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Carnival Cruise Lines

Billing Disputes

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Lindsey of Middletown OH (1/30/04):
I planned on going to the western Carribean for my honeymoon and my fiance and I put our deposit down for the cruise. About a week later I was out of town and discovered that my checking account was overdrawn and after several phone calls I discovered that Carnival had charged my account double (same charge 2 different days). I was extremely upset and called 1-800-Carnival and the representative said they could not talk to me about the issue and that I would have to contact my travel agent.

My travel agent discovered that Carnival had infact charged my account double as well as every other card they ran that day and they would refund the money as soon as possible. Well, 5 days later my bank was able to correct the problem along with all my overdraft charges by disputing the second charge. At this point, I was very upset because Carnival took no action nor would they contact me about the mistake.

My fiance and I decided at this time that if they did not contact us at least with a letter of appology we would cancel our trip with Carnival. Two weeks later, one week before canceling the cruise, I called again to address the issue after an email I sent said to contact 1-800-CARNIVAL if my issue hadn't been resolved. Again, the representative said they could do NOTHING until after we sailed and then they could "open up a folder about our complaint but they couldn't promise anything would be done."

My travel agent contacted the cruise line and Carnival said they could give us a $30 onboard credit. We all thought this was inappropriate and more of an insult then any compensation. I also believe that $30 was not worth me having to borrow $500 from a family member in order to correct my checking account balance so I could return home nor the 5 days that it took my bank to correct the problem. At this time Carnival had STILL NOT replaced the money.

Tisha of Horseshoe, NC (1/20/04):
Our family booked a cruise with Carnival for July 25th through August 1st. We booked 5 rooms. We all gave our credit cards - they charged each one of our accounts twice for the deposit. When we called they said every transaction on the 13th of January the computer charged twice that our money would be reinbursed in a couple of days.

This did not happen. They're now saying it will be 2 to 3 weeks befour we get out money returned to us. This is crazy - they can sure take it out of all our accounts but not give it back? I am very upset as credit card holders will have to pay interest and what if I had not had had the additional money in my debit account for them to draft? This will be the last cruise we ever take with Carnival. This is not a fair practice at all as it was there mistake they should correct in a timely manner.

Myra of New York NY (8/15/03):
I was on Carnival Victory July 17th 03. I gave my debit card number for sail and sign. We docked in N.Y. 7-21 and on that date I was charged $84 for purchases I did not make and my checking account was debited. I was debited almost $90 for purchases I did not make and it hasn't been corrected yet.

Stacey of Reynoldsburg OH (6/10/03):
I and three close friends decided to celebrate our 30th birthdays with a cruise. I went online decided to book with Carnival's Sensation. I called the 1-800 number for booking and made arrangements with Angela (a Carnival booking agent). I made a deposit for the 5-day cruise on my credit card and opted to get the travelers insurance. I made it perfectly clear to Angela that we were on a budget and we wanted to be assured that we would not be hit with any last-minute or hidden costs when we go on our cruise.

After talking with former cruisers, they have told me that there is a final bill: the gratuity. Now, I don't mind tipping, however Angela didn't not make it very clear at the time of booking that gratuity was mandatory and that we could pre-pay this expense. I called Carnival to confirm this and spoke with a different representative, Sherrie. Angela was no longer employed by Carnival. Sherrie informed me that there is a charge for gratuity ($48.75 per person for our booking) that does not have to be paid until the last day of the cruise. I complained that I was not made aware of this additional cost and that tipping should be at our discretion and based on the quality of service.

Sherrie explained to me that if we do not tip the amount quoted, I would be billed for the amount of $48.75/person on my credit card. This cannot be fair. If we decide that the service is less than stellar, we cannot validate any complaints or disputes by paying gratuity.

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