My letter to NCL

As posted to their FB page:

 

I'm not impressed with NCL's handling of pre-purchased onboard credit. Every time a client calls your 1-866 number to ask the same question, each call results in a different answer. The sad thing is that ultimately NONE of the answers are truthful nor accurate.

We were allowed to purchase a significant amount of OBC. Now, after being reassured several times that there was no limit, then a $5000 limit, then no limit - we find out a policy change, then a "glitch", is the reason our OBC will be credited back to us. Of course, just to test your "glitch" justification, we called again last night and were able to purchase even more OBC. Funny. You'd think that if NCL has known of a glitch since December you'd either fix the glitch, or inform your reps and he'll centre that there is a limit to OBC

Here's the problem as I see it. I no longer trust you as a responsible, caring corporation. Why? Because you don't care to ensure that your front line staff - a customer's only means to access information from your company - are well-informed. See, as a customer, I like to make informed decisions. I like to feel that I can ask a question and get a truthful, accurate answer. I've lost that trust in NCL.

Next, I feel like I have been lied to. Several times. That certainly doesn't bode well for my future travel plans with NCL.

Also, it seems a bit questionable that NCL is routinely refunding the OBC, but you are waiting until the last possible moment to do so. I have read several reports of customers getting onboard only to learn that their OBC is going to be refunded. No heads up to allow them to make other plans. No sense of urgency on your part to return the funds to the purchaser. In fact, several people report that even after the completion of their cruise (without their OBC) they are STILL waiting for their refunds.

You have every right to change policies. After all, profit is your key objective. I get that. But to silently change a policy, to backdate it to your benefit, and then neglect to inform paying customers of the change.... That's not how I like to do business.

I also find it troubling that you seemingly have not informed your call centre personnel and the help desk of the change. To me, that means one of two things... You either don't want your customers to be able to access accurate information, or you don't care that your front line workers, the lifeline of your corporation, are going to bear the brunt of angry customer calls when word of this change leaks out. Again, I can't stand behind that.

NCL, I ask you to publicly announce the change in your OBC pre-purchase limit. I ask you to please, finally, provide me with a truthful answer as to whether this is a policy change effective Jan 21 or if it was "a glitch" which allowed OBC purchases. After five calls with various employees, including supervisors and the help desk, at your 1-866 number, I have been given no fewer than 5 different answers regarding purchase limits, policy changes, and rationale.

I trust that you do indeed want happy customers. I trust that you want to do right by your customers AND your shareholders. Please, prove me right.

Edited February 5, 2016 by cjcruises

Right on.

 

I am in New Zealand and cannot get an answer from my PCC in NCL by email. I am totally unwilling to pay for an International Toll Call especially if I am on hold for quite a period of time; NCL's toll free number will not work from here.

 

It is getting to the stage where I am going to go online and ask for a call from NCL; however I cannot guarantee I would get it from my PCC and I wonder what answers I would get from anyone else.

 

It would seem that no one in NCL who answers the phone has any idea of what is going on. Individuals seem to be making up policy "on the run".

 

Someone high up in the organization is going to have to 'bite the bullet' and make a definitive statement otherwise the whole situation will get even more out of hand. They have to make a decision; "is it better to pay up and cost us some profit or better to lose the goodwill and bookings from lots of Canadians?"

 

Mike

Having just sailed on the Jewel Jan 24 - 31 I can tell you NCL more issues then just yours. Their service is slow and disjointed. Never were we offered a refill of water, soda, bread, butter. Never did the server come back and ask if everything was okay. We had the specialty dinner package all 7 nights and so I expected the service to be excellent, big disappointment. Teppanyaki was just awful. The noise was unbearable and the food drowned in so much soy sauce, it needed a life vest ! The chef disappeared after serving the food before I could ask about it. The CD Tom speaks so fast he doesn't finish a sentence and a sentence is one fast word, couldn't understand him. The A La Carte menus are an insult to cruising. The drink prices are higher then on other cruise lines. They hawk raffle tickets, pull tabs for 15 minutes in the show room before shows which dampens the enjoyment of sitting and conversing with seat mates.

It will probably not be in my future to Book NCL again unless I read on here things have changed for the better.

Our roll call was spectacular and the people from CC were a blast and made the week more enjoyable then it would otherwise have been.

cruzsnooze, what does this have to do with the OP's posting?

cruzsnooze, what does this have to do with the OP's posting?

 

It shows a lack of service / knowledge starting on land and going out to sea, more then just one area. Go to guest services and you'll get conflicting information too.

Edited February 5, 2016 by cruzsnooze

Every time a client calls your 1-866 number to ask the same question, each call results in a different answer.

 

 

I'm confused :confused:

 

 

What is the purpose of calling and asking the same question repeatedly? Is one person being asked this question over and over again or does the process involve getting different people on the phone to ask the same question of? At what point does someone decide that the answer they've been given is the correct answer? Once the correct answer is received, do the calls stop, or the the same question still asked multiple times? Is the purpose to try and trip someone up?

 

And all of this so you can give NCL money to hold for you to spend onboard?

I'm confused :confused:

 

And all of this so you can give NCL money to hold for you to spend onboard?

 

I'm confused, too.

 

Maybe I don't understand all the dynamics, but purchasing thousands of dollars in OBC with a favorable exchange rate seems ripe for limitations to be imposed.

 

People were taking advantage of a loophole, NCL plugged it, and now these same people are upset the jig is up.

 

Do I have this right? Are folks really going to hang their argument on NCL's piss poor communication. If that's the case, we get it. NCL has piss poor communication.

 

Am I supposed to believe that these same people would be happy losing the 20% advantage on their exchange if only NCL had placated them with a dumbass e-mail? I don't think so.

 

If I'm off-base, can someone articulate a reasonable explanation?

I'm confused, too.

 

Maybe I don't understand all the dynamics, but purchasing thousands of dollars in OBC with a favorable exchange rate seems ripe for limitations to be imposed.

 

People were taking advantage of a loophole, NCL plugged it, and now these same people are upset the jig is up.

 

Do I have this right? Are folks really going to hang their argument on NCL's piss poor communication. If that's the case, we get it. NCL has piss poor communication.

 

Am I supposed to believe that these same people would be happy losing the 20% advantage on their exchange if only NCL had placated them with a dumbass e-mail? I don't think so.

 

If I'm off-base, can someone articulate a reasonable explanation?

I agree, folks were able to make money off this loophole (not saying the OP was doing this), they bragged about it and NCL stopped it. If I were NCL, I'd go one step further and if they cashed it out at the casino, I'd give them promotional chips and slot play that had to be played in the casino. If they didn't use all their OBC, I'd credit their credit card back in Canadian dollars at the same rate they got when they purchased it. This way they would be even, no one wins and no one loses.

I'm confused, too.

 

Maybe I don't understand all the dynamics, but purchasing thousands of dollars in OBC with a favorable exchange rate seems ripe for limitations to be imposed.

 

People were taking advantage of a loophole, NCL plugged it, and now these same people are upset the jig is up.

 

Do I have this right? Are folks really going to hang their argument on NCL's piss poor communication. If that's the case, we get it. NCL has piss poor communication.

 

Am I supposed to believe that these same people would be happy losing the 20% advantage on their exchange if only NCL had placated them with a dumbass e-mail? I don't think so.

 

If I'm off-base, can someone articulate a reasonable explanation?

 

Nope... You pretty much nailed it.

 

Another whiney Canadian upset they can't exploit a benefit because of their tanking currency.

 

It's getting annoying (but still hysterical to read).

I'm confused, too.

 

Maybe I don't understand all the dynamics, but purchasing thousands of dollars in OBC with a favorable exchange rate seems ripe for limitations to be imposed.

 

People were taking advantage of a loophole, NCL plugged it, and now these same people are upset the jig is up.

 

Do I have this right? Are folks really going to hang their argument on NCL's piss poor communication. If that's the case, we get it. NCL has piss poor communication.

 

Am I supposed to believe that these same people would be happy losing the 20% advantage on their exchange if only NCL had placated them with a dumbass e-mail? I don't think so.

 

If I'm off-base, can someone articulate a reasonable explanation?

 

LOL, yeah OK... not so much really although I guess for some, they might see it that way. I don't like giving the cruise company any more money than I have to before I board the ship. I do pay the DSC before hand and anything that might include a tax or service charge after boarding the ship, but that's it. And even those things will be done as close to boarding date as possible.

 

I guess I'm probably in the minority but as a Canadian, if I feel like if the price is ok with 25-30% upcharge (the exchange rate) is ok when I book, then I just go with the flow. .

 

We love to cruise NCL but even we have limits, knowing your limits is what makes the difference as far as I'm concerned, YMMV.

Edited February 5, 2016 by All-ready2cruise

I'm confused :confused:

 

 

What is the purpose of calling and asking the same question repeatedly? Is one person being asked this question over and over again or does the process involve getting different people on the phone to ask the same question of? At what point does someone decide that the answer they've been given is the correct answer? Once the correct answer is received, do the calls stop, or the the same question still asked multiple times? Is the purpose to try and trip someone up?

 

And all of this so you can give NCL money to hold for you to spend onboard?

 

We called on several occasion regarding the purchase of OBC. First we purchased and asked if there was a limit. We were told no limit. Then I began seeing on here that people were sometimes having OBC refunded for amounts exceeding $1000. So, knowing we wanted to purchase more OBC, due to the length of our cruise and the fact that we are a party of five, we called again to purchase more, making sure to ask if there was limit since there wasn't any point in tying up our money only to have it refunded. That time we were told again, no limit. When I asked if the rep was certain, she asked a supervisor, who asked the help desk and we were told no limit up to $5000. Amounts over 5K required HQ approval.

We called about another matter, but asked about it again while on that call bc only some of our OBC was showing on myNCL. Again, we were assured there was no limit and our full amount was showing on our ammenity statement.

That call happened to be about spa packages, and there was an issue which needed follow up. We were directed to call back the next night. So we did. While on hold the next night, DH was looking at myNCL and noticed a notation next to our OBC stating there was a $1000 limit per reservation. He asked about that and was told that the policy had changed Jan 21. Since ours has been purchased prior to then, he asked for clarification as to whether or not we'd be affected. He was told someone would touch base the next day.

Yesterday, we got that promised call. The person calling from help desk said there had been a "glitch" which allowed the purchase of more than $1000 OBC.

No trying to trip people up, simply trying to get a reliable answer. When NCL says one thing and people on CC start reporting conflicting info, it's prudent to check!

As for why we wanted to give them our money, I'd rather prepay for OBC at a favourable exchange rate than wait and pay a whole lot more once onboard. Thirty cents on the dollar adds up quickly!

Maybe I don't understand all the dynamics, but purchasing thousands of dollars in OBC with a favorable exchange rate seems ripe for limitations to be imposed. I would imagine that everyone who took advantage of the 'loophole' would have expected that the 'loophole' would be closed. But while the 'loophole' remained there was a willing buyer/willing seller situation in existence.

 

People were taking advantage of a loophole, NCL plugged it, and now these same people are upset the jig is up. Again it was in NCL's interests to plug the loophole and everyone would agree with that. But notwithstanding NCL had accepted "purchases" on the willing buyer/willing seller situation BEFORE the 'loophole'' was plugged. I doubt that people are upset that the 'loophole' was plugged; that was to be expected. They are upset that NCL has refused to honour agreements freely made on the willing buyer/ willing seller basis.

 

Do I have this right? Are folks really going to hang their argument on NCL's piss poor communication. No, on NCL's breaking of the willing buyer/willing seller sale and purchase agreements made from NCL's offer of OBC to those purchasing in CAD at a very advantageous rate. If that's the case, we get it. NCL has piss poor communication. That is stating the obvious and not only in this situation.

 

Am I supposed to believe that these same people would be happy losing the 20% advantage on their exchange if only NCL had placated them with a dumbass e-mail? I don't think so. They had an advantage and took advantage of that advantage by entering what they thought was a commercial arrangement with NCL. Close the 'loophole' yes but honour those agreements made before the 'loophole' was closed.

 

I hope that clarifies the situation.

 

Mike

I find it interesting that the OP didn't mention that the reason they bought the OBC was because they had a uneven exchange rate of their Canadian money.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I hope that clarifies the situation.

 

So, that was a lot of words (the orange ones above) to say NCL is bad because NCL cancelled orders for on board credit. Is that the rub?

 

Are credit cards not being promptly refunded? I thought I read something about that. Is that the rub?

Edited February 5, 2016 by triptolemus

I agree, folks were able to make money off this loophole (not saying the OP was doing this), they bragged about it and NCL stopped it. If I were NCL, I'd go one step further and if they cashed it out at the casino, I'd give them promotional chips and slot play that had to be played in the casino. If they didn't use all their OBC, I'd credit their credit card back in Canadian dollars at the same rate they got when they purchased it. This way they would be even, no one wins and no one loses.

 

Exactly! And we'd have been thoroughly satisfied with that as a solution. Our frustration lies in the fact that we were trying to get good info, as we were growing concerned about things we were reading on CC. We weren't going to cash out in the casino and we'd happily take out remaining OBC at the same rate we paid.

 

What is troubling to me, and it extends well beyond the OBC issue based on what I have read on CC, is that NCL doesn't seem to place much value on informing their PCC, supervisors, and help desk. As a consumer, one ought to be able to trust that when they ask a question the person on the other end of the phone is able to give accurate information. If you can't get reliable information from their 1-866 number, who can you get it from?

Also, they did openly tell Cdn passengers to use the good exchange rate to prepurchae OBC. If they were equally open about telling people of the new policy and were more expedient about returning the funds, I'd feel better about it all. But when they happily take your money, and then hold it until you set foot on the ship (or wait until you get home from your cruise) to tell you that they cancelled your OBC and will return your money, that doesn't strike me as the most honest way to go about things.

As I stated, I don't object to the change in policy, but I don't like the way it was handled.

So, that was a lot of words (the orange ones above) to say NCL is bad because NCL cancelled orders for on board credit. Is that the rub?

 

Are credit cards not being promptly refunded? I thought I read something about that. Is that the rub?

 

Some people are reporting that credit cards haven't been refunded even days after a cruise. Again, if this policy changed, at minimum, over a week ago (based on report on CC, it seems like it has been several weeks) they have had ample time to process refunds.

 

FWIW, we strongly requested a full refund to be completed immediately and it has always gone throng on our cards. :)

As I stated, I don't object to the change in policy, but I don't like the way it was handled.

 

OK... you've made your point. You don't like the way it was handled.

 

Now what?

As I stated, I don't object to the change in policy, but I don't like the way it was handled.

 

Yeah... but, that's NCL. I understand how you feel and I am certainly not an NCL apologist. But NCL has elicited your exact response en masse from others numerous times over the last several years. The lack of communication in your particular situation, sadly, is not unique.

Edited February 5, 2016 by triptolemus

So, that was a lot of words (the orange ones above) to say NCL is bad because NCL cancelled orders for on board credit. Is that the rub?

 

Are credit cards not being promptly refunded? I thought I read something about that. Is that the rub?

 

If the credit cards are not be "promptly refunded" that might be a good thing since our dollar is going up, a bit... not much though.

 

I think the rub is probably that those purchasing the OBC were not told about the limit and NCL took the money and then recanted after the fact.... at least that would be my complaint if I'd purchased US dollars under those circumstances anyway.

 

I could be wrong though... I've been wrong before... ( I should put that in my signature) :p

I'm confused, too.

 

Maybe I don't understand all the dynamics, but purchasing thousands of dollars in OBC with a favorable exchange rate seems ripe for limitations to be imposed.

 

People were taking advantage of a loophole, NCL plugged it, and now these same people are upset the jig is up.

 

Do I have this right? Are folks really going to hang their argument on NCL's piss poor communication. If that's the case, we get it. NCL has piss poor communication.

 

Am I supposed to believe that these same people would be happy losing the 20% advantage on their exchange if only NCL had placated them with a dumbass e-mail? I don't think so.

 

If I'm off-base, can someone articulate a reasonable explanation?

 

 

I don't think it is fair to call it a 'loophole' necessarily. NCL has not stopped the sale of OBC at a rate favourable to the customer in terms of the current exchange rate. What they have done is set a limit to the total of OBC amount that can be bought per cabin. No doubt the change in policy was made in part because there were those taking advantage of this.

 

Some of the issues at hand are the fact that the policy was put in place retroactively rather than grandfathering in those who had already purchased.

 

While you may be okay with NCL poor communication, others may not be. If a guest is affected by the the change in policy, especially for something they have already bought and paid for they deserve to be notified. There is not one customer who purchased OBC that NCL does not have the contact information for.

 

To many people, the idea that a company would not immediately refund the money they have taken, for a purchase that they have no intention of honouring, is not only unprofessional but unethical as well.

 

As for as a dumb-ass email placating anyone I think you are missing the point. In the various threads on the topic I have not seen anyone complaining about losing the privilege to order any amount you would like in OBC. I think folks understand the reasoning behind a limit being set. Those who are upset over the change in policy appear to be those who have already purchased their OBC.

 

They have bought and paid for something that will not be delivered and not only are they finding out about the changes here on Cruise Critic but for those who call and try to get some sort of clarification on the issue they have trouble getting any straightforward, definitive and accurate responses to their questions.

 

I don't have any OBC purchased but I do believe that they should have grandfather in those that do. If that was not to be the case then I think that notification, to anyone with over the $1000 limit purchased, should have been provided no later than the day the new policy came into place. And the funds over and above the limit should have been refunded that very day. There is absolutely no excuse why this could not and should not have been done.

 

These changes and lack of notice could play havoc on someone's holiday. As an example; someone going on an European cruise might not want to carry a large sum of cash or use foreign ATM's. They could have pre-purchased $5000 OBC so they would have access to these funds while in Europe. Without notification or a prompt refund of their money prior to their cruise they could find themselves severely strapped for cash thousands of miles from home. What if the money is not refunded prior to their trip and they do not have access to any more funds? Not situations I would like to find myself in.

 

There is also the fact that those who book and pay in Canadian funds now have a limit set on them that is not imposed on others. What if I really want to have $5000 in OBC for my holiday? Is there a system in place where I can purchase $1000 at the reduced rate and then an additional $4000 at the going rate of exchange? If not, why not?

 

Not sure you will see any of this as a reasonable explanation but I know for many of my fellow Canadians they will.

 

 

Rochelle

Exactly! And we'd have been thoroughly satisfied with that as a solution. Our frustration lies in the fact that we were trying to get good info, as we were growing concerned about things we were reading on CC. We weren't going to cash out in the casino and we'd happily take out remaining OBC at the same rate we paid.

 

What is troubling to me, and it extends well beyond the OBC issue based on what I have read on CC, is that NCL doesn't seem to place much value on informing their PCC, supervisors, and help desk. As a consumer, one ought to be able to trust that when they ask a question the person on the other end of the phone is able to give accurate information. If you can't get reliable information from their 1-866 number, who can you get it from?

Also, they did openly tell Cdn passengers to use the good exchange rate to prepurchae OBC. If they were equally open about telling people of the new policy and were more expedient about returning the funds, I'd feel better about it all. But when they happily take your money, and then hold it until you set foot on the ship (or wait until you get home from your cruise) to tell you that they cancelled your OBC and will return your money, that doesn't strike me as the most honest way to go about things.

As I stated, I don't object to the change in policy, but I don't like the way it was handled.

I honestly don't believe that you were trying to work the system, just wanting to get some OBC at a good rate to spend on the ship. I also understand the frustration with the communication from NCL and the training of their shore-side staff. I don't have an issue with them springing the policy on passengers as I feel it was a loophole that needed to be closed immediately, but I have a issue that they didn't send an email out to every person who bought over $1,000 and immediately crediting their credit cards. Unfortunately, you got caught in a few bad apples spoiling it for everyone, just like when they added the % to take money out of the casino that affected many of us who drew money out to use at the casino and now to avoid the charge, we have to carry large amounts of cash, or we have to pay the 3%.

 

I also think they need re-look at their policy and determine a dollar amount per day based on the number of passengers on a reservation (more for adults than for children), so that passengers cruising for say 14 days are allowed more than those that are only cruising for seven days and that a single person would not be allowed the same amount as a couple or family.

I'm not going to quote to save space; but well said Rochelle.

 

Mike

<snip>

Not sure you will see any of this as a reasonable explanation but I know for many of my fellow Canadians they will.

 

Rochelle, typical of your replies, it is a reasonable and insightful response and I sincerely appreciate it. I'm not trying to be an argumentative troll. I just wanted to make sure I understood the dynamics.

Rochelle, typical of your replies, it is a reasonable and insightful response and I sincerely appreciate it. I'm not trying to be an argumentative troll. I just wanted to make sure I understood the dynamics.

 

:)

 

All is good. Nothing like a good discussion.

 

 

 

And thanks Mike.

 

 

Rochelle

Edited February 5, 2016 by rochelle_s

:)

 

All is good. Nothing like a good discussion.

 

 

Rochelle

 

So true, we may not always agree on the "matters at hand" but airing opinions and logicistics is good, well said Rochelle.