Current Cruise Issue....

[RDC1]

A potential outcome of refusing to pay without resolving the issue is a ban from all CCL cruise lines.

 

Since they already have your credit card information, they will charge the card and then you can try and fight it out with the credit card company. Keep in mind that in such a fight the documentation is in their favor concerning the charges you created on the cruise ship. You can probably win the fight over the original precruise charge through the credit card since that service was not delivered, but not the on ship charges.

[Steelers36]

Thats the way it is supposed to work.

My Emerald cruise in March I booked late Friday afternoon sailing Sunday.

Nothing made it. :(

 

Maybe it's because it was late Friday afternoon. I meant a couple of days before the weekend (not sure if it was a SAT or SUN - might have been the FRI 10-day we did once).

 

Anyway, it can happen either way, but let's say not guaranteed to fail, but also not necessarily guaranteed to work either. :cool:

 

Always best to give the system a few business days to work.

Hey, if I'm past my monthly Visa cutoff date, it doesn't matter when I do it.

 

I'll often make sure my final payment is in a few days early if I'm already into the next Visa billing cycle.

[tetleytea]

I agree with challenging the charge on credit card. You're talking a $20 difference between the $120 and the $100 package. The bank is not going to squabble over $20. At that point the debt is the bank's, not yours, and if the bank just wants to eat it then that is their decision to make. Just as it is CCL'S decision to ban you if they want. The banks keep record of their charge backs, and that black mark on CCL is probably worse than the $120--similar to what would happen if you had a defaulted $120 debt on your credit report. They keep record of the chargebacks you make as well, but if you aren't constantly disputing things, you're fine.

 

I also agree with recording the conversations. That way the documentation is not so in their favor as you may think.

Edited August 6, 2015 by tetleytea

[CI66774]

Also if the OP is a lawyer, recording a conversation without the other person's consent may be an ethical violation. He should check his state's applicable rules of professional conduct.

[fishywood]

There is no longer any basis for a credit card dispute.

The ship has already agreed to credit him back the $102.95. And it is pretty safe to assume he will need more than the minutes from a single plan purchase.

So his issue is that he was charged $120 for an item that had his attempt to pre-pay been successful would only have cost him $102.95. That is not something the credit card company will get involved in especially as the $120 is part of a large single transaction of all his onboard spend, which the OP contractually obligated himself to when registering his credit card in the cruise personalizer.

It is ridiculously naive to say the bank "is not going to squabble over $20 (sic)"

[fishywood]

The OP's complaint wasn't just the difference in price between the pre-paid package and whatever he paid on-board, it's the ongoing per minute charge being higher all the time compared to the pre-paid per minute charge. So I imagine the total difference is higher, but not provided.

 

 

The overage per minute charge is the same with all plans whether prepaid or purchased onboard. He, like every single one of us, can buy an additional plan when the first bucket of minutes are used up.

[Steelers36]

The overage per minute charge is the same with all plans whether prepaid or purchased onboard. He, like every single one of us, can buy an additional plan when the first bucket of minutes are used up.

 

He was expecting to be able to use his pre-paid package, but ship didn't receive message (although even if late they ought to have it by now), so he wasn't inclined to buy more minutes as he felt he already had paid the $100+ for a package.

 

Geez, why am I speaking for this guy when I wouldn't hire him to represent me?

[fishywood]

He was expecting to be able to use his pre-paid package, but ship didn't receive message (although even if late they ought to have it by now), so he wasn't inclined to buy more minutes as he felt he already had paid the $100+ for a package.

 

Whether the record reflects that he is using the pre-purchased package which fell through the cracks (which, again, he was credited back for) or the $120 package paid for on the ship, he is going to run out of minutes. Thus his options are:

1. Buy another package

2. Stay off the internet the rest of the cruise!

 

His complaint about the cost of overage minutes is just more noise distracting from the true facts of this case: that he has been made a reasonable offer that solves his problem.

[Shogun]

Hi All

 

Should be a simple matter to resolve either the Customer Services Director

 

or the Passenger Relations Manager on board could fix this.

 

yours Shogun

[Mud_Shark]

I am with the OP on this one. It doesn't matter if they spent $5000 on the cruise, and are only dealing with a $120 issue. We simply do not like to get "taken" by the system when it is not functioning as it should. Things cost enough. No need to throw away money.

 

It's very easy and tempting to get "heated" when we don't hear the answers we think we should hear. Be persistent, but not aggressive. Don't give up on this, but don't let it wreck the rest of the vacation. Sit back, breathe, relax, and think - eventually this will get resolved, no need to stress over it. It may take a while, but a few well worded and polite letters to Princess will rectify this. There will be peace on this issue, so calm yourself with that confidence.

 

It's great that you recorded the conversations. With the proliferation of cell phones catching random video clips like crazy these days, it is so easy to now collect such data. Save it. Let Princess know you have it. If they request it, then you can have them seek out the permission for you to forward it to them.

 

So, keep going to attempt to right this wrong, but stay calm, relaxed, and don't let it eat you up. Understand that eventually you will talk to someone reasonable and rational, that understands and is compassionate towards your situation if you remain disarming and approachable yourself.

 

All the best with this.

 

Don

[southpawsdakota]

Did you go into "My Princess" on your profile to see your pre-plaids for the cruise? Not sure if it is there after sailing but if not the other question is did you make a copy of your pre-paid items when you paid for them? If not that was a mistake on your part. Hopefully your attitude when dealing with the people on board was decent. You can take care of this when you get back home.

[trinitytrees]

I had issue with something I had prepaid on recent princess cruise, in my opinion it could have been resolved easily, however people who dealt with me at front desk made it worse, I felt even more irritated by the response than by the initial issue....it was never fully resolved and did colour my opinion of princess sadly.

 

How an issue is responded to is always important......it's how you are left feeling that you tend to remember rather than what is said.....

 

Good luck in your resolution of this.

[Shogun]

Hi As to the folks at the front desk, l see them as a way of getting to the people who can assist with an issue, front desk folks have for me never fixed an issue

 

Yours Shogun

[caribill]

First of all, ignore all the posters who were telling you that any of this is in any way your fault or that it should not affect your enjoyment of the cruise.

 

Another person to contact on the ship is the Captain's Circle Host. Even though this is your first Princess cruise, he/she should be able to help you get the issue resolved.

[Cruisin' Chick]

Hi,

 

We pre-purchased a 240min internet package for $102.95 about 5 days before setting sail. Once on board, we had no information about the internet so my girlfriend went to the front desk and asked about it. The internet manager was already gone, so they told us we could go ahead and make an account for now, and the internet usage would be transfered from our pre-paid package at a later date. So we used the internet as normal, created an account, and started surfing. The internet manager was never around during our free times so we finally got to him on day 4 or 5. Come to our surprise, he cant transfer the minutes and now we have $120ish to our cabin and the 240min just istting there still! We ask whats going on, and he said that he cant transfer the usage and we will have to pay the $120 + the pre-paid package of $102.95. So we still get our 240mins halfway through the cruise, and get charged an additional $120..... What!?!?!?...

 

Did you get a receipt via email? We had called Princess to purchase an Internet package before the cruise -- don't remember how far in advance, but I do remember getting the receipt, printing it out so I would have it just in case there was some question. We did have some trouble getting it going, but more that my daughter and I had never bought this package before. There was a crew member there to help (even if not the actual manager, there's usually someone there during the posted hours).

 

I would go back to the front desk and talk to the supervisor there to help getting it sorted out.

 

As for recording these conversations, that may be a grey area that can come back to bite you as someone had mentioned. Did you get names on the tape -- if so, you should write those down with time and date of the conversation. But threatening Princess with the recordings might not be the best route for you to take.

 

As for talking about how much money you've spent and are continuing to spend, that really becomes a tangent. Good customer service should be for anyone even if they aren't dropping a small fortune in the casino. So if you need to write to customer service at Princess HQs, stick to the important facts. Start your letter with the plea that you need assistance in getting a refund of the second Internet package you purchased due to the miscommunication (which could be on the part of your gf or on the front desk or both).

 

Don't bring up that the amount of time in the casino or that you were in a suite...again, a tangent and irrelevant.

 

The best course is that when you're having a problem with an onboard issue (or any issue when you're calling any company), you write down the name of the person and their position at the company, date and time. And what resolution was promised. I would hope you would be telling your clients this or that when you're placing a call on behalf of a client, that information is taken down.

 

 

Please help with suggestions, etc as the stupidity of the cruiseline not willing to help with $120 of knternet that is THEIR FAULT is ruining the experience! Who should i go to? What happens if i refuse to pay the $120 at dismebarkation? (Lawyer here so i think i found grey areas i can get through), or maybe ask for all my gratuity money back and tell the staff its the cruise lines fault.

 

Please don't punish your cabin steward and waitstaff over this matter. They had nothing to do with your Internet package.

 

Help please!

 

Stay calm in dealing with the front desk, but insist that you speak with a supervisor there. And check the hours listed for the Internet manager that will be in the Patter. If you were there during that time and there was no one to help you, that's something to mention.

[FCGibby]

Hi all,

 

Wanted to start woth saying thanks for all the help/advice. I talked to them again today and they are meeting me halfway. Although I am still not happy, they are at least helping with half the charges and re-installing the originsl plan of 240min ($0.49/min) instead of the onboard $0.97/min charge from now on.

 

As for the slow response, sorry. Couldnt use my internet to update you all as the manager said that i shouldnt use the internet until it gets resolved.

 

As for the recording, i looked up the information ahead of time. Laws are different in intl waters vs domestic US, but neither applies as i showed my phone to the manager when recording started and had the app open the whole time on counter infront of him (and he even exited out at one point to get to safari on my phone)

 

As for "the rest of the story," there isnt any. The cruise was $15xx/pp and the cruise excursions (2) were gifts from family totaling $19xx~$22xx. :)

 

As for "being a lawyer so i should have money".... I dont as i just graduated, hence mentioning being $160k in debt. But even if i had the money, does that make it ok this happens to me? And the research for the rape case isnt for a client (you obviously did not read my post carefully). A relative of mine was raped, and i am doing research to help her with ideas for negotiating a settlement. Its NOT a billable client.

 

Again, thanks for all the ideas and suggestions. Really helped me to figure out how to attack the situation (calmly.... Haha)

 

- forever greatful!

Edited August 7, 2015 by FCGibby
Responses update