Very Poor Customer Service

[lucymorgan]

I don't think it's unreasonable for someone to join CC and make a complaint as their first post. I do, however, think the purpose of the boards is not to make a one time hit and run rant and never been heard from again.

 

Unfortunately, it seems like there are a lot of the "one hit wonder" posters these days. I always think it's a shame they didn't find CC before their cruise, and stick around after their complaint to learn from others. I don't always agree with things that are posted here, but I can't put a price tag on the valuable information and tips I've gotten because I'm a member of CC.

 

I think the reason that there are a lot of "one hit wonders" is because they ask a genuine question and get some fairly unsympathetic responses! I'm not surprised that people read some of the knowledgeable, opinionated, smart alec, attacking responses and decide that cc is not the place they want to frequent.

 

 

If the majority of a first experience is negative, why return???? I don't think the smart alec, attacking responses do the CC forum any good at all (other than to make those people feel somehow good about themselves)

[SnorkelAway]

Certainly, it is very good advice to check your account on the TV at a time before the last night during your cruise and, if the TV access is not available for any reason, then try to stop by Guest Services when it is not busy to check. Waiting until the last night or the last morning to check your account is an invitation to have a really lousy experience waiting in line at Guest Services. After a great many cruises, I have only found an improper charge once - someone got a free excursion because they put the charge on our account and apparently the ship (Serenade) could not determine who had given our cabin number instead of theirs - the signature was either missing or illegible. The Cruise Excursion Manager on Serenade (I think it was Serenade) was extremely nice about it and after a little checking believed me that it was a mistake took off the charge. I complained at Guest Services once about a charge that I thought was wrong and then was very embarrassed to learn that I was the one who was wrong - the charge was correct.

Edited July 8, 2015 by SnorkelAway

[Cricket63]

POSTED BY OPPurser politely listened, apologised for any inconvenience we may have suffered, took our boarding cards, and applied two 'Standard Drinks Packages' and advised that gratuities would also be paid.

 

 

The reason I think you were charged is because YOU upgrade to another package.

[RFerrington]

I think the reason that there are a lot of "one hit wonders" is because they ask a genuine question and get some fairly unsympathetic responses! I'm not surprised that people read some of the knowledgeable, opinionated, smart alec, attacking responses and decide that cc is not the place they want to frequent.

 

 

If the majority of a first experience is negative, why return???? I don't think the smart alec, attacking responses do the CC forum any good at all (other than to make those people feel somehow good about themselves)

 

I think this is a very astute comment. I have not found cc to be particularly welcoming or user-friendly to new members.

Edited July 8, 2015 by RFerrington

[Don Pedro]

I think the reason that there are a lot of "one hit wonders" is because they ask a genuine question and get some fairly unsympathetic responses! I'm not surprised that people read some of the knowledgeable, opinionated, smart alec, attacking responses and decide that cc is not the place they want to frequent.

 

 

If the majority of a first experience is negative, why return???? I don't think the smart alec, attacking responses do the CC forum any good at all (other than to make those people feel somehow good about themselves)

 

I agree. This thread tends to put a lot of the blame on the OP. It seems outrageous to expect RCCL to handle things properly or to rectify errors.

[Big_G]

I think the reason that there are a lot of "one hit wonders" is because they ask a genuine question and get some fairly unsympathetic responses!

 

I think this is a very astute comment. I have not found cc to be particularly welcoming or user-friendly to new members.

 

I think when newbies ask a legitimate question, the majority of responses are overwhelmingly empathetic and helpful. When a newbie posts a complaint, sometimes it's all in the delivery.

[Desert Cruizers]

Near the completion of our 1st cruise, my husband & I were going through our receipts and comparing against the print out, everything looked good however, we questioned a daily $12 charge. Mind you this was our first cruise and knew we hadn't paid for anything totaling $12 so he went down to Guest Relations to inquire. We were a bit embarrassed when she told us that was for the daily gratuities.:D

[Jessies Girl]

id just like to say thanks for the heads up regarding the problems that you had. I too am from the uk and was persuaded to book due to the drinks package offer and also the inclusion of the gratuities being paid that was on offer.

Hence i will be making sure that these are actually honored since when i log into the rci pre-cruise online website there is no mention of these things being included so far.

Hence it would be a bit of a shocker to find out that your credit card takes a hammering on the return home and I think its a bit unfair to think or even suggest that folk should on a daily basis have to check their accounts / bank details or the likes on the premise that they may be being charged for services/ goods that they didn't order. After all its a holiday and id like to think that an organisation as big as RCI while not immune to making mistakes would be quick to react and rectify when problems are highlighted.

 

cheers the noo

 

harry

 

Hi,

 

We booked Harmony for 2016 when the "free" drinks package & gratuities promotion was on. I recently got in touch with Royal Caribbean as it is still not showing against my booking when I check online, and they said they need to add this manually and this should be done in August so check again later next month and hopefully it should appear:)

[RubyGold]

I can certainly sympathise with the OP.

 

Being another UK cruiser, I can tell you that there are a few things very different with the 'service' offered pre-cruise....

 

1. RCI(UK) call centres have all been outsourced to somewhere closer to outer Mongolia than any English speaking country. With the call takers knowledge of the brand being limited to 'Boat?'.

 

2. ANY cancellation incurring loss of deposit (OP being lucky enough to have a reduced deposit, which would have worked in his favour)

 

3. Something NOT mentioned here but bothered me.... practically any time you amend your booking, the cruise price is 'recalculated' in line with inflation/the US dollar/price of blood diamonds or whatever. Meaning you cannot price match a category for upgrades.

 

Also, as noted by others the all inclusive offers are not listed on the cruise planner online, at least not in my case. But ours was present on boarding.

 

Funny thing about that was that we did not qualify with our origional booking, but some friendly rep changed our promo to include it, so NO they are generally not that strict with those rules (in my experience)

 

To summarise,

Using RCI from the UK is a major PITA. Probably the worst customer service I've ever experienced from any line.

BUT a wholly worthwhile product to use, if you're willing to dedicate a decent portion of time to making sure you've got the right deal!!!

[henryhtc]

Hi,

 

We booked Harmony for 2016 when the "free" drinks package & gratuities promotion was on. I recently got in touch with Royal Caribbean as it is still not showing against my booking when I check online, and they said they need to add this manually and this should be done in August so check again later next month and hopefully it should appear:)

 

 

Cheers for this info I will be keeping a careful eye out to make sure it does get added.

 

Cheers the noo

 

Harry

[swoopy2110]

I can certainly sympathise with the OP.

 

Being another UK cruiser, I can tell you that there are a few things very different with the 'service' offered pre-cruise....

 

1. RCI(UK) call centres have all been outsourced to somewhere closer to outer Mongolia than any English speaking country. With the call takers knowledge of the brand being limited to 'Boat?'.

 

 

I'm sure there is some options on the phone that put you through to elsewhere however.

 

For example, I spoke to the flight department recently, and I have also spoken to the booking department option for "cruises not departing from a UK Port, and I'm sure it sounded like the person on the other end of the phone was American, and one guy Alex was extremely helpful!

 

When I spoke to the "Guests who have already booked" option to add the post Cruise Universal Studios Package recently, the guy did not sound American, had no idea what I was talking about. When I mentioned Universal Studios, all he kept telling me was - "you have already purchased the beverage package" ... brilliant

 

Then told me that there were no packages available yet. I told him I already had been given prices by email and that it could be booked today. He looked again, and miraculously found the packages!

[sheilsy4949]

Because you admittedly weren't when you boarded and if you didn't check for the charge sometime during the cruise, you must be way more trusting than I.

 

But I was once I had been issued with the 2 select drinks packages by the purser once onboard!!.... c'mon fella keep up! ;)

[sheilsy4949]

To save yourself the frustration that you are going through now.

 

But I did not expect any onboard charges, so why would i want to check the onboard account? it would be like walking into a supermarket and asking what my bill is before I have purchased anything... nonsensical IMO, however hindsight is a wonderful thing ;)

[sheilsy4949]

POSTED BY OPPurser politely listened, apologised for any inconvenience we may have suffered, took our boarding cards, and applied two 'Standard Drinks Packages' and advised that gratuities would also be paid.

 

 

The reason I think you were charged is because YOU upgrade to another package.

 

I am not disputing the cost of the upgrade, which worked out at approx $104 and that is what I was led to believe i was signing for when I upgraded one of the packages from select to premium. :)

[tigger-ttfn]

You join CC only to post about this experience? That won't get you a lot of sympathy here. Many promotions are for new bookings only, so you probably would not have been able to take advantage of the promotion.

 

You wait until onboard to question your perks? Why didn't you look at your cruise planner before the cruise and see if you had the package or not?

 

You wait until you are leaving the ship to check your onboard account? You could have checked every day and noticed there was a problem.

 

I would dispute this with your credit card company. Let them handle it.

I agree

[Big_G]

But I was once I had been issued with the 2 select drinks packages by the purser once onboard!!.... c'mon fella keep up! ;)

 

Keep up with what? You got on a ship without a drink package, went to GS to get two, and then you never checked the whole week to make sure they didn't charge you for them. I'm thinking I'm not the one that needs to keep up. :rolleyes:

[mysticbluebmw]

But I did not expect any onboard charges, so why would i want to check the onboard account? it would be like walking into a supermarket and asking what my bill is before I have purchased anything... nonsensical IMO, however hindsight is a wonderful thing ;)

That is not a proper analogy. Comparing to a hotel you'll be staying in for a week would...and I would definitely check my account during that time if so, since they have my credit card number and my permission to make charges. Lastly, it would make since to check since even though you were given the grease for your squeaky wheel, you were never actually entitled to what you were wanting. If you could have easily canceled and rebooked, you should have done so. No hindsight necessary. These kinds of errors happen when one circumvents the rules.

[S.A.M.J.R.]

But I did not expect any onboard charges, so why would i want to check the onboard account? it would be like walking into a supermarket and asking what my bill is before I have purchased anything... nonsensical IMO, however hindsight is a wonderful thing ;)

 

I am not disputing the cost of the upgrade, which worked out at approx $104 and that is what I was led to believe i was signing for when I upgraded one of the packages from select to premium. :)

Wait. You did not expect any onboard charges, but you were expecting the cost to upgrade your packages, right?

[sheilsy4949]

Keep up with what? You got on a ship without a drink package, went to GS to get two, and then you never checked the whole week to make sure they didn't charge you for them. I'm thinking I'm not the one that needs to keep up. :rolleyes:

 

Read my first post...... I got on the ship BELIEVING I WAS ENTITLED TO THEM, led to believe by the purser, that I was indeed entitled to them, who subsequently issued them, without asking me or my wife to sign any documentation (which is usually standard procedure for any charges applied to your account) APOLOGISED for all the inconvenience and then went on to explain that gratuities due would also be taken off the onboard account!! later in the day I CHOSE to upgrade one of the Select Packages to Premium for a cost of an additional $104, which is the only cost I charged to my account whilst on board, so once again I had no reason to check the account thereafter......... however my overall point is being lost, RCI customer services post cruise is questionable to say the least......

[sheilsy4949]

All I can say is thanks for all the replies (even the critical ones) maybe time to draw a line under this matter for now, as its all getting a bit tedious, many lessons learnt for myself (once bitten and all that), however as I earlier posted, I am going to pursue this (Dog with a bone , LOL) will post the resolution once established....... and once again thanks for your interest

[RubyGold]

I'm sure there is some options on the phone that put you through to elsewhere however.

 

For example, I spoke to the flight department recently, and I have also spoken to the booking department option for "cruises not departing from a UK Port, and I'm sure it sounded like the person on the other end of the phone was American, and one guy Alex was extremely helpful!

 

When I spoke to the "Guests who have already booked" option to add the post Cruise Universal Studios Package recently, the guy did not sound American, had no idea what I was talking about. When I mentioned Universal Studios, all he kept telling me was - "you have already purchased the beverage package" ... brilliant

 

Then told me that there were no packages available yet. I told him I already had been given prices by email and that it could be booked today. He looked again, and miraculously found the packages!

 

Hahaa, not only me then!!

 

That's quite helpful to know, in future I shall shop around the phone options to find a responsible adult to speak to!

[Big_G]

Read my first post...... I got on the ship BELIEVING I WAS ENTITLED TO THEM

 

Sorry for beating a dead horse but where did anyone tell you that you were entitled to them before boarding the ship? :confused::confused::confused:

 

Booked a Mediterranean Cruise with RCI on 26th December 2014, shortly after booking a promotion campaign on TV announced 'Free Drinks Packages' for any RCI Cruise booked before 31st Jan 2015, I contacted RCI to ask them if I qualified for the promotion, they were unable to give an affirmative answer, and advised they would call me back (If I did not qualify, my logic was I would simply cancel my initial booking and rebook, thereby qualifying) time past and still nobody called me back, my wife spoke via 'Facebook' with an RCI rep who advised they would look into it and get back to us, surprise surprise, nobody called back, called 'Customer Relations AGAIN! advised to speak to purser onboard ship at Customer Services Desk, which we did, Purser politely listened, apologised for any inconvenience we may have suffered, took our boarding cards, and applied two 'Standard Drinks Packages' and advised that gratuities would also be paid....... Result you may think..... READ ON.................

[cruisenfever]

But I did not expect any onboard charges, so why would i want to check the onboard account?

that gratuities due would also be taken off the onboard account!! later in the day I CHOSE to upgrade one of the Select Packages to Premium for a cost of an additional $104, which is the only cost I charged to my account whilst on board, so once again I had no reason to check the account thereafter......... however my overall point is being lost, RCI customer services post cruise is questionable to say the least......

I am not disputing the cost of the upgrade, which worked out at approx $104 and that is what I was led to believe i was signing for when I upgraded one of the packages from select to premium. :)

So you upgraded for $104.00 and you never checked your bill once to make sure you were just charged $104.00? :eek: And you never checked to see if your grautities were taken off your account?? You sure are a trusting soul.

 

Whenever you have a transaction done at Guest Relations which includes $$$$ you have to give your SeaPass Card and then you will be given a receipt to sign.

Edited July 8, 2015 by cruisenfever

[cjdixon4]

There are a fair number of people who do just that...make a drive-by post and are never seen or heard from again.

 

I don't see "drive-by" posts as a problem. It's certainly their right to say what they have to say and then move on. Nobody's really obligated to any minimum number of posts on Cruise Critic. The poster shared their issue and we who are regular CC'ers can respond or ignore.

[Don Pedro]

So you upgraded for $104.00 and you never checked your bill once to make sure you were just charged $104.00? :eek: You sure are a trusting soul.

 

Whenever you have a transaction done at Guest Relations which includes $$$$ you have to give your SeaPass Card and then you will be given a receipt to sign.

 

The OP must be someone who is accustomed to accuracy and efficiency.