OBC question

[faith1118]

Hi, I just booked a cruise on Ruby Princess for the Aug. 3rd, 2014 sailing to the British isles and I booked it online through a travel agency that had high ratings on *************. My question is when I booked it online, it said I had a bonus offer of $75 obc, but when I called into the agency to confirm, they said that the $75 obc bonus offer was not valid with my deal on the price that I paid. I was just wondering if I should pursue this and call them again and talk to another agent or supervisor to see if they will honor the $75 obc since even on the email confirmation they sent me, it still says the cruise contains the following offer: exclusive amenity - $75 shipboard credit per stateroom, or if it is a lost cause because they said it is not combinable with my $100 princess onboard credit anyway. Thanks so much for any help

[Working 2 Cruise]

I would call and speak with a manager. If they refuse to help, I would cancel the booking and rebook with another agency if your not within final payment. It seems like a bad practice to me!

 

It looks like you may need another TA.

[skynight]

Hi, I just booked a cruise on Ruby Princess for the Aug. 3rd, 2014 sailing to the British isles and I booked it online through a travel agency that had high ratings on *************. My question is when I booked it online, it said I had a bonus offer of $75 obc, but when I called into the agency to confirm, they said that the $75 obc bonus offer was not valid with my deal on the price that I paid. I was just wondering if I should pursue this and call them again and talk to another agent or supervisor to see if they will honor the $75 obc since even on the email confirmation they sent me, it still says the cruise contains the following offer: exclusive amenity - $75 shipboard credit per stateroom, or if it is a lost cause because they said it is not combinable with my $100 princess onboard credit anyway. Thanks so much for any help

 

According to what I understand you received a $100 OBC from Princess as a Princess promo. You then received a $75 "onboard sales promotion" directly from your T.A.. Every time we have received OBC's from Princess AND additional OBC's from the T.A. they have indeed been combined, and we get both types of these OBC's almost every cruise. As far as I know the T.A. has no control over the Princess supplied $100 OBC. They only have control over their own OBC offer which they have to pay for out of their commission or spend some of their Princess credits which are given to T.A's for bookings. It's one way the T.A's get you to book with them by paying out some of their commission or using their Princess credits which they receive for bookings. Call them back.

[faith1118]

Thank for your help :) I'm going to give them a call and see what they say.

[faith1118]

Yes sknight, that is correct. The $100 obc was from a Princess future cruise deposit promotion and the $75 obc offered by the TA was from their site. When I called them to ask about it, they said that they couldn't offer the $75 obc anymore because it was meant for a quote that was priced above what I ended up booking.

[Pam in CA]

Yes sknight, that is correct. The $100 obc was from a Princess future cruise deposit promotion and the $75 obc offered by the TA was from their site. When I called them to ask about it, they said that they couldn't offer the $75 obc anymore because it was meant for a quote that was priced above what I ended up booking.

I'm a little confused since before I book, I always request quotes from 2-3 TAs and when I get the quotes, they include any OBC offered by the TA plus other perks. I don't book until I receive a quote. Are you saying you were quoted a price and the TA was offering OBC in addition to the FCC OBC but when you booked, they're not honoring their quote? If that's the case, I'd get another TA. Edited May 30, 2014 by Pam in CA

[Pam in CA]

Hi, yeah...sorry...i'm confused about obc because I don't have much experience with it. I used XXXX to look for quotes and to compare the prices from different travel agencies. The online quoted price from the TA with the $75 obc was $2600 for a balcony, but then when I checked the website 2 days later, the price had dropped to $2200, so I decided to book for that price and when I called them, they said that the $75 obc was only for the $2600 price and not for the cheaper price that i paid. I checked with 3 other TA and they all had the same price that I paid, but none had the $75 obc, which is why I chose to go with that TA.

<Sigh> I can't say anything else because of CC's rules but I had a horrendous experience and would never, ever go that route again. Use a TA recommended by friends or someone you meet onboard with personal experience.

[faith1118]

Yikes, sorry to bring up bad memories for you :( thanks for your input though...i guess i will go with another TA for future sailings

[dorisis]

Yikes, sorry to bring up bad memories for you :( thanks for your input though...i guess i will go with another TA for future sailings

 

I have had some bad experiences of the same sort using online agencies. Never again.

[cherylandtk]

The online quoted price from the TA with the $75 obc was $2600 for a balcony, but then when I checked the website 2 days later, the price had dropped to $2200, so I decided to book for that price...

Faith, I read this as you received a quote for one price (w/OBC) but did not book it. Two days later you saw an ad/price/different quote (w/out OBC) and that is the price you booked.

 

That said, you earlier stated your booking confirmation page does include $75 OBC.....and that would be a written price ($2200) with OBC ($75). If that is indeed correct, then you are entitled to the $75. It may be a mistake by the agency and you may have to fight for it, but if you have a written booking confirmation showing both the lower price AND the $75, then they need to cover their mistake.

 

And this sort of mistake, while in your favor this time, is the exact reason Pam had a nightmare dealing with an agency that competes for the lowest price. Some agents make too many mistakes, are in too much of a hurry, don't take the time to review each booking for accuracy, etc. There are too many good agents out there to waste time with a sloppy or inaccurate one.

[faith1118]

Yes, that is exactly what happened. Im just going to let it go this time because I dont want to have a nightmare time like others have had, and next time, I will hopefully choose a better agency. Thanks for all your input though :)

 

 

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