Anyone booked with the TA that folded?

[ccletzgo]

The name of the agency was mentioned on the HAL site, so why not mention it here.

 

Cruise Value Center located in New Bruswick, NJ was at one time one of the largest cruise sellers in the country selling on the internet.They were able to outsell everyone by giving large discounts. Details of exactly why they closed their doors is unkown but you get bet that discounting had something to do with it. The profit margin on selling travel is very small and giving some of it away will sooner or later take its toll.

 

Personally when I book my travel I want to sit across from my TA. I do not spend that much money on the internet not knwoing who or where it is going. I also do not book with a travel agent working out of their kitchen, I want to see an office indicating that they have some financial investment in their buisness. Out of all the TA's that went belly up in my area leaving consumers with no trip and no money 90% were agents that worked out of their home.

 

Why I don't book direct with the cruise line is service, service, service. On one of my crusies my TA was informed by RCI that they would not be stopping at one of the scheduled ports. On the ship I found a lot of mad people who booked direct with RCI and were not informed of this change until they were on board. When I have a problem I tell my TA and she handles it contacting the cruise lines or tours company.

 

BTW My TA does NOT charge me anything more than the cruise line would charge and sometimes is able to find better deals offered by the cruise line.

 

I am willing to bet that the at home agents that went under were working through an MLM agency that starts with a "J" and working at home had nothing to do with it. :rolleyes: An at home agent can not go belly up unless there Host Agent does.

[tnt10]

Why use a TA?

I do all the legwork myself. However, on my current booking, the offer was for $650.00 OBC and Prepaid gratuities, a $1,100.00 package that was hard to resist.

Luckily, my TA did pay directly to X, and I have the other items in writing.

Sorry to hear about those who lost on CVC. Hopefully, they paid with Credit Cards, and can recoupe their losses through them.

TnT

[flagger]

I am willing to bet that the at home agents that went under were working through an MLM agency that starts with a "J" and working at home had nothing to do with it. :rolleyes: An at home agent can not go belly up unless there Host Agent does.

I totally agree. There are many outstanding agents who have abandoned the Brick and Mortar model and do work out of their home. I have a home office, not a kitchen table, but I can drive to your home and meet you at yours. I am required to have my own E&O insurance, I have a county business license as well as registration from the state, I am also licensed to sell insurance. At home agents in FL, CA and a few other states are required to have a Seller of travel license as well. For purposes of insurance, I do not have customers visit my home.

 

At home agents are not the fault here.

[Darcy03231]

I'm another cruiser caught in this mess. The only good thing for me is that I found out before my final payment date. I was able to transfer the booking to myself and repay the final payment without having to pay a higher price. Cruise Value Center charged my final payment to themselves, against my instructions, and failed to pay Celebrity. I've now got a dispute going with the credit card company now. For those that are disputing the charge make sure you stress you didn't authorize the agent to pay themselves, you authorized them to pay the cruise line directly on your behalf.

 

I've booked several cruises over the years with this agency and never had an issue. For those asking why book with a TA, I've found that I usually get a pretty good deal on the cruise and get perks the cruiseline doesn't offer. Of course for my upcoming cruise I'm out the perks (free travel insurance and a $250 on board credit). I just hope I don't end up paying for this cruise twice (or it will be the most expensive cabin I've ever booked!).

[jerseygirl3]

I doubt loosing the OBC would be a good reason for the insurance company to pay out. IF you still have your cruise booking, what would your claim be? Just loss of an OBC?

 

Called insurance anyway just for the heck of it and was told the policy doesn't cover bankruptcy of TA's, just the cruiseline. Didn't think we'd be able to file a claim anyway. We are out the airfare we booked. The airline charges $100 change fee, so it pretty much negates the cost of the ticket.

 

What does irk me is that when I called HAL (we considered keeping the booking), they won't honor the price the now-defunct online agency booked us at. They said we'd have to pay the prevailing fare, which is $500 more, even though we booked back in April when the price was lower. Add that to the loss of the OBC, and we're looking at a differerence of almost $1,000.00. Oh well, we cancelled. With the economy being the way it is, it's a vacation that we just couldn't justify, especially now that it would cost more.

[TWELVEOHONE]

I totally agree. There are many outstanding agents who have abandoned the Brick and Mortar model and do work out of their home. I have a home office, not a kitchen table, but I can drive to your home and meet you at yours. I am required to have my own E&O insurance, I have a county business license as well as registration from the state, I am also licensed to sell insurance. At home agents in FL, CA and a few other states are required to have a Seller of travel license as well. For purposes of insurance, I do not have customers visit my home. At home agents are not the fault here.

 

I don't think Maya57 said home agents were at fault all he said is he felt better sitting across of an agent in their office.

[TWELVEOHONE]

I am willing to bet that the at home agents that went under were working through an MLM agency that starts with a "J" and working at home had nothing to do with it. :rolleyes: An at home agent can not go belly up unless there Host Agent does.

 

There was another one that started with a "Y", Royal caribbean, Celebrity among others stopped accepting booking made through them.

[TWELVEOHONE]

Why I don't book direct with the cruise line is service, service, service. On one of my crusies my TA was informed by RCI that they would not be stopping at one of the scheduled ports. On the ship I found a lot of mad people who booked direct with RCI and were not informed of this change until they were on board. When I have a problem I tell my TA and she handles it contacting the cruise lines or tours company.

 

In regards to using a TA my wife just e-mailed me this gotten from a magazine

 

Suppliers increase dependence on agents to make sales

Cruise lines, tour operators and other travel suppliers are relying more on travel agents to spur sales as the economic downturn continues to limit demand. Brian Stack, managing director of CIE Tours International, says agents should stress to clients the value of cruises and tours. Executives also suggest that agents reach out to their clients with special offers and take advantage of the deals being offered by suppliers.

[SusieV]

Just wanted to update everyone... the land tour operator (guess I can't name them either?) agreed to protect our price, even the $100 refund that CVC owed us for a previous cruise. They're also matching the free dolphin swim promo that we were given.

 

Of course, we're still going to lose on the exchange rate now... but I guess that's life.

 

Now we're just dealing with the credit card company... we faxed in our invoices and a letter explaining the situation, hope we get our money back soon so that we're not on the hook for two payments long :(

 

Does anyone know, is this pretty much a sure thing, getting the money back from the credit card company, or is there a chance that the money is just gone? It feels like that shouldn't be a possibility but we're not really in a position to be able to pay for this vacation twice right now, so I'm a little nervous.

[Jade13]

Can anybody tell me why you would even want to book through a TA instead of through the cruise line directly, particularly experienced cruisers who understand how to read a deck plan and how to negotiate the web sites? I just don't get it. I guess on occasion you may get some kind of minor perk (but I understand that for Celebrity, TAs are not allowed to offer discounts per se - not sure if this is true?). But is it worth the risk and hassle of having to deal with a third person?

 

We always either book onboard for our next cruise, or book online. We have had absolutely zero problems in managing our cruises this way, and have on occasion changes rooms, dates, etc., with no issues at all. Why take the risk?

 

Plus - if more of you stopped using TAs then all of our prices would likely drop as the cruise lines pay commissions to the TAs even though those of us who book direct pay the exact same prices. Hmmm. Just a thought. And no offense to TAs - I can see the value for new travelers, and/or for travelers putting together complex trips to areas they are not familiar with. But for experienced cruisers.........just don't get it.

 

I know someone who was recently on Expedition/Galapagos and this agency offered $1,000.00 back in the form of a check upon return. Fortunately they had it in writing and were able to get another agent they had already contacted to give the same deal. A $1,000 discount is huge.

 

I used them once for pre-paid gratuities but for a second cabin on the same trip, a cheapie inside for 2 teenagers I went direct with the cruise line as they could not offer anything. Celebrity sent all documents directly to our home for both cruises and paperwork received on the same day.

[Jade13]

Just wanted to update everyone... the land tour operator (guess I can't name them either?) agreed to protect our price, even the $100 refund that CVC owed us for a previous cruise. They're also matching the free dolphin swim promo that we were given.

 

Of course, we're still going to lose on the exchange rate now... but I guess that's life.

 

Now we're just dealing with the credit card company... we faxed in our invoices and a letter explaining the situation, hope we get our money back soon so that we're not on the hook for two payments long :(

 

Does anyone know, is this pretty much a sure thing, getting the money back from the credit card company, or is there a chance that the money is just gone? It feels like that shouldn't be a possibility but we're not really in a position to be able to pay for this vacation twice right now, so I'm a little nervous.

 

You will get the credit card amount back as you did not authorize that charge to the travel agent, CVC. You are VERY lucky that the land tour operator "SUPPLIER" is protecting your price. Is it a big difference? You can actually name the supplier on cruise critic and I had asked the moderators about this a while back. Suppliers include the cruise lines of course but also land operators such as Tauck Tours, Overseas Adventure Travel, Globus, Caravan, Collette Vacations and more.

 

So, where are you going? I assume you had an invoice from CVC that showed the agreed upon price and the land operator just decided you were an isolated case and to match it verses risking your cancellation.

 

Those that paid by check (I bet many retired folks), debit cards and such or who (you lucked out) were owed money by CVC will never get anything bank. Even if there was a class action I assume most travel agents don't have any assets. The only one I could think of would be the building, assuming there was no mortgage as this company did have an office.

[CruisinManiac]

I also do not book with a travel agent working out of their kitchen, I want to see an office indicating that they have some financial investment in their buisness.

 

A very reputable TA guy in our town had an office for many years in the same strip center spot. Yes, I guess this indicated that he had a financial investment in his business. However, he also had a financial INTEREST in his clients money. :eek: He was arrested a few weeks ago for embezzling, and not paying the resorts/cruiselines,etc.. for his clients trips.

 

I use a TA that I have never set eyes on. I've emailed with her, and talked to her on the phone, but have never met her. I still feel confident using her and do so because she knows the ends and out of communication with the cruiselines, and I don't. She is able to find discounts for me, arrange for stateroom locations that appeal to our needs, and has even been successful in securing a wonderful upgrade for us. My TA does all the work, and for little reward. ;) I will not hesitate to continue to use her services.

[ahwahoo2006]

Thankfully the TA did pay for my cruise, so that part is all squared away. Unfortunately, when I called X to confim everything, they adjusted the price, but sent the refund BACK TO THE TA... so I guess I won't be seeing that $200.... *sigh* Also looks like I will not be getting the OBC they promised either. At least the cruise itself is safe.

 

Any advice on recouping the $200? I have the original invoice and the new invoice for $200 less, plus my CC statement which shows the original amount paid.

[jagoffee]

Called insurance anyway just for the heck of it and was told the policy doesn't cover bankruptcy of TA's, just the cruiseline. Didn't think we'd be able to file a claim anyway. We are out the airfare we booked. The airline charges $100 change fee, so it pretty much negates the cost of the ticket.

 

What does irk me is that when I called HAL (we considered keeping the booking), they won't honor the price the now-defunct online agency booked us at. They said we'd have to pay the prevailing fare, which is $500 more, even though we booked back in April when the price was lower. Add that to the loss of the OBC, and we're looking at a differerence of almost $1,000.00. Oh well, we cancelled. With the economy being the way it is, it's a vacation that we just couldn't justify, especially now that it would cost more.

 

I am shocked and shame on HAL. I can understand why they might not pay you the OBC that was coming from the Agency, but if you had an official booking at a set price, I am shocked that they would not honor the booking and price. Since you cancelled it does not matter, but I would have thought that if you pushed the issue you would have been able to get the pricing available at the time of your booking and initial deposit especially if you had the booking/invoice documented. I hope that they refunded your deposit and it was just a misunderstanding.

 

I always go to the cruiseline website and confirm that the booking is in the system after I have booked with a TA.

[SusieV]

You will get the credit card amount back as you did not authorize that charge to the travel agent, CVC. You are VERY lucky that the land tour operator "SUPPLIER" is protecting your price. Is it a big difference? You can actually name the supplier on cruise critic and I had asked the moderators about this a while back. Suppliers include the cruise lines of course but also land operators such as Tauck Tours, Overseas Adventure Travel, Globus, Caravan, Collette Vacations and more.

 

So, where are you going? I assume you had an invoice from CVC that showed the agreed upon price and the land operator just decided you were an isolated case and to match it verses risking your cancellation.

 

Those that paid by check (I bet many retired folks), debit cards and such or who (you lucked out) were owed money by CVC will never get anything bank. Even if there was a class action I assume most travel agents don't have any assets. The only one I could think of would be the building, assuming there was no mortgage as this company did have an office.

 

If it's OK, then the supplier is Apple Vacations. We're going to Aventura Spa Palace on the Mexican Riviera in February. It wasn't a huge amount of money, just a few hundred dollars, but it's enough that we probably wouldn't have booked in the first place without the discount.

 

I'm just a little nervous that the credit card company won't pay. Is there a possible reason that they wouldn't?

[Sky Sweet]

Called insurance anyway just for the heck of it and was told the policy doesn't cover bankruptcy of TA's, just the cruiseline. Didn't think we'd be able to file a claim anyway. We are out the airfare we booked. The airline charges $100 change fee, so it pretty much negates the cost of the ticket.

 

What does irk me is that when I called HAL (we considered keeping the booking), they won't honor the price the now-defunct online agency booked us at. They said we'd have to pay the prevailing fare, which is $500 more, even though we booked back in April when the price was lower. Add that to the loss of the OBC, and we're looking at a differerence of almost $1,000.00. Oh well, we cancelled. With the economy being the way it is, it's a vacation that we just couldn't justify, especially now that it would cost more.

 

Hi Jersey Girl :)

 

When you originally booked that cruise was your deposit charged to the travel agent or Holland America?

 

If it was charged to Holland America and the travel agent gave you a copy of Holland America's booking for that cruise, I would appeal that decision.

 

However, if the deposit was charged to the travel agent and you only have the agency's receipt for that booking, you are probably at the mercy of Holland America.

[jerseygirl3]

Hi Jersey Girl :)

 

When you originally booked that cruise was your deposit charged to the travel agent or Holland America?

 

If it was charged to Holland America and the travel agent gave you a copy of Holland America's booking for that cruise, I would appeal that decision.

 

However, if the deposit was charged to the travel agent and you only have the agency's receipt for that booking, you are probably at the mercy of Holland America.

 

When we booked our cruise, the travel agent did pay the deposit to HAL. When I pulled up my credit card statement, the charge said "Holland America." Also, when I went on HAL's website, our booking was valid when I put in HAL's booking number that was on the invoice from the now defunct TA.

 

We used a future cruise deposit, and HAL is putting it back into our Mariner account to be used at a future date. If my sister and my parents cancel, HAL said they will credit their deposit back to their credit card. Again, HAL was insistent that they will not honor the price on our invoice, so it'll be up to my parents and my sister if they opt to continue with the booking. I would think HAL wouldn't want to lose all these bookings and would honor the price, especially since we're talking a total of 8 passengers booking and my sister booked an SA suite. The economy being what it is, HAL would be smart if they honored the price. After all, in the grand scheme of things, it's not that much for HAL to absorb. The OBC is gone and that's fine, but I do think they should do the right thing and honor the price. If not, I've told my sister to shop around and see if a TA will honor the price.

[cruiseladytexas]

Does anybody know if you booked through this online agency and they promised a significant OBC which HAL won't honor, can we cancel the booking altogether and put it through on our travel insurance? We're probably going to cancel this cruise completely. The only thing I'll lose is the airfare we booked, but if I can recoup that through our travel insurance (purchased through Travelex) I can at least get that back.

 

You need to be very careful about cancelling your cruise voluntarily and thinking that you will get the airfare reimbursed from the insurance company. The cruise line has NOT gone out of business - the agency has. Unless you have a cancel for any reason coverage that covers the non-refundable air, don't expect a refund of the air from the insurance company. Call them and discuss this before you do anything.

 

Karen

Oh Say Can You Sea Cruises

[Giorgi-one]

 

Plus - if more of you stopped using TAs then all of our prices would likely drop as the cruise lines pay commissions to the TAs even though those of us who book direct pay the exact same prices. Hmmm. Just a thought. And no offense to TAs - I can see the value for new travelers, and/or for travelers putting together complex trips to areas they are not familiar with. But for experienced cruisers.........just don't get it.

 

Actually, most cruise ines recommend the use of TAs and some may be moving toward doing away with their reservations departments.

[ocngypz]

Thankfully the TA did pay for my cruise, so that part is all squared away. Unfortunately, when I called X to confim everything, they adjusted the price, but sent the refund BACK TO THE TA... so I guess I won't be seeing that $200.... *sigh* Also looks like I will not be getting the OBC they promised either. At least the cruise itself is safe.

 

Any advice on recouping the $200? I have the original invoice and the new invoice for $200 less, plus my CC statement which shows the original amount paid.

 

 

Normally, what happens if there is a price adjustment after final payment has been made, the card which was used to charge the final payment receives the refund. If commission has been paid to the agency already, they do a "commission recall" and then refund the card which made the final payment. It's always been the card used for final. However, if it wasn't your card used for final......................well................I'm sorry. Could they have upgraded you instead?

[ocngypz]

I totally agree. There are many outstanding agents who have abandoned the Brick and Mortar model and do work out of their home. I have a home office, not a kitchen table, but I can drive to your home and meet you at yours. I am required to have my own E&O insurance, I have a county business license as well as registration from the state, I am also licensed to sell insurance. At home agents in FL, CA and a few other states are required to have a Seller of travel license as well. For purposes of insurance, I do not have customers visit my home.

 

At home agents are not the fault here.

 

There are different types of agents who work from home. Some are independent contractors who use a host agency. Others are agents who happen to work "virtual office" using VOIP technology............and you would never know if they were physically in the office.. or working at home in their jammies. "Virtual Office" agents will get new sales calls and email leads. Independent contractors do not receive leads from their host agency. To further complicate matters - for tax purposes some "virtual office" agents are considered independent contractors.

 

The largest national agencies -where you call in.. or submit requests for quotes - use "virtual office". Really cuts down on the overhead!

[Sky Sweet]

I met someone on a cruise who will only use a Brick and Mortar agency because her TA helps her do whatever needs to be done on a computer, such as online check in.

 

It appears that there are still a number of people who are computer illiterate and need a TA to hold their hand through the process.

[ahwahoo2006]

Normally, what happens if there is a price adjustment after final payment has been made, the card which was used to charge the final payment receives the refund. If commission has been paid to the agency already, they do a "commission recall" and then refund the card which made the final payment. It's always been the card used for final. However, if it wasn't your card used for final......................well................I'm sorry. Could they have upgraded you instead?

 

That is what I was originally told, but when I called back a week later I was told that the TA was sent a paper check.... so who knows what will happen to that. I understand the OBC is lost, c'est la vie, but I will keep working on getting my actual money back or getting upgraded (thanks for the suggestion).

[jerseygirl3]

You need to be very careful about cancelling your cruise voluntarily and thinking that you will get the airfare reimbursed from the insurance company. The cruise line has NOT gone out of business - the agency has. Unless you have a cancel for any reason coverage that covers the non-refundable air, don't expect a refund of the air from the insurance company. Call them and discuss this before you do anything.

 

Karen

Oh Say Can You Sea Cruises

 

 

I've already found out that insurance will not cover anything, and that's fine. I didn't think they would. We cancelled the cruise, mostly due to the fact that HAL wouldn't honor our original price. We lost most of the airfare (have a small credit for air after they deduced the change fee). Luckily, we had only booked air one way, so it wasn't all that much to lose.

[Jade13]

If it's OK, then the supplier is Apple Vacations. We're going to Aventura Spa Palace on the Mexican Riviera in February. It wasn't a huge amount of money, just a few hundred dollars, but it's enough that we probably wouldn't have booked in the first place without the discount.

 

I'm just a little nervous that the credit card company won't pay. Is there a possible reason that they wouldn't?

 

That sounds great. I can't think of any reason that the CC company would not reimburse you.