Booking watch out- what are P&O playing at?

[hazy123]

Has anyone had any problems booking for 2012? We have, I am wondering what P&O are up to ......:mad: Watch out folks!!!

 

After coming back from a wonderful RCI cruise at Easter we decided to book a P&O cruise for next Easter, having been on 4 cruises with P&O but not for a few years.

 

We wanted to book on Azura, a 4 berth outside but were told it was fully booked for this cabin grade 4 berth and we could either have 2 cabins or a balcony one which slept 4, by P&O when my travel agent phoned. I was there when he phoned so witnessed this. No cabins were also showing on their website either. I was surprised as they had only gone on sale 2 weeks previously and very disappointed as this cruise had ports to the Western Med we haven't been to. But we need to fit in with school holidays and didn't want to hang around so booked on Ventura instead. We didn't want to pay the much greater price for a balcony as with 2 young kids we don't feel we would use it.

 

Was I surprised then to get a phonecall from a friend that same day to say she had managed to book a 4 berth outside and had I booked Ventura! Her agent had phoned P&O and got them to release cabins they were holding back. Well was I unhappy! Surprise surprise too, there were over 30 outside 4 berth cabins now showing on the P&O website.

 

I went in to my travel agent the next day and needless to say he was very angry. He phoned P&O and they said they would check with inventory and then that the cabins were available all the time! I could switch if I wanted but it would be £100 admin fee. I was fizzing! Why be told it was sold out, they weren't interested. Anyway, switched cruises on understanding with agent I wasn't paying the fee, they said I wouldn't and they would take it further. I have written to P&O and received a reply with some nonsense about capacity monitoring and cancellations which is rubbish when booking at this early stage and also what a cancellation of 30plus cabins! They so kindly waived the admin fee ... what a cheek, if they had let me book the cruise I wanted in the first place, and it was a cruise costing more!

 

Are they deliberately holding back lower value cabins to see higher value ones? ..... I wonder!!! So beware, what you are told ......

[jeanlyon]

I'm sure that's what they always do. I often see the lowest inside cabins sold out with all the others available, and then a week later, there are lowest inside cabins available again. I'll bet all cruiselines do it.

[hazy123]

I have to say that my travel agent who booked our first cruise for us 15 years ago had never heard of this. He said the system will only show a maximum of 8 cabins at each grade category (eg MA or NA) but there will be more cabins available. He says he has never had this before, sometimes an odd cabin will appear due to a cancellation/transferral but not in this case over 30 cabins! I have given him a copy of my response from P&O and he is pursuing it with his rep.

 

If my friend hadn't tried to book as well we would have been none the wiser of this. It is very very poor that people could be missing out on the cruise they really wanted, or paying well over the odds for a cruise they could have got cheaper which in our case was 2 days later!

 

I am currently waiting on a response to my second letter, hopefully with an explanation that this time is plausible. I am not impressed at all with P&O customer care, we certainly have not felt like valued past passengers and when my travel agent phoned P&O the person she got was quite frankly rude and uninterested! It really has put us off booking with them again and we were avid P&O supporters!!!

[hooked cruiser]

I completely agree with you on the Customer service staff. I recently emailed them with a question regarding a future cruise and waited 5 weeks and 2 days for their reply, and all they said was "Sorry for the delay in replying" and then didn't answer the initial question.

I will never contact them again and will in future go through my agent as they have informed me that at 11-00am every weekday morning P&O (and Princess) make a conference call to several cruise agents and answer any queries at the time that they may have.

As the agent is making money (not quite as much as they used to) from P&O then I will let them do the leg work in future.

[hazy123]

Thanks for that. I get the feeling that as P&O now have our booking they are not really interested and just telling us anything. I believe under ABTA rules they are meant to acknowledge your letter within 2 weeks and a reply within 4 weeks. On another forum when I was trying to decide whether to e-mail or write I read all about how fantastic and quick P&O were at responding and sorting out problems! Well, now over a month later .... still waiting.....

 

I just wanted people to be aware that if they are told there are no cabins at a certain grade and they would need to book a higher value cabin this may not be true. It doesn't put agents in a good position either, how do they have any faith in what they are being told by P&O?????!!!

[Anotherdamnlolly]

We booked on the Easter Ventura cruise a couple of weeks ago and were told all the 4 berth cabins were booked up! I hope that wasn't a lie, I'll be cross if it is.

[cclarke12]

Call me cynical but I think P&O held back cabins until the prices went up on 31st May. Initially the 4th June 2012 7 night sailing on Azura was showing as having sold out of 4 berths within days of going on sale (90% child discount in half term week). However, since 1st June and the price rises a whole heap of 4 berth cabins have magically appeared on the system. I find it hard to believe that a heap of people have chosen to cancel a year ahead after just booking.

[cclarke12]

We booked on the Easter Ventura cruise a couple of weeks ago and were told all the 4 berth cabins were booked up! I hope that wasn't a lie, I'll be cross if it is.

 

According to the P&O site there are 4 berths available on the 14/16 night cruises on Ventura/Azura for Easter 2012

[hooked cruiser]

I wish I knew what P&O are up to. One minute cabins are not available then they are, 2 weeks ago I booked 2 cruises (Back to Back) for Christmas and New Year in 2012. I got freedom dining for the first one but have been wait listed for the 2nd cruise.

We are talking about 18 months time and all freedom dining requests are full "I don't think so". Come on P&O sort yourselves out and give satisfaction to your loyal customers or else lose them.

[Anotherdamnlolly]

According to the P&O site there are 4 berths available on the 14/16 night cruises on Ventura/Azura for Easter 2012

 

 

Actually I meant all 4 berth inside cabins were booked up. I just checked and that still appears to be the case.

[hazy123]

Just an update to say I did finally get another reply from P&O customer services. They are reiterating that this is always how they control their bookings - they only ever release some of the cabins, see how they sell, then decide when to release more. So basically, you never know where you stand whether your cruise IS actually sold out or more cabins will appear at any minute! Great for customers!!!!! The tone of the reply from customer services is that they clearly don't see why I was annoyed and since they now have my booking they are clearly not interested.

 

Moving forward, I now at least know this is how P&O operate their booking system (badly for us!). Hopefully by reading these comments lots of other people will be more aware too and not make the same mistake I did!

[davecttr]

Last july I booked on Ventura for this september and guess what? I can now get a single cabin of the same category in the same location for £300 less :mad:

 

It might pay to wait until near the due date for final payment and see how the prices go and then cancel and rebook?

[Host Sharon]

I guess this is where it pays to get a good travel agent who knows P&O and how they operate. I must admit I have always had my first choice of cabin, but then I do book early.

[silver service]

i do just the same as sharon. make the booking as soon as possible.

not everyone can do this. 18 months in advance. to ensure our choice of

disabled cabin. come unstuck only once, trying to get a superior grade balcony cabin on azura,there are only two disabled of these on c deck. both gone on the first day of open booking. gone to the goldies no doubt!:)

[hazy123]

I did book early, only 2 weeks after the cruises went on sale and a year in advance. The only reason we didn't book on release date is that we were on an RCI cruise and wanted to try the Easter weather before we booked Easter again. My TA is experienced, having cruised himself for years. He says he knows they control bookings but not holding back over 30 cabins, the whole outside grade.

 

Anyway, all done and dusted now. I just wish P&O would not say 'sold out' when this is not entirely accurate, just not available for booking at the moment.! They could potentially losing business to other cruise lines this way, very strange business practice!

[Philimorr]

I completely agree with you on the Customer service staff. I recently emailed them with a question regarding a future cruise and waited 5 weeks and 2 days for their reply, and all they said was "Sorry for the delay in replying" and then didn't answer the initial question.

I will never contact them again and will in future go through my agent as they have informed me that at 11-00am every weekday morning P&O (and Princess) make a conference call to several cruise agents and answer any queries at the time that they may have.

As the agent is making money (not quite as much as they used to) from P&O then I will let them do the leg work in future.

 

I am not intending to be rude but does anyone expect any holiday company, with a few exceptions, to actually provide "customer service"?

 

My experience is that once they have your money their finction is to fob off any complaints or serious requests for help or information. I blame it on lack of staff rather than policy. Delays in answering, all too common failure to address the actual question and sometimes deliberate refusal to be flexible are far too common responses to customer enquiries. It's not just holiday companies though as the problem seems to affect all industries.