Holland America double-billing scam
 

The night before the end of our 12-day HAL cruise in August, my daughter paid her account in full. She was warned that it was completely closed, but when the invoices arrived under our door that last morning, the spa had double-billed her for several hundred dollars worth of services. HAL was not helpful about getting this off her bill; it took 90 minutes and a late exit from the ship. When I wrote them later, they barely acknowledged a problem and offered nothing as an apology. We think the spa manager chose her because she appeared to be traveling alone, and she doesn't use her husband's name. Be super-careful with any charges on HAL as the desk people, even though they "close" an account, can add hundreds of dollars overnight and if you don't protest before you leave the ship, good luck getting your money back.

No direct knowledge of any scam or simple mistake on HAL - but if one can't get something reasonably resolved with vendor, the next stop is the credit card company - they always seem to have a way of fixing things.

Mistakes can happen, but what is disturbing is the fact that they needed 90 min to settle the thing. Imagine, OP did not have time to wait that long!

I sense that cruise companies have become extremely greedy. It fits into the overall picture.

Maybe. I am glad she got it resolved but honestly its impossible to believe the spa manager was out to raise the profits dishonestly w/o hearing both sides of the story. Sorry to hear about the hassle too. Its a poor way to do business.

Hi Kathryn,
Sorry to hear about the hassle with your bill. Definitely not a nice way to end a cruise experience. I have heard this same complaint from many cruisers over the past year. On a recent cruise on RCI on the morning of disembarkation there must have been at least 100 people in line disputing charges. Fortunately, on American Express you can place these charges "in dispute" and they will argue your case for you. I'm not sure but I think Master Card and Visa work the same way.

Also, The Crabby Old Guy always checks are credit card statement when we get home and compares the charges to the ship's invoice. We had an occasion where we were charged for services after we left the ship.

I think what it all boils down to is that in todays world you must become a "Savvy Traveler" to keep ahead of all the large corporations. It's Not only the cruise ships but hotels, restaurants and shops. Hope your next cruise goes smoother.

Hugs,
The Savvy Old Lady
www.thesavvyoldlady.com

We have had to dispute a small charge on our bill but caught it before we left the ship. I;ve heard others with the same complaint. It does make you kind of wonder how and why this happens so frequently.

After reading postings on cruise critic and fodors we did not give our credit card as payment for ship board expenses upon boarding, rather $250 (travelers checks)instead. The only time we would increase the amount is if we planned to book an excursion or incur another expense. We just felt it protected us from billing errors by not leaving a "blank check". To date, neither HAL or Princess has insisted on a credit card.

Jerseymaxx, only $250???

Because the HAL website states a deposit of $60 per per per day will be collected. That's over $800 cash for a typical 7 day cruise.

http://www.hollandamerica.com/guests...ipboardAccount

I thought I heard this story before!We will take extra precaution this summer on our HAL Alaskan cruise. I like jerseymaxx's idea of putting travelers' checks down as a deposit instead of the credit card.

Aren't you finding great information on this site!!!

Your travel buddy :)

I prefer credit card because it is an extra layer of insulation between me and the vendor - they will fight the fight for you. (Did for my mother with damaged carpet from Turkey, hotel for me in Maryland)

On our last trip I purchased some things in the spa but decided against keeping them. I called to see about returning these items and they had no problem and they credited my account immediately. I guess things can go either way. I hope you don't have problems in the future.