Check your onboard charges carefully

[loxley]

There is a time stamp when charges are entered. They had multiple drinks ordered within a 5 minute time period in some cases. They wrote 1.00 on their slips for a tip and the 1 was changed into a 4. This is easy enough to do. Husband is in law enforcement and has seen it time and time again.

 

Not here to get into a pissing contest with anyone, I just thought it served as a good reminder to check onboard accounts.

Interesting.

 

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[HamSammie]

There is a time stamp when charges are entered. They had multiple drinks ordered within a 5 minute time period in some cases. They wrote 1.00 on their slips for a tip and the 1 was changed into a 4. This is easy enough to do. Husband is in law enforcement and has seen it time and time again.

 

And my husband is a notary public and a member of the local library board.

 

Again, multiple purchases with Cheers within 5 minutes? Sorry, too many holes in your cheese for me to consider purchasing. Please have a good evening.

[RuthlessBoss]

There is a time stamp when charges are entered. They had multiple drinks ordered within a 5 minute time period in some cases. They wrote 1.00 on their slips for a tip and the 1 was changed into a 4. This is easy enough to do. Husband is in law enforcement and has seen it time and time again.

 

Not here to get into a pissing contest with anyone, I just thought it served as a good reminder to check onboard accounts.

 

So, they had a table full of drinks? What happened to timing of drink orders?

[cruzelover55]

And my husband is a notary public and a member of the local library board.

 

Again, multiple purchases with Cheers within 5 minutes? Sorry, too many holes in your cheese for me to consider purchasing. Please have a good evening.

 

:D:D So funny! Reminds me of a conversation with my now grown daughter about her being such a little liar when she was a child. She said, well, when I lied, I lied, but mostly I fibbed, which is just a small lie with a more interesting story.

[Podna's]

 

This place loves to put OP'S on trial. Convict them. And then do mental gymnastics to make the conviction stick.

 

 

Only when their stories don't add up such as this one. Anyway it is a good reminder to check accounts before leaving the ship.

[LMaxwell]

And others are just too gullible and believe everything they read here. :rolleyes:

Careful you'll be on trial next [emoji6]

[vp1]

Whether the story is 100% accurate or not - it's a good "heads up" for all of us readers to be more aware of the on board charges. It's very likely that a (high?) percentage of passengers don't even look at the line item charges -they just pay the bill in full at the end of the cruise - particularly if there have been scores of bar charges....

 

Best advice I've read (on these boards no less) was from a cruiser who always tipped an amount that would make the total come out to the same last digit - I think he chose "7". If the drink was $8.00 add a tip for $1.07, etc… When he checked his bill he would quickly "scan" down the last column of digits - they should all be "7"'s if they were his charges… Anything else was probably not his.

 

Now, I realize that this would not help in this case (where $1 became $4), but for MOST of the charges, he'd know right away. Just a thought on how to possibly spot bad charges on a final bill in the future.

~Bob

[dmdiver]

I find it odd that people don't check their onboard accounts. I also am amazed when people tell me they just pay their credit card bills or they don't balance their checkbook register or don't even keep a register.

 

People, pay attention. Mistakes happen. Fraud happens.

[elliair]

I take a bunch of singles for this reason...waitstaff, barstaff and room service get cash tips...none go on my sail and sign card...a big fat zero goes on the gratuity line with a line through it.

 

We do the same with room service. I always write in the tip section "paid tip in cash."

[Runaway Parent]

We have had a couple extra charges that were not ours, and had them removed. Yes- check your charges.

 

However, on this most recent trip we caught an error, went down to Guest Services the next day, and it had already been caught/changed on the nightly audit of charges. So, I don't think it's always intentional. Carnival could have completely just let it all slide-- but didn't. They corrected it before we even brought it to their attention. Not every error is intentional fraud.

[Runaway Parent]

One more comment-

There is a chance similar drinks can be different prices. Drinks purchased while in port (I know this is true in Galveston) are one price, but once we reach international waters, the drink menus and prices change. Because of state laws, there are only certain liquors they serve while in Texas....those purchased in Texas. They remove and lock up those bottles while at sea...use different ones for the rest of the cruise. (Or so I've been told, or read here on the boards.)

 

There is also a chance that a drink special one day may be a different price another day, or drinks purchased during the Captain's celebration at $1 off...

Just something to think about.

 

I realize this may not mean anything to those that use the Cheers program. It is good to know for those that don't.

[cruzelover55]

One more comment-

There is a chance similar drinks can be different prices. Drinks purchased while in port (I know this is true in Galveston) are one price, but once we reach international waters, the drink menus and prices change. Because of state laws, there are only certain liquors they serve while in Texas....those purchased in Texas. They remove and lock up those bottles while at sea...use different ones for the rest of the cruise. (Or so I've been told, or read here on the boards.)

 

There is also a chance that a drink special one day may be a different price another day, or drinks purchased during the Captain's celebration at $1 off...

Just something to think about.

 

I realize this may not mean anything to those that use the Cheers program. It is good to know for those that don't.

 

You are definitely correct about the Texas angle. Embark day, beers such as Bud, just regular 12 oz. cans. Plus they charge tax, and 15% grat. If you buy Cheers! it can't go into effect until the next day. Even though you have been well out of Texas waters, sometime the day you embark. But if they let you use the program late embark night, then everyone would be complaining that it wasn't a full day. Also, just for those that may not know, we never waste our money buying duty free liquor in a cruise that ports in Galveston. TABC is waiting when you leave, and taxes you for the liquor. Kind of makes duty free not possible. Makes no sense to me, but it is what it is.:(

[DenaInWyo]

Hey it adds up. Do you really think anyone is getting fired over this? No way. I am sure these erroneous charges occur all the time on all the lines; when challenged guest services will just remove the charge.

 

 

Not saying it never happens. Just saying the OP's story, along with them claiming that someone DID get fired, doesn't add up, and that I'd be a lot more inclined to think it's a mistake in how things were charged rather than the crew trying to steal from her.

Edited March 27, 2016 by DenaInWyo