A little dissapointed with an incident on our first cruise

[Gma&Gpa]

To me, it seems unlikely that the employee would have taken a chance on pocketing the extra money. She gave you a receipt for $160 - and she certainly had no way of knowing that your husband was not going to check the receipt right there. Then, if she had pocketed the money, it would have been pretty hard for her to look you in the eye and recount the money with less than $200. She would have literally had to stand there and "pocket" the money before the transaction was ever complete. To me, it seems more likely that you did not get the full $200 out of the ATM.

[cruisinlarge]

Not being an ass but I can not believe yall did not take the time to check the receipt at the pursers desk , especiallyt since you were paying CASH . Would you not have checked your change ? if you were making a purchase .

 

I am not saying I do not sympathize with you , but as others have said it was only $ 40 , thank god it wasn't more . Lesson learned . Even if it's a credit card always check ur receipt as ultimately when you sign you are agreeing that the transaction is correct which makes you the responsible party not the clerk , just as it would be anywhere else on a land based vacation. IN fact I think the cruise staff went well beyond to satisify you , on a land based vacation I do not believe you would have gotten so much help in trying to resolve the issue , you did sign the receipt .

[H82seaUgo]

To me, it seems unlikely that the employee would have taken a chance on pocketing the extra money. She gave you a receipt for $160 - and she certainly had no way of knowing that your husband was not going to check the receipt right there. Then, if she had pocketed the money, it would have been pretty hard for her to look you in the eye and recount the money with less than $200. She would have literally had to stand there and "pocket" the money before the transaction was ever complete. To me, it seems more likely that you did not get the full $200 out of the ATM.

 

that's not true. a dishonest employee looks for guinea pigs. they perform transactions that could be perceived as a mistake. if "caught", they apologize, and correct the error. if not, they maintain the out of synch balance, and can withdraw the excess anytime after until they have to "count out/balance".

[richfret]

I work in a store. If a dispute arises where a customer says they did not get back the correct change, we would close the register, count the money and then match the sales records. It does not take as long as it would seem. If the register cash was over and reasonably near the disputed amount, we would admit a mistake had been made. An apology would be given and the overage given back to the customer. If the cash matched the sales records, we would explain the situation and consider the matter closed. Not only are the register records used to resolved the matter but it is assumed the customer is checking any change given and reading the receipt. That's just common sense.

 

Carnival handled the situation properly but they took too long and in doing so worsened the situation. Using the camera as a guide seems stupid unless you wanted to catch some one actually putting the $40.00 in their pocket. This could have been done in private and would not involve the customer.

 

This problem is not new and is encountered in any retail establishment where cash is involved. It does not happen often but does happen.

[JPTexan82]

wow, I had that happen at the Casino one time, I put in my $100.00 and after about 9 pulls on the arm, I didnt get anything back.

[pe4all]

Wow, do I feel for you. You related what happened in a very calm, thorough manner. I don't understand why CCL wouldn't just give you an onboard credit for the $40. They do it for much more trivial matters. There are many "categories" they could have put it under so accounting/auditing wouldn't get on their backs, and so the employee wouldn't be fired. Something broke down somewhere - I would hope the employee wouldn't be foolhardy enough to risk their job (and those jobs are pretty high up, compared to many others on the ship) over $40. Write a certified letter to Carnival, relating the facts just as you did on this board. While it may not get any results, it will make you feel better that you did all you could on your end.

[popsec]

Honestly, not meaning to sound heartless but....it's over. You followed thru as far as you could on the ship but you signed the receipt....case closed.

 

You've now let a $40 loss over-shadow the fun your first cruise. You've wasted enough time on it so get past it. Write your review, look at your wonderful photos and let the rest go.

 

As far as removing your tips....bad move! You may have tipped extra to those you thought deserved it but what about all those people behind the scene that you never saw and now they won't receive their share.... I get so irritated by people who decide to "show Carnival" and then remove their tips. How juvenile and unkind!

 

End of rant

[cruiseinfoseeker]

.... 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.

 

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.

 

CruisefromNY---how about reading their post a little more thoroughly before commenting. . . .:eek:

 

As far as removing the tips affecting behind-the-scenes staff. I think that the OP did that. However, this was the op's first cruise and they probably didn't know how the tips get distributed behind the scenes. I don't agree with people removing tips either, but given the op's explanation I don't think this was a case of "show Carnival." Of course, I could be wrong, but I don't think it was an intentional "cheapskate" move.

[abitaturbodog]

So sorry that happened to you on your cruise. But thanks for posting and making me aware that I should check my receipts before I throw them in my purse (which I always do:o).

 

You may have lost $40, but you also may have saved a bunch of us from doing the same. Thanks!

[jerseyralph]

So sorry that happened to you on your cruise. But thanks for posting and making me aware that I should check my receipts before I throw them in my purse (which I always do:o).

 

You may have lost $40, but you also may have saved a bunch of us from doing the same. Thanks!

 

You make a great point about checking receipts. We boarded the Glory on 6/13. While waiting for staterooms to open we headed to the Red Sail. I ordered a Diet Coke from a bar waiter there. He brought me the soda and handed me back my sign and sail with two receipts. The first was a receipt for $225.00! A very expenisve Diet Coke, even by cruise ship standards. The second was the correct receipt. The waiter explained that he had made a mistake and that the $225.00 would be removed from my account by the end of the day. It was.

 

Here is my point........ I did not notice the error! I was people watching. I was excited to be on the ship. I was engaged in all kinds of other things and not paying attention to the delivery of a Diet Coke.

 

The truth is......I would have signed what he handed me without even reviewing it. If he had not taken the time to explain his error to me, I would have signed that receipt. Lesson learned.

 

I have never really looked at reciepts on cruises. DH and I review the sign and sail receipt at the end or check our account on the TV. (Only when we are concerned we are spending too much, truth be told). We go into some kind of "let it be" mode and never really look.

 

No more.

[PA Dutchman]

Check your receipts before you sign for anything. The only person to play the blame game with is yourself. Don't matter who you are dealing with. Do you look at what you sign for, bank dep or taking money from a ATM with your credit card, or any transaction you make.

[msbask]

What do you expect Carnival to do? As far as they're concerned, you only gave them $160. There's no way for you to prove any different, and they in fact have proved to you that it was $160, not $200 (the cashier's drawer was correct, your husband signed the receipt, and their video doesn't show the cashier pocketing the money). You can't prove your case.

 

It's a tough lesson to learn, but I really believe your post will serve as a reminder to other people to pay closer attention to their transactions. So there is something good that will come of it.

[chasinraynbowz]

I find it strange that anyone would sign a receipt without looking, especially when dealing with money. The total is right there, above where you sign. I just don't see how you can miss it.

 

But, thats just me I guess. :D

[Crusin6]

:eek:I think I read all of the responses..but don't think this has been mentioned...

 

forget what happened and next time get a credit card and use it on the sign & sail.....

 

If you can afford to cruise...then you should have the financial capability to qualify for a credit card...

 

and to answer the question of paying cash for everything...just do this...make a pre payment to your credit card that will cover the tips and other estimated incidentals on the cruise...and..and here is the real beauty of my scheme...

 

if you underestimate how much to prepay...it won't matter..because you used a credit card!!!!:D...and...the second you get off the ship..you can run to an ATM and transfer that money to pay your Credit card charge...and viola.....you have paid off everything for your cruise and you are not even home yet...and can brag about how you pay cash for everything and don't use credit for vacations.....

 

and to top it all off...

 

you earn the points on your credit card.....

 

 

A sign & sail account and travel in general..is no place to use cash...credit cards offer the protection you need...and this situation would not have happened with a credit card.....and any erroneaous charge or mistake would be documented and could be disputed if needed.

[chill6x6]

I work in a store. If a dispute arises where a customer says they did not get back the correct change, we would close the register, count the money and then match the sales records. It does not take as long as it would seem. If the register cash was over and reasonably near the disputed amount, we would admit a mistake had been made. An apology would be given and the overage given back to the customer. If the cash matched the sales records, we would explain the situation and consider the matter closed. Not only are the register records used to resolved the matter but it is assumed the customer is checking any change given and reading the receipt. That's just common sense.

 

Carnival handled the situation properly but they took too long and in doing so worsened the situation. Using the camera as a guide seems stupid unless you wanted to catch some one actually putting the $40.00 in their pocket. This could have been done in private and would not involve the customer.

 

This problem is not new and is encountered in any retail establishment where cash is involved. It does not happen often but does happen.

 

Perfect response.... as is this...

 

I find it strange that anyone would sign a receipt without looking, especially when dealing with money. The total is right there, above where you sign. I just don't see how you can miss it.

 

 

The responses that Carnival should have "given" the OP something because of a "claim" are off base. It's not Carnivals responsibility whatsoever. That is the something for nothing syndrome so many in the USA make a living by.

 

It's hard for me to believe someone would even begin to type over $40.00 loss over the course of a cruise....

[Calico Jack Sparrow]

OP: I don't know what your reasoning is for not using a credit card for your onboard account, but you just gave at least 40 reasons why next time you should. This is the 21st century. Cash is becoming an "albatross" in the world. (Extinct). You would have a few more avenues of recourse if you had used a CC.
Of course, it's already been said, but I think you're to blame here. It's a simple case of caveat emptor-let the buyer beware. Which means check your receipts. Saavy?!

That you removed your tips, that was totally unfair. Why penalize the hard working people who served you well? I didn't even know you could do that.

[I Luv Crusin]

If you if you use it correctly. Please don't bash the OP for (possibly) living without credit. Some people chose not to live with credit cards and that is great!

However, they should have counted and checked their reciept. I also don't agree that they should have removed their tips. That had nothing to do with the situation.

I'd still write Carnival to at least have a paper trail on this employee. Did they have the name of the person who helped them?

And in the future it's a lesson to us all, check receipts and count our money!!!

My first job I had a sleazy mgr. I gave him $50 for a round of change but he never gave it to me. My drawer was short but he denied that he took the $50. Lesson learned......I was 17.

[bigcraig]

OP, if Carnival gives you the $40 in question are you going to send them the tip money back to distribute to all the people that served you?:rolleyes:

[TriciaEMTB]

To some people $40 is a big deal!

[StingRaysfan]

I dont' blame the OP for not using "credit" persay... If I had my way we would have no credit card debt (but we do :( unfortunately) .
However... we usually hook our sign and sail up to our debit card, knowing whats in our bank account, and just be careful. The OP obviously had a debit card as they took money out of the ATM... so why not just hook that up....

to the OP... that situation stinks. I can definitely understand your mindset that an employee of the ship possibly stole from you. That would make me angry, and with no recourse at all I can see why the thought was to remove tips and tip employees on your own. I'd probably call it a day now though, as you are just going to waste a lot of breath and get no where. I hope you enjoyed the rest of your cruise and you cruise again... I think the same thing could happen with any cruiseline... you were just unlucky.

[Cushing985]

I would consider the $40.00 tuition for the School of Life. I bet you don't sign a receipt before looking at it again.

I don't understand why people pull their auto-tips (but have heard a thousand excuses/reasons). As others have stated...there is no way you can tip properly those workers behind the scenes. Leave the tips alone and throw an additional tip to those who go above and beyond.

[Jolimont]

[quote name='rtscruiser']
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.[/QUOTE]
I think that works really well for a small business because you only deal with a limited number of customers. You want to go the extra mile for them? Makes sense, that's what I do too in my small business. BUT Carnival deals with the general public. This family already removed tipping as a result of this situation. Does not tipping their room steward or dining room waiter really resolve a $40 issue with the purser's desk? Maybe they're just cheap and are looking for any excuse to not tip, maybe not, but it's a possibility. Also, every single cruise I get stuck behind people who want a free cruise because the toilet in their cabin stopped working for an hour. The purser's desk--on all lines, not just Carnival--deals with unreasonable customers constantly. If what you really want is a free cruise, a small token of their appreciation will not help. As a matter of fact it may make things worse. See, Carnival knows they're in the wrong so they gave me a free pin!

[mitsguy2001]

I'm going to post from a different perspective. While I agree that the OP should have counted the money at the ATM and should have checked the receipt, people are completely forgetting one thing: the $40 should be completely insignificant to Carnival, while the bad customer service can be very costly. It's unfortunate that our society always screws the "little guy", in this case, the customer losing the $40. It seems that the only other option that Carnival even offered was firing that employee, again, screwing a "little guy" who really needs his/her job, and likely just made an innocent mistake.

It's frustrating how at my job, everything is always "the customer (client, in my case) is always right" (even when they are very, very obviously wrong), but whenever I'm in situations where I'm a customer, I'm always expected to just suck it up and accept that "life isn't fair". Why the double standard? Why can't Carnival just refund the $40 (insignificant to Carnival), let the customer be happy, and let the employee keep his/her job, but give him/her a reminder to be more careful about money?

[prchoudh]

Whenever I have had problems with Carnival and gotten no where with the staff on the ship, I will call Carnival and explain my frustration. Some times they will resolve it right there. Other times, I have sent a letter to them.

In turn they might give you a discount voucher good towards another cruise.

[Crusin6]

[quote name='I Luv Crusin']If you if you use it correctly. Please don't bash the OP for (possibly) living without credit. Some people chose not to live with credit cards and that is great!

However, they should have counted and checked their reciept. I also don't agree that they should have removed their tips. That had nothing to do with the situation.

I'd still write Carnival to at least have a paper trail on this employee. Did they have the name of the person who helped them?

And in the future it's a lesson to us all, check receipts and count our money!!!

My first job I had a sleazy mgr. I gave him $50 for a round of change but he never gave it to me. My drawer was short but he denied that he took the $50. Lesson learned......I was 17.[/quote]
however...when you travel...cash is NOT king....but just an emergency stash......Credit Cards are king......safe, secure and disputable.....and as I posted earlier..for those that can't handle a credit card balance at the end of a cruise...just PREPAY the credit card..because you must have the cash available...because you keep saying that you use cash only and not a CC:rolleyes:..therefore you can pre pay your card......

and those of you that travel with cash...if you also travel with insurance...you know that you must pay your medical/evac expenses...how would you do that? Do you have enough cash and have access to large sums? ATM's only dispense a pre set amount per day..but you know that, right?

It is archaic to travel without a credit card in this day an age!! and I am not alone in realizing this, BTW.:)