refunds

[cruisingaussies]

12 hours ago, jland said:

Cruisingaussies if I was you I would not be waiting a week to get in touch with my federal mp. I am starting to get a bad feeling about this mob. I had a direct phone number for Liz Krstevski which I was going to pass on to you but just now I dialled the number only to be to told it was not connected. With jobkeeper ending at the end of the month you have to wonder if this travel agent is going to survive. Has anybody had any emails from them lately? I don’t think I have but I’m not 100% sure. Good luck and be very proactive, don’t sit around waiting for replies, I think it is the only hope you have.

Jland, I get marketing emails from them about three times a week, which makes me even madder. They should redeploy whoever is putting their offers together to the finance dept to help get through their refund backlog.  I expect they are hooking in some new bookings so getting some money in. They are a very big company with a sister company in the UK, I don’t think they’ll collapse.

[NSWP]

1 minute ago, cruisingaussies said:

The creator of this thread also gave the agent’s name, see Post No 1.  Seems like you have found it?

 

As I said before, I can’t be the only one in this situation with this agent but I can only find a couple of other complaints referring to them. 

I used them a few times booking P and O UK cruises as we cannot book direct. They were good back then, but these are turbulent times. My son had to put off 75 employees from his international travel business. When job keeper payments stop he will have to make some redundant. God only knows where that money will come from. I shudder to think. Sleepless nights.

[NSWP]

12 hours ago, jland said:

Cruisingaussies if I was you I would not be waiting a week to get in touch with my federal mp. I am starting to get a bad feeling about this mob. I had a direct phone number for Liz Krstevski which I was going to pass on to you but just now I dialled the number only to be to told it was not connected. With jobkeeper ending at the end of the month you have to wonder if this travel agent is going to survive. Has anybody had any emails from them lately? I don’t think I have but I’m not 100% sure. Good luck and be very proactive, don’t sit around waiting for replies, I think it is the only hope you have.

This Liz Krstevski was sales/operations manager. I would say office has closed and just a few working from home or another location. I have not had e mails from them for a long while.

[cruisingaussies]

Just checked my deleted emails, I had marketing emails from them on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday last week. 

[windsor26]

I found that we got quicker action when a company was called out in public on their facebook page  Have you tried that including a message to them on that same page

[Aus Traveller]

1 hour ago, NSWP said:

This Liz Krstevski was sales/operations manager. I would say office has closed and just a few working from home or another location. I have not had e mails from them for a long while.

A month or so ago one of their staff told me that they were not working from home, but from the office. When I had to phone them recently, the recorded message said that their office hours are Monday to Thursday only.

[LittleFish1976]

1 hour ago, windsor26 said:

I found that we got quicker action when a company was called out in public on their facebook page  Have you tried that including a message to them on that same page

I agree entirely. The one thing they do actually care about is publicity, particularly poor publicity. I found that the travel agent being discussed by the original poster here has a twitter account - I would be going straight to twitter and post messages calling them out on their inaction on the refund. Only write what's factual - the facts are clear and clearly bad enough in this case anyway that they don't need any embellishment.

 

Social media is your friend in cases like this. I have had it work for me when a very large airline waited many many months to return my fares to me (I had purchased refundable tickets just prior to pandemic starting so they really had no reason to deny my request. A couple of twitter posts complaining about their slowness got them moving. These companies will put you off as long as possible).

[NSWP]

1 hour ago, windsor26 said:

I found that we got quicker action when a company was called out in public on their facebook page  Have you tried that including a message to them on that same page

Yes give them a stir on The Book of Faces,

[cruisingaussies]

Just received an email from the TA:

 

"This is a courtesy email to advise you, we have now processed the refund back to your original form of payment.

The refund should appear back to your account within 72 hours."

 

I'm not cracking a bottle of champers just yet.  Will post here when (let's be positive) I've received it.

 

I'm not on Twitter or Facebook.  Maybe those of you who are could look and see if other people are having the same problem?  This shows they can get the refunds done if someone makes enough noise.

[MicCanberra]

great news.

[Aus Traveller]

1 hour ago, cruisingaussies said:

Just received an email from the TA:

 

"This is a courtesy email to advise you, we have now processed the refund back to your original form of payment.

The refund should appear back to your account within 72 hours."

 

I'm not cracking a bottle of champers just yet.  Will post here when (let's be positive) I've received it.

 

I'm not on Twitter or Facebook.  Maybe those of you who are could look and see if other people are having the same problem?  This shows they can get the refunds done if someone makes enough noise.

I think you will be right now. At least, put the champers in the fridge ready to crack open. 😁

[NSWP]

I would put two bottles in.🍾🍾🍸

[MMDown Under]

20 hours ago, cruisingaussies said:

Just received an email from the TA:

 

"This is a courtesy email to advise you, we have now processed the refund back to your original form of payment.

The refund should appear back to your account within 72 hours."

 

I'm not cracking a bottle of champers just yet.  Will post here when (let's be positive) I've received it.

 

I'm not on Twitter or Facebook.  Maybe those of you who are could look and see if other people are having the same problem?  This shows they can get the refunds done if someone makes enough noise.

Well done!  Word of mouth works as well.

[Docker123]

On a slightly different note, APT will be providing additional refunds under agreement with ACCC.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-10/accc-says-apt-to-give-additional-refunds-covid-19-cancellations/13233164

[cruisingaussies]

Update: Today I received a call from the ACCC in response to my email.  The very polite person said that although the TA I've dealt with is not at the top of companies they're looking at as they've had more complaints about others, they had a meeting with them last week to discuss issues concerning refunds (I assume following on from my email to Rod Sims).  He said that my refund has been processed by the TA; I told him they did send me an email advising this yesterday.

So I don't know whether it was the intervention of AFTA or ACCC that resulted in our refund being actioned by the TA, or perhaps it was both.

Still no money in the bank but the 72 hours haven't elapsed yet.

[cruisingaussies]

3 hours ago, Docker123 said:

On a slightly different note, APT will be providing additional refunds under agreement with ACCC.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-10/accc-says-apt-to-give-additional-refunds-covid-19-cancellations/13233164

Looks like another TA to avoid.  They aren't doing themselves any favours by trying these devious methods to keep their clients' money.  They'll end up cutting their own throats because people will be booking direct with the provider and not using a TA, as voiced by most people on this thread, me included.  The real test of any company is how it acts when things go wrong.

[MMDown Under]

5 hours ago, Docker123 said:

On a slightly different note, APT will be providing additional refunds under agreement with ACCC.

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-03-10/accc-says-apt-to-give-additional-refunds-covid-19-cancellations/13233164

I'm really disappointed in APT, which was an Australian travel company success story.  They knew passengers in the UK were covered by their Government's travel insurance policies and passengers in Australia were not.  Our Aust Govt has a lot to answer for ending the Aust TA Insurance coverage.

Pleased to hear they will now be refunding extra money to their clients due to ACCC.  

[jland]

2 hours ago, cruisingaussies said:

Update: Today I received a call from the ACCC in response to my email.  The very polite person said that although the TA I've dealt with is not at the top of companies they're looking at as they've had more complaints about others, they had a meeting with them last week to discuss issues concerning refunds (I assume following on from my email to Rod Sims).  He said that my refund has been processed by the TA; I told him they did send me an email advising this yesterday.

So I don't know whether it was the intervention of AFTA or ACCC that resulted in our refund being actioned by the TA, or perhaps it was both.

Still no money in the bank but the 72 hours haven't elapsed yet.

I am really delighted you have received your refund, not before time but better late than never. You put in a lot of effort and deserved the result you got. As an aside, it always amazes me that banks take up to 72 hours before a refund appears in our account but payments come out instantaneously. Funny old world.

[NSWP]

waiting for that refund.

[cruisingaussies]

Full refund received in our bank account this morning. 🍾🍾

 

Thanks to all for your messages of encouragement and especially jland and Balsam12 for sharing info on the steps you have taken.  Balsam12, I hope you get some action and your refund quickly, and hope you'll post the outcome here.

 

I wonder how long we'd have been waiting if I'd done nothing.  I have now unsubscribed from that TA's mailing list, I was only staying on it to be sure they are still 'afloat'.

[cruisingaussies]

17 hours ago, jland said:

I am really delighted you have received your refund, not before time but better late than never. You put in a lot of effort and deserved the result you got. As an aside, it always amazes me that banks take up to 72 hours before a refund appears in our account but payments come out instantaneously. Funny old world.

Yes, odd that isn't it!

[By The Bay]

1 minute ago, cruisingaussies said:

Full refund received in our bank account this morning. 🍾🍾

 

Thanks to all for your messages of encouragement and especially jland and Balsam12 for sharing info on the steps you have taken.  Balsam12, I hope you get some action and your refund quickly, and hope you'll post the outcome here.

 

I wonder how long we'd have been waiting if I'd done nothing.  I have now unsubscribed from that TA's mailing list, I was only staying on it to be sure they are still 'afloat'.

[cruisingaussies]

4 minutes ago, By The Bay said:

😁

[Aus Traveller]

45 minutes ago, cruisingaussies said:

Full refund received in our bank account this morning. 🍾🍾

 

Thanks to all for your messages of encouragement and especially jland and Balsam12 for sharing info on the steps you have taken.  Balsam12, I hope you get some action and your refund quickly, and hope you'll post the outcome here.

 

I wonder how long we'd have been waiting if I'd done nothing.  I have now unsubscribed from that TA's mailing list, I was only staying on it to be sure they are still 'afloat'.

Wonderful!! Congratulations!!

[jland]

On 2/4/2021 at 2:42 PM, Honey49 said:

Having trouble with Cruise 1st re refund for cruise in September 2020. Any ideas anyone?

Honey49, did you get your refund? You started this topic off but never gave an update which is a shame. At least others were able to obtain their refund because of this thread. Good luck.