Yet another snafu with final payment due

[TessFromFlorida]

Hi there! Sharing this as a possible warning to those who may have canceled CP purchases last fall and have a final payment due soon.

I want to preface this with the fact that I experienced the same issue with our Allure spring break cruise but chalked it up to Black Friday systems overload.

Last week, the final payment was due for a cruise this July. I paid everything in full two weeks before that date and received an invoice confirming as much. After about a week, still a few days to go until the official final payment due, I see a balance of $159.18 in the app, but the desktop cruise planner shows I am paid in full. I double-checked all payments went through, reread the invoice several times, all looked fine on my end, so I decided to give it a few days to work itself out.

Well, Sunday I received a notice of balance due, but the kicker is the body of the email states zero balance, but the attached invoice states $159.18 due. So, I called the Casino Royale desk. After investigating, the agent can see that I paid in full, but 4 days after making that payment in late March, I was mysteriously refunded $159.18 back to the card that was used for the deposit (the statement hasn't come so I did not notice this credit).

After 1.5 hours on the line, I was told the refund was for two canceled cruise planner purchases for Chops lunch. I could verify purchasing Chops 2x (10/7 & 11/9) but canceling both back in November and December as better deals came up. I tried to pay the balance during the call, but the system would not accept payment because it looked as if I was paid in full... um, OK. We hung up and the agent's supervisor called an hour or so later and promised to remove the charge. At this point, I am over payment due and experiencing some serious anxiety about losing our room, so I entered my card info into the app and lo and behold, it accepted payment and I received a new invoice stating I am PIF. 

I am sharing this drama because canceled cruise planner purchases from last fall led to all of my issues with our spring cruise. Because this Anthem cruise ordeal all culminated around final payment time, just as it did with the Allure cruise, I cannot help but wonder what the heck is going on. Why would I just now be refunded for a canceled purchase over 4 months ago and suspiciously right before final payment? If I put my tinfoil hat on, I would get suspicious when comparing the fare I paid and the going rate of both rooms at the time of final payment... but, in reality, I am 99% sure it is just their crappy billing system that cannot separate CP purchases with the cruise fare and waiting to run payments/refunds until right before the final payment date.

 

[Pattycruise]

It’s an error in their system and the only way to fix it is to issue the refund and then have you pay it.   It’s absolutely ridiculous.  Good catch!

[Lovetocruise2002]

I can add to this! I just made final payment for VY sailing early July. Thank goodness I told my TA to pay about a week ahead of final payment (which was yesterday). Anyway, to backtrack, for this VY sailing, I too re-priced a bunch of things over Black Friday for this particular sailing. Everything was refunded back properly except for a VOOM purchase (which I am currently still debating with them over).

Anyway, the day I made final payment last week, I also pulled my Air2Sea that was attached to this reservation because I upgraded our seats by booking directly through Delta. As always, as soon as I get off the phone with Air2Sea, I always text my TA to pull a copy of the booking confirmation to make sure that Air2Sea didn't re-price anything. She pulled it and everything checked out and she went to make final payment a few hours later. Well, that is where things got wonky.

The system would not let her make final payment because it said that we were trying "over pay". For reasons still unknown, Royal's system shows that we owe less that we do. Now, a few might think, great, pay less, even better. But what my TA and I were both afraid of (cause the last 6+months I remember reading everyone's horror stories about sailings getting cancelled after final for amount owing related to CP purchases) was that if we paid less, later, once the system sorted itself out, it would show that we underpaid and I would get cancelled. So my TA had to call it in and we paid the amount that I was actually supposed to pay. Problem is that now on Royal's end, it shows that we overpaid, and they are still investigating.

My first thought was that it was related to what they owe me for VOOM but the amount the we "overpaid" does not match the amount they owe me for the missing VOOM refund. It's a mess. So this time, Air2Sea did not trigger a re-price of my cruise fare, but cancelling Air2Sea just before I made final payment, definitely triggered something wonky in the reservation related to CP purchases. The common theme here is that all CP purchases in this reservation were bought/re-priced during BF. That seems to be the running theme with everyone here.

I have now learned 3 more lessons through this:

1. Never wait the very last minute to make final payment. Can you imagine if I had waited April 9th (yesterday)? It would have been much more stressful for both me, and my TA.

2. Do not buy/cancel anything on the actual start day of Black Friday.

3. Always check, and double check, after making any adjustments with Air2Sea.

And @TessFromFlorida it's 100% their crappy system that cannot do basic math and refund purchases in a timely manner.

And @Jax I am tagging you on this because I know you texted me asking if I made final last week, and this was way to long to text back on my phone lol

[HeWhoWaits]

I'm starting to believe this is a systems-based method to discourage cancelling and re-booking CP purchases at lower prices. If it becomes enough of a hassle, maybe most folks will just keep their purchases at the original purchase price.

[TessFromFlorida]

16 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Do not buy/cancel anything on the actual start day of Black Friday.

Yes! I can second this. 

[Lovetocruise2002]

12 minutes ago, HeWhoWaits said:

I'm starting to believe this is a systems-based method to discourage cancelling and re-booking CP purchases at lower prices. If it becomes enough of a hassle, maybe most folks will just keep their purchases at the original purchase price.

I actually wondered the same thing because even I am second guessing if cancelling and re-booking is worth it.

[Geezer Of The Seas]

57 minutes ago, HeWhoWaits said:

I'm starting to believe this is a systems-based method to discourage cancelling and re-booking CP purchases at lower prices. 

I'll venture to say you scored a direct hit!!! 

[Jax]

2 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

And @Jax I am tagging you on this because I know you texted me asking if I made final last week, and this was way to long to text back on my phone lol

 I hope it gets sorted out soon. Just another reason to use a good TA that has experience with Royal “glitches”. I could not imagine paying the amount Royal claimed you owed only to have your cruise cancelled.  

[FionaMG]

12 minutes ago, Jax said:

 I hope it gets sorted out soon. Just another reason to use a good TA that has experience with Royal “glitches”. I could not imagine paying the amount Royal claimed you owed only to have your cruise cancelled.  

Yes, imagine having to sort out all of this mess without a TA batting for you. How many hours would you have to waste getting the run-around from Royal?!

[Lovetocruise2002]

28 minutes ago, Jax said:

I could not imagine paying the amount Royal claimed you owed only to have your cruise cancelled.  

But that has happened to others. Most of them stem from the last round of Black Friday CP purchases/refunds.

15 minutes ago, FionaMG said:

How many hours would you have to waste getting the run-around from Royal?!

Too many! Even with the help of my TA, my head is spinning.

[Sharla]

This has happened to a few clients- there's no rhyme or reason to it that I can figure out. Fortunately we have been able to figure it out every time but it's so weird that it happens- the Cruise Planner money and the Cruise Fare money are completely separate accounts. 

[WAAAYTOOO]

20 hours ago, HeWhoWaits said:

I'm starting to believe this is a systems-based method to discourage cancelling and re-booking CP purchases at lower prices. If it becomes enough of a hassle, maybe most folks will just keep their purchases at the original purchase price.

I concur.  There have been small “hints” that Royal will eventually make Cruise Planner purchases, nonrefundable and I think this is their “system” getting ready to implement that policy.  Total speculation, but based on some unfortunate “hints”.

[OCSC Mike]

1 minute ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

I concur.  There have been small “hints” that Royal will eventually make Cruise Planner purchases, nonrefundable and I think this is their “system” getting ready to implement that policy.  Total speculation, but based on some unfortunate “hints”.

Less pessimism and more blogging, lol. Waiting to hear about Grenada.

[Baked Alaska]

17 hours ago, Sharla said:

This has happened to a few clients- there's no rhyme or reason to it that I can figure out. Fortunately we have been able to figure it out every time but it's so weird that it happens- the Cruise Planner money and the Cruise Fare money are completely separate accounts. 

Props to @Sharla! This outstanding TA saved one of our cruises! We experienced the same issue as @Lovetocruise2002 and @TessFromFlorida, plus it was during the Royal Comeback (post-COVID cruising) if I'm not mistaken. 

[Sharla]

3 hours ago, Baked Alaska said:

Props to @Sharla! This outstanding TA saved one of our cruises! We experienced the same issue as @Lovetocruise2002 and @TessFromFlorida, plus it was during the Royal Comeback (post-COVID cruising) if I'm not mistaken. 

I think it was- I still don't get it but you know, Royal math and all. 

[TessFromFlorida]

Can't make this stuff up... I just received another balance due notice for the same amount. Checked my cards, no refunds, just asking for this $159.18 again. So, paid it through the app, AGAIN, full on Kardashian style- just throw money at it to try and make this issue go away.

The payment received invoice came through and now there is a random casino code (YKD9) attached to the payment  Every time I have made any kind of price adjustment (reprice when the fare dips) a new code is added - it is very odd- now they slapped a code on this black Friday debacle. Yes, I know- I should have a TA 

 

[Pattycruise]

4 hours ago, TessFromFlorida said:

Can't make this stuff up... I just received another balance due notice for the same amount. Checked my cards, no refunds, just asking for this $159.18 again. So, paid it through the app, AGAIN, full on Kardashian style- just throw money at it to try and make this issue go away.

The payment received invoice came through and now there is a random casino code (YKD9) attached to the payment  Every time I have made any kind of price adjustment (reprice when the fare dips) a new code is added - it is very odd- now they slapped a code on this black Friday debacle. Yes, I know- I should have a TA 

 

I had a TA and it really did not make it better.  Royal called him, I had my 10 cruises  of purchases/cancellations and repurchases and the credit card statements and email trails. .  They went over line items  with him on 7 reservations that were not his along with the 3 that were his.  A complete waste of his time and quite frankly non of his business on those other reservations!!!

[Vlad]

On 4/10/2024 at 2:55 PM, Sharla said:

This has happened to a few clients- there's no rhyme or reason to it that I can figure out. Fortunately we have been able to figure it out every time but it's so weird that it happens- the Cruise Planner money and the Cruise Fare money are completely separate accounts. 

Did you get it resolved how? 

What happened to me is that the system decided to withdraw money from the cruise balance for the cruise planner purchases/excursions , weeks after all were paid by credit card. 

My TA after working with Royal said that invoice can't be fixed. They fixed my balance but had to change it to sort of manual mode. Now my TA must make my final payment directly to Royal when time is due. They will issue a letter stating that my cruise is paid off and amount. I've seen intermediate letter from the groups department, noting of this system error and my balance due, the correct amount. 

 

[Sharla]

1 hour ago, Vlad said:

Did you get it resolved how? 

What happened to me is that the system decided to withdraw money from the cruise balance for the cruise planner purchases/excursions , weeks after all were paid by credit card. 

My TA after working with Royal said that invoice can't be fixed. They fixed my balance but had to change it to sort of manual mode. Now my TA must make my final payment directly to Royal when time is due. They will issue a letter stating that my cruise is paid off and amount. I've seen intermediate letter from the groups department, noting of this system error and my balance due, the correct amount. 

 

I always make payments directly to Royal, so I'm not sure about your TA on that one. For a couple of mine they fixed it after a few weeks. For another one they just zeroed out the balance so the client got like $500 off. I can't remember the them all. 

We have an excellent escalations team with Royal, so if something goes wrong we have the right people to fix things.