We purchased a All Inclusive Country Music Cruise package with Kings Cruise Agency last March. It was advertised by country group Montgomery Gentry on their website. They were the featured artists on this Carnival Cruise trip. Sail Date was late November.
We wanted to go first class all the way as it was a 24th Wedding Anniversary present to each other. So we booked the top suite, bought the Trip Cancellation Insurance the Ageny advertised (it stated if you declined the insurance then you faced cancellation penalties and outline the penalties and dates of when they started.)
Our total cost was $2826.00. We made the initial deposit with a credit card ($400) and the balance was paid by personal checks.
The company sent us an invoice after each payment but we never received any documents or insurance policy. When we asked about this they told us they would come in in October.
In early October we had to cancel our trip due to an injury that needed surgery. The agent told us via email that we were in the 50% Penalty period and we would get 50% back from Carnival after the cruise ended and then we should file a claim with the insurance. She said she would send us the insurance form for the doctor to fill out.
After Thanksgiving we get the 50% refund (Travel Agent check) for a total of $1269 but no insurance info, forms, policy or booking info to file a claim - let alone where to file the claim!
We called Carnival who helped us and we found the Insurance companies site on Carnivals website. But we did not have any policy or booking number and just left those blank when we filled out the form online!
A week later other forms arrived from the Insurance company and we filled them out and sent them back.
We wrote an email to the Travel Agent telling them how unhappy we were with the lack of service. We got a very nasty reply which was uncalled for since our email was not nasty but explained how we were left in the dark with the who refund process.
The agent said" Well Carnival told you what to do, I do not handle insurance in any way." (she stated in an earlier email that she was going to send the insurance form to us for the doctor-her first lie) She went on to say: "I can not provide service as this is a Cruise Agency were we work with large groups and since Carnival explained what to do my job is done!"
We shook our head in disbelief! She was so sweet all the months prioir to the Cruise and now she became an Arrogent Salesperon who no longer wanted anything to do with us!
We never wrote her until we got our Insurance check which turned out not to be for 50% of the Cancellation Penalty that was imposed on us! We got only $300 and not the $1269 as the agent explained was to be refunded via insurance. $298.00 already went for the insurance and nonrefundable agent deposit (which she keeps saying was the Entertainers fee).
We wrote her a not so happy email explaining we got only a partial deposit and we wanted this fixed either she refunds us the difference or she contacts Carnival or the Insurance company and straighten it out for us.
She wrote back and said Carnival only refunded her 50% and they have the other 50% and her job was done with us!
That was it - no help she turned her back on us!
From January up to now (June 26) we have been going on a wild goose chase trying to get the $969.00 refunded. Carnival and the Insurance company insists that we never were at their 50% penalty and only at a despoit penalty and that was why we got only $300.00 refunded. They said the agent was refunded the rest of our money and she has it.
We have complained to Georgia's BBB and Attorney General's Office who have done nothing more than paper push our complaint and the Travel Agents reponse back and forth to each of us.
They are closing both cases since the agent responded and it does not matter that it is not resolved! They accept a response as a positive move.
On June 20 we received a call from the Georgia Consumer Affairs and a women explained that the state cut back funding for their office and they do not have a great deal of resources or agents to look at every case. So they focus on areas that the Attorney General has outlined as Priority areas and Travel Agent complaints are not a Priority area so she said it did not look good for us and maybe we should contact Pennsylvanias Attorney Generals Office as they may have more resources!
We also received a call from the Insurance company who had also been trying to help us sort this out and the Claims Exaimers stated she had talked with Kings Cruise twice and each time they changed their story. She said Kings Cruise told her that there was a 15% Agent Penalty in their contract and that was why we did not get the full refund. Two weeks later they told the Insurance Examiner it was a 50% penalty stated in the contract that we signed.
The thing is We never signed a contract, nor received one. All we did was fill out an online reservation form (we copied the form and nowhere does it state an Agent Penalty just an outline of penalties if you did not buy insurance).
The Claims Examiner does feel Kings Cruise is being dishonest and is not abiding by their own contract and appear to be imposing a Penalty on our cancellation even though we bought the insurance.
She also wanted us to know that the insurance the Agent sold us does not cover the Travel Agencts Penalties. She also wanted us to know that they do offer other insurance that does cover the agents penalties but Kings Cruise did not purchase that form of insurance for its customers.
We did contact Montgomery Gentry's management and left them know what was going on and hoped they could help us get this straightened out. Since they advertised this cruise on their website for months to the fans we thought they would be Very concerned to hear of 2 fans getting ripped off for nearly a Thousand dollars.
Montgomery Gentry's managements first words to me were: " I hope you do not think your going to get the money from us!
That was like a slap in the face, I could not believe they would even think that and I told them "Oh my Gosh no!" I was given an email to write to and asked to send them all the details. That was March of I never got a response though I have sent several emails with updates of what has been going on to them.
Apparently Montgomery Gentry's managemnt did call the travel agent as she twisted what happen around as we learned in her reply to a BBB letter. She accused us of calling Montgomery Gentry's Management and asking them for the refund! Which Never happened!
We can not beleive a business would go to this extent and only can think of one reason why she would - she stole our money and is making any excuse she can not to refund it to us!
So beware of this Agency and do not expect any Agency to help you get the refund and no one gives one hoot!
We are seeing a lawyer in 2 weeks.
Mike and Celeste
Poconos, Pennsylvania
U.S.A.
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