Does it Ever Bother You?

[lcand1923]

To some people, the only good cruise is one where they can complain. Complaining is what gives them pleasure. These same people will complain in restaurants, stores, doctor's offices, everywhere. Do they want something for nothing? In many instances, no. They use complaining as a means of showing how smart they are. Let's face it, they are telling everyone what SHOULD be done.

 

A lot of people complain because they want something for nothing. They've read on CC, in newspaper and magazine articles, heard from friends, etc. how they can get something for nothing by complaining. So, they think they are going to be comped for complaining.

 

Some people are so intimidated by being on a cruise ship that they don't feel comfortable complaining until they are home. They arrive home and start telling a neighbor or friend about their cruise experience. Their neighbor or friend tells them that what they experienced wasn't as it should be. They THEN post on CC, Facebook, write a letter, etc. Do they expect something in return? Depending upon what a neighbor, friend or respondent on CC or Facebook tells them, probably yes.

 

I worked in quality improvement for many years. I ALWAYS write a letter after the fact listing good points and improvement possibilites to headquarters. Do I expect anything? Yes, a letter of acknowlegment, even if it is just a form letter. Do I get one? Hate to say it, no.

 

I've been on three HAL cruises (about six on other cruise lines). I did my normal after the first HAL cruise and received a lovely letter of response. HAL was going to forward my compliments to the various people I mentioned and was going to investigate my one suggestion. I did not expect anything other than this. My second and third HAL cruise letters weren't even acknowledged. We then sailed other cruise lines. Again I followed my normal after the fact letter procedure. No response of any sort from any of the lines.

 

If something happens during the cruise, I will take care of it at that time. My letter will mention the episode and how it was handled. I will continue my letter writing exercise because I don't think you can compliment people enough and that is what most of my letters are.

[hal lover]

On our last cruise we had one person who complained about just about everything. If something wasn't wrong he would say it was wrong. Of course in the end he said he was cancelling his gratuities. That was his way of not paying the gratuities.

 

I have seen this happen time and time again. SHAME, SHAME on those people!

If there is something wrong, address it and get it taken care of it at the time. DO NOT go around the ship complaining to anyone who will listen. Quite frankly, these type's BORE me. They are looking for reason's to complain and then EXPECT the cruise line or crew to make it up to them. GEEZ!

 

No cruise or any other trip is PERFECT! And for sure, if you look for something negative, it can be found. How about the reality that you are on a cruise and many at this time can't not even think about going on a cruise. COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS!!!!

 

Sorry for my ranting~but it really gets under my skin that people cheat the crew out of their hard earned HSC. CHEAPSKATE'S!! BTW~ I have NEVER seen a hearse with a luggage rack on it...:eek:

[lvz2cruz]

We did a catamaran snorkel through Celebrity. The company was new and when we reached the reef we were handed masks and snorkels in the package which we had to open. Fins were not provided. We all opened and our family had a great time. After the snorkel time, we had refreshments and had a scenic guided tour as we came back. Everyone was given a free t shirt with the snorkel company logo.

We enjoyed ourself and had a great day.

The next day we had a letter in our cabin apologizing for excursion with a note that half of the excursion price had been credited to our account. I don't know who had complained, how many, or what they had such a problem with, but we loved the day. I almost felt guilty having the money credited because it was not neccessary.

 

On a brighter note, our son lost his keycard Saturday. I dreaded going to the front desk to get a new one after reading here about all the people who remove tips the last day. There was no one in line and I was happy for all the hardworking crew.

[Homala]

What a lousy manager. Glass in food is NEVER acceptable and no one should have to pay for it. Anyone who would willingly pay for a meal with glass in it sounds like a patsy who probably lets people walk all over them. Not something to be bragging about.

 

Ouch! Really? First, I wasn't bragging about it. Just sharing a story that I thought expressed a reasonable way of handling a situation, where some others would expect FAR MORE rewards or compensation. Yes, glass in food is dangerous and terrible. But I wasn't hurt at all! He stopped all food production and said he'd make sure the kitchen was thoroughly cleaned. And you think I'm a patsy who lets people walk all over me. :confused:

 

Bless your heart anyway. :)

[gabbyisadog]

No flames here as we have been witness to several who appear in making this a habitual event on cruises.

On our Noordam cruise ending 915, we sat next to a man in the MDR for our one and only lunch there who complained about hours dinning room open for lunch and MDR closed for lunch on port days. He then launched into a complaint about them washing the deck while he enjoyed a beer. Told me that he had gotten a $800 credit from HAL on his last cruise due to his complaints and he was going to write them about these as soon as he got home obviously looking for more credits. Maybe HAL should answer that they are sorry that their ships do not meet his standards and offer nothing. This would stop a lot of petty complaints while allowing compensation for serious matters ie air conditioning etc.

[3rdGenCunarder]

We did a catamaran snorkel through Celebrity. The company was new and when we reached the reef we were handed masks and snorkels in the package which we had to open. Fins were not provided. We all opened and our family had a great time. After the snorkel time, we had refreshments and had a scenic guided tour as we came back. Everyone was given a free t shirt with the snorkel company logo.

We enjoyed ourself and had a great day.

The next day we had a letter in our cabin apologizing for excursion with a note that half of the excursion price had been credited to our account. I don't know who had complained, how many, or what they had such a problem with, but we loved the day. I almost felt guilty having the money credited because it was not neccessary.

 

On a brighter note, our son lost his keycard Saturday. I dreaded going to the front desk to get a new one after reading here about all the people who remove tips the last day. There was no one in line and I was happy for all the hardworking crew.

 

I wonder if the complaints were about no fins? I've been snorkeling in places were we didn't use fins because of the chances of smacking the coral too much. It was shallow water, we walked into the lagoon via a small beach area and were told to stay swimming, don't walk around.

 

Glad to hear there was no rush to remove the servie charge on your cruise. I agree with others who say that the worst response to a problem is to punish the whole crew by removing that charge.

[JR767]

On our first HAL cruise a couple of years ago - Eurodam Caribbean - we met a very nice woman at the Silk Den bar who was quite familiar with HAL, and she gave us a lot of great information.

 

One thing she told us was that there are people who actually go to the purser's office at the end of the cruise, and ask to have the daily tip amount removed from their bill!

 

Given the fantastic overall level of service on HAL, together with what is IMO the tremedous value they offer, and the fact that the crew is working long hours with tips being a major portion of their compensation - it was just sickening to hear people doing this.

 

Just sickening. I think there is a special place in hell reserved for people like that.

[piscesgal223]

"There is a special place in hell reserved for people like that"

 

 

Indeed. But they are asked not to come back if they complain too much, so there *is* that.

[marco]

...And it seems that those who complain ad nausium on these boards, and to staff while on the ship, after they're home and friends ask:"How was your cruise?" Their reply is: "It was just FABULOUS!!!!!!!!!"

[sail7seas]

"There is a special place in hell reserved for people like that"

 

 

Indeed. But they are asked not to come back if they complain too much, so there *is* that.

 

 

:confused: Really: Where did you hear they are asked 'not to come back"?

[LynnTTT]

DH and I were on the Carnival Dream's first transatlantic voyage in Oct 2009. Very good food. The last day or so I went to the afternoon tea- lovely service, a huge variety of sweets etc, The guy across from me said it was the worst food ever. Much worse than Princess, etc. Meanwhile he and I were eating the best lemon meringue tart I have ever eaten. When I mentioned it, he agreed. His plate was piled high , and I bet it was at every meal. the old catskill joke, "the food was terrible- yes, and such small portions".

[LynnTTT]

I've been with people who complained about missing a certain post due to a storm. get over it... it's past and the ship had no choice.

[piscesgal223]

Sail: It was on post #22 on this thread.

[sail7seas]

Yes, I saw the post but wonder how someone might know that to be true. I read it, remembered it but wonder who would have told a guest that. :eek:

[piscesgal223]

There are a few people who are "in the know" about HAL-maybe one of them knows about this and can clear things up a bit.

[Willem Ruys]

I've been noticing so much that people with complaints aboard seem more eager to get the "reward" of COMPENSATION...

 

TWO incidents of onboard connivers getting caught and BOTH on the MAASDAM:

 

1. Angry woman demanded to see the GRM (Guest Relations Manager). GRM accommodated the request for an interview. The woman demanded money back because on boarding her cabin wasn't clean telling "there was a half eaten chocolate chip cookie on the floor. And when I picked it up and put it into my mouth I discovered it wasn't chocolate chip, it was feces [she used the vernacular word].

GRM said: "The moment you put it into our mouth HAL liability ended. and sped her parting guest.

 

Another woman on another cruise came to bitterly complain about cockroaches in her room, also demanding $$ back. A search of the room turned up a fruit fly which likely entered when the balcony door was opened in port. Also no compensation given.

 

Such stories happen on all of the ships, these are my 2 favorites

[Willem Ruys]

There are a few people who are "in the know" about HAL-maybe one of them knows about this and can clear things up a bit.

 

On VERY rare occasions if a passenger has exhibited a trail of egregious behavior, HAL, like other lines, has banned people. One man was banned for punching another passenger. Cunard takes little "lip" - or lid - disembarked a nasty man from the QE2 world cruise we took after he slammed the lid of a washing machine down onto the hand of a man trying to use that machine.

 

SOMETIMES it's for health problems. On the STELLA SOLARIS an incontinent gent was banned from returning...

[piscesgal223]

I'd say the asking for compensation for small problems is more obnoxious that egregious.

 

 

I am :eek: at the incontinent guy being banned. But I don't know the whole story-if that was a frequent thing, or if it was something else( he could have been drunk, maybe?)

[YOW]

In a previous lifetime ;), I was a customer service manager at a major online travel agency. Requests for compensation were what we dealt with, day in and day out.

 

One story that stands out, I believe typifies the mentality on the part of some people. A woman called after returning home from a "horrible" vacation to Hawaii. She'd booked a package with 'free breakfast,' but did not bother to read that this was for up to three people in each room. The hotel was going to charge for one of her grandchildren to eat breakfast (every day on a week-long stay). Did the customer call us at this point? No -- she said she didn't want to incur a charge for phone calls, but this was back in the day when pay phones were still widely in use, and we had a toll-free number. So (allegedly) her granddaughter was 'forced' to sit in the hotel room each morning while the rest of the family went downstairs to have breakfast. And (purportedly) this caused dietary issues for the granddaughter as the trip went on. I looked into the matter, found that the hotel was acting in line with the contract, and called back the customer to deny compensation. She cried hysterically, asking, "Why not?! You've ruined our trip!!" I explained, as nicely as I could, that (a) she chose this situation by refusing to call us or to pay for breakfast; and that (b) nothing I could do now would change how that trip went. When the customer advised that they would never use our services again, that was one less person I'd have to invite not to use our services again. ;)

 

I always encourage travellers to be proactive and have a flexible plan... and when stuff happens (and it always does when we travel, doesn't it?!), make the best of a situation and don't take it personally. And I am still appalled when I see people abusing the system -- and abusing front line staff in the process.

[off2ctheworld]

Service busineses are really dealing with this entitlement problem. We see it in the wedding industry-especially after an expensive wedding. About a week later, bills arrive and the parties have overspent, so start complaining. Photographer forgot to take a certain picture, florist made corsage in wrong color, cake wasn't tasty or decorated incorrectly, venue wasn't right-etc. But they will be happy IF you take off a few hundred dollars for each problem. This past year one of those brides said they needed the rent money while complaining to us about the pink used at the wedding-it wasn't a deep enough shade! She forgot she had picked out the color and we still had the sample...sigh....