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No notice of final payment, no grace period!


Randy

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No notices of my final payment due (which was last Saturday), and today (Monday, 2 days later) only a notice that they canceled my reservation and took my deposit.  No willingness to let me pay balance and keep my reservation.  Oh, but they want to book me at a price $600 dollars more!  Poor customer experience!  Do you really want to keep your customers? You were good at asking me if I wanted shore excursions, how come no notice of final payment due?  How come no grace period?  Poor! Poor! Poor!

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I get email notices, plus I note the payment dates and put a reminder on my calendar.   Did you provide an email address?

My mortgage company doesn't offer a grace period every month.  My utility company and credit card companies offer no grace period each month.  If I miss a payment there are consequences.

I've started using a travel agency more often now and this is another benefit of doing so - they know the rules and won't let you miss the date.  Payment is processed automatically a full week before final payment due date.  

 

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May I suggest you either use a travel agent next time or mark it on your calendar? I agree with what twangster said all the way. We have to remember our bills. Of course Royal Caribbean is going to take your deposit and charge more if they can. They are a business. Utility and credit card companies charge late fees to make money not to be good or bad. 

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First of all, welcome to the blog! I hate to see that your first post comes with such terrible circumstances. I completely empathize with you and agree that they could do more to help prevent their clients from missing final payment date. To be honest I am not sure if they automatically send a reminder or not currently, but I would certainly hope they do that at minimum. I can definitely understand what others are saying about other types of bills, but I don't expect quality customer service from utility companies while I do expect that from a cruise line. At the same time, from Royal Caribbean's perspective, they need to make sure that they get the room filled for the cruise because onboard spending is really how they make their money. An empty room is bad for business and as far as they know if you haven't made the final payment you aren't intending to go on the cruise.

I would try calling one more time and keep asking to speak to someone higher up to see if there is anything else they can do if they haven't already booked the room, or at least let you use that deposit for another sailing. It can't hurt to keep trying until you know there is nothing left you can do. As others have stated I would use a travel agent moving forward to help remind you of final payment date but also to be an advocate for you in situations like this. Either way, I'm really sorry to hear this happened to you. I hope there is something they can do to remedy the situation. If not don't beat yourself up. We all make mistakes and all we can do is learn from them. Best of luck to you!

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So sorry that this happened to you and keep calling  and asking to speak to someone higher up to if they can do anything else if the room has not already been booked or at least use your deposit for another sailing. keep trying until there is nothing that can not be done. As others have said if I were you I would use a TA moving forward to remind you of the final payment date.

 I have not heard of the cruise line emailing final payment notifications prior to the final payment due date.

The final payment date for my upcoming cruise on Dec 2nd 2018 was due a few weeks ago(sept 3rd) and I did not get an email notification of my final payment date, so After I paid the deposit and saw when the final payment was due I wrote it Down in my calander. Since I wrote down when my final payment was due I had remembered to make the final payment and did not take a chance of my reservation being cancelled. I have went on other cruise with royal caribbean and I was never emailed a final payment date notification. 

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12 hours ago, twangster said:

I get email notices, plus I note the payment dates and put a reminder on my calendar.

I've started using a travel agency more often now and this is another benefit of doing so - they know the rules and won't let you miss the date.  Payment is processed automatically a full week before final payment due date.  

 

So sorry that this happened to you and keep calling  and asking to speak to someone higher up to if they can do anything else if the room has not already been booked or at least use your deposit for another sailing. keep trying until there is nothing that can not be done. As others have said if I were you I would use a TA moving forward to remind you of the final payment date.

 Unlike @twangster I was not emailed a final payment due date. And I have not heard of the cruise line emailing final payment notifications prior to the final payment due date.

The final payment date for my upcoming cruise on Dec 2nd 2018 was due a few weeks ago(sept 3rd) and I did not get an email notification of my final payment date, so After I paid the deposit and saw when the final payment was due I wrote it Down in my calander. Since I wrote down when my final payment was due I had remembered to make the final payment and did not take a chance of my reservation being cancelled. I have went on other cruise with royal caribbean and I was never emailed a final payment date notification. 

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In my booking confirmation Royal clearly stated that there would be no reminders for final payment so I planned accordingly - put my own reminders in the calendar and paid with a bit of error margin to account for possible transfer delays. I can't see any fault with Royal here, their terms and conditions clearly state they're allowed to keep the deposit if you "cancel" with x days left - not paying the final payment equals cancelling. Blaming Royal for your oversight seems a bit unwarranted. If you need help keeping up with your payments you can always use a TA.

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Am I reading this wrong, but ..... call me suspicious

1)  Why does the OP make a post like that, then disappear?  It's as though you have to question the validity of the post to begin with.

2)  Since when is it RCL's responsibility to remind you?  It clearly states on your paperwork when Final Payment is due -- it's your responsibility to read it.

And as for a grace period?  Why?  To give you one wouldn't be fair to everyone else.  That's the beauty of the way you can pay for cruises, book way far out then make payments .... if you're unable to afford it, don't book it, or, downgrade to a less expensive cabin.  I know what my wallet tells me. balcony?  would love to but I have to live within my means, it's Inside or OV for me for the time being.  It's ok to have Mercedes tastes, but don't live it if you have a Hyundai budget.

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Welcome to the blog, @Randy ! Sorry to hear you had a bad experience with final payment.  As others have advised, I'd definitely recommend using a travel agent to help plan these sort of things in the future.  I'm terrible with dates, and having a TA to remind me and keep on top of me with important dates is so important.

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11 hours ago, Jess said:

I have not heard of the cruise line emailing final payment notifications prior to the final payment due date.

Actually, I received an email last week from NCL  for final payment (of course I cancelled as I only had a $2.00 deposit!) on it. LOL 

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