Resolution to my damaged bag - Imagination September...

[mrdood]

Well after speaking to the CS rep, the supervisor, receiving a letter, sending in pictures of my damaged bag on board to prove it was damaged. Carnival has decided to blow me off - good for Carnival!!! At the same time the marketing department is sending me $100 certificate for OBC and having incredible sales to try and get me to re-book, the Customer Service department is busy trying to make me angry and sail with someone else - they have succeeded. The dang bag only cost $30 to replace, and they flatly refused to do anything about it - not their fault, I left the pier area and did not report it, so they owe me nothing, even though I took ample pictures on board to show them the damage, they don't care that it was actually damaged on board, they only care that they don't have any liability.

 

I would have been satisfied with the offer of $25 OBC, here's a bottle of champagne, even a sincere we are sorry - even though they have no liability, bottom line, they DID damage the bag, I did not report it before leaving the pier, I am not getting anything for it, I am happy for them avoiding the $30 in cost.

 

DW and I have cruised three times in the last year including May when we booked and paid for a total of 5 cabins, we usually have pretty hefty S&S bills, I figure in the last year we have spent close to $15K directly to Carnival. DW would have been Platinum with two more cruises.

 

This August we are booking another 5 cabins for Alaska, it will not be with a CCL line, RCI will get our money this time.

 

Will I book with Carnival again, of course - I like the Carnival Product in spite of Customer Services attempt to keep me away. Inside my new suitcase, will be my old suitcase, which will be brought to the pursers desk and promptly reported as damaged during embarkation, which is true!!!

 

What is sad is that Carnival's F-you attitude has very much soured me, and will impact how I spend money with them, they won't even notice I am gone, sadly, they would have recouped their $30 in about two hours at the bar or casino on my next cruise...

[Rowan555]

I missed the original post on this one, but I want to say I feel your pain. The same thing happened to me on Sensation, and the Purser's Desk gave me incorrect advice/information which led me to NOT follow the "correct procedures" and resulted in Carnival blowing me off totally. It was a brand new suitcase and I ended up just throwing it away because the damage was so extensive it wasn't worth trying to get it repaired.

 

I am now WELL versed in proper "damaged luggage" protocol, lol. It's a shame I had to learn the hard way, and it's a shame the people at the information deck on board give out completely incorrect information which causes frustration and financial loss for Carnival's guests.

[Rowan555]

Inside my new suitcase, will be my old suitcase, which will be brought to the pursers desk and promptly reported as damaged during embarkation, which is true!!!

 

 

OMG I missed that the first time around. That's what I was going to do as well, but I ended up tossing the suitcase instead. I can't wait to hear how it turns out for you.

[Mikel1733]

I too feel your pain Mr. Dood. Carnival took a new expensive piece of our luggage which was being used for the first time and when we received it at our room it had red and blue paint (still wet) all over it. We reported it to the pursors desk and never got any compensation.

 

I can't understand why big companies spend so much money recruiting new customers instead of taking care of existing good long term customers.

 

Sorry Mr. Dood.:(

[bphman]

I feel your pain but it may not have been Carnival who damaged the bag but the longshoreman working at the port. It is hard to palce blame. If they offered an OBC for another cruise, you may be ahead of the game. I know you may want to take it out on Carnival and cruise RCI next time but, the same thing happened to me with Celebrity and they did nothing and we all know who owns Celebrity. If you had cruise insurance, then they should cover it. If not, then you are out of luck. Also, no offense, a $30 suitcase is not that sturdy and very prone to damage especially at the port.

[memabumpee]

I have cruised enough to know not to take expensive luggage with us We normally go to a dollar store or flea market and pay 10/15 dollars for a set and if they did get damaged whoo cares for that price. I think carnival and all the people that work around the luggage do a great job when you consider they handle somewhere in the area of 8000 getting off and 8000 coming on if your luggage was damaged it means that you are part of the lucky .00006% have a great day.

[Kurbanfan]

It doesn't surprise me. All who reads these boards hears nothing but bad comments regarding the pursers desk. Carnival has a really bad problem in that dept.

You did not say what their response was...did you even receive a letter back? What was their comments?

Too bad about your bag.....another reason why we always purchase insurance.

[iowagirl411]

I missed the original post on this one, but I want to say I feel your pain. The same thing happened to me on Sensation, and the Purser's Desk gave me incorrect advice/information which led me to NOT follow the "correct procedures" and resulted in Carnival blowing me off totally. It was a brand new suitcase and I ended up just throwing it away because the damage was so extensive it wasn't worth trying to get it repaired.

 

I am now WELL versed in proper "damaged luggage" protocol, lol. It's a shame I had to learn the hard way, and it's a shame the people at the information deck on board give out completely incorrect information which causes frustration and financial loss for Carnival's guests.

 

Can you share what the correct protocol should have been? Just in case...

[mrdood]

I feel your pain but it may not have been Carnival who damaged the bag but the longshoreman working at the port. It is hard to palce blame. If they offered an OBC for another cruise, you may be ahead of the game. I know you may want to take it out on Carnival and cruise RCI next time but, the same thing happened to me with Celebrity and they did nothing and we all know who owns Celebrity. If you had cruise insurance, then they should cover it. If not, then you are out of luck. Also, no offense, a $30 suitcase is not that sturdy and very prone to damage especially at the port.

 

...does not matter, the bag was delivered to my stateroom damaged. It could have been the longshoreman, it could have been damaged by carnival staff on board the ship, the contract still allows $50 for damage regardless, just needs to be reported at the pier.

 

...and no offense, but price does not determine sturdy, but my $30 bag is very sturdy, has been to Europe twice, numerous cruises, numerous land vacations, camping, and has HUNDREDS of flights with no damage (I travel often for work and personal reasons). It has outlasted two of DW's "expensive" bags that travel a lot less...

[truecruiser]

ours was trashed at the end, not beginning. when we picked it up to leave (on disembarkation, whole wheel assembly broken. don't know if it was carnival or pier porters (didn't care either, carnival has contract w/ pier porters, they are only ones who have privity to go after them, so it doesn't really matter who did it. responsibility lies w/ carnival). anyway, we did report it. rec'd a copy of instructions and proof that we reported and carnival even contacted us via letter some 3 wks later as a follow up.

 

but we didn't do anything about it. fact of the matter is that carnival makes it very inconvenient for you to follow the steps. you have to call an 800 # to find a repair shop sactioned by them. you have to lug it there, have it inspected. upon inspection, if it can be repaired, they'll cover the repair cost. it'll only be replaced if certified as necessary.

 

WAY to much drama and aggravation for me. Suitcase was great (very large), but airlines all changed their requirements anyway, so we wldn't be able to use it soon after (too big for reqs).

[DaytonCruiser]

Can you share what the correct protocol should have been? Just in case...

From the Carnival website

 

How Do I Report Damaged or Lost Luggage?

 

If a guest determines that their bags have been damaged or lost during the distribution process, they must complete a claim form with one of the embarkation representatives. If a guest discovers the problem on board, they must complete a claim form at the Purser's Office.

If the guest discovers after returning home that they have mistakenly claimed someone else's luggage or that their luggage is damaged, they must contact Carnival's Guest Relations Department which is open six days a week Monday through Saturday.

Monday - Friday 8am - 5:30pm

Saturday 9am - 5:30pm

(800) 929-6400 or (305) 599-2600.

[zaandam_2]

mr dood - you did the right thinkg by not booking your net block of cabins with CCL. the only thing large companies (not just CCL) understand is $. i'm surprised they didn't have you flagged as a VIP, given the amount of business you do with them.

 

you are correct that they won't even notice you're gone. if you read 'devils on the deep blue sea' you'll see their business model does not include repeat business. they really don't care. their ships sail full, so they don't have to.

 

i hope you like RCL. I'm going to try them someday.

[L2J]

Inside my new suitcase, will be my old suitcase, which will be brought to the pursers desk and promptly reported as damaged during embarkation, which is true!!!

 

 

Dood you aren't seriously going to do that are you?:D

[zaandam_2]

it's very sneaky. i love it.

[serene56]

How Do I Report Damaged or Lost Luggage?

 

If a guest determines that their bags have been damaged or lost during the distribution process, they must complete a claim form with one of the embarkation representatives. If a guest discovers the problem on board, they must complete a claim form at the Purser's Office.

If the guest discovers after returning home that they have mistakenly claimed someone else's luggage or that their luggage is damaged, they must contact Carnival's Guest Relations Department which is open six days a week Monday through Saturday. .

 

and nothing is stated what to do when getting off the ship on the last day-- with a flight to catch within a few hours- who has time to fill out paperwork etc..

 

After our last cruise we had to get two new bags as both were done in. Both handles were broken and one had the wheel casings broken completly off.

I think Carnival needs to tell their people to handle the luggage in a better manner.

[mrdood]

Dood you aren't seriously going to do that are you?:D

 

Oh, I seriously will, no trouble at all, it fits nicely into my other bag, I will just pack the damaged one, set it inside my other bag. I will play Carnival's game, this is no longer about the $30, this is about winning, the way I feel right now, if I lived in FL, I would be taking them to small claims court as their contract says nothing about "reporting before leaving pier", only in the Welcome Aboard pamphlet does it say that, the last letter the sent states that the pamphlet is "part" of the contract - except that nowhere in the contract are you required to read and abide by their pamphlet, they would lose in court. Not sure why they have chosen to be jerks, I was really looking forward to platinum status in Alaska, DW was going to sail this winter with a friend to get number nine, but I nixed that as well! I am such a b.astard!

 

At some future point, I will get reimbursed for the bag, simple, and it will happen!

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I have cruised enough to know not to take expensive luggage with us We normally go to a dollar store or flea market and pay 10/15 dollars for a set and if they did get damaged whoo cares for that price. I think carnival and all the people that work around the luggage do a great job when you consider they handle somewhere in the area of 8000 getting off and 8000 coming on if your luggage was damaged it means that you are part of the lucky .00006% have a great day.

 

I'm with you. I use what we call here, "throwaway luggage." I go on Ebay and buy a cheap set. If I get 2-3 cruises out of it I'm happy. When it gets damaged I just throw it away and buy more.

It doesn't matter how expensive it your suitcase is bound to get damaged after a few cruises.

 

I must say that on our RCI cruise in 2001 our 26" cheapo suitcase arrived in our room and it was destroyed. Looked like the fork from the forklift went through it. RCI looked for a comparable suitcase for us on the ship but couldn't find one. When we arrived at one of our ports of call (St Thomas) they went into town and bought us a brand new American Tourister suitcase that probably cost more than the whole set of luggage.

 

Bill

[L2J]

Oh, I seriously will, no trouble at all, it fits nicely into my other bag, I will just pack the damaged one, set it inside my other bag.

 

As has already been said...it's sneaky and I love it. I'm going to have to write this one down for future reference ;)

 

You didn't 86 the AK cruise did you?

[Caliber1]

I am such a b.astard!

 

At some future point, I will get reimbursed for the bag, simple, and it will happen!

 

So you have to change your sig then. S.H.M.W.B.:D BTW, it's sneaky and I love it too. What goes around always comes around.

[nolaAlive]

Seems to me these things are what insurance is all about. You did have insurance, didn't you?

 

Since Carnival reads most of the cruise boards, do you think the bag within a bag scam will work?

[sharecruises]

Ouch Mr Dood, I really feel bad about that you were treated so shabbily.

 

I wonder if Carnival Customer Relations knows how much good information and advice and good reviews you share about Carnival on these boards...

 

and now you rightfully share this bad news.

 

I also loved the Imagination, but I would be angry to be treated like they did you...they are using a little "catch 22" loophole just to avoid doing anything for you, and it would be so EASY for them to have made you happy and "exceed your expectations" etc

 

I think the customer service of most cruise lines..and often the purser desk it seems..is where they really "fall down"> They have these ships full of these marvelous helpful crew/staff...so nice..

 

but when there is a problem to be resolved, look out! That is really sad

 

I hope some supervisor at Carnival realizes the good will and the good customer they may have lost by some little jerk playing cheap and cool at the customer service desk....

 

Good luck on your "plan" to bring the luggage back on board LOL...

got to fight fire with fire I guess

 

sad that Carnival could have treated you right and it would not have cost them much.

[mrdood]

Seems to me these things are what insurance is all about. You did have insurance, didn't you?

 

Since Carnival reads most of the cruise boards, do you think the bag within a bag scam will work?

 

So, Z(ps)y(ch)do, exactly how do you think Carnival plans to stop me??? Do you think they will be waiting and looking for my bag and have me open it for them? Who says that I will do it on the next cruise? Who says I will have the bag in my name and sent to my cabin? Can they prove that I did not check that bag with the Porter???

 

I self insure, so far I am out $30... I am relatively young, in very good shape/health, and can afford to lose cruise fare, or have to pay my way to the first port, so far what I have saved in not paying for cruise insurance over many years has built into quite a large self insurance pot. The only thing that would wipe it out would be a medical evacuation, which I can afford, and am willing to take the risk of "being struck twice by lightning".

[nolaAlive]

To self-insure is your choice. Too late to whine about it when your ship comes in, so to speak.

 

I also imagine there are penalties for filing fradulent claims, which is what you are proposing to do.

[mrdood]

Ouch Mr Dood, I really feel bad about that you were treated so shabbily.

 

I wonder if Carnival Customer Relations knows how much good information and advice and good reviews you share about Carnival on these boards...

 

and now you rightfully share this bad news.

 

I also loved the Imagination, but I would be angry to be treated like they did you...they are using a little "catch 22" loophole just to avoid doing anything for you, and it would be so EASY for them to have made you happy and "exceed your expectations" etc

 

I think the customer service of most cruise lines..and often the purser desk it seems..is where they really "fall down"> They have these ships full of these marvelous helpful crew/staff...so nice..

 

but when there is a problem to be resolved, look out! That is really sad

 

I hope some supervisor at Carnival realizes the good will and the good customer they may have lost by some little jerk playing cheap and cool at the customer service desk....

 

Good luck on your "plan" to bring the luggage back on board LOL...

got to fight fire with fire I guess

 

sad that Carnival could have treated you right and it would not have cost them much.

 

Thanks for the thoughts, it really is not their intention to make it right for me, not sure who's list I am on, maybe they do read these boards:eek:

 

Maybe I should not have called Uncle Bob arrogant, pompous and out of touch with the customer on the first annual wine cruise last year...

 

$30 OBC would cost them what in "real dollars" maybe $10??? Now at some point, I will get them for the entire $50 in either a check or reimbursement for a piece of luggage, I will send them a receipt for a nice new leather laptop bag for DW when the "shop" tells them the zipper can't be replaced... and I will certainly be spending less on board than I used to, I have become totally aware of not letting them make a profit off me anymore, lots of booze smuggling and no more casino, I can certainly drink and gamble at other venues;)

 

It makes me laugh that I got the xmas card from them with the $100 obc offer if I book with them, if customer service would have enclosed that in their letter and told me they were sorry for my loss and here's a deal for you, I would have been happy and booked a cruise - obviously Customer Service does not get judged on re-bookings.

[mrdood]

To self-insure is your choice. Too late to whine about it when your ship comes in, so to speak.

 

I also imagine there are penalties for filing fradulent claims, which is what you are proposing to do.

 

Not whining about insurance... Carnival still has contract liability for up to $50 - regardless.

 

No fraud involved, it was damaged during embarkation - Carnival damaged my bag, that is the truth!!!