Just been downgraded from booked and allocated cabin!!!

[Fozzie100]

Family of 4 - We are due to go on 14th April Azura from Malta.  Booked hotel night before flights, flight seats, airport parking, dogs in kennels, it is an itinerary we have been wanting to go on, 50th birthday, belated 20th anniversary, daughters 18th and probably one of the last holidays we will go on as a family of four.  PandO have informed us that due to operational changes they cannot now offer us our cabin and have downgraded us!!!.  They have offered to refund the difference and offered additional OBC (still waiting to see what that is) or we can cancel…..  not the best news considering we are only 5 weeks away and really looking forward to going….  We had booked a larger cabin because there are 4 ‘adults’ and the cabin now offered will not work for us..

 

I know there are bigger things happening in the world but just letting people know this can happen.

Edited March 6, 2022 by Fozzie100

[ann141]

40 minutes ago, Fozzie100 said:

Family of 4 - We are due to go on 14th April Azura from Malta.  Booked hotel night before flights, flight seats, airport parking, dogs in kennels, it is an itinerary we have been wanting to go on, 50th birthday, belated 20th anniversary, daughters 18th and probably one of the last holidays we will go on as a family of four.  PandO have informed us that due to operational changes they cannot now offer us our cabin and have downgraded us!!!.  They have offered to refund the difference and offered additional OBC (still waiting to see what that is) or we can cancel…..  not the best news considering we are only 5 weeks away and really looking forward to going….  We had booked a larger cabin because there are 4 ‘adults’ and the cabin now offered will not work for us..

 

I know there are bigger things happening in the world but just letting people know this can happen.

I wonder if it's worth phoning p and o to explain your dilemma and ask if they offer an alternative, perhaps 2 smaller cabins?

[Harry Peterson]

4 minutes ago, ann141 said:

I wonder if it's worth phoning p and o to explain your dilemma and ask if they offer an alternative, perhaps 2 smaller cabins?

Excellent suggestion,  Ann. Well worth talking to them to try to salvage the situation.  There ought to be a few options on a ship like Ventura, which won't have been booked in capacity anyway. 

[Fozzie100]

Yes we are going to explore this as an option thank you.  can’t believe they emailed (which went into spam) rather than calling to let us know and may not of noticed until much nearer the departure time!!!

[Pippa04]

You're lucky they offered you the option to cancel.  Happened to me and they refused to even engage with me until a few days before we were due to sail.  Told me as far as they were concerned they'd offered me better cabins and that was the end of it despite suitable (cheaper) cabins being available when I first complained. If I cancelled I would lose 90% of my balance so I've been forced to accept another cruise that I have no desire to go on.  I'm currently going through ABTA and the papers as they refuse to give me my money back for something I paid for and they were unable to provide.

[molecrochip]

If they can no longer provide a larger room for 4 adults, then definitely try for two standard rooms each for 2. The person on the end of the phone won't have the power to do it, so angle for manager intervention.

 

As for @Pippa04, whilst I don't have the full facts, refunds are only offered when a worse alternative is provided. If a better alternative is provided (i.e. upgrade) then generally no refund is offered. I believe Ts and Cs don't guarantee a cabin but instead cabin grade or better. 

[Eglesbrech]

38 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

If they can no longer provide a larger room for 4 adults, then definitely try for two standard rooms each for 2. The person on the end of the phone won't have the power to do it, so angle for manager intervention.

 

As for @Pippa04, whilst I don't have the full facts, refunds are only offered when a worse alternative is provided. If a better alternative is provided (i.e. upgrade) then generally no refund is offered. I believe Ts and Cs don't guarantee a cabin but instead cabin grade or better. 

So why do P&O charge so much more to select a cabin if they can just move you if and when they feel like it. Surely it should be made clear at that point that a select cabin is still not a guarantee that you will get the actual cabin you picked (rather than buried in the small print).

 

An “upgrade” can often be in the eye of the beholder as has been discussed on here many times.

 

Like the op it is not always easy to cancel at the last minute if incidentals have all been paid in full.

[Adawn47]

4 minutes ago, Eglesbrech said:

So why do P&O charge so much more to select a cabin if they can just move you if and when they feel like it. Surely it should be made clear at that point that a select cabin is still not a guarantee that you will get the actual cabin you picked (rather than buried in the small print).

 

An “upgrade” can often be in the eye of the beholder as has been discussed on here many times.

 

Like the op it is not always easy to cancel at the last minute if incidentals have all been paid in full.

I never tick the upgrade box, because as you say, what one person considers an upgrade is not always an upgrade to you. 

Avril

[molecrochip]

18 minutes ago, Eglesbrech said:

So why do P&O charge so much more to select a cabin if they can just move you if and when they feel like it. Surely it should be made clear at that point that a select cabin is still not a guarantee that you will get the actual cabin you picked (rather than buried in the small print).

 

An “upgrade” can often be in the eye of the beholder as has been discussed on here many times.

 

Like the op it is not always easy to cancel at the last minute if incidentals have all been paid in full.

A select cabin allocation should not change unless there is a suitable operational reason for it to do so. The additional OBS which is often offered is the acknowledgement/compensation for that original part of your holiday (cabin assignment) no longer being available.

 

Same with when airlines charge you to select your seat. They can still change it for operational reasons.

[davecttr]

2 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

A select cabin allocation should not change unless there is a suitable operational reason for it to do so. The additional OBS which is often offered is the acknowledgement/compensation for that original part of your holiday (cabin assignment) no longer being available.

 

Same with when airlines charge you to select your seat. They can still change it for operational reasons.

The problem with Iona is for whatever reason you can be 'upgraded' to one of those awful cabins on deck 8 and have your holiday enjoyment ruined.

[Eglesbrech]

7 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

A select cabin allocation should not change unless there is a suitable operational reason for it to do so. The additional OBS which is often offered is the acknowledgement/compensation for that original part of your holiday (cabin assignment) no longer being available.

 

Same with when airlines charge you to select your seat. They can still change it for operational reasons.

Thanks for that however I could cope with a flight seat change for a few hours but for a 14 day cruise, no.

 

I appreciate they won’t do it vexatiously but as Dave says above there are some stinkers of cabins on Iona which would be an “upgrade”.

 

I would not enjoy a holiday where I was being stared at by everyone walking along the promenade deck. I pick what I want and “no upgrade”

 

Presumably there would be room for reasonable negotiation if the move was completely unsuitable eg the 2 smaller cabins suggested to the OP above.

 

 

[Pippa04]

5 hours ago, molecrochip said:

As for @Pippa04, whilst I don't have the full facts, refunds are only offered when a worse alternative is provided. If a better alternative is provided (i.e. upgrade) then generally no refund is offered. I believe Ts and Cs don't guarantee a cabin but instead cabin grade or better. 

It's very easy to hide behind long winded T and Cs though isn't it?  If people are willing to pay the enhanced select price to ensure that they get the cabin they really want perhaps the T and Cs should be altered to appreciate their reasons for doing so. A choice of the option to cancel, an offer of obc or the courtesy of a phone call to ascertain why a particular cabin was booked so that a suitable alternative could be agreed on would help.  Bearing in mind that these cabins have been out of service since cruising restarted it appears to me that P and O are cynically waiting until around 6 weeks before departure when the full balance has been paid and ancillary arrangements made before advising customers of the problem so that they feel they have no choice but to go ahead with the cruise.

In my particular case cabins that would have been acceptable to me were available at a price below what I paid but P and O would not let me have them unless I paid over £1000 more.  As I had already paid £16500 I flatly refused to do this.  A modicum of common sense or compassion would have sorted my problem in moments but I have been consistently ignored and fobbed off and P and O have not complied with ABTA guidelines on dealing with complaints.  As far as I am concerned I've been treated with contempt and my money stolen from me.

[Son of Anarchy]

58 minutes ago, Pippa04 said:

It's very easy to hide behind long winded T and Cs though isn't it?  If people are willing to pay the enhanced select price to ensure that they get the cabin they really want perhaps the T and Cs should be altered to appreciate their reasons for doing so. A choice of the option to cancel, an offer of obc or the courtesy of a phone call to ascertain why a particular cabin was booked so that a suitable alternative could be agreed on would help.  Bearing in mind that these cabins have been out of service since cruising restarted it appears to me that P and O are cynically waiting until around 6 weeks before departure when the full balance has been paid and ancillary arrangements made before advising customers of the problem so that they feel they have no choice but to go ahead with the cruise.

 

We've been having a look at one the amended baltic itineries.  Some well positioned balconies still available.  However with all this last minute changing of Select fare cabins, in the event that we do ahead, it will be an inside cabin on an Early Saver fare.  Not going to take the chance and pay an extra £2k for something that isn't what we wanted.

Edited March 7, 2022 by Son of Anarchy

[Megabear2]

6 hours ago, molecrochip said:

A select cabin allocation should not change unless there is a suitable operational reason for it to do so. The additional OBS which is often offered is the acknowledgement/compensation for that original part of your holiday (cabin assignment) no longer being available.

 

Same with when airlines charge you to select your seat. They can still change it for operational reasons.

The differential in price nowadays between select and saver is in a lot of cases astronomical.  An awful lot of OBC would be needed if P&O are offering the leftovers to those that booked early to go anyway to making things better for them.

[molecrochip]

3 hours ago, Pippa04 said:

It's very easy to hide behind long winded T and Cs though isn't it?  If people are willing to pay the enhanced select price to ensure that they get the cabin they really want perhaps the T and Cs should be altered to appreciate their reasons for doing so. A choice of the option to cancel, an offer of obc or the courtesy of a phone call to ascertain why a particular cabin was booked so that a suitable alternative could be agreed on would help.  Bearing in mind that these cabins have been out of service since cruising restarted it appears to me that P and O are cynically waiting until around 6 weeks before departure when the full balance has been paid and ancillary arrangements made before advising customers of the problem so that they feel they have no choice but to go ahead with the cruise.

In my particular case cabins that would have been acceptable to me were available at a price below what I paid but P and O would not let me have them unless I paid over £1000 more.  As I had already paid £16500 I flatly refused to do this.  A modicum of common sense or compassion would have sorted my problem in moments but I have been consistently ignored and fobbed off and P and O have not complied with ABTA guidelines on dealing with complaints.  As far as I am concerned I've been treated with contempt and my money stolen from me.

I'm not defending the company, just trying to add some colour from my knowledge.

 

There is a genuine desire to get more cabins open as soon as possible. I've said this before, when do you make the decision to move people? It's only being done 6 weeks out in the hope that the cabins can be opened up and that then not being possible.

 

This pandemic continues to give situations which are not ideal and outside of normal operating procedures.

[wowzz]

2 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

I'm not defending the company, just trying to add some colour from my knowledge.

 

There is a genuine desire to get more cabins open as soon as possible. I've said this before, when do you make the decision to move people? It's only being done 6 weeks out in the hope that the cabins can be opened up and that then not being possible.

 

This pandemic continues to give situations which are not ideal and outside of normal operating procedures.

Are P&O working to a  pre-determined capacity level for each ship at present ? Say, 75% ?  

[terrierjohn]

8 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

I'm not defending the company, just trying to add some colour from my knowledge.

 

There is a genuine desire to get more cabins open as soon as possible. I've said this before, when do you make the decision to move people? It's only being done 6 weeks out in the hope that the cabins can be opened up and that then not being possible.

 

This pandemic continues to give situations which are not ideal and outside of normal operating procedures.

Are you now saying that the quarantine zones are fluid then? I thought you said only one change had been made, in late september 21 when they realised they needed more accessible cabins in the zones. If not then they must be deliberately booking more than the planned capacity, otherwise no changes would be required at all.

[Pippa04]

1 hour ago, molecrochip said:

I'm not defending the company, just trying to add some colour from my knowledge.

 

There is a genuine desire to get more cabins open as soon as possible. I've said this before, when do you make the decision to move people? It's only being done 6 weeks out in the hope that the cabins can be opened up and that then not being possible.

 

This pandemic continues to give situations which are not ideal and outside of normal operating procedures.

I think we all appreciate that the logistics must be a nightmare. What rankles is the lack of appreciation of the impact these decisions are having on people who have saved up and have been looking forward to a holiday for a long time.  Being told to like it or lump it, particularly when you have paid a premium for something, simply isn't good enough and is going to lose them a lot of loyal customers.

Perhaps it is time to look at the benefits of select fares over cheaper ones and decide what guarantees should be given if P and O are unable to uphold their end of the contract for whatever reason.  I also feel that if the T and C's are changed (as they obviously have been since the outbreak of covid) previous versions should be accessible on the website so that you can see what applied at the time of booking.

These have been difficult times for all of us but I'm tired of the attitude that the customer has to be the one to lose out because businesses are working hard. I was brought up to believe that you should treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself and that good manners cost nothing. The P and O that I started dealing with many years ago wouldn't need to be reminded of that.

[Danamis]

We booked three Aft cabins on Ventura for April, with the large balconies so that we could sit together as a family on each other's balconies. Last week two of the couples were told that they are going to be moved. We have not. Really unhappy about this as we paid for Select fares and ticked for no upgrades. P and  O would consider a midships position an upgrade but we love the big Aft balconies.

Brings it home that you may as well choose a Saver fare as our group has been split up and we don't seem to have any choice in the matter.

New cabins have yet to be allocated for the others. It will be interesting to see if anyone occupies the cabins next to us that our family had booked!

[PenrithRambler]

13 hours ago, molecrochip said:

I'm not defending the company, just trying to add some colour from my knowledge.

 

There is a genuine desire to get more cabins open as soon as possible. I've said this before, when do you make the decision to move people? It's only being done 6 weeks out in the hope that the cabins can be opened up and that then not being possible.

 

This pandemic continues to give situations which are not ideal and outside of normal operating procedures.

 

Like the OP we have been advised that we are being downgraded from our original cabin (B226 on Aurora R202 sailing 13 April and booked at launch). We have been offered additional OBC (as yet unspecified) and a refund of the difference in fare for the (as yet to be) re-allocated cabin. Alternatively, as we are being downgrade we can cancel with a full refund. We do not wish to cancel as we are travelling with friends on what will be our first cruise in over 2 years and on our favourite ship.

 

You say that "This pandemic continues to give situations which are not ideal and outside of normal operating procedures." and we accept this. However, the corollary is that P&O's response should go outside their normal procedures rather than adopting the brusque take it or leave ot attitude. Engage with the customer. Have a senior manager phone to explain the situation and talk through the options. There are not so many cabins involved per sailing that this would be an unduly onerous task - if the will was there. This would go some way to recovering lost goodwill.

 

 

 

[Harry Peterson]

52 minutes ago, Danamis said:

We booked three Aft cabins on Ventura for April, with the large balconies so that we could sit together as a family on each other's balconies. Last week two of the couples were told that they are going to be moved. We have not. Really unhappy about this as we paid for Select fares and ticked for no upgrades. P and  O would consider a midships position an upgrade but we love the big Aft balconies.

Brings it home that you may as well choose a Saver fare as our group has been split up and we don't seem to have any choice in the matter.

New cabins have yet to be allocated for the others. It will be interesting to see if anyone occupies the cabins next to us that our family had booked!

I know exactly what you mean about those cabins, their location, and their suitability for your purposes. Really sorry to hear what’s happened, and I know how upset I’d be in that situation.

 

Aft cabins do seem particularly vulnerable to being cancelled in the present situation, but when it happens on a Select fare P&O should be absolutely pulling out all the stops, doing whatever it takes, to try to make up for the change in other ways, financial or otherwise.

 

Sadly, they seem not to be remotely bothered, and, as you say, why pay Select?

[terrierjohn]

10 hours ago, Danamis said:

We booked three Aft cabins on Ventura for April, with the large balconies so that we could sit together as a family on each other's balconies. Last week two of the couples were told that they are going to be moved. We have not. Really unhappy about this as we paid for Select fares and ticked for no upgrades. P and  O would consider a midships position an upgrade but we love the big Aft balconies.

Brings it home that you may as well choose a Saver fare as our group has been split up and we don't seem to have any choice in the matter.

New cabins have yet to be allocated for the others. It will be interesting to see if anyone occupies the cabins next to us that our family had booked!

Were these cabins all together or on different decks? If the former then surely this cannot be due to a change in the quarantine zone.

[molecrochip]

23 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

Are you now saying that the quarantine zones are fluid then? I thought you said only one change had been made, in late september 21 when they realised they needed more accessible cabins in the zones. If not then they must be deliberately booking more than the planned capacity, otherwise no changes would be required at all.

Not the case John. The quarantine zones are fixed but there is the hope that they can be reduced at some point. That 'when' is unknown. 

 

They are not booking more than the planned capacity. But at the moment, we are still in the Winter 2021/22 program. A program that was on sale and being booked before the pandemic.

 

Once the quarantine zones are reduced, P&O will no longer need to move people in those cabins brought back into general service. P&O are holding out as late as possible in making that decision in the hope that they don't have to move people/as many people.

 

[terrierjohn]

2 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

Not the case John. The quarantine zones are fixed but there is the hope that they can be reduced at some point. That 'when' is unknown. 

 

They are not booking more than the planned capacity. But at the moment, we are still in the Winter 2021/22 program. A program that was on sale and being booked before the pandemic.

 

Once the quarantine zones are reduced, P&O will no longer need to move people in those cabins brought back into general service. P&O are holding out as late as possible in making that decision in the hope that they don't have to move people/as many people.

 

So P&O have known for months that some passengers would have to be moved if they still needed the full quarantine zone. Very bad PR not to advise all those affected immediately and give them an opportunity to make their own decision to move/reschedule then, or take a risk that their cabin could free up.

[wowzz]

Arcadia resumes service at the end of the month, after 2 years inactivity, and yet last week, only four weeks prior to the cruise, P&O were reallocating cabins !

Surely P&O must have known at the start of the year that cabins would have to be changed. 

However P&O want to dress it up, to implement cabin changes at this late stage is pure incompetence,  and a cynical way to avoid compensating those who paid a select fare, specifically to choose a cabin, and who are now being moved to cabins they do not want.