Britannia worse experience in 9years of cruisingMos

Hi daib my issue is I have requested in numerous emails for an engineers report as to what I inhaled in the cabin for two weeks.

 

At times the smell woke us up.

 

 

 

This is a legitimate complaint which has not been resolved.

 

 

 

This issue has to be addressed by P&O so no other passenger should endure the same issue.

But you did turn down compensation.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Sorry to disagree with others but now you are off the ship I do not think that compromises your position. I think you have a very strong case and P&O will know you have and when you are contacted by the nominated person from the company do not get stroppy just clearly state your case. Tell them that the holiday you have paid for was ruined and could have consequence on your health as to what you were breathing from the air conditioning. P&O have a duty of care to make sure that you stay safe on your cruise and not put you or any in your party in danger or ill health from their actions. If they do not give you an answer and compensation that you are happy with just state that you will be contacting ABTA and taking legal advice with the intention, if not satisfied, taking P&O to Small Claims Court which is a relatively simple process and not expensive and cost effective. Good luck and hope your dispute is resolved and you are successful in your claim.

I can assure you Gayn that turning down compensation onboard will not go against you as nobody accepts the first offer of compensation and you have every right to take legal advice before accepting any binding offer. I know because we had an issue on Oriana for the full duration of a cruise with regards to no clean water from the taps and dirty brown water inconsistently through the shower. We reported issues from virtually day one of the cruise and consistently throughout and even had to purchase bottle water to clean our teeth. I did not resolve situation to my satisfaction onboard and on my return home P&O after numerous phone calls contacted me and made a substantial offer which would never have been offered onboard because they would not have the authority. P&O knew they had failed to provide me with clean water to wash, shower and clean teeth for duration of the cruise and they had failed in their duty of care.

I did not resolve situation to my satisfaction onboard and on my return home P&O after numerous phone calls contacted me and made a substantial offer which would never have been offered onboard because they would not have the authority.

Not sure when that was, but P&O have recently made the Customer Service Manager a far more senior officer position on board (they used to be quite junior) and they are now much more empowered to resolve issues and can authorise compensation up to quite significant levels - in fact four figures. I speak from personal and recent experience. I cannot give specifics on the issue or the settlement and yes I did decline the first and second offers and the final agreed figure did need further sanction from head office (which they can facilitate), but I am firmly of the belief that if I had taken up the fight when I got home I would have received half what I managed to achieve on board in a face to face environment whilst the issue was still 'live'.

I do agree that Gayn should still be able to secure some compensation, but asking for a report which doesn't exist (or would never be issued even if it did) is a distraction that is unnecessarily delaying a resolution to the problem.

Was that from your most recent cruise Selbourne?(are you allowed to say?)

Was that from your most recent cruise Selbourne?(are you allowed to say?)

I would rather not disclose the cruise, ship, details of the problem or the settlement agreed. Although the settlement agreement doesn't hold water (as it is incorrectly worded, see earlier post ), I was satisfied with the resolution and the professional and caring way that the senior staff on board (particularly the Customer Service Manager and Deck Manager) dealt with the issue. Therefore, out of respect to those individuals, I am honouring the spirit of the agreement (even though it doesn't hold water and couldn't be enforced) and have not referred to the specific issue in any of my posts or in my review of the cruise. Sorry to be mysterious. I have many faults, but I do have principles!

Thank you for all the advice I read them with great interest.

As stated previously I have never had any cause on previous cruises to complain as there are some issues on board ships that you accept as part of cruises.

But I agree 'due care' to passengers must be a priority.

All of this is quite disconcerting! My husband and I are on the Britannia in July next year and I am beginning to feel that all this negativity with Britannia .......well no smoke without fire!

We have recently returned from our honeymoon on the Crown Princess and prior to sailing on her there was a lot of complaints and negativity. We went with an expectation of tired decor lacklustre staff and terrible food, none of which was our experience. We quite determinedly decided that we wouldn't let little things upset us and colour our experience but it really wasn't a problem. I will be honest and say that embarking and disembarcation was a shambles and did seem to take forever but that would be our only "complaint" .

We are not difficult customers and generally easily pleased but the prospect of paying £5000 to sleep in a toilet is something I will struggle to "make the best of" ��

All of this is quite disconcerting! My husband and I are on the Britannia in July next year and I am beginning to feel that all this negativity with Britannia .......well no smoke without fire!

 

We have recently returned from our honeymoon on the Crown Princess and prior to sailing on her there was a lot of complaints and negativity. We went with an expectation of tired decor lacklustre staff and terrible food, none of which was our experience. We quite determinedly decided that we wouldn't let little things upset us and colour our experience but it really wasn't a problem. I will be honest and say that embarking and disembarcation was a shambles and did seem to take forever but that would be our only "complaint" .

We are not difficult customers and generally easily pleased but the prospect of paying £5000 to sleep in a toilet is something I will struggle to "make the best of" ��

I wouldn't worry. Britannia is a great ship. The problems that Gayne and I had were both very different and isolated. The vast and overwhelming majority of passengers would not have experienced these issues and would have had a great cruise. We found the food to be excellent in all restaurants (including main dining rooms) and service was also excellent throughout, the sole exceptions being the Glasshouse (excellent food but very slow service) and Crows Nest (difficult to get waiters attention) but these are relatively minor things. We found embarkation and disembarkation to be excellent. They can make a bit of a hash of tender operations (only relevant on some cruises and at places like Monte Carlo) and I would advise against a cabin at the aft due to soot and vibration issues. Finally, I repeat that, based on my experience, on the odd ocassion that you do experience problems on board, the senior ships crew are excellent at trying to resolve them. Go with an open mind. I'm sure you will have a lovely cruise.

I totally agree this no doubt is an isolated incident which could have been handled in a much better way.

Again I have to reiterate I sailed on Brittania two years ago without any issues.

On numerous other cruises I have had an amazing time, you visit beautiful places meet wonderful people and make good friends.

Poor customer service has exasperated this issue.

This is a legitimate complaint which has not been resolved. This issue has to be addressed by P&O so no other passenger should endure the same issue.

P&O don't have to give you anything they don't want to give; so I would stop requesting a copy of the engineers report. as you wont get it.

You are due compensation - I think we all agree on that.

Whether that is £1 or £1,000,000 is dependant on YOUR experience and more importantly, whether it has affected your health.

There are three ways that can be resolved;

1) someone has a serious reaction (maybe dies) as a result of a problem P&O were already aware of - then you join others, instruct a solicitor and take P&O to court.

2) you pay for a full medical report to establish if there are any toxins etc in your body which "may" have come from your exposure on the ship. You then decide to take P&O to court yourself (extremely costly) or P&O offer you compensation without admitting liability.

3) you simply ask for compensation, agree it and walk away - but without giving up your right to claim should you later suffer healthwise due to the experience you were put through.

Good luck.

I totally agree this no doubt is an isolated incident which could have been handled in a much better way.

Again I have to reiterate I sailed on Brittania two years ago without any issues.

 

On numerous other cruises I have had an amazing time, you visit beautiful places meet wonderful people and make good friends.

 

Poor customer service has exasperated this issue.

I am not certain that sewage smells are an isolated occurrence, and presumably in your's as in our's, it could not be blamed on some other passenger blocking the pipes with inappropriate items, as in our case the toilet flush was working perfectly.

P&O don't have to give you anything they don't want to give; so I would stop requesting a copy of the engineers report. as you wont get it.

 

You are due compensation - I think we all agree on that.

 

Whether that is £1 or £1,000,000 is dependant on YOUR experience and more importantly, whether it has affected your health.

 

There are three ways that can be resolved;

 

1) someone has a serious reaction (maybe dies) as a result of a problem P&O were already aware of - then you join others, instruct a solicitor and take P&O to court.

 

2) you pay for a full medical report to establish if there are any toxins etc in your body which "may" have come from your exposure on the ship. You then decide to take P&O to court yourself (extremely costly) or P&O offer you compensation without admitting liability.

 

3) you simply ask for compensation, agree it and walk away - but without giving up your right to claim should you later suffer healthwise due to the experience you were put through.

 

Good luck.

I agree they will never give details of the engineers report to you personally but if you threaten legal action and taking P&O to court and you can prove you have asked for the said report and they have refused it strengthens your case of getting a proper settlement prior to court action. If it did go to court then P&O would have to reveal details of the engineers report to the court. Because of this if it does highlights problems then P&O and their legal team know that it strengthens your case and they wouldnt want that to get in public domain so would settle out of court prior to it going that far.

Not sure when that was, but P&O have recently made the Customer Service Manager a far more senior officer position on board (they used to be quite junior) and they are now much more empowered to resolve issues and can authorise compensation up to quite significant levels - in fact four figures. I speak from personal and recent experience. I cannot give specifics on the issue or the settlement and yes I did decline the first and second offers and the final agreed figure did need further sanction from head office (which they can facilitate), but I am firmly of the belief that if I had taken up the fight when I got home I would have received half what I managed to achieve on board in a face to face environment whilst the issue was still 'live'.

 

 

I do agree that Gayn should still be able to secure some compensation, but asking for a report which doesn't exist (or would never be issued even if it did) is a distraction that is unnecessarily delaying a resolution to the problem.

It was March 2014 on Oriana and I took it as high as I could onboard and they were really toothless or disinterested and P&O only got serious about my complaint when I arrived home. Having complained since the start of the cruise 12 nights later on the morning we were disembarking while having breakfast we came back to our cabin to find the toilet/bathroom tools everywhere floor flooded with brown water and about 6 towels soaking it up. One quick photo and we disembarked. There have been many changes in P&O since then not all for the better but if as you say they now have given Customer Service Manager more power and authority then that is a good move. My final conversation with P&O about the matter was a phone call from a Manager who was in charge of all things to do with Oriana land based in Southampton, apparently at the time there was a Manager who was responsible for each individual ship, and it was her that offered me the compensation with no great effort from me and she said that P&O had let us both down for the full duration of the cruise and there non action onboard after reporting it from the start.

The problem with these things is that it ends up grinding people down and they give up. Stay steadfast, use the Citizens Advice Bureau, remember you may have free legal advice as a part of either your travel insurance, your household insurance etc. Use ABTA if you need to. Don't give up!

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Thank you for all your advice, I will definitely contact them more directly by telephone on Monday. It does wear you down, so again I really appreciate all your comments.

Been passed onto another team member who says she will investigate the issue and get back to me when she has more information on the engineers report.

Not holding my breath on any feedback.

Hi Gayn, Don't rule out email contact as its still a legal document . Keep a timeline diary of events. I have found the customer services very good if things haven't been sorted out satisfactorily on-board. If necessary take some advice. People have mentioned on this thread that they would rather not go into their own particular circumstances. It is worth pursuing if you are not happy.

Thanks Sapphire4 appreciate your advice.

We booked a mini suite on Arcadia's maiden cruise in 2005. Halfway through the cruise we encountered similar smell problems for the rest of the cruise. The steward and staff were great, and did their best, but basically we just slept in the cabin.

We wrote when we got home, saying how we had enjoyed the cruise, despite a few teething problems, which we expected on the first cruise, but we disappointed about the smell. We received a substantial credit, and upgraded our next trip on Arcadia to a suite, and that really spoilt us.

I see putting it on PandO's Facebook page hasn't helped either.

I know everyone has their right to complain about their experiences, but I must admit I lost all interest in this particular complaint when I read the following line

 

"I am still waiting the report and some form of compensation for a disastrous two weeks'

 

It just screams to me that this is purely about compensation and not really about Britannia listening to its customers and making improvements.

 

I'm sure the experience of having a nasty smell in the cabin is certainly not ideal, but did it really ruin a 2 week vacation. Don't most people only spend a minimal time in their cabin and instead spend their time on exploring the many ports the ship docks at.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

It would have ruined my vacation, I would have wanted either an alternative cabin of similar or higher grade OR let off the ship and sent home with a full refund

Totally agree Mrs Tinkywinky

 

It was more about how the initial message was reported. It certainly stressed the worst 2 weeks and the expectation of compensation.

 

I'm certainly not disputing the inconvenience Gayn experienced, I just would've taken more note of the original message if there was more balance provided to the whole vacation.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

No, he paid top dollar for a "luxury cruise" on their "flagship" ...... I don't recall P&O saying their may be a sewerage stink in your cabin - it's disgraceful, they overwork the ships with limited maintenance apart from trying to paint the metal nad stain the wood around the passengers and expect people to put up with it, of course he is entitled to compensation - but they won't even acknowledge there is or was a problem

Ian5509,

Gayn was offered another cabin, but it didn't meet their requirements, so they declined. Gayn has also responded why.

I also don't agree (and this is my opinion) with the compensation culture, I agree that P&O are accountable for ensuring their ship is in perfect working order and also deal with problems / issues promptly. Which based on Gayn's response, they did try. I would be more annoyed if they hadn't tried to fix and totally ignored the situation, but this wasn't the case.

Unfortunately they way the initial message was drafted inferred that the whole cruise was ruined and also the expectation of the compensation.

We are only hearing one part of the story here and we don't know how much effort (or not) P&O put into resolving this matter and also what resolution they made at the time.

As I said before, I would've taken more note if the initial message had more balance, but even when asked about other experiences of the ship, these too very negative.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Sorry to hear things didn't work out as expected. We've cruised many times (400 nights) and I have to say our cruise on Britannia in June was our favourite ever. We thought the entertainment was outstanding, the food excellent, our cabin lovely and the ship itself quite stunning. However we did have an issue with the soot on our aft balcony but this was dealt with effectively by P&O. Although I sympathise with you, I do think what happened to you is a minority experience and I would strongly urge other potential cruisers to try Britannia. Each to their own.

Have done two cruises on Britannia in the last couple of years and have not had any problems.