Fighting w/TA. Need advise.

[Woobie]

DCL has lowered the rate for my cruise, so I called my TA Sat. to get the reimbursment. After not getting a hold of anyone (original agent no longer at company), I finally asked for a supervisor (Monday). She said DCL doesn't offer reimbursements after the cruise is paid in full. After verifying this is untrue w/DCL, I called back. She said she would forward it to the cust. svs. dept. for follow up (she was very obviously NOT pleased!). I had been referred to this dept. since Sat. They will not put me through to this dept., or tell me how to contact them directly. Again, I still have not heard from them. A DCL rep. even called them today for me, and had to leave a message. I'm talking a difference of anywhere from $335 to $800 - depending upon which rates they use (the TA's new rates, or DCL's new rates). Any thoughts on how I can push this along? Thanks!

Woobie

PS: I had booked w/these people b/c they guaranteed lowest rates. I found out later this is not true. I gave them a rate form another TA when I was looking to book for my friend, and they couldn't match/beat it. Also, it's a cruise broker, so I can't exactly go march into their offices.

 

[PizzieDuster]

Wow, that is not the way you want to be planning your dream vacation, by fighting with your T.A. Something smells fishy. I'd transfer my booking. Go by what your instinct tells you. If you don't trust them, move your booking. It should be a pleasant experience all around......

Good luck to you!

 

[dlelol]

May I ask who your TA is? What is the date of your cruise? You mentioned that you have paid the trip in full. Did you pay in full on the 60 days mark? The reason I am asking is I also noticed a drop in the pricing on our sailing. We will be sailing 8/30 so our balance is already paid in full as well. I am wondering if we can get a refund of the difference.

 

[vgaskin]

You should be able to get a refund of the difference put back on your card. We are going in November and our rate just dropped. For the 2 rooms, with 7 people, they put $3840 back on our credit card! We have since upgraded to a verandah, from a 10 to a 5 but after it netted out,we still got $1000 back! So call who you booked with and ask them to change the reservation to the lower rate. I would do it before your docs get sent out, don't know if that makes a difference or not but would do it asap.

As for the 1st poster, I would definately see about getting your reservation transferred over to another reputable company. We used Travelocity for our 1st land/sea package in April and just finally got what we were owed in July.

 

[my3kids]

I think you are probably stuck. Keep trying to work through the travel agent, but you likely aren't going to be able to gain control of the reservation to send it back to Disney. If you can get the travel agent to sign the booking back over to Disney Cruise Line, you could keep it there, or then transfer it to a more reputable agency. You probably aren't very likely to get them to release it at this point though.

Do things in writing and keep copies of everything. Do some digging and find out who the president of the agency is. Write them a letter. Any time you are on the phone with the agency, keep a log with the time, person, comments, etc.

Even with AAA, I inquired with an agent about them securing lower prices on Royal Carribean if the line dropped the rate. They said they wouldn't do it. But, I know RCI, like DCL, will allow a customer to get the better rate, if they ask for it.

 

[Woobie]

I am stuck w/this agency (Cruise Value Center). My docs were sent Sun & recvd Wed. I had started calling them on this Sat. We cruise 9/6. DCL has been helpful, but as usual, can only do so much b/c it's booked w/a TA. Thanks for your thoughts.

Woobie

 

[BALAMAV]

May I ask? How did you find out the rates dropped. Did you get a letter or did they call or do you have to call and ask? Thank you

 

[Woobie]

I noticed the rate drop on another site & confirmed it w/DCL's site. Some TAs are very proactive, and will automatically adjust your rate if it drops. NOT mine!

Woobie

 

[Favorite Auntie]

That really stinks... I would not drop it though, I would call them everyday. Maybe even call DCL and let them know how their cruises are being represented?? Not sure if they would do anything, but it would be worth a phone call!

 

[CGC33A]

If you paid fairly recently with a credit card (I think the rule is within 60 days), you may be able to dispute the charges with Visa/MasterCard/AmEx etc. This sort of action usually gets the merchant's attention.

 

[crisi]

Call, ask to speak to a manager and tell them you are about to report them to the Better Business Bureau and your (and their) states Attorney General. They could (depending on the small print and how many people have been impacted) be in big trouble and be risking a class action suit.

If you have an attorneys in the family or among your friends, talk to them and ask them to type up a letter on their letterhead. It may be worth your time to even hire an attorney to review this and type a letter.

At that point, they may capitulate just to lower their risk of you actually suing. Or they may not and then you will need to decide how far to take it.

 

[CRenze]

Ok, all this talk is making me nervous. My final payment is due next week (leaving Nov. 1 on my first cruise). I did call my TA at AAA and she said that as far as a lower rate, once the final payment is made they (AAA) no longer checks on the rates but if
the rates were to drop and I notified her, they would honor the lowest rate. Now, how and where do I go to check on the rates? I hate to keep calling the cruise line and bothering them but I do want the best deal I can find...after all my name isn't Mrs. Mellon.

Cindy

 

[Michelle]

Cindy, go to the Disney cruise line site -- www.disneycruise.com --and click on reservations to price out your cruise. Be sure that you price it out exactly as you have it now, either with or without trip insurance and/or transfers.

Once a cruise is paid in full you would NOT be able to transfer it to another agency, even if you transferred it back to DCL. Woobie, I would keep trying to get the agency to honor the price difference and also try to get them to release the booking if they will not. Good luck!

 

[alexandrew]

I would call them out on it....if they dont take care of your request, I would go on every cruise message and chat board and tell your story.....

TA business is customer driven by word of mouth and referral....their refusal to accommodate you is bad business, and to their own peril....every person has a sphere of influence that extends to over 250 people....

caveat emptor

 

[SeaSpray]

Woobie:

I used Cruise Value Center when we booked the RCI cruise we took this summer. They definitely seem to go through agents like water! The person you book with is usually not still there by the time you take your cruise, so I don't think that's really a good sign. The reason we booked with them was because my sister in law recommended them to us. They've used them several times with no problems, but then again, I don't think she bothers to check the prices once they book their cruise.

When we received our documents for our cruise we booked under a "senior rate"!! I got so nervous about this and when I called CVC they told me not to worry about it, that those were the only cabins left on the cruise. So I tried not to worry about it and fortunately we didn't have any problems. I had heard other people say that their TAs booked them under rates for which they didn't qualify, and they had to pay the difference at the pier before they'd let them board the ship!

Also, they do have a physicial office, it's in East Brunswick, NJ. My sister in law lives near there and goes to their office to pick up their documents.

When we booked our Disney cruise a couple of weeks ago, I did consider using Cruise Value, but I just wasn't totally comfortable with them, although they had a very good rate. We ended up going with All Seasons Travel because of all the good things I'd read about them on here. Next year we'll be booking another Royal Caribbean cruise for summer 2005, and I definitely won't use CVC.

Let me know if you need any other info, I can try and get that info from my sister in law, such as the actual address.

Good luck and keep us updated on what happens!

 

[vgaskin]

YOu can also go to www.allseastravel.com and check the rates. They put them right there, with Disney you have to go thru all the steps. If All Season is cheaper, then confirm it on the Disney site before you call your AAA agent.

 

[Worldtraveler777]

Woobie,

The company in question should give you credit for the difference unless the discounted price is some sort of promotional rate. I've given credits to clients before when the price has changed. Apparently, the agency does not want to lose commission on the booking. I would go to the seniormost person up the chain and demand action. Like I said, DCL does credit the difference if the rate is not some special promotional rate.

 

[izzinmac]

I know this doesn't help you now, but our experience with Dreams Unlimited has been just the opposite of your experience with your "travel agent". We were already booked on one of the cheaper date cruises, but Disney did apply a Florida Resident discount last week. We had 7 families that this applied to, and DU emailed each of us to let us know. Not only did they check for lower rates and let us know our options, in three cases the Florida Resident discount did not apply to the original cat 11 reservations, so DU checked on cat 10 upgrades that were $300 cheaper than the original cat 11 prices. Maybe you can point this out to your current agent and let them know that they have much better competition out there!!

 

[Mjasp]

I thought DCL didn't lower prices the closer you got to your cruise? I thought the earlier you booked the cheaper it was?

Should I periodically check DCL's website for price changes?

 

[whytcrystal]

Woobey-

I would print the DCL page with the price quote in the event you need it for a future agruement. Also, I am not sure about all states but in NH there is a state agency that oversees TAs, try getting them involved if necessary with a formal complaint.