Burned by Cruise Next

[Toofarfromthesea]

I went on a cruise this July with my mom and while onboard they did their CruiseNext credit pitch. We decided to take advantage and each put down $500... they left out telling us the part where you can only apply 1 $250 credit per room otherwise we would have never done this because it makes no sense. We were under the impression that we were each putting down a $500 deposit for our next cruise fare and thus almost paying half advance. We just found this 1 credit per room rule out when we booked our next cruise and tried to apply our credits. Has anyone had a similar experience and/or successfully fought NCL on this? Obviously looking now, it's in the fine print, I just think it's deceptive that they don't tell you this outright. I know our chances of fighting them on it are slim but I figure it's worth a shot, right?

 

No, not right. Any burning that occurred was self-inflicted. Sorry, but it is better to LEARN from this than to go off tilting at windmills.

[sailingskyward]

I just purchased my first CruiseNext vouchers, 2 of them. My understanding from the salesman was that you can use 1 per cruise booking, or in some cases when there is a promo you can use 2 simultaneously - but only if booking Balcony staterooms AND only if the cruise is 6+ months in advance.

 

My takeaway was basically, if you want to use 2 at the same time, you can't do so on cruises departing in the next few months, because those cruises are already selling for cheaper than if you had booked them 6+ months in advance.

[Cruiser Bruiser]

I went on a cruise this July with my mom and while onboard they did their CruiseNext credit pitch. We decided to take advantage and each put down $500... they left out telling us the part where you can only apply 1 $250 credit per room otherwise we would have never done this because it makes no sense. We were under the impression that we were each putting down a $500 deposit for our next cruise fare and thus almost paying half advance. We just found this 1 credit per room rule out when we booked our next cruise and tried to apply our credits. Has anyone had a similar experience and/or successfully fought NCL on this? Obviously looking now, it's in the fine print, I just think it's deceptive that they don't tell you this outright. I know our chances of fighting them on it are slim but I figure it's worth a shot, right?

 

In my experience, paying $250 for $500 is invariably marketed as "buy two, get one free." So it's pretty obvious that you are buying TWO Cruise Next certificates. Sorry you didn't see that. You are still saving $125 on each of your next two cruises.

[Princess@Sea]

NCL must have hired their sales men from my local car dealer.

 

I have discovered a long time ago these sales sessions on cruises are not worth going unless you have specific questions.

[Warm Breezes]

I just purchased my first CruiseNext vouchers, 2 of them. My understanding from the salesman was that you can use 1 per cruise booking, or in some cases when there is a promo you can use 2 simultaneously - but only if booking Balcony staterooms AND only if the cruise is 6+ months in advance.

 

My takeaway was basically, if you want to use 2 at the same time, you can't do so on cruises departing in the next few months, because those cruises are already selling for cheaper than if you had booked them 6+ months in advance.

 

I came away with this understanding last week on the Escape and I never even talked to the sales person. It was easily understood from the information given in the room and discussed on their TV ad station.

[sfaaa]

The details are all printed clearly on paper and fully disclosed. Plus you have 30 days to rescind your purchase and get a full refund. Can't really blame it on smooth sales talks or misleading tactics.

[mking8288]

Both of those document state that you can use 2 per cabin.

Hmmm, sure, if that is how you choose to read and interpret them ...

 

I read "Use Two CN Deposits on Balcony, Mini-Suite ... T&C's apply." In other words, one Deposit per stateroom for Oceanview and Inside - unless ...

 

Even if there was a possible mis-representation, OP has 30 days after returning from the cruise to review & cancel with a refund ... as another poster did so & noted herein.

[welove2cruise2014]

I've been told via email by a cruise consultant @ NCL that 2 can be used on one cabin booking, as long as balcony or higher AND 6+ months out.

 

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[DMH15]

I think most establishments say "one offer per table", or one coupon only" or "no combining of promotions"... my presumption would be that only one could be used per booking regardless of how many pax in a room.

 

 

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[old nutter]

Once you log on, go to "my account", then click on the "my account" directly above the update profile. there is where you should see "coupons and credits" with ID #, amount and valid time period to be used.

 

Thanks for the info. I didn't know you could get that page because it just looks like a header for the other pages below!

 

I clicked there and both certs are in there. Thanks.

[martinchem]

As far as the 2 for balcony go, as well as previous offers, NCL doesn't state the end dates of the deal, leaving it open ended for the reps to mislead a few guests intentionally or not.

[cml4958]

Sell them on eBay. You will not lose money. If you really believe that the employee misled you, you can file credit card dispute.

 

 

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Filing a credit card dispute because op didn't read the terms and conditions would be fraud.

[Fido Chuckwagon]

Filing a credit card dispute because op didn't read the terms and conditions would be fraud.

 

No. It would not be fraud and quite frankly would be justified if op was legitimately lied to by the salesman.

[sfaaa]

No. It would not be fraud and quite frankly would be justified if op was legitimately lied to by the salesman.

 

Being ignorant or negligent is not a legal defense.

[mugtech]

No. It would not be fraud and quite frankly would be justified if op was legitimately lied to by the salesman.

So he taped the conversation? Otherwise it's a he said she said, don't waste your time.

[hawk/hornfan]

Since I am not brand loyal to anything (well except for my fav local pizza & wing joint) I walk right by these hucksters. Commissioned sales people are like magicians, misdirection is how they succeed.

[farmermark]

It is very obvious this has been going on for some time and NCL has not done anything to "clean up" the confusion and I say slight of hand. I am holding brochure handed to me by NCL Dawn Cruisenext seller. There are several "bullet points" on the brochure One of them is quote "Enjoy up to 4 years to book a Norwegian cruise of 6 days or longer" Another one is "DoubleUP! 2X FREE Money: Use two deposits($500 off) when booking balconies (or higher) six (6) months in advance. Also when sailing back to back voyages" Part of known deception is they are calling everything "deposits" the buyers actual deposit AND NCL free money they kick in. They know this and let it continue because it works for them. Quote from brochure "New CruiseNext Offer DoubleUp! and get 2 x FREE Money Today IF...IF they changed their brochure to say "DoubleUp and get 4 deposits for 2 deposits" that would trigger automatic reaction when you see you can use 2 deposits per cabin...not 4. You Give NCL a deposit of $500 for a future cruise (notice I said "a" future cruise not future cruises....like their one bullet point I listed above) they give you (4) $250 deposits. And then the atterndant said "Dont worry about the 4 separate $250 credits to your account that is for accounting purposes". I doubled up and gave them $500 deposit and asked point blank "Can I use all $1000 on next years cruise for a balcony" the answer was "Yes". The "Don't worry about...it is for accounting purposes" tipped me off to the slight of hand just pulled. That right there tipped me off and I knew I was just lied to. I had plans to take several cruises so I just let it go then. But now I see this has been going on for yerar's...I am going to chew on them some. If the bullet point said 'Enjoy 4 years to book your required cruise or cruises of 6 days or longer" that would help...but they will not until someone takes the bull by the horns.

[BirdTravels]

Farmer, Thank you for creating a new Cruise Critic account to make this very insightful post on a very old thread. Cruise Next has been around for a long time and sells thousands and thousands of certificates each week. Thousands and Thousands of people each week seem to be able to understand the terms and conditions of the certificates and are more than happy to save some money on a future cruise.

[FLAHAM]

The endlessly looped CruiseNext video on the ship's tv clearly states the rules.

[Maya1234]

First, although cruises are different, Just so people understand the law in general: In almost all states Consuner Fraud Act laws have eliminated the old " caveat emptor". If a company's salesperson misrepresents something even if the fine print says otherwise it's the company that must live up to what was said. This also includes what's called a " fraudulent omission" where important info is not said creating a wrong impression. You don't need proof like a recording. Proof could involve others saying the same thing happened to them. This is often found in complaints to the company or consumer protection agencies .

 

While what's said on a cruise ship isn't usually governed bu US law, there is nothing wrong with telling your credit card company exactly what happened. For good longstanding customers many cc company's will reverse a charge under these circumstances.

[farmermark]

Thanks for warm reception Birdtravels. See you have.Total Posts

Total Posts: 10,797

Posts Per Day: 9.53

 

 

But no friends yet???? Bummer. I planned to take NCL to Hawaii and other cruises. So I wasn't too concerned when the salesperson called out to me like a carnival barker. Wasn't concerned getting my money out of it. But yes I was a little taken aback when I purposely asked specific question (like others have stated doing on this and other thread similar) and lied to/deceived. I was on vacation and let it go. But seeing others post the same....yeah that doesn't sit right when you can look at their brochure and see how easy it would be to clear up some of this IF they wanted to. I mean when I read people posting email address of top dog of Cruisenext promotions that tells you complaints have gone all the way to top

 

 

Southern Caribbean bound on next cruise. Cheers!

[PTC DAWG]

I recently paid 500 for a 1000 credit on future cruises...tell me why to be upset?

 

Math is easy.

[Seekup]

I can totally relate. I trusted the salesperson and didn't read the fine print. She lead me to believe that you could use two credits when booking a balcony. We've booked our next cruise and could only apply one credit to our balcony cabin. We sold one to a friend that is going with us for $125, what we paid, so we're good. But, we won't make that mistake again.....

 

I felt sure we'd go on another NCL cruise within 4 years, but not necessarily two! There's more out there than NCL.

[farmermark]

Now PTC...get it correct LOL. You got (4) $250 deposits in your account for the $500 you gave them. Guess I just have a pet peeve about being lied to when asking a question. Hey I'm good...darn...I just HAVE to go on 2 cruises in next 4 years not just one. "Same boat as you" with $500 in and $1000 to put towards cruises...sorry couldn't resist.

[Sauer-kraut]

NCL was running a promotion recently where one could apply MORE THAN ONE CruiseNext certificate to a cruise. Perhaps you purchased yours when that promotion was valid. However, now that promotion is over you can only use one at a time.