Mandatory Service Charges

[sidari]

Here is the MSC reply to my email this morning.

 

Good afternoon Mr. D

Thank you for your email.

We can confirm that cruises sailing from 31st March 2019, All passengers will be required to pay for our service charge on board.
These service charges are mandatory and cannot be removed. Should you face any poor customer service whilst on board, Please do not hesitate to contact our Guest Relations Manager. 
MSC Cruises wishes you and Ms. J a wonderful cruise on board MSC Meraviglia over Christmas 2019.
Thank you

[ziggyuk]

Virgin Voyages - no gratuities & tipping not allowed.

Good approach.

[Beamafar]

Well Dave ... I reckon they have a duty to notify everyone with a current booking of that development.

Edited February 21, 2019 by Beamafar

[CruisingFox27]

I'm wondering if they have had an increased number of people cancelling the DSC, although this forum obviously doesn't reflect the whole cruising population, there seems to be more and more posts on here that have been suggesting cancel DSC and tip directly. For some nations this is the preferred way.

 

Unfortunately, this would result in the pool of DSC money to be shared among the non-customer facing staff decreasing. Perhaps this is MSC's way of addressing this.

 

We haven't ever had cause to consider removing the DSC as we know it goes to many more staff than we encounter, who work very hard behind the scenes, as emphasized in the Seaside documentary this week.

 

It is poor form to make this change without notifying customers however.

Edited February 21, 2019 by CruisingFox27

[sidari]

Bea ... I somehow do not see that happening do you ? they were sneaky enough to add it to the website without telling people, sneakily changed drink packages without telling anyone, as for the Xmas cruise that may be the final nail in the coffin.

 

Edited February 21, 2019 by sidari

[cruiser man 60]

costa cruises is mandatory and NCL just add theirs to cruise price although you can apply for a refund Post cruise by filling in forms and sending them to head office although not sure how that works.

I assume we will find out how this mandatory charge applies to already booked cruises when people try to cancel in coming months as I don't think it's legal under EU law to introduce a compulsory new charge after you have booked.

[emmas gran]

15 minutes ago, ziggyuk said:

Virgin Voyages - no gratuities & tipping not allowed.

Good approach.

 

Yes I have seen them and the prices for 4/5 day cruises are through the roof

[Beamafar]

TBH, I'm pretty shocked at how cavalier their approach is to instigating changes without informing the very customers who are the very ones being impacted.  It borders on contempt!  Firstly, as you say, Dave, the change to the drinks packages and prices, now this.

 

I think that the last time I felt as strongly about things was at the time of the introduction of Voyagers Club and the almost immediate, subsequent launch of the status-match programme.  Some may say that that's an over-reaction, but it's getting to the point that no-one can say what they're actually booking anymore.  By the time you embark, Heaven knows what changes have been implemented in the meantime. You just have to look at the number of threads re what the old (and the new) drinks packages actually include.

Edited February 21, 2019 by Beamafar

[SeaTheW0rld]

1 minute ago, Beamafar said:

TBH, I'm pretty shocked at how cavalier their approach is to instigating changes without informing the very customers who are the very ones being impacted.  It borders on contempt!  First, as you say, the change to the drinks packages and prices, now this.

 

I think that the last time I felt as strongly about things was at the time of the introduction of Voyagers Club and the almost immediate, subsequent launch of the status-match programme.  Some may say that that's an over-reaction, but it's getting to the point that one has no idea what they're actually booking anymore.  You just have to look at the number of threads re what the old (and the new) drinks packages actually include.

 

+1000

 

I'm trying to decide if I want to call my TA and see if they can clarify what is NOT included in the non-alcoholic package. Off-topic, sorry.

 

 

[Beamafar]

5 minutes ago, emmas gran said:

 

Yes I have seen them and the prices for 4/5 day cruises are through the roof

 

My very thoughts, EG.

[ziggyuk]

6 minutes ago, emmas gran said:

 

Yes I have seen them and the prices for 4/5 day cruises are through the roof

 

Wouldn't say "through the roof" considering there are no extras and all the dining is specialist.

 

 

 

Edited February 21, 2019 by ziggyuk

[HeavySeaman]

Is this just in Europe? The US website still says that you can remove DSC

 

should you wish to remove any of the daily Hotel Service Charge in the unlikely event that you do not receive satisfactory service, you may do so by contacting the Guest Relations Manager on board

[sidari]

HS ... Looks like they have not got that far just yet.

[emmas gran]

7 minutes ago, ziggyuk said:

 

Wouldn't say "through the roof" considering there are no extras and all the dining is specialist.

 

 

 

 

The website Virgin Voyages .com says does not include taxes and fees

[Beamafar]

17 minutes ago, HeavySeaman said:

Is this just in Europe?

 

Well ... so far reports on here are only from both Ireland and the UK.

 

It appears that the Germans can still remove the DSC.  Here's a screenshot from a translated page on the German website:

 

 

Don'cha  just love the wording "We recommend the usual tip ... €10 ...".  

Edited February 21, 2019 by Beamafar

[CruisingFox27]

9 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

 

Well ... so far reports on here are only from both Ireland and the UK.

 

It appears that the Germans can still remove the DSC.  Here's a screenshot from a translated page on the German website:

 

 

Don't you just love the wording "We recommend the usual tip ... €10 ...".  

 

We, the passengers, recommend you stop messing about with our cruise experience......

 

 

[Scot born]

 

28 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

TBH, I'm pretty shocked at how cavalier their approach is to instigating changes without informing the very customers who are the very ones being impacted.  It borders on contempt!  Firstly, as you say, Dave, the change to the drinks packages and prices, now this.

How do you think MSC could let everyone know of these changes? How many customers do you think they have on their data base? So by the time they email /mail shot everyone then it would still be implemented. In an ideal world this would be nice however we all don't live in an ideal world. Does your supermarket inform you every time the cost of your bread is going up. No MSC has not hidden the fact that gratuitys are non refundable then so what, only people who like the power to have these removed will be upset as they will have to pay them now. If you read all the terms and conditions then the company has the right to make changes without written warning and when you pay your deposit then you are agreeing to the company's terms and conditions. Everyone has a choice to choose what cruise is best for them I for one would not jump ship because a company is trying to make changes maybe not for the better. 

[sidari]

Another Email on the subject from an MSC FB page

 This is my response from MSC uk customer Service

Dear Mrs G

The notification arrived today to inform that as from the 1st March service charges are no longer at your discretion but mandatory in line with most Cruise Lines.

We have not been advised whether bookings already confirmed are exempt and await further updates. Our IT department are in the process of making the amendments on line. We appreciate that this has come as a surprise to many already booked.

Unfortuneatly I have no further information at this time.

Kind regards

[Beamafar]

The supermarket doesn't demand that I pay the increased price at the checkout AFTER I've paid for the bread!!!!    🙄  Not a very good analogy at all!  Plus, who mentioned anything about "jumping ship" over it?  

Edited February 21, 2019 by Beamafar

[sidari]

"when you pay your deposit then you are agreeing to the company's terms and conditions."

 

The terms and conditions have now changed since my deposit was paid 12 months ago!

[Beamafar]

When I booked our 2 upcoming cruises, the wording was that I could remove the DSC under specified conditions:

 

"should you wish to remove any of the daily Hotel Service Charge in the unlikely event that you do not receive satisfactory service, you may do so by contacting the Guest Relations Manager on board"

 

 

  THEY are the conditions I booked under!!!

[Scot born]

2 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

The supermarket doesn't demand that I pay the increased price at the checkout AFTER I've paid for the bread!!!!    🙄

It was just a example that thing do change and we are not always informed.

 

2 minutes ago, sidari said:

"when you pay your deposit then you are agreeing to the company's terms and conditions."

 

The terms and conditions have now changed since my deposit was paid 12 months ago!

 The T&Cs don't change. That is why the state that they can 

14. Booking Changes Effected by the Company

14.1 Arrangements for the Cruise are made many months in advance by the Company. Very occasionally it may be necessary to alter them; therefore the Company expressly reserves the right to change the arrangements for the Cruise or the Holiday Package, should such changes become necessary or advisable for operational, commercial or safety reasons.

this has been an operational change. 

[Beamafar]

3 minutes ago, Scot born said:

It was just a example that thing do change and we are not always informed.

 

 

 

We have every right to be informed if we're being forced to pay for something AFTER we've entered into a contract with an agreed price.

 

As someone else has referred to, I wonder about the legal footing MSC has on this one.

Edited February 21, 2019 by Beamafar

[sidari]

As Bea stated, we booked under different terms to what they, MSC are changing to.

[Scot born]

5 minutes ago, Beamafar said:

When I booked our 2 upcoming cruises, the wording was that I could remove the DSC under specified conditions:

 

"should you wish to remove any of the daily Hotel Service Charge in the unlikely event that you do not receive satisfactory service, you may do so by contacting the Guest Relations Manager on board"

 

 

  THEY are the conditions I booked under!!!

Bea I total understand where you are all coming from and I also know that you would not remove the DSC as you have said, they are not conditions they were a recommendation from the company which they have now changed via their get out clause in their T&Cs however all I am trying to do here is say you get knocked down you get back up and you enjoy your cruise, little things in life don't mater.