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amyhthomas
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I have booked a cruise on the Carnival Splendor which is leaving from Ft. Lauderdale on 8/5/2017. I booked this cruise on 6/29/17. Yesterday we received a letter in the mail from Carnival detailing a deal for my husband since July is his birthday month. The letter said if a cruise was booked by 7/31/17, we could receive 20% Rates, up to $50 onboard cash, 50% off of the deposit and free upgrades. When I called today to ask about this, I was told that the booking window didn't start until 7/1/17, and our cruise was not included in this special deal, so there was nothing they could do for me. I asked if there were any other deals available, and was told no. I was also told that since my final payment date had passed, that there would be no price changes accepted on my cruise, and that if I tried to cancel and rebook with the promised discounts, I would have to pay $1200 in penalties. The person from the promotions department that I spoke with then informed me that I could not get a refund on my cruise at all since the final payment date had passed. (Which was the day I booked.) She said this was because I booked so late. When I called, I was not expecting to receive all of the promised discounts since my cruise was already booked, but thought there might be something they could do for me since we are VIFP members and had received this promotion. The back of the letter references things to do on my husband's special day, but the agent told me that all of the cruises that qualify for the program are further out than the dates we were looking for. Very dissatisfied. And this comes after having a bad experience with customer service on our last cruise. Not a Carnival fan right now.

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Sorry you feel that way, but it is what it is. If you want to be eligible for discounts after final payment, you need to book earlier and book Early Saver. But there are lots of restrictions with that as well so it's definitely not for everyone. Other cruise lines aren't any different.

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I booked the Carnival Splendor leaving from Ft. Lauderdale on 8/5/2017.

 

I booked this cruise on 6/29/17.

 

Yesterday we received a letter in the mail from Carnival detailing a deal...

 

I was told that the booking window didn't start until 7/1/17, and our cruise was not included in this special deal.

 

The person from the promotions department that I spoke with then informed me that I could not get a refund on my cruise at all since the final payment date had passed.

 

The agent told me that all of the cruises that qualify for the program are further out than the dates we were looking for.

 

It sounds like you were given accurate information by Carnival for the booking window/sailing date Terms and Conditions of the deal you were emailed... and for the cancellation penalty/rebook Terms and Conditions of your current 8/5/17 Splendor booking.

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You might want to do a test booking for your cruise online at the Carnival website and compare the offer to what you have. You will be very surprised I bet to find out you didn't lose that much. I get emailed almost daily special deals but the prices fluctuate so much I think the most I lost was about $80 total. I have been on 13 cruises now (not all with Carnival) and I still check a certain online website which gives up to day info on daily prices to see what the prices are and generally Carnival may give you $50 but then they take something else away or charge more for the cabin location or whatever. I for one understand your frustration as in the beginning I always felt like no matter when or how I booked I could have got a better deal! However to me the cabin location is the most important and I am willing to pay more to get the Lido deck with balcony for example. Bon Voyage!

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Hi Amyhthomas

 

Welcome to cruise critic.

 

Sorry you are feeling dissatisfied in this way.

 

Just so you understand everybody is a VIFP member as soon as they book. It means Very Important Fun Person.

 

There are very few promotions that really amount to much. You mentioned a lower deposit, but that is only a deposit you eventually have to pay your full fare. If you book after final payment due date as your did, there is no deposit, you have to pay in full. The promotions that give you an onboard credit are nice, but you really need to be aware of there price before the promotion. It wouldn't be unheard of for the price before or possibly after the offer of an OBC to be lower that when the promotion is on. The prices for cabin aren't set, they can change daily. This is the same for all cruise lines.

 

When booking with Carnival you have to be aware of the rights and limitations for "rate type". These things are listed on the Carnival site, but if you are unsure, you could ask on this forum first or get yourself a Carnival personal vacation planner, to explain everything for you.

 

One of the selling points of Carnival compared to other cruise lines is that very often their base price is low, so their promotions aren't typically anything to get excited about. If you are looking for a "best" price, booking well in advance (a year or more) and using an "Early Saver" rate will give you price protection right up till just before your sailing. People might feel that they are getting a good price at any time, but if you haven't been following the price of any particular sailing, you wouldn't know what the price was last week or last month. There are cancellation penalties that need to be understood, that's why you have to be aware how they may affect you before booking.

 

Don't forget that if you aren't happy with what you are getting from any given cruise line, there are many others to choose from. They all have their own strong points, but you always have to make sure that you are well informed. They issues that you feel you encountered with Carnival would be similar with any other cruise line. Luckily this web site give you the opportunity ask the questions that will help you become an informed consumer, before you make a purchase.

 

hope this helps

have a great cruise

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So I'm a little confused. The reason for not being able to be refunded for the current cruise would be the rate you booked under, which in fact lists the restrictions. Why is that Carnivals fault?

 

My thoughts exactly.

New member, 1st post here, so they joined just to complain because they received an offer but they didn't want to meet the offer restrictions/requirements.

it is almost always a condition that those offers don't apply to previous bookings or sales and that you can't combine multiple offers.

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My thoughts exactly.

New member, 1st post here, so they joined just to complain because they received an offer but they didn't want to meet the offer restrictions/requirements.

it is almost always a condition that those offers don't apply to previous bookings or sales and that you can't combine multiple offers.

 

Oh baloney - the first cruise I went on I was totally confused by all the almost daily "deal" Carnival had and scare tactics from the TA to lock in the price as it could go up or you would be stuck with a crappy cabin location. I don't blame the original poster one bit for being confused. She asked an honest question so stop being so snarky.

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I have booked a cruise on the Carnival Splendor which is leaving from Ft. Lauderdale on 8/5/2017. I booked this cruise on 6/29/17. Yesterday we received a letter in the mail from Carnival detailing a deal for my husband since July is his birthday month. The letter said if a cruise was booked by 7/31/17, we could receive 20% Rates, up to $50 onboard cash, 50% off of the deposit and free upgrades. When I called today to ask about this, I was told that the booking window didn't start until 7/1/17, and our cruise was not included in this special deal, so there was nothing they could do for me. I asked if there were any other deals available, and was told no. I was also told that since my final payment date had passed, that there would be no price changes accepted on my cruise, and that if I tried to cancel and rebook with the promised discounts, I would have to pay $1200 in penalties. The person from the promotions department that I spoke with then informed me that I could not get a refund on my cruise at all since the final payment date had passed. (Which was the day I booked.) She said this was because I booked so late. When I called, I was not expecting to receive all of the promised discounts since my cruise was already booked, but thought there might be something they could do for me since we are VIFP members and had received this promotion. The back of the letter references things to do on my husband's special day, but the agent told me that all of the cruises that qualify for the program are further out than the dates we were looking for. Very dissatisfied. And this comes after having a bad experience with customer service on our last cruise. Not a Carnival fan right now.
I guess it was just the timing of the letter that caused the confusion. Had you not booked yet, you may have had a different perspective and the letter's intent may probably have worked out for you. The letter was probably sent not solely for your husband's birthday, but for others as well. The staff sending the letter may not have been aware of your booking status. JMHO.

 

Hope you enjoy your forthcoming cruise!

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So you were happy with the cruise you booked and the priced you paid?

Your husband got an offer for a discounted cruise, but does not

include the cruise you booked which is less than 2 weeks away and under full penalty for cancellation

The promotions,department explained this and would not give you special treatment, and you are dissatisfied.

Then you throw in you had a bad customer service issue on your last Carnival cruise.

If you want to take,advantage of the offer extended to your husband, book a cruise within the rules of the offer. Do not complain when the rules can not be bent in your favor SMH

 

 

Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk

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Oh baloney - the first cruise I went on I was totally confused by all the almost daily "deal" Carnival had and scare tactics from the TA to lock in the price as it could go up or you would be stuck with a crappy cabin location. I don't blame the original poster one bit for being confused. She asked an honest question so stop being so snarky.

 

Your issue is with the TA you were working with, not with Carnival.

And her issue was not about "pressure sales" tactics.

 

All the Carnival sales and offers come with a set of requirements/restrictions. While they might be a bit confusing to someone new, if you read them carefully they explain the terms of the offer. Sure it's disappointing to see a better price or an offer with OBC, but that is a fact of life in everything we buy.

 

I tend to book my cruises a long way out to get a good price. I can't tell you the number of Carnival offers I've feed into the shredder because they didn't apply to my cruise or had restrictions I chose not to accept.

Edited by lizardhowson
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I have booked a cruise on the Carnival Splendor which is leaving from Ft. Lauderdale on 8/5/2017. I booked this cruise on 6/29/17. Yesterday we received a letter in the mail from Carnival detailing a deal for my husband since July is his birthday month. The letter said if a cruise was booked by 7/31/17, we could receive 20% Rates, up to $50 onboard cash, 50% off of the deposit and free upgrades. When I called today to ask about this, I was told that the booking window didn't start until 7/1/17, and our cruise was not included in this special deal, so there was nothing they could do for me. I asked if there were any other deals available, and was told no. I was also told that since my final payment date had passed, that there would be no price changes accepted on my cruise, and that if I tried to cancel and rebook with the promised discounts, I would have to pay $1200 in penalties. The person from the promotions department that I spoke with then informed me that I could not get a refund on my cruise at all since the final payment date had passed. (Which was the day I booked.) She said this was because I booked so late. When I called, I was not expecting to receive all of the promised discounts since my cruise was already booked, but thought there might be something they could do for me since we are VIFP members and had received this promotion. The back of the letter references things to do on my husband's special day, but the agent told me that all of the cruises that qualify for the program are further out than the dates we were looking for. Very dissatisfied. And this comes after having a bad experience with customer service on our last cruise. Not a Carnival fan right now.

 

 

 

My apologies for those posters who lack common curtesy. If you purchased the cruise using a credit card, I would contact the credit card company in regards to the issue. Many credit card companies offer "price protection" and you may be able to work it out with them. It is also my understanding that credit card companies have more loyalty to consumers than to merchants, and quite frequently allow customers to do charge backs, which is why so many retailers offer price reductions on purchases that go on sale within 2 weeks. As in all customer service rolls, it is the lowest level that is told that they are to convey it isn't possible and have little power to rectify the situation. Therefore, it is always best to request the issue be escalated to a higher tier of customer service. I'd ask to speak to the supervisor. Hope this helps you.

 

 

NCL Sunward 1974

NCL Starward 1978

Costa Daphne 1982

Carnival Triumph 2001

Carnival Conquests 2005

Carnival Magic 2014

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My apologies for those posters who lack common curtesy. If you purchased the cruise using a credit card, I would contact the credit card company in regards to the issue. Many credit card companies offer "price protection" and you may be able to work it out with them. It is also my understanding that credit card companies have more loyalty to consumers than to merchants, and quite frequently allow customers to do charge backs, which is why so many retailers offer price reductions on purchases that go on sale within 2 weeks. As in all customer service rolls, it is the lowest level that is told that they are to convey it isn't possible and have little power to rectify the situation. Therefore, it is always best to request the issue be escalated to a higher tier of customer service. I'd ask to speak to the supervisor. Hope this helps you.

 

NCL Sunward 1974

NCL Starward 1978

Costa Daphne 1982

Carnival Triumph 2001

Carnival Conquests 2005

Carnival Magic 2014

 

Credit Cards price matching a cruise? Nope, not gonna happen. Go ahead and try and get it charged back. Carnival will hang onto the cancelation penalties that they agreed to when they booked.

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Credit Cards price matching a cruise? Nope, not gonna happen. Go ahead and try and get it charged back. Carnival will hang onto the cancelation penalties that they agreed to when they booked.

 

This is not the same as a charge back, which actually goes to the merchant to review, dispute, etc. (ETA: I do see that the initial poster also talked about a charge back as being an option. You are correct there - the cruise line will absolutely win that dispute unless it's such a small dollar amount (usually $50-100 or less) that the credit card company doesn't even process a claim and just writes off the small dollar amount.)

 

There are also separate benefits called "Price Protection" that some credit card companies offer as a perk to their members. I've typically seen it used more for physical merchandise (i.e. you buy a TV for $1500, and the retailer puts it on sale for $999 the next week but won't price match you. You call your credit card company and if you have the benefit, they'll give you a credit of $501.)

 

Most credit cards beyond the basic/starter credit cards actually have this benefit, but very few people use it. There are typically limits on the number of price protection claims you can submit in a year (per card) and also an overall annual dollar amount limit.

 

I'm also not entirely sure that it would work on a cruise, but it certainly cannot hurt to try to file a price protection claim with the card company!

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This is not the same as a charge back, which actually goes to the merchant to review, dispute, etc.

 

 

 

This is a separate benefit that some credit card companies offer as a perk to their members. I've typically seen it used more for physical merchandise (i.e. you buy a TV for $1500, and the retailer puts it on sale for $999 the next week but won't price match you. You call your credit card company and if you have the benefit, they'll give you a credit of $501.)

 

 

 

Most credit cards beyond the basic/starter credit cards actually have this benefit, but very few people use it. There are typically limits on the number of price protection claims you can submit in a year (per card) and also an overall annual dollar amount limit.

 

 

 

I'm also not entirely sure that it would work on a cruise, but it certainly cannot hurt to try to file a price protection claim with the card company!

 

I am well aware of how it works with physical merchandise like appliances, TVs, etc. Some of my cards have this feature. When I bought my dishwasher, Citi even sent me an email saying to submit it for the Citi Price Rewind program. It will NOT work for cruises, airfare, etc. It doesn't matter anyway as the OP booked the cruise outside of the timeframe and that particular cruise didn't qualify anyway. There is nothing to price match to.

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Hi

 

Sorry FruitStandaficianado, you can't ask any company honor a sale price on a product that is not on sale.

 

Clearly the offer that the OP received was not for their cruise. Not an identical product that went on sale just after they made a purchase.

 

As I also previously mentioned, these promotions mean nothing generally since the cabin cost change daily and if you haven't been following the price of a specific cabin, on a specific ship, for a specific sailing date, you won't know if the price has gone up or down. This would be the same for any cruise line. If you want to be able to take advantage of a price reduction, you need to book, with a cabin rate that provides price protection.

 

hope this helps

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.

.

.

When I called today to ask about this, I was told that the booking window didn't start until 7/1/17, and our cruise was not included in this special deal, so there was nothing they could do for me.

.

.

.

When I called, I was not expecting to receive all of the promised discounts since my cruise was already booked, but thought there might be something they could do for me since we are VIFP members and had received this promotion.

.

.

.

Very dissatisfied.

.

.

.

And this comes after having a bad experience with customer service on our last cruise. Not a Carnival fan right now.

 

Not a lot more to say. Saw a promotion for something that wasn't for what you purchased, wasn't applicable to what you wanted and upset they wouldn't give you a discount anyway.

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I'm a little confused by your post. Why can't you just use the promotion to book another cruise? For next year, maybe? It sounds like you're trying to get the promo applied retroactively. I don't know of many companies that do that.

 

Also, how are people getting these offers from Carnival? It's my birthday month too and they haven't even sent me a happy birthday email let alone a promo offer for a cruise. :confused:

 

 

I have booked a cruise on the Carnival Splendor which is leaving from Ft. Lauderdale on 8/5/2017. I booked this cruise on 6/29/17. Yesterday we received a letter in the mail from Carnival detailing a deal for my husband since July is his birthday month. The letter said if a cruise was booked by 7/31/17, we could receive 20% Rates, up to $50 onboard cash, 50% off of the deposit and free upgrades. When I called today to ask about this, I was told that the booking window didn't start until 7/1/17, and our cruise was not included in this special deal, so there was nothing they could do for me. I asked if there were any other deals available, and was told no. I was also told that since my final payment date had passed, that there would be no price changes accepted on my cruise, and that if I tried to cancel and rebook with the promised discounts, I would have to pay $1200 in penalties. The person from the promotions department that I spoke with then informed me that I could not get a refund on my cruise at all since the final payment date had passed. (Which was the day I booked.) She said this was because I booked so late. When I called, I was not expecting to receive all of the promised discounts since my cruise was already booked, but thought there might be something they could do for me since we are VIFP members and had received this promotion. The back of the letter references things to do on my husband's special day, but the agent told me that all of the cruises that qualify for the program are further out than the dates we were looking for. Very dissatisfied. And this comes after having a bad experience with customer service on our last cruise. Not a Carnival fan right now.
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