Need help with problem now on Divina!

[flahagan]

I am traveling on the Miami to Rome TA on Divina right now with friends who've never traveled with MSC before.  They're elite with Princess and now Diamond with MSC.  

They got their their statement (we arrive in Rome tomorrow) and are livid.  

The sent a 20 piece bag of laundry out and at the last minute threw in a pair of underwear, thinking they'd be charged for one extra item as a a separate piece.  But they were charged over $40 for that one extra piece!  He went to customer service about it but they were adamant that this constituted a 2nd bag and wouldn't help him.

He is irate and vows to badmouth MSC every chance he gets.  I told him to pursue the matter shoreline when he gets home, but I'm wondering if there's anything you seasoned travelers can suggest.

 

  

 

[ChattTenn]

My thought.  Do not let one thing to ruin your cruise because an overcharge laundry and deal with it once return. MSC is strange in some way to deal with people.

Enjoy the cruise.

 

[flahagan]

I agree, but unfortunately he has had numerous problems with his bill, charged twice for bottles of wine he ordered and cancelled pre-cruise when he instead bought a beverage package, for instance.  Being charged over $40 to wash a pair of underwear and then rudely dismissed by the desk agent after standing in line over an hour was the last straw.  I wish I knew how to contact someone who could resolve the problem.

 

[4sallypat]

You may want to check on what the original offer was for laundry.

 

We chose pre-paid laundry $76USD for 40 pieces before we left.

 

We had 42 pieces done without any quibbling...

 

Then at the end of the cruise, we saw an offer / flyer for $40USD for 40 pieces and it stated that splitting or going over the amount will cause an extra charge.

[morpheusofthesea]

Calm down. Forty bucks is not a lot for any cruiser to get upset about. We cancelled a cruise 90 days from sailing on NCL Joy and they kept $1800 of our money. NCL would not give FCC or put it on another cruise. All companies with loyalty programs are reaccessing giving any perks to their least profitable guests. What they profess to give with one hand they take away with the other hand, One would think nothing about having lost so much more in the casino. I know, 'It's the principle of the thing'. Would you rather be right or would you rather be smart and have a good time?

[tony s]

If they refuse to bend, tell him to take off his service charge. That will get their attention and they will bend over to rectify. Something similar happened to us and as soon as we said those magical words we had a senior officer who fixed all immediiatley.

[GPPhilly]

They are mad because they did not read the terms clearly stated on the laundry slip.   People amaze me

[ray98]

My advice is put 20 pieces in the 20 piece bag to avoid self created drama.

Edited June 8, 2023 by ray98

[Morgsmom]

3 hours ago, flahagan said:

He is irate and vows to badmouth MSC every chance he gets.  I told him to pursue the matter shoreline when he gets home, but I'm wondering if there's anything you seasoned travelers can suggest.

 

  

 

Ok, once you are shoreside NOTHING is going to happen. Period.  NEXT!  That's unfortunate, but true, with every cruiser.  

They knew they threw in an extra pair of underwear - they KNEW IT.  Rolled the dice and lost.  However, I agree that if they are not going to budge on this then they do reserve the right to reduce their service charges (which must be sizeable for the TA) by the $40.  

At the end of the day they spent WAY more $$$ on this trip, including a beverage package (which is super expensive given the length of the cruise) than to worry about the $40.  For heaven's sake they just did a TA (life goal for many of us) and are now in Europe!!!  Enjoy

 

[Selion]

16 minutes ago, Morgsmom said:

Ok, once you are shoreside NOTHING is going to happen. Period.

^^^  This!

 

Resolve it before they step off the ship.

[PTC DAWG]

2 hours ago, GPPhilly said:

They are mad because they did not read the terms clearly stated on the laundry slip.   People amaze me

Agreed…no way I would penalize the crew by removing gratuities because of my mistake. 

Edited June 8, 2023 by PTC DAWG

[GPPhilly]

33 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

Agreed…no way I would penalize the crew by removing gratuities because of my mistake. 

Exactly

[mvh]

How stained was the underwear? Maybe that's why it was $40. This guy seems like a lot of fun to travel with.

[PTC DAWG]

52 minutes ago, mvh said:

How stained was the underwear? Maybe that's why it was $40. This guy seems like a lot of fun to travel with.

LOL 😆 

[Morecruisesplz]

12 hours ago, flahagan said:

I am traveling on the Miami to Rome TA on Divina right now with friends who've never traveled with MSC before.  They're elite with Princess and now Diamond with MSC.  

They got their their statement (we arrive in Rome tomorrow) and are livid.  

The sent a 20 piece bag of laundry out and at the last minute threw in a pair of underwear, thinking they'd be charged for one extra item as a a separate piece.  But they were charged over $40 for that one extra piece!  He went to customer service about it but they were adamant that this constituted a 2nd bag and wouldn't help him.

He is irate and vows to badmouth MSC every chance he gets.  I told him to pursue the matter shoreline when he gets home, but I'm wondering if there's anything you seasoned travelers can suggest.

 

  

 

He made a mistake. Get over it.

[flahagan]

They got it resolved - asked to remove $40 from gratuities, got someone's attention, ended up getting credit for the excess laundry piece.  And you're right, he wasn't fun to travel with, a real grouch.  I, however, had a fabulous cruise and enjoyed every bit of it!  Thanks everyone.

[GPPhilly]

8 hours ago, flahagan said:

They got it resolved - asked to remove $40 from gratuities, got someone's attention, ended up getting credit for the excess laundry piece.  And you're right, he wasn't fun to travel with, a real grouch.  I, however, had a fabulous cruise and enjoyed every bit of it!  Thanks everyone.

That guy is a **** and I would never travel with him again, if I was you.  My grandfather said to me one time, you can tell a lot about a person with how they deal with a mistake that they caused.  

[Nashna]

10 hours ago, flahagan said:

They got it resolved - asked to remove $40 from gratuities, got someone's attention, ended up getting credit for the excess laundry piece.  And you're right, he wasn't fun to travel with, a real grouch.  I, however, had a fabulous cruise and enjoyed every bit of it!  Thanks everyone.

He is fortunate to have a friend like you who is concerned about his welfare and took the time out of your vacation to handle his minor issue.  I hope he appreciates your efforts on his behalf.   A piece of unasked-for advice...don't get yourself stuck on a ship in the middle of the Atlantic with a grumpster. 

[Stockjock]

If I worked for MSC, I would probably cut some slack on the one piece of underwear that put them over. But having said that, they are certainly under no obligation to do so, and if they choose not to, then that is the end of that.

 

I disagree with the comment to deal with it later, because there’s no way MSC is going to do anything after the fact on a relatively minor charge like this. If they are going to do anything, it is while the customer is still onboard.
 

I had a situation like that with a tour where the bus broke down, and they told me to pound sand in terms of a refund. I thought I would deal with it later, and I had zero chance of any resolution after the fact. If I raised a little bit more hell when it happened, I might have had some success while onboard. That said, I don’t think I would raise hell over one piece of underwear, since I did technically go over the limit under the circumstances that the OP described.  Even though it is ticky-tack, they are well within their right to charge extra.

Edited June 9, 2023 by Stockjock

[skipsaur]

3 hours ago, GPPhilly said:

That guy is a **** and I would never travel with him again, if I was you.  My grandfather said to me one time, you can tell a lot about a person with how they deal with a mistake that they caused.  

 

I love this, going to remember it. Thank you to your grandfather for that gem and thanks for sharing it!

[Morecruisesplz]

1 hour ago, Stockjock said:

If I worked for MSC, I would probably cut some slack on the one piece of underwear that put them over. But having said that, they are certainly under no obligation to do so, and if they choose not to, then that is the end of that.

 

I disagree with the comment to deal with it later, because there’s no way MSC is going to do anything after the fact on a relatively minor charge like this. If they are going to do anything, it is while the customer is still onboard.
 

I had a situation like that with a tour where the bus broke down, and they told me to pound sand in terms of a refund. I thought I would deal with it later, and I had zero chance of any resolution after the fact. If I raised a little bit more hell when it happened, I might have had some success while onboard. That said, I don’t think I would raise hell over one piece of underwear, since I did technically go over the limit under the circumstances that the OP described.  Even though it is ticky-tack, they are well within their right to charge extra.

Raising hell is never a good way to resolve any issue.

[Mark_T]

6 minutes ago, fredmdcruisers said:

Raising hell is never a good way to resolve any issue.

Sadly though, like many of you on here, as a 'road warrior' with a few million miles of air travel over the years this is exactly what you see happening when the customer asking for something they are not entitled to, gets a 'no' and then characterizes the response and the employee as rude and unreasonable...

 

I've given out more than a few business cards over the years to the unfortunate employees to use if they need a witness following the threats to have their employment ended by the self-important complainer...

 

... of course few few have needed help as it is mostly hot-air and bluster.

[Stockjock]

25 minutes ago, fredmdcruisers said:

Raising hell is never a good way to resolve any issue.

If I do say so, I'm pretty good at being firm while remaining respectful, diplomatic and polite.  So my version of "raising hell" doesn't imply yelling, ranting, stomping feet or anything like that.  But it's usually effective.  Not always though.

[skipsaur]

36 minutes ago, Stockjock said:

If I do say so, I'm pretty good at being firm while remaining respectful, diplomatic and polite.  So my version of "raising hell" doesn't imply yelling, ranting, stomping feet or anything like that.  But it's usually effective.  Not always though.

 

Just judging from your tone previously, I would definitely assume you would state your case politely and diplomatically. (And also accept responsibility when due)

 

And I feel in that case, the service desk person probably would have been more inclined to cut you some slack on that one item of clothing too!