Vent. So mad. Sticking with Carnival.

[Eli_6]

I was looking at Cyber Monday deals I'm cruises.  Celebrity advertised on their website that if you booked a suite, kids sailed free and a number of other perks.  I called and the guy said it was a screw up on their website but would try to honor it. I was on hold for over an hour.  We picked out the room and made the reservation and I put down $1,000.  All was good.  I immediately started looking for flights.  Then, about an hour later, they called back and would not honor the deal.  I am so mad.  They wasted the majority of my morning and the false advertisement is STILL on their page. 

 

[shof515]

Most likely the issue with Celebrity is it for select sailings only like most promos

Edited December 2, 2019 by shof515

[rukkian]

2 minutes ago, shof515 said:

Most likely the issue with Celebrity is it for select sailings only like most promos

You are probably correct.  RCI does kids sail free promos several times a year, but they are only applicable for the 3rd and 4th passenger in the room, and only when kids are normally in school (off season).  They will black out holidays, spring break (basically march 1st until april 30th) and summer.  They can be a great deal if you have <12yo and cruise during off season.

[Eli_6]

58 minutes ago, shof515 said:

Most likely the issue with Celebrity is it for select sailings only like most promos

No, I looked it up on the website as did the cruise representative I spoke with. The sailing was on their list.  It was during the school year but my kids are young.  Celebrity said they would honor it, took my deposit, gave me a booking number and then called back later and renigged.  

 

The entire deal is now off their website related to all cruises.

 

I have gotten some VP's email address and am emailing him.  I did some quick research (as I am an attorney) and it appears what they did would be a violation of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.  (Tex Bus and Com. code 17.46(b)). I have neither the time nor incentive to sue them over something so trivial, but I do expect them to honor the deal as it was their mistake/false advertising (and I took pictures and video) and they told  they would honor it, gave me a booking number, wasted a good deal of time, and took my deposit.

 

Although, at this point, I am so annoyed I don't even know if I want to cruise with them...

 

As an aside, I had a similar instance where I was booked on a cruise that Carnival had to cancel due to the boat having mechanical problems. They not only gave me a refund but a cruise credit in the amount of the cruise!  So I feel strongly that Carnival would not have treated me this way.

[jbethel11]

Let's not forget NCL raised their prices by 40% last week, then claimed to discount all cruises by 30% for Black Friday. I guess this is an industry wide technique.

[Eli_6]

1 minute ago, jbethel11 said:

Let's not forget NCL raised their prices by 40% last week, then claimed to discount all cruises by 30% for Black Friday. I guess this is an industry wide technique.

Ugh!  Figures. What a bunch of crap.

 

It does make you wonder if they advertise a lower price to draw you in and then refuse to honor it after you book and spend time on it only to get you emotionally committed.  

[Muushka]

1 hour ago, Eli_6 said:

No, I looked it up on the website as did the cruise representative I spoke with. The sailing was on their list.  It was during the school year but my kids are young.  Celebrity said they would honor it, took my deposit, gave me a booking number and then called back later and renigged.  

 

The entire deal is now off their website related to all cruises.

 

I have gotten some VP's email address and am emailing him.  I did some quick research (as I am an attorney) and it appears what they did would be a violation of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.  (Tex Bus and Com. code 17.46(b)). I have neither the time nor incentive to sue them over something so trivial, but I do expect them to honor the deal as it was their mistake/false advertising (and I took pictures and video) and they told  they would honor it, gave me a booking number, wasted a good deal of time, and took my deposit.

 

Although, at this point, I am so annoyed I don't even know if I want to cruise with them...

 

As an aside, I had a similar instance where I was booked on a cruise that Carnival had to cancel due to the boat having mechanical problems. They not only gave me a refund but a cruise credit in the amount of the cruise!  So I feel strongly that Carnival would not have treated me this way.

I can understand your sense of loyalty to Carnival due to the great way they treated you for that cancelled cruise.  But I wouldn't call it similar.  I would be irritated with X too.

I too have a sense of loyalty with X because our first cruise with them was cancelled due to mechanical problems.  They too refunded 100% of the cruise AND another cruise credit, same duration and category.  So it will take a lot to tick me off.

[davekathy]

1 hour ago, Eli_6 said:

Ugh!  Figures. What a bunch of crap.

 

It does make you wonder if they advertise a lower price to draw you in and then refuse to honor it after you book and spend time on it only to get you emotionally committed.  

That wouldn't work on me. 

 

2 hours ago, Eli_6 said:

I have gotten some VP's email address and am emailing him.

That would be her. 

[roswellmom]

2 hours ago, Eli_6 said:

Ugh!  Figures. What a bunch of crap.

 

It does make you wonder if they advertise a lower price to draw you in and then refuse to honor it after you book and spend time on it only to get you emotionally committed.  

It could be considered good that they didn't accept the posted deal as Celebrity is not great for your kids.  Carnival is definitely a better cruise for kids than Celebrity.   

[zitsky]

Did you get your deposit back?  You were quick to pull out the "I'm an attorney" card.  I suppose you want them to honor the original deal, seeing as it's still on their website.  But can't companies refuse to honor "mistake" fares?

[bEwAbG]

They do not have to honor mistake fares.  If the price is too good to be true, then that's probably part of the issue, especially at the suite level.  What was the price and for how many people?  The VP may make them honor the fare but more likely they'll offer some additional OBC if you book.  If you had booked airfare, you'd have more of a case to get additional money back but at this point you're out nothing but your time.

 

I would also not throw out the "I'm an attorney" card when you write to the VP.  Most companies will send you straight to their legal department when you do that, and you stop getting responses.

[Georgia_Peaches]

It's a shame that the error occurred and I would be angry too.  But if you can get past it, I think you will really enjoy what Celebrity has to offer.  I do agree with another poster that Celebrity may not be very engaging for young children.  I could be wrong but that's my impression.  I hope it works out.

[Wolf 8]

6 hours ago, Eli_6 said:

I was looking at Cyber Monday deals I'm cruises.  Celebrity advertised on their website that if you booked a suite, kids sailed free and a number of other perks.  I called and the guy said it was a screw up on their website but would try to honor it. I was on hold for over an hour.  We picked out the room and made the reservation and I put down $1,000.  All was good.  I immediately started looking for flights.  Then, about an hour later, they called back and would not honor the deal.  I am so mad.  They wasted the majority of my morning and the false advertisement is STILL on their page. 

 

 

Since clearly you now have a profoundly negative predisposition toward Celebrity,  seek legal vindication or a customer service concession with them but PLEASE, cruise with a line other than RCL.

I don't want unhappy, litigious souls with me on Celebrity.  You'll feel more comfortable elsewhere.

[Joebucks]

5 hours ago, jbethel11 said:

Let's not forget NCL raised their prices by 40% last week, then claimed to discount all cruises by 30% for Black Friday. I guess this is an industry wide technique.

 

Many people are content with feeling like they got a deal more than they actually saving any money

[Eli_6]

1 hour ago, bEwAbG said:

They do not have to honor mistake fares.  If the price is too good to be true, then that's probably part of the issue, especially at the suite level.  What was the price and for how many people?  The VP may make them honor the fare but more likely they'll offer some additional OBC if you book.  If you had booked airfare, you'd have more of a case to get additional money back but at this point you're out nothing but your time.

 

I would also not throw out the "I'm an attorney" card when you write to the VP.  Most companies will send you straight to their legal department when you do that, and you stop getting responses.

Thanks for the advice.  It was $10,200 for 4 people in the lowest suite on the Apex for the Fjords for seven nights.  Price without kids sale free was about $13k.  Probably 70 percent of their suites are still unbooked.  

 

They actually had it for less on Halloween, but I got busy with my kids and trick or treating and did not book and then it expired

 

We also have a booking on the Apex for a Christmas cruise for $8500.  

 

[Eli_6]

2 hours ago, zitsky said:

Did you get your deposit back?  You were quick to pull out the "I'm an attorney" card.  I suppose you want them to honor the original deal, seeing as it's still on their website.  But can't companies refuse to honor "mistake" fares?

The short answer is it depends. I probably wouldn't have had much of an argument, but when they took my deposit and gave me a booking number and sent me an email with my booking, at that point a contract was formed.  I'm not going to sue anyone. It's not worth my time over what amounts to a few thousand dollars. My house was flooded with eight feet of water in Hurricane Harvey and had over $100,000 in damage and I still didn't sue my flood insurance company....I ended up going up the chain of command, filing a co and it took 10 months, but they eventually paid my claim.  (The issue was that they only wanted to pay for cosmetic repairs and not structural damage that happened from 8 feet of fast moving water acting on my wood frame house for 4-5 days. They had an unlicensed engineer issue a fraudulent report wherein he took pictures of the undamaged portion of my home and said it was the damaged part.) 

 

For me, the bigger issue is this just isn't how you treat customers.  If they had initially told me "we can't honor what's on the website, it is a mistake" and I had not wasted my time and told me they would give me the deal (and taken my money (after which I told my kids and got them excited), I wouldn't be so annoyed.  

[PTC DAWG]

3 hours ago, roswellmom said:

It could be considered good that they didn't accept the posted deal as Celebrity is not great for your kids.  Carnival is definitely a better cruise for kids than Celebrity.   

My thoughts exactly...

[Eli_6]

7 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

My thoughts exactly.

3 hours ago, roswellmom said:

It could be considered good that they didn't accept the posted deal as Celebrity is not great for your kids.  Carnival is definitely a better cruise for kids than Celebrity.   

 

You are probably right. Bummer part is I was wanting to go to the Fjords.  Only Carnival sailing for next summer is to the Fjords is when we have a conflict. Looks like I will be waiting until 2021 or looking elsewhere.

 

MSC looks cool but they sail out of Keil or Copenhagen and I was hoping for a direct flight since my kids will be in tow and a 10+ hours flight is going to be bad enough without adding a layover and another 2-3 hours flight.  

[AIROHS]

Consider this with Carnival in 2019 there have been 35 passenger assualts on cruise lines 20 were on Carnival this was on U.S. news feed today

[NMTraveller]

53 minutes ago, Eli_6 said:

You are probably right. Bummer part is I was wanting to go to the Fjords.  Only Carnival sailing for next summer is to the Fjords is when we have a conflict. Looks like I will be waiting until 2021 or looking elsewhere.

 

MSC looks cool but they sail out of Keil or Copenhagen and I was hoping for a direct flight since my kids will be in tow and a 10+ hours flight is going to be bad enough without adding a layover and another 2-3 hours flight.  

Princess has a cruise to the fjords and Iceland.  It is a longer cruise on a smaller ship.  

 

Your kids will probably like Carnival, RCL, etc.

Edited December 3, 2019 by NMTraveller

[Bo1953]

5 hours ago, roswellmom said:

It could be considered good that they didn't accept the posted deal as Celebrity is not great for your kids.  Carnival is definitely a better cruise for kids than Celebrity.   

Actually, last week we had a five (5) yo on the Edge and she loved it... went several times a day (when she was not otherwise trying to engage the adults)....

 

Maybe it was because she is five (5) and somewhat independent, she only asked to not go twice...

 

Yet, it does sound like X is not the line for their children.

 

bon voyage

Edited December 3, 2019 by Bo1953

[Mauidiver]

I have to agree with the OP in that I would also be one who would make a lot of noise and take this up the chain on command as far as I could take it.  It would only be because I had a booking number and confirmation email, which (although I’m not an attorney) I’ve always understood to be a contract. 

 

Heck, what would Celebrity do if YOU “booked by mistake??”  

[ipeeinthepool]

14 minutes ago, Mauidiver said:

I have to agree with the OP in that I would also be one who would make a lot of noise and take this up the chain on command as far as I could take it.  It would only be because I had a booking number and confirmation email, which (although I’m not an attorney) I’ve always understood to be a contract. 

 

Heck, what would Celebrity do if YOU “booked by mistake??”  

 

Nothing, because Celebrity had their attorneys write the contract to protect them not you.

[hcat]

What became of the booking number and confIrmation  they sent???

[Bo1953]

I would think that even under Texas law, a retailer has the right to correct an error when found, within a 'reasonable' period of time, just as often times purchasers have the right to cancel a contract after purchase and in this case 91 days before final payment is due, we are permitted to cancel for whatever reason without penalty.

 

Unfortunately a good deal gone bad for the OP.... not always pleasant, to be sure. I would be mad as well or so I believe.

 

I trust all works out well rather that be a re-instatement of the original pricing or new cruise line...

 

bon voyage