Ocean View Guarantee Not Honored by RCCL

So I am just curious, what would you think if RCCL made a mistake on their website (which it looks like they did) and they overbooked that cabin grade (which they did) and they told OP "Sorry, the price was so ridiculously low and incorrect that it got booked faster than we could update our systems. Therefore we are returning your money and giving you a certificate worth 25% off your next cruise in an OV guarantee." We would have put you in an inside cabin with OBC worth half the value of the $109 pp you paid but we are leaving for the holiday weekend and we cannot contact you to see if that is ok and the last time we did this the person freaked out."

Damned if you do and damned if your don't.

Don't you see how ridiculous this whole thing is. OP is probably laughing at us right now hoping that he has upset you all enough that RCCL will upgrade him to a grand suite.

And don't think this is one of the things that causes your cruise prices to go up.

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So I am just curious, what would you think if RCCL made a mistake on their website (which it looks like they did) and they overbooked that cabin grade (which they did) and they told OP "Sorry, the price was so ridiculously low and incorrect that it got booked faster than we could update our systems. Therefore we are returning your money and giving you a certificate worth 25% off your next cruise in an OV guarantee." We would have put you in an inside cabin with OBC worth half the value of the $109 pp you paid but we are leaving for the holiday weekend and we cannot contact you to see if that is ok and the last time we did this the person freaked out."

 

Damned if you do and damned if your don't.

 

Don't you see how ridiculous this whole thing is. OP is probably laughing at us right now hoping that he has upset you all enough that RCCL will upgrade him to a grand suite.

 

And don't think this is one of the things that causes your cruise prices to go up.

 

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There isn't a lot on this board that surprises me, but I'm amazed that you are actually defending the cruise line in this case.

So I am just curious, what would you think if RCCL made a mistake on their website (which it looks like they did) and they overbooked that cabin grade (which they did) and they told OP "Sorry, the price was so ridiculously low and incorrect that it got booked faster than we could update our systems. Therefore we are returning your money and giving you a certificate worth 25% off your next cruise in an OV guarantee." We would have put you in an inside cabin with OBC worth half the value of the $109 pp you paid but we are leaving for the holiday weekend and we cannot contact you to see if that is ok and the last time we did this the person freaked out."

That's absurd. The OP said he simply wanted to reschedule or cancel with a full refund. Sounds like they could have given him a simple resolution and instead chose to give him a hard time about it.

That's absurd. The OP said he simply wanted to reschedule or cancel with a full refund. Sounds like they could have given him a simple resolution and instead chose to give him a hard time about it.

What I say to that person is that your senerio was not was offered, and it proves that the IT of RCI is not taking care of inventory correctly, cause any travel agent is to refresh before checking! My exp. is coming from years ago in checking inventory! There are supposed to be catch alls in place to be a reliable for a multi billion dollar cruise company that is supposed to be customer friendly. Anything else is garbage! You do not win customers this way! We have not heard the last of this when does EOTS start officially embarking on 9/1/14?

That's absurd. The OP said he simply wanted to reschedule or cancel with a full refund. Sounds like they could have given him a simple resolution and instead chose to give him a hard time about it.

I agree. I think it was very gracious of the OP to offer to reschedule or take a refund and seems like the perfect answer since there are supposed to be no suitable cabins left. I think OP should get a call from Royal booking them on the next cruise with a free balcony upgrade and some obc for their trouble and the postponement of their cruise. Don't tell me there is no one in that huge corporation that could do this on a Sat. If Royal is not forced to give a decent compensation for this, then we will just see more and more of it in the future. I will be watching this carefully!

Mary Ann

Don't you see how ridiculous this whole thing is. OP is probably laughing at us right now hoping that he has upset you all enough that RCCL will upgrade him to a grand suite.

 

And don't think this is one of the things that causes your cruise prices to go up.

 

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The above is what is ridiculous. There is a matter of principal here. I am retired now but, when I was a consultant, I knew that I couldn't use the word "guarantee" to a customer, unless my company could be certain of what was being guaranteed.

A guarantee is different from a warranty. A warranty provides specified remedies for a problem with a product. A guarantee is a promise that a person or business will do everything humanly possible to honor (which includes reaching appropriate personnel on a holiday weekend).

Informing a customer that a guarantee cannot be honored late on a Friday afternoon and then leaving for the weekend is not professional. If I had done it to a customer when I was a consultant, I would not have had a job on the following Monday!

The above is what is ridiculous. There is a matter of principal here. I am retired now but, when I was a consultant, I knew that I couldn't use the word "guarantee" to a customer, unless my company could be certain of what was being guaranteed.

 

A guarantee is different from a warranty. A warranty provides specified remedies for a problem with a product. A guarantee is a promise that a person or business will do everything humanly possible to honor (which includes reaching appropriate personnel on a holiday weekend).

 

Informing a customer that a guarantee cannot be honored late on a Friday afternoon and then leaving for the weekend is not professional. If I had done it to a customer when I was a consultant, I would not have had a job on the following Monday!

Well said!

Not to mention fraudulent. We don't know how often they do this, either...

... There is a matter of principal here.

 

A guarantee is a promise that a person or business will do everything humanly possible to honor (which includes reaching appropriate personnel on a holiday weekend).

 

Informing a customer that a guarantee cannot be honored late on a Friday afternoon and then leaving for the weekend is not professional. If I had done it to a customer when I was a consultant, I would not have had a job on the following Monday!

I am sorry that I do not have any suggestion for you, but I do feel the same as you.

RCCL / RCI is very wrong in the way they are handling this situation ..... perhaps it does not matter to them at this time , but it is very wrong.

...There is a matter of principal here.

Hi OP; you are obviously still here with us - have you done anything that was suggested? Did you call the C&A desk? Ask to speak to a supervisor? Post it on social media? We want to help you and we want to see you get a fair resolution. Has anything else happened?

As a substantial Royal Caribbean shareholder and loyal cruiser, I am disgusted with RCI in this absurd situation. I'm anxious to read the outcome.

The above is what is ridiculous. There is a matter of principal here. I am retired now but, when I was a consultant, I knew that I couldn't use the word "guarantee" to a customer, unless my company could be certain of what was being guaranteed.

 

A guarantee is different from a warranty. A warranty provides specified remedies for a problem with a product. A guarantee is a promise that a person or business will do everything humanly possible to honor (which includes reaching appropriate personnel on a holiday weekend).

 

Informing a customer that a guarantee cannot be honored late on a Friday afternoon and then leaving for the weekend is not professional. If I had done it to a customer when I was a consultant, I would not have had a job on the following Monday!

Stick to the principal.

If I was a RCI Lead, or CS, and could find a suite; I would of put you in it w/o extra cost so you could have your vacation.

I would let the heat come back, but it would of been handled correctly, or I would of given the move requested, or money back, because this much negativity was not worth the end cost to my company in the long run! RCI is way too short sided!

Wish I could get a 4 night cruise for $109 pp! But that aside, sometimes it has to be all about the money and not the principal in my thinking.

Not defending RCI,s actions but personally if I got bumped to a lower category on cruise day with a guarantee and had my entire fare ++ refunded to me as OBC although very mad about it I would consider that reasonable compensation given the entire cruise cost to me would become at least half original cost.

OP has been offered OBC and accepted that OBC by not refusing it, if it was an "on principal" matter OP would have refused to accept the OBC "compensation"

RCI made a error it seems and it would have been taken up by many cruiseing opportunists who may not have chosen this cruise if the error was not made.

I wonder if they bumped anyone who booked and paid a much higher price for the O/V guarantee months ago? Maybe the OP did? in which case they deserve staunch support as the compensation in this case would not be adequate.:)

The above is what is ridiculous. There is a matter of principal here. I am retired now but, when I was a consultant, I knew that I couldn't use the word "guarantee" to a customer, unless my company could be certain of what was being guaranteed.

 

A guarantee is different from a warranty. A warranty provides specified remedies for a problem with a product. A guarantee is a promise that a person or business will do everything humanly possible to honor (which includes reaching appropriate personnel on a holiday weekend).

 

Informing a customer that a guarantee cannot be honored late on a Friday afternoon and then leaving for the weekend is not professional. If I had done it to a customer when I was a consultant, I would not have had a job on the following Monday!

You are absolutly right actuarian. On Holland American when you book a guarantee, you get that catagory you booked or BETTER. No down grades. I can't blame you for being really p$##&@ and $150 OBC is rediculous.

You'll never convince me that a company like RCI can't refund him in this situation simply because it's a holiday weekend. They can do it, they have staff available - may be short staffed but available nonetheless. The OP is getting the runaround and deserves his money back because RC didn't hold to their end of the bargain.

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Yes, assuming the cruise fare was somewhere in the range of $109 pp x 2= $218 plus taxes, Ialso cannot believe that somebody working this weekend does not have authority to make this small refund in a situation where the company really dropped the ball.

Really, any local retailer can deal with refunds that size even at odd hours. Now if we were discussing much, much larger refund I could understand if nobody felt they could stuck their neck out. If a small refund will make this loyal customer happy, whether on principle or due to clausterphobic, it seems a brain dead decision to approve a refund.

The cost to the cruise line's reputation is far greater than the cost of a refund, especially when the cruiser has a compelling claim.

As a substantial Royal Caribbean shareholder and loyal cruiser, I am disgusted with RCI in this absurd situation. I'm anxious to read the outcome.

Haven't you heard- this is the new Dynamic Reservation system.....:rolleyes:

Just checked cruising power again and other than the interiors all other cabins are sold out.

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I also think that the OP might have been offered a refund but didn't want it because it was such a cheap cruise and RCL won't change the date because the following week might cost a whole lot more. RCL is essentially giving them the cruise for free but the OP might not want a free cruise in an inside cabin, I know I wouldn't.

Just a quick peek at a travel website shows an outside room going for $129 the following week, so that is not a LOT more. Wishing the OP well and feel sorry that they have been put through all this aggravation.

People always try to book cheap and then complain to get a free upgrade. A good TA will always say book the cheapest room that you are happy with since you are unlikely to get an upgrade and this will be your cabin. The OP booked what was the lowest category they were comfortable with...an outside and not RCCL is not honouring it.

It would have been great if this was not a holiday weekend and they could have refunded his money. But holiday weekends happen.

I do not care if it is a holiday weekend. Are you nobody in a billion dollar corporation has the authority for an entire 72 hour long weekend to refund $109 x 2 = $218? There HAS to be somebody working for RCCL who has more authority than the peons that the OP must keep getting when they call RCCL.

Even if the OP is claustrophobic, he will probably manage quite nicely because how many people spend a lot of time in their cabin anyway. My DH is claustrophobic in elevators but he is fine in an inside cabin . He wakes up, goes to the fitness center, and we are out and about most of the day. OP will probably be talking about this inexpensive cruise and the great time he had for years to come.

Personally, I would take the inside cabin and the OBC as well and be happy with it (I enjoy inside cabins), so I agree with this point that a $34 cruise for 4 days in an inside cabin is a great deal.

I must however say that I am not the OP and do not know why they would not be happy with this offer. I assume they have their reasons and I do not think their request for a refund or to sail the following week is unreasonable.

The $109pp is also misleading...it's more than $218 with taxes & fee's...as a solo cruiser I am paying $285 total for this cruise...If the OP has 2 people in their cabin their cost would be more than that for the 2nd person Taxes...so it's easily a $300 cruise for them...granted that's not a "lot" of money for a 4nt cruise...but if you ordered a $10 steak & they brought you a hot dog I doubt any of us would be happy...OP is not getting what they paid for...pure & simple...

Unless I missed it, I don't see where the OP said they only paid $109. Even if they did, Royal screwed up and didn't give what was promised. They should be bending over backward trying to make this right instead of being sneaky about informing them late Friday hoping they will just deal with it.

We are D+ but our last cruise left us jaded with Royal and a situation like this reaffirms they do not care about their customers.

Do as others suggest and go to Facebook. There are many here who will back you up.

So I am just curious, what would you think if RCCL made a mistake on their website (which it looks like they did) and they overbooked that cabin grade (which they did) and they told OP "Sorry, the price was so ridiculously low and incorrect that it got booked faster than we could update our systems. Therefore we are returning your money and giving you a certificate worth 25% off your next cruise in an OV guarantee." We would have put you in an inside cabin with OBC worth half the value of the $109 pp you paid but we are leaving for the holiday weekend and we cannot contact you to see if that is ok and the last time we did this the person freaked out."

I would think they at least would be giving OP a fair choice. The difference is right now they are giving OP NO choice.

Damned if you do and damned if your don't.

See previous statement

Don't you see how ridiculous this whole thing is. OP is probably laughing at us right now hoping that he has upset you all enough that RCCL will upgrade him to a grand suite.

Royal Caribbean doesn't care if or to what level a bunch of anonymous posters on a website may be upset; that has no bearing on being upgraded. No one has suggested OP demand an upgrade. What's wrong with expecting to GET what you pay for?

And don't think this is one of the things that causes your cruise prices to go up.

How does giving OP what they paid for cause cruise prices to go up? That's one of the most ridiculous comments I have read on here in a long time.

Hey, you asked the questions...

 

Not defending RCI,s actions but personally if I got bumped to a lower category on cruise day with a guarantee and had my entire fare ++ refunded to me as OBC although very mad about it I would consider that reasonable compensation given the entire cruise cost to me would become at least half original cost.

 

I have shown through simple arithmetic how this vacation could easily be costing a minimum of $650 out of pocket; how do people keeping saying that $150 is the entire fare. It's a spit in the face for what was spent. Weekly there are posts on here from people who would never, ever, consider an inside cabin. OP booked and paid for an oceanview.

What is with all you apologists thinking some token refund (I'd cash it out in the Casino ASAP and not give the company one cent of it by the way) somehow makes this okay? These actions by the company are NOT ok. If they are willing to do it to this guy, they are willing to do it to you, and are willing to do it to me, and so on.

Some should just relax and let this play out:rolleyes:

At this point I would contact the bbb if Florida and file a complaint. They do a good job of communicating with Royal although it will be after the fact they will come to a resolution.

To be honest, I own a business in Florida and we get maybe 3 or 4 BBB complaints a year. The BBB does really nothing. They cant force Royal to do anything. They send the complaint via a letter or email (however the company has it set up how they want it) and it will go back and forth. The BBB will then adminstrativley close it and state the the customer and business couldn't come to a mutual decision.

I have shown through simple arithmetic how this vacation could easily be costing a minimum of $650 out of pocket; how do people keeping saying that $150 is the entire fare. It's a spit in the face for what was spent. Weekly there are posts on here from people who would never, ever, consider an inside cabin. OP booked and paid for an oceanview.

 

What is with all you apologists thinking some token refund (I'd cash it out in the Casino ASAP and not give the company one cent of it by the way) somehow makes this okay? These actions by the company are NOT ok. If they are willing to do it to this guy, they are willing to do it to you, and are willing to do it to me, and so on.

I am not an apologist just a realist!

$218 cruise fare price for 2 minus $150 OBC =$68 total cruise fare for 2 before taxes and port charges which have to be paid on any cruise regardless mistake or cost. Thats $8.50 pp per day before++!

If the OP doesnt spend $150 between 2 people on a 4 night cruise then that would be RCI,s reasoning in choosing the OP to loose his cabin over another on a customer profit basis.

The OP is going on the cruise so the out of pocket expenses you are factoring into the loss equation are not out of pocket or a loss at all because those same costs would be incurred if he was given another cruise at a later date:confused: