PVP Question -- Problem?

[JasmineCruiser]

We are not happy with a situation with our PVP or it may be her supervisor. Can we transfer our booking to another PVP or to a TA? I have seen mention of this but am not sure how to do it.

 

Background - DH is an airline employee and qualifies for an interline rate. We have booked two previous cruises and had no problem. We have had two different PVP's and now have a third who apparently has been assigned to us. The first one we dealt with has apparently left Carnival. We really liked him. In a day or two after booking our first cruise, he sent us a confirmation by email and then followed that up with one by regular mail. The same happened with our second cruise booking, except it was by regular mail; no email.

 

We booked our 1/06 cruise on 7/6. Our assigned PVP was on a cruise and she left a phone # of another PVP on her voicemail so DH called her and told her the cruise we were interested in. He told her that he qualified for an interline discount. She quoted him the rate, which was the same as we have seen on some online sites. She said she would put the request in for the interline rate but that our PVP would have to handle it for us and she put the full price in.

 

When our PVP came back from her cruise on 7/12, DH called her and told her the conversation which had been documented. She told him she would handle it. On 7/15 I talked with her and asked about it. She asked me to send her DH's ID which I promptly did. Usually this is requested the same day or in a couple of days after booking but we have always been given the interline rate from the beginning except for this time. Also, I have written her emails about other things and have never received a reply.

 

We still have not received anything from Carnival as far as a confirmation and I wrote our PVP on Thursday, the 21st and got this reply from her:

Because you sailing is far away, it is labeled as "low priority" for the supervisors to update. I have a list of all the things I submit and I am aware that it has not been done. I will be informed when it is updated and I will let you know. Sorry for the delay. :-)

Is this a normal delay or should we talk to someone else about this? We've never had it take this long before and we can definitely get the interline rates through online agencies. Any suggestions? We don't like being told that we are "low priority" customers. We feel this is not good customer relations. We don't feel our sailing is "far away" as it is only 5 months away. I also told her in my email that we were planning on paying the cruise in full next week but we don't want to make the final payment until we are given the discounted price.

 

Thanks for any input.

[cruise pup]

This is an example of why I prefer to use a travel agent. Mine always goes to bat for me with the cruise lines if there is a problem. He's even gotten me a refund when a rate went down after final payment. My feeling is if you deal directly with the cruise line you'll always be dealing with someone who has the line's interest first. Besides, I always get a better rate than what the cruise line offers. Also, why would anyone pay the total cruise rate five months before sailing? Is the a requirement because of the iterline discount?

[JasmineCruiser]

This is an example of why I prefer to use a travel agent. Mine always goes to bat for me with the cruise lines if there is a problem. He's even gotten me a refund when a rate went down after final payment. My feeling is if you deal directly with the cruise line you'll always be dealing with someone who has the line's interest first. Besides, I always get a better rate than what the cruise line offers. Also, why would anyone pay the total cruise rate five months before sailing? Is the a requirement because of the iterline discount?

 

We just want to go ahead and get it paid off. It's not a requirement.

[Cotton]

I agree, telling you it's 'low priority' is kinda cheesy. I've been so fortunate to have a great PVP, I can't imagine that type customer service!

 

I think what I would do is to call Carnival and ask for a supervisor, and tell her what has transpired. Hopefully, you'll get some direct answers.

 

About a TA doing 'more' than a PVP, I think if you have a good PVP, as I do, they'll 'go to bat' for you just as much - mine does. I always get either shipboard credits or reduced fare from my PVP....I don't know how she manages to get me all those perks, but it happens - plus a comp bottle of wine.

 

All PVPs (or TAs) are not created equal!:D

[JasmineCruiser]

I agree, telling you it's 'low priority' is kinda cheesy. I've been so fortunate to have a great PVP, I can't imagine that type customer service!

 

I think what I would do is to call Carnival and ask for a supervisor, and tell her what has transpired. Hopefully, you'll get some direct answers.

 

About a TA doing 'more' than a PVP, I think if you have a good PVP, as I do, they'll 'go to bat' for you just as much - mine does. I always get either shipboard credits or reduced fare from my PVP....I don't know how she manages to get me all those perks, but it happens - plus a comp bottle of wine.

 

All PVPs (or TAs) are not created equal!:D

 

Thanks Cotton. That is the kind of constructive input I was hoping to get and not posters telling me why I should use a TA. That is one of the options we have been considering if we don't get some action soon. We were considering recommending our PVP to two other couples who are thinking about taking this same cruise with us but I don't really feel comfortable doing that now. I just think we would be happier with another PVP who is more customer oriented. Apparently there is a high turnover with the PVP's since this is the third one we've had in just a year and a half. Thanks again.

[laura2161]

When I booked my last cruise, the first PVP I had was downright rude. I did not book with her. I called back 20 minutes later, Got a fantastic PVP and just started fresh with her. My bad cause for the life of me I can not remember her name( I even wrote it down and now cant find the paper I wrote it on) I am dealing with one now and he seems 'ok'. For a bit he acted like he was doing me a favor by even talking with me- In fact I havent booked the next one yet because of his attitude and I plan on calling this afternoon to see who I get.

 

As for a PVP being assigned to you (?????) I dont care who they 'assign', I will call numerous times until I get one I like.

 

Now if I could just remember the name of my last one-. :(

 

Laura

[funny1]

Jasminecruiser, just happened to be in the same situation as you are. Also booked interline and was given a quote but sent an invoice for a much higher rate "just for now." I've made inquiries and my PV said he was aware of the situation and would let us know when the interline rate was approved. I noticed the "interline rate" is available from an online agency to anybody, so I don't know what this delay means. It is distressing, though, and like you, I'm not too happy about it. Our cruise is six months off, so there is plenty of time left.

[R&K in NC]

I have received a discounted rate since booking and mine had not been update either. I have emailed my PVP several times and he keeps telling me that it is documented and I will get the rate it is just taking a little time to update the system. The last email, he told me that he talked to the individuals that are doing adjustments and they had around 690 adjustments to do since the military special this month. He assured me that my update would get entered and it was taking a little time.

[JasmineCruiser]

The reason I said we were assigned the PVP we are dealing with now is because we had been dealing with another woman on the October cruise but then we started getting emails from the one now saying to call her and sending us specials etc. so we did not just call and get her.

 

It does sound like there may be a valid reason for the delay with the military discounts having to be done but if it had been me communicating with a customer I wouldn't have said that the supervisor gave our situation "low priority". She could have just told us what was going on and we would have understood. You would think getting this done would just be a matter of getting it changed in the computer and printing out a new confirmation. Carnival is a huge operation so you would think they have a large staff working for them.

 

Thanks for everyone's input.

[iluvdoxies]

I Have a great pvp and I also get the interline rate--

She had my id card on file and my invoice always reflects the discounted rate.

Maybe the pvp didnt have a copy of your airline id and that's why the rate was higher?

Anyhow, good luck...

[JasmineCruiser]

I Have a great pvp and I also get the interline rate--

She had my id card on file and my invoice always reflects the discounted rate.

Maybe the pvp didnt have a copy of your airline id and that's why the rate was higher?

Anyhow, good luck...

 

Thanks. I asked her why they didn't have the ID on file from when we booked the October cruise back in March and she said they don't keep them on file but that just 3 days ago they had implemented a system that would keep it with our profile from now on. I'm beginning to think she's just making this stuff up as she goes if your pvp kept yours on file. We sent the ID to the former pvp and then to the interline department also for the October cruise. It didn't make sense to me either why they didn't have the ID.

[aklindarn]

I booked our 3/19/06 cruise in June with a PVP. Told her we qualified for interline rate and also that my husband was retired military. I faxed copies of his airline ID and my military ID as he was on a trip at the time of booking. She told me we would get a copy in the mail of the "wrong" charges until our interline/miliatry rate was applied. Waited about 3 weeks and nothing came in the mail. I called her and she said she never got my fax and apologized for not following up with me. Verified the fax numbers ---they were correct. But this time she suggested I scan the ID's into the computer and send them in an email! Brilliant idea! She replied within minutes of receiving my email. It took another week before I received an email copy of the corrected invoice showing the interline/military rate.

Also, she said it was a good idea to have both airline AND military DD Form 214 on file as sometimes one rate can be better than the other! Good information to pass on.

[Wennfred]

DH is an airline employee and qualifies for an interline rate.

This is the part I Don't understand, Why just book on your own? Do you still get the same rates if you book on your own?

[mared1]

this post was deleted for breaking community guidelines

[pixybee]

When I booked my last cruise, the first PVP I had was downright rude. I did not book with her. I called back 20 minutes later, Got a fantastic PVP and just started fresh with her. My bad cause for the life of me I can not remember her name( I even wrote it down and now cant find the paper I wrote it on) I am dealing with one now and he seems 'ok'. For a bit he acted like he was doing me a favor by even talking with me- In fact I havent booked the next one yet because of his attitude and I plan on calling this afternoon to see who I get.

 

As for a PVP being assigned to you (?????) I dont care who they 'assign', I will call numerous times until I get one I like.

 

Now if I could just remember the name of my last one-. :(

 

Laura

 

! Laura...the people you are talking with are not pvps...you work long term with pvps, and don't get a 'new' one every time you call. It sounds like you're just getting the regular operator. That might be why they sometimes seem less helpful.

[NRWO]

Ok.. lots of misinformation here.. I'll try to explain..

 

First off, the PVP should not have informed you that you were a "low" prioroty, that is bad salsemanship, no doubt. However there is a new sytem in place, and as long as the quote was documented and deposit was secured, you WILL get your rate. Interline rates don't happen automatically. The guest needs to show proof of working for an Airline, Parcel service, etc. So the same system applies whether you are booking through a PVP, TA, etc. If a TA is booking you to an interline rate without proof, chances are they won't be in business long, or worse yet, read up on some horror stories of folks showing up to the pier being booked under fare codes they did not qualify for or did not prove they qualified for.

 

The PVP was telling the truth about the new system implemented that retains information so guests do not have to keep constantly re-faxinng, scanning their IDs, etc. As I have said before.. PVPs are not magic. they can not circumvent the rules and they do not have supervisor powers. They can not take your word for it and change the rate to an interline rate on their own volition. They have to submit it to a supervisor, and if your sailing is a ways off, there is no need to panic, the rate WILL be adjusted. There is a system where requests are handled.. A "high priority" request might be someone who's ship sails in 2 days, or someone starnded at an airport because of bad weather. the PVP didn't really mean you were a "low" priority, even if changing your fare code was "called" that in the system.

[funny1]

Thanks NRWO, your response to our e-mails makes me feel better. I'm okay with waiting, just as long as we're not forgotten. I think it would help if the PVPs would send a short e-mail now and then letting us know that, but they probably have more important things to do. Thanks again.

[JasmineCruiser]

Ok.. lots of misinformation here.. I'll try to explain..

 

First off, the PVP should not have informed you that you were a "low" prioroty, that is bad salsemanship, no doubt. However there is a new sytem in place, and as long as the quote was documented and deposit was secured, you WILL get your rate. Interline rates don't happen automatically. The guest needs to show proof of working for an Airline, Parcel service, etc. So the same system applies whether you are booking through a PVP, TA, etc. If a TA is booking you to an interline rate without proof, chances are they won't be in business long, or worse yet, read up on some horror stories of folks showing up to the pier being booked under fare codes they did not qualify for or did not prove they qualified for.

 

The PVP was telling the truth about the new system implemented that retains information so guests do not have to keep constantly re-faxinng, scanning their IDs, etc. As I have said before.. PVPs are not magic. they can not circumvent the rules and they do not have supervisor powers. They can not take your word for it and change the rate to an interline rate on their own volition. They have to submit it to a supervisor, and if your sailing is a ways off, there is no need to panic, the rate WILL be adjusted. There is a system where requests are handled.. A "high priority" request might be someone who's ship sails in 2 days, or someone starnded at an airport because of bad weather. the PVP didn't really mean you were a "low" priority, even if changing your fare code was "called" that in the system.

 

We did get the interline rate within a couple of days after I talked with our PVP (on another issue) and told her we were not happy that the supervisor told her we were "low priority" so everything has been taken care of. She did finally explain about the "high priority" and low priority requests which she should have done at the beginning. That's what I was mostly upset about plus the fact that she didn't ask for the ID's until I mentioned it to her when everyone else we have dealt with over the years has asked for them right away and we have sent them right away. We have been getting interline rates for years so we know how they work. I still don't think that she handled our booking as efficiently as she should have. I have had to ask for confirmations on everything we have done on the two bookings we have now. Everyone else we have dealt with, whether it was a TA or a PVP, had sent them to us right away. We probably won't use her if we book any more cruises directly with Carnival. We've always had exceptional service in the past so that's why we have been unhappy with our dealings now.

[pixybee]

sounds like she might be new...or just a really bad salesperson.

[Bsan1221]

We are not happy with a situation with our PVP or it may be her supervisor. Can we transfer our booking to another PVP or to a TA? I have seen mention of this but am not sure how to do it.

 

Background - DH is an airline employee and qualifies for an interline rate. We have booked two previous cruises and had no problem. We have had two different PVP's and now have a third who apparently has been assigned to us. The first one we dealt with has apparently left Carnival. We really liked him. In a day or two after booking our first cruise, he sent us a confirmation by email and then followed that up with one by regular mail. The same happened with our second cruise booking, except it was by regular mail; no email.

 

We booked our 1/06 cruise on 7/6. Our assigned PVP was on a cruise and she left a phone # of another PVP on her voicemail so DH called her and told her the cruise we were interested in. He told her that he qualified for an interline discount. She quoted him the rate, which was the same as we have seen on some online sites. She said she would put the request in for the interline rate but that our PVP would have to handle it for us and she put the full price in.

 

When our PVP came back from her cruise on 7/12, DH called her and told her the conversation which had been documented. She told him she would handle it. On 7/15 I talked with her and asked about it. She asked me to send her DH's ID which I promptly did. Usually this is requested the same day or in a couple of days after booking but we have always been given the interline rate from the beginning except for this time. Also, I have written her emails about other things and have never received a reply.

 

We still have not received anything from Carnival as far as a confirmation and I wrote our PVP on Thursday, the 21st and got this reply from her:

Because you sailing is far away, it is labeled as "low priority" for the supervisors to update. I have a list of all the things I submit and I am aware that it has not been done. I will be informed when it is updated and I will let you know. Sorry for the delay. :-)

Is this a normal delay or should we talk to someone else about this? We've never had it take this long before and we can definitely get the interline rates through online agencies. Any suggestions? We don't like being told that we are "low priority" customers. We feel this is not good customer relations. We don't feel our sailing is "far away" as it is only 5 months away. I also told her in my email that we were planning on paying the cruise in full next week but we don't want to make the final payment until we are given the discounted price.

 

Thanks for any input.

 

 

Since what you are getting is an "industry rate" they may not be able to apply it until final payment is due. Its just the way things work at CCL when you are trying to get an "industry/ reduced rate".

[JasmineCruiser]

No, you don't have to wait until final payment. Usually it's given as soon as you furnish proof that you qualify. I think our situation was a matter of our PVP not communicating with us like she should have. But, it's over now, we got our corrected papers so everything has been straightened out and we're happy. Thanks for everyone's input. :)

[funny1]

I'm glad everything worked out great for you Jasminecruiser. I'm not happy with our PVP, though. He doesn't even respond to my e-mails. Can you change PVPs, does anybody know?

[GoinCruisin]

I'm glad everything worked out great for you Jasminecruiser. I'm not happy with our PVP, though. He doesn't even respond to my e-mails. Can you change PVPs, does anybody know?

 

Once you are booked, they can't transfer the booking to another PVP. I refer my PVP to quite a few people and she sent me a lengthy email a while back stating that if people were already booked with another PVP, she couldn't help them or she would get in trouble... BUT, she said that if a person was having trouble with their PVP, to ask for a supervisor and explain things, they will give the PVP a chance to make things better and if there are still problems, they will assign you to another PVP... so try talking to a supervisor and give the PVP a chance. Good luck!>

[funny1]

Thanks for the advice Goincruisin. I'll give him a little time and then ask to speak to a supervisor. I hate to get anybody into trouble. I hope he straightens up and takes care of us -- that'll be the best thing.

 

Thanks a lot.

[GreenValleyDogWalker]

We don't qualify for any special kind of interline rate or military discount (just past passenger) -

 

Selected which cruise we wanted (Liberty to the Med) and was quoted a price from a local TA.

 

I booked on-line "on my own" didn't have a PVP - and got a better rate !

(received confirmation letter from Carnival about a week after booking on-line)

 

Now (after reading all the posts re: PVP's and TA's "going to bat" for you - and wondering if I did the right thing ???:confused:

 

COMMENTS, ANYONE ?