Letter Of Complaint.

[Beardybloke]

Hi all.

I have reason to complain to Cunard over something, and although I have their Southampton address, I can find no department or person to address the complaint to, on their website.

 

Does anyone here know if I need to address it to a particular person, or should I just send it to Cunard, and hope it finds it's way to the correct person/people who can deal with my complaint.

 

T I A

[guernseyguy]

I can find no department or person to address the complaint to, on their website.

 

You could address it to Peter Shanks, and even if he does not reply I'm sure his secretary will forward it to the appropriate person.

[Beardybloke]

You could address it to Peter Shanks, and even if he does not reply I'm sure his secretary will forward it to the appropriate person.

 

Thanks for the info gg.

 

Who is Peter Shanks by the way?

 

 

<EDIT> Never mind. Found him, thanks to Google. ;)

[Summergee]

I have sent letters of praise and complaint. Both times I addressed them to "Head of Customer Relations". Both times I heard nothing for about 3 weeks, when I heard that my letter had been passed on, and then a real reply about 3 weeks later still.

[Dorchester]

You should address your complaint to: -

 

Cunard Line

Carnival House

100 Harbour Parade

Southampton

SO15 1ST

 

For the attentioon of Lesley Cardy, Customer Solutions Executive

Regards,

David

[southwestie]

You should address your complaint to: -

Cunard Line

Carnival House

100 Harbour Parade

Southampton

SO15 1ST

 

For the attentioon of Lesley Cardy, Customer Solutions Executive

Regards,

David

 

 

Pete Moss would be better, and expect to wait many weeks

 

Dont accept the standard letter of reply either

[cunardqueen]

No matter who you write to, do be prepared for

"Im sorry if this reply is not what you expected but......"

[JuditSZ-M]

Hi Beardybloke - are you able to share with us the subject of your complaint?

 

J

 

Hi all.

I have reason to complain to Cunard over something, and although I have their Southampton address, I can find no department or person to address the complaint to, on their website.

 

Does anyone here know if I need to address it to a particular person, or should I just send it to Cunard, and hope it finds it's way to the correct person/people who can deal with my complaint.

 

T I A

[Husband & wife who cru]

You could address it to Peter Shanks, and even if he does not reply I'm sure his secretary will forward it to the appropriate person.

 

 

I haven't heard too much positive about Mr. Shanks or Cunard's performance with Customer Service. Our experience on QM2 was largely nice except for the poduct of the QG. Beyond the spotty service we were both taken back by the lack-luster and recycled offerings. When my wife asked for something as simple as grilled asparagus and is told "not tonight" doesn't fly. For the money Silversea or Oceania would have been a much better selection.

 

The rest of our experience was largely positive as I said.

[minz56]

Finding the right person to complain to is extremely important and some of the above posts help with that.

 

However it is always extremely important with any complaint to set a reasonable expectation as to what you expect from the company involved, in this case Cunard. Is a simple apology acceptable, or perhaps an explanation of why something happened, or are you looking for some form of compensation?

 

Without knowing your reason for complaining I cannot say. However your expectations from Cunard should be clearly stated in your original communication with them, and then don't let them get off with the "standard reply." Good luck!

[Classiccruiser777]

The fact that it is difficult to "find the right person" to talk with regarding service issues speaks volumes. Well run companies empower their employees to take action to rectify problems. Nordstrom (a US clothing store) and Four Seasons hotels come to mind.

[doublebzz]

If I'm inclined to write a "complaint Letter," or a complimentary letter for that matter, I always address it personally to the President or Chief Operating Officer of the company. Some senior executives actually like to get a feel from what their customers are thinking. At worst, they will route it to the appropriate staff.

[rgreenba]

Cunard does not understand the meaning of the term customer service. It is not in their lexicon.

 

You should know customers are not allowed to contact customer service directly by telephone. You have to go through the general reservation telephone number and speak to a reservation agent. The reservationist then calls customer service while you are on hold, to determine if they will even put your call through.

 

I attempted to return a call from a "customer service" agent and I had the extension number. There is no mechanism to direct dial the person who called you, as your call must first be screened.

 

However, it reality it doesn't matter because Cunard does not do anything to address complaints or treat passengers fairly or with respect. They put on airs of grandeur and luxury, but in my experience it is all smoke and mirrors.

[chickenwhisperer]

However, it reality it doesn't matter because Cunard does not do anything to address complaints or treat passengers fairly or with respect. They put on airs of grandeur and luxury, but in my experience it is all smoke and mirrors.

 

This quote from the previous post is absolutely correct. We have been exchanging ineffective correspondence with Cunard since November regarding a terrible voyage on board Queen Mary. Our first, and definitely the last time on board that ship. Coupled with very poor service and standards falling at Cunard due to cost cutting over the past year, we have cancelled our two booked cruises with Cunard this year.

 

Very sad, but as a matter of principle we are not allowing Cunard to walk all over us by taking substantial amounts for our booking and failing to provide the high standards and services they promise.

 

I hope things improve and will monitor the Cunard threads. A great shame as our first two cruises were superb, maybe we were just lucky?

[doublebzz]

This quote from the previous post is absolutely correct. We have been exchanging ineffective correspondence with Cunard since November regarding a terrible voyage on board Queen Mary. Our first, and definitely the last time on board that ship. Coupled with very poor service and standards falling at Cunard due to cost cutting over the past year, we have cancelled our two booked cruises with Cunard this year.

 

Very sad, but as a matter of principle we are not allowing Cunard to walk all over us by taking substantial amounts for our booking and failing to provide the high standards and services they promise.

 

 

Just curious what specifically made your last QM2 voyage so terrible. We did 2 transatlantics on her the last two years and, if anything, found conditions improved, particularly the food in Britania dining room.

[Husband & wife who cru]

Just curious what specifically made your last QM2 voyage so terrible. We did 2 transatlantics on her the last two years and, if anything, found conditions improved, particularly the food in Britania dining room.

 

Our first voyage was in the Princess Grill and the food was certainly not up to par. Even the table next to us sent their food back and my wife noted it felt as though the food was kept under a heat lamp. Our family ate in Britannia and found the food OK but the service simply lacking in every way. In Queens Grill last year we found things had improved abit but the menus were recycled and simple special orders, grilled vegtables, were "not available". Oddly Todd English was better than what was being offered in the dining room.

 

The overall fall of quality on Cunard has been well covered and not just on this forum either. I hope things improve but I suspect since labelling themselves as a niche brand means they don't need to do things as we expect.

[The Real PM]

Our first voyage was in the Princess Grill and the food was certainly not up to par. Even the table next to us sent their food back and my wife noted it felt as though the food was kept under a heat lamp. Our family ate in Britannia and found the food OK but the service simply lacking in every way. In Queens Grill last year we found things had improved abit but the menus were recycled and simple special orders, grilled vegtables, were "not available". Oddly Todd English was better than what was being offered in the dining room.

 

The overall fall of quality on Cunard has been well covered and not just on this forum either. I hope things improve but I suspect since labelling themselves as a niche brand means they don't need to do things as we expect.

The food was not up to whose par?

[Norfolk Brit]

Oddly Todd English was better than what was being offered in the dining room.

 

Actually, I would expect Todd English to be better than offered in the dining room, even in QG... and strangely, we found the food in Britannia to be better than TE. 'tis the luck of the draw, perhaps.

 

Mary

[Husband & wife who cru]

The food was not up to whose par?

 

That night at least 4 people, my wife and myself, the table next to us and another passenger who commented later after dinner that they were not happy with the food service onboard. As I mentioned when my wife asked for grilled vegtables and was told "not tonight" was simply unacceptable.

 

I really want to try Cunard again but my wife will have nothing to do with the idea after 4 trips with them. There were aspects of the trip we absolutely loved..our room steward was simply the best and the sweetest person. But for the money Cunard demands, especially in the Grills, we can not justify it any longer.

 

On a side note in reference to declining quality on Cunard. I noticed on one of our trips the mattress pad was visible beneath the fitted sheet around our mattress on QM2. When we took the grandkids on the Oasis not only was the mattress pad not visible (indicating a higher thread count). The sheets were also monogrammed. That little touch I expected on Cunard...not on RCL.

[Griller]

I had cause to complain about the disgusting water in our bathroom on QM2 last year and did get a reply but all it said was that this was normal and to be expected and they hoped I'd book again.

 

Well I have booked again - on QV- but only because it was cheap.

 

Our days in Queens Grill and Princess Grill are over. Just not worth it, it was worth it on QE2.

 

No doubt they will sell the cabins but not to us.

 

I have found the food OK on Cunard but find a better menu and at least equal quality on Princess ships - except the scones which are much better on Cunard.

 

I also wrote to complain about something on Princess and did not receive a reply - but I did receive a check from them for the full disputed amount.

 

That worked for me. A check is better than a stock weasel-worded reply.

[keithm]

Our first voyage was in the Princess Grill and the food was certainly not up to par. Even the table next to us sent their food back and my wife noted it felt as though the food was kept under a heat lamp. Our family ate in Britannia and found the food OK but the service simply lacking in every way. In Queens Grill last year we found things had improved abit but the menus were recycled and simple special orders, grilled vegtables, were "not available". Oddly Todd English was better than what was being offered in the dining room.

 

The overall fall of quality on Cunard has been well covered and not just on this forum either. I hope things improve but I suspect since labelling themselves as a niche brand means they don't need to do things as we expect.

That's odd.On our Nov.27 trip, anything we ordered in Queens Grill was available. With some "off menu" items we gave proper notice of a day. Grilled veg. should not have been a problem. The only issue we had was back in 2006. It was an 8 day cruise in the Caribbean. It was a low price special, which unfortunately resulted in pax with bad manners(sorry if I come off as snobby)The room had some issues with shower curtain falling apart & a lot of rust on the balcony. We were given an extra $500 OBC on our next trip & the ship has looked great. We're glad that more maintainance is due in the late fall.

[doublebzz]

Our days in Queens Grill and Princess Grill are over. Just not worth it, it was worth it on QE2.

 

 

While I have never sailed in Grills, these comments reinforce my view that the Grills are certainly not worth the premium prices. If one can afford $300 a day plus, then they probably will find a better experience on so called luxury lines like Regent, Crystal, Seabourne,etc.

[keela1eva2]

I am wondering just where Pete Moss. I had an email address but I sent one the other day and it was returned as failed.

 

Sue

[Husband & wife who cru]

these comments reinforce my view that the Grills are certainly not worth the premium prices.

 

We've come to that conclusion as well which is unfortunate. Having done the Grills several times over 4 years we find the issues we've had are easily corrected with either crew thinking on their feet. Or, as the saying goes, throwing money at the problem and Cunard/Carnival appears not want to do either.

 

For what Cunard charges for the Grills they need to rethink their approach. We were loyal for 4 voyages but no more...we are going to give the new Marina a try now.

[Nick&Simon]

I believe I am fortunate that I have only travelled QG and many times, so I cannot compare QG to PG or Britannia with any measure of authority, but I think I am qualified to make a couple of observations which touch on the flow of this thread.

 

1. Complaints - I have never had occassion to make a complaint to Cunard shoreside, but as you would exect I have had plenty of issues over the years, each one of these has been resolved to my satisfaction and in most cases with some finesse on-board. Although I much prefer the cause of the issue to be addressed, I have on occassion (and without request) received sizeable OBC for issues.

 

My point here is that if you have a tangiable issue, ask for it to be addressed onbaord. Something less tangiable "the food was bland" etc. is impossible for Cunard to resolve shoreside, all they can effectively do is say "we note your comments", in other words if we get lots of similar comments we know there is a consistent problem and will address it (and they do).

 

 

2. I have also had the pleasure of travelling on many of the mid-size 'ultra luxury' ships of other premium lines such as Silversea, Seabourne etc. I find it perplexing and odd that people would expect Queens Grill on Cunard to be the same experience. In my opionion the food is equal or better in QG to the other lines mentioned, but a ship-subset (QG) is always going to have a different 'feel' to a whole ship. That for me is the unique charm of Cunard QG. In general as a result you get bigger vessels with more facilities, a wider generational mix of passengers and in very general terms a broader soci-economic mix.

 

Personally that is what I like. Great food in the evening, and a varied mix of fellow passengers in the day. On Cunard if I choose to sit in the Golden Lion for lunch and chat with a wide spectrum of people I can, you don't have that type of option on the smaller premium ships.

 

Of course this is all a matter of personal taste and for that reason indicating that one line is superior to another is disengenuous - it may be for you, but it may not for me.

 

 

I know I will be flammed for this final comment, but come on, some of the complaints mentioned on this board are trivial in the extreme. Your on holiday, chill, relax, take a deep breath. I try (and fail sometimes) to have the philospophy that sometimes there will be a 'Basil Fawlty' moment, take it for what it is laugh about it, make light of it and continue enjoying your day. I once saw someone complain because the ice-cubes in their drink were angular and they wanted rounded (I sure bet the bartender had to laugh about that to remain their sanity), but the bartender reasonable advised they were the only ice cubes they had, the passenger ranted they were going to complain to Cunard. I am sure Cunard shoreside 'noted' the complaint.