Pathetic response to complaint from Celebrity

[Onessa]

Whatever the merits of the OP's original complaint may be, I do relate to the issue that they have with the canned response they feel that they received.

 

Is it just me who is tired of the "canned" customer service.

• A store near me has a "rule" that if an employee is in 10 floor tiles of a customer, the employee must make eye-contact with teh customer and acknowledge them.
  
• Another store insists upon asking you every time "did you find everything you were looking for" at checkout -- but if the customer answers "no, you were out of bottled skim milk" the employee is completely discombobulated
  
• I wanted to complain to Kellogg's about two product problems I had had. Their "contact us" web site was so restricted, that I needed do two separate complaints (no way to select that you had multiple issues). I got the same exact word-for-word, cut-and-paste text reply to both inquiries.
  That is not customer service, it is automating complaints to reduce operating costs. It is not providing customer service, it is mitigating the risks that would be associated with giving a Customer Service person any real authority to address a complaint.
  
• I sent an email to "Pink" to let them know that one of their associates had really gone "above and beyond" in providing excellent service and got a canned "sorry you had a problem" email in return.
  

As I said, I don't know the validity of any of the OPs actaul complains, but I can understand that recieving a boilerplate response is disingenuous and lacks any real sincerity or even any attempt by the company to try to understand the issue. Companies spend thousands and thousands of dollars on market research, they really should pay some attention to the free feedback they are getting in complaints.

Edited August 28, 2014 by Onessa

[Cruising89143]

I feel your flames. Some people on here are just nasty. I realize you may have been unclear in the beginning but there is no reason for rudeness. People say things on here that they would never say if they had a conversation with you face to face. They hide behind their screen and are bullies.

 

I just read this entire thread and I have yet to see any negative responses to the OP. When a person posts they are opening themselves up to others commenting. Just because the responses may be a different opinion from the OP does not make it a flame.

[tomsafrica]

Whatever the merits of the OP's original complaint may be, I do relate to the issue that they have with the canned response they feel that they received.

 

Is it just me who is tired of the "canned" customer service.

• A store near me has a "rule" that if an employee is in 10 floor tiles of a customer, the employee must make eye-contact with teh customer and acknowledge them.
  
• Another store insists upon asking you every time "did you find everything you were looking for" at checkout -- but if the customer answers "no, you were out of bottled skim milk" the employee is completely discombobulated
  
• I wanted to complain to Kellogg's about two product problems I had had. Their "contact us" web site was so restricted, that I needed do two separate complaints (no way to select that you had multiple issues). I got the same exact word-for-word, cut-and-paste text reply to both inquiries.
  That is not customer service, it is automating complaints to reduce operating costs. It is not providing customer service, it is mitigating the risks that would be associated with giving a Customer Service person any real authority to address a complaint.
  
• I sent an email to "Pink" to let them know that one of their associates had really gone "above and beyond" in providing excellent service and got a canned "sorry you had a problem" email in return.
  

As I said, I don't know the validity of any of the OPs actaul complains, but I can understand that recieving a boilerplate response is disingenuous and lacks any real sincerity or even any attempt by the company to try to understand the issue. Companies spend thousands and thousands of dollars on market research, they really should pay some attention to the free feedback they are getting in complaints.

 

You've got it in one. Have you ever seen hotel reviews on something like Tripadvisor where every single comment is followed by exactly the same reply every single time, regardless of what was commented on? That's actually worse than no comment at all because these organisations obviously thing we're all deeply stupid :confused: OK none of the issues were serious ones, the OP had a good time - the very smallest acknowledgement on a human level would have been worth it's weight in gold. In the longer term, which method of customer contact is going to be more fruitful?

[hcat]

I've also read her review.

 

The thing she talked about the most that she didn't even mention here was the soup from...not even a recipe...just "here are the ingredients, make my kids this special soup because they are depressed" - really? And then complain that they did not look up the recipe? (Have you ever SEEN what an enormous enterprise the kitchen is, having to serve thousands of people several times a day in many different venues?). Agreed, they should never have promised the soup, but they were just trying to be nice.

 

I actually have a cocktail recipe that I love which I bring with me and have bartenders make - but it's an actual recipe, with ingredients in defined amounts. Most have been happy to comply.

 

I now recall this review...at the time I thought there was an unrealistic sense of entitlement,,,,,,more so now....Time for this thread to wane. Up to X to sort it out.

[Kevnzworld]

Hello there,

 

We apologize for the response that you received. We saw your bullet points, and will pass it onto the proper departments. Additionally, we're sorry that you didn't enjoy your trip, but hopefully you won't experience these issues again if you do decide to sail with us again.

 

Lastly, our Social Media team can always be reached at concerns@celebrity.com. However, we don't have access to any other emails that may have been sent, so anything sent here will need to have a reservation number, and a full description so that we can route it to the proper channels.

 

Impressive! Kudo's to Celebrity!

[Illyria]

So you sent them a letter saying all these little things went wrong... things you acknowledge cannot be proven. And they in turn send you a letter and say they're sorry things didn't go well and you're unhappy because....why??? What exactly is it that you expected them to do? It's he said, she said....are they supposed to fire the staff members in question and report to you that they've done so? Offer you a refund? or something else? All because you claim a bunch of little things that can't be proven, actually happened? I mean serious- what response would you have been happy with under the circumstances? :confused:

 

 

 

Oh for heaven's sake, YOU wrote THEM a letter of complaint; why should they have to do all the detective work? Are they supposed to play twenty questions and beg you to tell them what the issues were? If you have complaints, then you should have shared them in the original letter, not just said "Hey a bunch of things upset me, please respond appropriately."

 

I'd be willing to bet that based on what you've said, Celebrity probably read your apparently very vague letter and thought, "Here's another one, looking for a refund because he didn't like the cruise."

 

My thoughts exactly...you phrased it much better than I could!

 

With the OP's complaints, I have absolutely no idea how Celebrity could send anything OTHER than a generic response "we're sorry that you weren't happy with your cruise".

[warmwinds]

Except for the fruit juices, it seems most of the complaints centered on "the kids". Having gone through this ourselves, our last vacation with our teen daughter was the summer before she left for college. After that point, they DO NOT want to be saddled tagging along with their parents anymore. Please take this tongue-in-cheek advice to leave them home!

 

Now that she's married and has kids, we're now again ok to travel with :)

[Sloop-JohnB]

Except for the fruit juices, it seems most of the complaints centered on "the kids". Having gone through this ourselves, our last vacation with our teen daughter was the summer before she left for college. After that point, they DO NOT want to be saddled tagging along with their parents anymore. Please take this tongue-in-cheek advice to leave them home!

 

Now that she's married and has kids, we're now again ok to travel with :)

 

Happy some one else said this.

 

I read this post to Mr Sloop and he too saw it as a kid issue.

 

He said that if was him as the Dad and the Steward came a knocking to ask what was happening... (No doubt out of concern for the situation.. As well as his job & also probably to document / formulate a papertrail for the situation in case as has happened someone complained about the service / lack of a cabin being maintained).

 

Mr Sloop said as the Dad who probably paid the freight on this not cheap vacation for these two young woman... He would have laid down the law

 

1- the guy is only trying to do his job. You have to let him do it. Not get in his way

 

2- we are on vacation... Unless you are sick, I did not pay for you guys to sleep in your cabin all day long

 

Complaining makes no sense to me in this case.. If you are not part of the solution, then you very well could be part of the problem.

 

Cheers!

Edited August 28, 2014 by Sloop-JohnB

[patty1955]

I like to sleep late, but I'm curious as to how late you would need to sleep to have the room attendant come by 2 or 3 times?

[CHEZMARYLOU]

How many times has someone forgotten to take the DND sign off the door and left the cabin for an excursion? If the cabin attendant did not take steps to see if the cabin was vacant and did not make it up, how many complaints would that generate?

 

Mary Lou

[Wine-O]

How many times has someone forgotten to take the DND sign off the door and left the cabin for an excursion? If the cabin attendant did not take steps to see if the cabin was vacant and did not make it up, how many complaints would that generate?

 

Mary Lou

 

My wife forgot to take it off after she left the cabin, and we went on an excursion. We had food & everything in there from breakfast. The attendant did not come in because of the DND sign. I was upset with my wife, not the stateroom attendant. :rolleyes:

[TomTN]

Except for the fruit juices, it seems most of the complaints centered on "the kids". Having gone through this ourselves, our last vacation with our teen daughter was the summer before she left for college. After that point, they DO NOT want to be saddled tagging along with their parents anymore. Please take this tongue-in-cheek advice to leave them home!

 

Now that she's married and has kids, we're now again ok to travel with :)

 

When I had had enough I finally said to our 16 year old daughter, "No one likes teenagers except other teenagers". DD called home when she was twenty and in college and said you were right. These freshmen teenagers are so childish.

She has a child now and mom/grandmother is truly appreciated. Life is better than ever.

And yeah, they cannot pay anyone enough to care for and love their children as much as grandma.

This Is not a comment about the OP. Just a reflection on your post.

[CathyCruises]

There's another reason. Sometimes if people are sick (noro, whatever) they hole up in their cabins, don't want anyone to know so they won't be quarantined. The stewards are trained to make sure people are not avoiding that and are really sleeping, not secretly sick. . .

[coldweathergirl]

There's another reason. Sometimes if people are sick (noro, whatever) they hole up in their cabins, don't want anyone to know so they won't be quarantined. The stewards are trained to make sure people are not avoiding that and are really sleeping, not secretly sick. . .

 

That was exactly my thought after reading the thread.

 

My kids 25, 22, and 19 still love going on vacations with us but I would be the one knocking on their door getting them up if they were sleeping half the day. Unfortunately for the kids though, being in an inside stateroom with no windows to allow in daylight they probably would have no idea if it was actually day time (unless they slept with the tv on to the webcam of the front of the ship).

 

Regarding the pool deck chairs, I've been on many cruises and I've always seen chair hogs but even so, I have always been able to find a chair. It may not be 4 together as the OP probably would want or in the most desired location but I've gotten one.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[Cruiseline Virgin]

With almost 2 million Cruise line passengers a year and rising, who actually expect a personalized email? To employ the staff for that would raise the fares for sure. Just 1 percent of complains of any kind, would be 20,000 emails a year, distributed to lets say to the top 10 lines is 2,000 mails year each.

 

A comment to a single hotel in a destination on tripadvisor is a different thing, there it should be done with a personal response.

 

And from your travel agent as well.

[stipmom]

I find it interesting that the OP said they were not looking for compensation but were going to deal with the issue by contacting their charge company and BBB. I understand the later but why contact the charge company if you are not looking for compensation?

[Crazy Cruzer]

Okay, yielding to popular demand::)

Usually ....

 

Thank you so much for responding to the requests for details. I realize that you thought your complaints were individually not all that material so that you just wanted to vent about Celebrity's lack of interest in hearing them and therefore not voice the details here.

 

But by giving us all the details we begged for you've given many of us at Cruise Critic the entertaining opportunity to bash and belittle your complaints and turn it all around making you look petty and inappropriate. This in turn has generated a lot of fun and entertainment for so many of us.

 

I hope no other poster with minor complaints sees this thread and is intimidated enough to hold back their opinions or else we won't have the opportunity to bash them as well. After all it is so much fun telling people their complaints are not worthy, that they are petty and were not handled appropriately during the cruise.

 

I'm sorry that you had enough of these minor disturbances to cast shadows on your cruise overall but so happy that you took the brave step in posting them here so we could have fun with you.

Edited August 29, 2014 by Crazy Cruzer

[gizmodog]

I totally understand your feeling and know that one bad thing not taken care of usually leads to another and another, and it can ruin a great cruise….I have cruised with Celebrity many times and have had 1 bad cruise….it is one I will never forget though.

Everything just escalated. I do love Celebrity though and hope one bad cruise will not ruin your cruising with them, at least give them another chance. Also, their customer service does leave a lot to be desired. What ship were you on? You may have mentioned that but I missed it. We were on Equinox and I probably will not sail that ship again, although I am sure if we were to try it, it would be fine, just a bad taste in my mouth about that ship.

[antsnanny]

I feel your flames. Some people on here are just nasty. I realize you may have been unclear in the beginning but there is no reason for rudeness. People say things on here that they would never say if they had a conversation with you face to face. They hide behind their screen and are bullies.

 

 

Im curious, who has been nasty thus far on this thread and what did they say? I may have missed something but I thought everyone was quite nice and in many cases spot on!

[antsnanny]

I've also read her review.

 

The thing she talked about the most that she didn't even mention here was the soup from...not even a recipe...just "here are the ingredients, make my kids this special soup because they are depressed" - really? And then complain that they did not look up the recipe? (Have you ever SEEN what an enormous enterprise the kitchen is, having to serve thousands of people several times a day in many different venues?). Agreed, they should never have promised the soup, but they were just trying to be nice.

 

I actually have a cocktail recipe that I love which I bring with me and have bartenders make - but it's an actual recipe, with ingredients in defined amounts. Most have been happy to comply.

 

Your right, the wait staff tried to cheer up her depressed daughters by asking the chef's to make them their favorite soup, GreeK Egg and Lemon Soup (Avgalemono Soup) It seemed like they weren't happy with the way the soup came out.. I would have given them an A for effort and an extra tip for noticing that my daughters needing some cheering up and trying to do that..The crew went above and beyond expectations on that one.! I also would have made my wishes very clear with the cabin steward as to when they would be allowed to clean their daughters cabin or instruct them not to do so during the day if my daughters had their Do Not Disturb sign out. I would also bare in mind that their are times of the day that the stewards are off as they work day and night. I feel like many, that most of these issues could have been taken care of onboard.

[phoenix_dream]

There's another reason. Sometimes if people are sick (noro, whatever) they hole up in their cabins, don't want anyone to know so they won't be quarantined. The stewards are trained to make sure people are not avoiding that and are really sleeping, not secretly sick. . .

 

With due respect I really have to take exception to this idea. If I have a migraine and want to 'hole up in my cabin' all day to sleep it off, it is no business of the room steward. If I am on my honeymoon and want to spend all day in my cabin I do not want the room steward to disturb me:D. If I get motion sick and need to lay down/stay in my cabin all day I don't want the room steward to disturb me. If I am messy by nature and left my room in a shambles and don't want the room steward to see it that way, I don't want the room steward pushing me to take the sign off the door. I am fine with one quick knock on the door later in the morning to make sure all is ok, and the sign was not left on by mistake. But I would have a real problem with the idea of a room steward performing a sickness audit as it were. I guess on a Code Red ship this may in fact be practiced, but it kind of creeps me out to think about it.

[Lady Chew]

With due respect I really have to take exception to this idea. If I have a migraine and want to 'hole up in my cabin' all day to sleep it off, it is no business of the room steward. If I am on my honeymoon and want to spend all day in my cabin I do not want the room steward to disturb me:D. If I get motion sick and need to lay down/stay in my cabin all day I don't want the room steward to disturb me. If I am messy by nature and left my room in a shambles and don't want the room steward to see it that way, I don't want the room steward pushing me to take the sign off the door. I am fine with one quick knock on the door later in the morning to make sure all is ok, and the sign was not left on by mistake. But I would have a real problem with the idea of a room steward performing a sickness audit as it were. I guess on a Code Red ship this may in fact be practiced, but it kind of creeps me out to think about it.

 

I agree with this whole-heartedly. One quick tap on the door to make sure everything is okay, or maybe a note from housekeeping placed on the door, like they do in hotels (that's really a simple thing to do) ...

 

I don't mind going a day without having my bed made, but I do want fresh towels every day when I'm in a hotel/cabin. I've always been able to get extra towels from my cabin steward when needed ...

[blueboro]

Seems to be a real disconnect between what was the post here and the review. Seems they were very annoyed at the cabin steward and the bad food in Bistro but their review states...

 

"Cabin attendant: As expected, nothing bad, nothing exceptional.

 

Bistro on Five: Good food, slow service, limited selection. For 7 USD per person, you can not really ask for more. Did not try the other specialty restaurants, and the cost for the Chef dinner (195USD pp) was too high for me."

 

Really confused. And the thing about the soup was the real kicker.

[SeagoingMom]

I, too, read the OP's review of the cruise, and I found one particular line telling: "...the Summit cruise failed to live up to our expectations created by the hype we read everywhere for Celebrity."

 

I fully sympathize with the OP's feelings that the response Celebrity gave bordered on unconcern, but I think what has happened is that the OP's expectations were overly high based on the "hype" mentioned above. And I do not blame him when I say this -- as this was the his first Celebrity cruise, and he had nothing to base his expectations on than the hype he mentions. And a good deal of this hype may have come from Cruise Critic, of course, from very enthusiastic Celebrity fans.

 

This happened to me on my first and only Princess cruise. I had read so many glowing reports about Princess that my expectations were unrealistically high, and my opinions about my cruise had a good long distance to "fall" toward the negative when I experienced various issues which I later realized were not as serious, in toto, as I had originally thought. It was my disappointed expectations, not so much the actual events themselves, which resulted in my strong negative reactions.

 

Still, everyone who complains about their cruise to the cruise line should get at least a sympathetic response (such as the one given on this board, perhaps?) and not be given the feeling that they are being "blown off" by the company.

JMO

[CaroleSS]

Your right, the wait staff tried to cheer up her depressed daughters by asking the chef's to make them their favorite soup, GreeK Egg and Lemon Soup (Avgalemono Soup) It seemed like they weren't happy with the way the soup came out.. I would have given them an A for effort and an extra tip for noticing that my daughters needing some cheering up and trying to do that..The crew went above and beyond expectations on that one.! I also would have made my wishes very clear with the cabin steward as to when they would be allowed to clean their daughters cabin or instruct them not to do so during the day if my daughters had their Do Not Disturb sign out. I would also bare in mind that their are times of the day that the stewards are off as they work day and night. I feel like many, that most of these issues could have been taken care of onboard.

 

On our last =X= cruise we asked for a coconut cake for my father's birthday. We paid around $30 for said cake. What we got was more of a coconut pie, but we enjoyed it and never gave it a second thought.

 

We were on vacation.....go with the flow!!