RCI Playing Games? Bait and switch?

[SRF]

So, CDC put out cruise guidelines on October 23, 2020.  As I understand it, all cruises over 7 nights are NOT allowed up through at least November 2021.

 

If this is the case, why is RCI taking final payments on 12 night cruises in March of 2021??????

 

This is at least dishonest, and at worse, maybe illegal.

[jaredhamburg]

7 minutes ago, SRF said:

So, CDC put out cruise guidelines on October 23, 2020.  As I understand it, all cruises over 7 nights are NOT allowed up through at least November 2021.

 

If this is the case, why is RCI taking final payments on 12 night cruises in March of 2021??????

 

This is at least dishonest, and at worse, maybe illegal.

 

I think they hope that the CDC guidelines will be lessened soon (I am on a 9 day for October 2021 on Explorer of the Seas...hoping it will happen if the CDC relaxes there rules on no 7+ day cruises until November of next year), but I truly believe that they are using a case like yours to help cash flows.  I know they are desperate, but this kind of stuff makes me mad, too.

 

Sorry this is happening to you!

[retiredgram]

8 minutes ago, SRF said:

So, CDC put out cruise guidelines on October 23, 2020.  As I understand it, all cruises over 7 nights are NOT allowed up through at least November 2021.

 

If this is the case, why is RCI taking final payments on 12 night cruises in March of 2021??????

 

This is at least dishonest, and at worse, maybe illegal.

They need your money.  Just kidding. We are just waiting for them to officially cancel March and then just take 100% refund. Don't want more FCC's.

[SRF]

Unfortunately, I am thinking they are just doing that.

 

If they were being honest, they would have slipped the final payment date a few weeks.

 

I took FCC on the last one they canceled.  But when they cancel this one, I think I want all my money back.  Especially with them playing games.

 

But knowing RCI, if I take the FCC, they could actually give me +25% on the money that came from the previous FCC 125% deal. 😄

[Ashland]

I'm hoping to have some sort of option before my final payment is due for my Oct 2021

Canada/New England cruise.

Edited December 7, 2020 by Ashland

[cruisegus]

history shows they never cancel cruises before final payment is due, they have rolled with this strategy from the beginning.  they enjoy using the float on that money.  they also prefer FCC to cash refunds and it sits differently on the financial books

[twangster]

Taking payment for a cruise that was legally contracted isn't bait and switch even if the CDC has required the cruise lines to stop offering them. 

 

Unethical?  Sure, absolutely. 

 

Illegal?  Not a lawyer, don't know.

 

Bait and switch?  Where's the switch?  What did they substitute in its place?

[OACAggie]

If you don’t like what they are doing, why can’t you cancel?

[firefly333]

58 minutes ago, SRF said:

 

 

But knowing RCI, if I take the FCC, they could actually give me +25% on the money that came from the previous FCC 125% deal. 😄

You dont get 125% on the 125% fcc, you just either ask for a refund or get the fcc amt back plus 25% only on new money 

Edited December 7, 2020 by firefly333

[sfaaa]

27 minutes ago, twangster said:

Taking payment for a cruise that was legally contracted isn't bait and switch even if the CDC has required the cruise lines to stop offering them. 

 

Unethical?  Sure, absolutely. 

 

Illegal?  Not a lawyer, don't know.

 

Not a lawyer either. But when a seller knowingly sells or advertises a product it can no longer deliver sounds like fraud to me.

[firefly333]

15 minutes ago, sfaaa said:

Not a lawyer either. But when a seller knowingly sells or advertises a product it can no longer deliver sounds like fraud to me.

Hes already bought the cruise ...before they stopped selling the longer cruises. Now it's a matter of when they cancel what the OP booked. Imo what you say doesnt fit, they arent selling cruises they cant deliver, just not cancelling as fast as people want.

[twangster]

8 minutes ago, sfaaa said:

Not a lawyer either. But when a seller knowingly sells or advertises a product it can no longer deliver sounds like fraud to me.

 

The CDC used a SWAG at picking 7 days.  There is reason to expect this to be adjusted once the 7 day cruises execute with only minor issues.  Sounds like an interesting court case for the lawyers to argue over.

 

Don't get me wrong, I think they are taking lots of final payments for cruises they know with near certainty won't operate.   Their argument will remain to be "we hope to be able to operate these cruises as originally contracted if the government will let us".   Would a judge see that as fraud?  Not sure, the company intends to offer the service only to have a government tell them they can't.

 

I still don't see any bait and switch.  This phrase is thrown around routinely but seldomly used properly.  

 

When they substituted Liberty for Allure and moved me from a Star Class cabin to a Grand Suite with no compensation and the loss of all Star Benefits - that was an improper switch.  They had every intention of operating Allure when they sold me the cruise so even that wasn't a bait and switch, just an improper switch.

[Joseph2017China]

1 hour ago, SRF said:

So, CDC put out cruise guidelines on October 23, 2020.  As I understand it, all cruises over 7 nights are NOT allowed up through at least November 2021.

 

If this is the case, why is RCI taking final payments on 12 night cruises in March of 2021??????

 

This is at least dishonest, and at worse, maybe illegal.

Can you explain to everyone, which  cruise you are talking about.  None were listed on the website.  Is this a cruise that touches the USA?  Or is it in another country?  Sounds like you have a final payment due.  RCCL will happily refund your money today, if that is your desire.  Or you can wait, for them to make you an offer.  The cruise, might be rerouted, and reduced, or out right canceled.  However, the industry is in a state of change right now, and March of 2021 will be one of the first cruises.  The word final means you can't get it back.  RCCL gives it back to the very end if it changes it and they give you a bonus option (125% FCC) or you can cancel it for a refund for what you paid into it.  Your choice.  I don't see it being dishonest or illegal.  No one is making you pay it, and you have choices if it is canceled. The CDC changes things monthly, and the cruise lines have to figure it out also.  

[firefly333]

9 minutes ago, Joseph2017China said:

Can you explain to everyone, which  cruise you are talking about.  None were listed on the website.  Is this a cruise that touches the USA?  Or is it in another country?  Sounds like you have a final payment due.  RCCL will happily refund your money today, if that is your desire.  Or you can wait, for them to make you an offer.  The cruise, might be rerouted, and reduced, or out right canceled.  However, the industry is in a state of change right now, and March of 2021 will be one of the first cruises.  The word final means you can't get it back.  RCCL gives it back to the very end if it changes it and they give you a bonus option (125% FCC) or you can cancel it for a refund for what you paid into it.  Your choice.  I don't see it being dishonest or illegal.  No one is making you pay it, and you have choices if it is canceled. The CDC changes things monthly, and the cruise lines have to figure it out also.  

Before cdc issued its 7 day guidelines, rcl was selling longer cruises. They now removed them for sale, but have only cancelled thru the end of feb. His is in march he says.

 

If he booked a nonrefundable deposit they will not happily refund his money.  He either has to take another fcc (he mentions he has one already), or move it to another date. He cant cancel of nonrefundable and they will happily issue a refund.

 

He has to wait for the next wave of cancellations before he can request a refund. 

[SG65CB]

13 minutes ago, Joseph2017China said:

Can you explain to everyone, which  cruise you are talking about.  None were listed on the website. 

 

They are not selling longer cruises anymore, so not listed on the website. but they have not canceled the cruise for those with reservations. 

[Pratique]

I once had a non-refundable airline ticket on a flight out of Boston. Three days before the flight there was a nearly 100% chance of a major snowstorm and a nearly 100% chance that the flight would be canceled. But the airline had not yet canceled the flight or issued a travel advisory. I was able to rebook an earlier flight at the same price but if I had canceled I would have lost my money, even though the flight was eventually canceled. And if I had waited for them to cancel the flight I would have been too late to rebook before the storm.

 

Bottom line, it appears to be legal. Whether it makes for good customer relations is another story.

[twangster]

The whole CDC gag order rubs me the wrong way.  It's one thing for a public health agency to issue an order limiting the operational length of a cruise for public health purposes.  It's another matter to regulate what a company is allowed to talk about a year in the future.  

 

"If you even talk about a cruise longer than 7 days we are shutting you down".  

 

That ventures into a freedom of speech issue.  They banned them from operating a cruise longer than 7 days.  Why ban marketing activities?  Government overreach pure and simple.  Stick to operational bans, stay away from gag orders.  

[SRF]

5 hours ago, firefly333 said:

You dont get 125% on the 125% fcc, you just either ask for a refund or get the fcc amt back plus 25% only on new money 

 

I know that.

 

But with RCI IT system, who knows? 😄

 

[SRF]

4 hours ago, SG65CB said:

 

They are not selling longer cruises anymore, so not listed on the website. but they have not canceled the cruise for those with reservations. 

 

This is the problem.

 

They KNOW that the cruise will not sail.  But they keep taking money for it.

I am about to dispute the charge with my card company.

[red devil]

6 hours ago, Ashland said:

I'm hoping to have some sort of option before my final payment is due for my Oct 2021

Canada/New England cruise.

Me Too

[bonsai3s]

I've mentioned this before but but may be worth mentioning again...makes me feel better...just venting:

 

We booked an Ovation 11-night sailing, Sydney roundtrip, Oct of 2021...thought we got a good deal, JS for just a bit over$4,000.

 

RCCL notified us and said this 11-night sailing was cancelled and it is now a 7-night and a 4-night.....and the total price for both sailings now totals over $5,200.  To keep our booking(s), we will have to pay over $1,200 more for the same cruise.  To add salt to the wound, we lost our JS cabin. 

RCCL told us, "Sorry, no price protection"...but they did offer $100 obc. (Our TA has escalated to supervisors and we still hope this can be resolved.)

 

Note: Yes, it would be easy to just simply cancel...but this cruise (or cruises) is/are in the middle of consecutive cruises we also booked on the Ovation. 

[RFerrington]

2 minutes ago, bonsai3s said:

I've mentioned this before but but may be worth mentioning again...makes me feel better...just venting:

 

We booked an Ovation 11-night sailing, Sydney roundtrip, Oct of 2021...thought we got a good deal, JS for just a bit over$4,000.

 

RCCL notified us and said this 11-night sailing was cancelled and it is now a 7-night and a 4-night.....and the total price for both sailings now totals over $5,200.  To keep our booking(s), we will have to pay over $1,200 more for the same cruise.  To add salt to the wound, we lost our JS cabin. 

RCCL told us, "Sorry, no price protection"...but they did offer $100 obc. (Our TA has escalated to supervisors and we still hope this can be resolved.)

 

Note: Yes, it would be easy to just simply cancel...but this cruise (or cruises) is/are in the middle of consecutive cruises we also booked on the Ovation. 

That stinks !

[bonsai3s]

1 minute ago, RFerrington said:

That stinks !

 

Yup, smells like a dead rat to us.

[Biker19]

11 hours ago, SRF said:

This is at least dishonest, and at worse, maybe illegal.

Welcome to April 2020 when RCI started this practice.

[Iamcruzin]

16 hours ago, SRF said:

So, CDC put out cruise guidelines on October 23, 2020.  As I understand it, all cruises over 7 nights are NOT allowed up through at least November 2021.

 

If this is the case, why is RCI taking final payments on 12 night cruises in March of 2021??????

 

This is at least dishonest, and at worse, maybe illegal.

I suspect that you will be asking for a refund and not the FCC +25% when the cruises is canceled.