Whose Responsibility Is It to Notify Us of Payment Deadline?

[CorFour]

We are in our 70s and have been cruising for 25 years as well as taking land tours between cruises. In all of our travels we have been notified by email when our payment deadlines were approaching.

On January 2nd of this year we booked a cruise for our 50th anniversary. We did not make a note of the final payment deadline shown on the invoice at that time because in all of our travels we've received timely reminders in advance of such deadlines. Well... not this time! On the 4th of July I woke up to find an email from the travel agent--not the cruise line--informing us that our cruise had been cancelled for nonpayment of our final balance on July 2nd! In the middle of a holiday weekend with 18 people in our home we certainly were not logging into our cruise account. I spent much of the July 4th holiday on a 3-way call with a cruise agent and the travel agent to rebook our cruise--at 75% more than we had booked for earlier and with a $100/person penalty to boot! We are disgusted and disappointed in the way this went down. The cruise line blamed the travel agent; the travel agent blamed US for not keeping track of the deadline--which, by the way, was 120 days before sail date.

Can someone please tell us who was truly at fault here? Was it our job to note the final payment deadline at time of booking? Was it the travel agent's job? (If not, why have one?!?!) We are most aggravated with the cruise line, which has not had any trouble contacting us directly with dozens of emails since January 2nd to try to sell us beverage packages, excursions, WiFi, and future cruises. If they could email us for all of these purposes, why not to alert us of a deadline approaching????

 

Thanks in advance for any help in resolving this.

Disgusted and Disappointed in IL

[LHT28]

I make a note on my calendar  when payments are due

 

My TA also sends a notice a week before  the payment  date

 

At the end of the day it is  your responsibility  to make payments on time

JMO

[GeezerCouple]

23 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

I make a note on my calendar  when payments are due

 

My TA also sends a notice a week before  the payment  date

 

At the end of the day it is  your responsibility  to make payments on time

JMO

 

Welcome to CruiseCritic.

 

Unfortunately, you probably won't like most of the responses to this question.

 

We always make a note on calendars about any due dates.

And for "biggies", I also put in a "pre-reminder" about a week in advance.

 

Yes, it's ultimately your responsibility, like any bills such as car payments, rent/mortgage, or insurance.

In some cases, reminders or bills are sent.  But even then, a reminder could get interrupted somehow such that you don't get it, or don't get it in a timely fashion.

In fact, IIRC, some of the time, we do get automated reminders about the deadlines, but by the time those arrive, we've usually made that particular payment.  I worry about what if one of us is sick or unexpectedly traveling or busy with something else, or if the payment doesn't go through for whatever odd reason - or lack of reason...  So we try to avoid last minute payments of anything.

 

It would only "be the travel agent's responsibility" IF you had an explicit (written!) agreement with them about that.  And even then, I'd have my own reminders.  I wouldn't want to need to litigate something like that if they didn't do it, or didn't do it right.

 

After all, if things do get forgotten or some communication fails, it's *our* trip that is at jeopardy, etc. 😞

 

As for "why the travel agent", my understanding is that is primarily to help people learn about and select from the various travel choices.  (Why were you using the travel agent?)

 

GC

[Ashland]

So sorry this has happened to you but I completely agree with the above posts and with 25 years of cruise experience this is something you should have known.

 

It not only was your responsibility but your TA should have also sent you a reminder. 

I don't use a TA but it's my understanding that a TA usually collects payment about 2 weeks prior to it being due to the cruiseline.

 

A TA owns the booking and thus why it wasn't the cruiseline's responsibility to contact you about it. 

 

The marketing emails you received have nothing to do with making payment to your TA.

 

I truly hope that putting this aside you do enjoy your anniversary. 

[sparks1093]

Again, not something that you want to hear. Reminders are sent as a courtesy but the responsibility for making sure the payment is made rests with the passenger. I have several credit cards that send me payment reminders but it is still up to me to make it happen on the due date. Some cruise lines will automatically process the payment if you have a payment method on file with them (but again, it is still my responsibility to check to make sure that it was processed). I also agree that the TA is the one that owned the booking and the courtesy reminder should have come from them. Happy anniversary and I hope that you are still able to enjoy your cruise in spite of this.

[ontheweb]

I agree with all the responses that it is ultimately your responsibility to keep track of when a final payment is due. However, I would add that most if not all travel agents give you a due date before that of the cruise line's cutoff date. I know the one we generally use gives a date one week earlier than the cruise line. This gives him the opportunity if we miss his due date to remind us with still some time to spare to make that final payment. So, although it is your responsibility, I do think your TA does bear some responsibility.

[CruiserBruce]

I agree with the above responses. Not sure why you don't think you have any responsibility? The final payment for our next cruise is December 17th. I knew that without having to look it up, and I booked this cruise 8 months ago.

 

A travel agent does FAR MORE than tell you final payment date.

[shipgeeks]

Final payment date is noted on our initial payment receipt.  I write it on the outside of the envelope that holds all my notes for that cruise, along with the booking #, cabin #, dates, etc.  I look at that envelope regularly, so I have a constant reminder of due date, and I call to approve the final payment a few days ahead.

The agent we are currently using does not send reminders.  I sometimes wonder if any of her other clients miss their payment date.

[Joebucks]

Welcome to 2023: "Whose responsibility is it for my timely payments?"

 

Sounds like another instance of a travel agent not being able to "move the sun and moon."

[Roz]

Most TAs want to keep business on the books and earn a commission,  which is one of the reasons they send payment reminders.  But at the end of the day it's up to the passenger to note the due date and make sure the final payment is made.  I'm sorry this happened to you. 

[shipgeeks]

I do have to say that when we used a TA who did notify us, automatically, when final payment was due in a few days, we appreciated it.  One less thing to worry about.

[mjkacmom]

You are responsible, it would’ve been nice for the TA to remind you, the cruise line bears no responsibility.

[Charles4515]

28 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

You are responsible, it would’ve been nice for the TA to remind you, the cruise line bears no responsibility.

A good TA should remind the customer. I would not use one who didn't but it is still our responsibility. If you use a TA then the cruise line has no responsibility. Why would I bother with a TA if they are only going to be an order taker? My TA keeps the card on record I used for the deposit. She still contacts me and asks about ten days before final payment if I want her whento go ahead with final and if I want to use that card. 

[jsn55]

I am so sorry to read your post, it must have been devastating ... and for such a special occasion at that.  At least you were able to rebook and not have to find another cruise for your celebration.  

 

Of course you're responsible for making timely payments, but in your case your Travel Advisor is responsible for this particular disaster. I'm assuming that you have a real live TA, and didn't use an online booking service.  With an OBS, you get your cruise booked, they make a commission, and that may be the end of their involvement (as far as they're concerned).  Theirs is a numbers game, spend millions on advertising, attract lots of reservations and not worry about any customer service.  Since most travellers want the cheapest price, they're remarkably successful with this business plan.

 

If you used a live TA, I think they should pay the increased costs of rebooking the cruise.   They're your agent with full responsibility for the success of your cruise.  There was incompetence on their part, and they are responsible for making you whole.  I'd contact them in writing and request the reimbursement; they carry Errors and Omissions insurance, and this is definitely a valid claim.  

Edited August 2, 2023 by jsn55

[Heidi13]

12 hours ago, CorFour said:

We are in our 70s and have been cruising for 25 years as well as taking land tours between cruises. In all of our travels we have been notified by email when our payment deadlines were approaching.

On January 2nd of this year we booked a cruise for our 50th anniversary. We did not make a note of the final payment deadline shown on the invoice at that time because in all of our travels we've received timely reminders in advance of such deadlines. Well... not this time! On the 4th of July I woke up to find an email from the travel agent--not the cruise line--informing us that our cruise had been cancelled for nonpayment of our final balance on July 2nd! In the middle of a holiday weekend with 18 people in our home we certainly were not logging into our cruise account. I spent much of the July 4th holiday on a 3-way call with a cruise agent and the travel agent to rebook our cruise--at 75% more than we had booked for earlier and with a $100/person penalty to boot! We are disgusted and disappointed in the way this went down. The cruise line blamed the travel agent; the travel agent blamed US for not keeping track of the deadline--which, by the way, was 120 days before sail date.

Can someone please tell us who was truly at fault here? Was it our job to note the final payment deadline at time of booking? Was it the travel agent's job? (If not, why have one?!?!) We are most aggravated with the cruise line, which has not had any trouble contacting us directly with dozens of emails since January 2nd to try to sell us beverage packages, excursions, WiFi, and future cruises. If they could email us for all of these purposes, why not to alert us of a deadline approaching????

 

Thanks in advance for any help in resolving this.

Disgusted and Disappointed in IL

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic. Your experience is most unfortunate, but without a doubt, the ultimate responsibility lies solely with you. By entering into a contract, you are responsible for adhering to the terms & conditions. I too would be disgusted, but only with myself.

 

However, I'm surprised that your travel agent doesn't bookmark key dates and send reminders, as a courtesy. Do you use a full service TA, or one of the mass market TA's providing the best deals and max OBC?

 

Personally, I enter all key milestones into my Outlook calendar, with a 4-day reminder and my full-service TA also bookmarks all the key dates, which eliminates the potential for single person errors.

[Heidi13]

9 minutes ago, jsn55 said:

I am so sorry to read your post, it must have been devastating ... and for such a special occasion at that.  At least you were able to rebook and not have to find another cruise for your celebration.  

 

Of course you're responsible for making timely payments, but in your case your Travel Advisor is responsible for this particular disaster. I'm assuming that you have a real live TA, and didn't use an online booking service.  With an OBS, you get your cruise booked, they make a commission, and that may be the end of their involvement (as far as they're concerned).  Theirs is a numbers game, spend millions on advertising, attract lots of reservations and not worry about any customer service.  Since most travellers want the cheapest price, they're remarkably successful with this business plan.

 

If you used a live TA, I think they should pay the increased costs of rebooking the cruise.   They're your agent with full responsibility for the success of your cruise.  There was incompetence on their part, and they are responsible for making you whole.  I'd contact them in writing and request the reimbursement; they carry Errors and Omissions insurance, and this is definitely a valid claim.  

 

Sorry, but in my experience, that is most likely not factual.

 

I use an exceptional full-service TA, who works out of a bricks & mortar office. The Travel Agency also has Terms & Conditions, which clearly state, we the customer, are responsible for adhering to the terms & conditions of the cruise contract, including making payments on time.

 

While our TA does send reminders, they are as a courtesy. The TA has no liability in the event we miss a payment deadline.

 

I expect most travel agencies have similar terms & conditions.

[jsn55]

5 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Sorry, but in my experience, that is most likely not factual.

 

I use an exceptional full-service TA, who works out of a bricks & mortar office. The Travel Agency also has Terms & Conditions, which clearly state, we the customer, are responsible for adhering to the terms & conditions of the cruise contract, including making payments on time.

 

While our TA does send reminders, they are as a courtesy. The TA has no liability in the event we miss a payment deadline.

 

I expect most travel agencies have similar terms & conditions.

Perhaps so ... but I'd still make every effort to obtain some compensation, if even as a good will gesture.  I see this kind of problem as an ethics issue rather than a legal one.  There is social media out there, so sometimes service entities are willing to go the extra mile for a good customer.

[ontheweb]

41 minutes ago, jsn55 said:

I am so sorry to read your post, it must have been devastating ... and for such a special occasion at that.  At least you were able to rebook and not have to find another cruise for your celebration.  

 

Of course you're responsible for making timely payments, but in your case your Travel Advisor is responsible for this particular disaster. I'm assuming that you have a real live TA, and didn't use an online booking service.  With an OBS, you get your cruise booked, they make a commission, and that may be the end of their involvement (as far as they're concerned).  Theirs is a numbers game, spend millions on advertising, attract lots of reservations and not worry about any customer service.  Since most travellers want the cheapest price, they're remarkably successful with this business plan.

 

If you used a live TA, I think they should pay the increased costs of rebooking the cruise.   They're your agent with full responsibility for the success of your cruise.  There was incompetence on their part, and they are responsible for making you whole.  I'd contact them in writing and request the reimbursement; they carry Errors and Omissions insurance, and this is definitely a valid claim.  

Actually, they do not make a commission until you actually sail, not at the time of the booking.

 

And as others have said, you are responsible for keeping track of your due dates. It would be nice if the TA sent a reminder, but it is not something they have to do. Do you get a reminder for all your other bills?

 

And I would not think that this would be something that errors and omission insurance would cover for a TA. It is not an error, and although I guess you could argue that it is an omission, I would not think that it would be by definition one that would be covered.

Edited August 2, 2023 by ontheweb
added last paragraph

[Ashland]

44 minutes ago, jsn55 said:

Perhaps so ... but I'd still make every effort to obtain some compensation, if even as a good will gesture.  I see this kind of problem as an ethics issue rather than a legal one.  There is social media out there, so sometimes service entities are willing to go the extra mile for a good customer.

As far as "social media" goes the response's would be the same maybe even harsher that it was the OP's responsibility.

[Charles4515]

46 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

Actually, they do not make a commission until you actually sail, not at the time of the booking.

Which makes it very odd that they would not have sent a reminder or tried to get the final payment from OP. My guess is that the TA did send a reminder but it ended up ignored or in OPs spam folder. I check my spam folder at least once a week and often find an email or two that is not spam. 

 

My TA has always remindded me but being a little OCD I always say: Hey Siri remind me on xxxxxdate  to pay xxxxxxx. Setting reminders is one of the few thngs Siri is good at......I always receive the reminder notifications. 

[klfrodo]

Ultimately, the buck stops with you.

You can point fingers and play the blame game but at the end of the day, it's all on you.

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, klfrodo said:

Ultimately, the buck stops with you.

You can point fingers and play the blame game but at the end of the day, it's all on you.

Yes, personal responsibility.

 

We are leaving on a cruise later this week that was originally booked in 2021. No way were we going to forget when final payment was due.

[Pyrate13]

It seems these days it often appears as there's no such thing as personal responsibility. It's always somebody else's fault.

[ldubs]

Sorry it happened. I also agree that ultimately it would fall on us passengers.   However, a travel agent that would allow a final pmt date to lapse like that isn't, in my opinion, very good.  Especially if the pmt is being made to the TA and double especially if you are a long term customer.   While we don't rely on it, we always get a heads up from our TA.  

Edited August 2, 2023 by ldubs

[Heidi13]

3 hours ago, jsn55 said:

Perhaps so ... but I'd still make every effort to obtain some compensation, if even as a good will gesture.  I see this kind of problem as an ethics issue rather than a legal one.  There is social media out there, so sometimes service entities are willing to go the extra mile for a good customer.

 

This is social media and I'll suggest the OP isn't getting public opinion swayed to encourage a good will gesture.