<BR>Renaissance has attracted the attention of Elliot Spitzer, Attorney General of New York. <BR> <BR>Ren's cancellation policy of taking $1,500 from passengers who cancel before 120 days before sailing and 100% thereafter does not reflect Ren's actual damages therefore they are breaking the law. <BR> <BR>Also, Ren's small type is not large enough to constitute adequate disclosure. <BR> <BR>Now the good news......Ren. will change it's policy as of today. It will now adhere to the industry standard cancellation policies. <BR> <BR>Soon Ren. will become a reputable company. They continue to meet with us travel agents. We are fighting for the rights of our customers. <BR> <BR>Paul <BR>

You must have a lot of time on your hands, Mr. Therault. Renaissance seems to be one of your favorite targets. Please post the exact words of Attorney-General Spitzer. <BR> <BR>I can only report that my wife and I were completely satisfied in every way with our experience with Renaissance. We have no connection with Renaissance or the travel industry. We had no need to test Ren's policies inasmuch as we, as experienced travelers, bought insurance against an unforeseen need to cancel a trip. We always do. As a travel agent, do you counsel your customers to do so? Always?

If it's illegal to take more than the actual loss, why isn't it illegal for the airlines? If you have a non-refundable ticket, you usually lose everything if you miss the flight even if your seat is sold to someone else.

Paul: My experience with Ren was similar to AlRuth. A wonderful cruise with many amenities and fabulous ports at a fair price. Experience has taught me to always purchase travel insurance. As a reputable TA, I would hope that you always advise your clients to do so, regardless of refund policies. From reading all of your messages about Ren, it seems the only thing you are interested in has nothing to do with the travel consumer, but the commission you were not paid.

<BR>Here we go again..... <BR> <BR>The travel industry is dedicated to consumer awareness. Many millions of dollars are spent doing so. <BR> <BR>I am just relating the news as it is printed. <BR> <BR>A travel agent does not care about losing commission not selling Ren. <BR>We have many other products to sell. <BR>These products are quality. Not inferior. <BR> <BR>Ren. tried a new venue which was fine, this is America. They found out it did not work. Now they are apoligizing. <BR> <BR>I wish we had as much clout with the airlines. Airline lobbyists control the Congress. <BR> <BR>Let me tell you all about insurance: First, 40% of my customers travel without it. Foolish but true. They believe I am a salesman trying to make big money. They make me feel guilty for mentioning it. <BR> <BR>Al, you state you are an experienced traveler. If you sailed Ren. you gambled. Same as visiting Las Vegas. You won, fine. Ren. has wonderful ships and wonderful itineraries at a wonderful price. Many thousands of passengers have traveled with Ren. without incidence. The few that have not have had no recourse. I mean this. They receive no response, they can not sue, they cannot collect monies from anyone. They lost. This is what ruins the cruise industry and makes people weary about cruising. This is bad for everyone. Ren. is admitting to this and it is about time. <BR> <BR>Now let me tell you what might have happened..... <BR> <BR>Most travelers do not understand what insurance covers. Cancellation insurance does not cover you cancelling on a whim, such as smashing your car or losing your job. It only covers things of a serious nature such as medical problems, strikes, terrorists, etc. <BR> <BR>This was Ren.'s cancellation policy: <BR>You pay up front to save a few bucks. They use your money to invest for profit. Fine for them. <BR> <BR>If you had to cancel for anything but a covered reason....(see above) you lose $1,500. Did you gamble? Yes you did. <BR> <BR>Now, 120 days before sailing up to your sailing date you decide to cancel. Not for a reason mentioned above. You lose ALL your money. This amounts to many thousands of dollars. We are not talking 10 bucks here. You gambled again. <BR> <BR>Were you adequately covered for your trip? I believe not. <BR> <BR>I explain insurance coverages to all my customers. I would not allow my customers to gamble with Ren. unless they insisted. <BR> <BR>This is the industry standard: A small deposit holds your reservation up to 45 to 60 days before travel. This deposit is fully refundable for any reason. When you make your final payment 45 to 60 days before travel, you will lose your deposit. The cancellation penalties increase up to 7 days before sailing. Then you will lose all your money. Fair? Yes. You can purchase insurance from any company and be covered for any serious reason. <BR> <BR>Now, if you wish the entire statement made by Spitzer, please call his office. I refuse to write his entire statement. <BR> <BR>I hope this covers everything. Now you undestand a little more about insurance. <BR> <BR>Paul <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

Come on people, we all know that Paul suggests to his clients that they get insurance. Of course, he sells it to them. Ka-ching....another commission secured. Don't get me wrong, I am all in favor for insurance, but buy it direct and save. <BR> <BR>It's just another easy way for a travel agent to be viewed as concerned for his client. <BR> <BR>Frankly, most TA's I have encountered are under trained order takers, interested in the quick easy sale. <BR> <BR>Paul is a militant fighting to preserve his livlihood, his way of doing business. He attacks anything that is different that he perceives as a threat to old (his) style travel agents. I have read posts where he has attacked Renaissance, e-commerce & large national type travel agencies who operate on the internet. <BR> <BR>Keep fighting the good fight, Paul. Just don't pass it off as being concerned for your fellow human being. <BR>

Paul, I feel like lots of people are beating you up. I for one was a Renaissance casualty a few years. Due to my extreme hatred of Renaissance's NO customerSERVICE I swore I'd never consider them again but I'm happy to hear that they're coming around and displaying compasionate qualities. Time has a way of healing and I might just give them a 2nd chance because they do have good Mediterranean itineraries. Thanks for the updates.

I've been reading many of these Renaissance messages because we are taking a Ren cruise in November. I read their message boards, spoke to people whose opinions I trusted, read through Ren's policy-yes the print was small, but I managed. I am certainly not gambling. As far as insurance, I had no trouble purchasing from Universal, at a reasonable fee. I have purchased insurance from them in the past for other trips. Crashing your car or losing your job are not "cancelling on a whim" as Paul Therault states, but viable reasons for cancelling a vacation and could certainly involve the necessity of medical treatment thereby falling within the insurance coverage. I don't think he should be valued as a representative of the travel industry because now that he will be paid a commission, he is softening his tone on Ren. I always book through a reliable TA, even for this Renaissance cruise. The TA said that there was, in fact,always a small commission paid by Renaissance, about $300. Maybe that is small potatoes compared to what other cruise lines pay in commission. I don't believe that the travel industry is necessarily dedicated to educating the travel consumer first. I think that would be at least second on its agenda, because I think the travel industry is dedicated to helping the travel agent earn a living. It seems Renaissance was not successful at direct marketing and with the glut of cruise ships making for fierce competition, they have decided to fall in line. No matter what this guy Paul writes, it's the lack of commission that caused him and other TAs to drop Renaissance from their preferred list.

Joanne, you've got that right. You are going to have a marvelous time if your cruise is anything like ours on Ren to Tahiti. Absolutely one of the best ever.

<BR>I get really tired of repeating and repeating and repeating. <BR> <BR>I never made a living selling Ren. and never will. It has NOTHING TO DO WITH COMMISSIONS! <BR> <BR>Travel agents have many other programs to sell. <BR> <BR>One of our goals is consumer awareness. <BR> <BR>Simply put, I was making people aware of Ren's policies. <BR> <BR>You will note my posts have been more optimistic lately due to Ren's new policy changes and the new directors. <BR> <BR>Paul

Paul states that Ren's cancellation policy does not reflect their actual damages. Someone else questions how airlines are able to keep your money on a non-refundable ticket. <BR> <BR>My general understanding (not based on expertise in this area) is that a contract can contain a provision for "liquidated damages." Rather than prove your damages for each cancellation under the contract, the contract can contain a generic amount to be paid as damages. It has to bear some relation to reality and must be clearly disclosed. Maybe that is the way Ren got into trouble. <BR> <BR>Finally, I note that Paul says again and again that this has nothing to do with commissions because he does not sell Ren. I can't help but point out that if Paul sells other lines but not Ren, he has every incentive to increase awareness of any problems Ren is having. In fact, he has an even greater incentive to bash Ren because every client lost to Ren earns him nothing, whereas if he sold Ren, he would at least get their paltry commission.