We purchased an All-Inclusive Country Music Cruise package with Kings Cruise Agency last March. It was advertised on Montgomery gentry's 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 Agency 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.
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 received 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 had found out from Carnival that they owned the insurance carrier and we could find their link on Carnivals website.
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) 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' prior to the Cruise and now she became an Arrogant Salesperson who no longer wanted anything to do with us!
In January we got our Insurance refund 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!
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 deposit 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 Reponses back and forth to each of us.
We also received a call from the Insurance company in June who had also been trying to help us sort this out and the Claims Examiner's 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.
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 not abiding by their 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 Agents 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.
One would expect a Travel Agency to help the customer through and through which includes the refund process. Kings Cruise appears to have kept our $969.00.
If they were Concerned about their customers well being, they would have got to the bottom of where our money was if They did not have it already!
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