Error in Deluxe Beverage package pricing?

[cgags47]

2 minutes ago, Maverick61 said:

Sorry, but most companies do not honor major price mistakes like this.  This may not be popular to say here but Royal should not either.

 

I mean, come on people -  everyone knew it was an error on RC's part. Everyone tried to take advantage of that error.  Sometimes an error may slip through but often it is caught and corrected

 

No one should be bashing Royal for a mistake that everyone knew was too good to be true.

 

Most of the bashing has to do with how they handled this whole thing.  First, they say they are going to honor it.  Then they say they won't.  Then, "It's a glitch". No, it isn't.  

[Billy Baltic]

28 minutes ago, Maverick61 said:

Sorry, but most companies do not honor major price mistakes like this.  This may not be popular to say here but Royal should not either.

 

I mean, come on people -  everyone knew it was an error on RC's part. Everyone tried to take advantage of that error.  Sometimes an error may slip through but often it is caught and corrected

 

No one should be bashing Royal for a mistake that everyone knew was too good to be true.

 

Their own employees didn’t know it was an error. In fact they were telling people it was a special offer. 

[Merion_Mom]

1 minute ago, Billy Baltic said:

 

Their own employees didn’t know it was an error. In fact they were telling people it was a special offer. 

 

And that is exactly what it says on the receipt.

 

If it was merely a pricing mistake, with the wrong number being entered in the code on the website, why do the receipts say "special offer 21+" on them?

 

"Glitch" doesn't describe that situation.

 

Perhaps an unintended avalanche of people purchasing the package, but it looks pretty deliberate when you think about it.

[SeaDays4Us]

4 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

It was definitely available for Canadians.😁

It was available in Australia too

[Ms Jo UK]

47 minutes ago, SeaDays4Us said:

It was available in Australia too

and the UK

[LilBlackDress]

1 hour ago, Maverick61 said:

Sorry, but most companies do not honor major price mistakes like this.  This may not be popular to say here but Royal should not either.

 

I mean, come on people -  everyone knew it was an error on RC's part. Everyone tried to take advantage of that error.  Sometimes an error may slip through but often it is caught and corrected

 

No one should be bashing Royal for a mistake that everyone knew was too good to be true.

I don't think a majority in this thread has bashed Royal...
That being said, I think a majority is more disappointed in how they have handled this.  

I did book 2 drink packages for 2 cruises I have booked. If they cancel them it won't be the end of the world for us. We don't drink a lot of alcohol, we normally get the Refreshment Package. Would it be nice to try a few drinks, sure, but it wouldn't make or break my cruise...
From what I have seen in this thread, on twitter and FB and a few other sites, a good number of people that bought the package would normally not buy a drink package. Maybe a soda package but that's it. If it stands, some may decide to purchase it at the regular rate next cruise. 

[mayleeman]

@Coralc  Just make sure it actually is a charge to your cc for the balance, so you don't get left hanging at final payment. 

 

Until it shows up on the card as actually posted (rather than pending) it can be cancelled by RCCI. They did that with a "ghost" charge to my card one time.

[momofmab]

If all of the people out there stomping their feet and mashing their hands in anger canceled their cruises, maybe Royal would honor the price....

 

If nothing else, this thread and the many other "drink package" threads showcase to Royal just how important alcohol is to its passengers.  People complain about the prices & policies on 29 page threads, but there's no apparent decrease in the amount of packages purchased - no matter what the price.

 

Another thought - perhaps if everyone just purchased the "glitched" package quietly, instead of (figuratively) screaming through a social media microphone, Royal would have honored the packages sold at the incorrect price.  A reward for those who diligently watch pricing.  I'm guessing the majority of packages sold were to those who heard about it on various social media outlets and cruise forums vs. those who legitimately noticed it when they randomly checked on pricing.

[marci22]

I think they have a right not to honor an honest mistake but this episode went on way too long. What were they thinking? I'm baffled.

[karena1]

8 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Harmony makes espresso martini in SL. Freedom did in the CL. It's really pretty easy considering they have an espresso machine at the bar

yes I know they do, but we do not like the DL on Harmony.  We always go to Schooner's instead.  For us it is about the flexibility to go to whatever lounge we want and get whatever drink we want.  On Harmony we never went to the DL once, on Allure, I think we went maybe 2 nights because at least that DL has a view.  On Mariner, we went almost every night, but now on Navigator, again we don't like where it is at because there is no view, so did not go at all again.  So depends on the ship.  It is also about ease for us.  I just consider the price of the package part of our cruise and for us it is worth the price when one drink for my husband is around $13 and one beer for me is close to $10.  Getting the 30% off for D+ makes it easier to take the cost of the package but when this came out at $18, I went ahead and bought it for all our cruises as I figured I have nothing to lose and everything to gain if it actually is honored. 

[suesnake2002]

Was just on facebook, now this looks promising

[Milwaukee Eight]

9 hours ago, Marstraf said:

RCL needs to honor the rate. If they can afford 500+ million for a new ship they can stand by the price.  

Poor comparison 

[soak01]

3 hours ago, SeaDays4Us said:

It was available in Australia too

 

Except it was $60.28 AUD here so about $42 USD which sounds like a normal sale price going by the responses on here, so even when it is a glitch, RCCL still price gouges us aussies.

[Milwaukee Eight]

8 hours ago, micruiser2002 said:

Why isn't there something similar to the Price Scanning laws like we have in MI, if an item scans for more than the price ticketed on the item the store must refund the difference plus 10 times up to $5.00.  This is to ensure companies take more ownership in making sure products scan correctly.  Why aren't online companies being held more accountable for these pricing glitches???  

Not similar, not the same. 

 

One thing, when you booked the cruise you agreed to the contact with Royal (any cruise line), agreed to terms and conditions. It allows them to correct pricing errors. If people have an issue, don’t book a cruise. 

[cgags47]

2 minutes ago, Milwaukee Eight said:

One thing, when you booked the cruise you agreed to the contact with Royal (any cruise line), agreed to terms and conditions. It allows them to correct pricing errors. If people have an issue, don’t book a cruise. 

Good morning, Contract King!

[mac_tlc]

9 hours ago, Marstraf said:

Bottom line, folks purchased the package both online and over the phone for many hours.  RCL needs to honor the rate. If they can afford 500+ million for a new ship they can stand by the price.  

No relationship between the two. So who do you think pays for the new ship? They borrow a bunch of money and they reinvest the shareholders profits. The “Company” doesn’t just have money laying around that is “theirs”.

 

I would argue they are able to borrow all that money because the banks see their profits and cash flow as being able to support the loan —- not much different than when you get a mortgage. Some of that cash flow is the beverage package at $42-$50. At $18, it doesn’t help “pay” for a ship. 

 

BTW, I booked the $18 special for our TA in November. If they cancel it, I will not buy any beverage package. No value to us at any higher price. 

 

mac_tlc

Edited July 3, 2019 by mac_tlc

[BekkaW]

9 minutes ago, soak01 said:

 

Except it was $60.28 AUD here so about $42 USD which sounds like a normal sale price going by the responses on here, so even when it is a glitch, RCCL still price gouges us aussies.

 

There were people who booked for $24 AUD 

[Calbeeman]

If they honor the snafu pricing , I hope it won’t impact those amazing gifts they give out at trivia. What would I do without my keychain?

[SeaDays4Us]

37 minutes ago, soak01 said:

 

Except it was $60.28 AUD here so about $42 USD which sounds like a normal sale price going by the responses on here, so even when it is a glitch, RCCL still price gouges us aussies.

No. It showed as A$24.65, on my Aug/Sep 2020 cruises.  Good rate. 

[Guest BigRoger]

Crikey Calbeeman that’s a good point....

 

frankly if the quiz award RC highlight pens have to be sacrificed to pay for us all getting the beverage package at 18 then we should fold our cards.... some things are just too important

[Judyrem]

10 hours ago, Boo's Mom said:

My opinion (only): 

They need to eat their loss.  It's not a great loss.  Not in the big picture. 

They didn't give the packages away for free.  

 

They can move the loss into their "advertising" column as the fiasco has certainly brought them a lot of attention and "advertising".  

 

Show good faith with their clients and honor all $18/day packages that were sold. 

To not do so is going to hurt their reputation. 

In this day and time, reputation is very important. 

 

This was not just a glitch.  Glitches are identified immediately and stopped.  This was a communication issue and other issues.  It is multi-faceted.  There is no easy fix other than to eat the loss and move forward in the sea of cheers from their loyal customers. 

 

When they honor:  The cheers will be loud.  The advertisement value will go through the roof. 

 

All is good. 

 

Let's do this RCI. 

You summed it up perfectly.

 

BTW, I sent them TWO emails.🤪

Edited July 3, 2019 by Judyrem

[Ex-Airbalancer]

48 minutes ago, soak01 said:

 

Except it was $60.28 AUD here so about $42 USD which sounds like a normal sale price going by the responses on here, so even when it is a glitch, RCCL still price gouges us aussies.

It $66.50 CAD from the website today , ( it was $23.xx CAD on sale day ) so it is us Canadians getting screwed over if it only $60.28 AUD 

 

Edited July 3, 2019 by Airbalancer

[GUEST71919]

9 hours ago, Host Clarea said:

 

They need to switch to a different set of contractors.

 

‘We all agree with you! Which contractors are they using, DAYCARE CODING, INC? 

 

 

@Calbeeman  😂 I have not used the term “snafu” more than once in a single 24-hour period until the last 24 hours!

Edited July 3, 2019 by 2Beeze

[GUEST71919]

21 minutes ago, Airbalancer said:

It $66.50 CAD from the website today , ( it was $23.xx CAD on sale day ) so it is us Canadians getting screwed over if it only $60.28 AUD 

 

 

And that is a huge part of why so many didn’t realize this was an error. So many posts suggesting anyone who didn’t know the price was wrong was not that bright, but lots of people saw it as the usual random, non-sensical pricing RCL always has.  The pricing above is exactly why so few cruisers thought “well now that I just odd!” seeing a wild fluctuation on a single day 🤨

 

@Judyrem  ooooh impressive, 2?! I did one really long one, when I am wound up a dissertation is the result 😂 I wasn’t aggressive, just explained how people might view this and why and also why in the short run they may save money by cancelling the packages but in the long run shoot themselves in the foot!   FYI - I think we need an ATL cruising club (a.k.a. support group?! 🙄) 

Edited July 3, 2019 by 2Beeze

[Judyrem]

Yes, and ATL support group would be great!

 

 

I quoted the old adage "penny wise, pound foolish".  I am SURE that is what may them reconsider!😜