Need to Vent - Website Issues. X not honoring

[Want2Cruise 701]

I am SOOOO mad. Spent the entire day on the phone with X. I'm not new to X, and I thoroughly know how their website works even with the promos.

 

I check pricing everyday. Last night I noticed they had the SAME pricing for PYP and resident discount to choose from. For some reason, they were letting you have the lower price with the perks :eek::confused:

 

So, of course, for the same price I chose the PYP option box. (That was actually a $300 savings from my current 123go.). I booked it all the way through to the end. I even took a screenshot.

 

I called X this morning to cancel my old booking and have that cabin put on the new reservation. Same 1A category. I also asked for an email confirmation. Well, the Bev package and the $200 OBC were not on there. Captains Club said the terms say you can't have both.

 

I sent her the screenshot. It clearly shows that I was able to book both. It shows the price I paid with a resident discount, PYP BEV as well as the additional $200 OBC that is being offered.

 

She went to resolutions, and they said they can't honor it. She told me the IT department was made aware of the website issue. Mistake in my book. She gladly told me I could have the perks for the correct pricing which was more. Why would I do that? My original deal was better.

 

Anyway, how many people has this affected? How many people think they have a PYP + OBC for that price and don't. It doesn't seem legal. It's a bait and switch. People aren't getting what they booked and paid for. The should honor their mistake/website glitch.

 

I still have a cruise and a better deal than the current one. I feel bad for the people that booked under this website mistake and don't know. If I hadn't needed my cabin switched and didn't know to ask for a PDF printout, I would be very upset at boarding to find out my drinks or whatever perk I pick wasn't being honored and I have no OBC.

 

Thanks for listening.

[Project_gal]

Totally different situation but I have learned that what the Celebrity website let's you book can be total fiction.

 

At least until a couple of weeks ago [i gave up checking then], the UK website has let you book hotels in Shanghai and Vancouver at the two end of our transpacific - at least up to the point where you need to pay the deposit. What's the problem with that? Well, I have been assured by a number of people, including Michael Bayley's office that Celebrity do NOT have, and never have had, contracts with any of the hotels [3 or 4 in Shanghai and one in Vancouver]. The interesting things is that in at least one hotel, the website lets you select the type of room and the package you want - something Celebrity have never offered! I have been assured that these hotels are not offered even after I have sent Celebrity screen prints of their website showing them.

 

I have managed to book the hotel that is offered in Shanghai by telephone but that hotel is not shown on Celebrity's UK website.

 

I know that I am sane so it must be Celebrity ....

Edited August 12, 2014 by Project_gal

[Andy]

Hi Want2cruise,

 

I feel for you. It's very unfortunate that Celebrity's website continues to have issues.

 

IMO, if you can prove the website showed the perks on the booking. then Celebrity should honor it. I'm unsure if you can win this battle, but if it were me ? I'd continue to try and escalate it.

 

If I may suggest - email the contactmichael@celebrity.com address. The staff in that area are excellent, and quite responsive.

 

Please let us know the outcome, and good luck !

Edited August 12, 2014 by Host Andy

[GUT2407]

Nobody should believe a word Celebrity web site says.

 

Has anyone else noted that when you TRY to book on it the price jumps about $200 and then adds taxes and gratuities. So you pay about $400 per head more than they quote, this has happened to me on three different cruises.

[Dancin85]

I did a 'dummy' booking earlier, and it was giving me both the beverage package and resident discount.

 

Reading about Celebrity's website issues (on CC) is the main reason I used a TA.

 

Sent from my BNTV600 using Forums mobile app

[TowandaUK]

X is showing the wrong deck plan for our cruise. Anybody booking online will find their room is not where they believe it to be. The room we have booked is shown with a totally different number.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[4774Papa]

Also, beware booking an Around Japan cruises in the future. X has cancelled all three for 2015.

[hcat]

Seems things are getting worse not better.

 

Time for Celebrity to provide info and a projected timetable for the repairs/re-do of the website.Hopefully before the next large scale booking cycle begins.

[helen haywood]

I'm not saying everyone would know this, but hasn't it always been the case that PYP or 1,2,3 Go were not combinable with a resident, senior or military rate? I realize their website doesn't know this....but in the fine print about the offers on their site doesn't it say this? Along with the fact that it is not available on transatlantic or transpacific and other cruises....

[Andy]

I'm not saying everyone would know this, but hasn't it always been the case that PYP or 1,2,3 Go were not combinable with a resident, senior or military rate? I realize their website doesn't know this....but in the fine print about the offers on their site doesn't it say this? Along with the fact that it is not available on transatlantic or transpacific and other cruises....

 

Hi Helen haywood,

 

Yes, what you say is accurate in most cases, but it still doesn't excuse Celebrity from the website issues. I can see how many guests get upset at matters such as this.

 

I bet if Celebrity were forced to honor the website mistakes, they'd fix the problems in a matter of hours, instead of it going on for what seems like forever. Just doesn't seem like a priority, and that's not right.

[helen haywood]

Oh, I agree with you that the website should be fixed! (I guess I'd forgotten that could ever be a possibility....) I just wondered if X had changed the rules re the perks packages and I didn't know about it.

[Sloop-JohnB]

X is showing the wrong deck plan for our cruise. Anybody booking online will find their room is not where they believe it to be. The room we have booked is shown with a totally different number.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Guessing you have a cruise booked on one of the S-Class Ships ?

 

(lots of people don't realize the numbering isn't the same on all five... Sucks tho when Celebrity's own website gets it wrong!! I'd be ticked if I ended up somewhere else than I thought I was going to be once aboard)

 

Cheers!

[Want2Cruise 701]

I did a 'dummy' booking earlier, and it was giving me both the beverage package and resident discount.

Sent from my BNTV600 using Forums mobile app

 

See. It's letting you book both for the lower/same price even though the fine print says cannot combine :confused::confused::confused:

 

It usually gives you two separate prices to choose from with the resident price being lower. You'll get all the way to the end and book but Celebrity won't give you the PYP. It never really gets added to the booking. :mad:

 

 

 

I'm not saying everyone would know this, but hasn't it always been the case that PYP or 1,2,3 Go were not combinable with a resident, senior or military rate? I realize their website doesn't know this....but in the fine print about the offers on their site doesn't it say this? Along with the fact that it is not available on transatlantic or transpacific and other cruises....

 

Yes. You are right but celebrity is giving it to you and letting you book it that way.

[Want2Cruise 701]

Hi Want2cruise,

 

I feel for you. It's very unfortunate that Celebrity's website continues to have issues.

 

IMO, if you can prove the website showed the perks on the booking. then Celebrity should honor it. I'm unsure if you can win this battle, but if it were me ? I'd continue to try and escalate it.

 

If I may suggest - email the contactmichael@celebrity.com address. The staff in that area are excellent, and quite responsive.

 

Please let us know the outcome, and good luck !

 

I haven't but I am going to. I did tel the x rep on the phone that I would be contacting Michael Bailey (sp?). I feel bad because the website issues are out of her control.

[Want2Cruise 701]

The attachment I just posted is a little different from the screenshot I have from yesterday. That one had my CC# and the final screen had my info but you get the idea. This I just got from a mock booking.

 

The original one said for offers:

 

sail with X for less. $500 discount for $1,199 or

 

$100 discount and $200 OBC plus BEV for $1,199

 

DUH. Which one would you choose?

Edited August 12, 2014 by Want2Cruise 701

[gentle@spici]

Well now I'm going to be worried for a few months. I booked 2 weeks ago through cruises only and to my surprise the resident rate and the pyp were both applied. During the course of my booking I asked her 3 times if she was sure the pyp would work. She assured me it did. So the next day it shows on my reservation the drink pkg and the obc. I've checked back and it's still on there but maybe they won't honor it once I get on the boat. That would not please me as the only reason we booked was the drink pkg. That's at least a few hundred dollars in drinks.

[virginialucy]

I noticed this issue too when I did a mock booking for the cruise I recently booked (I booked through a TA.) At first, it gave me the option of using the resident discount OR booking with the Pick Your Perk promotion, but when I got to the end, it changed the price AND indicated that I would have the promotion. I know they aren't combinable, and I wasn't planning on actually booking through Celebrity's website anyway, but I thought it was very odd that the system would allow you to book that way and figured that Celebrity would never honor it since the terms of the promotion are very clear. The resident rate was a good price so it would have been nice if it worked that way, but I used the Captain's Club upgrade and that was a pretty good deal.

[Oxo]

I posted about this a couple times last week when I found a difference between the On-Line price and what X's Rep was telling my TA. I tried to search for those two postings I made to no avail. X's rep said that the Internet price was in error and could not honor the price. All kinds of excuses, etc.

X needs to get this ironed out and fast. If their Internet is so bad, clean it up. It doesn't take long to make changes. Don't want to hear excuses from those who say that it takes time to fix stuff like this. My DH has many years of experience in IT and just laughs when he sees how X keeps saying that they are working on it. Don't work on it, get it fixed.

Tried to use Advanced Search and it won't work???

Edited August 13, 2014 by Oxo

[Magellan321]

Going thru the same thing!!! They told me that even though I booked it with resident pricing and it showed PYP.... that I can't have the PYP. Oddly, my invoice now shows resident discount and a -$50 for PYP! The whole ordeal is making my head hurt.

[Dancin85]

We're small business owners in the construction business. If a quote goes out wrong, due to human and/or computer error, we will explain to the customer it was an error. However, if the customer says 'but this is $$$ quote is what I received', then we honor it. We don't argue with them. It was a mistake on our end that costs us money, but that is the right thing to do.

 

Good thing we have very few errors in quotes.

[lovey1103]

We're small business owners in the construction business. If a quote goes out wrong, due to human and/or computer error, we will explain to the customer it was an error. However, if the customer says 'but this is $$$ quote is what I received', then we honor it. We don't argue with them. It was a mistake on our end that costs us money, but that is the right thing to do.

 

Good thing we have very few errors in quotes.

Recent website pricing error on a competetive cruiseline that was absolutely honored. I was pleased for sure and will not hesitiate to cruise with them again.

[jcpc]

I feel this is where it pays to have a good travel agent. I held a PH Suite on the X Website at a ridiculously low price (probably less than what a RS sells for!). I took a screen shot and printed it out. I also received an email from Celebrity recapping the booking and quoting the very low pricing. I called my TA the next morning and filled out the form to transfer the booking to her. When it got transferred, the price had increased considerably. I emailed her a copy of the confirmation and email I had showing the pricing.

 

She contacted her district manager and he had Celebrity "special price" the cabin for me. It took a few days, but I got the originally quoted pricing.

 

I think it pays to have a good travel agent who has a good district manager willing to go to bat for you to get anything major resolved.

[hulamoon]

We booked two cruises once with a TA who had amazing perks for cruises. I kept emails and notes of everyone's conversations for my almost too good to be true deals. I spoke to a manager to confirm just because it was so good.

 

A month later I got a call telling me they were voiding the deal. Three months and dozens of calls later I got most of the deal but much was converted to an upgrade that everyone who paid my rate was entitled to. The error was partly celebrity and partly the Agency.

 

In the end I was left feeling a bit distrustful. Explaining to me it was indeed a mistake and switching some of the perks out should have been as far as they went. Taking some value away was a step to far.

[sperkins921]

No worse than booking a cruise on the ship, paying a $500 deposit, and then having that booking CANCELED (by the same agent who booked your cruise in the first place) a week later! We had booked an aft facing A1 on the Summit, I think it was one with a larger balcony but at this juncture don't remember. I remember it was a cabin worth booking in advance. And I will say that research into the new cabin holders shows they booked it less than 1 minute after my reservation was canceled. I'm feeling like money changed hands or something else equally as shady....

 

Had to get my TA involved as X at first was like "oh sure, we can just rebook you in another A1" and did not want to honor any shipboard perks of booking etc. They could not even get us aft at that point, and offered to *give* us a CC1 that faced aft- for the A1 price. yeah....no. It was after she got involved that we found out who canceled it, how soon the cabin was re-booked, etc.

 

It took weeks of back and forth with the TA and Miami and some higher ups, and just when I thought it was fixed, I realized last week that my beverage package is gone off the booking. And of course, X does not want to re-add it.

 

Not sure where we stand now...my TA just came back from vacay so likely won't have an answer for a bit.

Edited August 25, 2014 by sperkins921