Profits more important than customer satisfaction

[CruisingChick]

I am a firm believer in empowerment. Look at the case of Stew Leonards - worlds largest grocerystore. Every employee from Cashier to Manager is empowered to make the customer satisfied. They have a rock engraved in front of the store: Rule #1 - The customer is always right Rule #2 if trhe customer is wrong - refer to Rule #1.

 

and they have really great ice cream right where you enter and exit the store.

[woodofpine]

Here the OP wanted his toilet fixed. It's not enough to say, "You're right the toilet's busted!" (Then fix it.)

 

With me, the line separated adjacent cabin bookings (involving young children). Sure, they acknowledged screwing up. But they did nothing... Oh - they could have done something (more easily than I) but they wouldn't. Nor would they permit discussion of their complacency with higher officers. They left it to me to fix the fixable, and fortunately I was able to arrange a cabin swap with another family.

 

Making it worse, when I pressed X staff for minor compensation FOR THE OTHER FAMILY because a good chunk of the sailaway afternoon was consumed correcting the problem, X finally (after much jabbering) agreed to do so... but apparently simply to get me away from their desk. They then reneged. Very classy.

 

That was my first cruise on X and first impressions count for a lot. Years later it still make me 'appreciate' that X is a mass market line. (In a lesser situation on Carnival the staff there made the right moves - without prompting - demonstrating the 'class' posters are impressed with... Carnival! Go figure... Great bedding there too; unfortunately "Viva Las Vegas" does nothing for me otherwise).

 

So what appropriate compensation for a busted out house? :D

[Ttowntreasures]

So sorry your voyage turned out so bad. My husband and I and our best friends sailed on the Century in 2002. Upon boarding there was no air conditioning. We went to the Sports bar and hung out. There was an engine problem on the way to the Bahamas and it cut short our stay there.

 

My husband wrote to Celebrity and we all received $200 each for a future cruise good for the next year. We took a RC cruise the next year and Celebrity extended our credits until the next year. We once again sailed w/X.

 

Went on the Connie last year, Millenium the year before and the Millenium for our first cruist in 2001.

 

We have never been disappointed sailing with X and will continue to do so.

 

There was a problem on the Millie where our toilet was not working - they came immediately and fixed it.

 

Kathy

[sasset]

We booked our November 2006 cruise while on our December 2005 cruise. We were to receive a $200 cabin credit for doing so. It never appeared during the November 2006 cruise. We were told several reasons why, all of which were either our or our travel agents fault. We booked our next cruise (next month) while on the November 2006 cruise. Once again to receive a $200 credit. It shows in our booking. Our travel agent has been on the case for most of this year, trying to get the prior credit applied to this cruise as well. He has forwarded me a list of "reasons" (from Celebrity) why it can't or hasn't been applied...everything from maternity leave, to fired employees to unable to load two credits of the same price. It is supposed fixed now, although Celebrity says they can't show it in our booking (the current one is there)...we will see in a few days.

 

My wife works for the major telephone company. They have a calculated acceptable inconvenience factor that they use when staffing customer service. This affects how long you are on hold, how many times you are placed on hold, how many times you are transferred, etc. Just how little service they can provide and not lose the customer.

 

Knowing that many will eventually give up seems to work for many companies when it comes to customer service.

 

Never give up. If your first call gets no results always escalate.

 

Regards

[Drew B]

The second post from the OP clarified a lot and showed me that he/she is most likely not a troll, but in fact had a terrible experience that was not handled well by staff on board or on shore.

 

Most of us have had positive experiences on board, so it is surprising to us that you got the kind of response you did. However, given the veracity of your story, you are correct to be angry and frustrated about how your concerns were met onboard.

 

I'd like to address one point about the post-cruise experience. Why in the world would one expect the customer service reps to care? These people have terrible jobs where they get paid very little money to spend the day on the phone with people who are angry and frustrated and probably not terribly nice. In most cases, their individual contact with you will be that ONE call, and then they will never see/hear from you again. If you leave the call happy, that's nice for them, but if you leave it unhappy, it's really not their problem.

 

I think it would be great if companies paid their CS reps well enough to encourage them to care. I think it would be great if companies gave their CS reps incentives to satisfy their customers. However, that is not the way it generally works (in this industry or pretty much any other industry). In fact, there are probably incentives for them NOT to give anything away. Expecting a caring CS person is unrealistic. If you happen to get one, GREAT! Consider yourself lucky. However, the bulk of the time, that will not be the case.

[spearmint]

I am, at this time, a dedicated Celebrity cruiser, although we only have done five cruises with our sixth coming up next month.That being said, I did not once doubt that the OP was sincere and I think that it is a shame that things deteriorated to such a level. It does not sound like the ship's personnel nor the corporate people at home did much to help.:( The OP is correct; it can take a long time and much saving to provide one's self with a cruise vacation. This type of service should not be part of that vacation.

 

That being said, we had a toilet malfunction that we were able to overcome by ourselves on our last Century trip. It was only slightly irritating so we did not even call anyone to fix it; we endured it for the entire cruise. In writing to Celebrity to compliment them on our trip, the staff and the general condition of the ship, I did mention the actual problem with the toilet in our stateroom. By coincidence, the day after I booked a cruise on Constellation, we received by mail two $300 vouchers for our next sailing.:)

 

On Constellation, we booked for our cruise next month, and are to receive $200 on-board credit. My understanding is that it will be applied to our on-board account by about the third day of the sailing, that it is not applied to the payment of the bill to the travel agency. I will certainly be looking at my account on board, for it will not take long to bypass the $200 mark with a nightly bottle of wine for dinner...:D

 

To the OP: all the best in your endeavours to get some form of satisfaction from the company.

 

Bill

[HLN500]

Since we'll be on the Galaxy soon, Which cabin(s) had the plumbing problems?

[BikerAl]

Why in the world would one expect the customer service reps to care?

 

Because they represent the company to us the consumer. If that representation is negative to me, my opinion of the company is negative, and given an otherwise level playing field, I will not use that company. It is incumbent on management at all levels to empower their employees to satisfy the consumer, WHEN their is a valid complaint.

 

Here is a positive experience that happened to us. Upon returning from an 8 day Carnival cruise, which had a Colon, Panama stop. The ship experienced a power failure, which caused us to arrive late, thus missing our shore excursion. We had chosen that cruise because of that excursion, and were disappointed to the point of me calling Carnival. The agent listened to my concern, transfered me to customer service, who listened, apologized, and assigned me a customer complaint tracking number. I was asked to call back to a specific extension number (I think it was in 72 hours). When I called back, the representative had the facts before her, asked if I deemed a $100 per person future cruise credit satisfactory as a way to show their apology. Yes it was, cause they were so darn nice.

 

Al

[croozinsnoozin79]

The second post from the OP clarified a lot and showed me that he/she is most likely not a troll, but in fact had a terrible experience that was not handled well by staff on board or on shore.

quote]

 

I totally agree with this statement. Perhaps if the OP would have worded things a bit differently in the first post, the following replies would have been much different. As is usual on these boards, a very negative first posting is met as this one was. It probably would have been better to seek advice/help with the problem rather than the tone the post was made with. I applaud the OP for coming back and reposting. I hope that they gain some things here that will help them to get some sort of compensation for the things that went wrong on the cruise.

[elena7seas]

The second post from the OP clarified a lot and showed me that he/she is most likely not a troll, but in fact had a terrible experience that was not handled well by staff on board or on shore.

quote]

 

I totally agree with this statement. Perhaps if the OP would have worded things a bit differently in the first post, the following replies would have been much different. As is usual on these boards, a very negative first posting is met as this one was. It probably would have been better to seek advice/help with the problem rather than the tone the post was made with. I applaud the OP for coming back and reposting. I hope that they gain some things here that will help them to get some sort of compensation for the things that went wrong on the cruise.

 

I'd like to thank the OP for taking the time to come back and post some additional details as well.

 

I think, for the most part, the people on the Celebrity board are caring, compassionate fellow cruisers, and feel genuine concern for people who have unfortunate experiences, particularly during Celebrity cruises. I know if I'd saved for years for a once-in-a-lifetime cruise, and had the difficulties the OP reports, I would be unhappy too. I hope that Celebrity stands up to the plate, and provides the OP with some resolution that makes the OP feel less angry. When you feel that you have been treated unfairly, and then not even heard when you try to have your disappointment recognized, it eclipses all the good memories that you might otherwise have of the experience.

[woodofpine]

I'm still wondering what amount of compensation OP requested?

 

I can believe what he says. The service crew in the trenchs are generally great but some of X desk managers are 'sluggish' to put it nicely. They can make a bad impression. Sort of like the Bill Murrey's Greek deli counter guy from the old Saturday Night Live skit - but with naval whites instead of an apron! :D

[Shami]

Unfortunately, even though a cruise line, a store, a hotel, etc. has a great reputation, things do not always play out the way they should. I don't know for sure, but my feeling is that Customer Service people are often trained not to be extremely helpful so that some people with complaints will just give up. (I'm not saying that X does this.) On any cruise, etc. some customer service people may be more helpful than others. This is true for any service personnel be it waiters, nurses, telephone operators, whatever. The important thing to remember, as Sasset mentioned earlier, is to escalate the problem if you receive no satisfaction. To the OP, when they said the manager is not on duty now you should then ask to speak to that manager's boss. If they are not on duty, ask to speak to whatever higher level personnel is on duty presently. Escalate to whatever level you need to. Always state your case calmly and politely. Sometimes lower level personnel don't have the authority to provide compensation. Also, as others have said, make sure your demand for compensation is reasonable.

[Alaskan Traveler]

 

I'd like to thank the OP for taking the time to come back and post some additional details as well.

 

I think, for the most part, the people on the Celebrity board are caring, compassionate fellow cruisers, and feel genuine concern for people who have unfortunate experiences, particularly during Celebrity cruises. I know if I'd saved for years for a once-in-a-lifetime cruise, and had the difficulties the OP reports, I would be unhappy too. I hope that Celebrity stands up to the plate, and provides the OP with some resolution that makes the OP feel less angry. When you feel that you have been treated unfairly, and then not even heard when you try to have your disappointment recognized, it eclipses all the good memories that you might otherwise have of the experience.

 

Very, very well put! I think a large part of the problem is the inconsistency of the Celebrity product itself. You could take the Century and sail an older ship that is in good condition and well maintained and then someone else could sail the Galaxy, which is also an older ship, but has not been well maintained and have two completly different experiences. The cost of the two cruises would about the same but the satisfaction level with Celebrity would be completly different. While the Galaxy may be going to dry dock sometime next year, this same story will continue until then.

[Drew B]

Because they represent the company to us the consumer. If that representation is negative to me, my opinion of the company is negative, and given an otherwise level playing field, I will not use that company. It is incumbent on management at all levels to empower their employees to satisfy the consumer, WHEN their is a valid complaint.

 

 

I agree that is the way it SHOULD be, but it is not, generally speaking, the way it is. I don't think these individuals particularly CARE if the customers choose to abandon the company and choose another cruise line instead. It most likely won't affect their earnings or their quality of life, so why would they give a d@mn? Employees, these days in particular (I think in the past people took more pride in a job well done), need an incentive to do better than just the base amount for which they get paid. It's sad but it's true...

 

 

Very, very well put! I think a large part of the problem is the inconsistency of the Celebrity product itself. You could take the Century and sail an older ship that is in good condition and well maintained and then someone else could sail the Galaxy, which is also an older ship, but has not been well maintained and have two completly different experiences. The cost of the two cruises would about the same but the satisfaction level with Celebrity would be completly different. While the Galaxy may be going to dry dock sometime next year, this same story will continue until then.

 

That statement implies a widespread agreement that the experience on Galaxy is unsatisfactory. Whereas some people genuinely feel that way, many others love the ship and report that it is in great shape. I've never sailed her, so I don't know what's true. Perhaps, though, those who complain about Galaxy would also complain about Century if they were to sail her...

[stanjj111]

It appears to me that there is a legion of X fans that will not accept anything negative about Celebrity. This is supposed to be an open board. Why assume that the OP is a fake because you do not agree with the comments? Why should I assume that your comments are real?

[dkjretired]

It appears to me that there is a legion of X fans that will not accept anything negative about Celebrity. This is supposed to be an open board. Why assume that the OP is a fake because you do not agree with the comments? Why should I assume that your comments are real?

 

There is also a legion of people who have made it their duty lately to come on this board and say nothing positive about Celebrity. This is supposed to be an open board. Works both ways. We have lost many regulars on this board who no longer post due to these people. I don't personally think this woman is a fake as she has posted on other boards also. Apparently had a horrible time and did not get satisfaction.

[Aussie Cruisers]

I hope things work out for you, but if they don't, don't let it put you off cruising.

 

Be persistent, and in my experience with X, don't take it personally while they stuff you around. Stay positive, stay polite, and count to ten. ;)

 

Mark.

[BikerAl]

I think it is wrong to assume any poster has an agenda, unless they are always negative or always positive. I make it a point to read a posters previous posts when I see nothing was right, or nothing is ever wrong. First time cruisers are an exception, as their perception of the experience is overwhelmingly gushy or negative.

 

To the OP. A few folks have changed their attitude, based on your second post. My suggestion on future threads you start, Write it down in word or some other like program, and save it for a day or so, then read it over, and the rage that was brewing when you first wrote it has let up a bit. In business, I wrote letters exactly as I was feeling, four letter words and all, then went back and edited them to business professional. It worked well for me. Good luck in reaching an acceptable resolution with Celebrity. You may find it helps to send a summery of your experiences on board and post cruise to: Daniel J. Hanrahan President and Chief Executive Officer, Celebrity Cruises, at 1050 Caribbean Way

Miami, FL 33132

Phone (305) 539-6000

[woodofpine]

Don't be shy, you posted twice now...

 

 

 

 

How Much Compensation Did You Request? (This is my third request ;))

[Drew B]

I think it is wrong to assume any poster has an agenda...

 

 

I think when the post starts with the words "Do not, repeat not, sail with this cruise line", it is more than an assumption that the poster has an agenda. The OP clearly and explicitly wanted to steer people away from this cruise line. That is an agenda! The question is whether or not the presence of said agenda negates the merits of his/her actual critiques...

 

Having an agenda is not inherently bad or wrong. Twisting the truth to support said agenda IS bad and wrong because it harms other people here.

 

After reading the OP's second post, I believe the critique has merit, whether or not there is an agenda involved.

[HLN500]

Wheather there is an agenda is not meaterial at this point.

If there was a plumbing problem where SEVERAL cabins were affected why cann't someone from that sailing tell us who'll be affected by sailing that ship inform us where those cabins are.

Simple question......

[Drew B]

If there was a plumbing problem where SEVERAL cabins were affected why cann't someone from that sailing tell us who'll be affected by sailing that ship inform us where those cabins are.

Simple question......

 

The OP cruised several months ago, right? I certainly HOPE the problem is not still there. If it was, I can't imagine that we wouldn't be seeing many, many more posts/threads about it!

[azzy]

I answered you but got deleted, so if you would like to know more

my e-mail is conley0601@aol.com

[nevis92]

I don't gush and tend to view most everything with a critical eye, but I sailed Galaxy March 2007 and it was 10 days of near perfection. No kidding. I honestly can't believe where the gripes about this ship are coming from. My only complaint was the location of our cabin on sky deck was above the Ice cream/donut counter and we were constantly treated to the sound of their door to the kitchen slamming over and over and over again. Halfway through the 10 day cruise, when we finally figured out the source of the noise, I spoke to them about it and they tried their best to not let the door slam. Wonderful crew, probably best we've experienced. Condition of the ship was excellent.

 

But this is just MY humble opinion.

[Brad1185]

Celebrity does a great job, but they cant always be the best at everything. When that happens I like to hear about it.

 

Negative people are welcome from my prospective.