Did I just get ripped off?

[workink]

We recently booked our first cruise with NCL and later decided to upgrade. Our NCL rep wrote us an email quoting a price for a mini-suite, which we thought would be better for our family of four. We just finished paying over the phone for our "upgrade" and we soon discover that our new room is a B2 category (Family Balcony Stateroom), not a mini-suite. When we asked this rep over the phone he said that they were the same thing. Mind you, this is an NCL employee. So we were quoted a price for a mini-suite, paid for what we thought would be a mini-suite and are now in a B2.

 

Does anyone have any advice for us? The cruise is about 2 weeks away.

[sdmike]

They are two clearly different categories. What were you in to start with? It's entirely possible that you WERE upgraded from what you had before, but it's not a mini. It's just a balcony that holds 4 people.

 

If you have the original email saying the price was for a mini-suite I would contact a supervisor immediately to resolve the issue.

[workink]

We did get an email from our NCL rep that says, " I have found you a mini-suite , so an increase of 340 euro, but again, because of the time limit, there is a charge of 98 euro" They ended up waiving the 98 euros as the cruise was not full, but we did not get a mini-suite.

 

How do I get a hold of a supervisor?

[sdmike]

Call NCL and explain that you have an issue and need to speak to someone to resolve it. You may get a more competent rep, but you may need to ask to talk to a supervisor if that rep is unable to solve your problem.

 

You will also want to decide in advance what to do if the rep was just stupid...er, mistaken...and they thought this was a mini, and the price for a REAL mini is higher. You can keep the room, ask to have your money refunded and go back to your old one (since it wasn't worth the price), or pay the difference for a real mini. You should be firm that you want what you were promised, but be prepared for a "plan B"

 

Good luck!

[NH Cruisers]

Supposedly too, all calls are recorded.

 

Hope everything works out for you. That is the type of actions that will sour someone to the cruiseline! This is not their (NCL) normal bussiness practice.

 

Jon

[nutley chick]

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

[workink]

So I just got off the phone after talking with three different people. I phoned NCL customer service, who promised that someone would get back in touch with me by phone in a few minutes. So who should phone me, in an angry voice, but my original NCL agent that booked the "mini-suite." He was not very happy and told me that he sent me an email today, in which he sent the exact specifications for the room. He wrote..."your cabin is a B2 which means that it is a suite with balcony..." So now he is calling the room a suite.

 

I just called NCL back and asked to speak to a customer rep, but none were available. The sad thing is that I am not trying to get something for free, I'm just trying to get what I paid for.

 

I'll keep you updated.

[opalinem]

B2 is definitely not a suite, it's a balcony room. Good luck with sorting this out!

[deladypilot]

What ship are you booked on? It might help us help you more.

 

Any room that starts with a B is a Balcony. Mini-Suites start with an M, so the rep is clearly wrong. Yes a family balcony is usually a bit bigger but not as big as a mini-suite and will not have the tub

 

Please keep us posted. I feel for you

[mpk218]

And please ask to speak with a supervisor Again . From here on out rep1 will only be trying to cover his A$$ not help you . Ask for a supervisor and speak with no one else ,, period.

Also , let us know which ship and date so we can help you fix this.

 

Good luck ;)

[sdmike]

You should refuse to discuss this with the original rep. They are either incompetent or a flat out liar. Either way, you have no use for them anymore.

 

As stated, "B" category rooms are just balconies. Not a a mini ("M") or a suite ("S").

[HokiePoq]

We recently booked our first cruise with NCL and later decided to upgrade. Our NCL rep wrote us an email quoting a price for a mini-suite, which we thought would be better for our family of four. We just finished paying over the phone for our "upgrade" and we soon discover that our new room is a B2 category (Family Balcony Stateroom), not a mini-suite. When we asked this rep over the phone he said that they were the same thing. Mind you, this is an NCL employee. So we were quoted a price for a mini-suite, paid for what we thought would be a mini-suite and are now in a B2.

 

Does anyone have any advice for us? The cruise is about 2 weeks away.

 

Not sure what ship you are on, so I can't check the square footage. We've had a minisuite. It is just a wider balcony room, no suite involved.

[weltek]

Which ship are you sailing?

 

I ask because when looking at some ships, there is no B2 category listed. So maybe it's an MB and there's just some strange mislabeling going on?

Edited December 3, 2013 by weltek

[workink]

We are sailing on the NCL Jade on December 18 out of Rome. We booked through the ncl.eu site and so the NCL US rep could not help us today. She sent an email to Germany and thus triggered the angry phone call from rep1. Not a good situation.

 

There is a b2 on the Jade, but since this was our first time on NCL and the rep kept saying mini-suite, we were none the wiser. I had googled mini-suite to see what the Jade room looked like. The difference (I now know) is that it is bigger and has that all important curtain next to the bed.

 

At any rate, the US folks said that they can't help us and the folks in Germany did not call me back today. So I suppose I will call them in the morning. I'll ask for a supervisor. Thank goodness that I have all of the emails that were sent to me saying things like "mini-suite" and "suite" when referring to a balcony stateroom.

[TracieABD]

I wish you luck in your quest to get what you paid for. It sounds like something was lost in translation...:mad:

[Medtech2]

So I just got off the phone after talking with three different people. I phoned NCL customer service, who promised that someone would get back in touch with me by phone in a few minutes. So who should phone me, in an angry voice, but my original NCL agent that booked the "mini-suite." He was not very happy and told me that he sent me an email today, in which he sent the exact specifications for the room. He wrote..."your cabin is a B2 which means that it is a suite with balcony..." So now he is calling the room a suite.

 

I just called NCL back and asked to speak to a customer rep, but none were available. The sad thing is that I am not trying to get something for free, I'm just trying to get what I paid for.

 

I'll keep you updated.

Not only would I only speak with a superviser but I would let them know of this angry response.

 

At some point everyone, including this rep, needs a refresher on good customer service. You will only be doing him a favor...

[martinchem]

Hope you get what you paid for.

[bowbiter]

What cabin are you in? Sometimes the system is wrong and displays as the wrong category. Verify manually using the deck plans

 

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Forums mobile app

[workink]

So after several days of back and forth calls, here is what I am left with:

 

1. NCL in Germany agrees that I was told that I was getting a mini suite.

2. They insist that, even though I have it in writing, that the price was actually for an upgrade to a balcony.

3. They cannot move me to a mini suite now since the cruise is fully booked. The also cannot refund my money to a standard stateroom w/o balcony since the staterooms are all booked.

4. To compensate, they have given me $100 US dollars in on board credit. The upgrade, that I now don't want, cost me 340 euros (about $500 US dollars).

 

Any advice will be appreciated since I feel like they pulled the old "bait and switch" on me.

[tempura]

If they're leaving you with no options and you're really unhappy with the balcony room, dispute the charge with your CC company and request that they obtain a refund for you for the total amount of the upgrade. You have the mini-suite guarantee in writing. They cannot charge you for accommodations that they did not provide.

[workink]

I just got a call from the next level of management on NCL, who fixed the situation right away. We now have the mini-suite that we were promised and they were quite apologetic for the mix up. Thank you NCL for making this right!

[Twelvevman]

I just got a call from the next level of management on NCL, who fixed the situation right away. We now have the mini-suite that we were promised and they were quite apologetic for the mix up. Thank you NCL for making this right!

 

Very happy to hear that NCL stepped up and made this right. Granted, it never should have come to be this much of an issue, but at least it ended well. Hopefully they are still giving you the $100 OBC for your troubles.

[workink]

Well, the main thing is that we are getting what we paid for and we will have a great cruise. Thanks again to the good folks in Germany for taking care of this issue, you have taken a load off of my mind.

[mpk218]

NCL, can you please hire sales reps that are alive or at least consious ..

It will make all of our lives easier . ;)

 

Thank You

[che5904]

NCL, can you please hire sales reps that are alive or at least consious ..

It will make all of our lives easier . ;)

 

Thank You

 

 

You've just made my day, thanks. Except now I need to get the cleaner out for my computer screen :D :D