How to File a Claim Against Carnival Cruise line

What is it?

Your contract with the cruise line says that you probably can’t use most types of lawsuits like class action lawsuits or big trials in front of a jury. But what you can use is small claims court. This is a chance to bring your claim before a local judge and receive a monetary award. Bear in mind though that most small claims courts will not only provide monetary awards only and not equitable, but they also have court limits on how much you can ask for so not every claim qualifies.

When to try it

This is a very long and arduous process so you have a lot of time and energy on your hands then you can make your case using small claims court.

What you need to do

Find your state court website to figure out what sets you have to follow based on what area you live in. They will specify what you have to do, what forms, where you have to go so, what you have to pay and so on. Every court has its own procedure but it’s still a lot simpler than a big lawsuit.

What to expect

If you do everything that is expected in your area and you have a good claim with enough evidence, chances are you will get compensation. More importantly, as soon as you notify the cruise line that you are pursuing this option they are more likely to give you a settlement in exchange for dropping the case.

What is it?

The Better Business Bureau known as the BBB and its local chapters function as private organizations that host a website where they collect and publish customer complaints and provide companies with a rating based on said complaints. They also provide companies the opportunity to respond publicly to the complaints.

When to try it

If you see that the Carnival Cruise Line has responded to previous complaints recently, that means they are actively engaged, something that their page will indicate. This brings with it a higher likelihood that they will respond to your issue. However, if they are not actively engaged, you can still publish your complaint but it may not necessarily lead to a solution.

What you need to do

Visit the Carnival Cruise Line page and follow the instructions for the Better Business Bureau on how to submit a complaint.

What to expect

The outcome will vary depending on whether the Carnival Cruise Line company responds to your complaint or not. If they respond you might get a resolution to the problem but if they don’t respond, but at least your complaint has been added to the complaints that comprise the overall rating for the company.

What is it?

The National Arbitration and Mediation company, or NAM is the company cruise lines use arbitration or mediation to settle disputes. So, arbitration using NAM is a legal alternative that is spelled out in your contract with Carnival Cruise Line. This is sometimes a faster and easier process for getting a resolution.

When to try it

if your case doesn’t qualify for small claims court you can still pursue arbitration or mediation. If you want to work with a legal alternative to court and you’re willing to go to an arbitration hearing and submit some documents online in a much easier fashion in small claims court, this is a great way to do it. It’s also a way to give you a much faster settlement compared to other options.

What you need to do

First, you need to submit forms to NAM. This includes:

• Names, addresses, and telephone numbers for each party to the case
• Internal filing numbers for corporate parties,
• Whether mediation or arbitration is selection
• The nature of the claims
• And an agreement that the settlement can’t be publicly adjudicated, the mediator (in mediations) can’t be called as a witness, and the arbitrator’s decision (in arbitration) is legally binding.

Second, you need to notify the cruise line that you are filing a claim against them with arbitration (or mediation) by sending them copies of the forms within 24 hours. It is important to remember that this is a binding proceeding that’s very similar to a quart so you have to adhere to deadlines like this one. Failure to adhere can result in an unfavorable decision. If you want you can always have an attorney there to represent you during this process.

What comes next is based on whether you decided on arbitration or mediation. Mediation is where you work with the cruise line to come to a decision and the mediator appointed to your case is only there to set up the hearings and help facilitate conversation. You don’t come to a binding agreement until you both agree. Arbitration is where a third-party arbitrator is in charge and they set up a hearing, they give you the discovery phase during which time you can present your side of the story and any evidence you have and then they make a binding decision at the end of your hearing.

For more information on the NAM rules and procedures for either, you can check here, or you can contact NAM at 800-358-2550.

What to expect

You can expect a binding decision in either case. With the arbitration, at the hearing the arbitrator will make the binding decision and that’s the end. With the mediation, you on the cruise line have to come to an agreement before it is binding.