Sexist Luggage Tag Policy?

[wallen]

Don’t know if others had or even noticed the same problem, but the recent Oceania Club luggage tags they sent us had the correct club numbers, but the same name (the husband’s) was on both tags. This seemed like a trivial problem that they could easily correct by providing my wife with a tag in her own name. But their response was insulting … apparently, it is more important for them to save the 10 cents (or whatever) to make her a tag with her own name on it than to respect each individual customer. Here’s part of their response to our request for a new tag in her name:

The issue resulted from an error in our mailing database. At Oceania Cruises we pride ourselves on avoiding such situations, and we assure you that issues such as this one are a very rare occurrence. We are sincerely sorry for any inconvenience we may have caused.

 

We are currently attempting to determine both the cause of problem and an effective resolution, although it appears unlikely that we will be sending you a replacement set of luggage tags. I wish I was able to give you a more favorable response, but please know that I do understand the gravity of the problem.

 

I thank you for your kind understanding in this matter and hope that this mishap has not diminished your overall faith in our company. On behalf of the Oceania Club, I look forward to the pleasure of welcoming you back onboard one of our ships in the near future.

 

 

Best Regards,

 

Nick DeSantis

Manager of Loyalty Marketing

Oceania Cruises

8300 NW 33rd Street | Suite 100 | Miami, FL 33122

Office 305 514 2300 | Fax 305 514 3990

Your World. Your Way.

Form letter, anybody? Respect every customer, not just the husbands, Mr. DeSantis.

[RetiredFL]

Apparently it was a big mess.

My partner Frank got a luggage tag with his name on it but I did not and I pay the bills with MY credit card!!

Our TA said everyone is complaining but that Oceania has no immediate problems to correct the situation.

Sounds like someone went off on a half thought out idea.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Apparently it was a big mess.

My partner Frank got a luggage tag with his name on it but I did not and I pay the bills with MY credit card!!

Our TA said everyone is complaining but that Oceania has no immediate problems to correct the situation.

Sounds like someone went off on a half thought out idea.

 

That would be really annoying! I don't think we ever got personalized tags from Regent, but they always put the invoice in my husband's name, and listed him as the person booking the cruise, despite me paying for every one of the 12 cruises we've taken. We'll see what happens in the fall when we get our Oceania tags! (BTW, I just looked at an invoice I got from PG Cruises, and it lists him as the "lead passenger".)

[Iceberg 3]

My guess is management will not find Nick's response adequate

[neepawa]

Our new Oceania luggage tags have my name and Oceania Club Number, and my wife’s name and Oceania Club Number. Since her number is one digit before mine, she gets some of the Oceania mailings. At other times, the mailings are addressed to me or to both of us. On the website, I am listed as the primary passenger.

 

No big deal for us as long as we continue to get the cruise info from Oceania.

 

Cheers,

 

Don

[tallship]

I read Nick's response to mean that this is a bigger issue and that they are attempting to resolve it

 

Perhaps there could be another reason why new tags are not being sent?

[Caroldoll]

I don't care whose name is on the tag, just that it gets to the right cabin. I think this is a big deal over nothing. I would put all the tags with my husband's name on the luggage...just get it in the right cabin. OMG

[Mura]

I, too, don't have a problem with all the tags are in my husband's name ...

 

But in the past we have each gotten our own.

 

Maybe this is an "improvement".

 

Mura

[LHT28]

I don't care whose name is on the tag, just that it gets to the right cabin. I think this is a big deal over nothing. I would put all the tags with my husband's name on the luggage...just get it in the right cabin. OMG

If I am not mistaken they are talking about the OCEANIA CLUB tags that recently came in the mail not the luggage tags you got with your cruise planner

[LHT28]

Our tags came with one in each name

It is not a big deal as I will not put them on my luggage anyway

 

I have luggage tags that hide the address etc..

 

It was a nice gesture

[dundeene]

Having taken just 2 cruises and booked 2 others I have never noticed Oceania to be sexist. Name tags have always been in both names, including the new blue Oceania Club.

The majority of the time Oceania is receiving all of the info on your cruise from a TA. I take care of all the bookings and am always listed as the 1st cruiser. I also pay with a card in my name.

 

If you think about it. . . .a computer can only issue tags with the info typed and sorted by the programs written for Oceania.

Does anyone really think the programmer writes code that tries to sort out which is a male name to list first?

As a company policy?

I think the question was never sexism, but rather some sort of printing error possibly giving status to the name on the credit card used to pay for the cruise. As a Christine, with a son Christopher, I would like to see a program written that can decide if Chris is a male or female;)

[leese]

If it isn't a case of sexism one might think that the female's name would be used half of the time...don't think this is the case.

[joysav]

I have followed this little episode of the Luggage Tags with some interest as it goes

against nearly everything I have read over the years on personal safety overseas .

 

Someone in Oceania is extremely silly on this matter.

 

You don't

 

Leave your First or Business class tags on your bags .

 

Don't flash your Gold or Platinum Cards around or even have them.

 

Baggage tags with any more than minimal info

 

Buy a Red Crescent Lapel Badge. ;)

 

No white Sneakers / Joggers .

 

etc etc

 

Use products like these on your bags

 

http://www.magellans.com/luggage/luggage-luggage-accessories/luggage-luggage-accessories-luggage-locks-and-tags?dir=desc&limit=all&order=rating_summary

 

http://www.origineering.com.au/content/page/tell-tag---why-use-tell-tag-.html

 

http://www.tracemeluggagetracker.com/shop/

 

Oh and avoid American and United at all costs

http://www.bbc.com/travel/blog/20130114-the-2012-best-and-worst-us-airlines

[moggyhill]

I like my white sneakers and won't fly Quantas as they go on strike.;)

[Benita]

If it is any consolation, I was the only one to get the Oceania Club tag - with my last name, which is different from my husband's - and he did not get a tag at all.

[Andee]

Our tags came with DH's name on one and mine on the other. Not much consistency, it seems.

[rhohea]

And some of us never received them. Oh yeh, I forgot we live in Australia and don't get sent anything.:) But I don't care now that we have a great new TA that has made our latest booking of 3 cruises a wonderful, stress free process.

 

But back to the original post. I don't think you could expect much more of Nick than what you got. He apologised and said "we are currently attempting to determine both the cause of problem and an effective resolution." Having known Nick for many years and cruised with him several times I would be confident he would do everything possible to make things right if he can.

[hotelnerd]

I suppose that posting about hers/his name tags is better than watching daytime TV and about as important. Is this all there is to enjoying life?

[dlouise]

We haven't received any tags and we are in Florida!

[orchestrapal]

LOL

 

I hope that this comical thread contains the biggest complaint you will ever have about Oceania. Have a great cruise!

[TERRIER1]

Our tags came with DH's name on one and mine on the other. Not much consistency, it seems.

 

Same here. One tag had my name and the other has my husbands.

[AD607]

We haven't received any tags and we are in Florida!

 

We also haven't received any tags, and we're in Maryland.

[Kissing Seahorses]

Jeez, you give women the right to serve in combat and they think they deserve bag tags too!

[Quality62k]

Our name tags were crrect. One for each of us.

[aohkay]

This seemed like a trivial problem

 

Agree.