Cancelling a vacation, can they do this?

Neoshoegal

A long time ago (summer 2007) I booked a cruise with a certain cruise line. A few months later, we received a letter to cancel that cruise as they had chartered out the ship. So we changed our plans and transferred to another cruise with them. Turns out a few months after this booking was made, they cancelled that one too. They offered a few similar cruises but all within an unreasonable amount of time to get flights and money sorted. So once again, we transferred our booking to another cruise.
Now we are in the position of having to cancel the cruise due to it clashing with work. So I call them to cancel on the assumption that I would loose the deposit, nothing more.
Well, it turns out that when I made that first booking, it was on a special offer that meant that only half the deposit was due. So I paid £100 instead of the usual £200 (£100 per person). They say that to cancel, you give the deposit of all people on the booking which means I have to pay another £100 to cancel! When I booked I wasn't told this was a deposit for 1 person, this was a half price deposit (so £50 each).

They've messed with us on a number of occassions, not just what's mentioned above. We are high up in their loyalty program. And now they want to pull this on us.
I'm fuming.:mad:

diddyangel

Can't you offer to swap again, like you did when they had a problem?

delwynshd

Its there fault they didnt take the correct deposit tell them to get stuffed and just ignore them, there is nothing they can do trust me

If you were not told at the time this is!

Just phone them back and say your not paying another penny

Del

isitenough

When is the new cruise due for? Can it be changed to a more suitable date?
If not...
I personally would write a polite but stern letter, to the head office, outlining all the above you've mentioned in your post and ask for your refund. Send special delivery to prove they have it. Then wait for their reply. Give them a reasonable date to respond (saying in the letter 'answer by return' or something) and if no response then ring them again.
Then I would never use them again!

I know that's probably a wimps answer but I'm a girl so I can get away with it!

FH_Brit

Are they ABTA or similar? Complain to ABTA.