PENSACOLA, Fla. (WKRG) — A lot of businesses were forced to close during the coronavirus pandemic, and most of them remain closed. Carnival Cruise Line was forced to cancel cruises, and thousands of people are still waiting on refunds for those canceled vacations.
One of them lives in Pensacola. Angela Cannon spent almost $3-thousand-dollars for a cruise her family was supposed to take in late April. She understands why Carnival canceled her cruise and others, and she’s appreciative. But now, she says she would appreciate a refund.
Most of us have to save up for vacations, and with the economy the way it is because of the cornavirus pandemic, a lot of people who paid for cruises they didn’t get to take could really use that money.
“There’s a lot of people who have lost their jobs now and I know there’s other people going through the same thing I’m going through, like, where’s my refund?” said Cannon.
Cannon says she’s thankful to still have her job, but when she’s not working, she’s on the phone and sending emails, trying to get someone from carnival to tell her when she’ll get a refund for her canceled cruise.
“It’s just frustrating when you can’t get anyone to give you an answer. I just want to know where my money is. That’s all,” she told Cherish Lombard.
Angela booked her cruise through Carnival. Paperwork shows the cancellation of her cruise on March 21st. It also shows she was supposed to get a refund within “10 to 14 business days.” Fast-forward 31 days later. Still no refund, or even an idea of when she’ll get her money back.
“You took it really quick the day I booked it so don’t tell me this day and age you can’t turn around and return that right back to me. I just don’t believe that,” said Cannon.
And she’s not alone. There are thousands of comments regarding refunds on the Carnival Cruise Line Facebook page.
“It’s just that unknown element because no one’s talking about it. Nobody’s said anything about it. Somebody has to know something,” Cannon said.
News 5 reached out to Carnival’s media relations representative and asked:
Are there plans for a number that people can call to check their refund status?
Is there any reassurance carnival can give people that they will get their money back?
What is the reason for the delay?
What would you say to people who are now out of a job and need that money to buy essentials for their family?
A statement from Carnival reads, “Well over one million Carnival guests have been impacted by this extended pause in cruising, which dwarfs any disruption we’ve experienced in even the worst hurricane season. We continue to process refunds as quickly as we can. Our customer service staff are all approved for overtime and we have trained other management employees to help as well. We are committed to issuing refunds as soon as possible, but I cannot give you an approximate date at this time.”
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