Change to P&O cancellation policy - beware!

[molecrochip]

1 minute ago, terrierjohn said:

Moley, my option to request a refund instead of a FCC for my cancelled Sept 2020 cruise has to be exercised by 30th Nov.  Since I have 3 cruises booked for next year, and one for Feb 2022, it will only be useful for a summer 2022 cruise.  So if the new brochure is not going to be out before 30th November, then I may as well request a refund. 

Ah, I see your point - apologies.

 

I do wonder where Carnival stand from a legal perspective here. By law, they have to give a refund therefore my gut feel has always been that if someone is given FCC (automatically - by not expressly requesting a refund), then they could later call up and request a refund at 100% of actual amount paid. My gut feel remains that P&O could not decline this legal obligation - even after 30 November 2020.

 

That said, if cancellations continue, that 30 November 2020 date is going to have to be moved anyway.

 

Just my thoughts...

[Mrk2868]

I just found this on the P&O website regarding FCC. 

 

"All new bookings using FCCs will be subject to P&O Cruises Booking Conditions, including our standard cancellation terms. Once an FCC has been applied to a new booking, in the event of a cancellation of a cruise by the guest, any refund will be given in FCC. If a cancellation of the whole cruise is necessary due to COVID-19, guests who had used their FCC for that cruise will be offered the same options as other guests are offered at that time." 

 

My reading of this is that once you go down the FCC route, you are stuck with it.  Very hard to get a cash refund. I'm not sure if this is a change to the booking conditions.

 

 

[No pager thank you]

2 hours ago, Mrk2868 said:

I just found this on the P&O website regarding FCC. 

 

"All new bookings using FCCs will be subject to P&O Cruises Booking Conditions, including our standard cancellation terms. Once an FCC has been applied to a new booking, in the event of a cancellation of a cruise by the guest, any refund will be given in FCC. If a cancellation of the whole cruise is necessary due to COVID-19, guests who had used their FCC for that cruise will be offered the same options as other guests are offered at that time." 

 

My reading of this is that once you go down the FCC route, you are stuck with it.  Very hard to get a cash refund. I'm not sure if this is a change to the booking conditions.

 

 

My read of this is as follows (example):

 

*Cruise 1 was booked for £2000 in May - cancelled due to Covid-19.  A FCC was given and accepted by the customer for £2500.

 

*Cruise 2 is then booked for £2500 in, say November, also cancelled due to Covid-19.

 

When Cruise 2 is cancelled, the customer has the choice of:

 

1) A cash refund of their initial £2000 cash outlay.

2) Another FCC for £2500.  This is not increased again.

 

Note: 

 

The customer only gets to exercise option 1 if P&O cancels the cruise.  If the guest cancels themselves after making the booking then they are affected by the standard penalties.  Any residual refund is only in FCC - the cash offer is gone for good when the FCC is accepted, unless P&O cancels.

 

For Select Fare, this is the value of the deposit up to 91 days beforehand, going up from 50 to 100% the closer to the sailing the customer cancels. Any remaining refund is given in FCC.  For other fares types it is worse.

 

This means that if a customer has a cruise cancelled for Covid-19, accepts a 125% FCC and then cancels it themselves within 90 days of sailing, then they always lose out.  Hence why it is wrong to ask customers to take FCCs and make significant cash payments when they have no clue over what type of holiday they might be buying and if it might be suitable for their particular medical/other circumstances.

[No pager thank you]

3 hours ago, molecrochip said:

Ah, I see your point - apologies.

 

I do wonder where Carnival stand from a legal perspective here. By law, they have to give a refund therefore my gut feel has always been that if someone is given FCC (automatically - by not expressly requesting a refund), then they could later call up and request a refund at 100% of actual amount paid. My gut feel remains that P&O could not decline this legal obligation - even after 30 November 2020.

 

That said, if cancellations continue, that 30 November 2020 date is going to have to be moved anyway.

 

Just my thoughts...

I don't know either, but I would suggest that they are on shaky ground. 

 

My observation includes the fact that the time limit on the Refund Credit Notes for other package holidays are now more generous than the industry equivalent Future Cruise Credits - even if the 125% multiplier is not.

 

The question is, will the company eventually move the date only for cruises cancelled following the latest update to the suspension (12th November)?

[Dermotsgirl]

6 hours ago, wowzz said:

In a word "yes". You will need to pay the extra to bring the deposit up to the required level for the new cruise.

 

5 hours ago, Adawn47 said:

Yes, wowzz is correct. When I moved our  November 6th deposit to June next year I had to pay extra as that cruise deposit was higher.

Avril 

Thank you, both.

 

I suspected that would be the case, and has clarified in my mind what I'll probably do regarding my March cruise.

 

As I've got 'big' cruises booked in October 2021 and January 2022, if there is no new brochure out, my time frame is very limited as to when the cruise can be moved to. Basically, summer 2021. I can't see the point paying them more to move the cruise forward by just a few months, as I don't think we're going to be anywhere near normal by next summer.  Even if the Summer 2022 itineraries are available, I don't really want to commit to any more cruises. I will be waiting to see how everything pans out before I consider booking anything else. Unless there a miracle and P&O cancel my cruise before the balance is due, I think I'll be cancelling and therefore lose my deposit. They can have my £146  -  I will just want to get off the merry go round and  move on. 

Edited August 12, 2020 by Dermotsgirl