Thumbs Down on HAL Customer Service

[Hlitner]

38 minutes ago, Bill B said:

 

What does that prove?

Just some evidence to back-up that we had the stuff emptied.  Proving anything, if a cruise line wants to be stubborn can be an issue and I guess the worst case is that a person would end up paying out a few extra dollars (and possibly never do business with that cruise line in the future).  

 

I honestly would not get into a shouting match with HAL (or any line) over something like a few dollars.   What we would do is probably not do any future business with that cruise line.  Mess with me once or twice and all might be forgiven.  But do it on a regular basis and there are other places to take our business.

 

Hank

 

[helby]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

Like many long-time HAL cruisers, we have learned to have our mini bar/fridge emptied of all chargeable items on the first day of a cruise.  Sometimes this is done by our steward and other times the room service folks will do the deed.  We make sure to take a picture of the empty fridge/counter.  Trying to dispute mini-bar charges on any cruise line can be difficult and it can become your word against somebody elses word.  

 

Hank

I also do have the mini fridge emptied  and then take a photoon the first day after several times when charges were added after I left the ship. As many have said, check your account daily so that the issue can be resolved onboard.  

 

 

 

[Fouremco]

1 hour ago, helby said:

I also do have the mini fridge emptied  and then take a photoon the first day after several times when charges were added after I left the ship. As many have said, check your account daily so that the issue can be resolved onboard.  

 

 

 

On the Noordam many years ago, we were in our cabin right after boarding when there was a knock on the door. It was the steward wanting to do the mini fridge inventory/restocking. I couldn't help but think that had I taken a bottle or two of something before he arrived, the occupants before us would have had a surprise additional charge to their account. 

 

Erroneous mini fridge charges usually occur after you've departed the ship. While I'm a firm advocate of checking my account daily, it doesn't help when it comes to these delayed charges.

[alwaysfrantic]

Click the transaction on your card statement.  Say dispute, amount $11 and they take care of it for you.  

[helby]

2 hours ago, Fouremco said:

 

 

Erroneous mini fridge charges usually occur after you've departed the ship. While I'm a firm advocate of checking my account daily, it doesn't help when it comes to these delayed charges.

 

Yes, these charges usually appear after leaving the ship.   The last time it happened I sent the photo to HAL(can't remember to whom I sent it) .The charge was reversed.

 

Last month when  someone else's drink charges appeared on my account I was able to take care of it right away.

[winemama]

believe it or not, all cruise lines monitor Twitter /X  you have a better chance of getting a reply there  

[Iggysue]

On 1/4/2024 at 4:13 PM, WVU_Neal said:

After returning from an October cruise, I noticed an overcharge on my statement of $11. Following the information on the HAL website, I sent an email explaining the problem and requesting a refund. The response was a "form letter" stating that it might take 10-12 weeks for them to respond. After about 6 weeks, I sent a follow-up email, same form response. After that nothing.

Fast forward to January 3. Called the HAL customer service number. After a few minutes on hold, I ended talking with a reservations agent. After a bit of back and forth and some rudeness from said agent, she offered to connect me with customer service and would wait until that happened. After 55 minutes wait, I hung up.

Given that it appears impossible to reach these folks, my plan is to bring it up at check-in for my next cruise in late January, when I will have a real live human being in front of me. And I plan to ask for a bottle of wine for my trouble.

Neal

I just got off the Nieuw Amsterdam. I had been invited by the Casino to book dinner at the Pinnacle Grill, which I did. We enjoyed a nice dinner. BUT - the charge ended up on my account.  2 nights in a row I brought it up to the Casino host, AND to guest services.  As of today - 9 days post cruise, the $100 charge never got taken off my account.  SO - paid for a $100 meal (not even any wine!), that I would not have otherwise have booked.  I'm still pretty miffed about that.

[TheMichael]

7 hours ago, winemama said:

believe it or not, all cruise lines monitor Twitter /X  you have a better chance of getting a reply there  

 

Wonder if they might move over to Threads or revive their Facebook presence - I've been kind of amazed at how fast X is declining (judging primarily by the number of replies/likes for public figures). It's a shame, Twitter was the go-to social media place for getting a decent company response, but I've had very little luck there lately.

 

Edited January 9 by TheMichael

[Real NHDOC]

10 hours ago, Iggysue said:

I just got off the Nieuw Amsterdam. I had been invited by the Casino to book dinner at the Pinnacle Grill, which I did. We enjoyed a nice dinner. BUT - the charge ended up on my account.  2 nights in a row I brought it up to the Casino host, AND to guest services.  As of today - 9 days post cruise, the $100 charge never got taken off my account.  SO - paid for a $100 meal (not even any wine!), that I would not have otherwise have booked.  I'm still pretty miffed about that.

I would be too! You do have recourse. It’s another case of being charged for something you didn’t authorize so if I were you I would contact HAL and let them know that you will give them one more chance to correct the error before disputing the charge on your credit card. Then, follow the dispute process if they don’t fix it.