A little dissapointed with an incident on our first cruise

[allgood2010]

I know this is very long, I just figured I could vent to the good folks here at Cruisecritic to put the whole thing in perspective for me. I appreciate any thoughts or suggestions and thank you in advance.

 

Well we took the Splendor June 19-27 to the Mexican Riviera. I fully intend to write a review as there were some really great things on our cruise and I have a ton of pics to share as well for those interested.

 

I do have a question on how to handle a situation we encountered or if we are just SOL.

 

On Tuesday night Hubby and I stopped off at Guest Services to deposit $200 cash which we had pulled from the ATM earlier that day. We were on our way to the Steakhouse (amazing btw) and recounted the $200 cash which was in twenty dollar bills.

 

We handed over the money and stated "we would like to deposit $200 on our account". The Guest Services rep took the cash and then gave us the receipt to sign while answering our question of "where is the steakhouse?". My Husband picked up a pen and signed the receipt just like all the others without checking it twice.

 

An hour or so later we were enjoying our amazing dinner at the Steakhouse when he excused himself to use the restroom. I was bored so I went through my clutch and looked at the receipt from earlier. It stated we only deposited $160. When hubby returned I double checked with him and of course he then began to worry in which I calmed him down and told him we would go to Guest Services and they would fix it. We got our HUGE cheesecake to go and then went downstairs.

 

At Guest Services I explained the situation and was told that they would call back the employee who handled the transaction to check her drawer and for us to come back in an hour. When we returned in an hour we were told that her drawer was fine. We then insisted that we double checked the money before handing it over and asked what else could be done to check on the missing $40. We were told that a request would be put in to surveillance since there was a protocol in place for the cashiers to count money and that they would be able to tell the amount from the video. We were told to check back the next morning.

 

The next day we checked back with Guest Services and were told there was an issue with the time on the cameras not matching the actual time so it would take longer to go through the video. We completely understood and were told they would leave a message for us in our cabin when it was sorted out.

 

The next day there was a message for us to call Guest Services and speak with the Manager. We instead went down to see them since it had now been 3 days since the start of the ordeal and the Manager explained that that when they had watched the video there was no way to determine how much cash had been counted since the employee held it in her hand while she counted and they were sorry but nothing could be done. I explained that we were told 3 days ago there was a protocol for counting cash and the cameras would be able to see the transaction. We were told there was no protocol and once again they were sorry there was nothing they could do. Of course we were very upset but didn't want to ruin our last port day and pushed it to the back of our mind.

 

Later that night we returned to guest services and asked to speak with someone higher up than the Manager. We were told that an email would be sent to her/GSM and we would once again receive a message in our room.

 

The next day still no message so we returned to Guest Services. The GSM was in and took us into her office. She explained that there was no protocol in place for counting cash and that by compensating us in some way it would be admitting the employee had stolen which the employee would be sent home immediately. We explained that we fully understood but we were upset at the fact that even though they could not prove that what we were claiming was not true we were still out $40 and all the time wasted. We asked if there was some way to compensate us in the form of a credit and we were told no. All in all we got only "sorry for the inconvenience but there is nothing we can do". The GSM stated the situation was documented. We asked to have the prepaid tips refunded and we would tip as we saw fit. The GSM actually sat there and said we should really reconsider getting the tips refunded as the crew works very hard. I was really getting upset since we know how hard these people work and were planning on tipping more than we already had. But the fact that we had been taken for our cash with nothing other than "I"m sorry" and now being told we should think twice before asking for our prepaid tips back was a little much to hear.

 

Just to explain the prepaid tip ordeal it will take about 2-3 weeks for us to receive it back but we tipped more than what those were to begin with throughout the week and at the end of the cruise. We just wanted to have the control of who our tips went to and even though a Carnival employee was responsible for us losing $40 we weren't about to screw over the rest of the employees.

 

Anyways, I guess we should have checked every receipt every time. We just felt relaxed being on vacation and that we didn't have to worry about someone purposely trying to cheat us. Of course after that we double checked everything.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions as to who we should submit our issue to or will it be like beating a dead horse?

 

Other than that the cruise was great and we had a good time. It's too bad something like this puts doubt as to whether we should trust our business and vacation to Carnival in the future.

[golfadj]

Sorry but you are in a classic he said/she said situation.

 

One would think the drawer at the end of the shift would have told the story.

[jessemon]

Sorry but you are in a classic he said/she said situation.

 

One would think the drawer at the end of the shift would have told the story.

This is going to be a cold statement but I am going to say it....

The drawer would balance for one of two reasons....

1-The employee pocketed the extra $40 and the OP did not check the receipt they signed or...

2-The OP only gave them $160...

 

Suggestion...Check your bank account for that day...Machines run out of money. It might have only dispensed $160 and if it was not counted at that time (when you left the ATM) you might not have know and the person at the desk might have deposited the amount given them...Just a thought....

[snoodel]

I understand your frustration and dissapointment. However, you have to also understand where they are coming from at the same time.

There are many possibilities as to what happened.

And I will not jump and bash you for your feelings on this, but I guess that is where being an outside party, we can see what went wrong.

Chalk it up to an experience and remember to count the money out TO them and double check your reciept next time. I know, Too little too late.

And it does suck sometimes. Thank goodness you were only missing $40 and not $400. It could have been much worse.

[clarkg]

That is so sad and upsetting. I really get frustrated when I think that I have been ripped off. But I do have to say, it was good that it was only $40.00. After all you spent on the vacation I'm sure that it's not a huge amount.

[JSCruiser]

I am sorry this happened to you. I would e-mail Carnival about the incident. If the money was not in the drawer and you are sure you gave the rep $200 then there is a good possibility that the rep stole your money. Even if e-mailing Carnival does not get you your money back, at least you have made Carnival aware of the potential situation with this particular employee.

 

Also, in the past I have e-mailed Carnival about a minor issue on our cruise and received a letter for a discount on our next cruise. I was very surprised to receive the discount, which saved us several hundred dollars on the next cruise we took. The e-mail I sent also mentioned some very positive experiences we had on the cruise. From my previous life in customer service I learned that most completely negative correspondence was not nearly as effective as a letter that also mentions something positive.

[balcony bound]

I'm sorry that happened to you, and that it took up so much of your time.

 

I never used to pay much attention to my receipts - just signed. But we had one particular cruise that we had several receipts that were totally out of whack -- we ordered two drinks and the reciept was for over $100... I had just about signed it and noticed the amount- it was fixed promptly. I also made a purchase in the ship store and had mentally calculated what I was spending - checked the reciept and saw that I was charged 3 times for 1 item. That one took a couple hours to fix since the store clerk could not fix it himself? What a pain to be stuck there hanging around.

 

I'm usually pretty relaxed when on the ship, but these couple of mistakes have made me pay better attention (duh).

 

I'm glad that you had a good time on your cruise regardless of having to work through your deposit issue. Some folks would have let that ruin everything for them.

[Jolimont]

He said/She said, there's no way to resolve this I think. Don't sign without looking, count your money twice, and--why are you using cash at all? That's asking for trouble right there! People are a lot more likely to rob you (or make a mistake) than a computer, and it's easy to double check on credit card transactions, keep your receipts all day, add them up, check against your portfolio using the cabin's TV. If there's a problem, you can address it because you both looked before you signed and you kept your receipts. With cash, it's impossible to check, once the money has changed hands, game over. You have a credit card (you withdrew from the ATM) so why not link it to your cruise card and just use that? You could fall victim of that same sort of error--or theft--anywhere. Cash is trouble because it's easy for anyone to steal and use. If they steal your credit card they need to be more devious and informed how to rob you. Anyway, I'm sorry this happened, hope it doesn't ruin a good thing for you.

[ahoys]

I've often bought things that I ended up thinking was a waste of money. I have shoes in my closet that I spent over 100 dollars on that I don't ever wear. In the grand scheme of things, a 40 dollar mistake isn't that expensive. (When I think of all the mistakes I've made in the casino...but that's another story...)

 

I think your 40 dollars is upsetting and it leaves a really bad cloud over what you thought was a terrific vacation. But in the end, you made a 40 dollar mistake of not checking the receipt before you left the counter. You'll not make that mistake again!

 

There really isn't a good reason to pursue the issue. You won't get a different answer, no matter how high up you go in the company. You'll waste time and energy retelling your story again and again and getting sympathy but no resolution.

 

If I were you I'd go through your photos and work on your review and focus on the good part of your vacation. Put the 40 dollars into the "life lessons" budget and move on....

[cv322]

Like the other posters here, I'm so sorry this happened to you. I would email Carnival just to have it on record. Also, on future cruises remember that it's so important to look at the bottom line before signing...whether you're in the shops, the Steakhouse or in one of the bars...very important to read what you're signing.

[skylock]

Like the other posters here, I'm so sorry this happened to you. I would email Carnival just to have it on record. Also, on future cruises remember that it's so important to look at the bottom line before signing...whether you're in the shops, the Steakhouse or in one of the bars...very important to read what you're signing.

 

Why would the op want it on record that she signs receipts for cash without checking them first?

 

Sorry op, lesson learned. Drop it.

[gail811]

I appreciate the post as it could have happened to anyone. I generally do not count my money at the ATM especially if others are watching, and never considered it could actually run out of cash ! That is an interesting thought "jessemon". No matter how it happened, I also appreciate that you did not let it ruin your cruise. Will be anxious to hear if there is ever any resolution, and will be much more aware now when making such transactions.

[H82seaUgo]

it all comes down to accounting.

 

having dealt with thousands of dollars in cash daily, years ago, we used to encounter claims of "i know i gave that clerk x, and i was only credited y"

 

a simple stop and count of the "drawer" would prove that customer right or wrong.

 

if you gave $200, and she only accounted for $160, the "drawer" would be over $40, or "it" was put elsewhere. the fact that you didn't check your receipt doesn't help, and now just makes it "he said/she said"

[CruisefromNY]

You took off your tips because someone may have taken $40? though I am sorry to hear about possible dishonesty and theft, screwing everyone else that took care of you sounds a bit cold to me.

[quickrate]

I guess I'm amazed you didn't check your receipt as soon as it was handed to you. Surely when you make a bank deposit you glance at the receipt to make sure the teller credited your account with the right amount. And, when you go shopping, you check your receipt to make sure you have been charged the right amounts. A cruise ship or any vacation is no different. I don't think an employee would intentionally try to steal $40 with you standing right in front of them. Chalk it up to human error-at this point, it doesn't matter whose. The positive side is you have learned a relative cheap life lesson and will be more careful and more aware. I'm glad you had a enjoyable cruise-don't let this incident color the fun times you had.

Pat

[BeccaBecca1713]

Sigh.....you are, unfortunately, SOL. Your husband signing the receipt was the binding contract that says he agreed that he gave cashier that amount.

 

Lesson learned, and I appreciate you sharing, as I'm often guilty of signing without looking too.

[hubofhockey]

Tough lesson learned for OP. Carnival employee could have counted the money and bills could have been stuck together. These are not bank cashiers working for Carnival. I always wonder why people do business in cash when it is easier to settle up with cruise lines with credit cards at the end of a cruise. With credit cards, you can more easily dispute charges at end and have a more solid record of payment. Thankfully, this mistake was only $40. Could have been worse.

[Fighterone]

Sigh.....you are, unfortunately, SOL. Your husband signing the receipt was the binding contract that says he agreed that he gave cashier that amount.

 

Lesson learned, and I appreciate you sharing, as I'm often guilty of signing without looking too.

 

Ditto to that! I am sorry that you decided to take your pre-paid tips back though...if you had had horrible service and a horrible time, it might have served a purpose but you had a great cruise...:confused:

[rokinrobin105]

I think I would send a letter to carnival so it can at least be on file. If its a reoccurring thing that happens when this one employee is on duty then maybe something can be done. but if no one reports it how will they know?

[MsTabbyKats]

This is going to be a cold statement but I am going to say it....

The drawer would balance for one of two reasons....

1-The employee pocketed the extra $40 and the OP did not check the receipt they signed or...

2-The OP only gave them $160...

 

Suggestion...Check your bank account for that day...Machines run out of money. It might have only dispensed $160 and if it was not counted at that time (when you left the ATM) you might not have know and the person at the desk might have deposited the amount given them...Just a thought....

 

OP could have received $200.....but dropped 2 bills while counting

 

Sign at bank:

Check your money before you leave the teller. No adjustments will be made afterwards.

[Jolimont]

I appreciate the post as it could have happened to anyone. I generally do not count my money at the ATM especially if others are watching...

ATMs don't make mistakes, people do.

[Jolimont]

Tough lesson learned for OP. Carnival employee could have counted the money and bills could have been stuck together. These are not bank cashiers working for Carnival. I always wonder why people do business in cash when it is easier to settle up with cruise lines with credit cards at the end of a cruise. With credit cards, you can more easily dispute charges at end and have a more solid record of payment. Thankfully, this mistake was only $40. Could have been worse.

Exactly! Don't use cash!!!

[rtscruiser]

Of course the OP should have done a few things differently. We all live differently in hindsight. But allow me to commit the mortal sin of criticizing Carnival in this case.

 

Not for the original mistake, whoever it belongs to, but for making it so much worse. If the OP is to be believed (let's go with that for a minute,) and reasonably escalated this issue over 3 days, Carnival could have offered them something other than a "sorry, nothing we can do." Unless Carnival felt like this customer was completely trying to rip them off, the stonewall just infuriates the customer. There are about a thousand things Carnival could have offered this customer to make them feel better without actually admitting "guilt" by either party, especially since Carnival was unable to document the transaction the way it said it would.

 

I'm a small businessperson who lives by the motto "delight the customer." Seems to me it would have been far more sensible in Carnival's case to say "there isn't anything we can do at this point about the original mistake and we apologize for the confusion, but please take [this] as a small token our our concern and to show you how much we appreciate your business." The customer feels better, Carnival steps up for a good customer and this post has a completely different story to tell.

 

In my business we bend over backwards to make the customer happy. Sometimes it isn't possible and we deal with those cases when needed, but if we own even 1% of the customer's dissatisfaction we do everything we can to make it right.

 

Just a different perspective. Do with it what you will.

[Socref124]

I know this is very long, I just figured I could vent to the good folks here at Cruisecritic to put the whole thing in perspective for me. I appreciate any thoughts or suggestions and thank you in advance.

 

 

On Tuesday night Hubby and I stopped off at Guest Services to deposit $200 cash which we had pulled from the ATM earlier that day. We were on our way to the Steakhouse (amazing btw) and recounted the $200 cash which was in twenty dollar bills.

 

We handed over the money and stated "we would like to deposit $200 on our account". The Guest Services rep took the cash and then gave us the receipt to sign while answering our question of "where is the steakhouse?". My Husband picked up a pen and signed the receipt just like all the others without checking it twice.

 

An hour or so later we were enjoying our amazing dinner at the Steakhouse when he excused himself to use the restroom. I was bored so I went through my clutch and looked at the receipt from earlier. It stated we only deposited $160. When hubby returned I double checked with him and of course he then began to worry in which I calmed him down and told him we would go to Guest Services and they would fix it. We got our HUGE cheesecake to go and then went downstairs.

 

I believe you are SOL. If the employee took the money, once they left the work area they could mingle the money with their own in their cabin. Mistakes are made, and this one was costly but not as costly as it could have been.

This is the reason we use a credit card. I go over every transaction before getting rid of the receipts. Once on Monarch of the Seas, we found that a cocktail server added a $50 tip to the bill. I went to guest services and explained that I would never leave a $50 tip for a $10 charge. They asked me to show them my receipt, which I did, and they took the charge off the bill. I don't know if the waitress made an honest mistake or not or what happened to her after the incident, but the matter was taken care of.

I would suggest, if I may, that in the future you count out your cash to the guest services agent.

So sorry this happened to you and I am glad you enjoyed the rest of your cruise.

[azpilot]

2-The OP only gave them $160...

 

 

I think this answers your question?

 

"On Tuesday night Hubby and I stopped off at Guest Services to deposit $200 cash which we had pulled from the ATM earlier that day. We were on our way to the Steakhouse (amazing btw) and recounted the $200 cash which was in twenty dollar bills. "

 

To the OP, sounds like not much you can do. Thank god it was only $40 and not something much more. I would be ticked off as well, I would have verified the amount with them as I handed it them while counting and then verified the receipt before signing. Its also possible that they miscounted as bills could have been stuck together too.