Please think twice about doing a chargeback

[oceanlovinmama]

Cruiselines have been doing the best they can.  They didn’t realize that they would be shut down for so long and the amount of refunds requested.  Most of their employees are working from home and because of the levels of security that need to be in place to deal with credit cards, most cruise lines have a skeleton crew.  Now with the country opening back up that will change.  BUT when you work with an agent and do a chargeback, the cruise line can come back to the agent for that payment and any commission that was given to that agent, that was protected because the cruise line cancelled, Will now be recalled.  We work on commission only, and that money comes AFTER you travel.  We have had no income for the past two months and probably won’t for the rest of the year, now we have to give Our commission back AND possibly be on the hook for thousands of dollars we don’t have.  Please think about your agent!

[mafig]

First I've heard this.  My agent advised me to go via the charge back route.  

[mafig]

For others reading this post by the OP.  

She has posted the same post/started the same thread on Princess and Royal Caribbean (maybe more?).

Actually, someone has posted as I did that their agent recommended a charge back and she "found it hard to believe."  She also thinks the customer should be "banned."  By both the cruise line and their travel agency. LOL

 

I know times are tough for travel agents, and others too.  However, there are many people who need the $$$$ back from the cruise lines in a timely fashion.  

Edited May 16, 2020 by mafig

[davekathy]

When it comes to my money, me first! 🤑

[mafig]

So much for travel agents fighting for their client.😜

[Lady Arwen]

I personally think that travel agents like the OP are disgraceful.  Who are they to tell us what to do with our hard earned money because it impacts their commissions.  This is not our problem.  They know the pitfalls of their profession when they chose it.  Your whining is falling on deaf ears.

[hcat]

What is a charge back? Is that a refund request?  

We no longer use a TA but heard they keep commissions when Celeb cancels the cruise..true???

Edited May 16, 2020 by hcat

[mafig]

2 minutes ago, hcat said:

What is a charge back? Is that a refund request?  

 

yes, I believe so.

[paulh84]

I'm not sure I follow the rationale here. Of course if Celebrity determined the agent was directly responsible for an event that resulted in a chargeback, that makes some sense. If the chargeback attempt is the result of the consumer being unhappy with the speed of refunds (which is what 99% of the complaints here are about) I don't see how this in any way impacts the travel agent. There is also an endless stream of inaccurate information posted here about disputes, chargebacks, how it works, who is responsible, etc. which isn't helping the situation for the consumer or the merchant. 

[BEAV]

Is a charge back something different than protesting the purchase with your credit card company? 

[bluesea321]

56 minutes ago, mafig said:

For others reading this post by the OP.  

She has posted the same post/started the same thread on Princess and Royal Caribbean (maybe more?).

 

She also posted the same in Cruise News.

[paulh84]

13 minutes ago, BEAV said:

Is a charge back something different than protesting the purchase with your credit card company? 

 

A chargeback is esentially the end result of a dispute if the merchant is proven to be in the wrong. The consumer technically doesn't 'file a chargeback'. The chargeback isn't the decision of the consumer. The dispute is.

[Fouremco]

I wonder if any of the other CC members who are TAs could comment?

Edited May 16, 2020 by Fouremco

[Mike981]

 

2 hours ago, oceanlovinmama said:

We work on commission only, and that money comes AFTER you travel.

 

I'll admit I'm having a beer with my popcorn, so maybe that's why I'm confused by this. If you don't get paid until after the cruise, (and no one is cruising) then you have made nothing and the cruise line can't take $ away that hasn't been paid. Is that correct?

I'm surprised that CC is allowing a travel agent stating that they are a TA (when we can't talk about them) and then schooling folks on what not to do.

[C-Dragons]

57 minutes ago, hcat said:

 

We no longer use a TA but heard they keep commissions when Celeb cancels the cruise..true???

That is correct.

[Want2Cruise 701]

I heard TA's are able to keep the commissions now?  Anyway, I had to do this.  X was slow with my refund.  It was still on my card from final payment due to the cycle.  If not, I would have had to have paid my cc or taken interest until I was refunded.  Nope.  

[Mirage]

So the OP is a travel agent I surmise. She has posted on numerous boards here Princess, Royal, Celebrity etc. the same message. Although I believe her statement to be misleading at best.

 

https://www.travelmarketreport.com/articles/Cruise-Lines-Protect-Commissions-on-Canceled-Sailings-and-Future-Cruise-Credits

 

March 10, 2020

"Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. brands on Monday announced that they were adding commission protection to both cancellation reservations and future bookings made with a cruise credit that was given after cancellation — commissions will not be recalled on canceled bookings and new commissions will be issued on sailings booked with cruise credits."

 

Would the OP care to explain further when Celebrity announced early on the travel agent protection program, why she is prolific in posting these similar messages and how she is negatively affected given Celebrity's (Royal Brands) early TA protections?

 

Curious,

 

Mirage

[ceejcooke]

A bit of clarification as requested by Fouremco

If a booking is paid in full, the majority of the cruise lines (Celebrity included) are paying the agent their commission if that booking is then canceled by the cruise line. Payment time varies by supplier but many pay within a couple of weeks of final payment. 

If the booking was not paid in full and was canceled by either the customer or the line, most likely the agent is not getting paid any commission. There are a few exceptions to this, including some insurance policies that cover agent commissions, but generally speaking there is no commission paid.

I personally have not had a client do a chargeback so I can't speak to what would happen in that scenario. I would expect that it would vary by cruise line. Some would still honor the commission while others might not. 
 

[BEAV]

47 minutes ago, paulh84 said:

 

A chargeback is esentially the end result of a dispute if the merchant is proven to be in the wrong. The consumer technically doesn't 'file a chargeback'. The chargeback isn't the decision of the consumer. The dispute is.

 

Thank you for clarifying. 

 

 

[Fouremco]

14 minutes ago, ceejcooke said:

A bit of clarification as requested by Fouremco

Thank you for shedding a bit more light on the issue.

[Spif Barwunkel]

6 minutes ago, ceejcooke said:

A bit of clarification as requested by Fouremco

If a booking is paid in full, the majority of the cruise lines (Celebrity included) are paying the agent their commission if that booking is then canceled by the cruise line. Payment time varies by supplier but many pay within a couple of weeks of final payment. 

If the booking was not paid in full and was canceled by either the customer or the line, most likely the agent is not getting paid any commission. There are a few exceptions to this, including some insurance policies that cover agent commissions, but generally speaking there is no commission paid.

I personally have not had a client do a chargeback so I can't speak to what would happen in that scenario. I would expect that it would vary by cruise line. Some would still honor the commission while others might not. 
 

Thank you for the clarification. Indeed, when asking a TA to make arrangements for your cruise thus taking the responsibility of assuring that all is well, the commission is well earned and deserved. If special circumstances arise, such as Covid19, that responsibility is increased pertinent to the results of those circumstances. I certainly do not know everything that goes on between TA and cruise line, but in this case each one is working their tails off to fulfill their responsibilities to the customer. I do not like to see anyone lose money for hard work and deserved compensation. However, if I have skin in the game, I need to ensure that my maximum effort is directed toward my reimbursement, if rightfully deserved. Hopefully, not at the expense of others.     

[ipeeinthepool]

Maybe the OP should send a note to the cruise lines requesting her commission from them.  I  wouldn't want any part of a TA that doesn't put my interests first.

[billyu]

Why even bother using a TA

[sippican]

4 hours ago, oceanlovinmama said:

Cruiselines have been doing the best they can.  They didn’t realize that they would be shut down for so long and the amount of refunds requested.  Most of their employees are working from home and because of the levels of security that need to be in place to deal with credit cards, most cruise lines have a skeleton crew.  Now with the country opening back up that will change.  BUT when you work with an agent and do a chargeback, the cruise line can come back to the agent for that payment and any commission that was given to that agent, that was protected because the cruise line cancelled, Will now be recalled.  We work on commission only, and that money comes AFTER you travel.  We have had no income for the past two months and probably won’t for the rest of the year, now we have to give Our commission back AND possibly be on the hook for thousands of dollars we don’t have.  Please think about your agent!

 

Sorry, but you have no right to advise people on what to do in regards to their cruise payments. They have every right to file a dispute with their credit card company if they feel they need resolution (I believe that is what your are referring to as a "charge back" ?). It is true that there is no rhyme or reason to the refunding process; some take days, some weeks, some over a month. Since you posted here on the Celebrity board I assume you are aware that they have been generous enough to protect commissions.

Many are suffering economically and need the money they have paid on a trip to simply make ends meet. It is selfish of you to make a judgement that you need the money more than someone else might.  Heck, I just gave my commission on one cruise to a young lady who had booked with me but needed to cancel. She certainly needs it more than I do. 

 

All travel professionals do not feel the same way your do.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

I'm holding off on filing a dispute with my credit card because my TA and her rep at Celebrity are working tirelessly to get my refunds to me.  We just exchanged e-mails on the subject again today.  I've received a bit over half of what Celebrity owes me and allegedly more is coming soon.  There was one case where the rep had the numbers wrong, but we sorted that out.  She did tell me that a B2B2B is handled differently from a single cruise and is more complicated.

 

I suspect the OP is being a bit disingenuous by stating that Celebrity will pull her commission if her clients file a dispute with the credit card company.  But I don't know that for a fact.  I would think if that were happening, we would have heard about it from more travel agents.