Not happy!!!

[jetta8300]

Lie

inaccurate information

withholding information

 

Although not all, and without making a generalization, a "sales persons" job is to get the money. In return, they get paid. Pay is based on quotas. The life of a sales person is about quotas, incentives and increasing their paycheck. I have worked with many "sales people" and have caught many "sales people" telling inaccurate info. Mainly, because I know many of the tricks.

 

It's not about business practice, because the business practice of increasing your paycheck is usually the most important.

 

I know it's inaccurate;) But a lie is to deliberately falsify.

 

I happen to be a sales person (medical sales, I've been with a company selling respiratory equiptment and supplies to physicians and hospitals for 7 years now) and while our job is to make quota and sell things, it's not our job to "lie knowingly or knowingly withhold information, lie by omission etc.". Either way it's a lie. And if the sales person is consciously lying they should be held accountable.

 

However I can tell you that yes in the past I have given misinformation, and it's not because I was knowingly lying, it's because of poor training or a misunderstanding/miscommunication. That's not lying, and doesn't make me a liar. If I found that I've given someone misinformation, I go to them and make it right asap, which someone on a Carnival ship may not have the ability to do after it's passengers leave. You don't know which it is in this scenario, if it was an accident or on purpose. Either way, it is Carnival's responsibility that they either had a lying sales person, or a sales person that wasn't trained well enough to give accurate information.

Edited March 26, 2015 by jetta8300

[JohnSpo]

The rules of the fare you booked apply. It looks like you booked an early saver fare. It is a $50 per person fee to make changes. If you canceled your booking then yes you will lose the OBC. The correct thing to do was not to outright cancel but to reschedule your booking with the "same booking number" for new ship/itinerary. As long as you have the same booking number then the OBC will go to the new itinerary. I book a future cruise on board all the time and I almost always change the ship/itinerary and I have never lost the OBC.

 

If you book on board and you are not sure of the dates then book the Past Guest Rate just to get the OBC. The past guest rate is fully refundable and changeable. Once you are sure of your dates and the cruise you want then you can change the booking to an Early Saver rate and get the benefits of early saver ant still retain the OBC.

 

With these types of transactions, you have to know what you are purchasing and take more responsibility to know the rules. You cannot always rely on others to know what is best for you.

 

You won't cruise Carnival again because of this situation. That is a shame.

[JohnSpo]

Yes, this a very common misconception !

 

Like you, I never book ES, I want control over my deposit and want it back (not a credit) if I cancel. Plus, I can do name/passenger changes with no fee up through when my final payment is due.

 

Early Saver is usually only $20-$40 less than the Past Guest. Now I book the Past Guest rate and still get the price drops up to final payment and you can make all the changes you want and still retain the OBC.

 

Early Saver is definitely not for everyone.

[arpie05]

My only comment is maybe the person misunderstood the question.

 

The FCC was $100 per certificate and you could only put one person's name on it. You had to be 18.

I sail with my son and so I could always only purchase one and it was $100 and only had my name on it.

If they still offered them once he was 18 - I could purchase two - one with his name and one with my name. =$200

The one in his name would be only good on a cruise he sailed even though I paid for it.

The only thing that made me mad about them was - He and I sailed with a 3rd person. Because he wasn't 18 - she was person 2 in the cabin. They divided the onboard credit between her and I and not between him and I. No where does it even say it will be divided on the certificate. They wouldn't fix it onboard. I had to explain this to her once we got home and try and get $50 from a friend which was a bit uncomfortable. She understood - just not happy because it meant she spent more than she thought she had.

 

(my guess the person you talked to was confused about deposit and not purchasing the FCC. If you only put one person down for a deposit and not two - then what you're saying makes sense)

[mzloolue]

Carnival is the only cruise line my husband and myself have cruised. We are both Platinum cruisers and own Carnival Stock. We have organized numerous group cruises and highly recommend Carnival. I don't call anyone LIARS unless I have been lied to. January 2014 was the last time we cruised and decided to purchase a Future Cruise Vacation on board for sailing Jan 2015. The Carnival Rep that sold us the future cruise had responses for every question we had including only book 1 PERSON but had to deposit $600 to secure our spot. We weren't sure if that time frame would work for our jobs. As it was, it didn't. We had to cancel and the representative at the time said, since there was only 1 name on the reservation I would get penalized $50 not $100. That's the reason why I only had my name on the certificate. That REP LIED. We were penalized $100 and the $100 on board credit was also rescinded. We were also told numerous times that credit will still be available. Guess it's time to try other cruise lines. Has anyone had a similiar experience. I feel it's a waste of my breath to write Carnival, but maybe someone might have some insight into this matter.

 

Thank you for posting this.

I learned from your situation.

 

But If it was me, I would try writing an email to the ceo of Carnival Cruise.

First tell your history as a customer, how many cruises over how many years.`

 

Then tell the facts about what happened unemotionally, briefly, and clearly.

(Just what happened, but not what you think about why it happened.)

 

Next tell them briefly how this experience made you feel.

 

And finally tell them what you want to restore your goodwill as a customer.

 

Four short easy to read paragraphs.

Space things out so it is easier to read.

If you request something simple, then you are more likely to get it.

 

If I wanted my deposit and onboard credit applied to another cruise, then that is all I would ask for.

 

 

Sending an email will not take long and will at least give you a feeling of closure.

But you will probably get a response and they will get you in contact with the person who can actually help.

Edited March 26, 2015 by mzloolue

[K&P Luv2Cruise]

Another thing some may not know...the computers in the Library can be used for anything Carnival. You can go to carnival.com and research sailings or information without charge, so if you are not sure, or something the future cruise specialist said has intrigued you, go and do your research before committing.

 

Also, you can book as past guest (no penalties until final payment) and always change to early saver once you are satisfied with the choice you made. (Ooops, just saw someone else had also suggested this.)

Edited March 26, 2015 by K&P Luv2Cruise

[familycruzinnewbie]

I have taken two cruises, booked both as Early Saver and both well over a year in advance. I bought a FCC on my first cruise and used towards my second. The future cruise desk was crazy on my 2nd cruise so I didn't book anything and there are 4 of use so I would have to pay $1200 downpayment etc. I didn't know about just booking a cheap room for 2 people on a short cruise and changing later. I may look into that on my next cruise.

 

I'm looking at something 17 months out. Honestly I doubt I'll get a price drop as I tend to book on cruises with good rates that go up and then back down. So if I book past guest, I would have to switch to Early saver when the early saver rate is low (and it may not drop before ES disappears). The other problem I have is my category may disappear once I book. I think they may have removed some of the others from inventory as they are accessible. So if your category is not available you can't get a price drop, but you can bump up, but can you switch rate types within the room you have. I had planned to book ES, but recent threads are making me consider the extra $$ an go with past guest.

[JMHAM1]

I think that NCL has it right where you can buy a future cruise certificate while on board for $250 and you get a $100 OBC to use during your current cruise. The FCC can be used to book ANY cruise you like within the next 4 years and the certificates are transferrable. You can use them as the entire deposit on most cruises. We always buy a couple when we sail with them.

 

Trying to figure out exactly what you want while on board is tricky unless you know in advance a particular cruise. I can't imagine using this service while on board.

 

Sorry that you lost the incentive and also that you were given incorrect information. I think you should report it if nothing else so that the rep can get some feedback and/or training.

[zebramatie1]

Just got home from work and decided to check my post. I appreciate everyone's input, everyone has an opinion. I stand corrected, to use the word LIE was harsh :(, I should have said the Sales Rep was misinformed and wrong in his information he relayed back to me. I will be following some of the poster's advice in writing Carnival a letter stating my case. I was extremely agitated when we booked on March 22 and found out shortly after that we lost $100 of our money and an additional $100 OBC. I am learning quite a bit with reading these posts and I thank everyone that has had some input. Will we sail with Carnival again, most definitely, will we try other cruiselines, most definitely. Will our cruise OCT 31st be tainted by this, HELL NO. Life is too short. ;) Everyday is a learning opportunity, and maybe someone reading this has benefited, I know I have.:D

[kicia]

Remember that you can use the onboard computers as well as your own device, for free, to access the Carnival website, as well as John Heald's blog, when he writes one.

 

We have been booking on board ever since the certificates were eliminated. We book a 3 day cruise as far out as we can to be able to pay the smaller deposit. We book past guest and switch to early saver when we decide which cruise we're really taking.

 

The other consideration is that you have to either make the switch or cancel the booking before final payment is due or else you're into regular cancellation penalties.