One Bad Apple At Guest Services on The Allure

[Creepella]

According to the notes I have seen, and my own experience, they can't bill in CDN, if you use Amex for your account.

 

A tale of good customer service: we were on an excursion on the Freedom that ended with a fatal accident. Royal Carribean was awesome, offering counseling or any help we might need. And without asking, they refunded the cost of the excursion. It wasn't even their fault or anything to do with them.

 

Not to say the OP doesn't have a legitimate complaint. Just saying there is good and bad everywhere.

[Langley Cruisers]

Your job is NOT to even have reasons for NOT taking their side - your job is to TAKE THEIR SIDE and work out a solution to make sure they are happy! ...but do it in a way so that it will help the CUSTOMER get what they want....

 

 

 

Wow.

 

This is not related to OP's specific post. I guess I am in the minority when I say that the customer is NOT always right. Yes, I am in retail and have been for a good part of my adult life. My husband is also in retail. We both subscribe to the philosophy of providing excellent customer service BUT not at the expense of the integrity of the company or its employees, and certainly not to give in when the customer is blatently not right or even outright lying. Trust me, there are a few circumstances which warrant the customer not always being right.

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[Kteacher]

My favorite GS story: On the Serenade this past April I needed to change some large bills. There was only one person behind the GS counter at the time, and I was the only person waiting. There were different lines designated for excursions, suite and D+ and pinnacle, and guest services.

So..... the crew member and I were the only two people in the area ( early a.m. ). I approach the desk, and am told I'm in the "wrong line". I look around, no one else in the area but the two of us. So the guest services crew member pointed to another line, basically telling me to turn around, come down another line, and then he would help me:confused:. truly bizarre

[Big_G]

Maybe, if your job is "Customer Service", then you should be directing your efforts to Serve the Customer! I have been in Management of such services and have trained many many "servers", and I've got to tell you, you would fail my classes with that attitude.

 

Your job is NOT to even have reasons for NOT taking their side - your job is to TAKE THEIR SIDE and work out a solution to make sure they are happy!

 

Now, as you do that, with the right attitude, you can also ask them for a copy of their receipt, but do it in a way so that it will help the CUSTOMER get what they want.

 

Do you see the difference??? If you don't, then you really should work at something else. And I mean that in the nicest way.... no offence.

 

Hope This Helps.

 

I've been in management for twenty-five years and if I heard you speak to a subordinate like that I would fire your butt real quick. The customer isn't always right and it's up to the customer service rep to come up best solution for the customer and the company. If that means the company gives a little then that's up to the company and not the CSR. The CSR is only the face of the company not a policy maker. Are there bad CSRs? Yes but there are bad customers as well.

[Langley Cruisers]

The customer isn't always right and it's up to the customer service rep to come up best solution for the customer and the company... Are there bad CSRs? Yes but there are bad customers as well.

 

Thank you, oh thank you. :) I'm not an RCI cheerleader by any means, but as I said above, the customer is not always right.

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[Katana_Geldar]

I've been in management for twenty-five years and if I heard you speak to a subordinate like that I would fire your butt real quick. The customer isn't always right and it's up to the customer service rep to come up best solution for the customer and the company. If that means the company gives a little then that's up to the company and not the CSR. The CSR is only the face of the company not a policy maker. Are there bad CSRs? Yes but there are bad customers as well.

 

Serving the customer doesn't always mean taking their side. The customer may request a service you just don't provide, or make a request in a rude and abusive way. I've worked a reception desk in insurance and we had abusive clients that we would tell exactly where to going they abused out staff.

 

A CSR is there to HELP you, they are not a doormat or dogsbody. If you suspect they gave made a mistake the best way is to be respectful and ask if they can check. If they don't, then feel free to take other, polite and non-abusive measures.

[misty57]

We had a bad experience with guest services on the Allure.

My mother-in -law had a mild heart attack. And the ships doctor told us that she would probably be transported to the hospital in St Thomas. And that they would probably keep her there.

So we went to guest services and were told that if we (myself my wife and her aunt) leave the ship with her. We would be charged extra for leaving the ship. The guy said she was an adult and she could take care of herself. We all had trip insurance, but he said we would be leaving on our own and it wouldn't be covered.

At that point we had no choice, so we left the ship in St Thomas. And after talking to the ships agent found out that we were covered. We went to the hospital they told us she was going to be held in the hospital. I went back to the ship to get our luggage. And that was another battle.

That was our last time on the Allure.

And if anything like that happens again, it will be our last on Royal.

 

I guess I don't understand. Why would you have to pay extra to leave the ship?

That was an ignorant comment he made about your MIL being an adult...etc. How many people could abandon their family member and just continue on with their vacation? Seriously!:mad:

[Katana_Geldar]

Maybe because you'd be no longer using their services and the cabin would be empty. But the point is moot as you'd be forfeiting the cost of your fare.

[Gilgo Surfer]

I had a similar incident regarding an over charge to my account. The clerk at the desk was very rude and basically told me there was nothing he could do. I asked for a pen and proceeded to take a long stare at his name tag and write his name down on a paper I was holding. He changed his attitude and quickly resolved the matter for me.

[Daghis]

So we went to guest services and were told that if we (myself my wife and her aunt) leave the ship with her. We would be charged extra for leaving the ship. The guy said she was an adult and she could take care of herself. We all had trip insurance, but he said we would be leaving on our own and it wouldn't be covered.

At that point we had no choice, so we left the ship in St Thomas.

 

I guess I don't understand. Why would you have to pay extra to leave the ship?

They probably would have had to pay extra because of the Passenger Vessel Services Act. It stipulates that foreign-flagged vessels may not provide transportation between two US ports. In this case, they embarked from a port here in the US mainland (Fort Lauderdale) and disembarked at St. Thomas, another US port. The amount to be paid ($300/passenger) is reimbursing the fine that is charged to Royal Caribbean by the US government.

[keagle]

After a bit of bantering back and forth and something about the F14 key on the keyboard I had thought it was cut and dry... fast forward to that 8.5x11 sheet of paper they leave on your door... CANADIAN DOLLARS!!!!!!!!!

 

In all the years that I have been using computers in one form or another, I have never seen a F14 key. It makes me wonder if this is code for the customer is a (insert word here), and a method to make the customer think that something has actually been done. I will be sure to look over the counter next time to see if there is anything that may even remotely look like it, even on the software side of it.

[Pushka]

I think generally the training they get is to assume the customer is in the wrong and they work backwards from that premise. They also assume their systems are perfect when they are not.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[luvstwocruise]

Whenever you get into a situation like this, TWO MINUTES into it, you ask, "Do you want to win the arguement or take care of a customer? Which One of those is in your job discription?"

 

Every time I have done this, it works 100% of the time. You don't have to get emotional or put up with any of that. Just ask those questions and demand an answer.

 

Hope This Helps.

 

Im going to have this ready when I call the cell phone company!

Thanks :)

[davenew]

I almost never checked my bill until a few years ago a cruise critic member posted about it. Well good thing I did!!! Just got off the Allure and had a bad experience with Guest Service. After several charge mistakes on my account during week. On the final day, another change showed up. This was number 4. At this point was getting tried of standing in line at Guest Services. However the other times, the rep was very nice and corrected the problem and apologized for the error. This morning I ran into Oscar from Chile. After several words back and forth, he tried to tell me how things work regarding additional tips. I explained to him after 15 cruises I knew how things worked and the charge was NOT mine. Oscar from Chile gets the BOO Award instead of the WOW Award. I never had a bad experience with any RCCL crew member but this guy is in the wrong line of business.

 

In the end, I did get my credit but the words I'm sorry Never passed Oscar's lips.

 

Last September on Allure, I went to GS to advise them that the crockery in the bakery were unclean and politely advise them that they might have a problem with the dishwasher.

The following day we received two bottles of wine as a thank you.

The following day we received a plate of 12 chocolate coated strawberries from the bakery. On examination, one of the chocolates had a black hair, approx 12 inches long embedded in the chocolate.

I tried to see if the dishwasher had long black hair :D

[nycruiser80]

Funny you posted this. I was on the Allure's July 22nd cruise of this year and Oscar assisted me as well. Prior to the cruise my partner ordered 2 wine bottles for his parent's cabin. They never arrived. On the third day we both went to the guest service desk and Oscar helped us. I told him that we ordered two bottles of wine for another cabin prior to the cruise. We gave him the other cabin number and the their name and said they never received the wine. Oscar took my Sea Pass. Then for about 5 minutes or more he fusses in the computer and goes into the office behind the desk, came back out and fusses some more on the computer and he tells me that my cabin never had a wine order. I told him again it wasn't my cabin it was another room that we ordered wine for. He then said to me you should have told me that in a rather curt tone. I said to him I did I gave him the other cabin number and their name. In the end, my partners parents did get their two bottles of wine. Ultimately, I think their was a language barrier and also I am sure he is burnt out from working with the public. Taking care of people is no easy task. I used to work in a similar field and people are not easy to deal with so I just chalked it up to that.

[lindacat]

We had a bad experience with guest services on the Allure.

My mother-in -law had a mild heart attack. And the ships doctor told us that she would probably be transported to the hospital in St Thomas. And that they would probably keep her there.

So we went to guest services and were told that if we (myself my wife and her aunt) leave the ship with her. We would be charged extra for leaving the ship. The guy said she was an adult and she could take care of herself. We all had trip insurance, but he said we would be leaving on our own and it wouldn't be covered.

At that point we had no choice, so we left the ship in St Thomas. And after talking to the ships agent found out that we were covered. We went to the hospital they told us she was going to be held in the hospital. I went back to the ship to get our luggage. And that was another battle.

That was our last time on the Allure.

And if anything like that happens again, it will be our last on Royal.

 

 

 

I had a similar experience on the Explorer but with a better customer service experience. A few years ago my father who is diabetic had a low sugar episode. He never felt it coming on and slipped into a coma on the ship. (The ships medical facility was completely inadequate and could not help him.) The doctor arranged for him to go to a hospital in Halifax. We were cruising with my entire family (11 of us). The ships officers arranged for my mother and I to get off the ship with him and allowed us to leave everything on the ship in our rooms, for my brothers to handle when the ship returned to Boston. The hospital helped my father and we just missed ship before it sailed to the next port. The ships agent assisted us in meeting the explorer at the next port and rejoining the cruise. They were very kind and helpful and dad enjoyed the rest of his cruise. Trip insurance covered all our costs.

[NJcruisenewbie]

Maybe, if your job is "Customer Service", then you should be directing your efforts to Serve the Customer! I have been in Management of such services and have trained many many "servers", and I've got to tell you, you would fail my classes with that attitude.

 

Your job is NOT to even have reasons for NOT taking their side - your job is to TAKE THEIR SIDE and work out a solution to make sure they are happy!

 

Now, as you do that, with the right attitude, you can also ask them for a copy of their receipt, but do it in a way so that it will help the CUSTOMER get what they want.

 

Do you see the difference??? If you don't, then you really should work at something else. And I mean that in the nicest way.... no offence.

 

Hope This Helps.

 

Some people are deluded into thinking the customer is always right. That isn't always the case. I feel sorry for people in the service industry who have to deal with blow hards.

[Hobbitmomma]

"Do you want to win the arguement or take care of a customer? Which One of those is in your job discription?"

 

Every time I have done this, it works 100% of the time. You don't have to get emotional or put up with any of that. Just ask those questions and demand an answer.

 

Hope This Helps.

 

 

I am writing that down!

[DHADEN]

I've been in management for twenty-five years and if I heard you speak to a subordinate like that I would fire your butt real quick. .........................

 

Ok - that's just RUDE - you don't have to act like your MAD at me.

 

Wow.

 

This is not related to OP's specific post. I guess I am in the minority when I say that the customer is NOT always right. Yes, I am in retail and have been for a good part of my adult life. My husband is also in retail. We both subscribe to the philosophy of providing excellent customer service BUT not at the expense of the integrity of the company or its employees, and certainly not to give in when the customer is blatently not right or even outright lying. Trust me, there are a few circumstances which warrant the customer not always being right.

.

 

Some people are deluded into thinking the customer is always right. That isn't always the case. I feel sorry for people in the service industry who have to deal with blow hards.

 

 

Either I have not explained it correctly, or you people "Just Ain't Gettin' It!!"

 

The COMPANY I worked for wouldn't have put me in the position of MANAGING and TRAINING customer reps if they didn't LOVE the way I did it.

 

Of course you have to protect the company from fraud and there are always people who just complain because that's the type of people they are. That's not what we're talking about here. You deal with those people with the company's well-being in mind (that means having people brag about how you handled a problem - not telling others your company stinks because you wouldn't even work with them), but you do in a way so you satisfy the customer and make them feel like they got their way.

 

Have you ever heard the phrase, "Being able to tell them to go to hell, and make them look forward to the trip." It takes a little diplomacy.

 

You do that first, by caring about them enough to LISTEN to them (not the other way around).

 

Hope This Helps.

 

Oh, and by the way; Thanks for the appreciation all you showed about my "Arguement" statement - glad I could help.

[BillOh]

RCI really needs to work on this. On our last cruise Guest Services rarely answered the phone. It was very frustrating. And then you have to wait in a very long line to get the issue resolved. Ugh!

 

It is a shame to have to waste precious vacation time resolving a cruise line issue.

 

Part of my review from Allure specifically was how well they did .(90% of the time) When I was on Allure and the lines got long, they had a guy come out and check what each person needed and he was able to weed out many people who didn't have to wait in line thereby shortening the line. Some people just had to turn in a form, or actually go somewhere else.

[Big_G]

Ok - that's just RUDE - you don't have to act like your MAD at me.

 

Either I have not explained it correctly, or you people "Just Ain't Gettin' It!!"

 

The COMPANY I worked for wouldn't have put me in the position of MANAGING and TRAINING customer reps if they didn't LOVE the way I did it.

 

Of course you have to protect the company from fraud and there are always people who just complain because that's the type of people they are. That's not what we're talking about here. You deal with those people with the company's well-being in mind (that means having people brag about how you handled a problem - not telling others your company stinks because you wouldn't even work with them), but you do in a way so you satisfy the customer and make them feel like they got their way.

 

Have you ever heard the phrase, "Being able to tell them to go to hell, and make them look forward to the trip." It takes a little diplomacy.

 

You do that first, by caring about them enough to LISTEN to them (not the other way around).

 

Hope This Helps.

 

Oh, and by the way; Thanks for the appreciation all you showed about my "Arguement" statement - glad I could help.

 

I think your original explanation was the problem. I'll rescind your dismissal. :D

[NJcruisenewbie]

Ok - that's just RUDE - you don't have to act like your MAD at me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Either I have not explained it correctly, or you people "Just Ain't Gettin' It!!"

 

The COMPANY I worked for wouldn't have put me in the position of MANAGING and TRAINING customer reps if they didn't LOVE the way I did it.

 

Of course you have to protect the company from fraud and there are always people who just complain because that's the type of people they are. That's not what we're talking about here. You deal with those people with the company's well-being in mind (that means having people brag about how you handled a problem - not telling others your company stinks because you wouldn't even work with them), but you do in a way so you satisfy the customer and make them feel like they got their way.

 

Have you ever heard the phrase, "Being able to tell them to go to hell, and make them look forward to the trip." It takes a little diplomacy.

 

You do that first, by caring about them enough to LISTEN to them (not the other way around).

 

Hope This Helps.

 

Oh, and by the way; Thanks for the appreciation all you showed about my "Arguement" statement - glad I could help.

 

 

Yes, I get it. You're the greatest customer service manager ever created. You might want to try a little humble pie. It's good for the ego.

[Gilgo Surfer]

Whenever you get into a situation like this, TWO MINUTES into it, you ask, "Do you want to win the arguement or take care of a customer? Which One of those is in your job discription?"

 

Every time I have done this, it works 100% of the time. You don't have to get emotional or put up with any of that. Just ask those questions and demand an answer.

 

Hope This Helps.

 

I'm not sure if a rehearsed line is the answer, and certainly not 100% of the time...