So frustrating

[ryano]

Yesterday was final payment date on my upcoming cruise.  Ive been paid in full for months but I called RC last night just to make sure NOTHING was owed and to get an updated invoice.  Being it was going to be 15 minutes to talk to a CSR I opted to use the automated service which did in fact confirm that no balance was due.   I requested an updated invoice to be sent to my email.  Got to work this morning and checked my email and its showing a $41.98 balance so I called RC back.  They confirm once again that I am paid in full and they would send yet another update invoice showing that and said that the call was recorded and there was nothing to worry about.  Well I get TWO more invoices about 20 minutes later.  Once shows a 0.00 balance and the other still shows a 41.98 balance 🙄   Sigh!   I guess the only thing I can do is keep an eye on my reservation and take the invoice with me that shows 0.00 due that is dated one day after final payment date.   Or maybe Im just worried about nothing.   Could be the case too.  

 

 

Edited June 4, 2019 by ryano

[The Sunset Glow]

RCI's IT at it's finest. That is definitely frustrating.

[bouhunter]

Whenever we make final payment we get an invoice showing balance due of 0.00.  Print it and take with us.  See no reason to check or call again after that, a paid in full invoice is in hand.

 

That said - now that you've discovered this I would keep following up.  It would be awful if their system is showing not paid in full for 41.00 and they cancelled your reservation.......

Edited June 4, 2019 by bouhunter

[ryano]

6 minutes ago, bouhunter said:

That said - now that you've discovered this I would keep following up.  It would be awful if their system is showing not paid in full for 41.00 and they cancelled your reservation.......

 

That is my concern too.  I generally do the same thing as you mentioned.  The last one I got was in February when I paid the cruise off.  Something told me to call last night and now I am glad I did. 

[fred30]

Hopefully the rep sent out the invoice with the balance before the corrected one and everything is OK.  Definitely followup.

[cruiseguy1016]

Another gold star for RCI's IT department. I can't believe things like this don't frustrate them as much as they do their customers.

[goneclear]

Just one more reason I use a TA. Let them handle the issues. Gives me piece of mind

and saves a lot of stress and time trying to explain issues with half trained reps.

[Big_G]

It doesn't getting any better than that. No, really it doesn't.

[ReneeFLL]

1 hour ago, goneclear said:

Just one more reason I use a TA. Let them handle the issues. Gives me piece of mind

and saves a lot of stress and time trying to explain issues with half trained reps.

 

Are you sure they're even half trained? You are being very kind. 

[linkerbink]

I had my travel agent put the gratuities on our cruise and when I got an updated confirmation from Royal it showed our total “paid” amount as less than we actually paid. It was correct on the previous confirmation. I called the TA and she said her copy from Royal showed the correct amount. She hadn’t looked at our copy from Royal because she assumed it was the same. She had to call Royal to have the amount corrected, and Royal then sent me a corrected confirmation. I ALWAYS keep a copy of each confirmation and then take the final one with us on the cruise just in case of any questions or problems. 

Edited June 5, 2019 by linkerbink

[nelblu]

21 hours ago, ryano said:

Yesterday was final payment date on my upcoming cruise.  Ive been paid in full for months but I called RC last night just to make sure NOTHING was owed and to get an updated invoice.  Being it was going to be 15 minutes to talk to a CSR I opted to use the automated service which did in fact confirm that no balance was due.   I requested an updated invoice to be sent to my email.  Got to work this morning and checked my email and its showing a $41.98 balance so I called RC back.  They confirm once again that I am paid in full and they would send yet another update invoice showing that and said that the call was recorded and there was nothing to worry about.  Well I get TWO more invoices about 20 minutes later.  Once shows a 0.00 balance and the other still shows a 41.98 balance 🙄   Sigh!   I guess the only thing I can do is keep an eye on my reservation and take the invoice with me that shows 0.00 due that is dated one day after final payment date.   Or maybe Im just worried about nothing.   Could be the case too.  

 

 

I feel for you. LOL

[Dan-P]

According to my T/A this is a known issue and Royal is working to fix it.  My last two cruises, after making final payment, the invoice from Royal has shown a remaining balance.  The one cruise I was just on last week without issue and the next is a crusie in September that I just made final payment on.  My T/A sends me screen shots of his system showing a $0 balance and he then has to call Royal to get an invoice from them showing a $0 balance.

 

Not shocked, but still amazed with as much business as Royal does digitally/through their website that their I/T can be so bad.

 

Dan.

[NateUpNorth]

It's for bottled water from the mini bar in the cabin.

They've just jumped the gun on the phantom billing by a few weeks. 

[Tree_skier]

So after reading this thread I decided to call and use RC's automated system to send me an invoice for a cruise in Dec that we have fully paid.  The confirmation came in my email and showed a balance of $254.  So I called back and asked that same automated system for my balance. It told me I had a zero balance.  Then I switched over to having the automated system send me another invoice and the new invoice still shows a balance of $254.  LOL

 

Billion dollar company, 25 cent IT dept.

[perditax]

Handling money transactions and record keeping is the first thing they should be aiming their (outsourced, I assume) coders at. Insane. I can’t really think of another billion dollar company where consumers would put up with it. 

Edited June 6, 2019 by perditax

[twangster]

I have led IT organizations. 

 

There are companies that understand the value of IT and technology then there are those that don't.  When IT is viewed (and funded) as a negative cost center that will never contribute to revenue the result is what you see.  

 

When leadership understands the need to invest in the IT organization and can see the value the result is very different.  

 

Don't blame Royal IT.   This starts at the very top of the organization and that is exactly where the blame belongs.

[cruisinfanatic]

On 6/4/2019 at 1:29 PM, goneclear said:

Just one more reason I use a TA. Let them handle the issues. Gives me piece of mind

and saves a lot of stress and time trying to explain issues with half trained reps.

Exactly! I haven't always used a TA, but 95% probably. You pay them the final and they send you an invoice stating so. Last thing I'd be doing is checking this and that afterwards. Especially calling the cruiseline. The OP paid their final and that's the end. Why be calling?

[ryano]

4 hours ago, cruisinfanatic said:

 Why be calling?

 

Because Ive heard of horror stories of peoples cruises getting cancelled over a small balance they didnt even know they owed and I wanted an updated invoice.  THAT is WHY I be calling.     Not that I owe you an explanation or its any or your business or anything.   

Edited June 6, 2019 by ryano

[parrotfeathers]

At least they didn't say "you have no upcoming cruises."

[Tree_skier]

On 6/5/2019 at 10:12 AM, Tree_skier said:

So after reading this thread I decided to call and use RC's automated system to send me an invoice for a cruise in Dec that we have fully paid.  The confirmation came in my email and showed a balance of $254.  So I called back and asked that same automated system for my balance. It told me I had a zero balance.  Then I switched over to having the automated system send me another invoice and the new invoice still shows a balance of $254.  LOL

 

Billion dollar company, 25 cent IT dept.

So I tried again today and now it is not sending the invoice.  The automated system says there is no balance but I'd like to be sure with a paper copy in hand when I board. 

[dwayneb236]

1 hour ago, parrotfeathers said:

At least they didn't say "you have no upcoming cruises."

I've had this happen. thankfully just a glitch..called immediately and all was fine. nerve wracking though 

[F27TW]

2 hours ago, parrotfeathers said:

At least they didn't say "you have no upcoming cruises."

 

I hate when that happens.

[cruisinfanatic]

2 hours ago, ryano said:

 

Because Ive heard of horror stories of peoples cruises getting cancelled over a small balance they didnt even know they owed and I wanted an updated invoice.  THAT is WHY I be calling.     Not that I owe you an explanation or its any or your business or anything.   

you didn't get an invoice when you paid in full?

[voyager70]

@Ryno I had the same thing happen once. I always book directly with the cruise line.  One quick, easy call and all was sorted out.  Enjoy your cruise!

 

[Tree_skier]

So I called to day and used the automated system and had an invoice sent.  I actually did it twice.  Both time it came with the same $254 balance owed but I know it is paid in full.  Even their automated system, when you ask it, says there is no balance.  

 

So I called and talked to a human, he confirmed there was no balance, then he looked at the invoice, presumably on some different screen and he saw the $254 balance.  He did some fiddling on his computer and sent me a new email with an invoice attachment.  bizarre