Princess Customer Service (your experience - mine was awful!!!!!)

[Nykr9595]

I was on the Majestic Princess on Apr 09th 2022 and actually wrote this in my cabin because I was upset about what had occurred.  Just posting it now.  I booked a cruise for myself and my brother. We each had our own balcony cabin. Shortly after booking the cruise my brother told me his passport was expired so prior to paying for the cruise I called Princess to ask the travel advisor what documents would be acceptable - just like the travel contract says. On line it said a birth certificate and valid drivers license is ok.  The issue was my brothers birth certificate is from a another country, he came to the US 50 years ago as a child and his passport recently expired.  It now is very difficult to get a renewal quickly.   I asked the travel advisor to check if the foreign birth certificate would be ok.  I waited while the agent checked with another department and they said yes. I asked them to notate the record. I then made my payment - notice I made my payment after checking.  . Well as you might guess when we got to the port they denied my brother passage because the documents they said would be sufficient were not according to the port supervisor. They said the Princess agents made an error. Well I ended boarding on my own and brother went back home and so my vacation was kind of ruined. I then went to the front desk to ask for a refund and they contacted the head office. The ship is basically saying its not there problem. The head office is saying it doesn't matter what their agent says that the contract you agree to says they don't have to refund the money. Now mind you this cruise is 40% of capacity. I only made the reservation a week ago - so Princess did not lose revenue due to the reservation. So you would think that any company who values its customers would understand the situation and refund the money. Not to mention compensate me for the inconvenience.

 

Now the other issue is in trying to argue my case I would call the 800 number - the agent you talk to does not have the authority to refund anything - so after you wait on hold and talk to them for 30 minutes they tell you they need to transfer you to customer solutions.  Now I have called four times so far and the 1st 3 times I waited about 60-90 minutes on hold until finally hung up.  Today I called again and the agent said the wait time is 3 hours..  He then proceeded to tell me that he texted them and they said don't bother waiting because I won't get a refund without hearing what I had to say.

 

I have finally given up and just filed a dispute with my credit card company.  I think I spent 8 hours on hold - they are really a disaster to deal with. Whoever is the head of customer service should be ashamed.

[riffatsea]

I am sorry you had this problem

I continue to tell people that the agents you speak to on the phone are sales reps

They do not know anything about what happens at the pier or on the ship

They may tell you information but they are not  the ones to ask any serious questions

It is always the customers responsibility to check requirements for boarding and for entering each country that you visit on the cruise

 

[VibeGuy]

You got shitty advice from the phone reps. Customs and Border Protection would have given you the correct answer - that the only birth certificates that would matter are those issued by a US state or territory.   I suspect the phone agents lacked this critical knowledge or that the BC in question was issued outside the US. 

 

Shoulda/woulda/coulda made a same-day passport appointment in your departure city. 
 

The argument I would make with Princess *in writing* is that you called at X date and asked and were told it would be acceptable by an employee of the line.  You relied on their representation and were denied boarding.  But I don’t think you’re going to get refunded.  Your brother couldn’t provide valid proof he would be readmitted to the US. 

[PhotoFlo]

My experience with Princess has been worse than horrible since January.  

We are Elite with an Alaskan cruise booked for August.  In January, we got notification that our Denali History tour was shortened to 17 miles,  It was not in the excursion section and neither was the Tundra Tour.  Denali Park is offering both tours and I asked 3 Princess reps (after being on hold for each 2 hours) if I booked through the Park, would my fare be reduced.  I was assured by all 3, that it would. So i booked through the park and waited.  

After no reduction in fare, I called again and after 2 hours was told that I needed to speak to customer solutions and to call back in the morning.  I call again and after another 2 hours get Ronald on the phone.  He tries to help me out and after an hour tells me that he can’t get me back into the cabin I had unless he leaves the booking and gets back in.  I realize that he is going to cancel the land portion of my cruise!  I say NO, it was supposed to be a 5 hour tour.  He then tells me that I need to call Customer Solutions, I said that was who I thought I was talking to and he replies “No, this is Ronald”. Who the F is Ronald?

Another day, another few hours on hold and i finally got a wonderful woman in Customer Solutions that actually fixed my tour and put me on the Tundra tour which is still not on their website.  I am 90% sure there will be an issue when we arrive in Denali since Princess does not show it on their website and Denali Park does not have Princess Lodge as a pickup this year (I know this since i had booked the Tundra tour directly through the park and once the lodge is open, I can verify)

Meanwhile, I had contacted my Personal Planner and she does not answer calls, return emails and has basically fallen off the face of the earth.  The gave me a new rep which must be out in nowhere land with the last one.

At this point, Princess is going to have to absolutely WOW me on this Alaskan cruise for me to ever book with them again and I am a stockholder to boot!

The helpful rep had apologized for them and said too many people have recently been hired that have no idea what they are doing and passing miss information.   She indicated that by end of April, we would see a big improvement.  So far, that is not the case.  

[Nykr9595]

Not to belabor the point - but we did try the passport renewal route first and we are in Los Angeles.  The Passport office told us  the closest appointments available for my brother was Arkansas and Puerto Rico.

I am not a travel document expert - but if I call in to a Princess Travel Advisor as they state in their contract - then they either train their agents to not provide advice or refer the person to DHS or some other website.   As stated the other issues is the inability to make your case in front of a live person on the phone - that's unacceptable.  3 hour hold times are unacceptable.  What does that say about how they value their customers.  FYI - if you try to get into sales they answer within 1 minute but are rude and will hang up on your if its any other issue.

Edited April 30, 2022 by Nykr9595
typo

[leck57]

1 hour ago, riffatsea said:

 

It is always the customers responsibility to check requirements for boarding and for entering each country that you visit on the cruise

 

 

Isn't that what the OP tried to do by calling Princess in the first place?

[pris993]

3 minutes ago, leck57 said:

 

Isn't that what the OP tried to do by calling Princess in the first place?

Calling a cruise line obviously is not an appropriate approach for an issue as important as having the proper papers/documents for boarding.  That goes for TAs.  I once had a TA tell me I needed a visa, which I knew from experience I didn't.  I contacted the countries consulates and requested confirmation in writing I did not need a visa.     

[brisalta]

1 hour ago, leck57 said:

 

Isn't that what the OP tried to do by calling Princess in the first place?

 

The Princess agent should have told them to check with the US  DHS  and with the countries the ship would be visiting.

[caribill]

5 hours ago, Nykr9595 said:

Shortly after booking the cruise my brother told me his passport was expired so prior to paying for the cruise I called Princess to ask the travel advisor what documents would be acceptable - just like the travel contract says. On line it said a birth certificate and valid drivers license is ok.  The issue was my brothers birth certificate is from a another country, he came to the US 50 years ago as a child and his passport recently expired.  It now is very difficult to get a renewal quickly.   I asked the travel advisor to check if the foreign birth certificate would be ok.  I waited while the agent checked with another department and they said yes.

 

I assume that your brother is now a USA citizen.

 

The purpose of requiring a passport is to give US immigration proof a person is allowed to enter the USA. 

 

For someone with a USA birth certificate, that would be proof of US citizenship and the driver's license would be proof of identity.

 

But a foreign birth certificate along with a drivers license is not proof a person has valid entry into the USA. The addition of Citizenship papers could provide that proof, but I do not know if that is acceptable for cruising.

 

Sorry this has happened. The Princess person on the phone obviously did not realize the need to prove entry into the US would be allowed was needed.

[dog]

Unpredictable times.

customer Relations, are the ones to speak to. Reps answering phones, many from home, are there to sell you a cruise.

 

I have had 2 excellent reps help me in the past two years.

I call first thing in the morning and wait time is less. Almost immediately I ask to speak to a supervisor or customer relations.

 

passports and vaccinations and testing should be for all passengers IMO.

[jinpasco]

8 hours ago, PhotoFlo said:

My experience with Princess has been worse than horrible since January.  

We are Elite with an Alaskan cruise booked for August.  In January, we got notification that our Denali History tour was shortened to 17 miles,  It was not in the excursion section and neither was the Tundra Tour.  Denali Park is offering both tours and I asked 3 Princess reps (after being on hold for each 2 hours) if I booked through the Park, would my fare be reduced.  I was assured by all 3, that it would. So i booked through the park and waited.  

After no reduction in fare, I called again and after 2 hours was told that I needed to speak to customer solutions and to call back in the morning.  I call again and after another 2 hours get Ronald on the phone.  He tries to help me out and after an hour tells me that he can’t get me back into the cabin I had unless he leaves the booking and gets back in.  I realize that he is going to cancel the land portion of my cruise!  I say NO, it was supposed to be a 5 hour tour.  He then tells me that I need to call Customer Solutions, I said that was who I thought I was talking to and he replies “No, this is Ronald”. Who the F is Ronald?

Another day, another few hours on hold and i finally got a wonderful woman in Customer Solutions that actually fixed my tour and put me on the Tundra tour which is still not on their website.  I am 90% sure there will be an issue when we arrive in Denali since Princess does not show it on their website and Denali Park does not have Princess Lodge as a pickup this year (I know this since i had booked the Tundra tour directly through the park and once the lodge is open, I can verify)

Meanwhile, I had contacted my Personal Planner and she does not answer calls, return emails and has basically fallen off the face of the earth.  The gave me a new rep which must be out in nowhere land with the last one.

At this point, Princess is going to have to absolutely WOW me on this Alaskan cruise for me to ever book with them again and I am a stockholder to boot!

The helpful rep had apologized for them and said too many people have recently been hired that have no idea what they are doing and passing miss information.   She indicated that by end of April, we would see a big improvement.  So far, that is not the case.  

We too are on an Alaskan land tour this Sept. We have been told the longer Tundra excursion has been cancelled this year due to a rock slide and construction. We have been on the shorter tour and it's ok but animals come out early morning and late night to feed, generally the tour is midday. We saw a squirrel on ours, whoopie!  If you hear any different please let us know. The short tour is included but would be happy to pay extra for an extended tour.

[PhotoGal07]

10 hours ago, pris993 said:

Calling a cruise line obviously is not an appropriate approach for an issue as important as having the proper papers/documents for boarding.  That goes for TAs.  I once had a TA tell me I needed a visa, which I knew from experience I didn't.  I contacted the countries consulates and requested confirmation in writing I did not need a visa.     

It's not unreasonable to expect that the company providing a service can accurately account the rules and regulations around obtaining said service.  It's 100% appropriate to expect that.  Many of us wouldn't trust them due to experience, but I wouldn't fault anyone for assuming that after they've talked to a Princess representative that they have the correct information.  That's a management problem, not a customer problem.

[ontheweb]

8 minutes ago, PhotoGal07 said:

It's not unreasonable to expect that the company providing a service can accurately account the rules and regulations around obtaining said service.  It's 100% appropriate to expect that.  Many of us wouldn't trust them due to experience, but I wouldn't fault anyone for assuming that after they've talked to a Princess representative that they have the correct information.  That's a management problem, not a customer problem.

But it becomes the customer's problem when he relying on the mistake caused by management is not allowed to board the ship. 

[PhotoGal07]

29 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

But it becomes the customer's problem when he relying on the mistake caused by management is not allowed to board the ship. 

Yes.  I meant in terms of taking responsibility for the issue.  It's not a customer refusing to read anything or follow rules as stated, they asked for clarification, and were given incorrect information.

[cruzsnooze]

13 hours ago, Nykr9595 said:

I would think that any company who values its customers would understand the situation and refund the money. Not to mention compensate me for the inconvenience.

 

 

And you want compensation also!   I doubt Princess values customers who don't have the proper documentation to board their ships. I doubt you'll get a refund. Because you put in a dispute with your credit card company over something the cruise line will probably win they may ban you from the cruises in the future. 

  It's unfortunate you relied on a phone call to get the information. If I were in your situation I would assume half the responsibility for this problem. I would approach customer relations calmly telling them it was their issue not to know the correct documentation for a foreign birth certificate assuming you told them that. I would ask for a 50% future cruise credit for compensation which is easier for a company to issue then what you're asking for and doing with a credit card dispute. 

Edited April 30, 2022 by cruzsnooze
typo

[pris993]

2 hours ago, PhotoGal07 said:

It's not unreasonable to expect that the company providing a service can accurately account the rules and regulations around obtaining said service.  It's 100% appropriate to expect that.  Many of us wouldn't trust them due to experience, but I wouldn't fault anyone for assuming that after they've talked to a Princess representative that they have the correct information.  That's a management problem, not a customer problem.

The passenger contract says otherwise.  The responsibility is put squarely on us in the contract.  Always has been, all cruise lines do it the same way.    

[brisalta]

@Nykr9595 It is stated at https://www.princess.com/learn/faq/pre-cruise/prepare-for-your-cruise/ in the "Travel Document Requirements" section what documents to bring. Unfortunately it does not state that the birth certificate must be issued by a US based jurisdiction.

I recommend that you go the FAQ and expand the section mentioned and print it with a time stamp. It may be useful in your dispute resolution.

Edited April 30, 2022 by brisalta

[ontheweb]

14 minutes ago, brisalta said:

@Nykr9595 It is stated at https://www.princess.com/learn/faq/pre-cruise/prepare-for-your-cruise/ in the "Travel Document Requirements" section what documents to bring. Unfortunately it does not state that the birth certificate must be issued by a US based jurisdiction.

I recommend that you go the FAQ and expand the section mentioned and print it with a time stamp. It may be useful in your dispute resolution.

Right, both the FAQ and the customer service representative said one thing, but it turned out to be the wrong information. However, the cruise line can fall back on its contract language that basically says it can do whatever it wants. That may be technically right, but it still stinks. And it is not a way to keep customers repeating.

[brisalta]

1 minute ago, ontheweb said:

Right, both the FAQ and the customer service representative said one thing, but it turned out to be the wrong information. However, the cruise line can fall back on its contract language that basically says it can do whatever it wants. That may be technically right, but it still stinks. And it is not a way to keep customers repeating.

 

Contracts quite often are not worth the paper they are written on if they violate the law in one way or another or imply other documents that are not in the actual contract.

Edited April 30, 2022 by brisalta

[atexsix]

Yes, it's bad.  My customer service interaction with Princess makes me want to run screaming back to Holland America, which isn't exactly a day at the beach, but better than Princess.  

 

If we cruise Princess again, key word IF, we're going to be using a planner or TA.  

[cruzsnooze]

1 hour ago, ontheweb said:

Right, both the FAQ and the customer service representative said one thing, but it turned out to be the wrong information. However, the cruise line can fall back on its contract language that basically says it can do whatever it wants. That may be technically right, but it still stinks. And it is not a way to keep customers repeating.

In addition it's probably written for the US market. I wonder if the contract is any different in the UK for comparison.

[PhotoFlo]

7 hours ago, jinpasco said:

We too are on an Alaskan land tour this Sept. We have been told the longer Tundra excursion has been cancelled this year due to a rock slide and construction. We have been on the shorter tour and it's ok but animals come out early morning and late night to feed, generally the tour is midday. We saw a squirrel on ours, whoopie!  If you hear any different please let us know. The short tour is included but would be happy to pay extra for an extended tour.

The first two shore excursion people told me that it was already fullly booked, the third said it was not being offered.  The helpful Customer service rep told me they were all wrong and it was available and  booked me on the Tundra tour even though it is not listed on the website.  Denali Park is still offering it and I also have it booked with them directly.  Once the lodge opens, I will contact them and the park to find out how to handle the situation.  I think it will be interesting.   

[PhotoFlo]

1 hour ago, atexsix said:

Yes, it's bad.  My customer service interaction with Princess makes me want to run screaming back to Holland America, which isn't exactly a day at the beach, but better than Princess.  

 

If we cruise Princess again, key word IF, we're going to be using a planner or TA.  

I am guessing that my planner didn't want to spend her day on hold either which is why she dissappeared off the face of the earth. 

[GonzoWCS]

So  far 13 Cruises, 162 days and very good customer service.

 

Cheers

[riffatsea]

I will repeat this only 1 more time.

Stop calling the folks who answer the 800 number "customer service reps"

They are sales people!

They can do very little or almost nothing as far as service goes

Once you book the cruise they can cancel or maybe change your cabin or book another cruise

Anything else is just a waste of your time