Carnival can't get it together...

[pyroguy]

My wife and I were on the 11.26 sailing of the Liberty. Took about 1500 pictures across 2 SD cards on a nice DSLR. One of the cards I mistakenly left in the safe in our room (you know that little lip that the safe door fits into?) My bad.

 

Anyway, Sunday after docking, we realized what we had done, we called the ship (at $9.50 per minute) and talked to "Guest Services"...and we had all but lost hope after talking to them. No help at all. "Nothing we can do...yada, yada, yada...".

 

However, I remembered I had the email address of the steakhouse manager in my inbox. Calling the ship didn't help, but Monica (manager of the steakhouse) took matters into her own hands, got management to go to our old room, ask the guests to open the safe and they FOUND OUR SD CARD! We were ecstatic at the news!

 

She forwarded us the email chain and told us that when the ship got back into port on 12/10 they would transfer it to Lost and Found and we would be contacted. They gave us a tag number to reference that they put on our SD Card. We were so excited that they had found it...there were priceless memories on that card.

 

10 days later, after 5 calls to Carnival, they called us back and said sorry...they can't find it. Don't know what happened.

 

But...we have a tag number that we got from the ship. Sorry..that tag number is from the ship and not from CCL. There's nothing they can do. Tough luck.

 

There is such a thing as being too big as to not be able to service simple requests. Monica in the Steakhouse was wonderful - she cared and took matters into her own hands to give personal service. The manager of housekeeping did their job as expected and we are very thankful for that. However, I fear that's as far as it went. Management, or whomever took it from there completely failed, simple as that.

 

This experience has made it crystal clear to us that CCL as a corporation does not care about individuals. Sure, it was my fault I left the card in the safe. I was prepared to pay whatever I needed to get it back, and I offered it to them. If they can't do something as simple as return tagged property what good is "lost and found", honestly? This was a clear cut case of not trying because it doesn't get any easier than our property.

 

Even tried JH a couple times both blog and FB, but he just ignores me.

 

We have lost all hope of getting our card back. We are so frustrated I honestly don't know what we are going to do.

[gail811]

Just a thought......check in on a roll call for the next cruise and ask someone if they would go by guest services on the ship when board with all the info (including the tag number) and see what they can find out for you. Maybe, just maybe someone on board can help. Good luck. I know that horrible feeling when you lose photos.

[pyroguy]

Just a thought......check in on a roll call for the next cruise and ask someone if they would go by guest services on the ship when board with all the info (including the tag number) and see what they can find out for you. Maybe, just maybe someone on board can help. Good luck. I know that horrible feeling when you lose photos.

 

That's a great idea. I will try that!

 

Thanks.

[sonicbuffalo]

I'm hoping you get a little something in your stocking for Christmas...your card, of course!

[txstarla]

FYI JH is having surgery on his wrist and is out of contact. Posted on FB

[dodger501]

but as a fellow photographer, I absolutely feel your pain.

 

I work in software support. When we get a case from a very large company (take 3 guesses, all 3 will probably be right), we frequently see the bureaucracy there so tangled that one group is afraid to make a decision and/or step on the toes of another group.

We ask them to make a change to their servers and it can take days to get it done.

 

The government can be like this, too - it's the org that does not empower enough people to get things done.

[CourtneyLovesCruising]

Uhh.. perhaps you are too hard on Carnival. My husband left his drum stick bag on a bus last week and has to wait until tomorrow before it goes through the lost and found system and makes it's way back to the bus headquarters in the city. This is just for a bus, I can only imagine the route a lost and found item might go through for a cruise line.

[bdstrom]

Ouch! Sorry to hear that and hope you will get your SD card back with all of your pictures on it.

 

On all of our cruises, every night... we back up our SDHC cards three times...

 

1. Save on laptop hard drive

2. Save on an external hard drive

3. Burn them onto blank DVD-Rs

 

Then store each back up in three separate places.

 

1. Laptop goes in our suitcase and locked up.

2. External hard drive goes in our safe.

3. DVD-Rs goes in our CD holder binder in our carry-ons.

 

Then erase the SDHC cards for the next day. We usually take over 5,000 pictures and absolutely no way we would survive if we lose them! ;)

[klfrodo]

I'm usually a Carnival cheerleader, but this is just beyond horrible customer service.

No excuses on their part.

[boo214]

why not try emailing monica in the steakhouse again? maybe she can help you.

[dodger501]

Ouch! Sorry to hear that and hope you will get your SD card back with all of your pictures on it.

 

On all of our cruises, every night... we back up our SDHC cards three times...

 

1. Save on laptop hard drive

2. Save on an external hard drive

3. Burn them onto blank DVD-Rs

 

Then store each back up in three separate places.

 

1. Laptop goes in our suitcase and locked up.

2. External hard drive goes in our safe.

3. DVD-Rs goes in our CD holder binder in our carry-ons.

 

Then erase the SDHC cards for the next day. We usually take over 5,000 pictures and absolutely no way we would survive if we lose them! ;)

 

Right, I do 2 places: Save on laptop (Dell mini) and a usb flash drive. I bring several of them, 8-16Gb.

And good point, one of the two locations come back home in carry-on.

[matj2000]

Your trip is over, they already got your money.

Why should they care about you?

Thats the mentality....

[pyroguy]

Thanks for the words of support everyone.

 

Yes, I emailed Monica again. If she can come through for us, there will definitely be something in her stocking this Christmas.

 

I also tried the roll call. We'll see what happens there. It's a long shot.

 

We have been talking with CCL several times about the "tote" of L&F items taken off the Liberty for our cruise. Evidently it does take some time to go through them, which we understand. We don't expect special treatment, but we know 2 things:

 

1. The squeaky wheel gets the grease

2. A small SD card can literally slip through the cracks easily

 

New news. My wife called CCL again, and spoke to a very nice woman who did some checking (personal service) and said there is no record of anyone looking into that tote EVER since the ship has docked. So there's no way anyone could have known that it wasn't found. Perhaps this is just a disgruntled person who wanted us to finally take "no" for an answer so told us it was gone to make us go away?

 

As for backing up...you know, I took a laptop and an external USB hard drive for just that purpose. I now feel like an idiot because I never backed anything up...I had 8 SD cards in my posession, so I thought I had plenty of room and didn't need to.

 

The ironic part is, that the reason I put it into the safe was because I was taking my gear bag on shore with me to San Juan and thought if it got stolen, I didn't want all of my pictures to get stolen too...so I would "diversify"...but I forgot that I did that.

 

It's my own fault all around, but I really got my hopes up that I would get it back.

[gail811]

Please come back here and post and let us know if you do get it back! I will be thinking positive thoughts and hoping someone comes across it and realizes the importance of getting it back to its owner.

In addition to backing up to my laptop nightly (and now I will also start backing mine up on a flash drive!) I also take a picture of my home address and contact info and leave it on the SD card in my camera in the event I lose it.

[bdstrom]

Your trip is over, they already got your money.

 

Why should they care about you?

 

Thats the mentality....

 

I don't think that is accurate. They would care if they want us back.

[Raven Days]

I did the same thing on my 1st cruise onboard the Ecstasy. I had taken out one of the cards and replaced it with another and put the used card in the safe - well I didnt realize that I left it until I got back home. I called Carnival mulitple times and was told we have looked and cant find the card. I was so heart broken. Every photo I had taken was on that card. The new card only had about 10 photos. I will never put my SD cards in the safe again. I leave them in my camera bag...

[SE NC]

I'm usually a Carnival cheerleader, but this is just beyond horrible customer service.

No excuses on their part.

 

I'm with you on this one! OP doesn't blame Carnival for his leaving the card in the safe. However, this is poor customer service management at its best on Carnival's part! The increasing cost of fuel....food....labor etc. should have absolutly no influence on customer service....period! Again....like you, I'm most times a Carnival cheerleader!:p

[Aplmac]

Didn't you post this same story about a week to ten days ago? :confused:

-and were so pleased with the outcome?

 

What's changed for you?

.

[BananaAnna]

Didn't you post this same story about a week to ten days ago? :confused:

-and were so pleased with the outcome?

 

What's changed for you?

.

 

.........However, I remembered I had the email address of the steakhouse manager in my inbox. Calling the ship didn't help, but Monica (manager of the steakhouse) took matters into her own hands, got management to go to our old room, ask the guests to open the safe and they FOUND OUR SD CARD! We were ecstatic at the news!

 

She forwarded us the email chain and told us that when the ship got back into port on 12/10 they would transfer it to Lost and Found and we would be contacted. They gave us a tag number to reference that they put on our SD Card. We were so excited that they had found it...there were priceless memories on that card.

 

10 days later, after 5 calls to Carnival, they called us back and said sorry...they can't find it. Don't know what happened.

 

....

 

OP - I'm so sorry about how this is turning out - even with my little rinkydink camera, I'd be heartbroken if a memory card went missing.

[BSQ]

In my very limited experience with contacting Carnival, I have found since they instituted a twitter contact for assistance with questions and such, I get much quicker and more accurate responses from @CCLSupport.

 

If calling continues to get you dead ends, you might give twitter a try. I really can't say enough good things about Carnival Tweeps!.

[cruzer0415]

Pyroguy---Call 1-800-Carnival and ask for guest services. They manage the lost and found and it is in Miami. Give them that reference number and if they find it there it will be mailed to you. I left my Texas Driver's License on board once and that is they way I had to go to get it back.

 

Hope this helps.

[futaba951]

That's a great idea. I will try that!

 

Thanks.

 

Another great idea. Eye-fi SD card will wirelessly transmit photos from your camera to your enabled computer. No card reader or cords to hook up.

 

http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?search_query=eyefi&ic=16_0&Find=Find&search_constraint=0

[CaseyAnn]

A few months ago on the Triumph a friend of mine left her camera in the room by accident. It had all her pictures of her getting engaged on board on it. Within 30 minutes of debarkation she was on the phone with Carnival and told them exactly where the camera was. I also contacted John Heald and he sent a email to the ship for her. No camera was ever found or turned in. At least that is the story. All she asked for is the memory card returned as the camera can be replaced. She never got a thing.

 

Basically if you leave it you loose it!:mad:

[Rosefloater]

OP - Also go to the Carnival Forums website and go to the "Looking for Carnival Assistance". Mary/Michelle should be able to help you.

 

Hope you get your card back.

[pyroguy]

Didn't you post this same story about a week to ten days ago? :confused:

-and were so pleased with the outcome?

 

What's changed for you?

.

 

What has changed is CCL is now claiming it's lost again.

 

We took 2 channels to get it found:

 

1. We called CCL and filed a Lost & Found Report

2. We personally contacted someone who works on the ship.

 

The second method found the card, due to personal service. I have found when you approach someone with a spirit of humility, they will usually try to help you, which is exactly what Monica did (she's an angel in my opinion).

 

The first method (which is CCL's official stance) resulted in NOTHING....I would almost go as far as to say they lied to us. After about 4 days they called and said they looked but couldn't find it. HOWEVER, if they had actually looked, they would have had to have spoken with the guests in the room who would have told them it was already found (they are the ones who found and returned it to CCL). UNLESS CCL just entered the room, opened the safe and looked for themselves without the room occupants knowing about it (which would be a whole new thread-YIKES!).

 

As for the Eye-Fi idea - AWESOME. In fact, my camera takes (2) SD cards simultaneously. The second one (that I have set for overflow) is an Eye-Fi card....and yes those pictures did transfer to the iPad, but only after the first one filled up. My fault completely...I was having such a great time, I *thought* I had everything under control.

 

We have another sliver of hope. Monica has emailed me back again and said that she's checking with more channels...and that she made sure the card was in the "bullet" that left the ship (whatever that is, but it sounds official)...and she also said that it often takes a while but she is sure we will get it back...in the meanwhile she's checking other channels for us.

 

I asked for her mailing address because I would like to send her a thank you gift for her efforts, but that's the only email she's not replying back to. :p