Customer service again

Just wondered how many others are fed up with the responses from customer service, how long you have to wait for them to answer, the lack of response from emails and anomalies on the web site.

Do MSC train their reps to answer in single syllable one word answers?

I have sailed with most lines and I love MSC ships but will think hard again before booking with them again. I have even had to resort to emailing the GB managing director after waiting 3 days on hold. That was the only time I got a satisfactory response.

As has been documented forensically here, MSC's landslide operation falls well short of expectations. The onboard experience justifies the prior torment.

I would wish it this way round than the other.

It's true that MSC's customer service has truly fallen short on more than a few occasions for us.

Contacting them by email about our upcoming cruise ended up feeling like I was hitting my head off a brick wall repeatedly. One member of their customer service staff agreed to do something for us, then when it went wrong and I emailed again to have the problem rectified, other customer service staff acted like I was trying to swindle them or something. In the end I had to write an actual letter to their HQ, complete with highlighted copies of the appropriate emails as appendices, before I finally got a satisfactory response.

I prefer to make changes to my booking myself where possible, but the MSC website is possibly the least user-friendly website I have ever come across, and that's when it's actually working. This means simple things like adding Allegrissimo and making our final payment meant delving into the murky depths of customer service again. This time I submitted a callback request on their website and when they called me back the next morning, everything was sorted in a few minutes.

So, in summary, I guess it's the luck of the draw!

We had to resort to writing to Giles Hawke, the issue is still ongoing because Napoli appear to be working on Mouse power for the website ... :eek:

Sailed on MSC for the first time back in May,,signed up for the loyalty club before we sailed,,,looked in the mailbox today,,,and our membership cards finally showed up,,5 months later!!!! :confused:

Sailed on MSC for the first time back in May,,signed up for the loyalty club before we sailed,,,looked in the mailbox today,,,and our membership cards finally showed up,,5 months later!!!! :confused:

That gives me hope! I just tried to book an MSC cruise for 2016 using the FCC I bought on Divina in early May. It wouldn't let me book on the web without having my loyalty number. I still don't have my loyalty number, MSC! :confused: I did just e-mail them a reminder last week, so maybe that will finally speed things up.

Wow they sent me an email the next day after I joined the club with my loyalty number and I'd receive cards later...........but they did give me the number for future cruises.......

I found hitting the "chat" option when on their website got me instant answers, unless they were offline......the facebook site always gave me quick answers also.....

Sorry you all have had such poor experiences......

I must be lucky when I call them to make final payment I wait a couple of minutes and they answer and I immediately get an email confirmation.

That gives me hope! I just tried to book an MSC cruise for 2016 using the FCC I bought on Divina in early May. It wouldn't let me book on the web without having my loyalty number. I still don't have my loyalty number, MSC! :confused: I did just e-mail them a reminder last week, so maybe that will finally speed things up.

My phone call was a lot more successful. I was told my number straight away over the phone and the cards arrived in the post soon after.

I got my card as others have after a while, but when attempting to check on how many points I received for the cruise, I discovered "none". Whatever system they have to award points apparently doesn't work for the first cruise.

It really is a mixed bag. The website is truly horrible as an entire thread on it testifies to. Dealing with the UK office is variable. By FB, great prompt service by email, not so much. Emails get lost or not responded to. They are also constrained by waiting for Napoli to respond to so many things. Napoli seems unable to respond quickly, perhaps because they don't understand customer care, but more likely they get swamped because every thing from regional offices and the ships themselves has to get referred to them. Were I in charge, that is the first thing I'd change. Devolve decision making to local offices and ships within agreed parameters. Better for passengers and more efficient for them. They are not good at keeping passengers informed on progress or setting and keeping to timescales either.

Now that is all process and IT. Then there are the staff. Some are brilliant, really know the product and their way round their inefficient processes and glitches on the website. Others haven't a clue, nor do they understand the first thing of dealing with customers. Last guy I spoke to was curt, could not explain a process or what I needed to do but got totally hung up on explaining on how to use my mouse to make a payment from a link he was going to send me and could not get his head around my response that I wasn't using one!

I got my card as others have after a while, but when attempting to check on how many points I received for the cruise, I discovered "none". Whatever system they have to award points apparently doesn't work for the first cruise.

It doesn't seem to work for ANY cruise. Twice this year I noted they'd added the points for onboard spend but not the cruise itself. Each time I contacted them the situation was remedied.

Out of curiosity I decided to check DH's account. I've never thought to do it before as my account gets the bulk of points as the onboard spend is added to my card. I discovered that he hadn't received points for the last three cruises. I emailed them immediately on a Wednesday - he received his Gold card (which level he had since attained) and gold pin on Friday!!!! And that was posted from UK to Ireland - swift or wha...:cool:

It doesn't seem to work for ANY cruise. Twice this year I noted they'd added the points for onboard spend but not the cruise itself. Each time I contacted them the situation was remedied.

As a result of your post, I have now contacted MSC UK a third time about points missing for onboard spend. It is a minor niggle but it is still a niggle especially as the points boundaries and benefits are rumoured to change.

Why have a loyalty club then use it to irritate its members?

It doesn't seem to work for ANY cruise. Twice this year I noted they'd added the points for onboard spend but not the cruise itself. Each time I contacted them the situation was remedied.

 

Out of curiosity I decided to check DH's account. I've never thought to do it before as my account gets the bulk of points as the onboard spend is added to my card. I discovered that he hadn't received points for the last three cruises. I emailed them immediately on a Wednesday - he received his Gold card (which level he had since attained) and gold pin on Friday!!!! And that was posted from UK to Ireland - swift or wha...:cool:

Bea,,,,the same exact thing happened to us. I checked on both our accounts on Monday. I received 7 points for our trip in August, and my girlfriend received zero points. I was told it can take 6-8 weeks for the points to show up,,so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt,,,key word here "DOUBT", and call them in November to straighten it all out.

It truly is an awful way to treat customers. I have had nothing but trouble since booking about a year ago.

Seemingly simple requests (e.g. dining arrangements) take forever to get answered. More serious issues are ignored.

I was held for over an hour just waiting to speak to someone on their advertised number - I then wrote to Karen Spencer, MSC rep for 'The North' to which she has not had the decency to reply to me.

I then sent a private message on Facebook asking for a response, and I quoted my complaint reference number. I was told they would chase this up, this was Saturday and I have had no response to date.

Not for nothing, I really will be escalating this and if anyone has any contact details they can share whereby action will actually get taken, I would be most grateful.

Failing that, I will contact Watchdog, newspapers, ABTA etc. because it just simply isn't good enough and they shouldn't be allowed to get away with it. :rolleyes:

Rant over - looking forward to boarding Preziosa on Saturday despite all of the shore-side problems - I have a feeling they will be consigned to history when the cocktails start flowing...... (but would still appreciate contact details so my issues can get escalated).

I'll post an unbiased review of the SHIP (not the shore administration) on my return as my way of giving back to all of the CC posts & reviews I have learned so much from. :D

It truly is an awful way to treat customers. I have had nothing but trouble since booking about a year ago.

 

Seemingly simple requests (e.g. dining arrangements) take forever to get answered. More serious issues are ignored.

 

I was held for over an hour just waiting to speak to someone on their advertised number - I then wrote to Karen Spencer, MSC rep for 'The North' to which she has not had the decency to reply to me.

 

I then sent a private message on Facebook asking for a response, and I quoted my complaint reference number. I was told they would chase this up, this was Saturday and I have had no response to date.

 

Not for nothing, I really will be escalating this and if anyone has any contact details they can share whereby action will actually get taken, I would be most grateful.

 

Failing that, I will contact Watchdog, newspapers, ABTA etc. because it just simply isn't good enough and they shouldn't be allowed to get away with it. :rolleyes:

 

Rant over - looking forward to boarding Preziosa on Saturday despite all of the shore-side problems - I have a feeling they will be consigned to history when the cocktails start flowing...... (but would still appreciate contact details so my issues can get escalated).

 

I'll post an unbiased review of the SHIP (not the shore administration) on my return as my way of giving back to all of the CC posts & reviews I have learned so much from. :D

Try Operations Managed Lauren Underwood - Admin Dept lauren.underwood@msccruises.co.uk

Or MSC UK MD giles.hawke@msccruises.co.uk

Giles Hawke is the managing director for MSC UK, he gets the hump with the people under him if you find out his email address.

If you email Lauren Underwood and threaten to contact Giles, you will get satisfaction. Tell her just what you want and when you want it by.

Woops did I give that email address away!!!!!

Thank you very much, much appreciated Two 2 Tango.

I wouldn't have to go to these extremes if my nominated rep for my region (the aforementioned Ms Spencer) actually answered my query.

But I shall escalate - I actually think I've dealt with Lauren before when I had my dining query problems.

It was Lauren who eventually sorted out my original messy problem in the end too, after I wrote to MSC at:

MSC Cruises UK

Queens House, 55/56 Lincolns Inn Fields

London

WC2A 3LJ

You can also try Rachel Green their Customer Service manager. Rachel.green@msccruises.co.uk

Bea,,,,the same exact thing happened to us. I checked on both our accounts on Monday. I received 7 points for our trip in August, and my girlfriend received zero points. I was told it can take 6-8 weeks for the points to show up,,so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt,,,key word here "DOUBT", and call them in November to straighten it all out.

Mike, I only checked hubbie's last week. The points from our FEB cruise hadn't been added to his. Nor were the points from the May one. Both a lot more than 6-8 weeks ago!

As a result of your post, I have now contacted MSC UK a third time about points missing for onboard spend. It is a minor niggle but it is still a niggle especially as the points boundaries and benefits are rumoured to change.

 

Why have a loyalty club then use it to irritate its members?

Tim, is this the address you're using:

mscclubuk@msccruises.co.uk?

Mike, I only checked hubbie's last week. The points from our FEB cruise hadn't been added to his. Nor were the points from the May one. Both a lot more than 6-8 weeks ago!

I often have the opposite problem, I get the points for cruise nights very quickly, it is the onboard spend that get's missed and I have to chase up. Once even got points for a cruise I didn't go on! Couldn't join the cruise because of volcanic ash, so they swapped me to another repo in the opposite direction later that year.

Tim, is this the address you're using:

 

mscclubuk@msccruises.co.uk?

Bea, yes that is the one. I do get replies it is just that they say they have referred it to Head Office and Head Office seems to mean 'Black Hole' because nothing comes back.

Bea, yes that is the one. I do get replies it is just that they say they have referred it to Head Office and Head Office seems to mean 'Black Hole' because nothing comes back.

You've just made me laugh at that :)

I must say I've been amazed at how quickly I've been dealt with this year. Maybe I'm flagged as I originally went on a rant on Facebook and have had terrific responses ever since.

My current gripe is I can't pre-book a drinks package for my repo in March. I was told that the premium package IS available on that sailing. It's not coming up as an option on the website - the Classic is but won't let me book it.

It's driving me mad at the moment as it'll cost me an extra €282 (£222) for the premium if I have to book onboard :mad: That's on top of the €1880 (£1482) without the 15% added. To add insult to injury, the premium, when it increases, will be €44 but they're charging €47 on this sailing!