Being Ghosted by NCL Customer Service

[adam_s_allen]

Think of it this way if you bought a TV and it had a certain period that you could price match, and 6 months later you tried to price match saying that it was cheaper during the price match period but you didn't have time to come talk to someone about it, what do you think they would tell you?

[leongcpa]

Actually, come to think of it, you should contact a TA now and ask how you can get your booking to get assigned to that particular TA. There is a form you have to fill out and file online, but then after that is done, your booking will officially be with that TA. Then, the TA will be able to get you the perks (OBC or other goodies) that they can normally get with their bookings, and on top of that, you can ask them to negotiate on your behalf with NCL to obtain either: (1) a better class of cabin or (2) a partial refund in the form of OBC.

[david_sobe]

If you book directly with NCL, find and hang on to a good NCL PCC.  I book direct and I don't even call about changes to my reservation. I email her about new offers or changes and she responds immediately that day or if she is off the following day.  Even if you don't have a NCL PCC, its always best to contact or go directly back to the person who made the reservation for you. You could have emailed them and there would have been a date stamp on this communication.

 

While some say there is no proof you called and stayed on hold that long for so many days and the form disappeared, if you had an email with the proper date that you sent to NCL about the price drop, I bet they would have offered you the price drop.  I am not calling the OP a liar, but NCL has to stick to a uniform policy.  If they gave the OP the price drop then anyone could qualify for the price drop after the final payment. I have a feeling NCL has heard this story before.

Edited August 22, 2019 by david_sobe

[newmexicoNita]

13 hours ago, JDoyscher said:

We booked on NCL Breakaway in January 2019 for a September 2019 Caribbean cruise. On May 22 there was a price drop of $460 per person. Final payment was not due until May 25th. I attempted to contact NCL and was on hold for nearly an hour. The recording stated there were longer than normal wait times. Had to hang up. Called back later and was on hold for 45 more minutes. I couldn't stay on hold so I found the price protection claim form on the NCL site and completed it. Got a confirmation email saying they'd be in touch and requests were handled in the order received. Tried calling a few times and had the same issue with being on hold for long periods of time. Finally got through on August 12. Was told that if I had spoken to someone prior to May 25 I would have gotten a full refund of the difference and that if it was worth it to me I would have stayed on hold for as long as was necessary. Was told the online form I filled out basically went nowhere and was the wrong thing to have done. Not sure how I would have known this! It was the "too bad so sad" routine. Since then I have emailed them through their online "pre cruise issue" customer service form twice. Have been assigned 2 case numbers. NO call back, no response whatsoever. This is crazy that I'm being denied any kind of help for missing out on a $920 refund because their hold times are really long. Any advice?

Unfortunately probably not. This is why we use our TA for everything. In our case she too has said the wait on hold for all lines has been exceptionally long. She does say, last spring even though all lines were bad, NCL had the longest wait time. She just puts them on speaker phone and goes about her business while waiting. I am sorry this happened to you but you probably needed to continue the wait, especially when you were only a few days away from final payment time. 

 

The best you can hope for now is an OBC which you should be able to get, but please if you call back do not hang up!!! and hopefully next time you cruise, regardless of the line you choose you will either use a TA or you will wait if put on hold. 

[newmexicoNita]

12 hours ago, Zippeedee said:

I never use a TA for just this reason. The first online agent I used charged a fee for changes and would never return calls when I called about price drops. Now I book directly with NCL and set a price watch online that alerts me whenever the price changes. I check often as well. I have saved over $900 on my next cruise by watching for price drops and grabbing the past cruiser's 20% off sale. 

 

OP, you were calling at the time when NCL was severely understaffed. They have supposedly hired a lot more phone reps so those wait times are significantly reduced. I would call again and ask for some onboard credit due to the long wait times. Ask nicely and ask for a supervisor if the rep won't help.

You have never had a good TA then. Normally they do not charge for making changes. They may charge for the originally booking and that is to cover any work they do. The fee is normally very low maybe $20 or so.  Dealing with on line agents can be very iffy. Some are very good, others are simply order takers. 

[deliver42]

Most of the on line agencies and a couple  of airline sites all belong to the same travel group. They charge $24.95 booking fee with no deposit, but charge $100.00 per change and or cancellation. Learned the hard way. Never again. I now always book direct.

[FitchburgWIFamily]

Instead of dwelling on what you didn't get (a refund), put some effort into what you can get. 

NCL may offer you a portion of the difference as OBC.

Or, look online at higher cabin classes and see if there is one available that is now close to what you paid for yours.  Even after final booking, I have been allowed to upgrade to a better cabin.

 

Best of luck to you,

[Dar & Bob]

14 hours ago, cottagers2000 said:

I think I probably know the answer to this question, but would you have spent so much time on the telephone if you had discovered that the price had gone up by $460 per person? It always amazes and rather amuses me, that when you have booked a cruise and agreed a price, you must have been happy with the price so why keep looking to see if the price has been lowered.

When I have booked a cruise in the past, I have never wanted to know if the price has changed, as I would not have been able to do anything about it, except maybe cancel and lose my deposit

However, NCL gives you a price guarantee that they will match it if it is lower.  I always watch the price and why not they have basically said this is going to be the best price.  I have called Princess even after final payment and they not only upgraded me but also refunded the difference in my old class.  We are booked on NCL in a few weeks and have had many problems with Customer Service.  Advice to the OP write an email to Vivian Ewart vewart@ncl.com.  After trying through the PCC, and customer service I finally got some response from that email.  Note: it may not be exactly what you want but worth a try. 

 

[SeaShark]

37 minutes ago, Dar & Bob said:

However, NCL gives you a price guarantee that they will match it if it is lower.  I always watch the price and why not they have basically said this is going to be the best price.  I have called Princess even after final payment and they not only upgraded me but also refunded the difference in my old class.  We are booked on NCL in a few weeks and have had many problems with Customer Service.  Advice to the OP write an email to Vivian Ewart vewart@ncl.com.  After trying through the PCC, and customer service I finally got some response from that email.  Note: it may not be exactly what you want but worth a try. 

 

 

While they do have a price guarantee, it isn't as simple as you make it sound. The price guarantee only applies if you find a lower price within 48 hours of booking your cruise. It isn't a "this is the lowest price you will ever see" guarantee. The program also does not guarantee the lower price match. NCL has the option to issue OBC instead...it is their choice as to which option applies.

 

It isn't applicable here as the booking was made in January and the price changed in May...well outside the 48 hour window.

[JDoyscher]

4 hours ago, david_sobe said:

If you book directly with NCL, find and hang on to a good NCL PCC.  I book direct and I don't even call about changes to my reservation. I email her about new offers or changes and she responds immediately that day or if she is off the following day.  Even if you don't have a NCL PCC, its always best to contact or go directly back to the person who made the reservation for you. You could have emailed them and there would have been a date stamp on this communication.

 

While some say there is no proof you called and stayed on hold that long for so many days and the form disappeared, if you had an email with the proper date that you sent to NCL about the price drop, I bet they would have offered you the price drop.  I am not calling the OP a liar, but NCL has to stick to a uniform policy.  If they gave the OP the price drop then anyone could qualify for the price drop after the final payment. I have a feeling NCL has heard this story before.

I have the confirmation email from May 22 when I attempted to contact them regarding the price drop. I have sent this to them as well. I did not have a PCC as I just booked directly myself.

[JDoyscher]

1 hour ago, Dar & Bob said:

However, NCL gives you a price guarantee that they will match it if it is lower.  I always watch the price and why not they have basically said this is going to be the best price.  I have called Princess even after final payment and they not only upgraded me but also refunded the difference in my old class.  We are booked on NCL in a few weeks and have had many problems with Customer Service.  Advice to the OP write an email to Vivian Ewart vewart@ncl.com.  After trying through the PCC, and customer service I finally got some response from that email.  Note: it may not be exactly what you want but worth a try. 

 

Thank you! I will try this email.

[14cruise]

17 hours ago, andymattmom said:

Usually after paid in full you're out of luck. I apologize if I came across as harsh. I usually leave a small amount to pay for final payment. 

same here I pay the deposit and do not pay the final until the day it is due     I found calling at 8 AM eastern when they first open is the best 

[Dar & Bob]

1 hour ago, SeaShark said:

 

While they do have a price guarantee, it isn't as simple as you make it sound. The price guarantee only applies if you find a lower price within 48 hours of booking your cruise. It isn't a "this is the lowest price you will ever see" guarantee. The program also does not guarantee the lower price match. NCL has the option to issue OBC instead...it is their choice as to which option applies.

 

It isn't applicable here as the booking was made in January and the price changed in May...well outside the 48 hour window.

My PCC in an email specifically told me if we found a lower price he could honor it.  The price never really went lower since they change Free at Sea, OBC etc so I did not find out if in fact he would honor it.  As I said, Princess honored it even after final payment.  

[SeaShark]

1 minute ago, Dar & Bob said:

My PCC in an email specifically told me if we found a lower price he could honor it.  The price never really went lower since they change Free at Sea, OBC etc so I did not find out if in fact he would honor it.  As I said, Princess honored it even after final payment.  

Yes...prior to final payment they just cancel your booking and then re-book at the current rate. This is not the same as the Best Price Guarantee program and we don't help anyone out by conflating the two. I'm certain that you see the difference.

[CruisingNole]

"Was told that if I had spoken to someone prior to May 25 I would have gotten a full refund of the difference and that if it was worth it to me I would have stayed on hold for as long as was necessary."

 

If only we all had so much time on our hands. 

 

I can't believe they said that to you. What a ***** response.

[CruisingNole]

3 hours ago, deliver42 said:

Most of the on line agencies and a couple  of airline sites all belong to the same travel group. They charge $24.95 booking fee with no deposit, but charge $100.00 per change and or cancellation. Learned the hard way. Never again. I now always book direct.

 

Really? I've used 5+ online agencies over the years and have never once been charged a dime for a booking fee or a change fee (unless the cruise line themselves charged said change fee). Between lower prices and OBC incentives I've gotten thousands of dollars that I would have never gotten had a I booked direct with NCL, or any cruise line.

 

I suggest you use that website where agents compete for your business. Don't think I'm allowed to say the name of it, but a Google search will find it easily.

[don't-use-real-name]

A thing to consider if using a TA - TAs have direct phone lines to NCL bypassing the general public lines.

However even my TA has had to wait on hold for a few minutes when things are busy.

My TA if the guest/customer request is not in need of immediate confirmation will pool several customer

accounts together and when connected handle all these at once - thus snicker making other TAs wait.

But once connected making the best use of time.

Also consider phoning in the odd hours instead of normal 9-5 business hours.

Only thing bad about odd hours is getting green horn junior customer reps who don't fully know the ins and

outs of how things are done and may need a nudge from a supervisor/manager to work a deal.

 

What NCL needs is a CALL-BACK line when super busy.

 

You call NCL is busy - NCL offers option of staying on line (phone)

-OR- leaving a call back number (and not losing your que standing)

Then you don't have to have the phone in your ear or tying up the

line to do other business.

 

[smplybcause]

I think an important question is - are the fares still lower? If they're lower you can ask for an upgrade or see if they'll give you 25% of the difference in OBC. I think it would be an uphill battle to get a refund - even if you have an email and a screenshot (do you have proof of the price difference or just an email where you said the price is now X? I wouldn't think the latter is useful.)

 

Next time you need to wait if you don't use a TA. For almost a grand I would wait for a couple hours if need be - just put it on speaker or headphones and do other things. The call-back feature would be nice - I always like it when companies have that. 

[Peachypooh]

I have found that if I try to call them during a weekday it is a very long wait and on the weekends

forget it. The only time I have found there is no real hold time is one minute after they open. I make

a note of which numbers to push when going through the menu so I can quickly navigate it.

To the OP I think the suggestions by others to try to get the OBC (usually 25% of the difference)

or an upgrade is a good one.

[snorklinbarb]

4 hours ago, CruisingNole said:

 

Really? I've used 5+ online agencies over the years and have never once been charged a dime for a booking fee or a change fee (unless the cruise line themselves charged said change fee). Between lower prices and OBC incentives I've gotten thousands of dollars that I would have never gotten had a I booked direct with NCL, or any cruise line.

 

I suggest you use that website where agents compete for your business. Don't think I'm allowed to say the name of it, but a Google search will find it easily.

I had booked through a known and popular online agency but always talked to a real agent.  Had to cancel once way in advance and there was a fee (unless booking another cruise right away).  Also told me that now they allow one change and then assess a charge so if there's a price drop it should be a "good" one to use up that once only service.  Stopped using that TA.

 

Also used to use the site you allude to where you can get several quotes.  Is NCL now back in that program?  Several years ago used it quite a bit but then learned NCL had dropped participation.  So not sure that is an option anymore?

 

I have a few cruises booked (through a TA) but needed to call NCL to have one of the bookings which I had put on hold transferred to her.  Was on hold a long time (though did get a chuckle out of Andy Stuart saying he was ready to take the booking but added "just kidding."  That would have been fun!). For the heck of it I kept holding on landline and called again on my cell.  The second call was picked up rather quickly!  Go figure!  It was worth it though as the TA was offering perks.  While not saving $, the special perks she had for a group sailing was worth the call.  

 

So if you see something and do not have a PCC at NCL, you can book a sailing on hold and then have 30 days (I believe) to transfer it to a TA who may be able to offer you something extra and can handle your booking from there so that you don't have to worry about endless phone calls & holds.

 

Right now I'm going for an upgrade on one of my cruises and TA is taking care of the whole thing.  

Hope your next experience, OP, is much better and that some of these suggestions will help you avoid disappointment.

[CruisingNole]

1 minute ago, snorklinbarb said:

 

 

Also used to use the site you allude to where you can get several quotes.  Is NCL now back in that program?  Several years ago used it quite a bit but then learned NCL had dropped participation.  So not sure that is an option anymore?

 

 

TA's are the one's making the offers, not the cruise lines. So I'm not sure cruise lines can dictate whether or not the TA's participate? Not sure exactly how it works but I can confirm yes, you can get quotes for NCL. I was on the Sun last month and booked it two weeks out from sailing. Saw the price NCL was charging on the website and then I figured what the heck, let me see what kind of offers I can get. One TA emailed me within 5 minutes of opening my request (happened to be an agency I'd used before) and offered the exact same price that was on the NCL website...plus $100 OBC. Obviously that was a no-brainer. The OBC almost covered all of my gratuities. 

[newmexicoNita]

19 hours ago, smplybcause said:

I think an important question is - are the fares still lower? If they're lower you can ask for an upgrade or see if they'll give you 25% of the difference in OBC. I think it would be an uphill battle to get a refund - even if you have an email and a screenshot (do you have proof of the price difference or just an email where you said the price is now X? I wouldn't think the latter is useful.)

 

Next time you need to wait if you don't use a TA. For almost a grand I would wait for a couple hours if need be - just put it on speaker or headphones and do other things. The call-back feature would be nice - I always like it when companies have that. 

Me too. We all know waiting on line can be a hassle, but for that kind of money, even a 2 hour wait would be worth it: Just think of it this way: $1000 saved, a wasted 2 hours and it comes to being paid $500 an hour. How many of us make that kind of money? I do think this is also a case for using a TA. I know someone posted here that some on line agents are charging $25 and more, but that has not been our experience. We do pay ours $20 but she works for us anytime we need anything, even the simplest question answered.

 

I do hope the OP gets an OBC, takes it and learned something about booking your own reservations on line.    

[SouthLyonCruiser]

On 8/21/2019 at 5:53 PM, Zippeedee said:

I never use a TA for just this reason. The first online agent I used charged a fee for changes and would never return calls when I called about price drops. Now I book directly with NCL and set a price watch online that alerts me whenever the price changes. I check often as well. I have saved over $900 on my next cruise by watching for price drops and grabbing the past cruiser's 20% off sale. 

 

OP, you were calling at the time when NCL was severely understaffed. They have supposedly hired a lot more phone reps so those wait times are significantly reduced. I would call again and ask for some onboard credit due to the long wait times. Ask nicely and ask for a supervisor if the rep won't help.

I always use a travel agent. I have been using the same one for almost 20 years. Anytime I have a problem, I call her and she gets back to me with an answer with 24 hours. So, my advice is to get a travel agent referred to you by a friend or relative and stick with them. They get paid to take care of problems so that you don't have to spend hours on the phone.

[SouthLyonCruiser]

One of the beauties of using a reliable travel agent to book your cruises is that you let them spend time on the phone so that you don't have to. We recently saw an $800 price drop on a cruise that we have booked with three other couples. I called her and by the end of the day she called and let me know that she got the cheaper rate for all of the couples who had cruised with NCL before without having to cancel and rebook the cruise.

A good travel agent is worth their weight in gold.

[beerman2]

3 minutes ago, SouthLyonCruiser said:

One of the beauties of using a reliable travel agent to book your cruises is that you let them spend time on the phone so that you don't have to. We recently saw an $800 price drop on a cruise that we have booked with three other couples. I called her and by the end of the day she called and let me know that she got the cheaper rate for all of the couples who had cruised with NCL before without having to cancel and rebook the cruise.

A good travel agent is worth their weight in gold.

A good PCC is worth their weight in gold also. Never had an issue with ours and she gets back to us in a timely manner. She even checks her VM on days off and calls and let you know she will be back in office on xxx day.

 

Now,  dealing with the toll free number and getting a random person might be different.