Welcome home voucher disappoints

[Redtravel]

We took a cruise in June. We didn’t book any future cruises on that cruise. Shortly after returning home( July 1, 2023)we got a nice welcome home letter that had an offer of $200 off any booking made within 45 days of returning home.  Nice gesture.  We looked at future cruises, called our TA, booked a cruise, and told her about the $200 coupon.  That was July 2023.  She said that she would send us an updated invoice as soon as Oceania applied the $200.  Hasn’t happened. We are almost at final payment. Spoke to TA. She said that Oceania thinks we booked onboard and will not honor the $200 coupon. TA knows that this isn’t true.  Has anyone else had any problem with the welcome home voucher?   My TA increased OBC to cover the $200.  

[shepherd really]

Your travel agent screwed up, that's where the blame should be placed.

[Redtravel]

1 hour ago, shepherd really said:

Your travel agent screwed up, that's where the blame should be placed.

I don’t think so. My TA has always been excellent in making arrangements.  Oceania insists that we booked onboard. While we sometimes do book onboard, we didn’t that time.  In June, there was a hint ,but not much info about Simply More. On the June cruise, we did inquire about it. Future cruise person said that they didn’t or wouldn’t give us info about Simply More. She only said that it would be better. That’s why we didn’t make a future booking on the ship.  Once we got home, we got all the details about Simply More. We got the welcome home offer.  For us, Simply More was good for the cruise that we wanted to book.  It was a Med cruise with ports that had interesting excursions.  We booked.

 

 

 

[shepherd really]

1 hour ago, Redtravel said:

I don’t think so. My TA has always been excellent in making arrangements.  Oceania insists that we booked onboard. While we sometimes do book onboard, we didn’t that time.  In June, there was a hint ,but not much info about Simply More. On the June cruise, we did inquire about it. Future cruise person said that they didn’t or wouldn’t give us info about Simply More. She only said that it would be better. That’s why we didn’t make a future booking on the ship.  Once we got home, we got all the details about Simply More. We got the welcome home offer.  For us, Simply More was good for the cruise that we wanted to book.  It was a Med cruise with ports that had interesting excursions.  We booked.

 

 

 

If she didn't send that $200 voucher in to Oceania, they aren't going to honor it.  

 

What is more likely,

 

Your TA made a mistake, understandably doesn't want to fess up, but made you whole by giving you $200.

 

or

 

Oceania won't honor their own coupon which they send out by the tens of thousands?  

 

It could be either one.  I'd lean towards the former, with no malice towards your TA, but reasonable people can disagree on this.

 

 

[Sthrngary]

2 hours ago, Redtravel said:

We took a cruise in June. We didn’t book any future cruises on that cruise. Shortly after returning home( July 1, 2023) we got a nice welcome home letter that had an offer of $200 off any booking made within 45 days of returning home.  Nice gesture.  We looked at future cruises, called our TA, booked a cruise, and told her about the $200 coupon.  That was July 2023.  She said that she would send us an updated invoice as soon as Oceania applied the $200.  Hasn’t happened. We are almost at final payment. Spoke to TA. She said that Oceania thinks we booked onboard and will not honor the $200 coupon. TA knows that this isn’t true.  Has anyone else had any problem with the welcome home voucher?   My TA increased OBC to cover the $200.  

@shepherd really comment makes the most sense.  This seems like a travel agent issues.  Here is what I did.  I actually booked onboard, called my agent and asked if the $200.00 coupon would work for me.  The answer was "NO".  Not combinable.  I figured as much.  But again, I booked on the ship.

 

This leads me to something that just happened.  I asked to upgrade at my total expense to a Penthouse.  I got all the benefits as I did when I booked the Concierge Level when I the ship.  My agent sent me an invoice.  I noticed the $500.00 down payment given on the ship was not showing.  I immediately contacted the agent and I got another invoice within a day.

 

Agents are not perfect even if they are great agents.  When we make a request and it is not confirmed in writing within a week, we have to follow up.  Shame we have to do this but it seems to be the rules to the game.  

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment. 

 

[AMHuntFerry]

5 hours ago, Redtravel said:

 Has anyone else had any problem with the welcome home voucher?  

No, it has worked fine for us, but the Original certificate must be mailed to O (keep a copy). When my TA tried to just give her O-rep the certificate's number, they told her that it has to be mailed.

[Flatbush Flyer]

8 hours ago, Redtravel said:

I don’t think so. My TA has always been excellent in making arrangements.  Oceania insists that we booked onboard. While we sometimes do book onboard, we didn’t that time.  In June, there was a hint ,but not much info about Simply More. On the June cruise, we did inquire about it. Future cruise person said that they didn’t or wouldn’t give us info about Simply More. She only said that it would be better. That’s why we didn’t make a future booking on the ship.  Once we got home, we got all the details about Simply More. We got the welcome home offer.  For us, Simply More was good for the cruise that we wanted to book.  It was a Med cruise with ports that had interesting excursions.  We booked.

 

 

 

Your original (first) O invoice will clear things up because it will show both the deposit date and amount along with the date of the invoice and the name of whoever booked it.

[kibutzer]

On 1/27/2024 at 7:43 AM, Redtravel said:

We took a cruise in June. We didn’t book any future cruises on that cruise. Shortly after returning home( July 1, 2023)we got a nice welcome home letter that had an offer of $200 off any booking made within 45 days of returning home.  Nice gesture.  We looked at future cruises, called our TA, booked a cruise, and told her about the $200 coupon.  That was July 2023.  She said that she would send us an updated invoice as soon as Oceania applied the $200.  Hasn’t happened. We are almost at final payment. Spoke to TA. She said that Oceania thinks we booked onboard and will not honor the $200 coupon. TA knows that this isn’t true.  Has anyone else had any problem with the welcome home voucher?   My TA increased OBC to cover the $200.  

Happened to us once, we always save our final statement. So if needed our agent would have proof we did not use FCC. Our agent was persistent and we received our FCC with 4 weeks of questioning.  They said they had to wait till our onboarding account was audited.