Complain about a product or service

A Ticket To Ride Travel

Pensacola, FL

Sandy of Milton, FL January 10, 2010

On 10/29/09 I cancelled my reservation for a cruise on 05/22/10, because the quote I was given was too high and I found another agent who had a cheaper rate. The owner Linda M was unhappy about this and said if I cancelled this reservation she would charge $50 a person for her time. There are 7 people involved so she was charging $350 for doing her job. I told her I was never told about a fee or had anything in writing on my paperwork stating there would be a fee for her making changes at my request,she only mentioned this when I went to cancel the reservation. Each time I needed to make a change she said it was no problem. I also asked her previously if there was a charge for cancelling and she said no.

I feel since I am the customer having to pay for my vacation that I should be able to go with the cheapest rate. I also would like to state that because she was unhappy she had a Carnival Sales Development Manager Vlad L in Miami try to look up my reservation I had booked with another agent. I do not feel that is very ethical for the Cruise Line to give another agent my information. I sent her an email, around 11/16/09 I beleive, asking for the status of my refund. She never responded so I called and left a message and she never returned my phone call. I then called her back on 11/18/09 and she answered the phone and I asked her about the refund and she said she sent it out yesterday which would have been 11/17/09. I tried to ask her how much it was for and she said for the amount we discussed minus the $50 per person. She wouldn't tell me the details then she cut me off and said she had to go because she had a customer.

Ms. M told me she sent the $218 check out on Nov. 17th but the check was dated for Nov. 15th and the envelope was postmarked Nov. 23, which was the day Ms. M received my complaint to the better business bureau. This led me to think if I did not make this complaint that I would never have received this refund check. It should not take 3 days to get from Pensacola to Milton. Both my sister and I spoke with two other travel agents and they said unless this fee is in my paperwork she has no right to charge this rate. I do not think telling you in an email the day you are going to cancel your reservation is legal.When Ms. M emailed me this fee it was like she was threatening me to keep my reservation. None of this would have happened if Ms. M did not give me one rate for the reservation, then when I verified the totals the next day, she told me the carnival person who quoted her did not check to see if there was availibility so the rate increased by $660.

So I felt I had a right to check around for a cheaper rate. Each time I spoke with Ms. M to make a change she would say it was no problem. Ms. M stated my family cancelled twice with her, she took that upon herself to rebook our reservation, neither my sister nor I asked her to do that. Why would I have her rebook the reservation when I had already made a deposit on another reservation with another agent. Ms. M stated this was a $50 cancellation fee but when my sister wanted to know if there would be any fee, if she decided to cancel at a later time due to finances, Ms. M said she has up to 76 days to cancel with no penalty. Therfore, I feel I have a right to get the $350 back which Ms. M took since it was not in her paperwork or discussed prior to my cancellation.

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