A senior fare mixup

Q: I recently booked a cruise through 11thHour.com and paid the full amount by credit card. When the information packet arrived with our tickets, I was surprised to find a notice that we had reserved a special senior-citizen rate, along with a warning that if we couldn’t prove our eligibility for the fare when we checked in, we would have to pay more.

We never told anyone we were seniors. In fact, the birthdays we gave when we booked the cruise clearly indicated that we aren’t senior citizens.

When I called 11thHour.com, an agent said she would ask our cruise line to look into the matter. Now I’m being told that we owe $250 on top of the $1,133 we’ve already paid. After almost a month of trying, our agent says she can’t get the fee waived and asks if we want to cancel the cruise. What should I do?

– Beverly Darnell, Conroe, Texas

A: I think you should go on your cruise without paying another penny.

It is true that cruise fares can change even after you’ve bought your tickets. For example, when fuel prices suddenly spiked a few years ago, some cruise lines retroactively imposed a fuel surcharge on their paid fares. But this isn’t one of those cases.

Somehow, you bought a senior fare even though you aren’t old enough to qualify for one. If your transaction had been done online, through the 11thHour.com Web site, this would probably be an open-and-shut case. Most travel sites have the capability of showing screen shots that prove you pushed the button that resulted in your itinerary. But you made your reservation by phone.

When you run into a problem with a phone reservation and it becomes a case of your word against someone else’s, it’s important to switch to a medium that allows you to create a paper trail. Having a written record of your request to fix the problem, along with the company’s response, is critical should the case get escalated to a supervisor or become a credit-card dispute or a small-claims court action.

E-mail or even a regular letter will do the trick. Repeated phone calls to your online travel agent are less helpful. Although many companies record their calls, you cannot easily obtain a transcript. You need something in writing.

I asked 11thHour.com to look into your reservation. It turns out the company had erroneously sold you a senior rate. After you discovered the mistake, it called your cruise line in hopes that it would honor the lower fare. When it wouldn’t, you were given the option of paying an extra $250 or canceling your cruise.

An 11thHour.com representative contacted you, apologized for the misunderstanding, and offered to pay the difference in your cruise fare.

Christopher Elliott is the author of Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals. Critics have called it “eye-opening” and “inspiring” — it’ll “grab your attention and won’t let go.” Order your copy now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or iTunes.

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