Carnival Guest Care Don't Care!

[_Bonnie_]

WARNING! Long post!!

Hubby and I booked our first cruise with Carnival for 7/15, when we spoke to the Carnival agent she recommended we purchase a transfer from airport to port. We advised her that we were arriving a day early and staying in a nearby hotel, she assured us there would be a shuttle to take us to the port. We arrived at the destination airport and waited for our shuttle...and waited...etc. The shuttle never arrived. My husband called the transfer company and they had NO record of us for 7/14, or 7/15 the day we sail. So we called Carnival, the rep states that they have already paid the transfer service and there was nothing they could do? What? why?...so we took a taxi cab to the port which cost $107.00 (Houston to Galveston) During the cab ride I sent a message (not a post) to their Facebook hoping I could find someone with a little Empathy, I got a quick reply back from Karen, their Online Community Gal, she requested our booking info and saw that we had indeed paid for our transfer. She apologized profusely suggested we wait till after the cruise to contact "Guest Care" and request a refund. We truly had a wonderful time on our cruise. The Boat and staff were fabulous! When I got home, I called and spoke to an agent who states they'll only refund for the missed transfer from Houston to Galveston, nothing for my cab fare.. I then asked for a Supervisor. When she got on the line she states its against "policy" to refund my taxi cab fare...your kidding right? I tried to remind her, that it was a Carnival Agent that screwed up and to pull the phone call. She again refused. I asked her for her Supervisor...she flat out said NO! So I asked her if these calls were recorded...she never answered. I asked her, If Carnival was OKAY with losing 5 returning customers over $107.00 ...she said yes! OMG! I asked her how do you think my "Customer Experience" is right now, sorry ma'am its our policy...No accountability, No Empathy, No Customer Service. I guess my next step is emailing CEO, CFO, Federal Maritime Commision...Yes, all this over $107.00 dollars! I shake my head at all of this! Is Carnival that big of a company that they cannot refund my money? How is Royal Carribean or Norwegian Cruise Lines?? we're booking for 2019 Thanks for letting me rant...

[LMaxwell]

Email icare@carnivsl.com. They will be more helpful

[jackparts]

OP, something seems off in your post. If you paid for a transfer, there will be a trail somewhere that would show what you paid for ?? Should be easy to find on your booking and or your contract copy, online. $107 for taxi Houston to Galveston, total of approximately 49 miles, is one heck of a bargain!! 5 passengers in a taxi with luggage for a 5 or 7 day cruise must have been a very bad ride.

[gemcrusier]

next time you call somewhere with a complaint all you need to do at the beginning of the call is to tell them you are recording this call for future they will get a superviser right away

[easyboy]

Just wondering why the Online Community Gal suggested to ask for "refund" after the cruise, not while onboard.

 

 

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[joepeka]

OP, something seems off in your post. If you paid for a transfer, there will be a trail somewhere that would show what you paid for ?? Should be easy to find on your booking and or your contract copy, online. $107 for taxi Houston to Galveston, total of approximately 49 miles, is one heck of a bargain!! 5 passengers in a taxi with luggage for a 5 or 7 day cruise must have been a very bad ride.

I believe she said they would indeed refund the cost of the transfer (whatever they paid initially), just not any reimbursement for the taxi they had to take instead.

 

OP: I'm also just a little puzzled (maybe because we haven't used a cruise line transfer in many years), was the Carnival transfer to take you from airport to hotel then (next day) take you from hotel to cruise port? I cannot tell for sure from your description if Carnival's transfer was supposed to be both those legs of ground transport or just to the port on embarkation day. :confused:

 

I agree there should have been some compensation for the taxi fare if indeed it was either the fault of Carnival or the transfer company they contract with in Houston/Galveston.

[SMSACE6]

Email icare@carnivsl.com. They will be more helpful

 

I agree with this, I have had fair results by going through them when I had a problem. I am sure it is a typo, but it is icare@carnival.com

[Essiesmom]

Aren't there two Houston airports? Maybe they were not at the right one? EM

[loxley]

I am equally confused. Are you saying that they refunded your transfers that you didn't get to take but wouldn't reimburse you for your cab fare?

 

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[A&Jfamily]

Also very confused. Any Carnival transfer I have take is always $25 plus per person. So $107 out of pocket for 5 people should have been cheaper...

 

 

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[cruzn buckeye]

Also very confused. Any Carnival transfer I have take is always $25 plus per person. So $107 out of pocket for 5 people should have been cheaper...

 

 

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Not all transfers from Carnival are the same... for instance, their transfer between FLL and MIA is $36 pp.

[Domino D]

WARNING! Long post!!

So we called Carnival, the rep states that they have already paid the transfer service and there was nothing they could do? What? why?...so we took a taxi cab to the port which cost $107.00 (Houston to Galveston)

 

Karen, their Online Community Gal, she requested our booking info and saw that we had indeed paid for our transfer. She apologized profusely suggested we wait till after the cruise to contact "Guest Care" and request a refund.

 

When I got home, I called and spoke to an agent who states they'll only refund for the missed transfer from Houston to Galveston, nothing for my cab fare..

 

 

I am equally confused. Are you saying that they refunded your transfers that you didn't get to take but wouldn't reimburse you for your cab fare?

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Also very confused. Any Carnival transfer I have take is always $25 plus per person. So $107 out of pocket for 5 people should have been cheaper...

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I hope Bonnie comes back, but from the thee parts of her post above, I read it like you loxley. She got a refund for the Carnival arranged transfer that never showed up, but wanted to get compensated for the cab fare as well. AJ, the $107 was the cab fare, not the cost of the original transfer that was refunded.

[woodman]

:eek: Right on the money Domino. If the OP was refunded the transfer cost for 5 people how much more of a refund was He/She looking for? Did you all notice this was the first post for this OP. I always take these with a grain of salt.

[SMSACE6]

Everyone has a first post. Sometimes it takes a negative experience to spur some people to post for the first time. I dont doubt OP experienced what they did. Not sure though that Carnival will reimburse the cab fare ever though, but if I were OP I would try to deal with the icare@ address. Nothing ventured nothing gained.

[Budget Queen]

I too think they got a cheap transfer that was superior to the cruise transfer. They are looking for a free transfer it seems? There is no mention, how long they had to wait? Were they last getting on the ship?

 

I don't find the expectation and blasting of Carnival, because they didn't get everything free reasonable.

[deborahjo]

Carnival transfers are usually only the day of cruise and are only from airport to port. I know Galveston is a different port but I don't think any of their transfers include airport, hotel,hotel to port.

 

 

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[twitzgall]

This is really easy. If you paid for it with a credit card, do a chargeback. Have your credit card company work for you and do all the work.

 

I do what you do and always give the company who f'd up a chance to right their wrong. If they don't, they had their chance and I escalate it to my credit card company and don't lose another second thinking about it.

[firemanbobswife]

This is really easy. If you paid for it with a credit card, do a chargeback. Have your credit card company work for you and do all the work.

 

I do what you do and always give the company who f'd up a chance to right their wrong. If they don't, they had their chance and I escalate it to my credit card company and don't lose another second thinking about it.

 

It sounds like Carnival is refunding the cost of the transfers so that isn't an option. Are you suggesting they try and stiff the taxi company that took them to the port?

[twitzgall]

It sounds like Carnival is refunding the cost of the transfers so that isn't an option. Are you suggesting they try and stiff the taxi company that took them to the port?

 

Oops! No. Of course not. I'm saying, do a chargeback on the Carnival transfer charge for the $107 taxi ride. Typically in a chargeback you can specify the amount. Also, you can give a description why...like "I purchased a transfer to Houston which wasn't provided and had to come out of pocket $107 for a taxi ride"

[firemanbobswife]

Oops! No. Of course not. I'm saying, do a chargeback on the Carnival transfer charge for the $107 taxi ride. Typically in a chargeback you can specify the amount. Also, you can give a description why...like "I purchased a transfer to Houston which wasn't provided and had to come out of pocket $107 for a taxi ride"

 

If Carnival is already refunding the cost of the transfer, then there's nothing to chargeback.

[happy cruzer]

So The TS got the transfer credited. And she wants the taxi credited. Wasn't she going to pay anything to get to the ship?

 

If she feels that they owe her for the inconvience, then she could ask for a goodwill offer like a credit to be used on a future cruise. Cruise lines much rather issue a credit than do refunds.

[loxley]

So The TS got the transfer credited. And she wants the taxi credited. Wasn't she going to pay anything to get to the ship?

 

If she feels that they owe her for the inconvience, then she could ask for a goodwill offer like a credit to be used on a future cruise. Cruise lines much rather issue a credit than do refunds.

We don't know what happened, but it seems to read like the carnival transfers were refunded and the op also wants the taxi they took to be refunded also.

 

Waiting for the op to come back and explain, otherwise we are just guessing exactly what they are wanting.

 

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[A&Jfamily]

I hope Bonnie comes back, but from the thee parts of her post above, I read it like you loxley. She got a refund for the Carnival arranged transfer that never showed up, but wanted to get compensated for the cab fare as well. AJ, the $107 was the cab fare, not the cost of the original transfer that was refunded.

 

 

 

Yes. I understood that the $107 was for the taxi fare. And I understand she got her Carnival money back. So ultimately she paid $107 for 5 people to get to the port. I just don't see the issue here unless the OP was looking for a totally free trip.

 

Either way, with Carnival or taxi she was paying to get to the port. carnival screwed up, perhaps, and they refunded her money. I don't see the reason for them to pay for the taxi too.

 

 

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[_Bonnie_]

OP, something seems off in your post. If you paid for a transfer, there will be a trail somewhere that would show what you paid for ?? Should be easy to find on your booking and or your contract copy, online. $107 for taxi Houston to Galveston, total of approximately 49 miles, is one heck of a bargain!! 5 passengers in a taxi with luggage for a 5 or 7 day cruise must have been a very bad ride.

 

:confused: Yes as I said in my post, Carnival will pay for the missed transfer Houston to Galveston...but nothing for my Taxi....Bargain or not, it was my hard earned money that they refuse to pay due to their mistake.

[firemanbobswife]

:confused: Yes as I said in my post, Carnival will pay for the missed transfer Houston to Galveston...but nothing for my Taxi....Bargain or not, it was my hard earned money that they refuse to pay due to their mistake.

 

I understand it wasn't the way you wanted to start your vacation, but Carnival did refund the services it didn't provide. I don't think they are responsible to pay for your way there.