Overcharges

[CroozBlooz]

I'm just wondering if this is just my bad luck, or is it a common practice? On our last three cruises we have found at least one charge on our on-board account that should not have been on our account. In one case, it was a charge that we never made. In the two other cases, they were duplicate charges posted at different times. In those cases, they were drinks in the dining room four hours apart.

 

Ultimately, we were successful in getting these charges removed. It raises interesting questions, however. Since the ship uses a POS system for ringing up sales, all transactions should be processed electronically, and there would be no need to later enter charges manually.

 

Has anyone else had this experience? Since it would be very easy for passengers to overlook an improper charge among the numerous line items on the billing statement, is anyone out there cynical enough to believe that this is intentional? Just wondering what everyone thinks.

[spongerob]

I have caught the occasional overcharge. I agree, the system on board could be a whole lot better...and why do they have to sort through piles of charge slips to correct it?

[LARGIN]

Guess I will have to start checking my statemant more carefully.. After the 3rd martini, I kinda forget just how many I had.. :D:D

[mii]

Have been on six Princess cruises and one Celebrity and have not been overcharged on any cruise. I do request a statement around the middle of the cruise just to keep track of what we are spending and then of course at the end of the cruise. I guess I have been lucky not to have extra charges billed to our statement.

 

Marilyn

[Druke I]

Only once did we find an "overcharge" on our account - it was immediately removed by the PUrser's Office when it was brought to their attention.

 

We do normally check the account once or twice during the cruise, and do hope that at some future point Princess will add an interactive feature to their in-room TVs so the account may be accessed without the trip to the Purser's Office and the inevitable line.

[gambit57]

I was overcharged. Seeing the line for those disputing charges, it wasn't long enough to be intentional IMO. I think it's just bad handwriting. Computers don't magically get info into them. They have to be entered somehow. I think the person entering in those receipts prolly just entered in the wrong cabin #. My first pina colada looked like it was $8.25. The price shocked me into not ordering more for a day or two until I found out it was much, much cheaper. On my bill, it was the proper amount. I just couldn't read the writing on the receipt.

 

They have to look through those massive piles of receipts to make sure you were or were not charged for that item you're disputing. Obviously, you're saying the computer is wrong so they can't just look it up. They have to find the original signed receipt to show you what it is you were charged for. If they can't find it (like for me), then they know it was an error and will refund your money.

[mr green]

I have never had a problem. The one time I thought that I had an overcharge, but it turned out to be 'wine tasting', listed under 'restaurant charges'. :o john

[houstoncruisers2001]

Same thing happens in restaurants & bars at home. It's always good to keep track. Sometimes you get undercharged too.

[Pam in CA]

Yes, I've been charged for something I hadn't bought. Usually, it's not a lot of money and I always check my account several times during a cruise (most of my cruises are longer than 7 days). It always pays to get a printout earlier in the day of your last day so that if you do have a question, you're not in line with 100 other people, most of whom are irate.

[luv2cruise99]

I was charged for items that I didn't order on each of my last two cruises. In both cases it was a situation where somebody's elses drinks were charged to my account because the cabin number was written sloppily and was difficult to read. Both times it was easily fixed with a trip to the purser's office where they were able to look up the original ticket and see that it had somebody elses name on it. It was annoying to have to take the time to settle it, though.

 

Since I don't drink alcohol at all and rarely charge more than a coke card and tips onto my account, it was really easy for me to spot the errors, but I bet these kinds of mistakes go unnoticed quite often since it would be hard for most people to remember exactly how many drinks they purchased on a cruise.

[CroozBlooz]

I'm not sure I follow the "legibility" issue. Since the cruise cards have a magnetic stripe, I assumed that they obtained cabin and name information directly from the point of sale terminal when they swipe your card.

[gambit57]

I'm not sure I follow the "legibility" issue. Since the cruise cards have a magnetic stripe, I assumed that they obtained cabin and name information directly from the point of sale terminal when they swipe your card.

 

They don't always swipe your card. If you order from a waiter in a show lounge, for example, s/he takes your card, writes the info on a slip of paper, and then hands your card back. The waiter takes the handwritten slip back to the bar where they then hand enter the info into the computer terminal before coming back with your drink and your copy of the receipt. Your card never touches a terminal.

[rjg41]

Have had it happen a few times but did have on case of being charged as a "no show" for a spa appointment on RC. We never use the spa and the spa did give customer service a hard time about reversing it.

[catmand]

There is a thread running on the Celebrity boards on this same topic. Seems a number of folks have been charged 28 bucks for the beach towel they put in your cabin, taking it home as a souvenir is a no-no. Several people say they have been charged for that and charged "after the cruise to boot", just turned up on their credit cards.

We have 5 cruises, no problems yet and like many others we check about half way through and then the second to last night. I find the Princess billing statements pretty darn confusing but maybe that's just me.

So what do you figure on the Grand class ships, twenty six hundred passengers? A couple of transactions per day? I can't believe these are anything but errors.

[gambit57]

Yeah, the line was waaayyy too short on a ship with that many passengers for them to be anything other than simple errors. If it were a systematic thing, I'd still be in line to fight my charges.

[CroozBlooz]

Interestingly, in two of the three cases, the overcharges were duplicates for drinks ordered in the dining room. In both cases the server took the card and brought it back with the drink, so I assumed that the card was swiped. The charges reflected a charge at approximately the time that the drink was served, along with a duplicate charge approximately 4 hours later.

 

Believe it or not, the Purser's desk still wanted to leaf through hundreds of slips to assure itself that we did not have two drinks (at the exact same price and 4 hours apart in the same dining room). Sometimes it seems that common sense and logic are lost on the Purser's desk personnel.

[jsiegel]

Last year on the Regal Princess we were charged for the bottle of water in our cabin (which we hadn't touched) They immediately took that charge off. Then we were overcharged for wine tasting (three charges instead of two) That could not immediately be taken off. It had to go to "beverage services" We were told to check back the next day. Still on the folio, so checked the next day, still there. The final day of the cruise it was still there so the purser's desk gave up on the beverage service people and gave me cash.

 

Jackie

[chasetf]

I'm just wondering if this is just my bad luck, or is it a common practice? On our last three cruises we have found at least one charge on our on-board account that should not have been on our account. In one case, it was a charge that we never made. In the two other cases, they were duplicate charges posted at different times. In those cases, they were drinks in the dining room four hours apart.

In all of our cruises we have been fortunate I guess. I always check the printout from the purser's desk a couple of days from the end. Never had a problem... only question was when would the internet charges be credited back.. And they were....:D

[merela]

When DH went to the Purser's Office to get the extra charge off our account, they wanted to see the receipt. Unfortunately, DH did not get a copy from the waiter after he signed it, so they had to leave through the stack of receipts from Princess Cays. It took over an hour. After they found the receipt, there was indeed one drink written down, so the Purser's office people gave me back cash, but not with the 15%. It's not a lot of money so I didn't want to argue, but to spend all that time looking for a receipt....

 

Anyways, we learned a lesson. Now we get a copy of the receipt from the waiter after we sign if we buy drinks on the ship. We also don't sign anything without the charge already written on the receipt.

[Mitchie872]

Thank goodness I have never had a overcharge but its good to know all this info.

[sgriff17]

we usually get an overcharge or two...but we check the bill daily, so we take care of it ASAP.

[johnmik1]

Last month on Caribbean the computer failed to remove our internet charges and did so after I visited the purser.

[CroozBlooz]

Apparently on the CB, they don't take off the internet charges until the last evening. That differs from all the other ships I've been on, where they deduct internet charges each evening.

[johnmik1]

Apparently on the CB, they don't take off the internet charges until the last evening. That differs from all the other ships I've been on, where they deduct internet charges each evening.

We had sailed on Island our last 4 cruises before CB and the charges were always removed on the last evening.Just our personal experience.

[lynwar]

On our last cruise 10/23, my husband purchased some chain for a necklace.It was out in front of the boutiques and "Inch of Gold" was the "merchant". After he purchased it he was told to fill out a card for a drawing. If his name was called his purchase would be free. Lo and behold, his name was called during the dinner hour by the cruise director and most all the passengers on the ship must have heard it--even our steward heard it! He was told where to go for verification. No one knew what to do with him. Finally, an "official" looking woman told him not to worry-it had been taken care of already and the charges were off. This was the final night of the cruise. When the statement arrived, the charge was on it. When he went to the Purser's office in the morning-he was told to stand in line-no one would talk to him.

Anyway, when I looked at the statement, I discovered it was on their TWICE. The retail shop listed was Facets. Hubby called Princess when we got home, with little satisfaction. He finally called the credit card company and had the charges removed. Reply is OK-but "conditionally " removed. No word back from Princess. Hubby thinks he's owed an apology-I doubt if he gets one. I hope we will cruise on Princess again. Lynne