Refund denied?

[katykrol]

My one and only Regent cruise was cancelled on March 13th one day after leaving port in Miami. We requested a full refund through our travel agent. I called the week after we got back and confirmed they received on March 17th. I called again approx March 29th and asked if I could get written confirmation (no) but they assured me it was on file and should receive 60 to 90 days. Called again mid April to check, yes it was in the works, be patient. Again I asked is there anything I need to do and the answer was no. I saw on cruise critic info regarding a form, checked with the travel agent, she called and they said no, not for my sailing.  I called at the end of April, they said I elected a fcc and I said no I didn’t. They looked at all the notes and put me on a very long hold. Came back and said that I was supposed to complete a form but realized that it was never sent to me, saw the agent had called. They submitted my refund request. Again, asked for written confirmation and no but ge did send me an email recapping our conversation. 

 

 So today I call again to check because I have seen on fb and here people getting refunds for sailings past mine. The rep who answered the phone was SO rude. Again I was told I requested a fcc and I said oh no let me tell you... and he interrupts me and says yes that’s what is on your account and there are no notes. I explain what happened, and read him the email I read in April and he said well you may have gotten an email but that doesn’t mean anything was actually done and puts me on hold. When he returns he tells me that my refund request is sitting on Jason montague’s desk to be approved or denied. I said what to you mean denied? He said you didn’t return the form. I said I never got it, and I’ve called and called. He said well that’s all I can tell you. So I said why would a promised refund be denied. Same answer. I did get frustrated at that point and said this is so ridiculous and he said don’t attack me. So then I asked for his supervisor.

 

who gets on the phone and tells me the same thing. I said ok what is the timeline for this approval or denial. He said he’s a very busy man I don’t know. So I said well who does? He said I’m not privy to his schedule. So I said at this point I’ve lost confidence in anything anyone from your firm tells me. The customer service is appalling and I need to protect myself.  I’m thinking I should contact my credit card company to ask them what my options are. He said if you file a dispute your refund will be rejected for sure. I said are you threatening me? He said no but I’m telling you if you contact your credit card company you won’t get your money back. 
 

I am just astounded. I will never ever ever ever sail with regent again.  I feel completely helpless. I did call my credit card company and went through the whole exchange with them and they agreed I need to protect myself so I have filed a dispute. 
 

 

 

 

[pappy1022]

Wow, makes my interface with Regent and the constant story changing about my refund, a minor nuisance compared to what you have experienced. I also found that Regent did not put notes in my file about any of the conversations that I or my TA had with them about my refund request. I did eventually get my money back but mine was a simple return of my deposit after cancellation. I think you did the right thing by filing a dispute with your CC company. I don't know if it will help but I suggest that you and your TA document in writing all of the contacts and conversations you had with Regent and send a formal letter to them. Good luck.

[fizzy]

katykrol....I wish you good luck. Before you have to hear that "it's your agents fault" or" if only you had a good agent"... I would say that on a case by case basis, the people on your cruise experienced an extraordinary set of circumstances. To my knowledge, Regent does not require the use of a TA and it should not make any difference. Good TAs and all of their special contacts insinuates to me that you better have one or the company will try to screw you. In the same way that most customer service calls advise you that you are being recorded for "quality assurance", I would advise that you mention that you are doing the same thing for "quality assurance" from your perspective. I had amazing results with that tactic with a mattress company. If all that you have outlined is true, I would think that Regent would want to clear this specific situation up rather than have it hashed out on the internet.

[wristband]

Same here - frustrating speaking with Regent phone reps telling us inconsistent and contradictory information call after call.  I gave up.  Like Katy, we filed a dispute with our credit card bank.  Refund was issued a week after filing. 

 

Perhaps the two were unrelated. But it was a constructive step rather than relying on Regent on the whereabouts of our refund.

 

Putting aside our fond memories and the likely lack of a vaccine for a long time (Merck CEO today says 2-3 years at earliest), the lack of candid & consistent communication on this important matter is an incentive for us to not book any time soon. 

[Travelcat2]

Despite what has been said, when you give your TA information as to whether you want a refund or FCC’s, it is their responsibility to insure that the refund request was submitted properly.  If Regent did not receive it, it could be the fault of Regent or of your TA.  Our TA had over 100 clients booked on our now canceled cruise and Regent received all of the forms.  

 

This does not excuse the response (or lack thereof) by Regent and the misinformation that was given to the TS (Thread Starter) but the TA obviously did not have their own contact person at Regent that they could call.  TA’s that regularly book Regent cruises do have someone at Regent that they regularly work with and would have been able to know if the form had been received (or not).

[flossie009]

• The default position should be a monetary refund not FCCs.
• The question of a form is a red herring. Cynics would say that the only reason for the form is so that Regent have evidence that the customer agreed to wait 90 days for their money.
• Surely Jason Montague has more important things to do during these difficult times than to be correcting the mistakes of his staff or micro-managing the refund process.

I hope @katykrol achieves reimbursement soon from Regent or the CC company.

 

This type of report on social media, together with the slow pace of refunds, cannot be helping Regent to secure future bookings and final payments.

 

[papaflamingo]

3 hours ago, flossie009 said:

• The default position should be a monetary refund not FCCs.
• The question of a form is a red herring. Cynics would say that the only reason for the form is so that Regent have evidence that the customer agreed to wait 90 days for their money.
• Surely Jason Montague has more important things to do during these difficult times than to be correcting the mistakes of his staff or micro-managing the refund process.

I hope @katykrol achieves reimbursement soon from Regent or the CC company.

 

This type of report on social media, together with the slow pace of refunds, cannot be helping Regent to secure future bookings and final payments.

 

I will only disagree with you because in reality once the final payment is made, it becomes, effectively, non-refundable.  So the default position should be FCC.  That's what cruise insurance is for.  This is a horrible, but unique, situation.  All cruise lines are struggling to "stay afloat."  There may actually not be enough money available to give everyone 100% refunds.  Having bookings, especially heavy bookings, for the next 2 years will serve the cruise lines well as evidence that they will have significant cash flow in the future when they approach creditors for loans,  etc.  So naturally they want to keep as much cash as possible and they want to have obligations for future sailings.  So a default FCC is normal. I believe ALL cruise lines are doing this.  The airline I was booked on  isn't even offering refunds, only e-credits. I guess that's what you agree to when you book "non-refundable."  

As for the forms... the forms are a paper trail to protect both the cruise line and the passengers.  As for agreeing to wait 90 days, that's their rules.  If one doesn't want to wait 90 days they can take the FCC or file a lawsuit.  But Regent isn't offering any refund without the up to 90 days timeline.  

I hope in a year we are all looking back on this and laughing about our unfounded concerns over a drink on board one of Regent's beautiful ships.  

Edited May 28, 2020 by papaflamingo

[Portolan]

28 minutes ago, papaflamingo said:

I will only disagree with you because in reality once the final payment is made, it becomes, effectively, non-refundable.  

 

Except when cancelled by the service provider.  What other business or service would you expect to be told that you'll get a future credit instead of a refund because they cancelled your order/trip/service?

[Roger88]

I doubt they can denie you so easily. I am sure there is way to demand it and receive eventually. Moreover, in my opinion if it goes the wrong way you can always sue them and attract their attention. In the current situation I doubt they would want media to interfere in such ocasions. Otherwise many people like you will do the same which will not be well applied to their reputation 

[flossie009]

3 hours ago, papaflamingo said:

So the default position should be FCC.

 

3 hours ago, papaflamingo said:

As for agreeing to wait 90 days, that's their rules.

 

Neither of those "rules" are in my booking conditions with Regent.

 

We all agree that these are difficult times for all the cruise lines and I am perfectly happy to cut them some slack ................ However, denying a refund, as reported above, or extending the refund period to 3 months is going too far, IMO.

 

 

Edited May 28, 2020 by flossie009

[Travelcat2]

3 hours ago, papaflamingo said:

I will only disagree with you because in reality once the final payment is made, it becomes, effectively, non-refundable.  So the default position should be FCC.  That's what cruise insurance is for.  This is a horrible, but unique, situation.  All cruise lines are struggling to "stay afloat."  There may actually not be enough money available to give everyone 100% refunds.  Having bookings, especially heavy bookings, for the next 2 years will serve the cruise lines well as evidence that they will have significant cash flow in the future when they approach creditors for loans,  etc.  So naturally they want to keep as much cash as possible and they want to have obligations for future sailings.  So a default FCC is normal. I believe ALL cruise lines are doing this.  The airline I was booked on  isn't even offering refunds, only e-credits. I guess that's what you agree to when you book "non-refundable."  

As for the forms... the forms are a paper trail to protect both the cruise line and the passengers.  As for agreeing to wait 90 days, that's their rules.  If one doesn't want to wait 90 days they can take the FCC or file a lawsuit.  But Regent isn't offering any refund without the up to 90 days timeline.  

I hope in a year we are all looking back on this and laughing about our unfounded concerns over a drink on board one of Regent's beautiful ships.  

 

 Since Regent cancelled the cruise, there is a legal obligation to refund the money (as Portolan stated).  I'm not sure how the failure of filing the proper paperwork plays into that.  I read on one of the other threads that TA's that submit the paperwork receive a receipt for it that they send on to their client.  

 

Other than that, I agree with you. Since all cruise lines are having the same difficulty, I doubt if Regent would be singled out.  In fact, with all of the reading that I do (travel news, social media amongst many other websites), I have not read a bad word about Regent (except here and on their own website - where the TS has also posted).  Sometimes posters think that the 10 or 20 posters that regularly post on the Regent board can affect Regent's bottom line or will cause passengers to stop cruising on their ships.  For better or worse, we do not have that power.  

 

It has been my experience that, during "normal" times, Regent reads our board for the "live" threads to see if there is something wrong on the ship that they can correct while the passenger is still onboard.  Yes - they see "hot topics" but don't really have the time to do much more than browse the threads.  

 

It is possible that problem refunds would be passed by Jason Montague or a member of his staff.  In the case of the TS, they had verbal - not written confirmation of having received the form.  While not defending Regent, back in March, few people (onboard or in the offices at Corporate) knew exactly what was going on.  They likely gave out misinformation to people (not dissimilar to the information being given to the world about Covid-19 - how it is spread, etc.).  It has not been 90 days yet and I still believe that people will receive their refunds (including the TS).

 

Agree about having a drink, looking back and laughing about the whole thing.  We all need to look at the situation in the world and be thankful that we are healthy - that is the most important thing.

[pappy1022]

Nothing is laughable about the way this customer is being treated if the facts presented are accurate. I have no reason to believe that they are not accurate. It is frustrating how Regent has communicated with their customers during this crisis. I’ve experienced the same lack of customer service but with a lot less money at stake. I did eventually get my money back but never got a straight answer from my multiple inquiries. We shouldn’t ignore poor service and just sweep it under the rug. 

[CruisetheCs]

24 minutes ago, pappy1022 said:

Nothing is laughable about the way this customer is being treated if the facts presented are accurate. I have no reason to believe that they are not accurate. It is frustrating how Regent has communicated with their customers during this crisis. I’ve experienced the same lack of customer service but with a lot less money at stake. I did eventually get my money back but never got a straight answer from my multiple inquiries. We shouldn’t ignore poor service and just sweep it under the rug. 

 

I agree.  The run around given the OP by Regent is incredible.  How many calls? Different explanations, refusal to confirm in writing.  And why would a CEO even be involved in a refund such as this? 

 

I posted link to a NYT article on another thread about refunds due to cancellations: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/25/travel/coronavirus-refunds-overseas-adventure-travel.html?searchResultPosition=1

That article contains several links to refund related issues.  One of the links from the NYT that I found interesting is a FAQ page from a law firm about travel law: https://www.travellaw.com/page/travel-law-faq  Some US states have better protections for travelers than other states.

 

If Regent doesn't come through on this, I would urge the OP to contact the travel advocate from the NYT article or Christopher Elliott at the Washington Post.  I presume other newspapers and magazines have similar advocates too.  Regent's lack of communication/transparency about the refund process is not good for its corporate image.

 

[Travelcat2]

1 hour ago, pappy1022 said:

Nothing is laughable about the way this customer is being treated if the facts presented are accurate. I have no reason to believe that they are not accurate. It is frustrating how Regent has communicated with their customers during this crisis. I’ve experienced the same lack of customer service but with a lot less money at stake. I did eventually get my money back but never got a straight answer from my multiple inquiries. We shouldn’t ignore poor service and just sweep it under the rug. 

 

Goodness - no one was laughing about the way anyone is being treated.  Two of us hoped that in a year we could look back to the entire situation and laugh about it.   And, no one is sweeping anything under the table.  Some of us are simply not focusing on the negative (or what is perceived by some people to be negative).  

 

I'm curious what your previous experience with Regent has been.  For us, having a top TA is so important.  We did not have to contact Regent even once - it was handled by our TA.  It was only two weeks after Regent canceled our cruise that we wanted to book another using FCC's.  However, they were not calculated yet.  So, through our TA, Regent held our booking (no deposit) until the FCC's were able to be transferred to our cruise.  

 

Granted, Regent's Customer Service is giving odd advice which is yet another reason why you need a TA that has worked with their contact person at Regent for years - they do not call Customer Service but are able to get the most accurate information at the time.  Note:  I did not ask when the FCC's would be calculated nor would I have asked repeatedly when my refund was going to come through.  Every inquiry about your refund takes time away from the people trying to process them. 

 

In summary - going forward, no matter which cruise line you book, get a TA that regularly books that cruise line.  And, due to the pandemic, Regent has said that it will take up to 90 days for a refund.  Other cruise lines may have policies that differ.  So how about waiting until that time is up (it is not for at least 90% of cancelled cruisers) before going to your credit card companies and getting upset.  

 

There is enough for everyone to get upset about right now....... getting a refund from Regent does not to be one of them.

[SusieQft]

@katykrol, I added your refund information to the Regent Refund Roll Call spreadsheet at:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10N3mC_RBiyaAFQnYNdDg4h1DAmwel3-C0rzTSH_XL9c/edit?usp=sharing

 

I hope that Regent comes to its senses and refunds your money soon.  Since they are now saying that they are processing in the order of sailing date and not refund request date, yours is behind the norm regardless of what form was filed (or not) or what notes were lost (or not).  As TC just pointed out, though, you are still under 90 days so technically, by their own definition, they are still not "late."  However, as Pcardad said on another thread (and the spreadsheet supports this):

 

2 hours ago, Pcardad said:

All refunds have been processed for cruises sailing in March. They are now working on cruises for the period roughly April 1 - April 10. Refunds are set to be processed within 90 calendar (not business) days from the sail date.

 

Please keep us posted of any further developments.

[greykitty]

Serious question - with all the layoffs, are the experienced and knowledgeable NCLH/Regent contacts that travel agents may have dealt with for years still there?  In my opinion, the last people to have been furloughed, assigned shortened weeks, or just let go would have the refund area or most skilled contact representatives,  but does anyone know for sure?  

 

And, from what I've read, a lot of travel agencies, in general, have closed up shop or had to furlough agents as well - perhaps that doesn't apply to those working so closely with Regent?

[Pcardad]

2 minutes ago, SusieQft said:

However, as Pcardad said on another thread (and the spreadsheet supports this):

 

 

 

I am happy to see that I am providing accurate information...I really do try very hard to differentiate between my opinions and what has been presented to me as fact. Opinion, I do believe Regent is trying to get ahead on this. It is my understanding that all the lines are being processed together in batches.

[Pcardad]

2 minutes ago, greykitty said:

Serious question - with all the layoffs, are the experienced and knowledgeable NCLH/Regent contacts that travel agents may have dealt with for years still there?  In my opinion, the last people to have been furloughed, assigned shortened weeks, or just let go would have the refund area or most skilled contact representatives,  but does anyone know for sure?  

 

And, from what I've read, a lot of travel agencies, in general, have closed up shop or had to furlough agents as well - perhaps that doesn't apply to those working so closely with Regent?

I think they let go people in departments that directly support the ships and not in departments that directly support sales and clients. Those they just put on a 4 day work week. 

 

Most TA's work on commission and are independent contractors (self-employed)...with no carrying cost for the agency they work for. A salaried TA is probably in trouble though...

[Wendy The Wanderer]

1 hour ago, SusieQft said:

@katykrol, I added your refund information to the Regent Refund Roll Call spreadsheet at:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10N3mC_RBiyaAFQnYNdDg4h1DAmwel3-C0rzTSH_XL9c/edit?usp=sharing

 

I hope that Regent comes to its senses and refunds your money soon.  Since they are now saying that they are processing in the order of sailing date and not refund request date, yours is behind the norm regardless of what form was filed (or not) or what notes were lost (or not).  As TC just pointed out, though, you are still under 90 days so technically, by their own definition, they are still not "late."  However, as Pcardad said on another thread (and the spreadsheet supports this):

 

 

Please keep us posted of any further developments.

 

This scares the bejeezus out of me.  I presume that Pcardad's quote was with respect to refunds for cruises that were cancelled by Regent, right?  Not cancellations in general?

 

What scares me is that our sailing date is next January.  Surely for normal cancellations, they are processing them in the order received?

[Pcardad]

I suspect that there might be 2 distinct processes at work here...one for client cancelled cruises and one for Regent/NCL cancelled cruises. I am trying to find out.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

2 minutes ago, Pcardad said:

I suspect that there might be 2 distinct processes at work here...one for client cancelled cruises and one for Regent/NCL cancelled cruises. I am trying to find out.

 

Thank you!

[katykrol]

Hi there. I knew when I made this post my TA would get bashed. It’s the first time I’ve used her and she only books with regent and other luxury cruise lines so I expect she has some good experience there. She said she hasn’t had a situation like mine, so I might be a one off and just have plain bad luck when it comes to the information that we have received. I trust that she did what she says she has done and the notes when I call seem to back that up. 
 

what I an understandably upset about is that my claim could be denied. I do not want fcc. I have terminal cancer, this was a bucket list trip for me. They promised me a refund. I asked repeatedly for written confirmation of my request and they refused to provide. I work in compliance at a wealth management firm and I would be fired if I treated our clients the way I’ve been treated or refused to provide a written confirm of a financial transaction. 
 

So yes I think I have the right to be upset. I paid for a service that did not occur. If you prepaid to get your house painted for instance and the painter showed up one day then never again, wouldn’t you expect to get your money back? 
 

I know there are people on here who just love love love Regent and good for you. My 2 days onboard on a 1/2 filled ship didn’t really give me much perspective on the brand, but I just can’t believe that anyone logically thinks that this is ok? 

[fizzy]

I hope that Katykrol... the OP...(original poster) keeps this board up to date on her very serious problem. I don;t like the fact that it actually seems unwise to deal with a company unless you have a SPECIAL contact agent to fix things. I wonder if you were to call as though you were all set to book an expensive upcoming cruise.....agent or no agent and go through the whole process dependent on someone fixing this issue.....would that move things along? I am so sorry for your issues. I don't think anyone here thinks it's OK.

[forgap]

@katykrol  I feel for your upset.  Perhaps a personal email to Jason montegue and Frank Del Rio may get you some traction.  Frank Del Rio has been very responsive in my experience but I have never had an issue as egregious as yours.   The emails I have are  jmontague@rssc.com and FrankDelRio@nclcorp.com.  Good luck.  

[Travelcat2]

12 minutes ago, fizzy said:

I hope that Katykrol... the OP...(original poster) keeps this board up to date on her very serious problem. I don;t like the fact that it actually seems unwise to deal with a company unless you have a SPECIAL contact agent to fix things. I wonder if you were to call as though you were all set to book an expensive upcoming cruise.....agent or no agent and go through the whole process dependent on someone fixing this issue.....would that move things along? I am so sorry for your issues. I don't think anyone here thinks it's OK.

 

You have completely misinterpreted my post.  Regent has TA's (that they pay very good money for) to be an intermediary between themselves and their passengers.  This avoids thousands of phone calls as well as having well-trained (in most cases) professionals that will interface with their clients as well with Regent.  In order to do this, Corporate has personnel assigned to TA's (not sure how many are assigned to each agent).  If a person contacts a TA, they can say anything that they want to say to get your business.  However, if you have a question and your TA is calling the same Customer Service number that passengers use, you can almost bet that they do not deal with Regent frequently.  I have seen the title of my TA's contact person but do not recall it (and would not share it if I remembered) so I simply called them "special" contacts.  In fact, they are really TA contacts.

 

Forgap, I disagree that someone should go over the CEO/President of Regent to contact the CEO of NCL (that is responsible for 3 cruise lines and many ships and would likely forward the email to Jason Montague).  Contacting Jason Montague is a good idea but one needs to wait a bit for a response.  I would suggest that when you write that you are succinct.  Just state the facts -perhaps a list of what has transpired would make it easier to understand than reading long paragraphs (at least this has been my experience).

 

In the case of the TS (Thread Starter), I would go around their TA and contact him directly.  I do not believe that anyone finds the responses they have received so far as being acceptable.  Note:  I would make a brief comment that you are not getting answers from your TA (Regent needs to know this as well).