Norwegian - My Big Fat Customer Service Fail!

[cruiser1955a]

Harriet - my situation had nothing to do with cruise policy over booking through travel agents. If you booked through an agent and end up having a similar situation, as long as your agent is available to talk to you on weekends, they should be able to talk to the cruise line the weekend you sail if you need it.

 

Its always good to have an agent on your side. My situation should not at all influence your booking as they are totally different departments.

 

Please explain to us why you didn't call NCL on Friday, when you must have known there was a hurricane ? Maybe it would help us to understand your situation.

[hpecorari]

If you don't have a 24/7 phone number for your TA, you are out of luck. I don't know of any cruise line that will override the TA's ownership of your booking.

 

 

I just checked, I have a contact number from my TA for Customer Service Assistance which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

 

And you are correct, the cruise line won't talk to you if you're booked with a TA. Funny thing is on my last NCL cruise I was booked through the cruise line's Casino......and when that office was closed they'd refer me to call back when they were open as they won't talk to me then either. I thought that was strange as it was NCL's casino who booked the reservation. I thought they were pretty much the same.

 

Harriet

 

[nikimouse]

Interesting who is defening the OP in this case.

 

Out of all the posts on this thread only 3 people have really commented in favor of the OP's position.

 

One appears to just like to bash NCL even though he is sailing on them in January

Another is actively supporting the OP even though she has yet to sail on NCL until next year and has been asking a lot of questions about NCL in her posts.

 

And then there is Auntie Bon. Auntie Bon has NEVER posted on the NCL Board before (as I checked her posts.) Funny how she just happens to come to this board tonight shortly after the OP made her rant and she is quick to jump to the defense of the OP.

 

Perhaps Auntie Bon is a client of the OP and the OP is trying to contact her friends/clients to get support since nearly everyone else on this board feels the OP is the one who messed up.

 

Interesting

 

 

i know i havent sailed them, and i am gaining more perspective on the situation now. i guess i have to agree she should have known better, but does this happen to ordinary folk who havent read the small print? i just think they should have told her at the terminal that she couldnt rebook or get a refund.simple as.

Im still sailing with NCL! you get good and bad service from most companies nowadays. yeh she messed up, so did I, guess I was lucky that the person working for dcl was nice and I appreciate it when someone does go above and beyond whats expected of them.

she has a right to feel disapointed, shes a woman lol

ill take everyones advice onboard and be prepared for whatever cos in my expirience nothing seems to go to plan :D

its interesting that you checked us 3 out and feel that our opinion should be discredited just becasue we havent sailed ncl though :confused:

[nikimouse]

I did a disney cruise and was DENIED BOARDING ! stupidly confessed that we had all been vomiting the day befor but added we are all fine now, next thing i know we cant cruise!!! , they wont get any help from NCL or any sympathy from cruise critic it seems :(

 

OMG, I always smile when I fill out that form, thinking: "Yea, right, like people are gonna say their sick knowing they won't be able to cruise".

 

I wonder how many people actually DON'T tell the truth!

 

Harriet

 

 

im too honest! it wasnt the form, i was just chatting to the man at the counter about how much we are looking foward to the cruise after all being sick ! i didnt know anything about not being able to cruise, or see the form at that point . my boyfriend was parking the car, when he got back he was like you idiot! but when things go wrong, isnt it nice when someone helps?

[cruiser1955a]

And just for the record, I followed the hurricane path every day. Checked the NCL site and my individual reservation on Thursday, Friday AND Saturday in case I needed to make a change. In addition, I checked the website the day of the sailing before driving to the terminal, which usually has a small notification pop up on the front page if there are changes. The change was not announced until you entered the terminal for check in. If it had been announced beforehand, I would have talked to them beforehand. The cruise line still has the right to reroute - a lot of people there need a vacation. But if people are totally unhappy with the new product their should be options and at the very least in situations like this where there are bound to be a lot of disappointed people a rep should be there to answer questions and/or ANYONE should be able to get answers over the phone, not just people booked through specific desks.

 

You keep citing lack of "good customer service/communication" as your real problem. You claim to provide this to your clients. If you didn't call NCL when you knew about the hurricane, you probably wouldn't have done it for a client. Do you consider that "good customer service/communication" ? People book thru TA's to get that extra service don't they ? It's no wonder that more and more people choose not to book thru TA's.

[Pushka]

Us mere mortal passengers have been dealing with Port changes, drops in prices etc etc and if we complain, the Travel Agents point us to the Terms and Conditions of booking a cruise. I think maybe as a Travel Agent you expected preferential treatment to your own customers.

[DetecDIVA]

There was a weather advisory posted but no changes had been announced for sailings until the day of. I saw several threads from people on this same sailing that said the same thing. At the pier they said it was just announced. The little green banner for service changes was not posted before I left for the port. I did speak to them a few days prior to departure. I am not putting them down for going somewhere else, I am angry because I was told another desk was the only one who could help me and they would help me in the morning if I waited and they didn't. If they said policy holds sail or lose the money, as they had a right to do, I would have sailed. They did not. They told me to wait and I took that to mean they could assist. That and them not responding to any voicemails or e-mails are my concern here.

[AlphaGeek]

From a customer service perspective, I generally preach that a problem is actually an opportunity. Much of that comes down to communication and managing expectations.

 

On paper, it would be correct to say that NCL had the upper hand (large corporations generally do) and could call this a "no show cancellation".

 

BUT, good customer service would seem to dictate that the OP's expectations could have been better managed, perhaps with an outcome that both NCL and OP could have agreed on.

 

Cruises are a commodity like almost anything else. Repeat customers and word of mouth are generally established by good customer service.

[crusinmama06]

There was a weather advisory posted but no changes had been announced for sailings until the day of.

 

That day posted at 10am. We all knew it here. You could have made a decision.

 

Updated September 11, 2011 - 10am

At Norwegian Cruise Line, the safety and security of our guests and crew is of the utmost importance. Therefore, the company is closely monitoring the path of Tropical Storm Maria.

 

Norwegian Gem will depart today from New York; however, in order to avoid the path of the storm and provide a more comfortable and pleasant cruise for our guests, the ship will now sail to the Bahamas & Florida instead of Bermuda as scheduled. Norwegian Gem will now call on Orlando (Port Canaveral) on Tuesday, September 13; Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas on Wednesday, September 14; and Nassau, Bahamas on Thursday, September 15.

 

At this time, we do not anticipate any further changes. However, in the event that there are additional changes, we will notify our guests and update our website and Facebook page. We appreciate our guests’ understanding and cooperation.

 

EDITED to say - I went back one day...

 

September 10, 2011 - 1:00 pm ET

 

At Norwegian Cruise Line, the safety and security of our guests and crew is of the utmost importance. Therefore, the company is closely monitoring the path of Tropical Storm Maria. The following is an update on our ships sailing this weekend:

 

Norwegian Gem, departing on Sunday from New York to Bermuda, is expected to sail as scheduled. Depending on the path of the storm, the ship may need to alter its itinerary.

 

We will advise our guests if there are any changes to the itineraries as soon as the information becomes available. We will update our website and Facebook page again tomorrow.

[Starry Eyes]

i know i havent sailed them, and i am gaining more perspective on the situation now. i guess i have to agree she should have known better, but does this happen to ordinary folk who havent read the small print? i just think they should have told her at the terminal that she couldnt rebook or get a refund.simple as.

Im still sailing with NCL! you get good and bad service from most companies nowadays. yeh she messed up, so did I, guess I was lucky that the person working for dcl was nice and I appreciate it when someone does go above and beyond whats expected of them.

she has a right to feel disapointed, shes a woman lol

ill take everyones advice onboard and be prepared for whatever cos in my expirience nothing seems to go to plan :D

its interesting that you checked us 3 out and feel that our opinion should be discredited just becasue we havent sailed ncl though :confused:

Cruises are rerouted rather frequently, especially during hurricane season. even outside of hurricane season, ports may be cancelled or rearranged for a variety of reasons. for example, I have missed many tender ports because the sea conditions were too rough to tender. The cruise contracts state that the cruise line may change the itinerary. anybody who cannot live with that should never cruise during storm season and should think twice before cruising at all. A cruise is not appropriate transport to an important business meeeting. OTOH, I can see how scheduling business meeting while on a trip might change the trip from a personal expense to a (?partial) business expense. That might be a smart tax maneuver, but a cruise is not a smart way to get to an important meeting. I would be very disappointed in a travel agent who recommended such transit to an important meeting during hurricane season, and I would never again use that agent if he/she did not explain the potential downside. An agent scheduling such for themselves, not buying any reason cancellation insurance, then coming to cruise critic when the predictable occurred? Stunning.

Your comment about having a right to be disappointed because she is a woman? Ugh, that seems offensive to me and not a bit funny, if that was your intent. IMHO, either both genders have a right to be offended or neither gender does. as far as I am concerned, anybody may be disappointed, but mature adults carefully place the blame only where it belongs.

[DetecDIVA]

Cruisinmama, I said I don't expect any special treatment or discounts. I don't just travel to places or through companies that give me stuff. I travel where my interests are or to places getting popular with my clients and more times than not pay in full. That doesn't mean I never get offered discounts that I take. I rent a lot of properties for myself (and clients) and don't get discounts on these, nor do I get discounts for a lot of hotels or tours during high season. I have no right to demand special treatment or lesser rates than my clients, and only take advantage when it is offered to me by a manager or sales rep. It doesn't stop me from going anywhere because I don't expect special treatment. I travel because I love it and want to be the most knowledgeable I can be for my clients and you do this experiencing things first hand. This was my first time ever being offered a small discount on a cruise and if they weren't able to do anything - fine - they should have just said that, end of story. Not tell me to go home and wait for help that would never come.

[Krazy Kat]

NCL is a business - how can they survive if every customer is given the option to re-book instead of boarding the ship on a re-route? Think of all the product that has been loaded, the number of staff that have been assigned, and the planned expensives associated with hosting 3,000 passengers and only 2,000 decide to board! The idea of offering passengers a re-booking option on the day a cruise is to depart makes no business sense at all, it has nothing to do with "good customer service" and "positive word of mouth" because a cruise line would not survive giving every passenger such a option.

[crusinmama06]

Detec - you DID expect special treatment. You keep saying about how you write a blog. Congrats, join the many here. The truth is, you didn't read the advisory from NCL on SEPTEMBER 10th that said Depending on the path of the storm, the ship may need to alter its itinerary. That is one full day before you went to the terminal.

 

You also didn't read your contract where there is NO CANCELLATION.

 

You booked a reduce TA rate. They refunded you port fees/taxes? I think that's generous that they even gave you that. You refused to step onboard. You voided the contract, not them.

[BikerAl]

Oh, I think she knew the rules, but thought she was special because she is a certified NCL specialist. :rolleyes:

 

I have to agree. I am confused by a couple of the OP's statements. In the original post..." I was told to wait to talk to the agents desk, they should be able to "help" me in the morning". How do you construe that to mean they will refund or place you on a future cruise? I take that as call them from the ship or live with the changed itinerary. It is clear you were told they could not help you, and you are now trying to spin repeatedly told they couldn't help, and the agent's desk would change the cruise contract in your favor, after you refused to board.... nope.

 

I do believe that someone should be available at NCL with the authority to talk to travel agents during boarding hours, and an official of NCL should be available at the pier, even if they have a rubber stamp with "no" on it. At least folks will know they have an official answer,

 

Al

[CRUISEBUG1]

SHE is a TA! It is her JOB to know these things. And as a member of that profession, I am offended that she is saying that she DIDN'T KNOW. :eek: It is our job to advise our clients of their options when problems like this arise. We are suppose to be the ones on the front lines - being the go between when things like this come up.

 

If you refuse to step onboard - even on a PLANE - you forfeit your money as a NO SHOW.

 

This is truly scary that she advises clients. :eek:

 

I totally agree with you Michele. How can she advise clients when she doesn't follow the proper procedures herself? Very confusing to say the least.

[DetecDIVA]

Cruisinmama - Again, I did check in with NCL. I don't live next to the pier, or even in the city, I left well before 10am to play it safe on 9/11 Sunday with the extra security. City was a mess that whole weekend and I wasn't going to risk getting stuck in bridge traffic and missing check in. I checked and checked and checked again through the week. If any of my clients called from a cruise, airport or hotel and told me they were unhappy with the situation they were in, I am on the phone a minute later seeing if there is anything under the sun I can do to help. If I had a client call from a port in this situation, as an agent I would have already made them aware of terms well in advance, but would also try to help because hey, sometimes people help people! I didn't think it would hurt to ask NCL if I could switch, even with a fee, and they told me I would be helped in the morning when that desk opens. There is nothing in policy that says you can't ASK for help in a bad situation and in this situation I did exactly what they told me to do. If they didn't think anyone could help me, they easily could have said that and I would have taken it.

[crusinmama06]

Cruisinmama - Again, I did check in with NCL. I don't live next to the pier, or even in the city, I left well before 10am to play it safe on 9/11 Sunday with the extra security.

 

They posted on SATURDAY that there may be an itinerary change! Where did you think the ship would go if not Bahamas? You keep stepping around that question.

 

This is seriously frightening. The NCL Agents are taking a poll, we want to recall your gold shield. :eek: You are lucky we don't run the place, we aren't so nice.