Advice needed on how best to deal with Viking lack of customer service

[Kathie859]

Well, to be fair to Viking, OP asked for the documents for an October cruise in June. The documents would be sent at some point, just not on OP's timetable.

 

I understand being excited/anxious and wanting to see everything in advance. That's why I went to Uniworld's website and printed out the Cruise Companion months before our cruise. Sure, they were sending a copy, but since I wanted it earlier, it was up to me to print it. I daresay I am on the younger end of the river cruising demographic, but I prefer paper as well.

 

I'm curious. What do you think would happen if a booked customer called Uniworld and said "Please send me the cruise companion information for my cruise." Do you think they'd give a customer the 3rd degree about their ability or willingness to print it? Do you think they would have instructed their customer to buy a printer? Or would they have said "Yes ma'm,we can do that for you and thank you for your business"? Like you, I print the companion guide myself but would really like to think that a company that I'd spent thousands of dollars would humor me if I made such a request.

 

I'm not trying to vilify Viking BUT I think their response to their customer was shortsighted and unessarily tenuous.

[Riverroad]

Well, to be fair to Viking, OP asked for the documents for an October cruise in June. The documents would be sent at some point, just not on OP's timetable.

 

I understand being excited/anxious and wanting to see everything in advance. That's why I went to Uniworld's website and printed out the Cruise Companion months before our cruise. Sure, they were sending a copy, but since I wanted it earlier, it was up to me to print it. I daresay I am on the younger end of the river cruising demographic, but I prefer paper as well.

 

+1 This is the best, most reasonable response so far.

[$hip$hape]

Well, to be fair to Viking, OP asked for the documents for an October cruise in June.

The documents would be sent at some point, just not on OP's timetable.

 

I understand being excited/anxious and wanting to see everything in advance.

That's why I went to Uniworld's website and printed out the Cruise Companion months before our cruise. Sure, they were sending a copy, but since I wanted it earlier, it was up to me to print it. I daresay I am on the younger end of the river cruising demographic, but I prefer paper as well.

In June, we paid Viking our "final payment" for a cruise next May, 2016.

(Final payment due 11 months in advance !)

Just thought; what if I told Viking, "I'll send you the payment, just not on your timetable."? :D (rhetorical question)

[Whitby15]

I think when so many folks are experiencing huge issues on the rivers of Europe with all the companies, to come to CC and complain about wanting paper documents "early" when a neighbor or the library could have gotten these in about two minutes ... It's just over the top!

Viking (and all the rest) are dealing with true emergencies and this OP can't print her papers... Talk about 1st world problems!

 

 

I don't think it's over the top. Yes, it's a first-world problem, but I don't think it's fair (or rhetorically persuasive) to dismiss the concern out of hand. I still know a number of people who are very uncomfortable with forking over large quantities of cash to companies months in advance in exchange for an email. Paper still means something to many people (yes, of a certain generation), the thousands of dollars for a cruise can be a huge investment for some, and I for one don't think it asking too much to ask that hard copies be provided when the customers want said copies. I'm all for decreasing paper waste (haven't used paper for years, which is why I don't own a printer!), but when one of my "customers" (aka, students) wants a hard copy, I give it to them. After all, they pay my salary.

[ural guy]

I'm curious. What do you think would happen if a booked customer called Uniworld and said "Please send me the cruise companion information for my cruise." Do you think they'd give a customer the 3rd degree about their ability or willingness to print it? Do you think they would have instructed their customer to buy a printer? Or would they have said "Yes ma'm,we can do that for you and thank you for your business"? Like you, I print the companion guide myself but would really like to think that a company that I'd spent thousands of dollars would humor me if I made such a request.

 

I'm not trying to vilify Viking BUT I think their response to their customer was shortsighted and unessarily tenuous.

 

Just to clarify, Viking never told the OP to buy a printer. That was suggested by posters.

[Capt_BJ]

the documents I got from VIKING were several hundred pages

 

a day by day description of our trip ... and a copy for EACH of us. PLUS a book of general information about where we were sailing ... (we were in a basement cheapo room btw)

 

I dunno about you, but if I had sent that to MY printer I'd be screaming about how they cost me so much money in ink/toner and paper for CRAP I didn't want . . . .

 

book a CUNARD CRUISE .... see the minimalist way .... then decide

Edited July 24, 2015 by Capt_BJ

[JVilleGal]

I'm curious. What do you think would happen if a booked customer called Uniworld and said "Please send me the cruise companion information for my cruise." Do you think they'd give a customer the 3rd degree about their ability or willingness to print it? Do you think they would have instructed their customer to buy a printer? Or would they have said "Yes ma'm,we can do that for you and thank you for your business"? Like you, I print the companion guide myself but would really like to think that a company that I'd spent thousands of dollars would humor me if I made such a request.

 

 

 

I'm not trying to vilify Viking BUT I think their response to their customer was shortsighted and unessarily tenuous.

 

 

Oh I agree, Viking should have sent info out and will send documents out 3/4 weeks before sailing. They never told her to buy a printer (we did because it seemed like an easy fix for a seemingly computer literate traveler).

 

I'm betting Viking is up to their "eyeballs" in dealing with low water issues in Europe and cruises being altered.

 

Wonder if the OP has taken advantage of opening her On-Line acct with Viking where so much if her requested info was readily available.

[banditoo]

I received my box of Viking documents today by Fed Ex for our upcoming August 29 cruise. I can see why it might be difficult to send out documents early as the cruise documents are printed into a book for each passenger. The cruise documents are not individual pieces of paper.