Tag Archives: refunds

Carnival: Agents didn’t get paid due to ‘glitch’

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Carnival Cruise Line has fixed a “glitch” in its system that prevented the payment of commissions and refunds, according to an email that Joni Rein, the line’s vice president of worldwide sales, sent to travel agents on Wednesday.

Commissions and refunds due Jan. 22 will be paid Friday, Feb. 6, along with commissions and refunds processed between Jan. 29 and Feb. 4, Carnival said. Commissions and payments due for the following week, Jan. 23 through Jan. 29, will be paid Friday, Feb. 13, along with the current week’s payments.

One agent said that Carnival was three weeks behind on paying commissions to her agency, and another said that Carnival had missed one week of payments to his agency.

An agent told Travel Weekly that Carnival didn’t know about the lapse until agencies began calling the cruise line. She said that she had to call the cruise line and her sales rep to get a response.

She said Carnival responded with two emails: one on Friday, Jan. 30, saying it was working “’round the clock” to fix the problem, the second on Monday, Feb. 2, saying that it was having trouble fixing the problem because of Wave season.

On Wednesday, the agency received the email from Rein. It was a mass email to travel professionals and included information on the updated payment schedule.

“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your understanding,” Rein wrote in the email. “Most importantly, we thank you for your continued support.”

AAC warns of Atol reform’s ‘hidden dangers’

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AAC warns of Atol reform’s ‘hidden dangers’

Sep 02, 2011 08:00AM GMT

The Association of Atol Companies has issuing a stern warning over “hidden dangers” within planned government changes to the Atol financial protection scheme.

The AAC claims that hundreds of thousands of customers could lose protection when the rules change on January 1, 2012.

It highlighted concerns in the proposed changes two weeks before the deadline for consultation on the reforms by the Department for Transport.

Of greatest concern to the AAC is a plan to withdraw protection for refunds to those yet to travel if the only purchase made is a flight.

The trade body’s legal advisor Alan Bowen said: “Hundreds of thousands who might be visiting friends or relatives or travelling to their own accommodation abroad, stand to lose valuable protection, because despite the fact that they are only booking a flight, they will still be charged the usual £2.50 Atol Contribution fee.

“These proposals risk the whole Atol scheme losing credibility when some Atol sales will still offer refunds and repatriation and others won’t.

“At present it seems most travel agents and customers have failed to recognise the danger ahead and we urge all those affected to contact their local MP and respond to the consultation.”

For over 30 years customers booking a flight, whether chartered or scheduled, from an Atol holding company could be certain to receive a refund if the company ceased trading before the travel began.

AAC chairman David Mortimer said: “Within the last 14 days 50,000 people who booked with Holidays 4U have seen how important that right is, and their story was replicated in 2008 withthe collapse of XL and last year with the failure of Goldtrail when over 140,000 passengers claimed refunds.

”The ramifications of these proposed changes could badly affect the viability of agents, which underlines the importance of everyone participating in the consultation process.”

The AAC is advising and assisting members who need guidance in wording their response to the consultation, which closes on September 15.