Shameful Customer Service

[harert56]

Hello fellow CruiseCritic subscribers,

 

It pains me to create this new forum,  but I want to warn those that read this post to be aware of NCL's  poor customer service and their attempt to take money from their passengers without just cause.  My hope is that NCL will see this post and do the right thing to erase their negligence.

 

My wife and I are avid travelers and in fact we have taken two cruises on NCL this year and ironically my wife is currently on a third cruise with NCL's Breakaway with a friend.  My last contact with her today indicated that she is getting nothing but excuses from the staff and has been told that she can not speak to a customer relations supervisor.   In terms of customer relations, this is down right criminal in my mind. "Hello, If I want to speak to a supervisor, make it happen".    I AM YOUR CUSTOMER!

 

We were on a cruise in April/May of 2019 and when we boarded the ship we instructed the NCL to switch onboard payment  from my credit card (used to register online) to my wife"s credit card.  After we got off the ship at the conclusion of the cruise, I noticed that are request was ignored and my credit card was used for all on-board charges.  As soon as we got home my wife called and requested that they credit my account and transfer all charges to her card. Initially they denied that they had my wife's credit card info and stated "Once you are off the ship, nothing can be done".  Several weeks and phone calls later, they admitted their accounting mistake.

 

My credit card was credited the full amount and all charges were transferred to my wife's card.  She payed the bill in full.  You would think that would be the end of the story.  Not quite.

I few days after they credited my account for the full amount, they back charged me for incidentals which amounted to a bit more than $300.

 

So now not only do I have a duplicate charge that was already paid in full by my wife, but they had no authorization to charge anything to my credit card.

 

Over the next several months my wife and I have been trying to secure a refund for the duplicate charge. We have been handed off from one NCL employee to the next and each time we are told "We will be back in touch" or "We will call you in a few days".  Guess what?  No follow-up.    They have dragged this on for so long that Chase Bank is telling us that too much time has gone by to continue the dispute process.   When Chase Bank asked NCL why they felt the dispute was without merit, we were told by Chase Bank that NCL gave no explanation.

 

I have sent a certified letter to Mr. Del Rio( NCL's CEO), but I have yet to receive a response.   My wife and I have endured this matter way to long. It has caused us stress, wasted/unproductive time and frustration.  We will not back down until there is resolution to this matter.

 

Meantime ,NCL has a a very disgruntled passenger on one of their cruise ships at the present time and I assure you there is no "NCL Love" being spread throughout the ship.

 

It just so happens to be National Stress Awareness Day"  How appropriate is that!

 

I hope this is cautionary tale to those thinking of ever sailing on a NCL ship.    Thanks for your time and attention. Safe travels and great adventures to you all.

 

NCL, It is never too late to do the right thing.

 

HW

[SeaShark]

Anytime someone tries to resolve an issue, it is important that the issue be taken up at the right time, in the right place, and with the right person. That said...Frank Del Rio is the CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH), which is a financial holding company. Andy Stuart* is the CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), the company that operates cruise ships. You will be much better served to send your mail to the CEO of the correct company.

 

*Soon to be replaced by Harry Sommers as Andy is retiring at the end of the current year.

[Peachypooh]

Call Chase back. I once had an issue (with a different credit card and not with NCL) and it took

a whole year to clear up. I finally got it resolved.

[NLH Arizona]

Is your wife trying to talk to the ship about your credit card issue and if yes, why, it is not their issue?

[Cruiser_1977]

@harert56 So, the initial charge has been resolved? Now the issue is over $300, correct? Is the $300 a valid charge, meaning did you spend that money? Do you have your folio from the final day? Aside from the principle of the matter, may I ask why it's important to have the charges on your wife's card? Does she get points, cash back, miles? I'm not trying to pry, just to understand why you would go to this length over this.

[Turtles06]

25 minutes ago, harert56 said:

My hope is that NCL will see this post and do the right thing to erase their negligence.

 

There's no evidence that NCL reads CC or does anything about a problem if it does, nor would a social media rep with a cruise line know who you are from a screen name.   You would be far better off contacting NCL's Executive Office, 800-456-7298. or the Guest Relations Office, which handles post-cruise issues: 866-625-1164.  You should also pursue this with Chase. I had some fraudulent charges placed on one of my cards a year ago and Chase first assigned the matter to someone overseas who barely spoke English and who could not understand the fraud.  I had to go to some lengths to speak with a supervisor in the United States, who finally reversed the fraudulent charge.   

 

I am sorry this happened to you, and I hope you get the matter resolved.  Obviously, it is very frustrating, and too often the banks and the vendors don't make it easy to correct a problem.  

 

 

[ray98]

I am sure Del Rio will get right on it.

[jdvmd]

25 minutes ago, JennyB1977 said:

@harert56 So, the initial charge has been resolved? Now the issue is over $300, correct? Is the $300 a valid charge, meaning did you spend that money? Do you have your folio from the final day? Aside from the principle of the matter, may I ask why it's important to have the charges on your wife's card? Does she get points, cash back, miles? I'm not trying to pry, just to understand why you would go to this length over this.

Exactly what I was thinking.

[MrMike45]

My understanding (at least my own experience) was that if I filed a fraudulent claim charge with my credit card, they would take my side, and contact the vendor to allow them to give explanation why the charge if valid.  

 

Per your post, Chase contacted NCL, and NCL offered no valid explanation other than the charge is valid.  And the sided with NCL and canceled your dispute.

 

Something doesn't make sense there.  Are you sure you were double charged this $300 and can prove it was charged to your wife?  

[FLAHAM]

I am not defending NCL's corporate customer service here, which has often seemed to be a subject of criticism.  However, prior to boarding my past few NCL cruises, just prior to receiving my cruise card, the port agent has always asked me "did you want to continue placing all charges to your account ending in XXXX (which I had indicated online as my card for charges)" and I would either assent or pull out a different credit card.  Immediately prior to boarding your cruise, were you asked this?  Did you indicate your card to the port agent and then your wife's card upon boarding the ship?  If so, this seems almost a recipe for a mistake waiting to happen.  I hope you can get it straightened out soon. 

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, NLH Arizona said:

Is your wife trying to talk to the ship about your credit card issue and if yes, why, it is not their issue?

The wife is currently on a cruise trying to complain about their last cruise. The Guest Services on the current cruise is 100% correct in telling her that they can not do anything about a prior cruise. And that the wife needs to talk to the shore-based  guest services. 

 

There is NOTHING that the current cruise staff can do about a past cruise. It’s like yelling at a current flight attendant about a plane ride you took last week. 
 

The OP had up to 48 hours before departure to change their method of payment online. But choose to play some game and try to swap it on board. It should have worked. But it didn’t. And the additional $300 of incidentals sound like a valid charge vs duplicate. 

Edited November 6, 2019 by BirdTravels

[NLH Arizona]

3 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

The wife is currently on a cruise trying to complain about their last cruise. The Guest Services On the current cruise is 100% correct in telling her that they can not do anything about a prior cruise. And that the wife needs to talk to the shore-based  guest services. 

 

There is NOTHING that the current cruise staff can do about a past cruise. It’s like yelling at a current flight attendant about a plane ride you took last week. 

That is why I was asking, because I would think that anyone would know that the current cruise doesn't have access to the information with regard to the last cruise issue nor could they make any changes, credits, etc.  

[harert56]

Thank you to those who responded and offered insight.

 

My wife was told on Sunday  that since the matter occurred on a different cruise trip. It was out of their hands. She was denied access to a supervisor.

 

They are valid charges. Reason for the change in credit card was for points. My wife scanned her card and signed electronically for the ship to use that specific card.

 

I will send the same letter to the CEO of NCL. Thank you for the info.

 

Chase Bank sided with NCL which blows my mind since NCL couldn’t give a reason for the back charges.  I am not done with Chase Bank.

 

The $300+ was for incidentals and the remaining amounts was for artwork which is not in dispute.    
 

Customer service should be a priority for every passenger, but especially for a couple who has cruised 3 times in less than a  year.s time.

 

 

[harert56]

We will try anything at this point. We have exhausted all options. Regarding the issue on the current ship , I agree that they don’t want to be bothered about an issue that occurred 6 months ago, but a supervisor could make an attempt to alert the proper dept within NCL.   If you owned a restaurant, would you want a disgruntled customer who got

food poisoning without some sort of compensation, standing around discussing it with those who are waiting in line For a table. If I am a business owner....... I think not.

[NLH Arizona]

11 minutes ago, harert56 said:

My wife was told on Sunday  that since the matter occurred on a different cruise trip. It was out of their hands. She was denied access to a supervisor.

They told her it was out of their hands, so what did she think a supervisor would do.  FWIW, the ships don't keep information on other sailings, only their current one.

[NLH Arizona]

3 minutes ago, harert56 said:

We will try anything at this point. We have exhausted all options. Regarding the issue on the current ship , I agree that they don’t want to be bothered about an issue that occurred 6 months ago, but a supervisor could make an attempt to alert the proper dept within NCL.   If you owned a restaurant, would you want a disgruntled customer who got

food poisoning without some sort of compensation, standing around discussing it with those who are waiting in line For a table. If I am a business owner....... I think not.

Yes, if I owned a restaurant and a customer got food poisoning, I would do everything I could, but I certainly wouldn't help a customer who got food poisoning at another restaurant 6 months prior. 

Edited November 6, 2019 by NLH Arizona

[AmyJA]

18 minutes ago, harert56 said:

but especially for a couple who has cruised 3 times in less than a  year.s time.

 

 

Hummmm….nope, disagree.  No "especially" about it.

Edited November 6, 2019 by AmyJA

[harert56]

We registered the new credit card prior to boarding and asked if it was possible to make the change. Come on now, do you think I would pull out a random card that is not in their system and attempt to use it with out their prior knowledge??

I have a letter from NCL stating that they did in fact have prior authorization to use my wife’s card.  

[harert56]

Please read my post  for the facts.

 

The $300 is a valid charge, but my wife already paid it. Valid, but duplicated because it Both credit cards were charged for the same amount. 

 

3 cruises on NCL in 6 months.  That certainly would warrant attention if I owned NCL. 

[don't-use-real-name]

Starting your complaint and documenting your case is important - - -

You seem to be making progress -

But If !!!

If you are unable to come to a satisfactory conclusion perhaps Elliott maybe of help LINK:

 

https://www.elliott.org/company-contacts/norwegian-cruise-line-ncl/

[beerman2]

4 minutes ago, harert56 said:

Please read my post  for the facts.

 

The $300 is a valid charge, but my wife already paid it. Valid, but duplicated because it Both credit cards were charged for the same amount. 

 

3 cruises on NCL in 6 months.  That certainly would warrant attention if I owned NCL. 

Pax are small fish in  à big pond. Most pax aren't as special as they "think" they should be.

The duplicate charge is the only thing that stands out as not right.

Being upset about not getting points /cash back on 300.00 seems like not being a reasonable complaint.

 

You knew what  card you wanted to use pre-cruise you should have done it onlin then.

 

 

[julig22]

15 minutes ago, harert56 said:

Please read my post  for the facts.

 

The $300 is a valid charge, but my wife already paid it. Valid, but duplicated because it Both credit cards were charged for the same amount. 

 

3 cruises on NCL in 6 months.  That certainly would warrant attention if I owned NCL. 

Ok, now that you've clarified, it's a little easier to understand that you think you were double-charged.  While I will never defend NCL's customer service, I will say that they eventually get around to it.  I had a small overcharge on my account (mini-bar that I didn't use) and the charges hadn't been removed from my final bill, even thought I had tried to get it resolved.  So when I got home, I sent an email to customer service. Never got a response but I did get a credit to my cc at some point. 

 

In come cases, email is a valid option, especially when dealing with a heated issue.  Send a concise email with the facts, plus copies of your cc charges, refunds, etc.  and tell them that you were charged twice and that they should credit your refund to xxxx card.  Straightforward and simple.  And everything is documented.

Edited November 6, 2019 by julig22

[Turtles06]

1 hour ago, harert56 said:

My wife was told on Sunday  that since the matter occurred on a different cruise trip. It was out of their hands. She was denied access to a supervisor.

 

Since it was a billing issue on a prior cruise on another ship, there's no reason the staff on the current ship should be asked to deal with it, nor should you expect them to, nor be able to.  I think you are being unreasonable here about that, and your wife should just enjoy her cruise.  You need to deal with NCL shoreside, as you've been doing.  

[erdoran]

Can’t you write again to Chase and call, explain that it’s a duplicate charge and look, here’s the identical $300 on your wife’s card?  At that point I would think the burden is on NCL to document what the $300 is for and how they are NOT duplicate.  But there are time limits—I usually give the vendor a reasonable chance to remedy things, then escalate to credit card company before 90 days from the initial charge or error.  

[fshagan]

6 hours ago, harert56 said:

The $300+ was for incidentals and the remaining amounts was for artwork which is not in dispute.   

 

I'm just guessing, but the $300 amount and the word "incidentals" makes me wonder if it is the initial "hold" they put on the card when you start a cruise. It is a pre-authorization for "incidentals" that will show up on some cards during the initial billing period. It could be that "hold" or "pre-auth" that got transferred to your other credit card as a valid charge.

 

Transferring a bill from one credit card to another can be a complicated process. In most companies, you would have to credit the first charge manually after getting approval from someone. Then, you have to manually enter the line items onto another invoice and select the credit card to bill it to. I'm thinking that perhaps a mistake was made if the original invoice in their computer showed the "hold" charge and the person couldn't distinguish it from the valid charges.