Last thread was closed, please kindly see the requested complaint letter here.

[AMDB11cruiser]

Hi all,

 

Since many of the members were telling me to share my complaint letter, therefore, I am sharing the letter I wrote to the GM when I was on the cruise. The last thread was locked so I am posting it here instead. 

 

Background information:

- Family of 6, all asians (4 young adults, 2 parents)

- 3 Penthouse suites

- European Cruise on 27th September on RSSC Explorer

- First complaint to the management around 4th day of cruise - because I wrote I will never come back to this ship based on experience so far + information regarding this

- Second complaint regarding the shore excursion trouble - the day ship visited Monaco, was promised they will do everything to improve my experience before I disembark, I told them that we did not want any financial compensation as it wasn't about that

- Nothing was done until a day before we disembark, was informed they were happy to give us 500 usd was given to each person

- I wrote this letter to the GM and other management person (3 copies total to each involved party)

- Have not heard anything back since

 

Problems:

- Needed internet to work, took three daily complaints to request for a router

- Rude phone call regarding payment

- Tour guides were unprofessional?

- a few minor issues

 

If you have the time, please kindly read the letter as it will outline the situation much better.

 

What did I want when I submitted the letter?

I just wanted an acknowledgement that they will look into these problems so they could improve their cruise for other cruisers. Please do not contact me for compensation as it was never about the money. It would have been nice to have just a reply that they appreciate a constructive feedback from the customer.

 

I have also e-mailed this to the given emails from the last thread. 

 

Best regards,

AMDB11Cruiser

 

1st Edit: Relocated the link to the letter to the bottom

2nd Edit: Clarifications on the background information, added problems

 

Dear MGMT - Regent Seven Seas Explorer.pdf

 

Edited October 24, 2018 by AMDB11cruiser
Relocated the link to the letter to the bottom

[fizzy]

27 minutes ago, AMDB11cruiser said:

Hi all,

 

Since many of the members were telling me to share my complaint letter, therefore, I am sharing the letter I wrote to the GM when I was on the cruise. The last thread was locked so I am posting it here instead. 

 

Background information:

- Family of 6, all asians (4 young adults, 2 parents)

- 3 Penthouse suites

- European Cruise on 27th September on RSSC Explorer

- First complaint to the management around 4th day of cruise - because I wrote I will never come back to this ship based on experience so far

- Second complaint regarding the shore excursion trouble - the day ship visited Monaco, was promised they will do everything to improve my experience before I disembark

- Nothing was done until a day before we disembark, 500 usd was given to each person

- I wrote this letter to the GM and other management person (3 copies total to each involved party)

- Have not heard anything back since

 

If you have the time, please kindly read the letter as it will outline the situation much better.

 

What did I want when I submitted the letter?

I just wanted an acknowledgement that they will look into these problems so they could improve their cruise for other cruisers. Please do not contact me for compensation as it was never about the money. It would have been nice to have just a reply that they appreciate a constructive feedback from the customer.

 

I have also e-mailed this to the given emails from the last thread. 

 

Best regards,

AMDB11Cruiser

 

1st Edit: Relocated the link to the letter to the bottom

 

Dear MGMT - Regent Seven Seas Explorer.pdf

I don't know if you are really interested in getting feedback from the people on this board. I do think that Regent should stop with the advertising of free internet for all as it seems to remain problematic. If I came back to my cabin and found a plate of canapes...sadly I would not eat them as I wouldn't know how long they had been un refrigerated. A quick call to room service would have provided the desired snacks. It does seem like the bus thing could have been handled better but I don't know what actual security rules are in place in this day and age. I find it troubling that you felt the need to point out that you are Asians. So what? I can't imagine a more diverse group of people than crew and guests on any cruise line. Your story made me sour  with this reference.

 

[AMDB11cruiser]

12 minutes ago, fizzy said:

 

 

- I paid for premium internet since the first minute I stepped on the cruise.

- canapés is minor issue, we indicated that we want it at 4 pm, it wasn’t there. Again, this is really not an issue here.

- Once I came back, on the cruise in Monaco, the officer on the ship that we are entitled to board the bus had the tour guide tried to contact them. 

- Only point it out because tour operator refers to us that way. We were called by our nationality.

 

 

You may have missed my point here. How do retain a customer that complaint mid-cruise that they are not going to come back, they promised a lot of things, gave 500 dollar for next cruise instead? We were just trying to enjoy the cruise at the time.

Edited October 24, 2018 by AMDB11cruiser

[alexandra cruiser]

I really hope Regent will address your problems and send you an apology. Wish it was taken care of while you were onboard. Surely, you being Asian should NOT be a concern,,,anywhere or anytime.Let us know if you get satisfaction. Sorry you didnt enjoy your cruise,,know its a big expense and not having a great experience is very sad.In the past,Regent has always been one of the top of the line cruiseships.

[Burlington ON]

AMDB11:  We were on that cruise with you and took the same shore excursion from Marseilles to Avignon.  I thought the guide on that trip did not treat you properly; she was quite rude and disrespectful sometimes. It made us very uncomfortable throughout the day.

[pingpong1]

I believe that some "problems" (from a corporate perspective) simply can't be solved.  This seems to be one of them. There is going to be a certain small percentage of customers that you're simply just not going to please or satisfy - no matter what you try to do.  And you could wind up spending hundreds of man hours and thousands of dollars in this pursuit, and you just won't "win".  By that, I mean satisfying the customer.  So in the end, you just have to "move on". 

 

The same applies to the customer.  Sometimes, you're simply not going to achieve the end result you're looking for.  At some point, you simply have to write it off as one of "life's lessons", and move on.  Hopefully, you'll find a cruise line in the future that more closely meets your needs and expectations.

[freddie]

AMBD11- For future reference, it might not be productive to include in your complaint letter to cruise line management that, "When we stated that we would never come back to this particular cruise again, we really meant it. We do not plan to get some discount to fund for our future cruise because there weren’t going to be any."  That rather clear statement does not exactly incentivize the cruise line to make you happy, as you have already declared that you will never consider that line again under any circumstances.

 

Further, despite your repeated statements that you weren't looking for any "compensation" for the issues that annoyed you, you did in fact manage to suggest a number of possible remedies that would have made you happier:

 

1. Paid premium internet be written off and removed from the bill

2. Spa credit given to the guests

3. Shore excursion credit given to the guests

4. Bottle of premium wine given to the guests

Each of those proposed remedies does indeed reflect some sort of compensation, which might be entirely deserved in your case, but is still, at the end of day, "compensation".

Your unfortunate misadventure with the rude guide in southern France would certainly have been most annoying and not at all in line with the customer service approach of Seabourn (or any other luxury line).   However, you did not tell us whether you were finally allowed onto the bus and therefore allowed to ride back to the ship and avoid the rainstorm.   Please be so kind as to clarify this question.   If I have missed a previous statement about it from you, please forgive me. 

We eagerly await your further clarifications about these matters.

Cheers,           Fred

 

[papaflamingo]

I am new to Regent.  We sail on Nov. 1 so I have no real experience to draw from.  But I am a veteran of over 30 cruises on other lines.  My only question, and I'm not defending anyone, especially rude treatment by a third party tour guide, but I have to wonder if maybe in reality or in the mind of a tour guide, was there a concern of liability?  If people who are not booked on a tour get on the bus, even though they're Regent passengers, and the bus has an accident and they're hurt, who is responsible?  Surely the tour companies insurance company is not going to accept responsibility for someone injured who is not officially on the tour, and it seems unlikely that Regent will accept responsibility for a passenger hurt when not on the ship or officially on a ships tour.   So I can certainly see a valid argument for both Regent AND the tour company to refuse to board anyone who is not officially on the tour.  

[forgap]

Although, easily solved with a call to the ship.  I’m sure all tour guides have ship contact info and cell phones in case of an emergency.   If liability was a concern of the tour operator then that could be solved with a phone call and adding these passengers to the tour list.  

 

The other issues should have been easily remedied on the ship.  A sweet gesture such as a bottle of premium bubbly and a note would have most likely soothed the OP.  I suspect these issues created “bad blood”  on both sides so that all parties got stuck in position rather than working towards a solution.  

[snuggarelli]

In regards to your first item in the letter, about the internet access and targeting millennials... 

Regent has specifically said that Millennials are not a target group and that they are "cute." (Honestly, I still don't understand why he said the latter part.  Seems a bit condescending.)  They stated that their target group is the Baby Boomers.  Someone posted an article on here stating this information.

[RachelG]

Being a person who also has to work via a reliable internet connection while on a cruise, I share your pain in that regard.  I have spent literally hours sitting on the floor in a hallway under a router to get work done.  But believe it or not, the internet connection on Regent is miles better than it was 15 or even 5 years ago.

 

i think the issue with the tour guide not allowing you on the bus in Monaco is probably because she and her company would not get paid for transporting you.  Never mind that they were going to the same place and there would be no extra cost out of their pocket with you riding along.  She just didn’t want to help you, plain and simple.  That is her issue, not Regent’s.  They don’t hire the guides, though if a specific operator has multiple incidents of poor customer service, Regent would be looking for another operator.

 

You mention being Asian.  I think that is totally irrelevant.  We have many Asian friends as well as an adopted daughter from China.  Treatment on Regent is the same.  Now, some tour guide might be prejudiced against Asian people, but onboard the ship, I just don’t see that.

[AMDB11cruiser]

22 hours ago, RachelG said:

Being a person who also has to work via a reliable internet connection while on a cruise, I share your pain in that regard.  I have spent literally hours sitting on the floor in a hallway under a router to get work done.  But believe it or not, the internet connection on Regent is miles better than it was 15 or even 5 years ago.

 

i think the issue with the tour guide not allowing you on the bus in Monaco is probably because she and her company would not get paid for transporting you.  Never mind that they were going to the same place and there would be no extra cost out of their pocket with you riding along.  She just didn’t want to help you, plain and simple.  That is her issue, not Regent’s.  They don’t hire the guides, though if a specific operator has multiple incidents of poor customer service, Regent would be looking for another operator.

 

You mention being Asian.  I think that is totally irrelevant.  We have many Asian friends as well as an adopted daughter from China.  Treatment on Regent is the same.  Now, some tour guide might be prejudiced against Asian people, but onboard the ship, I just don’t see that.

 

@RachelG  I understand the Monaco part, however, it was really an emergency; the staff onboard that I discussed with also confirmed that it was like a storm out there. There should have been some sort of protocol to deal with this kind of situation. If I was the tour operator, I would have contacted the ship out of kind heart. Again, not the ships direct fault, it sure made us felt like we were beggars though.

 

Sorry if I wasn’t clear, the main issue regarding nationality only apply to the tour operated by third party. I would like to clarify that it is irrelevant once on the cruise. The crews were great, I just thought that the way they were dealing with the problems were illogical. Giving us some cruise discount made us feel like we were blowing the issues out of proportion to get a discount of some sort.

 

@Burlington ON  Thank you for letting us know we were not alone. We felt that she was very rude to us multiple times. It was weird that she had to pick us out by nationality along with other weird incidents that she pointed out publicly. 

 

[AMDB11cruiser]

On 10/25/2018 at 9:25 AM, freddie said:

AMBD11- For future reference, it might not be productive to include in your complaint letter to cruise line management that, "When we stated that we would never come back to this particular cruise again, we really meant it. We do not plan to get some discount to fund for our future cruise because there weren’t going to be any."  That rather clear statement does not exactly incentivize the cruise line to make you happy, as you have already declared that you will never consider that line again under any circumstances.

 

Further, despite your repeated statements that you weren't looking for any "compensation" for the issues that annoyed you, you did in fact manage to suggest a number of possible remedies that would have made you happier:

 

1. Paid premium internet be written off and removed from the bill

2. Spa credit given to the guests

3. Shore excursion credit given to the guests

4. Bottle of premium wine given to the guests

Each of those proposed remedies does indeed reflect some sort of compensation, which might be entirely deserved in your case, but is still, at the end of day, "compensation".

Your unfortunate misadventure with the rude guide in southern France would certainly have been most annoying and not at all in line with the customer service approach of Seabourn (or any other luxury line).   However, you did not tell us whether you were finally allowed onto the bus and therefore allowed to ride back to the ship and avoid the rainstorm.   Please be so kind as to clarify this question.   If I have missed a previous statement about it from you, please forgive me. 

We eagerly await your further clarifications about these matters.

Cheers,           Fred

 

 

Sorry if it wasn’t clear, I was trying to show how illogical it was to offer future cruise discount when they promised that they will make our experience on board better. The list of four things are just to show that those options are much more logical than giving 500 usd discount for future cruise. To me, it shows the company cares about their book over our happiness. How can they come to a conclusion that 500 usd cruise discount is a smart way to solve the problem is beyond me. A sincere apology letter from someone would have been perfect. An acknowledgement about the troubled experience would have been good enough.

 

Guests were unhappy with the current cruise -> they were informed we did not want any credits -> they promised they think of something -> they gave discount on future cruise, that’s basically credits???

 

Regarding the storm incident, we got in after we “Wai” the driver.

 

 

 

 

 

[Kwaj girl]

What's a Wai?

 

[AMDB11cruiser]

1 minute ago, Kwaj girl said:

What's a Wai?

 

 

There are many types, we did it like the girl on the left but with desperation. The other girl’s “Wai” is lower because she’s on the receiving end.

[AMDB11cruiser]

On 10/26/2018 at 4:36 AM, snuggarelli said:

In regards to your first item in the letter, about the internet access and targeting millennials... 

Regent has specifically said that Millennials are not a target group and that they are "cute." (Honestly, I still don't understand why he said the latter part.  Seems a bit condescending.)  They stated that their target group is the Baby Boomers.  Someone posted an article on here stating this information.

 

I knew that I wasn’t their target customer before I signed up actually. I was surprised when one of the manager told my wife and I that they were hoping to attract younger crowd. That’s why I tried to give my feedback constructively.

 

I don’t think they choose to treat us badly because we are young though, it was just unfortunate chain of events. I just hope they improve the way they fix things though. Some couples saved up for a long time to go on a luxury cruise like these, it would be sad if their experiences on their dream cruise are ruined.

 

My wife and I were so unsatisfied with the explorer, we are boarding on Ovation of the Seas this week to make up for our ruined anniversary. 

[Kwaj girl]

7 minutes ago, AMDB11cruiser said:

 

I knew that I wasn’t their target customer before I signed up actually. I was surprised when one of the manager told my wife and I that they were hoping to attract younger crowd. That’s why I tried to give my feedback constructively.

 

I don’t think they choose to treat us badly because we are young though, it was just unfortunate chain of events. I just hope they improve the way they fix things though. Some couples saved up for a long time to go on a luxury cruise like these, it would be sad if their experiences on their dream cruise are ruined.

 

My wife and I were so unsatisfied with the explorer, we are boarding on Ovation of the Seas this week to make up for our ruined anniversary. 

 

Hope you have an enjoyable cruise, albeit on the Behemoth of the Seas

 

[EleanorWW]

The receipt of real or imagined slights due to ethnicity is tricky.  I am an American of Chinese descent.  I’ve sailed with Regent since the Radisson days and I don’t think I’ve ever felt any unease due to my ethnic origins on board ship.  BUT my behavior is American.  I speak American.  I’m on a cruise holiday and my demeanor is one of cheerfulness and pleasure with my surroundings.  I express my gratitude to those who work hard to make the Regent experience extraordinary.  

 

As for crew in the corridor forcing the letter writer to step aside - and they were not running to an emergency - if I sensed disrespect, I would have stopped and met the offender’s eye.  Either the crew member needs a “heads up” reminder or the passenger is mistaken.  There is nothing to be gained by stewing.

 

[cruiseluv]

On 10/26/2018 at 6:52 PM, AMDB11cruiser said:

 

There are many types, we did it like the girl on the left but with desperation. The other girl’s “Wai” is lower because she’s on the receiving end.

Let me get this straight... this happened in Monaco, not in the middle of a jungle. "Desperation"??? Why didnt you go to a hotel and get a cab there? Or call an Uber. 

Edited October 28, 2018 by cruiseluv

[cruiseluv]

On 10/26/2018 at 7:26 PM, AMDB11cruiser said:

 

I knew that I wasn’t their target customer before I signed up actually. I was surprised when one of the manager told my wife and I that they were hoping to attract younger crowd. That’s why I tried to give my feedback constructively.

 

I don’t think they choose to treat us badly because we are young though, it was just unfortunate chain of events. I just hope they improve the way they fix things though. Some couples saved up for a long time to go on a luxury cruise like these, it would be sad if their experiences on their dream cruise are ruined.

 

My wife and I were so unsatisfied with the explorer, we are boarding on Ovation of the Seas this week to make up for our ruined anniversary. 

 

Nothing  you have described in your letter showed me that Regent was in the wrong. The only thing I can understand your irritation is with the poor internet. Guess what? We all experience that on Regent, so its not a personal slight toward you. I think you're making  the right decision and not cruising Regent again. Good luck with Royal Caribbean, I'm sure you'll receive the personalized service you crave there.

[freddie]

"Good luck with Royal Caribbean, I'm sure you'll receive the personalized service you crave there."

 

Maria, while that statement may seem a bit harsh, I must admit that I agree with it.   If one has not been satisfied with the degree of personal service on Regent, how likely is it that one will be happy on RCCL??!!  

Further, while I think that the tour guide in Monaco should have been a great deal more accommodating, it also seems peculiar to me that it was impossible for the hotel to call a taxi.    After all, that is a pretty common function for the staff at any hotel, particularly in such a popular area as the French Riviera, no?

All things considered, this whole drama appears to be an unfortunate confluence of mistakes and misunderstandings on both sides of the various interactions.

Edited October 28, 2018 by freddie

[JPR]

Much ado about next to nothing. Perhaps after Royal Caribbean they will move on to Princess, and then Carnival, and then MSC, and then...is the Epirotoki Line still in business?

[forgap]

This whole thread has been a bit harsh to the OP.   He had a bad experience and it left a bad taste in his mouth.  The tour guide was the main villain and Regent dropped the ball by not responding to concerns in a timely manner.  The OP thought there was racial bias at play.  Perhaps...perhaps not...but that is the point of view of the OP.  

 

I understand that this forum is full of Regent loyalists, but many responses have been unkind.  

[StarFlyr]

On 10/30/2018 at 3:09 AM, forgap said:

many responses have been unkind.  

 

Oh, oh!    Is "unkind" code for PC?

[forgap]

No, I meant it as I saw it.   The OP described his experience and how he felt.  Some responses seem to blame him for his experience.   I think it is more helpful to be supportive and make suggestions for the next time.  Some responses did just that, some did not.  I’m not sure how being kind is PC.  Care to explain?