P&O cancelled cruise due to Covid and won't refund

brianposter

When you send the medical letter be careful and keep it simple - nothing more than "Please find enclosed the doctors letter as requested in your Facebook messages."

That way you will keep your options open.

Pippa12345

Thanks brianposter said:

When you send the medical letter be careful and keep it simple - nothing more than "Please find enclosed the doctors letter as requested in your Facebook messages."

That way you will keep your options open.

Thanks 

[Deleted User]

I do hope you get this sorted Pippa - seems confusion all round!    

Sounds to me like your original letter sounded like you wanted to cancel.   Not sure why the operator didn't have notice of this when you telephoned to confirm you wished to go ahead, unless the letter hadn't filtered through by the time you spoke to the operator?    Did you at any time check your account section on-line?   That would have given you the 'status' of your booking.     

So, looks very much like everyone has said, your booking as a whole has been given 50% of the cost of the cruise as per t's and c's of cancellation.    Do try to see if you or your friend can get any help from GP in form of a letter.   It is worth a try at least.

Would also say, you are not alone in this situation.   There are other people who contacted agents thinking they were mulling the situation over, but obviously not made themselves clear enough and the holidays were cancelled.   I am learning so much about holidays, pitfalls and the things to avoid.  Yet another to remember is "Never mention the C word to agents "     Not a lot of help but hope it does work out for you.

Pippa12345

This morning I found the email address of the Paul, Ludlow president of P&O and emailed him my complaint. I had a reply within two hours from his assistant asking for the medical evidence which I attached to the email by return having found it attached to an email I received from P&O in April. I have just had a reply saying that I will receive my refund within 7-10 days and she has escalated it as high priority. I should have gone straight to the top sooner. I won't totally relax until the refund arrives but it's looking promising. 
Pip. 

Sayschezza

That's brilliant news. Well done you.

Pippa12345

Yes I am so relieved. What's scary is they're basing the refund on a letter that was a precursor to cancelling that I'd sent them at the beginning of March that after discussion with my friend we decided to proceed. I contacted P&O and rescinded that and it was confirmed to me the booking was active and proceeding and through the month of April my friend and I thought and believed we were/may be going on a cruise. I will never rely on what I am told in the future on the phone, I need to evidence everything. It would have been a very sad scene at the dockside on embarkation day when I got turned away! 
With this hopefully resolved it wouldn't put me off using P&O again. This must be a nightmare time for them. I do hope that everyone does get their refunds as promised, with the sale of Oceana they should have the cashflow in order to do so.
I received a diagnosis of Addison's disease late June so I am highest risk catagory should I catch Covid so going on the cruise at the end of May could potentially have been very dangerous for me but rightly, Europe was in lockdown. Experts believe Covid will be around and active for a couple of years so who knows when I will get my first ever cruise, one day maybe. 
There are times when going to the very top in the organisation is the only way forward to resolve issues like this. Given that they're refunding me on the basis of a letter in early March they've taken 141 days so far to refund me plus however many days until I receive the refund. Not the quickest refund ever! 
Pip. 
 

missile

Same booking reference but different account numbers. Therein lies the problem. I hope you receive your refund soon

Pippa12345

Yes it's how P&O set the booking up for us, so their choice but if we do go on a cruise in the future, I will do all payments in one go from one account. Learnt some lessons in all of this! 
Thanks,
Pip. 

Dr_Crypto

Good you got this sorted. As you said there seems to be a lesson for us all - keep it simple!