Inaccurate FCC for Quest 26/3/12

Has anyone else received their future cruise certificate yet? Ours arrived today. Inexplicably, the amount is short of the total we paid, by GBP 461.80, or approximately $700.

This is way more than the deposit being missed off and can't be accounted for by currency fluctuations. Whilst the speed of getting them out is appropriate, the inaccuracy is unfortunate, bordering on irritating. RCCL UK Customer Relations are only open during standard business hours, which is no use to us. I suspect the refund to our credit card of the cruise cost will also be inaccurate by the same amount.

I've emailed Customer Relations just now. Hoping for a speedy response and resolution.

I had a group with 6 staterooms on this cruise and we all have received correct amounts in our FCC certificates. The amount that was refunded was the cruise fare and the non-comm cruise fare that you paid. Not refundable was taxes and fees, but for US and Canadian booking that amount was only $59.31 per person.

Thanks BillC,

Our taxes etc were identical to yours, give or take an amount in pennies. These should be included in your refund - they can't keep the port taxes for ports we didn't dock in!

The wording in the Captain's letter was clear: "We will be providing all guests with a full refund for this voyage."

My concern is that they will now also inaccurately refund the cruise cost to our credit card leading to months of wrangling. The last time we used an FCC issued due to equipment failure it never made it's way onto our booking. In fact, it was two months after our return from the subsequent cruise that we finally got the money!

Not my experience. We made a booking and gave them the FCC numbers and 48 hours later we received our confirmation back that it had been correctly applied. The new cruise was slightly less than the aborted one so our total cost was $158.02 for taxes and fees.

Has anyone else received their future cruise certificate yet? Ours arrived today. Inexplicably, the amount is short of the total we paid, by GBP 461.80, or approximately $700.

 

This is way more than the deposit being missed off and can't be accounted for by currency fluctuations. Whilst the speed of getting them out is appropriate, the inaccuracy is unfortunate, bordering on irritating. RCCL UK Customer Relations are only open during standard business hours, which is no use to us. I suspect the refund to our credit card of the cruise cost will also be inaccurate by the same amount.

 

I've emailed Customer Relations just now. Hoping for a speedy response and resolution.

Hello Cardiffmatch -

Welcome home!

I'm sorry that the amount on your future cruise certificate wasn't as you expected. I'm confident that Customer Relations will deliver a timely resolution.

We look forward to welcoming you onboard very soon.

Regards,

Bill Leiber

_____________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

(*CBO is an authorized and compensated representative of ACC)

Hello BillC -

Welcome home and I'm very pleased that the refund processing worked for you and your group.

Thank you very much for your many and meaningful contributions to the discussions and conversations that occur on the Azamara forum. They enhance the value of the discourse.

Reading your "Next Up" is a perfect wish for all the team at Azamara!

Thank you for your loyalty!

Sincerely,

Bill Leiber

_____________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

(*CBO is an authorized and compensated representative of ACC)

Hi Bill, I just wanted to ask a question. The FCC we received said it expired in 1 year. There were many of us on board who were very interested in doing this same or a similar itinerary. Because the voyages for 2013 were already set, it was explained to us that they would consider this trip for 2014. I also spoke to Larry in Sandakan, and he expressed to me that a group of other passengers had voiced this same preference. Is there any way we might find out Azamara's plans for this itinerary and if they are going to repeat it or something close to it that visits these unique islands in Indonesia? if so, would they allow us to extend or FCC to use on this future cruise? Thank you for any information. Rich PS Hello to cardiffmatch Thom and Greg,

I had a group with 6 staterooms on this cruise and we all have received correct amounts in our FCC certificates.

Hi Bill, I just wanted to ask a question. The FCC we received said it expired in 1 year. There were many of us on board who were very interested in doing this same or a similar itinerary. Because the voyages for 2013 were already set, it was explained to us that they would consider this trip for 2014. I also spoke to Larry in Sandakan, and he expressed to me that a group of other passengers had voiced this same preference. Is there any way we might find out Azamara's plans for this itinerary and if they are going to repeat it or something close to it that visits these unique islands in Indonesia? if so, would they allow us to extend or FCC to use on this future cruise? Thank you for any information. Rich PS Hello to cardiffmatch Thom and Greg,

Hi Rich and Thom - have just received our FCC for the 'correct' amount but they say valid for TWO years from 10 April 2012. I hope to use ours sooner but would be very interested in a 'reunion' cruise hopefully year after next with similar itinerary.

Vera

Morning Vera!

How odd that you get a longer expiry! I will do my best to push for the same as it means we will make the 'reunion' in 2014...

Did yours come from the Australian office or direct from the US one? Ours had a covering letter from the Miami office which sadly did not include any email address for us to follow up the error and only a US telephone number and address.

Hope all is well,

Thom

Morning Vera!

 

How odd that you get a longer expiry! I will do my best to push for the same as it means we will make the 'reunion' in 2014...

 

Did yours come from the Australian office or direct from the US one? Ours had a covering letter from the Miami office which sadly did not include any email address for us to follow up the error and only a US telephone number and address.

 

Hope all is well,

 

Thom

Mine was sent via our Australian on line TA so not sure if it was issued in Sydney or Miami. Hope the two years is not a mistake, though I'm already looking at Quest for late this year!

I phoned customer relations today as I hadn't heard anything from them.

They had not received the email I sent to azamaraservice.uk at rccl.com and requested I send it again to custserv.uk at rccl.com .

The very polite man I spoke to couldn't help as everything had to be forwarded to Miami. Unfortunately he advised that I will have to wait at least a fortnight before this can be resolved.

He wasn't able to advise whether the cash refund will be accurate, only that I will receive it via my travel agent.

On the plus side, he was able to confirm that Azamara have received all my hotel documents and the cheque will apparently be with me within one week.

In case any other UK guests need to speak to Customer Relations, their direct number is 01932 834330. This avoids the need for the costly non-geographic 0844 number and also bypasses all the automated response menus!

Well now I'm really upset.

I've had a phone call from AZ UK. They acknowledge that I will get a full cash refund from my Travel Agent, however they will only offer a FCC for the amount that they (Azamara) received from the Travel Agent, less any profit the TA took and all taxes and fees.

This leaves us with an FCC which is several hundred short of what we actually paid. What is particularly galling is that my Travel Agent is owned by Royal Caribbean Ltd! This hardly fits with the 100% FCC we were offered. I'm currently left with a very dim view of Azamara's UK business practice, particularly as this doesn't seem to be the deal offered to passengers in other countries. This really doesn't sit well with the excellent service offered on board and, in my view, with any sort of ethical way to do business.

Well now I'm really upset.

 

I've had a phone call from AZ UK. They acknowledge that I will get a full cash refund from my Travel Agent, however they will only offer a FCC for the amount that they (Azamara) received from the Travel Agent, less any profit the TA took and all taxes and fees.

 

This leaves us with an FCC which is several hundred short of what we actually paid. What is particularly galling is that my Travel Agent is owned by Royal Caribbean Ltd! This hardly fits with the 100% FCC we were offered. I'm currently left with a very dim view of Azamara's UK business practice, particularly as this doesn't seem to be the deal offered to passengers in other countries. This really doesn't sit well with the excellent service offered on board and, in my view, with any sort of ethical way to do business.

Hello Cardiffmatch -

I can understand at this moment why the misunderstanding about what the "final" amount of your forthcoming FCC has upset you.

You're correct, our offer to the guests on the March 26, 2012 Azamara voyage was a FCC for 100% of the cruise fare paid. Please be patient as I request our Miami and UK teams to reconfirm whether the travel agent's earned commission actually will be deducted from the final amount of your FCC.

On the forum the usual "rule" is for me, as the CBO, to suggest you contact Customer Relations about specific questions about your voyage and I agree with that because I simply add another layer into the process.

However, because the overall refund process is being managed by the revenue management and accounting teams in Miami; I suspect there might be a communication gap about specific parameters governing the execution of this policy, especially since the US and UK operate under different business rules. Please give me some time as I "bridge the gap" across the Atlantic to resolve this misunderstanding.

I know you're frustrated, but I must confess, in all due respect, that when you stated is this "any sort of ethical way to do business," I was disappointed that you chose to label our business practices in that manner. I consider your issue to be a technical/financial misunderstanding, resulting from our "shared-services" global operation as well as from being exacerbated by the "tsunami-like" impact from two cancelled Quest voyages onto the accounting processing and revenue management teams in Miami. Also, would you categorize our management of this entire Quest incident, from handling displaced guests and creating options for post-cruise vacation options and then to caring for our severely injured crew member and his family, as "unethical?"

Once last word, if I may. Because Azamara is not a "bi-polar" operation, our business practices are predicated and integrated upon a foundation of ethics. Nevertheless, I'm totally aware that we have work to do on improving our global communication and that whenever a shortfalls occurs, they negatively impact your confidence and trust in our shoreside operations.

Also, thank you for providing the direct telephone number for UK customer relations and the fact to use the main customer service email address. I'll remember that in the future.

Until my response, please enjoy the weekend ahead thanks again for your loyalty to our experience.

Regards,

Bill Leiber

_____________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

(*CBO is an authorized and compensated representative of ACC)

Hi Bill,

Thanks for your thorough response. I've received some further information from Azamara UK which I have shared with Host Andy offline prior to your reply. I am told follow up on this will be on Monday.

Hopefully your investigations will reveal to you why I chose not to share this in a public forum. If, however, your input brings about a speedier resolution to what is becoming a rather larger problem than I had anticipated then I will of course be delighted.

My concerns about RCCL UK business practice relate solely to the issues I have encountered today and I am sure on re-reading my response you will see it was a carefully qualified statement which in no way relates to the other matters you mention.

Best wishes

Thom

HI BIll, I am also waiting for your response to Thom on how muchor FCC should be as mine was also severaly hundred dollars short which I assume went to the travel agent. Thanks Rich ps. Any word on whether they might extend the date so we can retake this cruise if offerd?

Hello to all -

Thanks to Vera from Australia for mentioning that the expiration date on the Future Cruise Certificate which she received stated "valid for TWO years from 10 April 2012." This is a new revelation to me. It seems, however, that in the US and UK markets it's valid for one year. Please give me some time to check-out this news. I've often mentioned about "differences" that exist among the global markets.

Also, I'll inquire about whether an actual possibility exists for recreating a similar itinerary in 2014 for the one which was disrupted this year. My opinion is if the itinerary were to occur then that it would not impact the currently issued FCC's expiration dates; however, I'll report back to you.

Rich, just in case you need to contact Azamara customer service about your incorrect FCC refund, you or your travel agent can contact us by phone:1-877-999-9553, or send a very detailed email, as well, to AzamaraCustomerService@AzamaraClubCruises.com.

Best regards,

Bill Leiber

_____________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

(*CBO is an authorized and compensated representative of ACC)

Thanks Bill. I will be awaiting your response on what you might discover about a future itinerary and I will contact Azamara in regards to my FCC. rich

Hello to all -

 

Thanks to Vera from Australia for mentioning that the expiration date on the Future Cruise Certificate which she received stated "valid for TWO years from 10 April 2012." This is a new revelation to me. It seems, however, that in the US and UK markets it's valid for one year. Please give me some time to check-out this news. I've often mentioned about "differences" that exist among the global markets.

 

Also, I'll inquire about whether an actual possibility exists for recreating a similar itinerary in 2014 for the one which was disrupted this year. My opinion is if the itinerary were to occur then that it would not impact the currently issued FCC's expiration dates; however, I'll report back to you.

 

Rich, just in case you need to contact Azamara customer service about your incorrect FCC refund, you or your travel agent can contact us by phone:1-877-999-9553, or send a very detailed email, as well, to AzamaraCustomerService@AzamaraClubCruises.com.

 

Best regards,

 

Bill Leiber

_____________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

(*CBO is an authorized and compensated representative of ACC)

Hello to all -

I simply want to let you know that I'm still awaiting a final response and that the "wheels are turning" about both issues.

So stand-by and thanks for your patience.

Best regards,

Bill Leiber

_____________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

(*CBO is an authorized and compensated representative of ACC)

Thanks Bill,

Likewise I'm awaiting an update from Azamara UK. They blame the travel agent; the travel agent in turn blames Azamara whilst we stand in the middle.

Fortunately we have had an email from a British couple who were on the same cruise. They booked through a different Travel Agent (one entirely independent of RCCL) and have had an FCC of 100% of what they paid. Azamara UK tell me that they must make sure whatever decision they make on this one is "consistent". Hopefully that sets the precedent.

Here's hoping things get sorted out for you Rich. We are hoping for a speedy resolution now as we have chosen our next cruise and are chomping at the bit to book...

Best wishes

Thom

Thanks Thom, we are now in the process of dealing with our TA to see if we can recoup the differnce of what tyhey paid to Azamara and what we paid to them. Whatcruise are you guys thinking of? rich

Hey Rich,

I think everything is resolved on the FCC and refund front for us now.

As regards future cruises... it all got a bit more complicated when I found myself with a spare hour this evening and now we are looking at four cruises! One is the 2nd March 2013 roundtrip from Miami to the Caribbean. The other three are all in SE Asia next year - 19th Jan, 3rd Feb and 20th Feb.

Oddly, the 19th Jan is in the brochure we picked up whilst on the Journey but has disappeared entirely from the AZ website. It suits us perfectly (post-christmas, mid-Jan, leaves on a Saturday, first night overnight in case of a flight delay...) I'm going to ask about it on a separate thread as it is a bit off-topic here!

Best wishes

Thom

Hey Thom, after talking to Azamara and my TA I realized that I have received all that I paid minus $400 commission that was paid directly to the TA. I should have been more astute when I had 2 different charges upon final payment. Also my FCC was issued in the correct amount. I now await the disposition of my hotel and perdiem reimbursement as well as some deposits paid for private tours we booked. Also,we still have not heard how Azamara plans to monetize the miles we used for our airfare. And lastly, we along with many others are hoping that they run this cruise again. rich

Hello Richandi, Thom, BillC and others -

I'm responding to you first to let you know that Larry Pimentel has re-scheduled the same 17-night itinerary to operate in 2014! The Azamara Journey will sail from Hong Kong to Singapore, on March 17, 2014.

Further, to all of you on were guests on the cancelled March 26, 2012 Azamara Quest voyage, regardless of being in possession of a FCC with a one or two year expiration date the difference will not be a problem since exceptions will be honored for one-year certificates, as needed. That means that all of you can redeem it on the March 17, 2014 Azamara Journey and truly enjoy a reunion experience!

Thanks for your patience and best regards,

Bill Leiber

_____________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

(*CBO is an authorized and compensated representative of ACC)

Hello Richandi, Thom, BillC and others -

 

I'm responding to you first to let you know that Larry Pimentel has re-scheduled the same 17-night itinerary to operate in 2014! The Azamara Journey will sail from Hong Kong to Singapore, on March 17, 2014.

 

Further, to all of you on were guests on the cancelled March 26, 2012 Azamara Quest voyage, regardless of being in possession of a FCC with a one or two year expiration date the difference will not be a problem since exceptions will be honored for one-year certificates, as needed. That means that all of you can redeem it on the March 17, 2014 Azamara Journey and truly enjoy a reunion experience!

 

Thanks for your patience and best regards,

 

Bill Leiber

_____________________

Chief Blogging Officer*

Azamara Club Cruises

(*CBO is an authorized and compensated representative of ACC)

What wonderful news!! Hope that many of the lovely people we met on Quest will be there too - I'm pretty sure I will be.

Vera