Problem on RCCL - What type of Compensation do I expect? (merged)

[happy cruzer]

I find it very strange that they did not bring in a powerful fan and dry the carpet out. Many people have reported them using fans. Also they have air sanitizers that can be brought in which they do when cigarette smoke is still in a cabin from a previous cruiser. Hotel rooms do this as well as the cruise lines. Also they were negligent not to look for the cause immediately.

 

So I think your case for more compensation would rely on:

 

1) You were told the problem would disappear in 24 hours i.e the next day. Therefore you did not change rooms, lot of trouble for a 24 hour solution.

 

2) They were negiligent in the way they handed their sanitation issue.

 

a) They did not recognize the problem; the room steward should have seen it before you were allowed to go in the room.

b)They did not know the cause, it could have been very dangerous. They did clean and DRY the carpet which is also a sanitation issue.

c) New carpet can cause serious reactions too, lot of fibers in the air and chemicals being released to the air. Many get headaches from new carpet.

 

I never have luck with resolutions on the ship. They rely on me being on vacation and not wanting to bother with them. My husband and I joke that if we end up at Customer Relations; it is a diaster already and won't get any better. Their job is to say no!

 

That said. At least you have an offer that you can leverage off of to get more! Best Wishes!

[breenw]

We had a bad experience with RCCL on the Explorer of the Seas (a major problem with our room). Some of you are suggesting that this poster should have been happy to move to an inside room. Since he was constantly being told that the problem would be rectified immediately, I am sure that is one reason why they "stuck it out" and stayed in the balcony cabin. Obviously, in hindsight, he should have moved to the inside until they resolve the carpet problem, then moved back to the balcony cabin.

 

What upset me most about our situation we encountered (and I'm sure he feels the same way) is that you get tired of being lied to by whoever you talk to. We demanded to finally speak to the head purser in a "sit down meeting" and we got our problem resolved. We received a letter from the head hotel director giving us a credit for 40% off of a future cruise and the head purser sent us something each evening the rest of our cruise (chocolate covered strawberries, etc.).

 

When we got home I wrote to Richard Fain at the home office and succinctly pointed out what the problem was and how it was and was not handled. We received a letter back from him with a larger cruise credit than what the 40% offer from the head hotel director amounted to. We subsequently used that credit for a longer cruise than what we would have normally taken.

 

Did it sour us from ever using RCCL again? No. But, if our second cruise with RCCL had not been trouble free, I probably would never be sailing on RCCL again.

 

Do some people ask for a ridiculous compensation for little things? Yes, they do. But this poster has a legitimate complaint and I don't think that $300 is adequate compensation for his trouble. He should break down what the cost of his cruise was per day, then get at least that much back in compensation (either cash or future cruise credit), then a little extra for the constant having to track people down to get the situation resolved. Trying to talk to some of these people on board, then meeting them at certain designated times, cuts into your plans for the day while cruising and it takes more time then you think it does.

[AFT_LOVER]

My dear, when you go to this meeting you can state that you ALREADY emiled Richard Gain & his buddy about the conditions of your cruise & also The CDC on the unhealthy enviroment of the stateroom you were made to reside in & how many days to get any cleaning started & even about the chemicals layed atop it to mask odor. They will be very interested in it. Brian's name was given & all he stated to you.

 

Give 'em hell! But in a professional way. Do not lose your temper, just shake your head NO for unsatisfactory & they will get the message. If the Hotel Director refuses to see you, get his business card to scan & send to Fain & Co. Get Brian's also, if he doesn't have one then you know he wasn't officially hired as yet.

 

GOOD LUCK!

 

 

Well, it turns out there is no way to print from the internet cafe on the boat. So I could either give them this URL (maybe in a ***** form) or I could write down everything from this post (my take on the situation).

 

I dont really want to take the laptop to the meeting, but I suppose I could copy everything into MS word, so I would have it offilne.

 

I will look at the timeline/bulletpoint from my post & take some minor notes too.

 

I think I will let the HD & Brian know that I am planning on emailing the Pres & VP of the company. I will go to the meeting first.

 

I am not writing off RCC, I am hoping they will come through but I have my doubts.

 

So, are we for or against letting them know about this posting?

 

Thanks for all the support! I hope this keeps going.

 

BTW, I get a bit seasick if I cant see outside, especially when the boat is rocking (like right now).

[happy cruzer]

I find it very strange that they did not bring in a powerful fan and dry the carpet out. Many people have reported them using fans. Also they have air sanitizers that can be brought in which they do when cigarette smoke is still in a cabin from a previous cruiser. Hotel rooms do this as well as the cruise lines. Also they were negligent not to look for the cause immediately.

 

So I think your case for more compensation would rely on:

 

1) You were told the problem would disappear in 24 hours i.e the next day. Therefore you did not change rooms, lot of trouble for a 24 hour solution.

 

2) They were negiligent in the way they handed their sanitation issue.

 

a) They did not recognize the problem; the room steward should have seen it before you were allowed to go in the room.

b)They did not know the cause, it could have been very dangerous. They did NOT clean and DRY the carpet which is also a sanitation issue.

c) New carpet can cause serious reactions too, lot of fibers in the air and chemicals being released to the air. Many get headaches from new carpet.

 

I never have luck with resolutions on the ship. They rely on me being on vacation and not wanting to bother with them. My husband and I joke that if we end up at Customer Relations; it is a diaster already and won't get any better. Their job is to say no!

 

That said. At least you have an offer that you can leverage off of to get more! Best Wishes!

 

 

Had to fix my bad typo about with the word NOT. Another point is even if the passenger does not know the proper sanitation procedures the crew should and protect him. They should not have allowed him to stay in a room with wet carpet (especially if they don't take an action to address the problem) which may have made him angry but would have cut alot of this headache down. Of course he should only be charged for the room he occupied and get a credit for the inconvenience of having to be moved. I think that is what they should have done. But since they didn't; I don't think that they can really defend their position unless they strongly warned him about staying in the room and he still decided too.

 

Discuss on, everyone!

[rcicruiser]

Day number 2 you should have been at the Guest relations desk to take care of this. After your TA telling you RCCL does not take care of their customers that TA may not be able to book RCCL any more. I have been on 18 RCCL cruises and any problem I have had on a cruise has been always taken care of.

[Cruising89143]

Day number 2 you should have been at the Guest relations desk to take care of this. After your TA telling you RCCL does not take care of their customers that TA may not be able to book RCCL any more. I have been on 18 RCCL cruises and any problem I have had on a cruise has been always taken care of.

 

Actually he should not have had to go down to guest relations to take care of this. The staff knew that they had a problem and failed to follow through with this. RCI dropped the ball plain and simple.

 

As far as the TA's comments, it matches many of the comments that we read right here on CC. I doubt that the person will be reprimanded for stating their feelings. If that was the case then RCI would lose more than one TA.

[emdia43]

If you look at the review of Legend of the SEas by Fozzie Glasgow you will see that passengers were given a 50% off future cruise for not being able to get into port when storms hit.

I think that is the LEAST they should do for you in the circumstances. I wouldn't want to spend time in a smelly wet cabin and not get reimbursed fully.:)

[klever]

If it were me in this situation and I wasn't getting the proper response from those in charge on board the ship, I'd casually mention the health dangers of mildew. The last thing a cruise line wants is possible liability for making its passengers sick, especially after all the negative press re: Norwalk virus.

 

From an online article on mildew:

 

Streifel says that a person breathing in mold particles can be at risk for numerous illnesses. The biggest health threat is from hypersensitive diseases, including asthma and chronic nasal drip.

Humans can also develop infections caused by airborne fungus. According to Streifel, people who are immune-suppressed are particularly susceptible. "For example," says Streifel, "if someone with a transplanted kidney organ were exposed to high doses of mold particles, they could develop an infection of the lung."

An emerging health issue involves fungal growth which produces toxins in spores, which can cause symptoms. But Streifel says that knowledge on this reaction remains limited and is being investigated.

There are various symptoms of mold exposure, including eye irritation, shortness of breath, running nose or general malaise. You may notice that you suddenly feel better when you leave an affected area. Poor indoor air quality is associated most often with inadequate ventilation, but investigations are linking microbial growth with occupancy problems.

[Autumnrose]

I would take the onboard credit and then also write a letter from home. I am a TA and would never tell a client to just take care of things themselves because nothing will be done for you when you get home! Perhaps this TA does not do enough business with RCI for them to care. My agency has agreements with our prefered cruises lines and tour companies to get a written response about complaints with 2 weeks. But the only thing about getting it resolved after the cruise is that usually they will only give a future cruise credit. So if you want some actual money then take onboard credit.

 

Also my best advise is to always make sure you ask for exactly what you want. Because they will not ever volunteer compensation. If you do not ask for what you want they will say that they were under the impression that you just wanted to complain. Good luck. When you get back write a letter and give it to your TA have her/him put it on agency letter head and forward it to corporate and her/his sales rep.

[SPARKLE10]

Hi:

 

We had a problem with our balcony cabin last September on a 14 night Vancouver to Hawaii cruise on the Radiance, and it was a very expensive cruise for us. We are Diamond members with RCL and have always liked their cruises the best...we've tried other lines. We have cruised a total of 40 times to date. Anyway, when we entered our cabin, it had a horrible cigarette smell to it. We also noticed ashes on our balcony furniture. I have allergies and asthma and have never smoked in my life and I'm very senstive to this smell. We have never complained before on any of our RCL cruises, but this time we did. What they did was to clean and spray the cabin, but when we asked to be moved to a different cabin ....I didn't care if it was an inside or not, they refused. They told us no other cabins were available as the whole ship was sold out. I found out later that wasn't the truth. They had plenty of cabins available. We did not get any compensation.....they just cleaned our room again. I was very disappointed in RCL for lying to us. We requested a table for 8 and there was just one other couple at our table and our waiter said that was because the ship wasn't full....they had plenty of cabins available. I have three more cruises booked with RCL, and if anything like that happens again, I will know more of how to handle the situation after reading these boards and all the helpful information that is here.

 

Happy Cruising......Sparkle 10

[kucmkelly]

Aghh! This is ridiculous. If this had happened in a hotel in the States, they would have had a CDC Inspector there in a heartbeat. Let alone fines and possible closure.

 

Its things like this, that makes me worry about booking with RCCL. I know everything can't be perfect all the time, but this is a legitimate complaint and a serious health issue. It frustrates me that all those other people looking for "freebies" and will complain about anything to save a few bucks This makes everything worse for someone like the OP, who has a REAL problem.

 

However, I just can't see how RCCL can think 300 dollars will compensate someone for a horrible time. Some posters said, well they still got to eat and have entertainment. That doesn't mean anything. On a nine day cruise, you'll be spending a lot more time in your room. Sorry, I'm just upset. Can you imagine having to sleep in that room, inhaling not only the smell, but mildew spores???

 

Come on, RCCL. Do the right thing.

[mheinrich]

Aghh! This is ridiculous. If this had happened in a hotel in the States, they would have had a CDC Inspector there in a heartbeat. Let alone fines and possible closure.

 

Its things like this, that makes me worry about booking with RCCL. I know everything can't be perfect all the time, but this is a legitimate complaint and a serious health issue. It frustrates me that all those other people looking for "freebies" and will complain about anything to save a few bucks This makes everything worse for someone like the OP, who has a REAL problem.

 

However, I just can't see how RCCL can think 300 dollars will compensate someone for a horrible time. Some posters said, well they still got to eat and have entertainment. That doesn't mean anything. On a nine day cruise, you'll be spending a lot more time in your room. Sorry, I'm just upset. Can you imagine having to sleep in that room, inhaling not only the smell, but mildew spores???

 

Come on, RCCL. Do the right thing.

 

So you're saying if a hotel in the states took 6 days to replace a wet/moldy carpet they would be fined and possibly closed down?? Come on, don't you think that's being a bit far fetched?!?! RC didn't force the OP to sleep in the cabin, he choose to not give up his balcony (for the record, I'm not sensitive to smells and mold either so I think I would've choose to stay put also, but everyone has to make their own choices on situations like this based on their own health issues).

 

To the OP, as a TA for over 10 years who's handled MANY complaints from clients, the advise you're getting is spot on. DO NOT leave that ship without an acceptable solution. Once you leave, it's amazing how all the proof disappears from your record on what actually happened. Also make sure you have specifics on what you're looking for. You need to decide what's acceptable to you and don't budge until they give it to you. When you get to the bar, order a drink and let it be know to the waitress, in front of Brian and his pal, that you may be there for quite a while because you're not planning on leaving until this gets solved so keep the drinks coming.

 

GOOD LUCK!!

[cherie b]

My husband and I had a problem with RCI about 5yrs ago, I won't go into detail but when we got home I went to the Presidents office and wouldn't give up. They eventually gave us each 1/2 off vouchers for a 7 day cruise. They diffently made up for there mistakes. I think what people do is give in too easily!!!!!!

[ChoosinCruisin]

We had a bad experience several years ago and we INSISTED that the Guest Relations Mgr document every conversation we had including the promised result and initial it after every meeting. This resulted in our getting the resolution we felt was adequate. Probably too late for the OP, but something to keep in mind. In general, folks tend to be a little more helpful when they are made to be personally responsible. Not that the GRM would be held financially responsible, but it meant something that his signature was on the paper which turned out to be blatant lies.

 

Best of luck.

[Autumnrose]

They seem to say they are completely booked even when they are not often. When I sailed on the Monarch when she first came to the west coast. My cabin smelled very strong of mildew. We complained and were moved to another cabin. Others in our group told us that their cabins were bad as well but didn't ask to move because they had a sign at the Purser's desk that said the entire ship was booked for this sailing. Which was obviously not true. :rolleyes:

[pcur]

I agree with the advice about making sure everything is well documented. We had a bad experience last October and I wrote up an 11 page report to my TA the day we got home, and fax it with receipts, etc. to her. Between the two of us we got reasonable compensation from all parties (RCCL, insurance, airline).

 

Even before last October I would have insisted they pull up the wet and mildewed carpet immediately, and clean. I would not sleep in the cabin with the smell. If that didn't do the trick, I would have moved to the inside cabin by Day 2, and enjoyed the rest of my cruise. I would also have insisted on a documented resolution on moving to a cheaper cabin because of the carpet problem, like a shipbord credit immediately for the price difference.

 

It takes days for wet carpet to dry out, and in an enclosed space it would require a heavy duty fan, also.

 

My guess is the toilet overflowed at some time during turnaround day to get the carpet wet in that area.

[Benita]

We had a slightly different experience while on the Westerdam a few years ago. There was something wrong with the toilet and it would not flush. I reported it to the front dest on my way to a shore excursion and when I returned several hours later, it was not fixed. When I called the front desk again, the agent said they would get to it when they could. I gave them another few hours and when I returned from dinner, nobody had been there. THis prompted a visit to the front desk again, where I was told there were facilities around the ship we could use through the night and they would get to it in the morning.

The captain happened to be passing by and I stopped him to ask if he thought that was reasonable, as I sure did not. He took out his walkie talkie and spoke to somebody and the toilet was fixed 5 minutes later. Personally, I would rather him spend his time making sure the ship was sailing safely, but when there is a problem, going to the top surely pays off.

[madelinerose]

I know I never suggested that the OP should have been happy with an inside...I know I would never be. However, the OP could have moved and moved back or moved, stayed in the inside and requested additional perks, compensation, etc. for the inconvenience/unhealthy conditions they were exposed to.

 

OR, if there was a suite available, any suite, any category, RCI, IMHO, should have offered it graciously. That didn't happen and it sounds as though the OP didn't make such a demand/request. ;)

 

Some of you are suggesting that this poster should have been happy to move to an inside room. Since he was constantly being told that the problem would be rectified immediately, I am sure that is one reason why they "stuck it out" and stayed in the balcony cabin. Obviously, in hindsight, he should have moved to the inside until they resolve the carpet problem, then moved back to the balcony cabin.

[blueboro]

I am anxious to find out the results of the last meeting. Keep us informed.

[Inshape]

I would take the discount on a future cruise. This should be stated above and beyond any other discounts found. This happened to us on Carnival and I had them write in that clause. I was still able to find the best pricing around and then the TA submitted the % off letter. You should do the same. 20 % off is pretty standard. With that we also got some bonvoyage gifts to return to CCL. But after our third cruise with them even the 20% off lacked luster to return to them, so we cruise RCI. I say take while you are there. It is easy for them to dismiss once you are gone. Also, if you are not happy with the compensation you can always try to get more but at least you go away with something. Getting the discount on a future cruise should not be binding to booking it through RCI and losing ship incentives that we all get back from the TAs. GOod luck.

[jrk23]

Well, I just finished my meeting with Darren & Brian. It was a very polite meeting. I was very surprised that I got a half hour of both of their time (collectively). However that was about as good as it gets. I was ushered

into a private office (Darren has a nice office) in the back.

 

When we spoke about issues, Darren kicks off the conversation by saying "in the past, cruising was an event that only the wealthy could afford. In that time, it was customary to give away free cruises with the slightest problem on a ship".

 

Now (read - cheap charlie) crusing is something that everyone can afford, so the compensation has been decreased to go with the times. He suggested that if you read online, it is suggested that on day 1 of the cruise, you should go to the front desk complaining of smoke in the room (cigs, cigars) and the front desk will send a free bottle of wine to your room.

 

Now, I was starting to see a theme of "your problem wasnt a big deal" within the conversation. I started to calmly speak my piece & suggested that my mildew/mold/wet carpet, was not a minor problem, and that it was documented that it was the shower (grey water) drain that was the problem. He told me, that even though thats what the maintenance

man said, that it was "really" the water in valve to the sink, so the water was not "sewage" - as I put it, but it was clean water (thats much better).

 

 

He then said that we were offered to have the rug cleaned and we declined it. This was not the case. The head of housekeeping said that the problem wouldnt be resolved by rug cleaning so we should not do it (of course, we took his recommendation that cleaning the rug wouldnt). I told him that we were told not to clean the rugs as it would make it wet.

So now we have two differing stories, the maintenance records are starting to change. This was a really fun feeling.

 

Again, I am telling them in a calm voice that the treatment was unacceptable, there was a health hazzard in my room & the state room attendant had no idea the rug was wet.

 

So now Darren tells me that they see that the wet area on the rug was a 2x2 area (in reality the whole closet area rug & front door until the bathroom rug) was wet & it wasnt a big deal. I suppose mold is also not a big deal to Darren, but to me it is.

 

To make a long story short, they did not up their offer but Darren repeated numerous times about how people try to get big compensation from other online stories (which is why I think he is aware of this thread). I suggested that 5-6 days of issues in the room & another 2 days dealing with this was not a minor problem in my book.

 

he just didnt care at all. For whatever reason, he kept bringing up scams that people use to get free cruise items.

 

No higher offer was made for compensation. It was a "take it or leave it". I explained that 20% off was a joke & I could do better online. Also that $300.00 or 10% was not acceptable either. They said, if you change your mind, let us know.

 

So, I suppose that is that. However I did get two nice new business cards from Darren & Brian.

 

I am going to send a quick email to Richard Fain & Adam Goldstein, I doubt that would do much good though.

 

Thanks for the help but I am at a loss since the HD could care less as well.

 

Lesson learned - Dont have a problem with your room on RCCL!

 

Rich

 

BTW - Darren mentioned the Toilet flushing problem - so say Hi to Darren as he reads this thread!

[utzowie]

Don't leave us hanging.

Very sorry for the hassle you are going thru - bless your heart :(

[blueboro]

Definitely email Mr. Fain and Goldstein. I can't believe they want customers treated this way when a serious problem occurs. When Oceania experienced a problem a few weeks ago with passengers bumped, the president of the company joined the thread and personally took care of the problem and offered substantial compensation. It is time for RCCL to step up!

[AFT_LOVER]

We sailed Summit's Trans canal that was booked 2 years in advance so we could have one of 5 Concierge Class AFT staterooms with 200 sq ft stateroom with 200 sq ft balcony - We paid $6,087.23 for the cruise.

 

Day of the cruise we arrived at LAX 30 minutes early, so we had our luggage & we looking for the Celebrity person. She was solo in the large airport but crossed us off her list of folks & told us she was getting other folks off flights & we;'d leave for the port together. SO we waited at the bottom of the escalators. 2 hours later she arrives with no one. We reminded her that we are ELITE members & Concierge Class. Expedited embarkation & disembarkation are part of their perks. So she call her supervisor on her cell & is told to get at least 20 for a bus. 5.5 hours we sat waiting for a bus & the one that finally arrived has 4 seats & we can't get 2. So she heard from me so we got on. Then we have 1.5 hours in line to clear security to board the ship. Then we get thru that mess & now there is no express check in, we have a long line for Concierge Class which is to take no more than 2 minutes with the Express Pass signed from the web site.

 

It was 20 minutes til they sail & we are just getting on the ship. 10 hours of waiting..... then no luggage at our door. We passed luggage walking back to AFT. Here it was at 9000 instead of 9201. So we get unpacked & sit out on the padded loungers with dinner on the balcony. The sun sets, we enjoyed a great meal served on a table dressed like the dining room on our balcony. Loved the wake to watch, and we both fell asleep & at 2AM we both are hit in the face by a pressure washer cleaning the bar upstairs. Turns out we have a teak floor bar upstairs with wooden table & chairs. The noise was like IRAQI'S WAR! Then they pressure wash after closing and all the stuff comes on our balcony & the other 4. We smelled like puke, beer & other horrible stuff & even the glass balcony door was covered in dry yellow fiber filled stuff. The smell in 90+ degrees was unbelievable. Husband phones Hotel Director & he refuses to move us telling us the pressure washing was done for our cruise. NOPE every night they did it, our stuff was soaked & smelled.

 

Then day 4 in Acapulco after watching the cliff divers we return to a long line to get on gangway onto the ship. They do have a long table of iced towels & punch or water to drink. Then we wait to step on the gangway when I see cups to the left into the waste can & towels to the right. Garbage cans on both sides of the gangway on a ship moving in the waves so the gangway is sliding & jumps down on my left foot then slides down it clamping onto my toes. I screamed but not one crew member came to help. My husband yelling for help to get it off my foot & 8 women helped. Bless them! But my foot bleeding & swelling as I am picked up by my husband & carried into security who saw it & rushed us to the Doctor. There we learn no accident report done by crew, so he phones Security manger Robert. He meets with us & is shocked at what we are telling him. 3 other people injured on it & another gangway vs foot accident. SO I have 3 cracked toes & torn ligaments down the top of my foot from ankle to toes. So he wraps 3 ice bags with ace bandages & tells us it must stay higher than my head til it is tolerable but do not walk on it. He had no crutches, there are no spare wheelchairs, so again my husband carries me to 9201 from deck 2. In bed I am for 9 days, all excursions canceled, husband calls to have us flown home at the next port. Once again they do nothing. Then we learn our on board credit was moved to a May cruise on Summit. We canceled that on day 5 after knowing how bad the ship & stateroom were. Not doing it again!!!!

 

Then 7 months of them calling me names & me writing detailed claims paperwork to CSA insurance as well as copies to Richard Fain of RCCL, the company who owns these losers. Fain gave us a Freedom D1 October 15th, when Celebrity was giving me 20% off my next cruise. I closed my Celebrity VISA card since I do not plan to sail Celebrity til they do apologize for what they did. And we did get $1000 for lost onboard credit & their idea of gratification.

 

So now I am being spoiled on RCCL, I get calls asking how I am doing with a left foot size 8 to my fight foot at 6.5 & predicting weather quite well. Folks on Jewel in May freaked at the size of my foot when the North Sea got wicked one night & I couldn't wear my heels anymore. Foot was HUGE! My Doc says I heal good but inside does take a while more.

 

So I know what cruiseline jumble is, but you have to get on it quickly.

I even call Summit, Carnival Summit.

[ckrobyn]

I have been following this thread since it started and was hanging in until the "end" to make my comments. I guess the OP's meeting today was considered the "end" by the HD and the other RCI staff person.

I would be pretty darn angry if this happend to me on my vacation :mad: I think the OP should have received a better compensation offer.

I think RCI needs to clean up their act when it comes to customer service - this is not the first time I am reading of a situation that did not have an acceptable resolution. Vacation time is so precious, and for some people - rare. To have to deal with these kinds of issues on a vacation is just pathetic.

To the OP - I am so sorry you had to go through this, and I hope that there were some good things about your cruise that you can remember fondly.

Hang in there - and send those letters to RCI's executives.....it can't hurt.