My wife and her sister planned to take their 96 year old mother on a Princess Cruise. The night before the cruise, my wife's mother had a medical emergency requiring her to be admitted in the hospital. Once we learned that the emergency had passed, we decided to continue with the cruise. However, my wife and her mother could not catch the flight in time, so we agreed I would board the ship on time in Los Angeles, and my wife would join me at our first port, San Francisco.
After many hours and phone calls to Princess, the cruise line would not let her board, citing the Passenger Vessel Act of 1886. Most of the customer services reps we spoke to knew little to nothing about the act; and some mistook it for the Jones Act. A few even said there would be no problem for her to board in San Francisco.
One of their customer service reps did say my wife could board if she signed an acknowledgement and paid any fine levied for violation of this PSA act. (This is the practice of their sister cruise line, Celebrity). My wife was more than willing to do this.
No one on board knew how (or wanted) to do this. They simply refused to let my wife join the cruise. Since she could not board, I left the cruise. Then, to add insult to injury, they fined me $300 for leaving the ship in San Francisco.
Nowhere in any of the literature they provided was there mention that they could refuse boarding because of the PSA. Or that it even existed. If they had warned me, I would have bought their overpriced trip insurance. There is also no mention of it anywhere in their web-site either.
When I contact their Customer Service manager and asked for a refund of our monies for the cruise they denied us, I was told there would be no compensation. I contacted their President and got the same answer. In desperation, I reached out to their CEO but never received a reply. Princess had several opportunities to help avoid the problem in the first place, or make it right as events unfolded, but instead chose to keep our money and deny any responsibility.
My wife and I did everything they asked, (including spending many hours on the phone with multiple customer service reps). We need an advocate to help us get our money returned. What they did may have been legal, but certainly not fair, moral, or ethical. Can you help?
We should receive reimbursement of the cost of the cruise for my wife and myself. Plus reimbursement of the $300 fee I was charged to disembark. I should also be reimbursed the cost of my airfare to fly to California and return, never having been united with my wife on the cruise.
Date of transaction/travel date: 2017-11-04
After many hours and phone calls to Princess, the cruise line would not let her board, citing the Passenger Vessel Act of 1886. Most of the customer services reps we spoke to knew little to nothing about the act; and some mistook it for the Jones Act. A few even said there would be no problem for her to board in San Francisco.
One of their customer service reps did say my wife could board if she signed an acknowledgement and paid any fine levied for violation of this PSA act. (This is the practice of their sister cruise line, Celebrity). My wife was more than willing to do this.
No one on board knew how (or wanted) to do this. They simply refused to let my wife join the cruise. Since she could not board, I left the cruise. Then, to add insult to injury, they fined me $300 for leaving the ship in San Francisco.
Nowhere in any of the literature they provided was there mention that they could refuse boarding because of the PSA. Or that it even existed. If they had warned me, I would have bought their overpriced trip insurance. There is also no mention of it anywhere in their web-site either.
When I contact their Customer Service manager and asked for a refund of our monies for the cruise they denied us, I was told there would be no compensation. I contacted their President and got the same answer. In desperation, I reached out to their CEO but never received a reply. Princess had several opportunities to help avoid the problem in the first place, or make it right as events unfolded, but instead chose to keep our money and deny any responsibility.
My wife and I did everything they asked, (including spending many hours on the phone with multiple customer service reps). We need an advocate to help us get our money returned. What they did may have been legal, but certainly not fair, moral, or ethical. Can you help?
We should receive reimbursement of the cost of the cruise for my wife and myself. Plus reimbursement of the $300 fee I was charged to disembark. I should also be reimbursed the cost of my airfare to fly to California and return, never having been united with my wife on the cruise.
Date of transaction/travel date: 2017-11-04
