customer service

[greenscooter]

I just wanted to share this with others. I wrote to Carnival asking about itinerary changes on an upcoming cruise I have scheduled. I received a generic "cookie cutter" response that I should go to carnival's website and book all my tours through them because they cannot guarantee anything not booked through their ship. I understand the customer service representative who sent the response was just doing her job; but, the Carnival corporation needs to understand that "customer service" is a big factor in whether or not people choose to cruise with Carnival again.

I am not loyal to any cruise lines and choose my cruises based on itineraries; but, Carnival has already made a bad impression on me and I have months to go before my cruise. I sure hope their non-customer service philosophy does not carry forward on my cruise.

[big_duck]

Without knowing what your question is it is impossible to judge whether the answer was satisfactory or not.

[jobell]

Without knowing what your question is it is impossible to judge whether the answer was satisfactory or not.

 

I thought the OP stated the following: I wrote to Carnival asking about itinerary changes on an upcoming cruise I have scheduled.

 

It sounds like instead of reading the email (Carnival) they just picked out certain key phrases and then based the response on that. I think a lot of companies use the generic response way too often and don't actually read the emails that are sent. I have had similar responses from other companies where I asked a specific question and received a generic response that had nothing to do with my reply.

[mikel24m]

So just why not use that thing called a telephone and actually speak to a person

 

It usually works

[5waldos]

So just why not use that thing called a telephone and actually speak to a person

 

It usually works

 

Because sometimes having something in writing is a great idea.And frankly with Carnival, speaking to a person often doesn't work. How many times have you read here about getting 4 different answers on 3 calls asking for information?

[thekings23]

I manage the customer service group at a major corporation, one that has won multiple awards for industry leading customer service (JD Power this year!, not bragging, okay a bit).

 

Nothing kills me more than when someone from my team responds to a letter or an email without actually addressing the clients question. Cookie cutter and generic should not cut it, even when giving bad news being personable and detailed goes a long ways.

 

Calling Carnival isn't much better, they have no grip of what quality customer service really is. I would love to spend 6 months working with their call center, I could fix it.

[mikel24m]

understandable but emails get lost or forwarded and you never know if anyone actually reads it .When I call I actually ask names and write things down ,if im not satisfied I ask for someone else and that persons name as well. This is just me.

[mikel24m]

I manage the customer service group at a major corporation, one that has won multiple awards for industry leading customer service (JD Power this year!, not bragging, okay a bit).

 

Nothing kills me more than when someone from my team responds to a letter or an email without actually addressing the clients question. Cookie cutter and generic should not cut it, even when giving bad news being personable and detailed goes a long ways.

 

Calling Carnival isn't much better, they have no grip of what quality customer service really is. I would love to spend 6 months working with their call center, I could fix it.

 

Im not sure they pay enough for the customer service staff too really care

[iceleven]

It's also always better to have something in writing, too. Perhaps that is why you got a "generic" response. There is no commitment in anything they said.

[thekings23]

Im not sure they pay enough for the customer service staff too really care

 

That could be a huge part of it. My team is pretty much loaded up with recent college grads, they aren't driving BMW's, but they make a decent living. It's a shame that corporations cut corners on customer service (unskilled, outsourced, under qualified). Customer service is a vital part to any organizations retention of business, getting guests/clients/customers the first time is easy, getting them to come back is the challenge.

[big_duck]

I thought the OP stated the following: I wrote to Carnival asking about itinerary changes on an upcoming cruise I have scheduled.

 

That isn't a question. If the question was "will Carnival refund me for third party excursion if the itinerary changes?"

 

In which case the Carnival answer would be appropriate.

[mikel24m]

That could be a huge part of it. My team is pretty much loaded up with recent college grads, they aren't driving BMW's, but they make a decent living. It's a shame that corporations cut corners on customer service (unskilled, outsourced, under qualified). Customer service is a vital part to any organizations retention of business, getting guests/clients/customers the first time is easy, getting them to come back is the challenge.

 

This is correct.I have been at the same employer for 18 years and was trained in customer service from when I was hired .Its a pretty easy concept.

[firefly333]

Iv written and gotten a nonsense, poor grammer reply ..

 

I also got a pretty funny email denying me stock credit because I had 700 shares, and Carnival requires a minimum of 100 shares ..yep someone actually sent that to me.

 

OP Im sorry you are unhappy, but if they changed the iterernary, not much you can do about it. .. unless you are asking to cancel.

[5waldos]

Iv written and gotten a nonsense, poor grammer reply ..

 

I also got a pretty funny email denying me stock credit because I had 700 shares, and Carnival requires a minimum of 100 shares ..yep someone actually sent that to me.

 

OP Im sorry you are unhappy, but if they changed the iterernary, not much you can do about it. .. unless you are asking to cancel.

 

minimum-maximum- what's the big difference. You can be so picky sometimes:D:D:D

[5waldos]

that was a joke- just to be sure- the sarcasm directed at Carnival

[Nanaimobound]

I have learned in dealing with Carnival, to use the phone and ask for an e-mail confirmation of the transaction, whatever it is.

[zqvol]

I just wanted to share this with others. I wrote to Carnival asking about itinerary changes on an upcoming cruise I have scheduled. I received a generic "cookie cutter" response that I should go to carnival's website and book all my tours through them because they cannot guarantee anything not booked through their ship. I understand the customer service representative who sent the response was just doing her job; but, the Carnival corporation needs to understand that "customer service" is a big factor in whether or not people choose to cruise with Carnival again.

I am not loyal to any cruise lines and choose my cruises based on itineraries; but, Carnival has already made a bad impression on me and I have months to go before my cruise. I sure hope their non-customer service philosophy does not carry forward on my cruise.

 

 

If you are months before a cruise there is no way to tell if you are going to have an itinerary change. No one knows for sure at this time, and you are asking too much.

[kittyness]

Without knowing the exact situation, I can't give my opinion on whether Carnival's response was appropriate or not. My comments are of general nature for any company.

 

Recently, I had a problem with a service. I tried contacting the manager at the local office and got an unsatisfactory response. I then went to the company's website and sent an email to their customer service department. I got no response after a week so I went back to the website and found the name of the VP of customer relations. I sent him an email. I got a response by the end of the day. If you don't get a satisfactory response, keep escalating it through the appropriate channels. That's what they are there for. Also, be sure to stick to the facts in your complaint. It really helps. IMHO, you get a better response if you don't come across as the crazy mad lady. (I'm not saying you are.)

[debster11]

this is the norm for some large companies. Some questions via email will be treated like FAQ's. I am sure they get thousands of emails a day and most can probably be handled via their website. I would try responding to the email and see if you don't get a better response. I usually call as well because I hate these generic answers.

[Legend]

Tell us exactly what you asked. There is no way to agree or disagree with you without knowing the 'whole story'.

[tkportersat]

Agreed, I can't even begin to imagine the amount of questions they must get on a daily basis.

 

I would definitely call so that she can convey to the agent exactly what she wants, not everything translates clearly through email.

 

 

 

this is the norm for some large companies. Some questions via email will be treated like FAQ's. I am sure they get thousands of emails a day and most can probably be handled via their website. I would try responding to the email and see if you don't get a better response. I usually call as well because I hate these generic answers.