Contacting Regent - Patience is a Virtue!

[UUNetBill]

This is a bit of a vent, and a bit of a rant. Similar to other threads but it bears repeating...

 

If you need to contact Regent, it pays to be patient. VERY patient.

 

Wanted to contact them about a quick question on an existing reservation today. Filled out the 'Contact Us' form on the website. Clicked 'Submit' and got a 'Not Authorized to Access this Server' error. Thought it might be my firewall at work so I tried it from my phone. Same error.

 

Decided to call their main number. Navigated the menu to get to the existing customer queue and was on hold for over 5 minutes before I gave up. Went back to the website and went through the 'Request a Call' process. That was about 10 minutes ago, I'm curious to see whether I get a call back today.

 

On an unrelated issue, but still on my <expletive deleted>list, I contacted Guest Services twelve days ago to inquire about an item my father-in-law may have left on the ship last month...received an automated response that they received my inquiry...then silence. I went back and re-read the initial email they sent and noticed that they said it could take up to three weeks for a response. THREE WEEKS. Yes, I realize they need to contact the ship. Yes, I realize the ships travel the world. But I also realize that we have satellite communications, internet and email, etc. that make it pretty durn easy to stay in touch with a ship. Should it take THREE WEEKS to send an email to the guest services desk on a ship? Maybe I'm just cranky on a Monday morning, but this seems excessive, even to a Regent cheerleader such as myself.

 

Regent, if you're reading this, please consider beefing up your shore operations. No matter how fantastic the on-board experience is, these issues dealing with Miami really tend to tarnish the overall feel of the line.

 

:(

 

</rant>

[getiton]

Why not go to the guy that makes the big bucks.

[gnomie1]

On one of my cruises as we were packing to leave, I checked under the little piece of carpet that lines the safe and found an envelope that did not belong to me - opened it up and found some important papers, cash, traveler checks, etc. There was an email on the business card, I wrote to them and asked them if they had recently been on a Regent cruise. He responded and asked me how did I know and locate him - he told me he had disembarked on the prior cruise (30 days earlier) and had contacted Regent immediately upon realization that he had left something in the cabin. At no time did anyone from Regent ask us if we found anything that did not belong to us.

 

He begged me not to turn the envelope over to Regent in the fear he would never see it again - I told him that as soon as I returned to the States I would FedEx the envelope to him which I did.

 

BTW - not the first time we have found something left in the safe or the closet

 

gnomie :)

[UUNetBill]

On one of my cruises as we were packing to leave, I checked under the little piece of carpet that lines the safe and found an envelope that did not belong to me - opened it up and found some important papers, cash, traveler checks, etc. There was an email on the business card, I wrote to them and asked them if they had recently been on a Regent cruise. He responded and asked me how did I know and locate him - he told me he had disembarked on the prior cruise (30 days earlier) and had contacted Regent immediately upon realization that he had left something in the cabin. At no time did anyone from Regent ask us if we found anything that did not belong to us.

 

He begged me not to turn the envelope over to Regent in the fear he would never see it again - I told him that as soon as I returned to the States I would FedEx the envelope to him which I did.

 

BTW - not the first time we have found something left in the safe or the closet

 

gnomie :)

Sadly, I'd feel better about a fellow cruiser returning my things to me than I would about trusting Regent to handle them...

 

At one time or another, my wife and I have both had jobs that required travel on a fairly regular basis, and we're pretty good about doing a 'scrub' before we depart ships, planes, hotels, etc. and to the best of my knowledge, we've never left behind anything of any value. But a lot of people don't travel that frequently (my in-laws, for example) and might tend to leave things behind. I sure wish Regent was a bit more proactive when it came to reuniting people and their belongings.

 

Granted, we should all be more careful with our stuff, I get that. But invariably people leave things behind. There should be a pretty repeatable process in place to return - or at least hold - items left behind. I mean, it's not like they don't know who was in what cabin, or where we live, or what our phone numbers or email addresses are. I think that telling your customers that it can take THREE WEEKS to respond to an inquiry is just a bit sad...

 

Huh, look at that - I guess my rant wasn't over after all. :p

[CruisetheCs]

This is a bit of a vent, and a bit of a rant. Similar to other threads but it bears repeating...

 

If you need to contact Regent, it pays to be patient. VERY patient.

 

Wanted to contact them about a quick question on an existing reservation today. Filled out the 'Contact Us' form on the website. Clicked 'Submit' and got a 'Not Authorized to Access this Server' error. Thought it might be my firewall at work so I tried it from my phone. Same error.

 

Decided to call their main number. Navigated the menu to get to the existing customer queue and was on hold for over 5 minutes before I gave up. Went back to the website and went through the 'Request a Call' process. That was about 10 minutes ago, I'm curious to see whether I get a call back today.

 

On an unrelated issue, but still on my <expletive deleted>list, I contacted Guest Services twelve days ago to inquire about an item my father-in-law may have left on the ship last month...received an automated response that they received my inquiry...then silence. I went back and re-read the initial email they sent and noticed that they said it could take up to three weeks for a response. THREE WEEKS. Yes, I realize they need to contact the ship. Yes, I realize the ships travel the world. But I also realize that we have satellite communications, internet and email, etc. that make it pretty durn easy to stay in touch with a ship. Should it take THREE WEEKS to send an email to the guest services desk on a ship? Maybe I'm just cranky on a Monday morning, but this seems excessive, even to a Regent cheerleader such as myself.

 

Regent, if you're reading this, please consider beefing up your shore operations. No matter how fantastic the on-board experience is, these issues dealing with Miami really tend to tarnish the overall feel of the line.

 

:(

 

</rant>

More evidence of Regent's management and communication problems. What I don't understand is why management aims for a fairly high standard for their on-board services, but when it comes to communications, management seems to have a big blind spot.

[IndiTravler]

I've become convinced that is a cultural thing. The communications world and pace of work has changed for many of us. I know I expect service from others comparable (or better) of what is demanded of me. As far as I'm concerned, the goal posts of what constitutes "6Star" service is not what was provided 5 years ago, let alone 10-15 -- which is where I think Regent is stuck. And it becomes really apparent when the mass market lines are catching up -- offering internet, laundry and in some cases better websites and communications.

 

Ok - I'm done ranting now.

[Travelcat2]

Bill, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, we have found the best way to get answers from Regent is to go through our TA. TA's that regularly book with Regent have a specific contact person - not a general customer service rep. that gives them prompt responses. I'm not making excuses for Regent corporate - there have been issues such as you described many times over the years. It is for this reason that I strongly recommend having your TA contact Regent.

 

IMO, there is nothing that can be said that has not already been said on Cruise Critic regarding incorrect answers and/or response time from Regent corporate. Alternatively, as many Seven Seas Society members recently learned, contacting the right person also helps (Jason O'Keefe) as can forward your question to the right person for a response.

 

Unless or until Regent gets their Customer Service staff up to what it should be and the communication between the ships and Miami improves, it is less frustrating to use alternate methods.

 

While this is not a solution and may not be what you want to hear, it has worked for me.

[UUNetBill]

Bill, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, we have found the best way to get answers from Regent is to go through our TA. TA's that regularly book with Regent have a specific contact person - not a general customer service rep. that gives them prompt responses. I'm not making excuses for Regent corporate - there have been issues such as you described many times over the years. It is for this reason that I strongly recommend having your TA contact Regent.

 

IMO, there is nothing that can be said that has not already been said on Cruise Critic regarding incorrect answers and/or response time from Regent corporate. Alternatively, as many Seven Seas Society members recently learned, contacting the right person also helps (Jason O'Keefe) as can forward your question to the right person for a response.

 

Unless or until Regent gets their Customer Service staff up to what it should be and the communication between the ships and Miami improves, it is less frustrating to use alternate methods.

 

While this is not a solution and may not be what you want to hear, it has worked for me.

 

Jackie, I understand that TAs that work extensively with Regent have good contacts there, and I've gone through my guy a LOT over the years with good results. But for minor inquiries, there's no reason at all to take MY time, HIS time, AND a Regent rep's time for a simple question.

 

My point is that we shouldn't need to engage a third party to get an answer that realistically could be handled on the web page, or at least with a simple call. I mean, over 5 minutes on hold without so much as a "We are experiencing heavy call volume at the present time. Please leave your number and we'll call you back as soon as possible." It's just frustrating.

 

Oh, and although I requested a call earlier today, still nothing. I guess returning calls runs on the 'three week plan' like Guest Services does. When I get better customer service from my local DMV than I do from my luxury cruise line, I feel as if I have a small right to be upset. I give Regent a helluva lot more money than I give the motor vehicle guys, I should be getting a helluva lot better service when I want to call them.

 

Okay, NOW I'm done venting. ;)

[IndiTravler]

Bill, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, we have found the best way to get answers from Regent is to go through our TA. TA's that regularly book with Regent have a specific contact person - not a general customer service rep. that gives them prompt responses. I'm not making excuses for Regent corporate - there have been issues such as you described many times over the years. It is for this reason that I strongly recommend having your TA contact Regent.

 

IMO, there is nothing that can be said that has not already been said on Cruise Critic regarding incorrect answers and/or response time from Regent corporate. Alternatively, as many Seven Seas Society members recently learned, contacting the right person also helps (Jason O'Keefe) as can forward your question to the right person for a response.

 

Unless or until Regent gets their Customer Service staff up to what it should be and the communication between the ships and Miami improves, it is less frustrating to use alternate methods.

 

While this is not a solution and may not be what you want to hear, it has worked for me.

 

See and this is what I mean about a cultural difference. I have an expectation that I can find the answer to a question about the simple facts with a couple of clicks on the web or better yet my phone anytime I want it. I don't want to find time to call a TA (and I work in a cube farm -- this is a big deal), then wait for an answer a day later. I go to my TA for expertise and opinion based upon that expertise.

[Travelcat2]

I agree with both of you. I mainly wish that I could find answers on the Regent website site or via email. With email I have a written response which I prefer to trying to take notes and talk on the phone at the same time. My suggestion about your TA is only a way to go around calling Regent.

 

I recently mentioned on another thread that I wanted to change our suite on the Explorer for a cruise next year. While I don't email my TA often, I sent an email with my request which included which deck that we did not want to be on (under the pool deck), etc. They forwarded Regent's email to me and upon further inspection, realized that the suites listed did not match up with the website. This required another email to get the situation sorted out. The result was that the website was incorrect. I still have that email to refer to which I obviously would not have if I called (actually, I'd have been lucky to write down all the numbers correctly as there were quite a few of them).

 

When I have a question I can drop my TA an email any time - day or night and usually put "not a rush" in the subject line. I do not think of my emails as putting a burden on our TA. If the person we usually deal with isn't available, there is always someone else that will take care of getting answers to our questions. Again, and I stress this because I have heard of people that contact their TA almost as much as I post:eek: ), I am not recommending that you contact your TA daily or even weekly.

 

Out of curiosity, if there were an email address for Regent to ask relatively simple questions and you were told that there would be a response within 48 hours, would you use email rather than call?

 

This was my long way of agreeing with you but why I continue to avoid calling Regent customer service whenever possible.

 

P.S. Just thought that maybe a "sticky" with Regent Q&A's would be helpful. I started the sticky about deviating flights and it has been successful (on and off).

Edited August 29, 2016 by Travelcat2

[CruisetheCs]

I agree with both of you. I mainly wish that I could find answers on the Regent website site or via email. With email I have a written response which I prefer to trying to take notes and talk on the phone at the same time. My suggestion about your TA is only a way to go around calling Regent.

......

This was my long way of agreeing with you but why I continue to avoid calling Regent customer service whenever possible.

 

P.S. Just thought that maybe a "sticky" with Regent Q&A's would be helpful. I started the sticky about deviating flights and it has been successful (on and off).

 

Glad to see that we all agree that there is a communication problem as evidenced by the website and customer center responses (or lack of responses).

 

The problem seems to be that Regent management is way behind the times in getting its customer service and communication act together. Hardly anyone wants to go to a third party to get an answer to things that should be readily available on the website or by a call to customer service or via email.

 

Management needs to fix these problems because they give the company a bad image that is not consistent with Regent's marketing itself as a luxury cruise line. I would like to see Regent propose some initiative to fix these problems within a specific time frame.

[gnomie1]

 

Out of curiosity, if there were an email address for Regent to ask relatively simple questions and you were told that there would be a response within 48 hours, would you use email rather than call?

.

 

 

This is a very unusual question to be coming from another passenger and sounds more like a corporate inquiry. Why would another passenger care about such matters?

 

gnomie :)

[Travelcat2]

This is a very unusual question to be coming from another passenger and sounds more like a corporate inquiry. Why would another passenger care about such matters?

 

gnomie :)

 

Very simple! Passengers on this thread (including myself) get frustrated with the lack of response and misinformation provided by Regent. And, as I think you know, Regent corporate executives read the Regent board. Since they obviously have a problem, I asked a question that could potentially give the Customer Service Representatives time to seek out the correct answer.

 

CruisetheCs, is this a requirement that would make you stop cruising Regent? Speaking for myself (and I think Bill may agree), this is a nuisance but has nothing to do with the onboard "Regent Experience" and would not stop me from booking future cruises..

Edited August 30, 2016 by Travelcat2

[IndiTravler]

Out of curiosity, if there were an email address for Regent to ask relatively simple questions and you were told that there would be a response within 48 hours, would you use email rather than call?

.

 

Nope -- still not timely. Heck, even my doctor responds to email within about 4 business hours (AM mail answered in PM, PM mail answered next AM. My standard for 6Star Service would be a live chat with a knowledgeable representative for a quick question on extended business hours and weekends. I further expect that the Rep is supported with a good Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System collecting structured data about questions asked and answers provided. This data would then form the basis for analytics necessary to determine the prioritization of Development, Modernization, and Enhancements (DME) efforts to improve the web site.

[IndiTravler]

CruisetheCs, is this a requirement that would make you stop cruising Regent? Speaking for myself (and I think Bill may agree), this is a nuisance but has nothing to do with the onboard "Regent Experience" and would not stop me from booking future cruises..

 

See and this is another area of culture difference. MY Regent Experience starts the minute I start considering if I should book a cruise. In other words my Regent experience, is precruise, cruise, excursions, AND post cruise. SO FAR, poor communications and a sloppy website have not stopped me from booking another cruise, in large part because other things are bigger nuisances. But when combined with the other nuisances AND the fact that the competition is closing the gap -- it becomes a differentiating factor.

 

I also take into account that a Regent cruise remains a HUGE amount of money for me. Seriously, I could have bought a pretty nice car for the amount of the South Africa cruise we were on.

 

So yea, my expectations are pretty high. Especially when I know that communications can be addressed with a strong executive sponsor and relatively inexpensive technology upgrades.

[Travelcat2]

Nope -- still not timely. Heck, even my doctor responds to email within about 4 business hours (AM mail answered in PM, PM mail answered next AM. My standard for 6Star Service would be a live chat with a knowledgeable representative for a quick question on extended business hours and weekends. I further expect that the Rep is supported with a good Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System collecting structured data about questions asked and answers provided. This data would then form the basis for analytics necessary to determine the prioritization of Development, Modernization, and Enhancements (DME) efforts to improve the web site.

 

Thank you for your opinion. Perhaps 48 hours was too long. I do almost all of my shopping online and generally the response time is 24-36 hours (the time quoted by the company). I admire your doctor's office that responds within 4 business hours. Actually, I've never heard of a doctor's office responding via email at all. However, doctors where we live have a place online where we can get test results, etc.

 

It sounds as if your background is in IT or with a large company that has the ability to do what you described (which, quite honestly, is much too technical for me). Maybe Mike Moore can respond to your post - it would be interesting.

 

If Regent had an email address that could be used globally, they would be dealing with all possible time zones. In the U.S., 24 hours seems more reasonable but in the U.K. and Australia, 36 hours might be needed. This assumes that the question(s) being asked are a bit more complicated and cannot be answered by reading the website. It has been my experience that a large percentage of questions on CC could be answered by reading the website. However, I understand that people are working and taking care of their families and it is easier to post questions on CC.

 

In any case, at least for now, my TA will be answering my questions (and their accuracy rate is quite high). Agree that the cost of Regent cruises are high, but, for us, it is 100% about the onboard experience.

Edited August 30, 2016 by Travelcat2

[Gcto]

Bill, it seems that Regent Corp is also using the same email service and connection speed you find on the ship. With 450-800 people using it at the same time, slow replies seem to be normal...

How could you forget :-)

[irishwitchy]

Inditravler, I felt I was sitting at my desk with your response - I think I may have said the same sentence to my staff today!! I'm with you - they should be tracking, analyzing and fixing these "issues" or systems "features" very quickly, because as much as the 70 year plus regent cruiser may be fine with it, I can promise regent the 35 year old possible passenger won't put up with it and will look for a different experience.

[IndiTravler]

It sounds as if your background is in IT or with a large company that has the ability to do what you described (which, quite honestly, is much too technical for me). Maybe Mike Moore can respond to your post - it would be interesting.

 

Yes, I'm a Sr. IT Project Manager in a large organization. My team provides a variety of applications with different information to a significant variety of external stakeholders. But the principles remain the same no matter what size the organization is. And the general rule remains -- DARN NEAR ANYTHING is possible in IT with the right people, appropriate funds, and time. It's just a leadership decision on how the organization's resources are allocated per the strategic plan.

 

And I'm pretty sure Mike Moore knows all of the above because the Chief Information Officer (CIO) should have been one of the main contributors to the corporate strategic plan.

[IndiTravler]

Inditravler, I felt I was sitting at my desk with your response - I think I may have said the same sentence to my staff today!! I'm with you - they should be tracking, analyzing and fixing these "issues" or systems "features" very quickly, because as much as the 70 year plus regent cruiser may be fine with it, I can promise regent the 35 year old possible passenger won't put up with it and will look for a different experience.

 

;) Exactly. But I think your cut off is too young. We're talking GenXers who won't be fine -- and some of us are over 50 now.

 

Hope to meet with you on a cruise some day, I don't get an opportunity to learn from others as much as I would like.

[gnomie1]

The major problem is that many corporate entities look at customer service as an expense, not an area that generates revenue. While this attitude may be acceptable for a utility or cell phone company where there are limited choices, in the long run it will prove detrimental to Regent.

 

A couple of weeks ago I received an email about availability on the Explorer for August and since my friends and I were looking for a place to go, I thought it would be the perfect vacation. However, when my friends started to investigate, they were shocked at the inability to get accurate, concise information in a timely manner and needless to say, we did not book.

 

BTW, my doctors also answer my emails the same day, sometimes within minutes depending on the circumstance. The emails are monitored by a nurse and triaged as to importance. They are also answered on weekends by whoever is on call.

 

Hey, the IRS also answers emails in a very timely manner, it can be done and many entities have successfully established customer service centers that can operate on an international basis without extended wait times.

 

A six star experience (and the associated price tag) should start with the first interaction with the company, NOT upon embarkation.

 

gnomie. :)

[Travelcat2]

gnomie1, for clarification purposes, did your friends contact Regent corporate and learn that Customer Service could not answer their questions? Would you mind sharing what type of information they were trying to get in order to book the cruise? Also, can one assume that they checked with either the Regent website and/or TA before calling Regent?

 

Regarding posters that feel that accepting Regent's weaknesses may be age related, I disagree somewhat. The older generation tends to call rather than get overly involved in trying to figure out a website - book online, etc. (obviously a generalization). IMO, it has a lot to do with a person's attitude about things in general (as Bill would say - do you see the glass half full or half empty?)

 

Speaking for myself (obviously more accepting of Regent's flaws than most), I am simply a laid back type of person and learned not to let things bother me. I'm also quite opinionated (ya think?). In our 12 years of sailing with Regent, most issues simply roll off of our backs -- it isn't worth getting angry or overly upset as the only person that suffers from the stress is ourselves. However, when something was really wrong with a cruise experience, (this has happened a couple of times over the years), I let the right people know what the problem was and how I would like to see it corrected. I was this way 20 years ago and am now - it is not age related at all.

 

Venting is healthy but making positive suggestions (to the right people) may have better results.

 

Bill, it would really be helpful to CC readers if you contacted Jason O'Keefe via phone or email (depending upon your age ;) ) and share your experience with him. Or, contact Jason Montague and see what they have to say.

Edited August 30, 2016 by Travelcat2

[Notts Outlaw]

CruisetheCs, is this a requirement that would make you stop cruising Regent? Speaking for myself (and I think Bill may agree), this is a nuisance but has nothing to do with the onboard "Regent Experience" and would not stop me from booking future cruises..

 

I regret to disagree with you on this, if I have a bad experience with a company and they don't seem to care about sorting out the problem then I will stop using that company.

 

I have just cancelled two cruises with Regent on exactly that point.:mad:

[flossie009]

See and this is another area of culture difference. MY Regent Experience starts the minute I start considering if I should book a cruise. In other words my Regent experience, is precruise, cruise, excursions, AND post cruise. SO FAR, poor communications and a sloppy website have not stopped me from booking another cruise, in large part because other things are bigger nuisances. But when combined with the other nuisances AND the fact that the competition is closing the gap -- it becomes a differentiating factor.

 

I also take into account that a Regent cruise remains a HUGE amount of money for me. Seriously, I could have bought a pretty nice car for the amount of the South Africa cruise we were on.

 

So yea, my expectations are pretty high. Especially when I know that communications can be addressed with a strong executive sponsor and relatively inexpensive technology upgrades.

 

IndiTravler,

Your post is absolutely spot on and covers our feelings about Regent communications/customer-care perfectly

We love the on-board experience and just wish they would improve the other parts that form the total Regent experience. In this way Regent would impress new and existing customers alike and thereby become true market leaders in the luxury cruise market

 

 

 

Thank you for your opinion. Perhaps 48 hours was too long. I do almost all of my shopping online and generally the response time is 24-36 hours (the time quoted by the company). I admire your doctor's office that responds within 4 business hours. Actually, I've never heard of a doctor's office responding via email at all. However, doctors where we live have a place online where we can get test results, etc.

 

It sounds as if your background is in IT or with a large company that has the ability to do what you described (which, quite honestly, is much too technical for me). Maybe Mike Moore can respond to your post - it would be interesting.

 

If Regent had an email address that could be used globally, they would be dealing with all possible time zones. In the U.S., 24 hours seems more reasonable but in the U.K. and Australia, 36 hours might be needed. This assumes that the question(s) being asked are a bit more complicated and cannot be answered by reading the website. It has been my experience that a large percentage of questions on CC could be answered by reading the website. However, I understand that people are working and taking care of their families and it is easier to post questions on CC.

 

In any case, at least for now, my TA will be answering my questions (and their accuracy rate is quite high). Agree that the cost of Regent cruises are high, but, for us, it is 100% about the onboard experience.

 

TC2,

Just to cover a few of your points (from our experience in the UK):

 

1. Regent do have an email facility, using the webmail form on the website. Sometimes this works, sometimes it throws up an error message. If it does work sometimes we get a prompt reply, sometimes a tardy reply (over 2 months is the present record :eek:) and sometimes no response

 

2. Your suggestion of a response time of 24 hours in the US and 36 hours elsewhere is not unreasonable as long as there is an instant automated response acknowledging receipt. Remember that at present Regent's stated response time is up to 3 weeks in the US (as Bill's post) and up to 28 days in the UK (see my post on a previous thread); this is totally unacceptable

 

3. A lot of the more useful info on the Regent website is hidden away in the FAQs, which many new to Regent fail to find (since there is no FAQ tab at the top of the home-page)

 

4. Yes, we address many of our queries via our TA but for us in the UK that is just adding another link in a difficult communication chain. TAs in the UK do not have direct access to Miami; they have to contact Regent UK, who then have to contact Miami. Believe me, our TA gets as frustrated with Regent communications as we do

 

 

................and yes we have given constructive feedback on on all these matters to senior Regent personnel both in the UK and the US; in response we get plenty of platitudes but somewhere at the top of the organisation there appears to be an arrogant attitude of either not listening or not prioritising the need for action

[Travelcat2]

Good points flossie. It does seem more difficult to ask a simple question in the U.K. Those of us in North America may take for granted the ease in which we can contact corporate (and with a maximum time difference of only 3 hours). The problem seems to be lack of response (and misinformation) with corporate.

 

In terms of an email address to send questions to, agree that there would need to be an automatic acknowledgement of your email.

 

You're right about FAQ's being difficult to find on the Regent website. I wonder if Host Dan would agree to putting a link in a "sticky" on the Regent Board? I think it would be used frequently and would be extremely helpful.

 

Notts Outlaw: IMO, you did the right thing. No one should stay with a company or product they are unhappy with.

Edited August 30, 2016 by Travelcat2