/travel-health-advisories/flexible-cancellation-policy

[Eglesbrech]

37 minutes ago, P&O SUE said:

my cruise for early April was cancelled by P&O. They sent me an email and in it was a link to click on and claim a refund. I did this but no money back yet as it says allow up to 45 days.

The current law is 14 days, not 45.

[jeanlyon]

I think the law must go for a ball of chalk at this current time.  I mean no company has had to make this many refunds before.

 

[Eglesbrech]

2 minutes ago, jeanlyon said:

I think the law must go for a ball of chalk at this current time.  I mean no company has had to make this many refunds before.

 

They manage to take many thousands of booking when the new brochures are released, usually within just a few days. A refund takes less time than a booking.

 

They also rigidly enforce the T&Cs when a passenger cancels- what’s sauce for the goose...

[wowzz]

23 minutes ago, Eglesbrech said:

They manage to take many thousands of booking when the new brochures are released, usually within just a few days. A refund takes less time than a booking.

 

They also rigidly enforce the T&Cs when a passenger cancels- what’s sauce for the goose...

Totally agree. When I book and pay for a cruise, or any holiday, I and the company enter intoo an agreement  based on the t&cs in force at the time. To try and now renege on those t&cs seems sharp practice. Imagine if I tried to alter my booking to suit me- P&O would not give me the time of day.

[molecrochip]

7 hours ago, wowzz said:

The future of cruising really has nothing to do with the UK government,  but more to do with major cruise destinations such as Spain and Italy.  Does anyone seriously think that these countries will open up their ports to thousands of foreigners anytime this year?

The sooner our Government implement a lock-down the sooner the spread of Covid-19 in the UK should drop.

 

As for ports in countries like Spain and Italy, they are much more reliant on the tourist industry than some other countries. They will want our money as soon as possible.

 

I do however feel that cruises will come back with some enhanced form of medical questionnaire. In the future Covid-19 will become a risk in the same way Norovirus is and there will need to be procedures to cope with it. On the basis that its anticipated you cannot get it twice, it will not spread as easy as it currently does because it wont be finding new carriers.

[wowzz]

3 hours ago, molecrochip said:

The sooner our Government implement a lock-down the sooner the spread of Covid-19 in the UK should drop.

 

As for ports in countries like Spain and Italy, they are much more reliant on the tourist industry than some other countries. They will want our money as soon as possible.

 

I do however feel that cruises will come back with some enhanced form of medical questionnaire. In the future Covid-19 will become a risk in the same way Norovirus is and there will need to be procedures to cope with it. On the basis that its anticipated you cannot get it twice, it will not spread as easy as it currently does because it wont be finding new carriers.

To  be honest,  you are living in a fantasy land. A questionnaire?  Seriously?

You carry on living in your world.  Personally, I can't see cruising happening before the end of 2021 at the earliest.

 

[daiB]

6 hours ago, jeanlyon said:

I think the law must go for a ball of chalk at this current time.  I mean no company has had to make this many refunds before.

 

Well you must be in the know as the clause about refunds has now been suspended ad future credits are fully legal.  

[ellie1145]

27 minutes ago, wowzz said:

To  be honest,  you are living in a fantasy land. A questionnaire?  Seriously?

You carry on living in your world.  Personally, I can't see cruising happening before the end of 2021 at the earliest.

 

Maybe the questionnaire could be something like the old noro ones we used to sign....

1.  Do you have Coronavirus?

2.  Have you been in close contact with anyone with Coronavirus in the last 14 days?

3.  Have you got a fever or a cough?

etc. etc.

That sort of thing.
 

And we all know how useful the previous questionnaire was....haven’t done one for ages so even the cruise lines recognised it was a farce.

 

People lied.

People lied because they wanted to go on a cruise.

People lied because they didn’t give a damn about other people catching it as long as they could go on their vacation.

If they had a fever they took paracetamol (acetaminophen) to lower it sufficiently that they didn’t look as if they had a temperature, so they could go on their vacation..

 

Is Coronavirus going to suddenly make people honest and upstanding members of society? 

 

Am afraid a questionnaire wouldn’t be worth the paper it’s written on.

 

 

Edited March 22, 2020 by ellie1145

[wowzz]

9 minutes ago, daiB said:

Well you must be in the know as the clause about refunds has now been suspended ad future credits are fully legal.  

Interesting - can you give us your reference ? 

If I challenge the ruling with my credit card supplier, what is my position? 

[daiB]

3 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Interesting - can you give us your reference ? 

If I challenge the ruling with my credit card supplier, what is my position? 

See my separate post.

[wowzz]

12 minutes ago, daiB said:

See my separate post.

Yes, read and responded.  Thank you. 

Terrible news - how can an industry screw individuals in such a way?  Seems like t&c's are worthless.