A Warning About Laundry Service on NCL

[RJ2002]

Let's look at the big picture here.

 

NCL does laundry for people. Sometimes things happen. They made a decision based on incidents fleetwide and a policy to provide a $50 OBC if something happens.

 

That is their policy.

 

Now, the customer decides they do not like that policy. They continue to argue with the staff wanting something different than the policy. The customer continues to argue this at the front desk for over an hour and tries to negotiate,etc. The policy is the policy.

 

Who was treated badly here?

 

 

(I am sorry the OP had their clothes damaged - that sucks)

 

What we don't know is whether or not a $50 OBC is NCL's "one size fits all" response for clothing that they damage. They should have the ability to adjust the compensation based on the quantity and quality of the damaged clothing.

[puli]

Let's look at the big picture here.

 

NCL does laundry for people. Sometimes thinks happen. They made a decision and a policy to provide a $50 OBC if something happens.

 

That is their policy.

 

Now, the customer decides they do not like that policy. They continue to argue with the staff wanting something different than the policy. The customers coes this for over an hour. The policy is the policy.

 

Who was treated badly here?

 

 

(I am sorry the OP had their clothes damaged - that sucks)

 

Sorry to disagree with you but if the policy was as clear cut as you state then why the back and forth over the original price of the clothing and the 'what amount of recompense would you take" talk? Obviously your take on the policy being a simple " we only have one standard $50 OBC "response is different from the customer service/front desk actions.

 

We will be taking a 15 day cruise on this ship in April and plan to use the laundry service frequently. Both the horrid results of the noted laundry service and the resulting poor/confusing customer service makes me quite uneasy.

Edited January 20, 2014 by puli

[aimathy]

Thank you for the suggestion about the Goop. I will have to try that!

 

Another thing that really bothered me is that they refused to show me ANYTHING, anywhere that stated what their policy is regarding damaged laundry items. If a "policy is a policy", then I believe that it should be stated somewhere specifically. It wasn't. Someone mentioned it's in the cruise contract, I didn't see it, but even if it's in there, they never even used that to show me that they weren't liable in any way. The supervisor was extremely rude and just kept telling me "that's for our private records, it's not information for you to see". People may differ on what they find good customer service....but for me, that is NOT it.

 

garycarla - I would normally agree with you. A policy is a policy. However they never showed me anything that stated their actual policy.

 

Secondly, and most importantly....the desk agent herself is the one that perpetuated the illusion that they were going to try and work on something. It was never stated, this is all we do, period. The first hour was her "checking" on all other solutions. If they had a cut and dry response to every single issue, then that was not clear until the second hour of ridiculousness, when they claimed it was all they were willing to do for me.

[johnql]

We will be taking a 15 day cruise on this ship in April and plan to use the laundry service frequently. Both the horrid results of the noted laundry service and the resulting poor/confusing customer service makes me quite uneasy.

I really wouldn't worry about it. I have used the bag laundry service numerous times and have never had a problem with it. I have also read dozens of threads about the service here on CC over the years and this OP's complaint is very much the exception to the rule. Could you have a problem? Sure, but I think it's very much unlikely.

[dalgirl]

We have used the laundry onboard a few times and never had a problem. However, anything that I would not dry in the machine at home, I do not give to them. We hand wash all undies, etc. in the cabin. They use industrial machines, so think local laundrymat instead of high end laundry machines at home. No one takes care with your clothes like you do.

 

We did a tour on the Epic and went through the laundry room - it is huge with lots of machines for washing, drying, pressing, folding, etc. The spa linens are not washed with the regular linens, the crew clothes are handled separately, the officers clothes, passengers, etc. It is a massive operation with lots of dirty clothes in huge rolling baskets. Just like a dry cleaners at home, things can go awry with so many things going on. It did not inspire me to send down more things, but fewer. Jeans, yes, but not if they are my favorites.

 

As for your stains: There is a chance it could have been the sunscreen. DH had a pair of shorts that we did not wash onboard (dry clean only), but did send out on return and it had weird oil stains on them. It was the sunscreen. I just think it is funny that all the clothes that were washed when your clothes were washed and no one else seemed to have had a problem. I would think that the people you dealt with probably thought the same thing. If there was a big line of laundry complainers, well there is power in numbers.

 

As for the credit: you think of replacing new clothes, they think "old tee-shirts." They should have at least split the difference with you at $100. I have worked with the public and that is what I would have done. I really hate to deal with customer service on ships - they seem to be trained to get rid of you. I have been more successful contacting the officer in charge of my problem. Not the customer service supervisor, but the laundry supervisor. I think if you had had more time before leaving the ship that you would have got to this person and you would have been taken care of. We were shorted an OBC from our TA - since it wasn't discovered until the last night, they could not verify and take care of us. I won't make the mistake of taking care of anything the last night unless anything else is impossible. Everyone seems to wait until the last day or evening.

 

As for your whole family sitting around while you handled this, I would have sent them on their way to have fun with a promise to meet up later - that just compounded your stress and theirs.

 

We will continue to use the ships laundry when necessary (it is free for us at this point), but always keep in mind that whatever problems you can have with service on land can happen on a ship. Laundry problems, food problems, cleaning problems, accidents, etc. - the list is endless. It's because we usually get such good customer service onboard ship that when something like this happens, it can ruin a vacation and make you want to avoid a certain cruiseline...... or car dealership, or grocery store, or drycleaning service....

[puli]

Is the laundry service the same whether one uses the itemized laundry list or the bag special ?

My hope now is to send out the "good stuff" on a pay by piece basis and use the bag special for the more hardy items i.e. socks, jeans.

[aimathy]

Dalgirl, I didn't wait until the last night to deal with this. The clothing is returned on the last sea day and by the time they were rewahed, it happened to be the last night of the cruise.

 

It definitely wasn't sunblock. If it was it would've been on spots that come into contact regularly w it, like necklines, arm holes etc. These were random splotches in random areas. And as I said before, I checked everything before I sent if in because I knew they wouldn't pretreat for stains.

 

Again, I'm logical and reasonable and understand that things happen. I certainly didnt go stain things to get free money or waste time for fun. :). I honestly wrote this to just let people know what would happen IF they ruin your clothes. I understand all the people who say it has never happened to them, or they only send in what they can bear to part with. However, if you're doing a B2B cruise and fill a whole bag with your clothes that you need for the second leg, will you REALLY be happy to lose all those clothes (or even half!) and not be able to get replacements? Probably not!

Edited January 20, 2014 by aimathy

[Chuck2810]

I am familiar with the term - "it is only a policy." That is the lowest level of 'the law' and just a starting point. If I relied on Policy, I would get nowhere. As far as the comment "where is the poor customer service?" this is my thought - and you are entitled to your own. I have a middle class job and earn maybe $17 an hour (assuming 24 hours in a day). I don't want to spend two hours arguing a case - over a hundred dollar or so dispute - that is a waste of time. Further - I am on vacation - which means if you divide the cost of the cruise up, it is more like $37 an hour. I really don't want to waste that. Good customer service is getting you in and out in as short a time as practical. That is good customer service. Handing the person the direction (policy?) and telling that they can take it up with HQ at their leisure would have saved this waste of vacation.

[dalgirl]

aimathy - I only mentioned sun block the same as everyone else - just trying to think of things that could have caused this. The few times we used the laundry was due to necessity - either land vacations before or after the cruise where you needed to either do laundry or pack up the whole closet - since we do carryon even to Europe, laundry was a necessity.

 

But I am very picky with my own laundry at home (having refused to allow anyone else to touch it since I was 13 and DH only after many years of instruction:eek:) so I think I mentally prepare myself that the ship is not going to do laundry to my standards - I am impressed that it comes back right;) We don't take our best clothes on a cruise - there is really nothing that we pack that we would be upset if we didn't get it back in one piece, either through the cruiseline or airlines.

 

I think I am more concerned about the customer service aspect. Of course you did not mess up the clothes to get something! - and they know that too. If they don't they should be replaced. $50 was not right, period. The front desk needs to be re-trained.

[DMH15]

aimathy you have way more patience than I do, and I usually never "blow". Two hours on the last night dealing with Customer Service should not have happened. I would pursue it with NCL more.

 

Now......I will get a little "Off Topic"

 

I am a fan of a hand cleaner called GOOP - ONLY GOOP, sold at Walmart etc. usually the automotive department

 

Our family has been using it for over 20 years, this mild "cream./cleaner" is magic. Removing old stains, paint stains, and even baby formula on some baby clothes that were stored for 10+ years. And yes, I even had a sweater with a peach stain that I had dry cleaned, hand washed, etc., after all that, figured the stain was really "set", I gave in, smeared with Goop - dam stain gone!

 

I know it sounds crazy, but worth a try, just smear with Goop (only goop, I have tried others), let sit 24 hours, then wash.

 

Great for cleaning woodwork, walls, paint grass stains.....this commercial was brought to you by......the crazy lady that doesn't ever run out of Magical Goop

 

Ouch. I just threw out a favorite top with a stain I could not remove.

 

Note to self: buy goop.

 

Thanks for the hint.

 

 

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[aimathy]

Chuck, I agree and in hindsight I wouldn't have wasted that time. I'm very middle class as well and BECAUSE of that, I had a hard time knowing that I just lost all those clothes and was hoping they would help in some way. It appeared throughout a large part of the conversation that they could do depending on circumstances. Lesson learned. No more boat laundry. And hopefully a few more people now know it's not worth the risk too.

[lanceholt]

We have used NCL's laundry service a number of times with no problem as well. I don't give them any of our good clothes, we handwash those in the sink. Nightgowns, pj's, socks, etc etc are put in the bag, nothing else. That being said we have had here at home some polo shirts come out of the laundry with spots on them...and we don't use softener at all....I believe those are oily spots that don't show up till they have been washed and dried...most likely from eating to begin with.

 

I am surprised you didn't tell the Hotel Director your problems.

 

If you were an isolated case among hundreds of laundry bags on a cruise it is harder to argue the point.

[garycarla]

Sorry to disagree with you but if the policy was as clear cut as you state then why the back and forth over the original price of the clothing and the 'what amount of recompense would you take" talk? Obviously your take on the policy being a simple " we only have one standard $50 OBC "response is different from the customer service/front desk actions...

 

I was not there, but from what I read, the back and forth was mostly from the customer, not the front desk.

 

I was not there, but have dealt with customers that will not take any kind of answer and will argue all day long no matter what. And I run my business(s) with a principal of "find a way to say YES". Sometimes you cann't.

[dalgirl]

I was not there, but from what I read, the back and forth was mostly from the customer, not the front desk.

 

I was not there, but have dealt with customers that will not take any kind of answer and will argue all day long no matter what. And I run my business(s) with a principal of "find a way to say YES". Sometimes you cann't.

 

The cruiseline did find a way to say yes - to the tune of $50 (retail, since in wholesale terms for onboard merchandise the ship is still getting the best deal). A better compromise was to split the difference between $50 and $150. I bet the OP would have taken it better and the ship would still have been to the good, relatively speaking.

 

But either way, if your clothes are messed up, you are going to say "never again." Unfortunately, for those on long cruises, or land tours before and after, you sometimes have to take the risk. Which we will continue to do. Seven days, even with free laundry, I don't bother. But longer... I just do it. I think the lesson is the same as checking your luggage: if you can't afford to loose it, don't do it.

[che5904]

Chuck, I agree and in hindsight I wouldn't have wasted that time. I'm very middle class as well and BECAUSE of that, I had a hard time knowing that I just lost all those clothes and was hoping they would help in some way. It appeared throughout a large part of the conversation that they could do depending on circumstances. Lesson learned. No more boat laundry. And hopefully a few more people now know it's not worth the risk too.

 

I agree it was definitely worth the post to give a warning to people that may not know that sending clothes out for mass laundry may have consequences. Although I wouldn't, I do appreciate your warning in that light. And the fact that be it policy or not, it does sound like that is all they could do for you onboard and again worth noting on CC.

 

I still think you should take photos and forward them to corporate and ask that they re-evaluate what compensation you received. I'm sure if those clothes went to the laundry you probably have photos of your family in them before for proof, if not send the photos of the ruined clothes anyway with the letter.

 

No one likes anything of theirs ruined whether it's top of line or Walmart, sentimental or just something you wear. It's still your personal property and you don't want it destroyed.

[Sara_smile]

I think some are overreacting. The clothes totally ruined from the cleaners onboard NCL? Very hard to believe. A sock missing? OMG. How does anyone sleep at night. I lose a sock everytime I use my own washer ;) Just because there are a few oily spots, they can be removed. After all $50 can buy lots of clothes at Wal Mart. (OP made claim to the Wal Mart clothes, not me)

There is nothing in the cruise contract that passengers are entitled to free new clothes after the cruise because 2 socks are missing and there are some spots on shirts. There is no proof these spots were not on the clothes prior to NCL taking them in a closed paper bag. They don't call me Judge Judy Jr. for nothing.

 

Next case!

Edited January 20, 2014 by Sara_smile

[Laszlo]

My experience is a little better, not that we have ever used the laundry service on any of the ships. On our last cruise a few months back on the Dawn my wife somehow spilled a complete glass of red wine in my lap, and shirt at dinner (1st night) at Le Bistro. Our waiter quickly ran over with some towels to clean up the mess. Within 1 minute the host came over and asked what he could do, really nothing I said it wasn't their fault. He told me to go back to our cabin and put on new clean dry clothes and bring back my pants and shirt. I really didn't want to but what the heck. Ran back and got changed and brought the stained pants and shirt back with me in a bag. The manager took them and said they would be cleaned and pressed overnight. We finished our dinner and tipped the waiter and host. At 7am the following day their was a knock my clothes were delivered clean and press, sweet I thought...........and no bill:)

Edited January 20, 2014 by Laszlo

[triplett]

I don't know if anyone else has posted this, as I didn't read every response, but.........

My dad is an auto mechanic and we always had brake cleaner around the garage. My dad would put it on oily stains and they would disappear like magic.

Hope this helps!

[artist47]

After reading the OP and all the subsequent responses here's my final take and then I will shut up:

The moment anyone steps onboard the gangway, their "rights" cease and everything becomes a privilege. The moment you actually step aboard the vessel, you are risking many things and this laundry issue is quite minor. All things become "at your own risk". Anyone who doesn't understand this, probably should choose a land vacation or stay home.

 

There are risks every day and you have to be willing to take them, large or small, if you want to live a life. Anything else is just "desperate existence".

 

I have used laundry service on EVERY cruise I have ever taken, because I either pack light, or I decide to wear something more than once, or I haven't brought enough undies, or whatnot. I have NEVER had a problem and always been so pleased, I have sent tips down to the laundry room.

 

Just because this particular poster had a bad experience doesn't mean anyone else will. And I have no doubt that whatever caused the stains on her clothes was investigated by maintenance, and supervisors and the problem is now corrected for the future. That's how "property management" works....and the ship is a property in that sense, just like any other hotel, condo complex, or apartment community. I have been a property manager so I guess I would have some insight on this.

 

Just because the poster did not get what she wanted from NCL doesn't mean that NCL is at fault.

 

As a former property manager, I would say this is a "no fault" situation. For the cruise line to be found at fault, one would have to prove gross negligence and intent to destroy her property....this was clearly an "accident" and a no-fault one at that.

 

Put on your big girl panties and accept responsiblity for your choice to use the laundry onboard, which is always at your own risk. Even if it is not specifically stated in the cruise contract it is directly implied, through other "no fault" and "no warranty or guarantee" clauses.

Edited January 21, 2014 by artist47

[garycarla]

The cruiseline did find a way to say yes - to the tune of $50 (retail, since in wholesale terms for onboard merchandise the ship is still getting the best deal). A better compromise was to split the difference between $50 and $150. I bet the OP would have taken it better and the ship would still have been to the good, relatively speaking. ...

 

Not a bad idea.

 

What if the next passenger has clothes worth $200 - should they split the difference?

 

And the next passenger that has clothes worth $600. Split the difference?

 

Or maybe just $75?

 

Gets messy.

[che5904]

Not a bad idea.

 

What if the next passenger has clothes worth $200 - should they split the difference?

 

And the next passenger that has clothes worth $600. Split the difference?

 

Or maybe just $75?

 

Gets messy.

 

Well let's just hope they not ruining that many peoples clothes ;) :D

[em-sk]

Not a bad idea.

 

What if the next passenger has clothes worth $200 - should they split the difference?

 

And the next passenger that has clothes worth $600. Split the difference?

 

Or maybe just $75?

 

Gets messy.

 

I actually like NCL and think they do an excellent job the majority of the time.

 

At the same time NCL created a fair bit of the problem. Saying their policy is $50 OBC is also arbitrary. Why is the policy not $25 OBD or $100 OBC.

 

When you stuff the close in the bag is there is a disclaimer on the bag saying "NCL will only take responsibility for damaged close up to $50".

 

If the purser is not empowered to hand-over more the $50, what would have been better customer service on his/her part would be to say: "I can only give you up to $50, if you don't feel that is adequate I can write up a claim form that will need to be reviewed by our corporate office. They will be in contact with you to try and resolve this issue after the cruise.".

 

The even better customer service response would have been to ended it by say. "Finding a satisfactory resolution to this is important and I don't want your claim to get lost in the system. I am going to give you my e-mail address and if don't receive a response from our corporate office, drop me a note I will follow up and ensure they do respond.".

 

The over-the-top customer service would be to walk the customer down to the gift shop and try to pick-out equivalent replacements on the house.

 

Being handed a 1-800 number and forcing the guest to tell the story again to someone else is poor customer service.

Edited January 21, 2014 by em-sk

[dalgirl]

If I remember my debate class that is a slippery sloap argument. It is the customer you have in front of you at the time that matters. If I were offered 50 I would have countered, not caved. If you don't ssk, you automatically loose. Negotiation is our friend:)

 

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[NMLady]

sorry this just struck a comical spot in me. I wonder if i set a sock with a note on it at home, if it's mate would miraculously appear. I'm always ending up with a missing sock ;) :d

 

:) ;) :)

[NMLady]

Let's look at the big picture here.

 

NCL does laundry for people. Sometimes things happen. They made a decision based on incidents fleetwide and a policy to provide a $50 OBC if something happens.

 

That is their policy.

 

Now, the customer decides they do not like that policy. They continue to argue with the staff wanting something different than the policy. The customer continues to argue this at the front desk for over an hour and tries to negotiate,etc. The policy is the policy.

 

Who was treated badly here?

 

 

(I am sorry the OP had their clothes damaged - that sucks)

 

The front desk person should have said 'This is our policy'. Otherwise how would the OP know?