Issues with "Upgrade" aka downgrade - Azura

[DS_Dean]

Hi fellow cruisers!

 

We have booked on a number of cruises with P&O and have not been upgraded before. This time around, it seems we have - but we consider it to be a downgrade.

 

In a nutshell.. we did have a "Guarantee LC" grade cabin which we booked based on P&O's advice that those cabins are not 100% obstructed. We have now found out though that despite booking "Guarantee LC" it turns out that was not guaranteed at all and we have moved to an "LA" grade with cabin E617, a fully obstructed cabin which is exactly the opposite of what we wanted.

 

Considering we went through the effort of discussing this with P&O when we booked we are incredibly miffed that they have done this. To make matters worse they are being incredibly in-amicable, not allowing us to pay extra for any additional cabin grades as part of a means of negotiation.

 

Infact, the customer experience is very negative dealing with P&O this time round. Changing our cruise to our detriment.

 

Ho hum. Just wondered if any cruisers have been in a similar situation before and might have any advice? :)

[rooftop]

According to my 2014/15 brochure, LA and LC on Azura are both "outside (obstructed view) with shower".

 

You'd need KA/KC (part obstructed) or JA/JB/JC/JD (outside not obstructed).

 

When you're booking a guarantee cabin type the terms do say that the guaranteed grade is the minimum you will get and that you could be upgraded. Part of the chance you take by opting for the cheap fare.

[DS_Dean]

According to my 2014/15 brochure, LA and LC on Azura are both "outside (obstructed view) with shower".

 

You'd need KA/KC (part obstructed) or JA/JB/JC/JD (outside not obstructed).

 

When you're booking a guarantee cabin type the terms do say that the guaranteed grade is the minimum you will get and that you could be upgraded. Part of the chance you take by opting for the cheap fare.

 

It does indeed seem to say that. Though for some reason we were told differently when booking, they were giving specialist "expertise" based on their knowledge of cabins at the time. It was communicated at the time that LC is more desirable than LA in terms of overall obstruction.

 

The images on the P&O website seem to confirm this with LC cabins not being fully obstructed to the same extent as LA grade.

 

LC appears to be quite confusing, its listed as obstructed but even the deck plans seem to suggest otherwise. :confused:

 

More annoyingly although yes when we look at conditions now we see that "Guarantee" is a minimum level of grade. But at the time, again, cunning obfuscation on P&O's part led us to believe it was more of an actual guarantee of the grade.

 

Gah! Moral of the story may well be to pay more attention and not rely on sales talk from P&O to form a decision. :(

Edited June 3, 2014 by DS_Dean

[AchileLauro]

As you say Guarantee is a minimum level of grade, P&O have stuck to their part of the bargain. If you had wanted a particular grade or cabin then unfortunately you would have needed to pay more when you booked. You don't really get a choice of cabin when take a guarantee or a free upgrade.

Edited June 4, 2014 by AchileLauro

[majortom10]

You have had an upgrade because an LA costs more than an LC. When you booked you obviously booked a Saver fare and paid a lot less than Select and you book a minimum guarantee of LC but its at P&Os discretion if they upgrade you to a higher grade. If you read T&Cs it states that you will be guaranteed a minimum of LC and that is the crux "minimum". If you wanted a cabin that is not obstructed then you should have paid the higher Select fare and chosen your cabin you cannot expect to pay lower fare and then complain what cabin P&O put you in when they have stuck to their side of the contract.

[Mysticalmother]

You have had an upgrade because an LA costs more than an LC. When you booked you obviously booked a Saver fare and paid a lot less than Select and you book a minimum guarantee of LC but its at P&Os discretion if they upgrade you to a higher grade. If you read T&Cs it states that you will be guaranteed a minimum of LC and that is the crux "minimum". If you wanted a cabin that is not obstructed then you should have paid the higher Select fare and chosen your cabin you cannot expect to pay lower fare and then complain what cabin P&O put you in when they have stuck to their side of the contract.

 

...I largely agree with your sentiments...but...you can actually book a Guarantee grade cabin with a Select price. ( I am not sure who would want to do this other than probably more chance of an upgrade, but you can) Only the OP knows whether he paid a cheap Saver price!

[the english lady]

...I largely agree with your sentiments...but...you can actually book a Guarantee grade cabin with a Select price. ( I am not sure who would want to do this other than probably more chance of an upgrade, but you can) Only the OP knows whether he paid a cheap Saver price!

Maybe the moral here should be if you are looking at cabins that may be obstructed , then either bite the bullet ,pay a select fare , and pick the level of obstruction you would be happy with, or pay a cheaper fare still for a cabin lower down, so you do not have obstructions.

As others have said P and O in this case have gone by their t and c.Sorry.

[molecrochip]

...I largely agree with your sentiments...but...you can actually book a Guarantee grade cabin with a Select price. ( I am not sure who would want to do this other than probably more chance of an upgrade, but you can) Only the OP knows whether he paid a cheap Saver price!

 

 

We've done this and you get the other benefits of being a select booking. In fact, savers were not available on the cruise we booked.

 

 

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[rubydoobydoo]

Hi fellow cruisers!

 

We have booked on a number of cruises with P&O and have not been upgraded before. This time around, it seems we have - but we consider it to be a downgrade.

 

In a nutshell.. we did have a "Guarantee LC" grade cabin which we booked based on P&O's advice that those cabins are not 100% obstructed. We have now found out though that despite booking "Guarantee LC" it turns out that was not guaranteed at all and we have moved to an "LA" grade with cabin E617, a fully obstructed cabin which is exactly the opposite of what we wanted.

 

Considering we went through the effort of discussing this with P&O when we booked we are incredibly miffed that they have done this. To make matters worse they are being incredibly in-amicable, not allowing us to pay extra for any additional cabin grades as part of a means of negotiation.

 

Infact, the customer experience is very negative dealing with P&O this time round. Changing our cruise to our detriment.

 

Ho hum. Just wondered if any cruisers have been in a similar situation before and might have any advice? :)

 

 

If you are 100% sure that the rep you spoke to at P and O told you on the phone that the grade you booked would NOT be fully obstructed, and the cabin you have been given is then I would ring and ask to speak to someone higher if you have not had any help so far

 

Remind them that all phone calls are recorded and ask them to play to recording of the conversation and ask them for a copy of the recording if they still wont help

 

I know that asking for a copy of a telephone conversation has worked wonders in the past

 

Good luck

[majortom10]

If you are 100% sure that the rep you spoke to at P and O told you on the phone that the grade you booked would NOT be fully obstructed, and the cabin you have been given is then I would ring and ask to speak to someone higher if you have not had any help so far

 

Remind them that all phone calls are recorded and ask them to play to recording of the conversation and ask them for a copy of the recording if they still wont help

 

I know that asking for a copy of a telephone conversation has worked wonders in the past

 

Good luck

 

But if they have booked a saver fare they wouldnt have known there cabin number so couldnt have been guaranteed a particular cabin.

[rubydoobydoo]

But if they have booked a saver fare they wouldnt have known there cabin number so couldnt have been guaranteed a particular cabin.

 

 

That is correct, but that isn't really the issue, it is all down to what was said in the telephone conversation, if they were given the wrong information at the time of booking then it will be recorded and P and O May be more helpful in letting them change cabins etc.

[DS_Dean]

Thanks for the input everyone. This has been very interesting and helpful. Just to clear up some facts it was indeed a Saver Fare we booked.. but.. we booked it at the cruise show in London face to face so there is no chance of a recorded phone call. We went through looking at the cabin grades with the specialist looking at the book and we were advised that LC was the better choice for least obstruction.

 

I spoke with P&O this evening and they are offering no movement on their part. Although they were somewhat in agreement that we have been downgraded in terms of overall view, the fact that we are now mid-ship grade is in their opinion an upgrade. Even though in our opinion the least obstruction was more important, aka Grade LC. However as P&O's opinion is the only opinion that matters this doesn't leave us with any options!

 

I think lessons learned from this have been:

 

1. Not to book a "Saver" fare early. As there are no advantages in doing so. By booking saver fares later the prices are much better. There are no upgrade routes for booking saver fares early.
   
2. The fact that P&O can choose can make alterations based solely on their opinion is not good news. Worth bearing in mind when booking saver.
   
3. Any assurances given by cruise specialists are not worth anything beyond the T&C's
   
4. Not to expect customer service to negotiate any means of better deals even for paid upgrades, and even if there is availability (!)
   
5. Actually read the T&C's :)
   

 

I suppose as we have never been "upgraded" before we have always had the cabin grade that met our expectations as per our booking. We're not used to having alterations to the booking that we consider to be negative impact!

Edited June 4, 2014 by DS_Dean

[kersh]

Hi Dean,

 

It really comes down to the rep at the cruise show being completely clueless on how the saver fare works.

 

When you book a saver fare you only get a choice of inside, outside of balcony.

 

No choice of grade of cabin whatsoever. PO then slot you into an unsold cabin. You got a slightly higher grade cabin but you could easily have been allocated an outside cabin with a porthole and no obstruction but maybe on a lower deck.

 

The saver fare generally is much cheaper than the select fare so that PO can fill the cabins which have not been chosen by the passengers paying the full fare.

[the english lady]

Just a minor point with anyone booking saver fares midships is ALWAYS considered an upgrade. The cheapest ones quoted are always fore/aft. Something to bear in mind if midships of the type you are looking at has obstructions.

The price you have paid will be a lot less than the select fares-but 99% of the time, they would have booked their cabin very carefully, for possibly just this reason.

[Cymraes]

I think you've done the sort of thing I would do, believed someone when they spoke with a confidence and knowledge that in reality was misplaced. I feel that disappointment as it's similar to the one I felt when something similar happened to me. All I want to say is, if there's nothing to be done try to shake off those thoughts, go with a mind to enjoy that holiday and don't let disappointment cloud what will I'm sure be a great time. Enjoy.

[DS_Dean]

I think you've done the sort of thing I would do, believed someone when they spoke with a confidence and knowledge that in reality was misplaced. I feel that disappointment as it's similar to the one I felt when something similar happened to me. All I want to say is, if there's nothing to be done try to shake off those thoughts, go with a mind to enjoy that holiday and don't let disappointment cloud what will I'm sure be a great time. Enjoy.

 

Thanks. This is exactly what we are feeling. Its not a huge deal. We're sure to enjoy the holiday despite the slight disappointment from the sales side.

 

Things happen I suppose. This forum is a great place as a sounding board to work out whats right and wrong, more-so than P&O themselves. :)

[tom_uk]

....

The price you have paid will be a lot less than the select fares-but 99% of the time, they would have booked their cabin very carefully, for possibly just this reason.

 

Yes - C-deck balcony with the specific cabin chosen when we book, and the 'No Upgrade' option firmly ticked. But there are good reasons why we need to book very early and thus are unable to take advantage of Savers/Early Savers, and making sure we get exactly the cabin we want is one plus point from the extra cost.

Edited June 5, 2014 by tom_uk

[Denarius]

Yes - C-deck balcony with the specific cabin chosen when we book, and the 'No Upgrade' option firmly ticked. But there are good reasons why we need to book very early and thus are unable to take advantage of Savers/Early Savers, and making sure we get exactly the cabin we want is one plus point from the extra cost.

 

Agree entirely. Some people may not realise that if they book a fore or aft cabin on C deck for the large balcony and are prepared to accept an upgrade they may well be "upgraded" to a midships cabin on a higher deck. Higher grade, more expensive, but exactly the same type of cabin with a smaller balcony!

[kersh]

We book select for 3 cruises a year and always choose our cabin carefully and tick the no upgrade box. For any other cruises we can fit in we book the saver fare and are happy with what we get. Our cruise next week saved us almost £800 each by booking a saver rather than select fare. We have been allocated a forward balcony cabin, where had we booked select we would have chosen an aft C deck balcony.