Big ole business just itching to get more money from people’s grief… until they’re called out in front of enough people online.

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  • HeartyBeast
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    15011 months ago

    From the article:

    If Caitlin did want to try to get the original amount back, she’d have to email and send the death certificate to a specific email address

    Did she try - you know - doing that?

    • partial_accumen
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      13011 months ago

      For those that haven’t had to deal with handling the closing of accounts for someone that passed away, sending a Death Certificate is an extremely common request from a company. You usually should get 10 to 20 Death Certificates because many companies (especially banks) will require a real one, not a picture or email.

      • qyron
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        8011 months ago

        My country blew a hole in that logic by making essentially any government issued document a virtual certificate accessible through a permanente code.

        You can get one copy, scan and email it indefinetely and all entities receiving only need to check the permanent code online.

        It was complete chaos when it rolled out, especially for old, outdated, progress resisting entities.

        • @[email protected]
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          2511 months ago

          especially for old, outdated, progress resisting entities.

          Like government agencies?

          • qyron
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            3011 months ago

            Not really, in this case. It was the government issuing the new format, so it was the early adopter; some services are even interconnected and share information in real time.

            In this case, it was more about banks, telecoms, energy and water companies.

            • @Sequence5666
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              1111 months ago

              This sounds very efficient of your country. Where are you from ?

              • qyron
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                1111 months ago

                Portugal

                • @crushyerbones
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                  311 months ago

                  Hah I was about to say they tried this in Portugal but a lot of agencies (especially foreign ones) simply have no capacity to deal with digital certificates.

                  Hell I went to a public university a couple of years ago and they demanded I show them a stamped document proving that I’m employed.

              • @Shialac
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                111 months ago

                For real… maybe we will get something like that in germany in like a hundred years when they finally stop using fax machines lmao

        • @roofuskit
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          111 months ago

          We don’t have that level of centralized documentation in the US. A death certificate is issued by a much smaller subdivision of locally controlled government. The federal government doesn’t issue them.

          • qyron
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            311 months ago

            You should.

            Centralized documentation ensures accountability from the government to the citizens and vice versa.

            In my little barbarian country, every child is born a citizen. If there is no possibility to registry a newborn at the hospital, through a special representation office that exists for that sole purpose on site, there is a time limit for the child to be registered; of failed, the parents face serious problems.

            This simple gesture ensures the child exists and is accounted for. Social Security, Tax Number, NHS and personal identification number are immediatly issued.

            In the same way, a death is immediatly reported and all those numbers are immediatly cancelled by the funeral agent - this is mandated by law. This ensures the identity can not be abused for nefarious purposes. Driving, mariner, pilot license, etc, follows the same logic.

            All official documentation are centrally issued and accounted for. This even facilitates inter-agency exchange of information and speeds the issuing of social benefits and tax calculation.

            A strong, transparent, central administration provides better services for the citizens.

    • @[email protected]
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      2011 months ago

      It says it would take 30 business days. That means it would pass the date the cruise starts, so she would not be able to get a refund at all.

      • partial_accumen
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        3611 months ago

        It says it would take 30 business days.

        If Caitlin did want to try to get the original amount back, she’d have to email and send the death certificate to a specific email address, which may take up to 30 days to respond.

        This kind of language usually means “Yes, we will refund you in full as you have notified us. However, this processes isn’t fast and it has the requirement of us receiving the Death Certificate and validating it on our side before we issue a refund.”

        Did she specifically ask: “Okay, if I send in the request now to the email address you’ve given me, and I send the Death Certificate, does that mean I’ll be receiving the full refund even if your process takes time and the ship sails without them?”

      • @[email protected]
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        11 months ago

        No. That’s not how things work.
        The refund could take 30 days to go into her bank account. She would get the refund if she sent them the info like a normal person.

      • HeartyBeast
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        1411 months ago

        It says it could take up to 30 days. That doesn’t mean that the refund might still not have been granted even post-cruise.

  • IHeartBadCode
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    6511 months ago

    Why can’t they just do the right thing from the get-go?

    Because like all nice things, people abuse them. Not to indicate that Carnival Cruise is some saint here, but the reason most companies don’t just default to “benefit of the doubt” is because there are a ton of very bad people out there that abuse any inch a company will give them.

    My step mother was one of those entitled ass people who thought the world owed her. One day she put on some act about a late fee and the person on the other side of the desk was saying “oh I’m sure there’s something we can swing…” And having enough of her shit, I was basically, “Do not give this lady a wavier on that late fee, everything she just said is some massive warping of the actual truth!”

    Maybe it’s because of her, but I find it difficult to ding companies who don’t default to “benefit of the doubt”. I’m glad the lady got it sorted out. But shoot, I’ve got massive distrust of folks in general and my step-mother is a lot of the blame for that. Side note, that’s likely unhealthy kind of stuff that I should one day sort out.

    • @Mamertine
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      411 months ago

      If you’re a customer who is usually in good standing, when you call and ask for late fees to be waived, they usually are.

  • @breadsmasher
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    2611 months ago

    capitalism gonna capitalism

    • @[email protected]
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      511 months ago

      You could say they’re capitalizing on her misfortune.

  • @[email protected]
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    1311 months ago

    Just Weekend at Bernie’s it. Cruises are already floating disease incubators, what difference is a corpse or two?

    • Pepsi
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      911 months ago

      do you want zombie covid?

      because that’s how you get zombie covid.

    • @beetus
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      11 months ago

      Fun fact: Almost every modern cruise ship has a fully functioning morgue.

  • @LemmyFeed
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    911 months ago

    It sucks that you have to go to social media to reach these companies and actually get results. What if you don’t have any social media or very few followers?

    • @[email protected]
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      2911 months ago

      Then you send them a copy of the death certificate like they asked her to, and they refund the full amount.

  • Alex
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    311 months ago

    Cancellation fees are bullshit.

  • tygerprints
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    -111 months ago

    She should bring a lawsuit against Carnival cruiselines and tell them to go fuck themselves for being such filthy disgusting assholes.

  • hh93
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    -311 months ago

    I mean the mother signed a contract? there’s a “classic” case that if an old person ordered a stair lift and then died before construction started the heirs will still have to pay for that.

    It’s just that you inherit not just the values but also the obligations as shitty as it might be

    and that she apparently didn’t even send them the death-certificate before going to the media makes this just drip from big Karen-energy…

    • @[email protected]
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      1811 months ago

      the heirs will still have to pay for that.

      I don’t think you can sign your children into a contract of any kind. If there’s money they’re inheriting the estate would have to pay contracts before the heirs in some cases but if there’s no money to be had I don’t think the kids are on the hook for anything.

      • @Mango
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        111 months ago

        The quick way around this is to be in debt to your kids!

      • hh93
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        311 months ago

        At least it’s that way in Germany

        My father died 2 years ago and my sister and I had to pay for construction at the house he signed off a month before his death even though we didn’t want that and both our lawyers said there’s no way to get out of that unless you deny the whole inheritance

        • @Notorious_handholder
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          511 months ago

          You’re talking about inheritance though. Inheritance also works likes that in the US as well. But inheritance is a whole different can of worms legally than what is being talked about in the article and even then what debt does and doesn’t get passed on is fuzzy. Sorry about your loss though

  • bluGill
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    -311 months ago

    Cruses have always been no cancelations for any reason. Which is why cruise forums are full of debate on what instance is best, with few saying don’t get it.

  • @wreckedcarzz
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    -611 months ago

    Show up, firebomb the ship, justice. Ez pz.

    • @[email protected]
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      111 months ago

      They’re probably less likely to be as covered by insurance if you intentionally start a norovirus incident, and maybe get your money back.

  • tygerprints
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    11 months ago

    I doubt she can afford it but if so, she could try to bring a suit against Carnival Cruise lines. They hate negative publicity. Or talk to an AP reporter, maybe they could do a story about it. She could also start a GoFundMe to cover the cost of cancellation but I do hope Carnival Cruise gets a lot of flack for being so inflexible and insensitive and money hungry. Another example of how we get screwed because a large corporation with tons of money is unwilling to bend the rules a bit and must follow every word of their “you have to pay us this” script to the letter, no matter who suffers.

    • @[email protected]
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      11 months ago

      Why? All she needs to do is send them a copy of the death certificate. That’s how it works, they’re not asking for anything out of the ordinary. That’s simply what you do when someone passes away.

      • tygerprints
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        011 months ago

        Carnival Cruise lines has a net worth upward of $19 billion. I truly believe that it won’t bankrupt them to bend the rules and cancel this fare once and for all without causing this undue hardship during this woman’s period of grieving. Yes she can just send a death certificate, but if I were her there’s be a big “FUCK YOU” note attached. And they could bill me (without success) for the remainder of my life as far as that goes.

        • @[email protected]
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          11 months ago

          No one has to bend any rules. Providing proof of death is an extremely basic process when someone passes away. Net worth, bankruptcy… None of that has any bearing at all on this situation.

          You’re being extremely over dramatic for no reason.

          • tygerprints
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            011 months ago

            Obviously you are employed by Carnival and have to follow your pre coded script. But I’m right and no amount of assholery from you can change that fact.

            • @[email protected]
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              11 months ago

              I have never worked for Carnival of all places lol I just have common sense.

              Look, if you think begging for everything is the way to go through life, have at it. But you don’t need to do that in this situation. It’s far easier to just send them the info and have it taken care of.

              You do you, Karen. Good luck out there.

              • tygerprints
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                011 months ago

                Actually you’re just a filthy degenerate father fucking piece of sick filth. So your feedback holds no interest for me. Go be an asshole to people who give a damn.