Navigational map auction

[rkmw]

if nothing comes out of this and you do another cruise ask the auctioneer how many maps they have, if you see 2 and they have one for auction ask what happens to the second map

Edited February 3, 2014 by rkmw

[Pushka]

That is a good idea if Princess actually take responsibility - as it stands they have informed me we have no proof as to what happened to the other map, and unless the CEO decides to intervene I don't hold out much hope for anything from them.

 

I have to add though that my main concern isn't the money, it's the spoilt birthday present for my dad. 80 is a milestone birthday and I wanted something really different that I knew he'd love; for previous special birthdays we've bought him an original set of RAF badges cigarette cards and had them framed, and a 1967/8 mint condition boxed Chitty Chitty Bang Bang model, so it had to beat those - and as he really likes maps I thought that this was an ideal present. Obviously we wouldn't normally spend anywhere near $550 on a birthday present, but the map had been decided on because it was a one-off, so we had to go with the flow and let the auction decide the price. Now we're left with a map that is not a one-off, and even though, as Princess said, my Dad wouldn't know there were two identical maps, we would, and had we known it was not going to be a one-off then we wouldn't have bid on it in the first place - and I would still be in the position I am now trying to find a special birthday present but would be $550 richer.

 

Carol

 

 

Hi Carol

I think you are being too hard on yourself. But I understand the bitter taste this has left you.

 

If you had known in advance that there were two maps, would you still have purchased it? The map is still a special reminder of your cruise. Nothing changes that. (It isn't up to Princess to make that comment btw, given they had announced it as a Once off. )

 

So I think the gift is still very precious. As will your father. The issue is not with the gift, it is how Princess have acted. I wonder, if paid through credit card, which it was, if you could tell Princess you will be contacting your bank for a charge back because you have proof that what they claimed as the Product, was not true.

[pcjty]

Thanks for the replies

Pushka, we knew that there were two identical maps on display, and thought that even though on other boats there was only one auction on Princess there might be two, in which case we wouldn't have bid on the map, but at the auction the map was advertised as the only one available.

Also, although our on board account was to be charged to our credit card, we paid everything off in cash the evening before we got to Brisbane, so we have no recourse that way

When we spoke to the Officer at the Pursers Desk, we said to him that we thought the other map might have been to be filed with the ships records and he said it should have been, so even though two identical maps were on display only one should have been available to the public which is the one we won at auction - we then told him that maybe the other one should have been removed from display as soon as possible after the auction. He said that it would be looked into and they would make sure it didn't happen again, and we asked for somebody to contact us to discuss how they could rectify things, but so far except for my phone call to them last Friday, we haven't heard anything from them. I suppose the only good thing is that if Princess bother to check with the records for that cruise, the map that should be there, won't be, so it will go someway to proving our case.

All I can say is that nobody we spoke to either on the ship or the phone seems to understand why we are so upset about the other identical map just being given away when ours was auctioned as the one and only available.

Like I said in an earlier post, we have contacted the CEO directly by email, and I will wait a few more days to see if he or one of his employees bother to reply, but we won't just let this go, the map was sold under false pretenses and if they don't care then we will take it even further to somebody who does

It might not matter to them but it matters to us

[yatchet]

I have observed those "imitation" charts in the glass case being given away by an officer at the end of a cruise on two occasions.

[pcjty]

Yatchet, if they are imitation then they shouldn't be auctioning them as the cruise navigational map in the first place, and that's just so wrong to give one away that's the same as one somebody has paid a lot of money for.

If they were to put others up that don't have all the signatures of the captain and officers and give them away that would be fine, but to give identical ones away just makes a mockery of the auctions.

Did you see it happen with Princess or some other cruise line? We've cruised with P & O and Carnival, but only ever seen one map on those ships, which is the one they auction.

Carol

[Kiwi Kruzer]

As another suggestion , why not post your dilemma on the Cruise Critic Princess board. I do know that someone at Princess sits down and reads that every day.

You may find that your situation is not unique and may have occurred to others .

 

 

 

[pcjty]

Thank you Kiwi Kruzer, I will have a look - is it ok to put a link to this thread on there

Carol

[yatchet]

is it ok to put a link to this thread on there

Carol

Yes it is! :)

[dc-farer]

Don't get your hopes up that Princess will do anything. They are notoriously unsympathetic with passenger complaints, even those from loyal passengers who have sailed with them many times. I found this out the hard way in 2011 after more than 20 cruises with Princess...and I have not sailed with them since.

[Mobi Cruiser]

Any enterprising person could take a photo of the chart and after the cruise locate a seller of Admiralty Charts and knock up a pretty good replica of the 'cruise chart'. The value and difference between the genuine article and the fake is in the provenance. I have purchased two cruise charts, both on P&O Australia cruises.

The first one was the charts displayed when Pacific Sky departed Australian waters for the last time to be based cruising out of Singapore. Two sets of two charts were auctioned and both were stamped with the ship's official stamp and signed by the Captain. They were handed over in the Captain's day office and there was a ship's photographer present taking photos of the presentation. All part of the deal.

 

The second chart was from Pacific Jewel on an island cruise. This one doesn't have the ship's stamp but it does have a placard glued to it signed by the Captain and all the Bridge Officers. I think I retained my onboard account documents as proof of purchase. No photographs this time which is a shame because they record the purchaser's contribution to the selected charity and the ship's appreciation of that contribution.

 

Regardless of the cost it is satisfying to know that you have the genuine article.

[pcjty]

Thanks for your replies

 

We heard from Princess yesterday and they said that they'd been in touch with the ship and yes the incident did happen..although she said they were told that the map that was given away was not signed...luckily we had taken photos of the other map straight after the auction, so I was able to email one to prove it too was actually signed and identical to the one we bought at auction. After discussions with her Manger, the lady on the phone said that if we sent the map back to them by Friday then they would get it signed for us by Gavin MacLeod (The Love Boat Captain) and Ann Sherry (Princess Cruises AU CEO) and would also send us a photo of it being signed.

 

The map was was express posted to them yesterday

 

Carol

[By The Bay]

Thanks for your replies

 

We heard from Princess yesterday and they said that they'd been in touch with the ship and yes the incident did happen..although she said they were told that the map that was given away was not signed...luckily we had taken photos of the other map straight after the auction, so I was able to email one to prove it too was actually signed and identical to the one we bought at auction. After discussions with her Manger, the lady on the phone said that if we sent the map back to them by Friday then they would get it signed for us by Gavin MacLeod (The Love Boat Captain) and Ann Sherry (Princess Cruises AU CEO) and would also send us a photo of it being signed.

 

The map was was express posted to them yesterday

 

Carol

A good result. Did you post on FB?

[Pushka]

That is really cool. Gavin McLeod's signature. Very unique now.

[Kiwicruiser25]

Nice to see someone put there thinking cap on...what a great outcome :)