Horrendous Customer Service

[MarylandCruiseCouple]

We received an e-mail today from Carnival informing us that our November 7th Pride cruise out of Baltimore has been cancelled!!!!! In and of itself, that was a real bummer, but what happened when we called Carnival was horrendous and has put us off from cruising with Carnival in the future.

We booked this cruise several months ago to take advantage of the super saver fare offering and also to fit with our very tough to schedule vacation time. We watched the price drop from $469 pp down to a low of $389 pp (lower deck inside cabin, but we don't need a balcony every trip). All was well until the e-mail from Carnival arrive today.

We called Carnival to find out why the cruise was cancelled and to see what other arrangements we could make and what Carnival was going to do in the way of making good on this rotten situation. At first the representative who answered was polite and commiserated with us but when we started to inquire as to what other cruises were available and what Carnival would do to honor the fact we booked early to allow us to get such a low fare, the representative gave us all kinds of options from other ports requiring airline and hotel costs. When we inquired if Carnival was going to pick up these costs the representative started to laugh. When asked fro her name, she hung up.

An immediate follow up call to a supervisor was courteous, yet she stated that there was no way to trace our previous call as the representative did not properly 'code' the call. (That is a crock of you know what as they monitor and tape all calls for quality and safety reasons.) To make a long story short, we are getting a refund, never booking again on Carnival, and writing a letter to the president of Carnival ex pressing our displeasure with the cancellation but more importantly the horrendous service we received.

[mferris77]

Scandalous!

[basill1970f]

I am very sorry for your troubles.

 

I have had one cruise cancelled two days before the flight was set to go. After I cried, I put on my big girl panties and called my PVP.. this was when you had a good PVP and could reach them. I hear they are far and few between.

 

My cancellation was due to propulsion problems.

 

Carnival paid for my rental car to get from Jacksonville down to Miami and my flight change to come home from Miami. Very helpful, have been with them ever since. 13th one coming up in November.

 

I wish you well.

[Cruise Cat]

Only the 5th redundant thread on this subject today.....

[comeon530]

If you read the fine print, they can cancel at any time for any reason. Disappointing yes, but that is that. When you book so far ahead, it can happen. I would be extremely disappointed too, but you can't expect Carnival to do any more than refund what you have paid.

[travelntreats]

"All calls MAY BE monitored for quality and assurance" :rolleyes:

 

As for feeling that the cruiseline owes you anything...... well I am sorry and although am sorry for the disappointment to you, but they really owe you nothing given that this unscheduled "dry dock" is taking the ship out of commission during the time you had her booked. You are owed a refund w/out penalty and thats really it given the fact they have advised you in plenty of advance. There are reports that a small OBC is being provided to customers who were forced to cancel and chose to rebook on another sailing date.

 

I feel the anger, but for you to think the cruiseline really owes you what you claim...... better come back down to reality before you fire off a letter to CCL that will probably go to "deaf ears" on this one. ;)

[mama_hao]

Well I certainly feel your pain. We were scheduled on this cruise also. We had 13 cabins booked with 26 people. Oh sure they offered to move our group booking to another ship but Gee Sorry you are now a new booking and there are no amenities available for groups at 4 months out. Seems funny that we actually booked 15 months out but now we are a 'new booking'. After numerous calls to Carnival by my TA and me I think we are seeing some light at the end of our tunnel.

All this to say, Keep Calling!! and see what can happen.

As it is we have lost 5 of our 13 cabins. We are still at 8 that are going no matter what.

 

Sorry if this is redundant! But if you don't care, don't click!

[firefly333]

Write, the letter, but my feeling is the last couple of years, Carnival has the attitude, no matter how much they upset you, there will be newbies to take your place, so they dont care if you are upset.

 

Writing to them, will result in a form type letter, which often is full of bad grammer and even parts that dont make sense or address the issue. Dont hold out high expectations of your letter reaching the ears of anyone who cares.

 

You just have to make up your mind if you are going to keep cruising, if there are other choices or not that would satisfy you.

 

I am sorry to hear Carnival didnt give more notice. It doesnt sound like they gave you enought time to replan either.

[brn2crz]

I pretty much agree with most of the posts here.

However..I just think that when this happens,folks should be able to rebook a comparable cruise, as close as possible anyway for what they paid.There is no way 4 months out they will find the same deal they already had..

Sadly enough,any other cruise line would handle it pretty much the same.

[zqvol]

I was on the phone with Carnival today about a cabin change and price drop. In a nice discussion with the rep, he said 90% of the calls today have been Pride related, and most have been very unpleasant.

 

People need to lighten up on the phone reps. They did not cancel the Pride, and they can only do what they can do. There is no point in being mad at them. Beside, if you are nice maybe they can do something to help.

[carsastic]

Sadly that is a perfect example of horrendous customer service.

While under no legal obligation to make it right , corporations that value their customers would do so.

Hey I’m loyal to Carnival ,8 trips so far but not to the point that they are not called out for Poor customer service.

Certainly Not a kool aid drinking CCL cultist.

When any company takes a stand and does not care for their customers , well that is one very slippery slope. Sure they will fill their ships but in the long run if that attitude keeps up they will suffer in the long run.

The “genius’s” that have come up with their current pricing model have cut the fares to the bone, no wiggle room at all .

I would write about it and would not be deterred by cheerleaders who find ccl can do no wrong.

You should write the corporate office, I would also include the board of directors, and of course forums.

Hopefully maybe you just haven’t reached the right people

Good luck and thank you for the post

[parrotthead]

Yep, apparetnly the Pride is going in for DryDock (early I guess, or I gather from all of todays threads on this)

I guess (from reading the other threads) they offered you $50 OBC. (that was nice, they did not have to)

Id have been upset, sure, but there IS time to book something else...isnt there. There ARE other cruises leaving around that time.

~As for PVP hanging up when you asked her name, I must say (altho I was not on the phone when you called) I have NEVER called Carnival that the PVP did not answer the phone "Hi this is (insert name here) a Personal Vacation Planner" so, she did give you her name, perhaps you were not paying attention.?

I bet the got a lot of nasty calls today, people yelling and being ugly trying to 'get something'

I will say I have found that a soft tone and a 'dissappointed' aire gets one Much farther then loud, ugly, gruffness....

JMO...

Sorry your cruise was cancled...but they Can cancel for Any Reason...

(again Read the Cruise Contract)

Good luck

[firefly333]

Yep, apparetnly the Pride is going in for DryDock (early I guess, or I gather from all of todays threads on this)

I guess (from reading the other threads) they offered you $50 OBC. (that was nice, they did not have to)

 

Many people booked early enough to get ES rates ... and now Carnival is not allowing people to move to another cruise for what they paid by booking early. ES rates are gone.

 

I dont see the $50 OBC as being all that nice. I have heard of much better offers this close in, like $100 toward changing plane fares and such.

 

I thought it was a stingy offer for being so close in and considering people are reporting back they cant book for what they had this cruise booked for.

[boaterette]

We received an e-mail today from Carnival informing us that our November 7th Pride cruise out of Baltimore has been cancelled!!!!! In and of itself, that was a real bummer, but what happened when we called Carnival was horrendous and has put us off from cruising with Carnival in the future.

 

We booked this cruise several months ago to take advantage of the super saver fare offering and also to fit with our very tough to schedule vacation time. We watched the price drop from $469 pp down to a low of $389 pp (lower deck inside cabin, but we don't need a balcony every trip). All was well until the e-mail from Carnival arrive today.

 

We called Carnival to find out why the cruise was cancelled and to see what other arrangements we could make and what Carnival was going to do in the way of making good on this rotten situation. At first the representative who answered was polite and commiserated with us but when we started to inquire as to what other cruises were available and what Carnival would do to honor the fact we booked early to allow us to get such a low fare, the representative gave us all kinds of options from other ports requiring airline and hotel costs. When we inquired if Carnival was going to pick up these costs the representative started to laugh. When asked fro her name, she hung up.

 

An immediate follow up call to a supervisor was courteous, yet she stated that there was no way to trace our previous call as the representative did not properly 'code' the call. (That is a crock of you know what as they monitor and tape all calls for quality and safety reasons.) To make a long story short, we are getting a refund, never booking again on Carnival, and writing a letter to the president of Carnival ex pressing our displeasure with the cancellation but more importantly the horrendous service we received.

 

 

Lesson learned. Read your contract. I am surpised that no one has taught you that all ready. Oh well, never to late to learn.

[divingmedic]

Yep, apparetnly the Pride is going in for DryDock (early I guess, or I gather from all of todays threads on this)

I guess (from reading the other threads) they offered you $50 OBC. (that was nice, they did not have to)

Id have been upset, sure, but there IS time to book something else...isnt there. There ARE other cruises leaving around that time.

~As for PVP hanging up when you asked her name, I must say (altho I was not on the phone when you called) I have NEVER called Carnival that the PVP did not answer the phone "Hi this is (insert name here) a Personal Vacation Planner" so, she did give you her name, perhaps you were not paying attention.?

I bet the got a lot of nasty calls today, people yelling and being ugly trying to 'get something'

I will say I have found that a soft tone and a 'dissappointed' aire gets one Much farther then loud, ugly, gruffness....

JMO...

Sorry your cruise was cancled...but they Can cancel for Any Reason...

(again Read the Cruise Contract)

Good luck

I guess your are forgetting the fact that many on the two cruises that were canceled, book those cruises for the simple fact that they were close to home. Booking another cruise at a higher cost plus having to add in airfare to get to another terminal escapes many people. The Pride is the only ship that CCL has in that area. It is not like Florida where you just drive another hour or so to get to another ship. I am sure many understand the contract, but when CCL gives poor customer service people have the right to be upset, not have people make excuses for CCL.

[divingmedic]

Lesson learned. Read your contract. I am surpised that no one has taught you that all ready. Oh well, never to late to learn.

My aren't we the rude arrogant one.:mad:

[TMWTim]

I would call them back and.....actually I think this whole thread is BS. :D

 

 

Got to love these Carnival hate threads. Oh well, one less person to post gripes. ;)

[chickie_mite]

Before my DH retired, we were very locked into weeks we could vacation. Each November, each employee had to "bid" for their vacation weeks that they would take the next year. We're also in the midwest, so getting to any port is either a 20+ hour drive or we have to fly.

 

So, I do understand your frustration--if something like this would have happened to us, it would have been quite upsetting.

 

I don't understand why the CS rep hung up on you....unless you were not so nice?

[AZVoodoo]

I want to know all the people complaining about the canceled cruises if they found another cruise that was cheaper than what they paid, would they switch to that cruise. This includes any penalties. My guess is that they would switch without thinking about it.

 

Consider Carnival is loosing about $2,000,000 in revenue just for the cabins and giving out the OBC. I think to myself why would they move up the scheduled drydock up 2 months? What if they are saving $4,000,000, on the things being done in drydock, if they do it in November and not January. If I was Carnival (or any other business) I might jump at the opportunity just like any of us wanting to save money.

 

I can't see a large corporation doing this on a whim. They looked at the cost benefit and made a decision.

 

I do feel sorry for all involved but always think of what would you do if you were in their situation

[Sirwinston]

To the O.P.

I do feel your pain on having your cruise cancelled. And I can relate to it being hard to get the same time off for you and whomever you are traveling with. But to expect the cruise line to buy your airfare and hotel cost is just delusional. Perhaps the phone rep "accidentally" hung up when she felt badgered into a corner and did not know what to say.

I always try to remember that phone reps, food servers, bank tellers, etc. are human beings and not machines. No she should not have hung up but perhaps you can remember a time at your work when you had a human moment.

How much customer service do you realistically expect when you are cruising for $ 55.00 per person per day.

 

 

Tom in Long Beach

[SE NC]

. At first the representative who answered was polite and commiserated with us but when we started to inquire as to what other cruises were available and what Carnival would do to honor the fact we booked early to allow us to get such a low fare, the representative gave us all kinds of options from other ports requiring airline and hotel costs. When we inquired if Carnival was going to pick up these costs the representative started to laugh. When asked fro her name, she hung up.

One BIG question! To whom did you book with? A PVP or TA? WHY didn't you just call the PERSON you booked with instead of this crazyness about "I can't get the gals name who laughed and hung up on me"!

With all due respect....ahhhh I "ain't" even going to say it!

And no....I'm not a cheerleader as I don't give a rat's behind what cruise line I'm on as long as it's a cruise!:D

[jtdlmc]

I think maybe some people would have a different attitude if it happened to them! I know that if I had my yearly vacation booked and paid for - yes, I booked my cruise 15 months in advance and got ES - and it was cancelled with no alternative, I'd be p'd. These people should be offered another ship at the same price they paid in the same cabin type, at the very least. Like some have said, they would have to incur airfare, etc. to get to a different port, so I think they should be compensated somewhat for that as well - maybe a small OBC, discounted airfare, whatever - regardless of what the contract says - the contract doesn't state that you will receive less than adequate customer service! Carnival could have prevented this by having a predetermined, set, dry dock schedule for each and every ship in their fleet occuring every set number of years. I wonder if airplanes are only serviced when they fail? :eek:

[geoherb]

I know it's more difficult to fly to the port and adds some cost to the total, but with flights to Florida less than $200, it's not a great deal more per person. You could cut back on other onboard expenses to help make up the difference.

 

I searched one of the major travel websites. There are tons of cruises showing up for under $500 that week.

[pe4all]

Honey often works better than vinegar. I have learned that staying "sweet" on the phone- no matter how upset I have been- has always worked. It may take time and patience, but I have always been satisfied with the end result- especially when it involves travel plans. I do think Carnival should have honoured (spelled correctly!) the ES prices on other ships for their cancellation of Pride. I also realize that sailing out of Florida instead of Baltimore would mean a big change of transportation plans for some, and much added expense. Many people are locked into a certain vacation week, and can't switch. But "stuff" happens. Look into other options, cruise lines, AI's, land vacations, island vacations, etc. You must just fall into the deal of a lifetime!

[debbiet70611]

I know I would be upset if this happened to me. I cruise close to home since I don't fly so everywhere we go has to be within a 6 hour drive. Since Carnival does not have a ship other than the Pride going from the East Coast all year long, it would be impossible for me to take another cruise on Carnival. Thank goodness I decided to book my next cruise on NCL already.