Unable to contact my TA

[epistax]

I suppose this is the most obvious problem you could have if you booked through a TA. I did it to save some money, but now I have no access to a TA. I've asked cruise line what to do and they (HAL) said they don't know. My TA is gone. The whole office is unresponsive for about a month. I'm 28 days from my cruise.

 

The upside is that I don't really need much from them. I can survive okay without any contact. At this point it's more the principle of the matter.

 

What do you do when your TA has jumped ship?

[ldubs]

If you don't need the TA then don't worry about it (as long as you can confirm you have an actual booking).  If you have concerns, then tell HAL your TA is AWOL and you need to transfer the booking to them. 

[epistax]

31 minutes ago, ldubs said:

If you don't need the TA then don't worry about it (as long as you can confirm you have an actual booking).  If you have concerns, then tell HAL your TA is AWOL and you need to transfer the booking to them. 

Well I don't know what I don't know. Yes I can see my reservation online just fine, not worried about not getting on the boat, but since HAL talks to the TAs rather than the passengers I don't know what offers/deals may be coming up.

[LHT28]

is you booking paid in full?

If  HAL does not care  then I would be worried

Make sure  your cruise is still on HAL account  & fully paid

You may not get any perk the TA promised  but as long as your cruise is still going ahead  that  is what matters

JMO

[ldubs]

3 minutes ago, epistax said:

Well I don't know what I don't know. Yes I can see my reservation online just fine, not worried about not getting on the boat, but since HAL talks to the TAs rather than the passengers I don't know what offers/deals may be coming up.

 

I may have misunderstood your question.  You say your TA is basically gone.   If you are concerned about those things you mention, then an option may be to take back the booking.  

Edited October 28, 2022 by ldubs
Clarificaiton

[LHT28]

6 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

I may have misunderstood your question.  You say your TA is basically gone.   If you are concerned about those things you mention, then an option may be to take back the booking.  

AFAIK

They would  need the TA to release the booking or have HAL  do it  if they cannot reach the agent

[ldubs]

7 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

AFAIK

They would  need the TA to release the booking or have HAL  do it  if they cannot reach the agent

 

Yep, I think so too.  If  they want to eliminate the TA, then best contact HAL.  

[sanger727]

When you mean your TA is "gone". Do you mean that it literally has closed up shop and gone out of business? Or you are just having trouble getting ahold of your TA. If it literally closed up shop you should be able to get HAL to take back the booking.

 

We have an absentee TA on our November cruise. We called and called and e-mail and e-mailed with no response. Biggest problem was that our final payment was coming up and the cruise line wouldn't take payment directly from us (Avalon). I finally called and left a voicemail on the general mailbox that someone needed to call me back to arrange payment or we would complain to the cruise line. That got me a call back from another TA in the office that promised that my TA would call us back. Didn't happen. Finally registered a complaint with the better business bureau and that got the attention of the owner. We never heard back from our original TA but another one if the office helped us complete payment. 

[rkacruiser]

50 minutes ago, sanger727 said:

Finally registered a complaint with the better business bureau 

 

i think is a very good suggestion for the OP.  The BBB may be able to give the OP some idea whether the company has gone out of business or what.  

[Hlitner]

If you do need something done, or have a question, just call HAL (and pray you are not on hold for hours) and again explain the situation.  The reservations agent (essentially clerks working from home or in a small cubicle) will likely tell you that she/he cannot deal with you (except for airline related issues).  At that point you can politicly ask to have the issue elevated to a supervisor who will likely handle your issue.  

 

 

[jsn55]

I think it's important that you contact HAL right away.  You need to know the exact status of your res, all the details.  I would review all the old emails and phone notes you may have made and jot down the timeline and what you think you have at HAL.   Don't be put off by 'customer service' clerks who 'can't talk to you', you need a supervisor who can handle this.  On the phone, be organized, polite and patient.  Define 'TA is gone', be specific.   Once you have an understanding of what's on HAL's books, tell them again that the TA is unresponsive and ask to take your res back.  Once it's all complete, ask for a confirmation via email.  If this res doesn't get all its ducks in a row, you could face denial of boarding.  A TA who would just disappear and leave clients in the lurch is reprehensible; everything needs to be reviewed very carefully.