Travel Agent Charging Me Oddly?

[HolyShip]

Hi there everyone!

I will be cruising with someone this summer, and I booked it through a travel agency. And, this is my first time ever booking a cruise, so I'm pleading for patience and clarity if you can help provide it. 

Good news: We only have a couple hundred dollars left until our cruise is "paid in full" according to the travel agency (final payment due mid March).

As we were making payments through the travel agent, our credit card would always charge our payments to RoyalCarribean.com.
On the last payment I made, I made a payment of $800ish. I received two charge alerts to my credit card, one being for $650 charged to RoyalCarribean.com, then $150 which was charged to my travel agency company directly.

I called Royal Caribbean, and they said because it was booked through a travel agent, there is basically nothing they can divulge except that my cruise has been fully paid, yet the travel agency shows a balance of about $200 left.

I asked my travel agent about the total why the charge was split, with the $150 going to them, and they said that they pre-pay for certain amount of cabins in advance to secure pricing, and they said that was what was owed them as part of the overall total.

Is this normal practice? We still have $200 left to pay, which I imagine will also charge to them versus RoyalCarribean.com. 

 I don't know if it's an additional compensation grab or just how they do their billing since they do bulk purchases.
I will admit, I got a good rate (a couple hundred off the RCL published rate at the time).

 

EDIT: Similar post from 2016: 

 

[AshleyDillo]

Your TA should have given you an invoice when you made the deposit that showed you exactly what your cruisefare was and the deposit paid against it. 

Not to say the TA is doing anything sketchy, but I definitely would be concerned as well.  

[smokeybandit]

If it's a big box/discount agency, then I could see that.

Just keep an eye out though.

[HolyShip]

40 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

Your TA should have given you an invoice when you made the deposit that showed you exactly what your cruisefare was and the deposit paid against it. 

Not to say the TA is doing anything sketchy, but I definitely would be concerned as well.  

It's their own invoice with the price breakdown and itinerary as you would expect, with their logo and branding and the booking total.
It shows all of our payments and the remaining balance left (a couple hundred). The last payment made, it shows as the $800, not the two split payments where part of that $800 was charged to RCL and the remaining, they charged (to their company account).
I believe I read somewhere that RCL will issue them an invoice for my individual cruise itinerary, so maybe I should request that if they will even provide it? Not sure what to do. Royal Carribean did confirm the reservation was legit and paid on their end. Yet I have a balance with the agency.

Nothing on the invoice looks out of place, so to speak. It was just when I studied the last charge and noticed most of it was sent to RoyalCarribean and the rest was sent to them, which means the final balance due will also go to them. Which I imagine is why RCL said the cruise is fully paid, because I guess they bulk purchased a lot of them to secure the price, but I figured I should be eligible for that secured price. I'm confused.

[HolyShip]

Yeah, they are @smokeybandit. On one hand, when RCL told me the balance is paid, yet I still owe with the agency, I was a little flustered.

Hypothetically, say they purchased the cabin for $2,800, well the total we owe is $3,200 -- so I'm wondering if they're doing a markup or if their commission should already be within that $2,800. Unfortunately, calling RCL, they said I have to talk to the agency, but reiterated that my cruise is paid in full.

[Lovetocruise2002]

It is bad news! I was once with an agent like this and it sounds all too familiar. They are doing “shady math” and playing with commission. If I had to guess, I am going to guess that the agent gave you a great deal as well.
 

It all seems great and too good to be true, and it is, until something goes wrong with the sailing. Because part of your payment is going to the agency, Royal will only see the amount that you paid directly to them. If something were to happen to your sailing, for example, it gets cancelled, or you end up getting FCC based on cruise fare, that is where you will lose big time.

This is because what Royal sees that you paid (the amount that is paid directly to them) is not what you actually paid in total. I hope this makes sense, but it is very shady and dishonest on the agency part.

My advice, enjoy your cruise, hopefully nothing happens between now  and then that will result in a refund being necessary or FCC being issued, and find another agent. 

[Lovetocruise2002]

And does your agency have the initials CCV? This whole post sounds like their shady ways unfortunately. 

[Lovetocruise2002]

I am going to tag @SweetPeaon this too. She and I know all too much about this unfortunately. We learned the hard way. 

[CruiseGus]

You need to ask for a copy of the Royal Caribbean invoice for your cruise.

When a TA does a group cruise rate, they secure lower prices from Royal by putting a certain number of cabins on hold at a discounted price, but they do not sell them to you for more, you get that discounted price.

The only reason for a TA to charge more than the Royal price is if it is a special event cruise, like a Fan cruise for say musical group or a charter cruise.

[HolyShip]

14 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

I am going to tag @SweetPeaon this too. She and I know all too much about this unfortunately. We learned the hard way. 

Thank you so much for your response. Not sure if I should / can post this, but the company is Cabin Closeout Store. I found/booked them through CruiseComplete.
Through the site, they've had about 5,000 bookings and have a 99% satisfaction rating, with the travel agent having over 30 years of experience. Which is my only faith at this point. 

I hate, but can appreciate, that Royal Caribbean can tell me absolutely nothing and they told me to reach out to the travel agent. 

I did book travel insurance on the entire cruise and excursion costs, and booked a refundable cruise, which has final payment due March 11th. Now, the rates are exorbitant to book outright. 

 

[HolyShip]

14 minutes ago, CruiseGus said:

You need to ask for a copy of the Royal Caribbean invoice for your cruise.

When a TA does a group cruise rate, they secure lower prices from Royal by putting a certain number of cabins on hold at a discounted price, but they do not sell them to you for more, you get that discounted price.

The only reason for a TA to charge more than the Royal price is if it is a special event cruise, like a Fan cruise for say musical group or a charter cruise.

Thank you for the response! I tried to ask Royal for my invoice, and they said they will not provide it and must ask for my travel agent, and they provided their travel agency invoice. Maybe I should strong arm them to provide me with the direct Royal Carribean invoice, which will show the cruise paid in full? If it does show that, do I ask to only pay the price they are being charged and to refund anything over it?

[Lovetocruise2002]

14 minutes ago, HolyShip said:

 I found/booked them through CruiseComplete.

Long ago, I discovered CCV on cruise compete as well. I thought it was great until all the pandemic cancellations hit. That is how I learned of the downside of their shady math. Grateful I know have a agent who is amazing and by the book. 
 

You will be fine as long as the sailing goes smoothly (pardon the pun). The shady math only catches up with you when there is a refund or FCC to be issued in play because that is based on cruise fare paid and Royal will see on their end that you paid less than what you actually paid. 

[Lovetocruise2002]

15 minutes ago, HolyShip said:

Thank you for the response! I tried to ask Royal for my invoice, and they said they will not provide it and must ask for my travel agent, and they provided their travel agency invoice. Maybe I should strong arm them to provide me with the direct Royal Carribean invoice, which will show the cruise paid in full? If it does show that, do I ask to only pay the price they are being charged and to refund anything over it?

That is correct. When you are with an agent Royal will not give you the invoice. And if your experience with the shady agency is like mine, they won’t want to give you the invoice either because it won’t match what you paid. Just remember for next time that a legit TA will always share the actual Royal booking confirmation with you and all payment will go directly to Royal.

[HolyShip]

14 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Long ago, I discovered CCV on cruise compete as well. I thought it was great until all the pandemic cancellations hit. That is how I learned of the downside of their shady math. Grateful I know have a agent who is amazing and by the book. 
 

You will be fine as long as the sailing goes smoothly (pardon the pun). The shady math only catches up with you when there is a refund or FCC to be issued in play because that is based on cruise fare paid and Royal will see on their end that you paid less than what you actually paid. 

Like a refund if there is a cancellation in the cruise? Would you suggest just keeping things how they are and pay the final balance? I think what irks me is if, for example, they got the cruise for $2,800 and I'm paying $3,200 (which I will not know if that is the case), that is a markup. Granted the cruise was like $3,500, so it is a nice discount, but just feels weird. The only thing giving me faith is their great reviews, but it was shady to see the last charge done that way, which is why we're hanging tight on paying the final deposit. When I asked them about the charge, they said, "The charge to[us] is correct. We pre-pay for certain amounts of sailings/cabins in advance to secure pricing. That was what was owed to us, as part of your overall total."

[HolyShip]

16 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

That is correct. When you are with an agent Royal will not give you the invoice. And if your experience with the shady agency is like mine, they won’t want to give you the invoice either because it won’t match what you paid. Just remember for next time that a legit TA will always share the actual Royal booking confirmation with you and all payment will go directly to Royal.

I just emailed them and and asked for the RoyalCarribean invoice and booking confirmation (not their invoice). We'll see what they say. If I see the lower balance, which I expect to see, I wonder if I should tell them to refund the amount above RCL's charged booking total? 

[Lovetocruise2002]

14 minutes ago, HolyShip said:

Would you suggest just keeping things how they are and pay the final balance? I think what irks me is if, for example, they got the cruise for $2,800 and I'm paying $3,200 (which I will not know if that is the case), that is a markup. Granted the cruise was like $3,500, so it is a nice discount

At this point, yes. I would pay the final balance. What other alternative do you have?
 

That is exactly how it was for me too with CCV. I was paying a nice “discounted rate” but they were paying Royal even less. It is exactly like the example you have. Where you will lose is if say this cruise gets cancelled and Royal issues you a refund. According to Royal, you have only paid $2800 and that will be their refund to you. You will be short $400. Or let’s say something happens on the cruise and they issue you FCC that is 10% of your cruise fare. You will also lose a bit because instead of $320 FCC, you will receive $280. 

[Lovetocruise2002]

16 minutes ago, HolyShip said:

I just emailed them and and asked for the RoyalCarribean invoice and booking confirmation (not their invoice). We'll see what they say. If I see the lower balance, which I expect to see, I wonder if I should tell them to refund the amount above RCL's charged booking total? 

Good luck. I am interested to see if they actually give you the booking confirmation. I am willing to bet they won’t without a fight. Keep us posted.

[HolyShip]

15 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Good luck. I am interested to see if they actually give you the booking confirmation. I am willing to bet they won’t without a fight. Keep us posted.

I bet you're right. I just called Royal again, and she's like you have every right to request an updated invoice, but we can provide you with absolutely nothing.

The other reviews for the company, prior to their rename, look good, so I don't think we're going to be scammed horribly, but it definitely seems weird.

The first RCL agent I spoke to, I was able to get him to admit that he showed it as paid; this one would not budge, understandably.

[Lovetocruise2002]

16 minutes ago, HolyShip said:

so I don't think we're going to be scammed horribly, but it definitely seems weird

Fingers crossed no refunds or FCCs needed and it’s all good. But like I said, keep us posted. I am interested to see how this plays out. It is all too familiar, but not in a good way lol

[asquared17]

i feel like this happened to me once or twice, with smaller cruise companies. once we paid in full, i saw the charges come through; all but maybe a couple hundred bucks went to royal, and then got a separate charge from the TA - i figured it was their commission or something like that. the amount did not exceed our total owed, but the breakdown of the charges were odd. we never used that company again, and thankfully didn’t have any issues, but i remember thinking it was unusual at the time.

 

as an aside — we really like cruise compete, and often use it as a gauge to see where the other TAs are coming in price wise, what perks they can offer. 

we actually found our TA through a quote on cruise compete and now i work with her exclusively outside of the site. 

[SweetPea]

53 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

I am going to tag @SweetPeaon this too. She and I know all too much about this unfortunately. We learned the hard way. 

Yes, we shared the same former agent, emphasis on "former."

I was roped in by discounted rates, and that was fine, until .... something went wrong. We had so many cancelations during the pandemic and our 125% FCC was never what we thought it would be. Trying to understand their fuzzy math was impossible, especially since i only ever received an invoice from their agency, never Royal.

In the end, it all eventually worked out and I'm all the better for it now. @Lovetocruise2002and i shared many nightmares and ridiculous excuses from said agency and we now share the same reputable, responsive, amazing agent.

 

[NotPayinExtra]

32 minutes ago, HolyShip said:

I bet you're right. I just called Royal again, and she's like you have every right to request an updated invoice, but we can provide you with absolutely nothing.

The other reviews for the company, prior to their rename, look good, so I don't think we're going to be scammed horribly, but it definitely seems weird.

The first RCL agent I spoke to, I was able to get him to admit that he showed it as paid; this one would not budge, understandably.

Post not only here, but all the other cruise message boards. If they've done wrong, hit them with bad press.

[Pattycruise]

You can see if your booking is paid in full on your own. Log into Royal and  under “my cruises” it will be in blue for make a payment if you owe $ and greyed out if you don’t.  
I’d be afraid to not make a final payment lest they cancel the cruise on you!

 

[twangster]

3 hours ago, Pattycruise said:

You can see if your booking is paid in full on your own. Log into Royal and  under “my cruises” it will be in blue for make a payment if you owe $ and greyed out if you don’t.  

That only applies to Royal direct cruises.  

[twangster]

I discovered the perils of working with such a company when the crane fell on Oasis.  Everyone got a full refund and 100% FCC... except me.  I got around 66% FCC because the agency was doing something with group rates or wholesale fares.  Royal refunded what they saw as the cruise fare and they provided FCC based on what they saw as the cruise fare.  The agency was charging something above that and that extra appeared on my credit card as a charge direct from the agency at final payment.

When Royal cancelled Oasis from the crane incident it was an unusual situation back then (before the pandemic).  Back then very rarely did a cruise line cancel a cruise on short notice when everyone was paid in full.  This agency initially refused to refund their extra profit above commission from the cruise but they eventually relented.  It took a lot of effort and phone calls with their executive team.  

For me it was an eye opener and a lesson learned to never use a TA that charges anything directly.  Everything should be charged by the cruise line.  Thankfully I learned that lesson before the pandemic hit and I didn't have anything booked through them when that happened.  

I eventually got my money back but I missed out on FCC I would have received had I been through a legitimate agency.  

When a deal sounds too good to be true is usually is.  

[Lovetocruise2002]

1 hour ago, twangster said:

I discovered the perils of working with such a company when the crane fell on Oasis.  Everyone got a full refund and 100% FCC... except me.  I got around 66% FCC because the agency was doing something with group rates or wholesale fares.  Royal refunded what they saw as the cruise fare and they provided FCC based on what they saw as the cruise fare.  The agency was charging something above that and that extra appeared on my credit card as a charge direct from the agency at final payment.

When Royal cancelled Oasis from the crane incident it was an unusual situation back then (before the pandemic).  Back then very rarely did a cruise line cancel a cruise on short notice when everyone was paid in full.  This agency initially refused to refund their extra profit above commission from the cruise but they eventually relented.  It took a lot of effort and phone calls with their executive team.  

For me it was an eye opener and a lesson learned to never use a TA that charges anything directly.  Everything should be charged by the cruise line.  Thankfully I learned that lesson before the pandemic hit and I didn't have anything booked through them when that happened.  

I eventually got my money back but I missed out on FCC I would have received had I been through a legitimate agency.  

When a deal sounds too good to be true is usually is.  

^^^This!

@HolyShipthis is what I was trying to explain but as usual, @twangsteris way better at explaining these things than I am

[asquared17]

the things i am learning today!! 

[steverk]

I sincerely hope this works out for you. It should,  but as several people have pointed out, there are some risks.

Going forward,  you can benefit from group bookings without the shady math. My agent routinely puts me in a corporate group booking, which results in a lower price.  Surprisingly,  this doesn't affect the payment schedule and all funds appear on my RCI invoice. The only downside is when I want to speak to RCI. It has to be handled through the group department.  On the other hand, my agent can do it for me so no real worries. 

[FireFishII]

I am going to answer the question on whether or not you should continue to pay the balance: Yes.  When you booked the cruise with the travel agent, you had agreed upon a price.  As long as the travel agency is not trying to charge you more than the agreed price, you should not have a gripe. I believe you are getting the cruise at a lower rate than what RCL would have charged you.  I don't see that as shady.

The only shady thing that would happen is if the cruise gets canceled and the travel agency does not give you back their extra portion.  Not all of us are as good as @twangsterin getting the company to pay up.  (Good for you, @twangster!)  I know how difficult is can be to stand up for your rights and demand your money back.  

The good news, RCL considers the cruise paid in full.  

[cruisellama]

I've used a couple of agencies in the past and not experienced what you describe.   If you're getting what you agreed to pay for the cruise (and it's confirmed paid off), you're square with RCL.   Guessing  - maybe the TA's commission isn't wrapped into the price you were originally quoted.   Can chalk it up to experience and find a new TA or book directly next time.

[smokeybandit]

For whatever reason when I read this subject line I start humming a tune. With my apologies to Roberta Flack and the Fugees

 

Checking my invoice with my fingers
Singing some made up curse words
Charging me oddly for this cruise
Charging me oddly for this cruise
Telling my TA curse words
Charging me oddly for this cruise

[Mturk]

7 hours ago, twangster said:

That only applies to Royal direct cruises.  

This made me curious, so I went to check my cruise which was booked through a travel agent. It is in fact "greyed out" and does say that "You don't have a balance due."

[twangster]

18 minutes ago, Mturk said:

This made me curious, so I went to check my cruise which was booked through a travel agent. It is in fact "greyed out" and does say that "You don't have a balance due."

Must just be me.  I only see that when I have a direct booking. 

[WAAAYTOOO]

I haven't been able to see anything related to my balance due or payments made in many years.  The old format had that information if booked directly, but that information has never been visible if the booking is made through a TA

[deep1]

2 cents and I may be wrong.... But.... This agent may well be one of those that blocks and pays in advance for several cabins. They paid yours in advance and now they are billing you  to recoup that outlay. They make their commission from a portion of the discounted rate  they purchased in bulk.  We do that in big game fishing charters and see it as what may be going on here???????

[SimGuy]

Solution:  Don’t use a TA.

[smokeybandit]

23 minutes ago, SimGuy said:

Solution:  Don’t use a TA.

Actually, the solution is use a true TA, not a high volume discount shop.

[HolyShip]

6 hours ago, cruisellama said:

I've used a couple of agencies in the past and not experienced what you describe.   If you're getting what you agreed to pay for the cruise (and it's confirmed paid off), you're square with RCL.   Guessing  - maybe the TA's commission isn't wrapped into the price you were originally quoted.   Can chalk it up to experience and find a new TA or book directly next time.

First off, THANK YOU to every single person that responded. This has been IMMENSELY helpful in my discussions with the travel agent and Royal.

@cruisellama and @deep1 hit the nail on the head (as I just learned today)

LONG UPDATE WARNING (grab your coffee, popcorn, wine, whatever it is you need):

I called Royal today, knowing full well that they would tell me nothing since the reservation was booked through a travel agent.
I got to chatting with this Royal agent, and I managed to get them to say what price my travel agent paid and I almost got them to send me an invoice.
There was an audible shift in their voice when they told me the amount that was paid and revealing that the cruise was fully paid (like a "I shouldn't have disclosed that" tone).

So, here's what I got from the call (using fake numbers): they said the travel agency paid $2,500 for the cruise. The travel agency charged me $2,800. The royal agent then revealed that the rate that they charged was a non-commission rate, so I now know the agency is charging the amount above $2,500 as a commission. 

I then said if Royal cancels the cruise or issues a credit, will it only be of the $2,500 since they didn't charge the travel agency's $2,800, and they said yes: we will only issue credits or refunds based on the $2,500. The $300 agency commission is not insured and is between me and them. I asked them if I could request a direct Royal invoice from the travel agent, and they said yes.

With all of this knowledge, I call the agent, and she said 1.) Royal should not have disclosed any of what they did, 2.) They cannot send me the Royal invoice because of their special pricing and info on the invoice (press X to doubt), and 3.) that they were charging the remaining amount as their commission (which tracked with what Royal said). The agent felt awful for the stress I have undergone trying to figure this all out, AND they said if the cruise were to cancel or be credited, it would be on the full $2,800, not just the $2,500. They reassured me of that several times, and I have it in writing. The only thing they said is that Royal will not issue future cruise credits, so that will not apply to me, because that apparently stopped after Covid.

At the end of the day, the rate was cheaper than what Royal had, the cruise is paid for, and the cruise is insured for $2,800 (plus excursions). 

So, will we proceed with the cruise and make the final payment? Yes. But, wow has this been an adventure. 

The travel agent reassured us several times, and apologized, and said they've been in business 30 years, and that if anything goes wrong, they'll take care of us. And, that they were going to call Royal to talk to them about what was disclosed (that's on them, not me), but I knew the price from Royal and was able to calculate it on my own anyway by determining what was charged to RoyalCarribean vs them directly.

I express again my appreciation to you all for all of your comments, and I hope this will be useful to others in the future, and reaffirming to those that have been in this situation as I learned above.

I will continue to monitor this thread.

Happy Friday?

[DoomSlayer]

6 hours ago, twangster said:

Must just be me.  I only see that when I have a direct booking. 

It may be how the TA books it?  I looked at my 4 upcoming cruises that I booked through my TA in the website and they all have the greyed out "Pay remaining balance You don't have a balance due". statements.  I do remember them saying there was a balance due at one point before I paid them all in full, but had no option to pay and was shown a message to the effect that I needed to contact my TA to pay.

[smokeybandit]

Those kind of shops aren't necessarily bad.  Just, like those low cost airlines, you have to know what you're getting into. And, also like those low cost airlines, if something goes wrong (granted, it rarely does, but when it does you want ample assistance), you may find yourself in a struggle.