Kudos to Viking Customer Service

[cruzzzinma]

I know this is shocking but we had a very good experience with Viking Customer Service.

 

We did cruised the Viking Mimir and the Vili in Oct 2015 on the Grand European. It was a wonderful vacation but we had some minor customer service issues.

 

I wrote an email when we got home, but being an adult who was mad, I didn't send it.

 

I came across it last weekend, softened it and sent it to tellus@vikingcruise.com. I got a call on my cell yesterday but was busy so I let it go to voicemail. I listened to the message and planned to call them today. Due to the time difference, it was too early when I planned to call. I got another message from the customer service agent this afternoon and I did return that call.

 

She asked clarifying questions, explained some things and empathized. She also offered some compensation, which I didn't ask for and didn't expect. We had a good cruise with some minor issues.

 

I was very impressed with the fast response.

[dln929]

We too have been very pleased with Viking's customer service. I wrote them an e-mail one morning about a concern I had with Viking Air and that very afternoon I got a phone call in response! The woman I spoke to was just lovely and it was a pleasant conversation. I've also received phone calls in conjunction to the satisfaction questionaires because I've given permission for them to contact me. Again, good and useful conversations. I"m glad yours went well!

[JVilleGal]

Shocking! Yep, but I'm super glad for you :)

[Keith1010]

Very good.

 

Often people will post about bad experiences and less about good ones so nice that you are getting assistance.

 

Keith

[bellemere]

I emailed them in late 2015 and received a prompt reply. They answered my questions and resolved the situation properly.

I have since used them to get information and they have always responsed quickly with needed answers.

[JVilleGal]

Do we dare hope at this company has AT LONG LAST learned about true customer service? For all their future cruisers we can only hope!

[cruiser02]

Curious: Now that all is resolved - "What were your issues?"

[cruzzzinma]

We had a ship swap and thought there was enough difference between the levels of service (consistently excellent vs a weird mix of excellent and good enough) on the two ships that it merited letting Viking customer service know. Nothing huge, just a tad annoying.

[TGBoss]

We also had a ship swap in November 2015. Though it wasn't Viking's fault (river levels), we were offered compensation, which we gladly accepted. We were also pleased with the customer service.

 

What is interesting is the we had the same experience as the op. Our first ship had an incredible staff we really loved. Our swapped to ship, many of the staff seemed to be just going through the motions, and the level of service wasn't as high!

[cruiser02]

thanks for sharing

[Bailey Swedishfish]

We are travelling with another couple at the end of March on the Tulips and Windmills trip. However, we decided to spend 4 days in AMS on our own prior to the cruise (booking our own rental and transfers) but using Viking air.

 

We are just outside of MSP and our friends are flying in from Denver to MSP and then we are taking the same flight to AMS. We spent the extra $ to get preferred air and selected our flights.

 

This weekend our friends got an email from Viking air saying their flights were changed and they were now on a later flight out of Denver and a later flight out of AMS. We were no longer on the same flight.

 

I suggested to my friend that she call Viking (we've travelled with them multiple times, they are Viking Virgins) and let them know to either put them on an earlier flight out of Denver or refund their preferred air upcharge. My friend was on the phone for 45 minutes, reminding the customer service person that her two options were: get them on the right flights or refund their money. My friend is incredibly polite and continued to reassure the customer service rep that she wasn't angry and didn't "blame" her for the change, but that she had to do one of the two options. The customer service person was most reluctant to assist. We think it's because our friends hadn't booked their seats yet because Viking hadn't released them to the airline. FINALLY after much negotiation, the customer service person put my friend on hold, make a call or checked an earlier flight or got a blessing from her superior, and voila, our friends are on an earlier Denver-MSP flight and back on the same MSP flight with us.

 

Sheesh. I guess they got "good" customer service but it shouldn't have taken 45 minutes to make it right. My friend was ok with the later flight but not with paying for the privilege of selected flights and not being on those flights.

[Viking Cruises]

Dear Bailey Swedishfish,

 

Thank you for your comments. While we are happy to hear the outcome of the prolonged phone call was favorable, we’ve made note of your friend’s concern.

 

Of course, should additional discussion become necessary, please do not hesitate to refer your friend to our email address at TellUs@vikingcruises.com.

 

We are looking forward to welcoming you all aboard in March!

 

Kind regards,

Viking Cruises

 

We are travelling with another couple at the end of March on the Tulips and Windmills trip. However, we decided to spend 4 days in AMS on our own prior to the cruise (booking our own rental and transfers) but using Viking air.

 

We are just outside of MSP and our friends are flying in from Denver to MSP and then we are taking the same flight to AMS. We spent the extra $ to get preferred air and selected our flights.

 

This weekend our friends got an email from Viking air saying their flights were changed and they were now on a later flight out of Denver and a later flight out of AMS. We were no longer on the same flight.

 

I suggested to my friend that she call Viking (we've travelled with them multiple times, they are Viking Virgins) and let them know to either put them on an earlier flight out of Denver or refund their preferred air upcharge. My friend was on the phone for 45 minutes, reminding the customer service person that her two options were: get them on the right flights or refund their money. My friend is incredibly polite and continued to reassure the customer service rep that she wasn't angry and didn't "blame" her for the change, but that she had to do one of the two options. The customer service person was most reluctant to assist. We think it's because our friends hadn't booked their seats yet because Viking hadn't released them to the airline. FINALLY after much negotiation, the customer service person put my friend on hold, make a call or checked an earlier flight or got a blessing from her superior, and voila, our friends are on an earlier Denver-MSP flight and back on the same MSP flight with us.

 

Sheesh. I guess they got "good" customer service but it shouldn't have taken 45 minutes to make it right. My friend was ok with the later flight but not with paying for the privilege of selected flights and not being on those flights.

[HDS]

Viking granted us an extension of time to select a cruise to use some vouchers and I am grateful for their flexibility.

[GUT2407]

Great to hear,