DO NOT Book with an online "travel agent" if going HAL!

[alwaysfrantic]

I really hate the secrecy related to travel agencies on this board. What good information it would be to know which businesses offer good service, and which we should be leary of.

 

An unfortunate rule.

[TheCalicoCat]

Goan, another abbreviagtion that I an't figuure out. What is PFIF? :confused:

Thanks

 

 

You added an "F" maybe that is the confusion - PIF = Paid in Full (There are things that you can do prior to this point that you cannot do after - they way I understand it...)

[Randyk47]

I really hate the secrecy related to travel agencies on this board. What good information it would be to know which businesses offer good service, and which we should be leary of.

 

An unfortunate rule.

 

 

While I understand the frustration I agree with the rule. Years ago I frequented another travel board that allowed reference to travel agencies or agents. Frequently it degenerated into "my agent/agency is better than yours" arguments. Then there were postings by fairly obvious shills trolling for customers and it could get pretty unpleasant. Now add that Cruise Critic has paying advertisers like travel agencies which means it's a free forum for us. Why pay to advertise if you can post for free as part of a thread.

[catl331]

(There are things that you can do prior to this point that you cannot do after - they way I understand it...)

Not exactly. Things are different before and after the Final Payment Date, but some people PIF long before that deadline.

[iancal]

A few dollars?

 

For us, the OBC's that our on line TA provides (in addition to excellent service) essentially translates into one free cruise for every 12-14 cruises that we buy.

 

We feel that is significant...especially since we are not stuck to going on the same cruise line each time.

[Augie's mom]

I often wonder about this...

 

I keep getting e-mails quoting my cruise below what is on the HAL site... (I am PIF, so I ignore, but I wonder how they can quote $300 less than what HAL shows.)

 

I book though an online agent that is receptive to phone calls & e-mails and we get a percentage of the fare added to our son's college savings scheme.

Sorry,but what is a PIF?

[Randyk47]

Sorry' date='but what is a PIF?[/quote']

 

 

In this case PIF = Paid in Full.

[Telejoke]

Same. We have our cruise on the Eurodam in 31 days and never using them again. Saved money (cheapest quote I got) but definitely not worth the hassle ever again.

 

You can transfer. Call the World Reservations Department of HAL and they will send the agency a transfer request. If they don't respond in 48 hours, the transfer is automatically done, but beware, the price will go up.

 

1‐800‐522‐3399

 

Thanks for the tip! I was finally able to get to the right department at the online TA but it was a CSR who could barely speak English. Not sure if she got the transfer right, and do not see anything in my HAL account that shows it was added to my itinerary.

 

As for getting a discount, the prices I saw online were same (by stateroom category) as what HAL offered. Only enticement was "double rewards points" and "$300 ship board credit". After the fact, when I was asking how to redeem the ship board credit, I was told I "disqualified myself" by using Visa instead of Master Card.

 

Definitely going through the cruise line next time... and maybe online booking for airfare, though this time, we saved hundreds by booking with airlines directly.

[Telejoke]

While I understand the frustration I agree with the rule. Years ago I frequented another travel board that allowed reference to travel agencies or agents. Frequently it degenerated into "my agent/agency is better than yours" arguments. Then there were postings by fairly obvious shills trolling for customers and it could get pretty unpleasant. Now add that Cruise Critic has paying advertisers like travel agencies which means it's a free forum for us. Why pay to advertise if you can post for free as part of a thread.

 

 

Thanks for explaining the reason for leaving out name of TAs. I thought it had more to do with the fact that all of the majors advertise here on Cruise Critic and it is inappropriate, even if it were allowed, to dump on an advertiser. I mistakenly mentioned one by name and the mods were quick to correct the post (rather than delete it as some boards do) and send me a polite reminder about posting rules.

[Telejoke]

A few dollars?

 

For us, the OBC's that our on line TA provides (in addition to excellent service) essentially translates into one free cruise for every 12-14 cruises that we buy.

 

We feel that is significant...especially since we are not stuck to going on the same cruise line each time.

 

 

That's a great point. The key is you're talking "every 12 - 14 cruises that we buy". I'm just saying those who are new -- or especially first time cruisers -- should spend some time here well before they are ready to book so they know the ins and outs.

 

Almost every problem I've had with the online TA and HAL could have been prevented if I knew their advertising practices, the restrictions the cruise lines have on helping customers who book with any TA, etc. Someone uptopic kind of made that point that we as consumers have to do our own research... and the more we do, the better the customer service seems to be :-)

[Telejoke]

In this case PIF = Paid in Full.

 

 

Always wondered what that meant. I could have paid in full at time of booking. Don't know why I didn't, but it sounds like there are benefits to doing it that way.

[Telejoke]

Our last HAL cruise wasn't much more than $1000 for two! :-)

 

We tend to book very close to the sailing date. In our cases, the PCC has been able to secure great deals and a good cabin location. More importantly, when I had a special request or a problem they were able to help me. Sure, there are good alternatives but the internet is a "buyer beware" situation and the OP drew the short stick this time.

 

It is a fact that if one books through a travel agent and needs help, then cruise lines and airlines will often refuse to help you directly if there is a problem. I have been through this myself even though it was the airline that caused the problem (cancelled pre-cruise flight).

 

igraf

 

Not sure what PCC means... but the "Buyer Beware" thing definitely applies. I spent quite a bit of time with the online TA company regarding the on-board credit ($300) with fine print that it was only for bookings using a specific credit card. They made a goodwill gesture of giving a $200 credit for the frustration and misunderstanding.

 

We have a TA in our town that specializes in cruises. We found that out ironically from HAL AFTER we booked :-)

[DisneyDatknee]

Gosh I wish I could tell you my favourite TA!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Telejoke]

OP: If there is anything we can help you with from here, we will do our best.

It may be possible to transfer your booking to a HAL PCC or other TA, certainly worth considering. I'd think aobut calling HAL, asking to talk to a PCC and tell them what's going on and see what they can do for you. My guess is that it would be a big improvement, even if not all in cost.

Sorry you are having difficulties, but good for you that you have a cruise booked! Once onboard I hope you have good AHHHH time. m--

 

 

What is a PCC? All my contacts with HAL referred me back to the original TA. If I could get it transfered out of the online company's iron grip, that would be great. And the added benefit is I'd only have to deal with the cruise line for cruise related problems.

 

If you could give more info on how this is done (and things a newbie like me can trip over along the way), I'd appreciate it.

 

I'm sure we'll have a great cruise. IMHO, this is more about not knowing the ropes on my part than it is about the way the cruise line and TA's contracts limit what each can do for a cruiser.

[Telejoke]

We use a personal cruise consultant with HAL and have use the same person for about 6 cruises, when ever there is a question of a significant perk or lower price they have just matched it.

 

We used various TA in the past and HAL seems more convenient and no more expensive. They also call us if a last minute inexpensive upgrade is available. Several times we have upgraded cabin class at the last minute for $100-$200 per person,

 

 

I'm all over that upgrade.... I wonder if anyone who's booked through an online TA has had any luck getting an upgrade opportunity.

[Telejoke]

I've had zero problems with HAL's "customer service infrastructure" and their ability to think "outside the box," as you put it, through a different online agency than the one you are using and mentioned by name elsewhere on the forum.

 

 

HAL has been very responsive to changes, additions (including transfers) and complex special needs. I think your problem is actually originating not with HAL at all, but with the sub-par online agency you chose to use, as you've acknowledged. Hope your cruise won't be affected if you stick with that agency.

 

 

Thanks for pointing out that HAL is very responsive. When I mentioned "customer service infrastructure", I was talking about the representatives online (and via phone) being unable to make decisions when a customer has a problem beyond ordering or changing a service, or having questions. Most companies have a series of "tiers" a customer can go through from "Tier 1" being the person who answers questions and takes orders to "Tier 2" the technician who can figure out what went wrong and maybe fix it and "Tier 3" the supervisor or specialist who has authority to make corrections to the customer's order or compensation for their inconvenience. (Sorry for the explanation -- I used to work in customer service)....

 

When I finally got so frustrated I asked, "Who do we contact to lodge a complaint?" The online representative gave me the number to HAL's customer relations department.... THIS WILL BLOW SOME MINDS:

 

The customer relations representative identified herself as a member of the "President's Office" (I'm sure she didn't mean Trump :-) ) and apologized for her dog barking in the background. She said she had to work from home because it was snowing in Seattle. Later, she said, "to be honest, I work from home full time... my dog usually isn't this much trouble..." and apologized.

 

Then she said she'd need to put me on hold to do some "research" and see how she could help resolve my situation. When she came back on, she apologized profusely and told me I could only book transfers, etc. through the online TA.

 

So apparently, not all HAL customer service people are able to help -- especially when contracts with the online TA limits how they can help.

 

What I found after two weeks of being bounced back and forth between the two companies is that the online company could have done the transfer all along... their CSRs that I talked to didn't know that, and when I asked for a supervisor (to explain what HAL had told me) they would say, I could do that, but my supervisor will tell you the same thing.

 

Two calls to Cruise Resolutions at the online TA and I got an explanation that it's all my fault because I didn't read the fine print.... but as a "goodwill gesture" they offered on-board credit.

 

I've posted elsewhere in this thread, if I had followed Cruise Critic for awhile longer before booking, I might have picked up some vibe about the best way to book and the problems one could face.... As one poster said, "Buyer Beware" -- the first and best customer service person a potential cruiser has is himself -- if he does his research and pays attention.

 

On that note... THANKS TO EVERYONE who commented. I've learned a lot!

[Randyk47]

I'm all over that upgrade.... I wonder if anyone who's booked through an online TA has had any luck getting an upgrade opportunity.

 

 

Yes. My online TA passes on upgrade and upsell offers to me. She also watches for price drops or other incentives and has gone back to the cruise line on my behalf.

 

PCC = Personal Cruise Consultant. All cruise lines have PCCs, or a version thereof, that can become your go to in-house "travel agent". Nice enough folks but we book with a TA who gives us a 10-12% cash discount.

[Herfnerd]

Not sure what happened to my reply but we have always used online TA's and have never had a problem. Our particular T a saved us several hundred dollars on the cruise enough to pay for our HSC but then the $300 in OBC made it more than worthwhile

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[bUU]

Not sure what happened to my reply

If you mentioned a travel agency, then your reply would have been removed due to that. Discussing specific travel agencies is not permitted on Cruise Critic.

 

 

 

This message may have been entered using voice recognition. Please excuse any typos.

[Herfnerd]

No - I've been around long enough to know not to do that.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums