Princess cruse bait and switch

So your point is that it's OK to provide the wrong information and not stand behind it because they don't hire experienced people and they don't train them properly? :o:rolleyes:FTR: If the folks on the telephone don't know the right answers then it's the companies fault, not the customers.

Princess can promise the moon with insurance. But in the end AON Affinity has the final say.

We don't know how that conversation transpired. What we do know is that the OP was sent a copy of the insurance he purchased and in the fine print is their coverage for pre-existing conditions. In the end, it is a legal contract in which the OP was provided the contract. By law, the insurance company fulfilled their obligation based on the what the insurance covers.

So many people want to point fingers now days. It bothers me the we as citizens are becoming a society where everything has to be done and explained for and to us because we don't have the time or energy to do it ourselves. And then if we didn't hear it right, it is someone else's fault. Humans can have a tendency to hear what they want to hear.

My DW and I spent 2 hours going through policies yesterday to determine which one was right for us for this fall. This meant actually reading the coverages and comparing them for OUR needs. We have a spreadsheet with over 20 coverages over 15 to 20 areas. Everyone has different needs and someone at Princess, a travel agency, or another cruise line do not know your needs as well as you do. Explaining these needs to then only raises the risk of misunderstanding as to the real need.

There are several threads on CC where the discussion on what type of coverage a person buys and needs. These discussion go to show that no two cruisers see the problem the same.

So many people want to point fingers now days. It bothers me the we as citizens are becoming a society where everything has to be done and explained for and to us because we don't have the time or energy to do it ourselves. And then if we didn't hear it right, it is someone else's fault. Humans can have a tendency to hear what they want to hear.

 

My DW and I spent 2 hours going through policies yesterday to determine which one was right for us for this fall. This meant actually reading the coverages and comparing them for OUR needs. We have a spreadsheet with over 20 coverages over 15 to 20 areas. Everyone has different needs and someone at Princess, a travel agency, or another cruise line do not know your needs as well as you do. Explaining these needs to then only raises the risk of misunderstanding as to the real need.

 

There are several threads on CC where the discussion on what type of coverage a person buys and needs. These discussion go to show that no two cruisers see the problem the same.

Good for you if you choose to create spreadsheets and explore every option for yourself. It's a good idea if you can't trust the information you get in the first place. In the end, you have to trust someone tho. Which of the several resources you used do you trust?

The whole thing is a byproduct of morphing from a society where the customer is right to one where the company is always right, even if they provide you with bad information. In my experience, companies rarely make mistakes in the customers favour and when they do, they find a way to recoup their losses, because that's just good business.

The company most likely has a recording of the conversation(s) in question. If they didn't actually tell the OP what he thinks they did, I'm sure they can provide him with the proof. If there's any question, they won't have a copy of the recording.

Personal responsibility is all well and good, but you should be able to rely on the information that you are provided over the phone. Providing accurate information is the responsibility of the company who is providing it in the first place. If they're wrong, they should make good on their promises.

Good for you if you choose to create spreadsheets and explore every option for yourself. It's a good idea if you can't trust the information you get in the first place. In the end, you have to trust someone tho. Which of the several resources you used do you trust?

 

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There is a legal contract documenting what they cover. Pre-existing conditions has been spelled out in every travel insurance I have read.

You can ask any insurance company for their coverage. It is automatically sent to me whenever I book with them or when I request it in advance.

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The OP has not come back and I doubt they will.

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The whole thing is a byproduct of morphing from a society where the customer is right to one where the company is always right, even if they provide you with bad information. In my experience, companies rarely make mistakes in the customers favour and when they do, they find a way to recoup their losses, because that's just good business.

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Personal responsibility is all well and good, but you should be able to rely on the information that you are provided over the phone. Providing accurate information is the responsibility of the company who is providing it in the first place. If they're wrong, they should make good on their promises.

It would be nice if the world worked that way. Unfortunately, in an increasingly litigious society like we have today the contract has become the final say-so. Too many people are willing to sue at the drop of a hat. I'm sure that there are a lot of people and companies who would like to do business with a handshake and an "our word is our bond" method, but, in real life there are probably way too many people who would say it and not mean it. I heard a lawyer once say to someone that verbal information is not worth the paper it is not written on. Probably a good reason to actually read what you are signing.

BTW, we have always purchased the Princess policy and, not only does it explain the two available overages, there is a toll free number (and there always has been one) to the insurance administrator if you have any questions.

You, and others, don't seem to have any problem with a cruise line giving out bad information and you don't think that they should be held responsible for the mistakes that they make.

 

If it were me, I would have called the insurance company directly too, but I shouldn't have to. I should be able to rely on what the companies representative tells me. They are in it for themselves, but that doesn't mean they can give out wrong info then say "You didn't actually believe us did you? What a knob! YOU should have checked with someone else who doesn't work for the cruise line.".

 

As for the OP being 'lucky', what a crock. 'Lucky' would have been being able to rely on the information they got from the company they bought the coverage from. 'Lucky' would have been getting their money back. Heck, that's not even 'lucky'. It's what should have happened if the OP's post is accurate, and I have no reason to believe it isn't.

To be sure we do not have access to the conversations that the OP had with the agent, only what the OP claims he asked and what was said. To be blunt even the OP's postings seem a little unclear and confused.

I would point out that if the OP was not clear in his question, the answer the agent gave could have been valid. The OP made the comment that the agent said that the insurance was good as long as they canceled 24 hours in advance. The insurance he got certainly has cancel for any reason up until 24 hours in advance, as long as you are willing to accept the value as a cruise credit.

It is clear from the posting that even now the OP does not understand the insurance product he purchased, even after making the claim. After he made the comment that they offered the credit, not the fact that the credit is what he is entitled to under the policy.

As such I would not jump to the conclusion that the problem is totally the fault of the agent giving wrong information. If it was then the calls are recorded and the OP can certainly request that the call be reviewed. He could also contact his states department of insurance and request them to inquire.

There are certainly many places in the booking process where the insurance information is available for review, including the issue with pre-existing conditions, as well as the nature of the cancel for any reason credit.

 

It is clear from the posting that even now the OP does not understand the insurance product he purchased, even after making the claim. After he made the comment that they offered the credit, not the fact that the credit is what he is entitled to under the policy.

Thank you.

I can't believe we're still chewing this over. We have an OP with an imperfect command of English who's pretty clearly an unreliable narrator. ("4 months later we had to have re subit a hard writen doctor report, then the claim was turned down becasue we told we had the wrong insurance." Um, no. You were turned down because your wife was deemed ineligible for medical cancellation coverage, and buying Platinum Protection wouldn't have changed that. And I can't believe someone dealing with the claim said otherwise.)

He came in, posted his first three posts damning Princess, and subsequently disappeared. And yet the ensuing conversation has misstated the pre-existing condition clause, confused insurance broker (AON) and underwriter (Transamerica/Nationwide), called Princess greedy, criticized call center reps, and all but accused Princess (though, oddly, not the actual insurer) of exploiting sick people.

Lest I seem unsympathetic, let me add that my own family is dealing with issues of advanced cancer and insurance. I hold no brief for insurance companies, I've run across Princess reps who didn't know what they were talking about, and CCL is just another money-grubbing corporation that sells a product we happen to like to buy. But can we get real about this guy's apparent situation? He didn't understand what he was buying, he still doesn't understand what he bought, and he came here to vent about what is, at base, his own responsiblity.

Thank you.

 

I can't believe we're still chewing this over. We have an OP with an imperfect command of English who's pretty clearly an unreliable narrator. ("4 months later we had to have re subit a hard writen doctor report, then the claim was turned down becasue we told we had the wrong insurance." Um, no. You were turned down because your wife was deemed ineligible for medical cancellation coverage, and buying Platinum Protection wouldn't have changed that. And I can't believe someone dealing with the claim said otherwise.)

He came in, posted his first three posts damning Princess, and subsequently disappeared. And yet the ensuing conversation has misstated the pre-existing condition clause, confused insurance broker (AON) and underwriter (Transamerica/Nationwide), called Princess greedy, criticized call center reps, and all but accused Princess (though, oddly, not the actual insurer) of exploiting sick people.

 

Lest I seem unsympathetic, let me add that my own family is dealing with issues of advanced cancer and insurance. I hold no brief for insurance companies, I've run across Princess reps who didn't know what they were talking about, and CCL is just another money-grubbing corporation that sells a product we happen to like to buy. But can we get real about this guy's apparent situation? He didn't understand what he was buying, he still doesn't understand what he bought, and he came here to vent about what is, at base, his own responsiblity.

So pretty much the normal course for a thread on these boards. Enough of this, lets talk about tipping and formal nights now. :D