MSC Comedy of Errors

[mervous]

I don't know why this topic just came up on my newsfeed but heres my take on it...

You get what you pay for but to each individual, the vacation is a significant investment and they want/expect a goot cruise.

Saying that only 2 people complained on a ship of 2000 passengers is a nonsense, to those two people the complaint is valid and the company should deal with it.

You know, the other side of this is that people seldom compliment on these forums so of course WE don't see balance but MSC still need to deal with complaints.

 

 

[DCGuy64]

24 minutes ago, mervous said:

Saying that only 2 people complained on a ship of 2000 passengers is a nonsense, to those two people the complaint is valid and the company should deal with it.

True, but taking an unrepresentative sample and extrapolating that to signify that the entire company is terrible, awful, will probably go under, etc, all of which I've read on here, is absurd. It's like saying "two people got sick at McDonald's, everyone should quit going there, they're finished," etc. THAT'S a nonsense, too. It's important to those affected but it doesn't represent the totality of the situation. 

[Stockjock]

I mentioned that every time I called MSC to address pricing errors (higher than it should be), the price further increased.
 

Got a confirmation yesterday that said my price had been adjusted.  While it was lower, it still looked to be roughly $150 too high.  But I wasn't going to call about it, as every time I do so, something bad happens.  I figured, I'd just eat the $150.  It was still wrong, but close enough.

Today, I logged into my MSC account and I actually think they've finally gotten it perfectly correct.  My northern European cruise, which should be about $2,000 is now at $2,031.

The Golden Rule of MSC, which I haven't always followed, is once your reservation looks the way you want it to, for God's sake, don't call MSC!  So unless there's a dramatic change or lowering of price, I won't be calling them again in regards to this sailing!

[Morgsmom]

7 hours ago, Stockjock said:

The Golden Rule of MSC, which I haven't always followed, is once your reservation looks the way you want it to, for God's sake, don't call MSC!  So unless there's a dramatic change or lowering of price, I won't be calling them again in regards to this sailing!

HEARD!!! Words to remember!

[marielco]

On 10/6/2021 at 11:04 PM, styles27 said:

Oh my goodness what a fiasco @Stockjock!  I realize Italians are laid back and I witnessed this while in Italy a couple of years ago but it’s hard to believe that MSC will thrive in the US market if they can’t hire and train competent IT and customer service reps. 
Americans won’t keep putting up with shoddy customer service over and over again. Or maybe some will maybe that’s what they’re banking on. 
 

Europeans don’t put up with shoddy customer service either.  Yet MSC still seem to be getting away with it both in Europe and USA. It’s a mystery …..

[optimusprime82]

Well my comedy of errors continues. 

Back in July we gave up on our screwed up booking for the Meraviglia for late October and switched to a YC sailing from Barcelona for our 15th wedding anniversary in September 2022 on the Fantasia. 

 

Last week I checked to see if our FCC from our 2019 Meraviglia sailing had been re-applied yet by the Existing Reservations department and noticed something strange, we were no longer on the Fantasia... we were now booked from Barcelona on the say date/itinerary on the Opera. Our booking still said "Yacht Club Experience" but unfortunately the Opera isn't equipped with a Yacht Club. I called again and changed our booking to the Meraviglia leaving from Barcelona a few days earlier with a slightly different itinerary but that cruise is going to cost us an additional $1,000. The rep I spoke with was sympathetic but said I'd have to email the Existing Reservations department to try and have the price adjusted.

 

I emailed Existing Reservations department again three days ago and got the typical automated response but haven't heard anything back from an actual person yet. I also copied some of their corporate contacts on the email to see to see if that might move things along a bit.

This poor booking has gone from 14 days NYC to Miami on the Divina, to 14 days from Miami on the Meraviglia, to two seven day Miami to Miami cruises on the Meraviglia, to a 7 day itinerary from Barcelona on the Fantasia's YC, then to Opera's non-existent Yacht Club, and then back to Meraviglia in their Yacht Club.

I had been trying to convince my parents to take a MSC Cruise with us but I'm not going to push that as an option anymore. They enjoy Princess and Celebrity and I can't imagine them (or their TA) dealing with this. I love the onboard experience with MSC but this has really gotten out of hand and we might abandon them after this... if this sailing actually ever happens.  

[Stockjock]

40 minutes ago, optimusprime82 said:

Well my comedy of errors continues. 

Back in July we gave up on our screwed up booking for the Meraviglia for late October and switched to a YC sailing from Barcelona for our 15th wedding anniversary in September 2022 on the Fantasia. 

 

Last week I checked to see if our FCC from our 2019 Meraviglia sailing had been re-applied yet by the Existing Reservations department and noticed something strange, we were no longer on the Fantasia... we were now booked from Barcelona on the say date/itinerary on the Opera. Our booking still said "Yacht Club Experience" but unfortunately the Opera isn't equipped with a Yacht Club. I called again and changed our booking to the Meraviglia leaving from Barcelona a few days earlier with a slightly different itinerary but that cruise is going to cost us an additional $1,000. The rep I spoke with was sympathetic but said I'd have to email the Existing Reservations department to try and have the price adjusted.

 

I emailed Existing Reservations department again three days ago and got the typical automated response but haven't heard anything back from an actual person yet. I also copied some of their corporate contacts on the email to see to see if that might move things along a bit.

This poor booking has gone from 14 days NYC to Miami on the Divina, to 14 days from Miami on the Meraviglia, to two seven day Miami to Miami cruises on the Meraviglia, to a 7 day itinerary from Barcelona on the Fantasia's YC, then to Opera's non-existent Yacht Club, and then back to Meraviglia in their Yacht Club.

I had been trying to convince my parents to take a MSC Cruise with us but I'm not going to push that as an option anymore. They enjoy Princess and Celebrity and I can't imagine them (or their TA) dealing with this. I love the onboard experience with MSC but this has really gotten out of hand and we might abandon them after this... if this sailing actually ever happens.  

I feel your pain, and with MSC, nothing surprises me anymore.  I always have a nice time on their ships, with a few bugs here and there, but the pre-cruise experience is often crazy frustrating.

I've had people say, "If you dislike MSC so much, why not book another cruise line?"  I don't dislike MSC, but find these issues to be more than frustrating.  I suspect they've taken a year or two off of my lifespan.  That said, of my next 4 cruises booked, 3 are on Celebrity and 1 is on MSC.  So there is and should be a price to be paid for poor customer service.

Edited October 13, 2021 by Stockjock

[BermudaBound2014]

On 10/8/2021 at 10:37 AM, DCGuy64 said:

True, but taking an unrepresentative sample and extrapolating that to signify that the entire company is terrible, awful, will probably go under, etc, all of which I've read on here, is absurd. It's like saying "two people got sick at McDonald's, everyone should quit going there, they're finished," etc. THAT'S a nonsense, too. It's important to those affected but it doesn't represent the totality of the situation. 

 

I would agree that as a whole, most customers appear satisfied with MSC. However; when compared to her peers, MSC continues to rank among the very bottom when it comes to customer satisfaction. This isn't to say MSC is in shambles, but customers report better experiences overall on other other 3 mainstream lines (NCL, RCL, and CCL). 

 

Here is a very brief review of literature to make my point. Remember, I am a fan of MSC and will very likely sail them again. But I make that decision informed that they do score lower than their competition on customer satisfaction. I trust very little stats I find online, but I do look for trends. I acknowledge that all stats can be manipulated, but over the course of the last 10 years, there have been enough of these trends in data for me to conclude that MSC is falling short when compared to the big 3.

 

1) MSC has scored a F (failure) from the BBB since the first time I started tracking a decade ago (Long before the pandemic). Interestingly, NCL is falling fast (D-). In comparison, Carnival has earned an "A" and Royal Caribbean has earned an A+. The BBB has it's faults for sure, but to continue to earn failing marks signifies an inability (or lack of motivation) to address customer complaints.

https://www.bbb.org/us/fl/fort-lauderdale/profile/cruises/msc-cruises-inc-0633-14001025

 

 

 

2) This survey from Conde Nast Traveler ranked MSC second to last. The methodology of the study seems legit and includes various points of input. It can be found at the link below.

https://travel.usnews.com/CRUISES/best-cruise-lines-for-families/

 

 

 

3) This one is interesting. Again, methodology at the link if interested. I did think MSC should score higher in value. But here is a summary"

As a Family cruise line, MSC ranks 5 out of 6 (only costa scored lower)

As a Caribbean Cruise line, MSC ranks dead last 11 out of 11

As a Mediterranean Cruise line, MSC ranks 9 out of 14

As an Affordable cruise line, MSC ranks 7 out of 8 (only costa scored lower)

https://travel.usnews.com/CRUISES/best-cruise-lines-for-the-money/

 

 

I want to be clear. NONE of this implies that MSC is in shambles or that the Majority of MSC cruisers report a bad experience. Most guest appear to enjoy cruising with MSC. But it does suggest that when compared to her competition, MSC continues to rank lower, a trend that has existed over time.

 

I will note that I have seen significant improvement in MSC scores over the last decade. The first reports from the Orchestra in Miami were beyond dismal. I have witnessed MSC make a well calculated move to capture the USA market share by building gorgeous new ships while continuing to offer exceptional pricing. I should note that MSC's large ships have some of the absolute worst space ratios in the industry which further supports my belief that MSC is a budget driven cruise line and is a good fit for those looking for a value.

 

Anyway, I'm just trying to point out a more complete picture. For guests looking to improve their odds of reporting a positive cruise experience, it appears there are much better choices than MSC. Me, I'll be sailing MSC in the future, willing to accept her short comings in exchange for prices that I believe provide an excellent value. 

 

 

[neptuno]

Compliments to Stockjock-  a very lively and intellectual discussion.  Responding to the last post, MSC IS crowding;  their new larger ships are built for value.  Cattle Call?  While we prefer the smaller ships, there is something to be said for the extensive variety of live music offered on larger ships (Meraviligia excluded).  One only needs to weigh the pros and cons, according to personal values.

[perakcruiser]

Finished a booking today that started yesterday. Also a sensational comedy of errors, but hey, thats MSC, in the end one can be so proud that he managed this challenge. 

 

Just that I cannot log in on the MSC website anymore, but I think that is part of the game 😄

 

[tkwbear]

On 10/22/2021 at 6:19 AM, perakcruiser said:

Finished a booking today that started yesterday. Also a sensational comedy of errors, but hey, thats MSC, in the end one can be so proud that he managed this challenge. 

 

Just that I cannot log in on the MSC website anymore, but I think that is part of the game 😄

 

I was also locked out of the website last week, so I logged in using a different browser. I logged out and used my original browser. Then that worked too. Coincidence? Maybe, or maybe they just fixed their issues in the middle of my exercise.

[intr3pid]

On 10/20/2021 at 1:29 PM, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

I would agree that as a whole, most customers appear satisfied with MSC. However; when compared to her peers, MSC continues to rank among the very bottom when it comes to customer satisfaction. This isn't to say MSC is in shambles, but customers report better experiences overall on other other 3 mainstream lines (NCL, RCL, and CCL). 

 

Here is a very brief review of literature to make my point. Remember, I am a fan of MSC and will very likely sail them again. But I make that decision informed that they do score lower than their competition on customer satisfaction. I trust very little stats I find online, but I do look for trends. I acknowledge that all stats can be manipulated, but over the course of the last 10 years, there have been enough of these trends in data for me to conclude that MSC is falling short when compared to the big 3.

 

1) MSC has scored a F (failure) from the BBB since the first time I started tracking a decade ago (Long before the pandemic). Interestingly, NCL is falling fast (D-). In comparison, Carnival has earned an "A" and Royal Caribbean has earned an A+. The BBB has it's faults for sure, but to continue to earn failing marks signifies an inability (or lack of motivation) to address customer complaints.

https://www.bbb.org/us/fl/fort-lauderdale/profile/cruises/msc-cruises-inc-0633-14001025

 

 

 

2) This survey from Conde Nast Traveler ranked MSC second to last. The methodology of the study seems legit and includes various points of input. It can be found at the link below.

https://travel.usnews.com/CRUISES/best-cruise-lines-for-families/

 

 

 

3) This one is interesting. Again, methodology at the link if interested. I did think MSC should score higher in value. But here is a summary"

As a Family cruise line, MSC ranks 5 out of 6 (only costa scored lower)

As a Caribbean Cruise line, MSC ranks dead last 11 out of 11

As a Mediterranean Cruise line, MSC ranks 9 out of 14

As an Affordable cruise line, MSC ranks 7 out of 8 (only costa scored lower)

https://travel.usnews.com/CRUISES/best-cruise-lines-for-the-money/

 

 

I want to be clear. NONE of this implies that MSC is in shambles or that the Majority of MSC cruisers report a bad experience. Most guest appear to enjoy cruising with MSC. But it does suggest that when compared to her competition, MSC continues to rank lower, a trend that has existed over time.

 

I will note that I have seen significant improvement in MSC scores over the last decade. The first reports from the Orchestra in Miami were beyond dismal. I have witnessed MSC make a well calculated move to capture the USA market share by building gorgeous new ships while continuing to offer exceptional pricing. I should note that MSC's large ships have some of the absolute worst space ratios in the industry which further supports my belief that MSC is a budget driven cruise line and is a good fit for those looking for a value.

 

Anyway, I'm just trying to point out a more complete picture. For guests looking to improve their odds of reporting a positive cruise experience, it appears there are much better choices than MSC. Me, I'll be sailing MSC in the future, willing to accept her short comings in exchange for prices that I believe provide an excellent value. 

 

 

While this is comprehensive, you simply have to look at their pricing.  Their cheap prices are one of the main reasons why people bite.  That's my key metric.  If you must undercut the competition so much, your product is just not up to snuff.

[deliver42]

The biggest difference between the other mainstream lines and MSC is their off ship customer service. There's nobody that can do anything major without going through Italy, while someone at the other lines can make a decision immediately. The on board experience is on par for the most part. More selection in the buffet would be nice. Don't forget, this is an Italian line, so people like myself go on MSC looking for something different. We've been on 2 sailings, and have a 3rd booked. As you can see by my signature, I've been on almost all the mainstream lines, and prefer RCCL, but I enjoy them all for what they offer.

[BermudaBound2014]

11 hours ago, intr3pid said:

While this is comprehensive, you simply have to look at their pricing.  Their cheap prices are one of the main reasons why people bite.  That's my key metric.  If you must undercut the competition so much, your product is just not up to snuff.

 

We certainly don't disagree there. I have been saying for years that MSC is a budget cruise line which often offers a very good value for those willing to adjust expectations.

 

 Remember, these are rack rate~A little digging for discounts brings a balcony cabin on this Meraviglia 7 night December cruise to $280 pp. and the brand new Seashore to $370.00. Of course, this doesn't explain the totality of the situation, but it does lend some rational as to why MSC ranks last in customer satisfaction. If you are looking for a bargain, MSC is a strong contender. If you expect Champaign on a beer budget, best of luck to you.

 

 

 

 

[Stockjock]

Thought I'd add this one to the list...

As previously mentioned, nearly every time I'd call MSC and they'd even look at a booking, the price would change.  And the change seemed to always work against me (higher price).

Today, I called about a possible new booking.  As long as I had the agent on the phone, I asked if there have been any changes to our upcoming summer sailing and she said no changes.  She also asked if I'd like to have a confirmation e-mailed to me, and I said sure.

The price actually went down roughly $100.  It's not a lot of money, but I don't mind this sort of error, lol.

[perakcruiser]

On 11/6/2021 at 7:32 PM, deliver42 said:

The biggest difference between the other mainstream lines and MSC is their off ship customer service. There's nobody that can do anything major without going through Italy, while someone at the other lines can make a decision immediately. 

I think this is exactly the point. Also last time a couple of weeks before I had a friendly talk on the phone (yes, they do call back even to Malaysia), explaining my problem, the agent was friendly, totally understood the situation and tried to find a solution. At the end she said "I will send the request to Italy and then inform you". Next day she called again and said "Sorry, Italy did not accept because it is impossible". - "How can this be impossible?" - "Well, according to Italy the local (?) authorities (???) would not allow". Obviously BS, but no more questions from my side, must be depressing enough for their staff to deal with the HQ in Naples. 

 

After the cruise it is the usual resumee, it was a nice cruise for a great price. Far away from perfect, but on board not really something to complain. If their rivals refuse to improve I will continue to cruise with them. Better customer service it not enough, if you charge double price you must perform double also. 

[Stockjock]

Okay, so with respect to the cruise that went down $100 points (northern Europe), I wanted to change that to Voyages Select, to get a 20% discount (15% + 5%) which is combinable with my 15% customer care credit that was already on that booking, and also to get the double Voyager's Club points offered.

To make life easy for them (I thought), I did a 2nd booking that was virtually identical to the first, but was Voyages Select.  I had requested that they move my 15% customer care certificate to the new booking, as I felt this would be the easiest way to get the booking in good order.  Once that had customer care credit been moved over, I'd cancel the first booking.

Called twice over 2 weeks.  They said that they had sent the request to Italy and to call if I hadn't heard back.

As you might guess, after waiting longer than they said I should wait, I didn't hear back.  

Spoke to them this morning.  They insisted on working on the first booking (not Voyages Select), and felt it was easy to modify that one.  They said that my 15% customer care certificate couldn't be moved to the new booking, even though the other agents said it could be done, but Italy would have to do it.

I told the agent that I hated to touch that booking, but if she was sure she could lower the price and move it to Voyages Select that would be fine.  But "be careful", I said.

After modifying the booking, not only is that booking not Voyages Select, but the price increased by $400.  Now, she is fighting just to get back the pricing that I had before she tried to "fix" the booking.

Sounds like I'll be waiting days to see if Italy gets back to them/me.  And they were nice enough to show me a new invoice showing my shiny new higher price.  They also said they'd e-mail the service request info to me (SR number) but didn't do so.

The usual comedy of errors.

Edited February 23, 2022 by Stockjock

[mscdivina2016]

3 hours ago, Stockjock said:

Okay, so with respect to the cruise that went down $100 points (northern Europe), I wanted to change that to Voyages Select, to get a 20% discount (15% + 5%) which is combinable with my 15% customer care credit that was already on that booking, and also to get the double Voyager's Club points offered.

To make life easy for them (I thought), I did a 2nd booking that was virtually identical to the first, but was Voyages Select.  I had requested that they move my 15% customer care certificate to the new booking, as I felt this would be the easiest way to get the booking in good order.  Once that had customer care credit been moved over, I'd cancel the first booking.

Called twice over 2 weeks.  They said that they had sent the request to Italy and to call if I hadn't heard back.

As you might guess, after waiting longer than they said I should wait, I didn't hear back.  

Spoke to them this morning.  They insisted on working on the first booking (not Voyages Select), and felt it was easy to modify that one.  They said that my 15% customer care certificate couldn't be moved to the new booking, even though the other agents said it could be done, but Italy would have to do it.

I told the agent that I hated to touch that booking, but if she was sure she could lower the price and move it to Voyages Select that would be fine.  But "be careful", I said.

After modifying the booking, not only is that booking not Voyages Select, but the price increased by $400.  Now, she is fighting just to get back the pricing that I had before she tried to "fix" the booking.

Sounds like I'll be waiting days to see if Italy gets back to them/me.  And they were nice enough to show me a new invoice showing my shiny new higher price.  They also said they'd e-mail the service request info to me (SR number) but didn't do so.

The usual comedy of errors.

At least you have till the summer.

I leave in 2 1/2 weeks and my rate magically increased $1800+ despite being paid in full last July

[Stockjock]

3 hours ago, mscdivina2016 said:

At least you have till the summer.

I leave in 2 1/2 weeks and my rate magically increased $1800+ despite being paid in full last July

That sucks.

[Stockjock]

I thought I'd add a suggestion to this thread.

I have a northern Europe cruise booked for this summer.  I changed promotions and all prior discounts, including a 15% customer service future cruise credit, were stripped off of the booking and the price went up by $400 or so.

Tried to get things resolved for weeks now.  Took a few weeks to get things back to close to the original pricing and then back to original pricing, but it still wasn't right, as the new price should be less than before (Voyager Select 15%+5% plus the 15% customer care FCC).

Today they fixed it.  But here's the tip.

If you're having problems getting an issue resolved, call early in the morning.  Many of these changes must be approved by Italy.  In my case, Italy is 8 hours ahead of my time zone.  So if I call late in the afternoon, everything is closed and they're probably sleeping.  If I call MSC at 4 in the afternoon, it's midnight in Italy.

In this case, I called early enough that the local folks were able to do a 3 way conference with Italy who did the change while they were on the phone w/them.  I did have to stay on the phone for a while, but that wasn't a big deal.

It won't always work, but for ongoing issues it's worth a shot.  And even though I do gripe here and elsewhere when things don't go right, I am always very polite.  I never get upset and realize that the local MSC agents do want to make things right.  But many changes must be made by someone or other in Italy and that's often where problems can occur.  In my view, I think MSC should empower more of the local agents and supervisors to fix issues and keep them from lingering.  It would save everyone time and increase customer satisfaction.

In any event, that's the tip, consider calling very early if you are having an ongoing issue.  It might not solve the problem, but in this case, it did.

Edited March 16, 2022 by Stockjock

[deliver42]

I lesve in 2 months, paid in full, and then went up $209.00. Been on Facebook messenger with them after fruitless calls to CS, and so far no change. I'm so disgusted with MSC that I just paid it. I'm 79 with over 20 cruises under my belt, and don't need this stress. After this cruise, good bye MSC.

[Stockjock]

1 hour ago, deliver42 said:

I lesve in 2 months, paid in full, and then went up $209.00. Been on Facebook messenger with them after fruitless calls to CS, and so far no change. I'm so disgusted with MSC that I just paid it. I'm 79 with over 20 cruises under my belt, and don't need this stress. After this cruise, good bye MSC.

When you asked them why the price increased, what did they tell you?

Edited March 16, 2022 by Stockjock

[deliver42]

I never got an answer. The rep said he had no idea why, but he would put in for an adjustment. I talked to another rep a couple of days later since I hadn't heard anything and he confirmed that a request was put in. This was about 3 weeks ago, and still haven't heard anything. This has NEVER happened on any other line I've sailed.

[Stockjock]

Not sure if it will help, but consider copying and pasting this message and sending it to mscexistingreservations@msccruisesusa.com  Obviously, be sure to add your name, booking number, and sailing info.

Regarding booking number:
Ship:
Sail Date:

Hello,

My cruise was paid in full, and after final payment, the price increased by $209.  I spoke with your agent on the telephone and he did not understand why the price went up after the fact.  He said that he put in a request for a pricing adjustment, but that has not occurred.

Please adjust this apparent pricing error to the proper level by removing the "mystery charge" of $209.

Thank you in advance for your assistance!

Sincerely,

(your name)

Edited March 16, 2022 by Stockjock

[mscdivina2016]

14 hours ago, Stockjock said:

Not sure if it will help, but consider copying and pasting this message and sending it to mscexistingreservations@msccruisesusa.com  Obviously, be sure to add your name, booking number, and sailing info.

Regarding booking number:
Ship:
Sail Date:

Hello,

My cruise was paid in full, and after final payment, the price increased by $209.  I spoke with your agent on the telephone and he did not understand why the price went up after the fact.  He said that he put in a request for a pricing adjustment, but that has not occurred.

Please adjust this apparent pricing error to the proper level by removing the "mystery charge" of $209.

Thank you in advance for your assistance!

Sincerely,

(your name)

That's what I did for my $1800 mystery 9 times and no results.

 We now have several for the other $1000 and now two for the denied massages despite them being on my new corrected confirmation from last Wednesday.

 

Want their attention? Have them served! Things get done in an hour. For $290 it is not worth it.