Carnival Wants More Money for Cruise Last Month

[BullDogChief]

Hey y'all,

 

Thanks for the helpful responses.

 

To clarify, the unsigned letter that I received was dated Jan 23, 2009.

(The cruise departed Jan 31, 2009.)

 

The letter reads:

Dear Sir/Madam:

This letter serves to confirm our records indicate an outstanding balance owed to Carnival Cruise Lines for services rendered to you:

 

Please mail payment to:

 

Carnival Cruise Lines

MSRV 407N

3655 NW 87th Avenue

Miami, Florida 33178-2428

 

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to call (800) 438-6744, Collection Department, at extension 14094.

 

The letter is unsigned, below the empty signature space it says

Accounting Operations

Collection Department

 

The letter is smudged and looks like it was folded up with wet ink.

The envelope is hand addressed in blue ink and the postmark is Feb 18, 2009.

 

The Martha Colon called me today at work and told me that she would be sending the documents to me.

 

I don't know why she felt compelled to call me and tell me that.

I asked for the documents when I spoke with her the previous time.

 

My husband just wants me to send them the money and be done with it, but this is in my name. I am very upset about how this has been handled and I am not about to just send them a check. They are acting like this situation is my fault and it definitely is not!

 

We have been watching the price of Carnival stock and seriously considering buying some, but now I know that this company does business like a clown school!

 

I have called and spoken with a gentleman at the BBB who recommended that I file a claim.

I sent one more e-mail to GCahill@carnival.com and asked that the matter be resolved.

If I do not hear anything else from Carnival, I will file the claim.

 

(And no, we did not spend anything additional on the ship.)

 

Ok, so maybe I am dumb but what does the MSRV 407N mean in the address? The mailing address I found does not have that in there. The rest looks the same:

Carnival Cruise Lines

3655 NW 87th Avenue

Miami, FL 33178

 

it still sounds like an elaborate scam to me...

[MSEm]

MSRV 407N would be the department or office that the mail is direct to in the Carnival Office.

 

MSEm

[CarnivalCruzer]

I'm sorry, but this is how it sounds to me....

 

-OP booked a cruise for let's say total balance $1000.

-Made timely payments adding up to $850

-After making pymts of $850 - receives a letter stating paid in full $0 due

-Knowing they still owe $150, tucked said letter away in a safe place. ;)

-Now receives letter stating wait you still owe us $150, where they in turn pull out said letter and says No, See you said $0 Balance.:cool:

 

 

Now I know it isn't right for Carnival to come back after the fact & ask for their missing money....but if you possibly really owe it??

[BullDogChief]

Well, maybe I am paranoid but I called Carnival and discovered that Martha Colon works in Guest Relations, not any Financial Department. I also found out Martha Colon is OUT OF THE OFFICE and will not be back until March 16th...

[BullDogChief]

Hey y'all,

 

Thanks for the helpful responses.

 

To clarify, the unsigned letter that I received was dated Jan 23, 2009.

(The cruise departed Jan 31, 2009.)

 

The letter reads:

Dear Sir/Madam:

This letter serves to confirm our records indicate an outstanding balance owed to Carnival Cruise Lines for services rendered to you:

 

Please mail payment to:

 

Carnival Cruise Lines

MSRV 407N

3655 NW 87th Avenue

Miami, Florida 33178-2428

 

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to call (800) 438-6744, Collection Department, at extension 14094.

 

The letter is unsigned, below the empty signature space it says

Accounting Operations

Collection Department

 

The letter is smudged and looks like it was folded up with wet ink.

The envelope is hand addressed in blue ink and the postmark is Feb 18, 2009.

 

The Martha Colon called me today at work and told me that she would be sending the documents to me.

 

I don't know why she felt compelled to call me and tell me that.

I asked for the documents when I spoke with her the previous time.

 

My husband just wants me to send them the money and be done with it, but this is in my name. I am very upset about how this has been handled and I am not about to just send them a check. They are acting like this situation is my fault and it definitely is not!

 

We have been watching the price of Carnival stock and seriously considering buying some, but now I know that this company does business like a clown school!

 

I have called and spoken with a gentleman at the BBB who recommended that I file a claim.

I sent one more e-mail to GCahill@carnival.com and asked that the matter be resolved.

If I do not hear anything else from Carnival, I will file the claim.

 

(And no, we did not spend anything additional on the ship.)

 

Also, the number I received for Martha Colon is 1-800-929-6400, Guest Relations...I don't know, something feels not right...OP I hope this helps you out...

[Tapi]

This Saturday,(Feb 21) I received an unsigned letter instructing me to remit to Carnival $144.27 for services rendered. There was no description of said services.

 

So, has anyone else been asked to pay more money to correct Carnival's error after a cruise is over and done with?

 

MZLOOLUE:

 

Did you by any chance book your cruise under a special rate that required eligiblity verification (say military rate, or interline rate) and then either didn't send the appropriate documentation OR didn't qualify at all?

 

When you make a reservation at Carnival under one of these promotions, they will secure the reservation at the lower rate. Then you have a certain number of days to provide verification. However if you didn't provide the proper documentation, then the promotional rate would've rescinded thus creating a balance owed.

 

Say that the regular cruise rate is $1,000, and the military rate is $850. You pay $850 and get an invoice saying that you owe $0. However, 3 days later, Carnival hasn't received the proper documentation so they change the rate to $1000 thus creating a balance owed of $150.

 

Could this be the case?

[FantasyLineAddict]

I'm sorry, but this is how it sounds to me....

 

-OP booked a cruise for let's say total balance $1000.

-Made timely payments adding up to $850

-After making pymts of $850 - receives a letter stating paid in full $0 due

-Knowing they still owe $150, tucked said letter away in a safe place. ;)

-Now receives letter stating wait you still owe us $150, where they in turn pull out said letter and says No, See you said $0 Balance.:cool:

 

 

Now I know it isn't right for Carnival to come back after the fact & ask for their missing money....but if you possibly really owe it??

 

My idea is a variation of that:

 

-Booked for $xxx.xx

-Made deposit and maybe paid some towards cruise

-Received credit for price reductions when fuel charge was in effect

-Received credit for price reductions again

-Received credit for fuel charge

-Possible accounting error at this point, cruise cost might have went lower than tax/port fees

-Went into cruise with a negative balance, didn't use a credit card for S&S

-Received credit for missed port and other misc. credits due to problems

 

I think the $144 is taxes and port fees and the cruise itself ended might've ended up costing nothing (and might've covered gratuities also) after credits and possible accounting errors.

[bzbob]

It seems that the bottom line to all of this is relatively easy - if Carnival says that you owe them money, then it would seem logical that they should be able to provide you, in writing, what the charge specifically is for. If they are unable to supply such information, but the fault is theirs, then it is Carnival who must "eat" their mistake. Who gives anyone anything on the premise that "we made the error, but can't tell you what it is"?

[Distilled1]

you have no idea just how slick scammers are...

 

and as buggy as the Carnival web site is it would not suprize me in the least that there corporate mail servers and data bases are hacked over and over

[tess2cruz]

Hey y'all,

 

Thanks for the helpful responses.

 

To clarify, the unsigned letter that I received was dated Jan 23, 2009.

(The cruise departed Jan 31, 2009.)

 

.)

 

The original letter was dated 9 days before the cruise. Wouldn't Carnival have not allowed boarding if the cruise was not paid for?

[mzloolue]

The original letter was dated 9 days before the cruise. Wouldn't Carnival have not allowed boarding if the cruise was not paid for?

 

That's what I would think.

Well, would have thought until now:(

 

I have questions for Carnival and have not been given answers.

Martha Colon says that she is sending paper work that shows their accounting error.

At this point I am to the point where I really don't care what they did.

The Carnival attitude is coming across as if I have ripped them off.

I have not done anything except pay what I was told to pay, arrive at the port at the appointed time, ride the boat and go back home.

How could I have done any of this?

I don't work for Carnival and I have no control over what they do inhouse.

This whole cruise was much more trouble than it was worth.

 

Anyway...hold on to all your paper work and receipts.

Apparently the end of the cruise does not mean that they won't come after folks for more money.

[AdrenalineRush]

you have no idea just how slick scammers are...

You would be mistaken there...So how did the scammer know she would email the President of the company?

 

If they are that good, trust me they would be going after bigger fish that this.

[sunshine 229]

I've skipped a few posts so maybe this has been covered but, if the letter was dated Jan 23rd and the cruise didn't leave till Jan 31st, why did the letter state that they were billing you for "services rendered"? And I too question why, if they knew you owed them extra money, you were allowed not only to board but also to disembark without having that owed amount brought to your attention.

 

Could be a scam or could be some stupid glitch in their accounting that is indicating you owe them money that you don't owe.

 

In any case I wouldn't pay a cent without documentation of what the charge is for.

 

As an aside, this whole thing has got me wondering if a consumer has any rights against a company that damages his or her credit rating without just cause?

If a company mistakenly bills you for something you did not purchase and then sends it to a collection agency if you refuse to pay, do you have any legal recourse for the damage that does you?

[TortieGal]

Here's my 2 cents...

 

I agree with the posters that have said this is a scam. It sounded odd to me from the beginning and like a PP mentioned, YOU were called by Carnival. I just went through a bunch of posts so I may have missed something but have you been calling a Carnival number from their website or just the number that was provided in the letter?

 

Also, did the letter reference your booking number? I would think Carnival would send out all communication with that information noted. I just disputed $5 with them and it was assigned a "case" number.

 

A handwritten envelope...shoddy letter...something sounds fishy.

 

In regards to going after a larger dollar amount, once these folks have your credit card number, they can. My co-worker just had to cancel her debit card due to a number of small purchases showing up...more than likely a precursor to making larger ones.

[Wineshipper]

Tell them you made an accounting error and they owe you $300.00

[BND]

The handwritten address on the envelope stood out to me too. Large companies, such as Carnival do not hand address envelopes. They have printers that do that and also most send envelopes with windows so the address on the letter shows through. Also, the "services rendered", as in past tense on a cruise you hadn't taken yet, also is weird. Unless you owed for a previous cruise. I think something doesn't add up and I'm not sure what to believe, or who. All we're getting is one side of the story, and possibly one piece of that story. A company would normally send a certified, return receipt letter so they could prove you were notified, as well as a copy of an invoice or printout showing what you owed and why. Yes, it would be a form letter, but form letters are meant to be personalized and specific in terms of the facts. Also, when coming back for past charges like that, companies usually cite the portion of the contract that allows them to do so. Carnival has lawyers on the payroll or on contract and you'd better believe they would have all the legal loose ends tied up. This "letter" doesn't do that.

 

As I said previously, I would call them myself and work my way up through supervisors until I got a straight, complete answer. I would not wait for them.

[mzloolue]

Tell them you made an accounting error and they owe you $300.00

 

lol, that's good:)

 

I have been trying, unsuccessfully, to find out exactly what my rights are.

 

How long does a company have to decide that I am expected to pay them...for something that I thought was over and done with?

 

Can a hotel bill a guest for an accounting error on a paid for stay a month earlier?

Can a restaurant bill a patron for an accounting error on a meal served last month?

[momofzeke]

mzloolue ~ did you see this post?

 

Well, maybe I am paranoid but I called Carnival and discovered that Martha Colon works in Guest Relations, not any Financial Department. I also found out Martha Colon is OUT OF THE OFFICE and will not be back until March 16th...

 

It is sounding more and more fishy..........

[Crusin6]

You guys all know that Carnival monitors these boards and they will not like the fact that this thread has taken on a life of its own.....I bet it gets poofed very soon

[momofzeke]

The board is not owned by Carnival. The mods are not Carnival employees.

[Tapi]

The OP hasn't answered whether he/she booked the cruise under a special promotion which required eligibility verification and then didn't provide the proper paperwork.

 

This would explain the additional charge...

 

OP, do you have an answer??

[Crusin6]

The board is not owned by Carnival. The mods are not Carnival employees.

oh I know that, but recently I have noticed that some rather tame threads, that were actually great discussions have been poofed. Like the 106 cruisers who didn't have their visas for Brazil and missed the ship. The thread was leaning toward responsibility...both Carnivals as well as the pax. Personally, I thought the thread was apositive one, my take was that Carnival should have been more diligent as they were probably older pax taking this kind of cruise, i.e. not internet saavy, I go away for an hour....something must have gone on with the thread and poof all gone.

 

I have been on the boards longer than my post count reveals ( I did that on purpose) and I just feel that lately whenever negative Carnival stuff comes up al of a sudden ...poof. Not always of course, but just a little more often than in the past. Just mho. That's all

[BND]

oh I know that, but recently I have noticed that some rather tame threads, that were actually great discussions have been poofed. Like the 106 cruisers who didn't have their visas for Brazil and missed the ship. The thread was leaning toward responsibility...both Carnivals as well as the pax. Personally, I thought the thread was apositive one, my take was that Carnival should have been more diligent as they were probably older pax taking this kind of cruise, i.e. not internet saavy, I go away for an hour....something must have gone on with the thread and poof all gone.

 

I have been on the boards longer than my post count reveals ( I did that on purpose) and I just feel that lately whenever negative Carnival stuff comes up al of a sudden ...poof. Not always of course, but just a little more often than in the past. Just mho. That's all

 

I know what you're saying. Free speech doesn't apply on web forums. The forum owners can do whatever they want. I've been part of other forums that ban posters who don't toe the party line. I was banned from one forum with no explanation after I asked a question that the web owner didn't like because it questioned something he had decided he was doing away with. It was kind of stupid really since what I asked was a very innocent question. I haven't seen that here, but I have noticed a few threads recently that just disappeared. The op's on those threads can request a thread be pulled so that could be what has happened also.

 

And as I alluded to earlier, I dont' think we have the complete story.

[Crusin6]

I know what you're saying. Free speech doesn't apply on web forums. The forum owners can do whatever they want. I've been part of other forums that ban posters who don't toe the party line. I was banned from one forum with no explanation after I asked a question that the web owner didn't like because it questioned something he had decided he was doing away with. It was kind of stupid really since what I asked was a very innocent question. I haven't seen that here, but I have noticed a few threads recently that just disappeared. The op's on those threads can request a thread be pulled so that could be what has happened also.

 

And as I alluded to earlier, I dont' think we have the complete story.

I still think the OP should ignore the letter. Why would anyone be concerned about a letter that wasn't even addressed to him/her? They said dear sir/madam..no way I would pay. however, the op may be a good example of how scammers do get gullible folks to fork over their money. So worried about their credit report and such.

[Tapi]

Everybody thinks that this is a scam. However:

 

- The OP emailed Carnival directly, and got a response from them verifying the balance owed.

- He/she hasn't answered whether they booked the cruise under a special promotion which required eligibility verification and maybe didn't provide it later.

- I received the same exact letter one time because the ID they had on file had expired so they couldn't verify that I was still eligible for the discount. After I provided a copy of my new unexpired ID, they credited my balance.

- Did the OP book their cruise through Carnival or through a TA? If it was through a TA or PVP, has the OP gone through them to research this?

 

It seems to me that there's A LOT more to this story than the OP is saying...