P&O Customer Service complaints overload

After querying why I had not yet received an answer to my simple request to implement a written promise from the Loyalty Manager on my last cruise, I was told a response may take up to 28 days or even more as they are dealing with so many complaints. As a loyal and frequent customer this is a worrying admission. What is going on?

I need the promise to be implemented before my next cruise which is now within 28 days, but when I mentioned this I was told "That's how it is. It is a directive from above".

John

After querying why I had not yet received an answer to my simple request to implement a written promise from the Loyalty Manager on my last cruise, I was told a response may take up to 28 days or even more as they are dealing with so many complaints. As a loyal and frequent customer this is a worrying admission. What is going on?

 

I need the promise to be implemented before my next cruise which is now within 28 days, but when I mentioned this I was told "That's how it is. It is a directive from above".

 

John

John they have said 28 days for a long time now. It’s not new.

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John they have said 28 days for a long time now. It’s not new.

 

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They usually say "Within 5 days but it may take up to 28 days if more complicated". I was told earlier this week that at the present there are so many issues they are verbally telling everybody that it is likely to take 28 days and that 5 days is no longer a target.

John

John they have said 28 days for a long time now. It’s not new.

 

 

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Dai, I have been waiting 18 months for a reply to my formal complaint I mAde on board Britannia [emoji33] they are a total waste of space.

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I wonder why the Carnival House side of the operation falls so far short of the experience on board ? Most people cruising with P&O are very happy on board until they have to complain and then find they are let down by the level of customer service that Carnival House provides. Hence a normally happy customer becomes a very unhappy customer very quickly, where a quick response and resolution would placate and probably keep the customer. There is nothing worse than having to keep chasing something and then having to explain the problem over and over to whoever picks up the phone.

I have tended to find that e-mails to customer service, if simple, are answered promptly. If I have had a "complaint", which is rare, I have e-mailed direct to Christopher Edgington, now I realise he does not actually reply, but the e-mails have then always been answered promptly.

They usually say "Within 5 days but it may take up to 28 days if more complicated". I was told earlier this week that at the present there are so many issues they are verbally telling everybody that it is likely to take 28 days and that 5 days is no longer a target.

 

John

Sorry John I have not heard within 5 days, everyone who has posted about complaints has mentioned the 28 days.

However I have not any personal knowledge of this as I have never had the need to complain from home. I have had issues on board which have both been dealt with very efficiently before we disembarked

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Have said for many years that P&O are like 2 different companies onboard they are generally good and helpful and land based in Southampton totally useless.

I have previously found that the Loyalty Team on board are really proactive and helpful and up until now the same applies to the Southampton team. This time is distinctly different as far as Southampton is concerned. I am not raising a complaint with them - rather, I am simply asking them to make good a written commitment that was made to me and I have no reason to think that they intend to renege on the agreement. My concern is that this was discussed as long ago as September and has still not moved forward and for my convenience the agreement needs to be in place now.

I understand that the recent regretable P&O cruise cancellations may put a strain on customer services. However, I would expect that P&O would rise to the occasion rather than leave their loyal customers in limbo.

John

After querying why I had not yet received an answer to my simple request to implement a written promise from the Loyalty Manager on my last cruise, I was told a response may take up to 28 days or even more as they are dealing with so many complaints. As a loyal and frequent customer this is a worrying admission. What is going on?

I need the promise to be implemented before my next cruise which is now within 28 days, but when I mentioned this I was told "That's how it is. It is a directive from above".

John

Have you tried contacting the Peninsular Club team in Carnival House? 0345 357 6969 or loyalty@pocruises.com.

In the past I have had to wait ages for a reply to e mails to P and o but on the last 2 occasions(recently to ask them to consider re looking at their flight seat booking after waiting 1 and a half hours(at midnight!) to book seats I have had a phone call within a few days.I wonder if this is co incidence or because I send a copy to Christopher Edgington

Have you tried contacting the Peninsular Club team in Carnival House? 0345 357 6969 or loyalty@pocruises.com.

Hi Andrew, Thanks for the suggestion. However, -

I started with the Peninsular team and as a result sent an email to the Guest Services team and there it remains. I then rang the Customer Contact Centre who informed me that they were overwhelmed with complaints and that they have been instructed to take complaints in chronological order which would probably take 28 days or more, not the 5 days they stated in their standard acknowledgment email.

John

In the past I have had to wait ages for a reply to e mails to P and o but on the last 2 occasions(recently to ask them to consider re looking at their flight seat booking after waiting 1 and a half hours(at midnight!) to book seats I have had a phone call within a few days.I wonder if this is co incidence or because I send a copy to Christopher Edgington

Thanks for the info. Do you have a contact address for Christopher Edgington, please?

John

Thanks for the info. Do you have a contact address for Christopher Edgington, please?

John

Christopher Edgingtons e mail is Christopher.Edgington@pocruises.com

However I think so many people e mail him nowadays and you also don t get an automated reply to say they have received it that I email customerservices@pocruises.com(who you do get an automated reply to know they receive it) and copy in Christopher Edgington as well.

Hi Andrew, Thanks for the suggestion. However, -

I started with the Peninsular team and as a result sent an email to the Guest Services team and there it remains. I then rang the Customer Contact Centre who informed me that they were overwhelmed with complaints and that they have been instructed to take complaints in chronological order which would probably take 28 days or more, not the 5 days they stated in their standard acknowledgment email.

John

Can't say fairer than that.

I wrote a letter to Christopher Edgington around a month ago. It dawned on me the other their day that not only had I not received a reply, I had not even received an acknowledgement. So I sent an email to P&O customer services some days ago expressing disappointment. I received the auto reply but nothing since.

I agree with others that problem resolution on board the ships is very good but the land based customer service operation is dire. I suspect that they are swamped with complaints about the sale of Adonia (and the debacle in refunding deposits), the missed ‘headline’ ports on some cruises over the past few months and now the cancellation of Oriana’s major winter cruise. However unavoidable some of these may be, there are a lot of disgruntled passengers out there at the moment.

I wrote a letter to Christopher Edgington around a month ago. It dawned on me the other their day that not only had I not received a reply, I had not even received an acknowledgement. So I sent an email to P&O customer services some days ago expressing disappointment. I received the auto reply but nothing since.

 

I agree with others that problem resolution on board the ships is very good but the land based customer service operation is dire. I suspect that they are swamped with complaints about the sale of Adonia (and the debacle in refunding deposits), the missed ‘headline’ ports on some cruises over the past few months and now the cancellation of Oriana’s major winter cruise. However unavoidable some of these may be, there are a lot of disgruntled passengers out there at the moment.

When we had the problem earlier in the year with the double charging fiasco, I did email customer services and copied in paul.ludlow@pocruises.com the Senior Vice President and whilst he did not respond, I did receive a phone call that day from his office.

No one has mentioned their cruise agent, if they used one, or has everybody booked directly with P&O? Agents have a vested interest in the satisfaction or otherwise of their clients. P&O in turn, needs to keep the agents 'on side', to ensure that the agents continue to market its cruises.

" I understand, may I suggest you try XXXX CRUISES, we have had excellent feedback about them both on board AND in HQ dealings."

Booking direct with P&O gives the individual no effective clout when up against such a large organisation. Lesson learnt at the start of the Industrial Revolution.

No one has mentioned their cruise agent, if they used one, or has everybody booked directly with P&O? Agents have a vested interest in the satisfaction or otherwise of their clients. P&O in turn, needs to keep the agents 'on side', to ensure that the agents continue to market its cruises.

" I understand, may I suggest you try XXXX CRUISES, we have had excellent feedback about them both on board AND in HQ dealings."

Booking direct with P&O gives the individual no effective clout when up against such a large organisation. Lesson learnt at the start of the Industrial Revolution.

I understand the logic of that argument but I’m not sure that the evidence supports it. On a separate thread, several people had been having real problems getting their deposits back from cancelled Adonia Cruises and were being very critical of their travel agents as they were unable to speed things up.

I think that it helps to have a strong relationship with an individual advisor who looks out for you, whether that individual is a travel agent or a P&O member of staff.

We book directly with P&O and have a great relationship with a former Personal Cruise Specialist who still deals with all our bookings. She has been able to secure our preferred cabin on launch days (having pre-registered a booking previously where we could only confirm cabin grade), managed to secure an accessible cabin for us when one became avialable (they had sold out when we booked), has waived alteration fees when we have had to change bookings, has followed up some issues on our behalf etc.

The usual benefit of using a TA is additional discount, but we are able to get an additional 5% off booking direct. One advantage of booking direct is that you don’t have to pay the final balance until the final P&O due date. TA’s often require final payment several weeks earlier. On a couple of occasions, the ability to pay later has enabled me to pass another pay day, resulting in less need to move money around from elsewhere.

Of course, others have great relationships with good TA’s, but when it comes to poor customer service from the land based customer service team I’m afraid that we are all in the same boat!

I understand the logic of that argument but I’m not sure that the evidence supports it. On a separate thread, several people had been having real problems getting their deposits back from cancelled Adonia Cruises and were being very critical of their travel agents as they were unable to speed things up.

 

I think that it helps to have a strong relationship with an individual advisor who looks out for you, whether that individual is a travel agent or a P&O member of staff.

 

We book directly with P&O and have a great relationship with a former Personal Cruise Specialist who still deals with all our bookings. She has been able to secure our preferred cabin on launch days (having pre-registered a booking previously where we could only confirm cabin grade), managed to secure an accessible cabin for us when one became avialable (they had sold out when we booked), has waived alteration fees when we have had to change bookings, has followed up some issues on our behalf etc.

 

The usual benefit of using a TA is additional discount, but we are able to get an additional 5% off booking direct. One advantage of booking direct is that you don’t have to pay the final balance until the final P&O due date. TA’s often require final payment several weeks earlier. On a couple of occasions, the ability to pay later has enabled me to pass another pay day, resulting in less need to move money around from elsewhere.

 

Of course, others have great relationships with good TA’s, but when it comes to poor customer service from the land based customer service team I’m afraid that we are all in the same boat!

I think the key thing you mention is that you have a particular person who you book with at P and O. We have a key person at our T A 's. I think with any customer service department it often depends who you talk to on the phone and we have had different experiences with P and O staff! I think also they have changed the system whereby in the past you could have a named consultant which is a real shame

Thank you all for your comments and observations. It is interesting that this very recent thread has resulted in more comments in its short time than our upcoming P&O cruise in January. Maybe that suggests that P&O need to up their game.

Anyway, I have now re-sent my request (not complaint) to customer services and copied it to Paul Ludlow and Christopher Edgington. We shall see if that helps. I live in hope, because P&O have always risen to the occasion previously. I will advise how it pans out.

John

I think the key thing you mention is that you have a particular person who you book with at P and O. We have a key person at our T A 's. I think with any customer service department it often depends who you talk to on the phone and we have had different experiences with P and O staff! I think also they have changed the system whereby in the past you could have a named consultant which is a real shame

Yes P&O has technically scrapped the Personal Cruise Specialist role, but the staff members were all retained and the good ones (like ours) remain happy to deal personally with customers with whom they have long standing relationships.

Yes P&O has technically scrapped the Personal Cruise Specialist role, but the staff members were all retained and the good ones (like ours) remain happy to deal personally with customers with whom they have long standing relationships.

Thats good to hear :)

I emailed P&0 abut an accident I had on my recent cruise which was their fault. I received a standard email acknowledgment saying that they would respond within 5 days. A few days later I got a phone call to say it would be up to 28 days as they were referring it to their legal department. After reading this thread I am not sure whether that is the case or if they just have too many complaints to seal with. I had a very poor response whilst I was on board. I have never had a situation like this before so not really sure what to expect.