Shareholders OBC is rejected if you use a travel agent

[tsahall01]

I had a cruise that was booked thru Casinos at Sea.  I got immediate confirmation of the Shareholder benefit.  This was in October of 2022.  The cruise was in September of 2023.  The benefit was still showing when we checked in.  Luckily, I had saved all the information, including the shareholder's form that I had emailed in.  For some reason, they assigned the benefit to guest 1 & 2--I was guest 3 and got NOTHING!  No problem, we are all friends and I figured we could sort it out once on board.  About 3 days into the 10 day cruise, I noticed that the benefit had not been assigned to ANYONE.  I went down to guest services--they had no record of it!  I showed them my approval email, plus the form I sent in with the stockholder's report, and the Guest information sheet that I printed out upon check-in, showing the stockholders benefit.  First, they said it was because we had booked through Casinos at Sea (was not a problem the last time), then they came back and told me the form was too old!!  WTH?  Why didn't they say anything BEFORE boarding?  So I had to make a long distance call back to the states, from Italy, to release an updated stockholder report.  I scribbled out all the information except the Shareholders name, the date and 100 shares of NCL stock.  They refused to accept that form!!  They wanted only my account number blacked out and EVERYTHING  else left showing!  After much discussion back and forth and asking for a supervisor, the only way that I could get my shareholder's benefit was to submit the form with only my account number blacked out.  I was FURIOUS, but what could I do??  After resubmitting the form they wanted, I finally got the benefit assigned to me and guest 1--2 days before the cruise ended.  I have a cruise in November--I am bringing an updated stock report just in case they pull this stunt again!  I'm still angry about it!

[dbrown84]

1 hour ago, Capitan Obvious said:

It can be an easy thing to overlook, but as a shareholder you are an owner of the company. So when you talk about NCL, remember you are "they".

 

 

 

 

Your travel agent doesn't need to sort anything out, they already know and understand the issue. Your booking is not done at the full rate, but at a discounted rate that isn't eligible for OBC. Some TAs do this for extra profit...you just got caught up in in.

 

As an example, lets say on a particular cruise a cabin is $1,000 and pays a $100 commission to the TA. (or you can book direct with NCL for the same $1,000 price). The TA can purchase a block of cabins, which NCL sells to them for say $850 each. The TA books you into one of the cabins at the published $1,000 price, but now gets to pocket $150 instead of $100 because of the block. This gives the TA an opportunity to earn more by filling up their entire block. You are, essentially, a group booking without the group. In this case, your special rate makes you ineligible for the OBC.

To me, this sounds like the perfect explanation to what is going on with this.  @OP, You should be able to look at your confirmation and pull the codes from the top left of the first page.  There is a thread here on CC with the explanations of the booking codes.  It's probably easiest doing a google search on any of the codes that don't look familiar to you.  One of those codes will probably be the discounted code that is making you ineligible for the OBC

[PATRLR]

2 hours ago, MountainToTheSea said:

I called NCL, they said shareholders OBC is capacity controlled ?? And they don't have to give it to us.

That's the second reason for declining it. This is really not right.

 

 

2 hours ago, ontheweb said:

I think sometimes they just make things up.

They absolutely make things up and that's a fine example right there. 

[PATRLR]

1 hour ago, MountainToTheSea said:

Ken, maybe there is one I don't know about. I am hoping my travel agent can get this sorted...But it is helpful knowing other have used travel agents, so that should not be the problem..I appreciate the

replies from everyone.

I would show that letter to your TA and ask them to explain how your booking was made and under what program.  There is no doubt in my mind that they are using some sort of reduced group rate.  If the NCL list price really was the same as what the TA charged you, I'd be making a fuss with the TA.  You might also ask your travel agent to share all of the rate codes associated with your booking (I know I'm not able to see them when I use a TA).  

[RocketMan275]

I would strongly suggest getting a new TA.  I don't think you can trust this one.

[MountainToTheSea]

After dealing with the TA this afternoon and NCL refusing to talk to me...Ruined my day being angry.  I need a better TA or book direct so NCL will talk to me. Lesson learned.I am going to try and move on and have a good trip. Thanks!

 

Edited October 5, 2023 by MountainToTheSea
added

[Russiamomm]

8 minutes ago, MountainToTheSea said:

After dealing with the TA this afternoon and NCL refusing to talk to me...Ruined my day being angry.  I need a better TA or book direct so NCL will talk to me. Lesson learned.I am going to try and move on and have a good trip. Thanks!

 

I know there’s a lot of debate on the advantages and disadvantages of using a TA, bit for this reason alone I prefer to deal directly with NCL.  I hate to lose control of anything.  I book through CAS.  It’s the best of both worlds.  NCL will talk to me directly, but if there’s an issue I have my CAS guy as an advocate.

[mking8288]

It's likely, part of the problem is somewhere within NCL's infamous I.T. systems and database(s) tracking these ... while we do use/book thru TA sometimes, we always submit our request OBC directly to NCLH and no questions asked, issues, aside from the recent problem last month not showing up.

 

As far as we can see & tell, no changes with the rules, restrictions and exclusions, etc. - problem fixed now.  Emailed NCLH Shareholders Relations this afternoon and about an hour later, got a reply that it has been READDED to the reservation and per our request, an updated Amenity Summary also emailed to us.  That's good enough, going to save a PDF to the smartphone and print out a hard copy, just in case.  It wouldn't 'hurt" to take a few minutes to log in and check it, especially if sailing shortly and previous submitted successfully, and there is a chance of it NOT being there.  

 

Message as followed:

 

Thank you for contacting Norwegian Cruise line Shareholders.
 
Your shareholder benefit onboard credit has been readded to your reservation.
 
If you have any further questions please feel free to contact us again.
 
Sincerely,
Norwegian Cruise Line

 

[RocketMan275]

46 minutes ago, Russiamomm said:

I know there’s a lot of debate on the advantages and disadvantages of using a TA, bit for this reason alone I prefer to deal directly with NCL.  I hate to lose control of anything.  I book through CAS.  It’s the best of both worlds.  NCL will talk to me directly, but if there’s an issue I have my CAS guy as an advocate.

I do not understand this 'losing control' claim.  After all, you still have to talk to  someone. Either the TA or the NCL.  Same amount of control.

 

 

[shof515]

3 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

I do not understand this 'losing control' claim.  After all, you still have to talk to  someone. Either the TA or the NCL.  Same amount of control.

 

 

NCL has better operating hours then a traditional TA that will have a limited hours during the day/night

 

 

[Russiamomm]

13 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

I do not understand this 'losing control' claim.  After all, you still have to talk to  someone. Either the TA or the NCL.  Same amount of control.

 

 

NCL will normally not talk to you if it’s booked through a TA.  You have to go through the TA.  I’d just rather avoid that game of telephone.

 

It’s the same reason I prefer not to use NCL air.  NCL owns the reservation and the airline won’t talk to you. 

[ontheweb]

30 minutes ago, Russiamomm said:

NCL will normally not talk to you if it’s booked through a TA.  You have to go through the TA.  I’d just rather avoid that game of telephone.

 

It’s the same reason I prefer not to use NCL air.  NCL owns the reservation and the airline won’t talk to you. 

We booked our Prima cruise from last August using a TA. I called NCL several times, and they talked to me and generally answered my questions. Yes, there are things that once you book with a TA must go through the TA, but the statement that they will not talk to you is a gross overstatement.

[Russiamomm]

5 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

We booked our Prima cruise from last August using a TA. I called NCL several times, and they talked to me and generally answered my questions. Yes, there are things that once you book with a TA must go through the TA, but the statement that they will not talk to you is a gross overstatement.

OK.  I may have spoken a bit out of turn since I don’t have direct experience, but the whole topic of this chain seems to highlight at least one of the possible hassles of not booking directly.

[julig22]

46 minutes ago, Russiamomm said:

OK.  I may have spoken a bit out of turn since I don’t have direct experience, but the whole topic of this chain seems to highlight at least one of the possible hassles of not booking directly.

They will answer general information questions.  If you book through a TA they don't own your reservation so can't normally answer specific questions relating to your reservation or make any changes, although I believe they can book excursions for you.  

[IAcruising]

1 hour ago, RocketMan275 said:

I do not understand this 'losing control' claim.  After all, you still have to talk to  someone. Either the TA or the NCL.  Same amount of control.

 

 

 

I use PCC's, so I don't know much about TA's. Can a TA reprice you on the spot with an email confirmation as you speak?

 

[Back to school]

2 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

I do not understand this 'losing control' claim.  After all, you still have to talk to  someone. Either the TA or the NCL.  Same amount of control.

 

 

Not exactly,  I want control, not third-party TA. 

[ontheweb]

11 hours ago, julig22 said:

They will answer general information questions.  If you book through a TA they don't own your reservation so can't normally answer specific questions relating to your reservation or make any changes, although I believe they can book excursions for you.  

They can answer a lot of different questions. For example, for our recent Prima cruise, they answered website questions, questions that arose while we were trying to do the online booking, and which port in Amsterdam the ship uses to dock. Since they sent me an e-mail asking for our full names with middle names included, I am sure they could have handled that over the phone, though I did call our TA and have him take care of it with them.

 

We also had a port lost due to low tide, and we had booked a cruise line excursion for that port. That was a hassle to get the refund to our credit card because the NCL representative thought I was asking for money back for missing the port. When she finally figured out what I was asking for, she went to another department after putting me on hold, and came back and said the money would be credited as according to their policies you can cancel an excursion and be refunded if it is more than 48 hours before the excursion. 

[RocketMan275]

13 hours ago, shof515 said:

NCL has better operating hours then a traditional TA that will have a limited hours during the day/night

 

 

I've yet to encounter an issue that was so time sensitive it couldn't wait till daylght.

[RocketMan275]

12 hours ago, Russiamomm said:

NCL will normally not talk to you if it’s booked through a TA.  You have to go through the TA.  I’d just rather avoid that game of telephone.

That's a cruise critic myth.  

NCL will talk with you on any issue that doesn't affect the TA commission.  You can make reservations for dining, entertainment, excursions, etc, directly with NCL even with a TA.   You can talk with the pre-cruise concierge.  You can't change your room, cancel the reservation, etc.  And, yes, you can apply for your shareholder OBC.  Done it myself.

[RocketMan275]

11 hours ago, IAcruising said:

 

I use PCC's, so I don't know much about TA's. Can a TA reprice you on the spot with an email confirmation as you speak?

 

No, a TA cannot.  I've emailed my TA for several repricings.  I've had confirmation from her within  an hour.

[RocketMan275]

11 hours ago, Back to school said:

Not exactly,  I want control, not third-party TA. 

That's fine but you're giving up an 8% fare reduction.  Is 'control' that important?

[Sundiego]

We book through a travel agent most of the time so I understand those who say "NCL won't talk to you". The TA essentially owns the reservation and the NCL reps aren't allowed to discuss it with you. But the shareholder credit doesn't involve the NCL reps nor your travel agent. You should be emailing directly with Shareholder Services. We've always had prompt responses through emailing. If you think it's taking too long to get a reply, just email again. Don't call the main NCL phone number. They have zero to do with the shareholder benefit. Heck, I bet many of those reps have never even been on a cruise let alone owned one share of NCLH.

 

Denise

[Zignewt]

I had my claim rejected this week for the OBC.  This is what they said:

Your booking is booked with Flex Net reduced rates. If you have further questions about your reservation, please reach out to your Travel Agent. Flex Net rates are considered reduced rates and do not qualify for the Shareholder Benefit. 

I had booked through Air Canada Vacations just to get the flights as NCL does not let you choose your flights.  The price was not any cheaper than if I had booked directly through NCL.  I guess this is now the price I am paying to choose my own flight.

[mking8288]

27 minutes ago, Zignewt said:

I had my claim rejected this week for the OBC ... I had booked through Air Canada Vacations just to get the flights as NCL does not let you choose your flights.  The price was not any cheaper than if I had booked directly ... I guess this is now the price I am paying to choose my own flight.

 

Other TA, including friend of ours, offer terms that are better & more competitive, i.e. Free DSC or gratitudes that has much higher value to us (i.e. 11 or 12 days of $20 DSC p/p x 2 x 11 = $440 or $460) when booking a balcony and/or higher - (15 days of "free DSC included in the prices paid is $600 vs. chasing NCL's $250 OBC for it, as otherwise, it's mostly just $100 non-refundable, and, restricted, OBC to use)   The choice is fairly obvious, and, yes - these deals aren't always available and sometimes on a last minute basis, and other promotional offers might not be combined.  We do our "homework" in researching options before booking our NCL cruise.  

 

United Vaca ... has also been offering bookings with free DSC, not that their flight options are on our short list to consider since their long haul flights are no longer the best for us to consider ... 

 

I don't always like the answers and appreciate the help, or lack thereof, when calling or chatting with NCL's call center agents that answered the call ... and, we have more than a dozen plus PCC over the last 2 decades to fully trust or depend on her/him to always come thru.  NCLH shareholders credit hasn't been an issue for us for over 10 years, until lately ... so, it pays to check & re-check, and print out the confirmation & booking codes, etc. & bring digital or paper copies along. 

 

There are still "minor" issues with our Latitudes accounts with missing cruise credits from last month, which NCL acknowledged as "their" internal I.T. issues more than 2 weeks ago, and, they messaged back to ask for understanding & patience for another 2 weeks worth.  Well ... still waiting for a resolution on a simple fix.  NCL, consistently inconsistent, for (y)our convenience ... sail & sustain 😤🙄😳😬😠 LOL  

[news70]

8 hours ago, Zignewt said:

I had my claim rejected this week for the OBC.  This is what they said:

Your booking is booked with Flex Net reduced rates. If you have further questions about your reservation, please reach out to your Travel Agent. Flex Net rates are considered reduced rates and do not qualify for the Shareholder Benefit. 

I had booked through Air Canada Vacations just to get the flights as NCL does not let you choose your flights.  The price was not any cheaper than if I had booked directly through NCL.  I guess this is now the price I am paying to choose my own flight.

sorry to hear that, this must be new, I had a 10 day one in Aug got approved in late July  it's booked under NCFLX SPECIAL RATE with ACV