It should not be this hard to give Azamara money

[uktog]

I am posting this saga to highlight to those in Azamara Miami how disconnected the online and telephone customer experience is for guests in the UK. If I was a first time Azamara cruiser I might walk away from the cruise line – in my case the situation is now resolved but I post this as this is just not what it should be like and you need to take cognisance of the “onshore customer experience” in your future activities.

 

My root cause of my particular difficulties is that functionality to pay for cruises has been removed from the website but it is exacerbated by issues with call handling manning.

In the last two weeks I have been trying to pay the final balance for our upcoming Azamara cruise. The sequence of events is as follows

 

Monday 23rd December I received the usual friendly reminder from UK Accounts receivables that my final payment was due in January (today). I go online to discover that the online payment functionality has not been restored on the UK site

 

Given the usual Christmas and New Year shutdowns, plus the fact that we are away I email Accounts receivables asking how we can do this on line – this email remains unanswered today

 

During 2nd and 3rd January (which are not public holidays in England) I call and call Azamara to progress the payments, most times I get part of the way through the various push button options but fail to speak to anyone as it rings out and disconnects . Bear in mind, if you do not know how to circumvent the number advised in the email you are sent from Accounts Receivables (an 0844 number which you cannot use it as part of any home calling plans) you are running up these higher charges from the first connection of the call. (I use the say no to 0844 numbers website and use a direct 01932 number) – poor shout Azamara requiring guests to call a premium 0844 number and then having calls run unanswered and subsequently disconnected but charging guests from the first connection and option selection.

 

Today (4th January) is my last day to pay so I rearrange my personal plans so I can get home later in the afternoon and I persevere with the call. Once you push the Azamara option, your call is answered but the lady says you need to speak to someone else (despite the call option menu indicating this was the choice to make to 1. Reach Azamara and 2. Pay a cruise). She then just puts you straight back into the standard call queue, with no check back to see if you are being looked after. Twice the call just rang out, on the third attempt, 26 minutes later the call was eventually answered and I was able to make the payment. During this time I had to listen to regular exhortations to use the website to save waiting any longer – knock knock, if I could have I would not be phoning you.

 

The agent was very polite but to be honest I was so ticked off I was not in the mood for chat. When I said to him could I give him feedback about the time I had waited and my previous difficulties even getting to speak to someone, he indicated that the problem was they were very busy.

 

So in addition to an issue with website functionality we seem to have a Call Centre resourcing issue – I think my call was handled in the UK but I cannot be sure.

 

As I say, I am now fully paid up and there is no more to be done (I hope) but this is not what guests expect from a five star line. It also represents quite a drop in the standards of onshore service from when I paid for my last Azamara cruise in the Autumn.

Edited January 4, 2014 by uktog

[pacheco18]

Your post is why I use a TA (among other reasons)

I have no interest in dealing with the folks in Miami.

MY TA isn't thrilled with them either, but he is getting paid to have the headache.

[uktog]

Your post is why I use a TA (among other reasons)

I have no interest in dealing with the folks in Miami.

MY TA isn't thrilled with them either, but he is getting paid to have the headache.

 

I am UK based, the situation is a little different re the role and efficiency or otherwise of agents - we do not deal direct with Miami.

[tgg]

Your post is why I use a TA (among other reasons)

I have no interest in dealing with the folks in Miami.

MY TA isn't thrilled with them either, but he is getting paid to have the headache.

 

I too always book with a travel agent. Perhaps Ann, who is an experienced traveler, can explain to those of us unfamiliar with UK travel agents why she would choose to deal with Azamara directly.

[Andy]

Hi Ann -

 

Just wanted to say thanks for sharing your experience with us. It sounds awful, and I'm glad we do not have to deal with foreign call centers in the RCCL family... for now. I suspect that if the UK changes prove to be successful (at least to the bean counters), it will only be a matter of time before US guests will be in the same situation. It's a frustrating decision.... but so many companies are making similar decisions, that it's truly sad.

 

As things aren't running smoothly yet, and as others have suggested.... Why not use a Travel Agent next time ? It should make life much easier for you. Perhaps you can obtain some additional perks from the TA as well ? Based on what you've experienced, it doesn't seem logical to book direct again, at least not until things improve.

 

At any rate, we all know the onboard experience will be great, and I hope you can put this behind you, and look forward to your cruise. Happy New Year !

[Kellie Poodle]

Your post is why I use a TA (among other reasons)

I have no interest in dealing with the folks in Miami.

MY TA isn't thrilled with them either, but he is getting paid to have the headache.

 

I am booked through a travel agent, but I was forced to call Miami to book my shore excursions as my reservation was locked out of their system for over 3 weeks.

 

My travel agent and his supervisor went to bat for me with Miami, but I still had to call them and book my reservations on the phone.

 

To the OP, if you would have had this problem on Celebrity, they'd have offered OBC to make up for your time and expense of the phone calls.

[bigbenboys]

As you have 49 days booked on Azamara. I would think hard about keeping my other sailings. Booking and paying for cruises should be easy. Might they have a auto payment system? There must be some form of a cruise agent in the UK. I just dont understand why Azamara has things so difficult. On my moblie phone I can buy a Starbucks with a app. I can take a picture of a check and depostit in to my bank account. I just shake my head in wonder at Azamara. Are these just growing pains? They only have 2 ships. Richard

[Jade13]

Hi Ann -

 

Just wanted to say thanks for sharing your experience with us. It sounds awful, and I'm glad we do not have to deal with foreign call centers in the RCCL family...

 

I guess you haven't had to call Choice Air. You now mostly get a call center in Manila. Very friendly group but they have no authority to do anything. I would hate to have flights canceled close to a travel date or while traveling. They need Miami to make any changes to a reservation.

[uktog]

Thanks for the helpful replies. We will not be making bookings for a few months so we can certainly think about how we handle future bookings.

 

In the UK the vast majority of travel agents are part of large conglomerates and it is very rare to find anyone who gives any advice and support other than what the screen script tells them. Few have had experience of the brands they are selling, indeed many have no idea what a cruise is. There is not the same culture of "freebies" that we read of in the US.

 

When we first cruised, we booked with agents and also "suffered" the flights they put us on - some agencies bundle up their own flight packages and guests often do not realise it is not a package from the cruiseline. We also had issues being put on a group booking without knowing. - again agents do not have to tell you they are doing this.

 

So, all in all, as the best deals re pricing and the best personal service came through direct booking, with PCS who understood how we like to book (cruise only), with the flexibility for any pricedrops (some UK agents will not honour these and we do not have the cancel and rebook option), a direct line to the agent, lower deposits, final payment due 56 days rather than 84 days plus before sailing and no fees if we paid by credit card (little point earning perk, TAs often charge up to 2% which wipes a perk and more important puts a high cost on a credit act protection).

 

Like several other UK cruisers I know, the last few months have not been happy experiences so we are starting to suss out travel agents. The new MD appointed in the UK appeared to have a focus on the TA market if I read the press release at appointment correctly. That, plus the off shoring of Azamara, (still cannot understand why it was Azamara and not Celebrity that was sent to Guatemala with RCI) makes me read that Azamara actually do not want direct bookers in the UK and they would rather pay agents commission than give personal service. If that is their business decision, and they are entitled to make whatever strategies they see fit, why not be more upfront and say, no, we are not in the direct booking market rather than tarnish the brand with second class service.

 

As you say, at least the ship has first class service, that I have no doubt. We will come back well fed and rested and be ready to do battle three more times re payments for the remaining booked cruises and continue our homework for alternative agents

Edited January 5, 2014 by uktog

[MIKESCOTLAND]

Thanks for the helpful replies. We will not be making bookings for a few months so we can certainly think about how we handle future bookings.

 

In the UK the vast majority of travel agents are part of large conglomerates and it is very rare to find anyone who gives any advice and support other than what the screen script tells them. Few have had experience of the brands they are selling, indeed many have no idea what a cruise is. There is not the same culture of "freebies" that we read of in the US.

 

When we first cruised, we booked with agents and also "suffered" the flights they put us on - some agencies bundle up their own flight packages and guests often do not realise it is not a package from the cruiseline. We also had issues being put on a group booking without knowing. - again agents do not have to tell you they are doing this.

 

So, all in all, as the best deals re pricing and the best personal service came through direct booking, with PCS who understood how we like to book (cruise only), with the flexibility for any pricedrops (some UK agents will not honour these and we do not have the cancel and rebook option), a direct line to the agent, lower deposits, final payment due 56 days rather than 84 days plus before sailing and no fees if we paid by credit card (little point earning perk, TAs often charge up to 2% which wipes a perk and more important puts a high cost on a credit act protection).

 

Like several other UK cruisers I know, the last few months have not been happy experiences so we are starting to suss out travel agents. The new MD appointed in the UK appeared to have a focus on the TA market if I read the press release at appointment correctly. That, plus the off shoring of Azamara, (still cannot understand why it was Azamara and not Celebrity that was sent to Guatemala with RCI) makes me read that Azamara actually do not want direct bookers in the UK and they would rather pay agents commission than give personal service. If that is their business decision, and they are entitled to make whatever strategies they see fit, why not be more upfront and say, no, we are not in the direct booking market rather than tarnish the brand with second class service.

 

As you say, at least the ship has first class service, that I have no doubt. We will come back well fed and rested and be ready to do battle three more times re payments for the remaining booked cruises and continue our homework for alternative agents

 

 

I have to say that once I realised I had to pay Azamara UK by phone for 2 cruises recently I found the experience quick & straightforward. I may be lucky but normally find it easy to communicate by phone with Azamara but I tend to avoid "busy" Mondays & lunchtimes. Whilst recognising that some people are still experiencing admin problems with Azamara I have found them more efficient than previously e.g. when booking/cancelling excursions I now get confirmations by e-mails in seconds & they have sent me a lot of helpful e-mails in

connection with my February & March 2014 cruises.

[Wacktle]

Thanks for the helpful replies. We will not be making bookings for a few months so we can certainly think about how we handle future bookings.

 

In the UK the vast majority of travel agents are part of large conglomerates and it is very rare to find anyone who gives any advice and support other than what the screen script tells them. Few have had experience of the brands they are selling, indeed many have no idea what a cruise is. There is not the same culture of "freebies" that we read of in the US. .........

 

As you say, at least the ship has first class service, that I have no doubt. We will come back well fed and rested and be ready to do battle three more times re payments for the remaining booked cruises and continue our homework for alternative agents

 

We've never booked a cruise direct with a cruise line. We are always quoted a lower price from an agent, including for Azamara cruises. We don't use a High Street TA. The agency we use only deals with cruises. If flights are involved, the flights are those booked by the cruise line as the agency doesn't have its own ATOL certificate. I don't think I'm allowed to state a name here, but think of a Derbyshire town. We had one hiccup recently when a cruise line (not Azamara) demanded full payment in Oct 2013 for flights in Sept 2014 when all the documentation said that no further payments were due until June 2014. The agent fought and won the battle for us. With that one exception, I speak to the same lady at this cruise agency, so there's some continuity.

 

Before Christmas, I did however ring Azamara to check on our Azamazing Evening booking and to book another excursion. I waited an eternity for the call to be answered. (Fortunately I rang from work). When it was answered, the agent handled my queries and booking very quickly and efficiently.

 

Thanks for the Say-No-to-0870 reminder. I'd forgotten about that!

[Kellie Poodle]

I guess you haven't had to call Choice Air. You now mostly get a call center in Manila. Very friendly group but they have no authority to do anything. I would hate to have flights canceled close to a travel date or while traveling. They need Miami to make any changes to a reservation.

 

I used Choice Air in October 2012 for RT flights to Venice. I made sure I got the confirm numbers from them, both for Delta and for Air France which Delta was using for outbound. I was able to change our seats on line and to make sure the wheel chair was in place for DH in the airports. (He doesn't do well with uphill ramps and long walks carrying stuff)

 

We missed our connecting flight to Venice due to the nightmare that is CDG airport but I was able to go right to the AF desk and get the next flight as well as a voucher for a sandwich and a beverage.

 

Have things changed with them that much?

[Marmaduke]

I use the same TA as Wacktie and find them most helpful. When phoning for a quote the price is always lower than what is on their web site. For certain cruise lines (including Azamara) there is no charge for paying by credit card, and if I have any problems I can always speak to the person who made my booking, One to One service.

 

It also annoys me that Azamara UK use a premium rate phone number, and on the odd occasion when I have phoned them for information what they have told me has proved incorrect.

 

Therefore I recommend that UK cruisers do search around and find a good TA that specializes in Cruises, there are many out there. Do an online search or flick through your TV channels.

[English Tim]

As my experiences of Azamara UK have been so poor, I wouldn't dream of dealing with them direct.

 

I have recently booked a cruise through a high profile US TA and received a free gift of pre-paid gratuities (clearly not on AZ!). I now book with whomever gives me the best deal.

 

It also helps to be flexible with cruise-line. I have been more flexible recently and I'm now very happy to book with a number of different lines.

[bigbenboys]

Before Christmas, I did however ring Azamara to check on our Azamazing Evening booking and to book another excursion. I waited an eternity for the call to be answered. (Fortunately I rang from work). When it was answered, the agent handled my queries and booking very quickly and efficiently.

 

Thanks for the Say-No-to-0870 reminder. I'd forgotten about that!

 

Can you use Skype via wi-fi from your mobile phone to call 0870 numbers? Richard

[Wacktle]

Can you use Skype via wi-fi from your mobile phone to call 0870 numbers? Richard

 

LOL! My mobile phone is so ancient it only makes and receives calls!

[AzamaraJoel]

Dear uktog,

 

You are right about that — it should not be this hard to give Azamara money!

 

The good news: We will have a new booking engine for the UK, US and Canada in April. At that time, you will be able to book any combination of cruise, air, hotel and transfer online. And you will be able to pay online. I will post details on Cruise Critic as we near the live date, as I know many members are interested in that functionality. We are also making changes to the UK website. In essence we will "globalize" the U.S. site (AzamaraClubCruises.com), and when entering as a UK visitor to the site, we will serve up UK content and information in certain areas such as for example special offers, terms & conditions, etc.

 

As for the challenge of paying on the phone, I'm not sure I understand how this could happen, so I am looking into it. We have some pretty significant changes — very positive, we believe — in the UK. Some of these changes involve moving the reservation call centers to Guatemala — a move that so far has been very successful.

 

However, we also have a dedicated Azamara team as far as marketing, sales and revenue management, including a new and dedicated Managing Director. We are working with them right now to get them acquainted with Azamara and our company. I will discuss your post with them, as it shouldn't be this hard.

 

Thank you for your input — I hope you will enjoy your time onboard!

 

Sincerely,

Signe Bjorndal

Director of Global Marketing