Mini Bar Charges Post Cruise

[TravelerThom]

I seriously doubt the folks who stock the cabins get paid by the volume of their deliveries.

I could interpret "the folks tasked with stocking them likely took a big financial hit" as including the F&B Manager and/or Hotel Director and I could easily believe those guys took a sales (and bonus) hit.

[nealstuber]

I seriously doubt the folks who stock the cabins get paid by the volume of their deliveries.

 

 

No it's commission silly!

 

 

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[sblair]

This will make a great class-action lawsuit for the right attorney!

 

RCI should quit playing this game while they are ahead....

[thrifty99]

So they did or did not know anything about this? Here is a simply solution.... don't put anything in my cabin that I could be charged for unless I ask for it. If I want a bottle of water I'll go get one.

 

That is what I told the lady from the CEO's office who called me back. I told her it seems the only way to prevent these false charges is to remove the water in the first place. Just be sure there are plenty of places on the ship where someone can buy bottled water.

 

Since there are several possible reasons for the missing water bottles, no one knows the truth:

- RCL employee charging the room for water bottles that are present.

- RCL employee taking the water from rooms to use for themselves.

- Cabin occupant taking the water and then saying they were there when they left.

- Other passenger walking by empty room and grabbing water on way off ship.

 

There really is no way to prevent any of the above so just remove the bottles in the first place.

[wendychloecruiser]

That is what I told the lady from the CEO's office who called me back. I told her it seems the only way to prevent these false charges is to remove the water in the first place. Just be sure there are plenty of places on the ship where someone can buy bottled water.

 

Since there are several possible reasons for the missing water bottles, no one knows the truth:

- RCL employee charging the room for water bottles that are present.

- RCL employee taking the water from rooms to use for themselves.

- Cabin occupant taking the water and then saying they were there when they left.

- Other passenger walking by empty room and grabbing water on way off ship.

 

There really is no way to prevent any of the above so just remove the bottles in the first place.

 

We DID ask for everything to be removed and we were still charged.

[thrifty99]

We DID ask for everything to be removed and we were still charged.

 

That has happened to me with the mini bar before when they were fully stocked in the room. I would have it emptied at the beginning of the cruise and still get billed for something used in it.

 

This is why the only way to stop this is to simply end the practice of putting water bottles in the cabins.

[nealstuber]

That has happened to me with the mini bar before when they were fully stocked in the room. I would have it emptied at the beginning of the cruise and still get billed for something used in it.

 

 

 

This is why the only way to stop this is to simply end the practice of putting water bottles in the cabins.

 

 

There are plenty of other ways:

1) Have the customer sign the tag on the bottle - we sign for all other drinks.

 

2) Remove the bottles on the last afternoon before the bills are cut

 

3) Put Water on the new pay room service menu.

 

 

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[thrifty99]

There are plenty of other ways:

1) Have the customer sign the tag on the bottle - we sign for all other drinks.

 

2) Remove the bottles on the last afternoon before the bills are cut

 

3) Put Water on the new pay room service menu.

 

 

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#1 - I don't see it reducing the "mistaken" charges much. What happens if I use the water (or someone takes it) and don't sign the tag? I won't be billed? RCL won't go for that. Or someone after you depart still could use the water and scribble a signature on it. I doubt RCL wants to save all the tags for signature verification if you challenge the charge.

 

#2 - I don't see RCL wanting to remove all bottles from cabins on the last day and then putting them all back the next day. Too labor intensive.

 

I thought about #3 as well and it could work. Works if you are ordering something else from room service and the water is an add-on. But if you only want multiple waters will they charge you for each plus the $7.95 service charge? That could get pricey for water.

 

I still think the easiest solution is to simply get rid of the bottles from cabins and have them readily available for sale around the ship.

 

 

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[TravelerThom]

... I thought about #3 as well and it could work. Works if you are ordering something else from room service and the water is an add-on. But if you only want multiple waters will they charge you for each plus the $7.95 service charge? That could get pricey for water.

 

I still think the easiest solution is to simply get rid of the bottles from cabins and have them readily available for sale around the ship.

When RCI quit stocking the mini bar, they started using an order sheet that allows you to get items (such as 6 pack of Cokes, etc) by signing the order sheet. These items are then yours on a use, take or lose basis. IMO incredibly easy to put the infamous Evian on that list. The only downside I see is that it becomes more difficult for RCI to steal people's money.

[thrifty99]

The only downside I see is that it becomes more difficult for RCI to steal people's money.

 

Steal? These are honest mistakes. ;)

 

Adding water to that order sheet would be an easy fix. We have not cruised since end of 2014 due to a relocation / new house projects. We still had to ask them to empty the mini bar back then. Adding water to the "mini bar" order sheet seems like a pretty easy fix.

[toras]

Since there are several possible reasons for the missing water bottles, no one knows the truth

 

I don't believe the water bottles are actually gone from the room, but most likely an accounting "software issue", applied to your account from main office, whether you drank them or not. There have been people who made the room attendant check the bottles before they disembark and yet still got charged.

 

I avoided the hassle by using a cash account.

[Clarea]

... I avoided the hassle by using a cash account.

I'm starting to think that's the smart thing to do.

[FTD]

Just got charged $12.36 for mini frig water post cruise, first time for us. We drank our D+ water but never touched the two larger water bottles. Made the call for cc reimbursement and emailed the CEO with our story and the link to this thread. I can't believe this issue is still on going.

[Clarea]

Just got charged $12.36 for mini frig water post cruise, first time for us. We drank our D+ water but never touched the two larger water bottles. Made the call for cc reimbursement and emailed the CEO with our story and the link to this thread. I can't believe this issue is still on going.

I don't have a problem believing it's still going on. So far, they don't have an incentive to stop it.

[psupa]

I have been charged for minibar the last 3 Royal cruises. I think in the future I will have one day of gratuities removed from bill. That would compensate for the minibar charge. I will inform the guest service personnel of the reason for this. If every CC did this, they may take notice.

 

I would hate doing this because it only punishes others who have nothing to do with it

Edited May 17, 2017 by psupa

[TravelerThom]

I don't have a problem believing it's still going on. So far, they don't have an incentive to stop it.

After Wells Fargo was fined $185 million for opening fraudulent accounts AND 2 corporate officers each lost over $60 million in benefits AND the WF Board was barely reelected for lack of proper oversight, I think that "they" (RCI, RCCL, Bayley, Fain and the Board) should have "incentive". While the details of the frauds are different, IMO the apparently intentional lack of proper supervision seems identical in nature. Am I the only one who feels that way??

[Clarea]

After Wells Fargo was fined $185 million for opening fraudulent accounts AND 2 corporate officers each lost over $60 million in benefits AND the WF Board was barely reelected for lack of proper oversight, I think that "they" (RCI, RCCL, Bayley, Fain and the Board) should have "incentive". While the details of the frauds are different, IMO the apparently intentional lack of proper supervision seems identical in nature. Am I the only one who feels that way??

I feel the same way, but until some governmental agency (such as the Florida Attorney General with whom RC has had dealings before) starts making inquries, I don't think this will change.

[CruisinCrow]

I would hate doing this because it only punishes others who have nothing to do with it

 

I agree. I don't think the room stewards are the problem so why take it out of their pockets? And it doesn't affect the people who let this continue at all so they don't care.

[Biker19]

While the details of the frauds are different, IMO the apparently intentional lack of proper supervision seems identical in nature. Am I the only one who feels that way??

A few posters on CC listing a incorrect charge does not make a fraud case. No one here has any idea about the size of this issue. Yes, it stinks that you have to call to get your $12 back, but the details do matter and in no way does this rise to a WF type issue with the details known at this point.

[cleophus12]

Is it possible to get an itemized copy of one's bill after disembarking? We left our room before 6 and our bill had not been delivered yet. I would like to see the final itemized copy.

[Clarea]

Is it possible to get an itemized copy of one's bill after disembarking? We left our room before 6 and our bill had not been delivered yet. I would like to see the final itemized copy.

Contact Post-Cruise Customer Service: (800) 256-6649.

[sunshinelover59]

Just got charged $12.36 for mini frig water post cruise, first time for us. We drank our D+ water but never touched the two larger water bottles. Made the call for cc reimbursement and emailed the CEO with our story and the link to this thread. I can't believe this issue is still on going.

Same. We actually never even had larger water bottles in our cabin. Just our 4 small emerald bottles. We also had the drink package which includes bottled water we could get anytime. I am very frustrated about this extra charge added after disembarkation that I now need to sort out once we get home since we are still travelling. Grrrrrrr....

 

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[TravelerThom]

A few posters on CC listing a incorrect charge does not make a fraud case. No one here has any idea about the size of this issue. Yes, it stinks that you have to call to get your $12 back, but the details do matter and in no way does this rise to a WF type issue with the details known at this point.

I will respectfully disagree with your opinion. It doesn’t matter if it is “a WF type issue”, it is still fraud.

 

CC’s 25,532 members (many inactive) represent ~1% of the approximately 25,000,000 people who cruised last year. Yet week in and week out for months one or more CCers are reporting false charges for water. In my case the false charge was on the front half of a B2B, so the room should not have been open unattended for another passenger to walk in a take the water (and the average person wouldn’t want to lug home the additional 2+ pounds present in a liter of water).

 

I doubt that 1% of CCers themselves catch the false charges, and the general public (who have not been warned here on CC) even less so. There is no doubt in my mind that there are thousands of false charges weekly, if not hundreds of thousands. This is NOT an occasional legitimate mistake, but is occurring continuously on multiple ships.

 

Quite a number of people on this thread have mentioned contacting the RCI Executive Offices on this issue over at least the last 5 months, yet there is a report this week that the RCI Executive Offices claimed to be “unaware”. As far as I can tell, no executive at Wells Fargo was charged with fraud or ordering fraud; what they were guilty of was creating a climate in which fraud was indirectly encouraged and remaining allegedly ignorant of issues that they were responsible for correcting.

 

I stand by calling this fraud, but I do not claim to know where it is occurring in the company. However IMO Mr. Bayley should be fired for either 1) ignoring fraud or 2) being too stupid to recognize it. Do you have a number 3) to propose?

[Biker19]

There is no doubt in my mind that there are thousands of false charges weekly, if not hundreds of thousands.

IF this was the case, I'd agree with you, but, we have no idea how big the problem is.

[TravelerThom]

IF this was the case, I'd agree with you, but, we have no idea how big the problem is.

Since this has been going on for MANY months, IMO it is in RCI's court to prove that my hypothesis is incorrect. I will have NO sympathy when Bayley gets hung. And I think that sooner or later (probably later) he will be hung from the yardarm. Again IMO the main question is will Fain be hanging with him. These guys KNOW that fraud is going on and continue to pretend otherwise.