Princess - PLEASE help, outsourced customer service is absurd

[suekel]

I find I get the most help when I reach out to them on Twitter.  They often have someone call me.  

[Abd213]

I kid you not, last week the Call Center told me I just don't know how to read. My birthday is incorrect on my Account (NOT my booking). He kept insisting the booking was correct. Well it is Jack ***! It's on my account. So I can't link the two. After 2 weeks of failed attempts I hit them on Social Media. Probably not what they want with all of the other press they currently have. Well I received a call yesterday that it was fixed... They blamed my travel agent. Guess what... Still not fixed.

 

After reading this and all of the post cruise billing issues, I am definitely rethinking my December Cruise. I am not sure that you can win regardless with this company, Somehow when initially booked they cancelled my cruise, but nobody seems to know why. Travel Agent says it was Princess and Princess says Travel Agent. So who knows.

[TRLD]

22 hours ago, Ombud said:

Here's how: call 1(800) 901-1172 like most of us are suggesting. It really doesn't matter that you didn't book with a CVP ... A good one (and most are) will answer your concern. (Just wondering, is this about Sun Princess cancelations?) 

Not so much anymore. These days CVPs will deal with cruises they book, or with cruises final payments are made through them, but not so much for general problem resolution or where bookings were made either via the web site or customer service.

 

They started to be more focused about the same time that ONE took over ship based future cruise sales.

[Ombud]

5 minutes ago, TRLD said:

Not so much anymore. These days CVPs will deal with cruises they book, or with cruises final payments are made through them, but not so much for general problem resolution or where bookings were made either via the web site or customer service.

 

They started to be more focused about the same time that ONE took over ship based future cruise sales.

My CVP handles all my booking issues even those that I booked with M.R. before the pandemic. I requested / got her in 2022. I'm sailing on my final redeployed one next month (Australia delayed / redeployed by PCL from Nov 2020) but she still helps with flights, releasing overpayment due to those flights coming down in price, hotel reservations, etc 

 

M.R. had autopayment set up to pay off on final payment date when she booked it in 2019

 

 

Edited February 22 by Ombud

[MacMadame]

1 minute ago, TRLD said:

Not so much anymore. These days CVPs will deal with cruises they book, or with cruises final payments are made through them, but not so much for general problem resolution or where bookings were made either via the web site or customer service.

 

They started to be more focused about the same time that ONE took over ship based future cruise sales.

I got a re-fare through a CVP two weeks ago for a cruise that I booked myself online. Final payment is in Oct. and I'm nowhere near paying it. 🤷‍♂️

[Firefly74]

4 minutes ago, TRLD said:

Not so much anymore. These days CVPs will deal with cruises they book, or with cruises final payments are made through them, but not so much for general problem resolution or where bookings were made either via the web site or customer service.

 

They started to be more focused about the same time that ONE took over ship based future cruise sales.

Maybe that happens with some CVPs. It has not been my experience, not ecen within the last six months.

[TRLD]

2 hours ago, MacMadame said:

I got a re-fare through a CVP two weeks ago for a cruise that I booked myself online. Final payment is in Oct. and I'm nowhere near paying it. 🤷‍♂️

But you refared. As far as credit goes that is the same as a new booking since refares these days are basically cancellation and new booking under current terms.

 

 

[TRLD]

2 hours ago, Firefly74 said:

Maybe that happens with some CVPs. It has not been my experience, not ecen within the last six months.

Are you calling the same one?  which might do it because of the existing relationship or just talking to random CVPs?

[Ombud]

1 minute ago, TRLD said:

But you refared. As far as credit goes that is the same as a new booking since refares these days are basically cancellation and new booking under current terms.

 

 

I NEVER refared as each time PCL redeployed me they added days at the same price. My 10 day cruise is now a 22 day cruise at the same price. But they've had my $$s since 2019

[Kellyann]

Wouldn't it be nice if a Princess executive posted on C.C. why on earth they have employees who hardly speak the language and can only read from a script like a robot.  I had only sailed Princess once 20 years ago and decided to book their trans-Atlantic in May.  I called the number posted not realizing they also had Cruise Planners who spoke English and cared about their clients.  It doesn't matter how wonderful the upcoming cruise is, I will never cruise with Princess again.  If there are so many people complaining about their offshore agents, then why in God's name do they even have them.  They cause more aggravation and frustration and I wonder how many others will never sail with them again for this reason.  They are awful and after spending hours trying to book a cruise (tears and all), I am so done with Princess.  

[Firefly74]

20 minutes ago, TRLD said:

Are you calling the same one?  which might do it because of the existing relationship or just talking to random CVPs?

I called one, didn’t think much of that person, thanked her and hung up. Called a few weeks later, got a better one and now use her exclusively.

[voljeep]

when is the cruise and how much is the deposit?

[PalmHarborCruiser]

I am also feeling the pain of trying to get information from the 800 number. Not only are they impossible to understand they have 15 people behind them talking at the same time making it even more difficult to understand them. So I did as suggest and requested a CVP, this isn't any better. Same hard to understand individual with a zillion people talking behind them, I'm am so beyond frustrated at this point.

[startedwithamouse]

28 minutes ago, Kellyann said:

Wouldn't it be nice if a Princess executive posted on C.C. why on earth they have employees who hardly speak the language and can only read from a script like a robot.  I had only sailed Princess once 20 years ago and decided to book their trans-Atlantic in May.  I called the number posted not realizing they also had Cruise Planners who spoke English and cared about their clients.  It doesn't matter how wonderful the upcoming cruise is, I will never cruise with Princess again.  If there are so many people complaining about their offshore agents, then why in God's name do they even have them.  They cause more aggravation and frustration and I wonder how many others will never sail with them again for this reason.  They are awful and after spending hours trying to book a cruise (tears and all), I am so done with Princess.  

You do realize they speak English? Heavily accented English. And call centers in foreign countries make pennies compared to what a American worker would. 

[startedwithamouse]

Why aren't people using a TA? It's a free service!

[cruisinsince75]

15 minutes ago, PalmHarborCruiser said:

I am also feeling the pain of trying to get information from the 800 number. Not only are they impossible to understand they have 15 people behind them talking at the same time making it even more difficult to understand them. So I did as suggest and requested a CVP, this isn't any better. Same hard to understand individual with a zillion people talking behind them, I'm am so beyond frustrated at this point.

I had a similar experience with customer service line.  Had to ask them several times to repeat what they were saying.  Ultimately, I was told that my booking could not be re-fared.  Same happened on chat.  Finally got a CVP and he got it all sorted out.

[PalmHarborCruiser]

5 minutes ago, cruisinsince75 said:

I had a similar experience with customer service line.  Had to ask them several times to repeat what they were saying.  Ultimately, I was told that my booking could not be re-fared.  Same happened on chat.  Finally got a CVP and he got it all sorted out.

I did finally get a CVP. Turns out she's the same one we had 3 cruises back. Quite frankly I figured she had moved on since then but apparently not. Wow, what a difference. Thanks for everyone's suggestions about the CVP, I would have given up on what I was trying to do otherwise. We really love cruising with Princess but by god they need to do something about the 800 line.

[memoak]

2 hours ago, Kellyann said:

Wouldn't it be nice if a Princess executive posted on C.C. why on earth they have employees who hardly speak the language and can only read from a script like a robot.  I had only sailed Princess once 20 years ago and decided to book their trans-Atlantic in May.  I called the number posted not realizing they also had Cruise Planners who spoke English and cared about their clients.  It doesn't matter how wonderful the upcoming cruise is, I will never cruise with Princess again.  If there are so many people complaining about their offshore agents, then why in God's name do they even have them.  They cause more aggravation and frustration and I wonder how many others will never sail with them again for this reason.  They are awful and after spending hours trying to book a cruise (tears and all), I am so done with Princess.  

If you stopped doing business with any company that uses offshore call centers you would probably be back to the dark ages. Many many companies use them. Princess does have the option of using US based CVP’s and why people don’t use the or a TA is beyond me

Edited February 22 by memoak

[Princessfan20]

What some people seem to be saying is that there has been a noticeable change for the worse in Princess' customer service in the last couple of years.  Not all call centers are created equal and theirs  is definitely the worst offshore call center I have ever had to deal with.  Playing CVP roulette is not all it is made out to be either at Princess.  It is a definite deterioration of their product compared to other travel companies we use these days. 

[memoak]

3 hours ago, TRLD said:

Not so much anymore. These days CVPs will deal with cruises they book, or with cruises final payments are made through them, but not so much for general problem resolution or where bookings were made either via the web site or customer service.

 

They started to be more focused about the same time that ONE took over ship based future cruise sales.

We have had the same CVP for years and she feels with all of our issues.  She has fix problems that were caused by the funky future cruise group (ONE) and casino department. 

[TRLD]

7 hours ago, Ombud said:

I NEVER refared as each time PCL redeployed me they added days at the same price. My 10 day cruise is now a 22 day cruise at the same price. But they've had my $$s since 2019

Was it the PCL you booked with, or originally booked with a PCL that is nolonger with the company. The OP booked through customer service, not with PCL. 

[Ombud]

@TRLD my original CVP retired 12/2021 and my booking has NOT been reassigned to my new CVP. So she doesn't get credit for anything she does with it  .... a voyage with a booking # that is all letters / no numbers

 

I had an absolute nightmare useless waste of oxygen one between my retired and my current CVP who only wanted me to contact her once a week at night about 1 cruise at a time. At that time I had 6 bookings, right now I only have 4. Yeah -- she was less than useless but that's a different story

 

ADDING: the ONLY WAY op will know if they will help is to call them and stop trying to reinvent the wheel

 

JMHO 

Edited February 23 by Ombud

[ebeluga]

Yes, the call center is terrible. Since I can hardly understand them and they read from a script anyway, so I just do chat now. And usually the only thing I ask them via chat to handle is either requesting a cabin change or cancel my booking. They can't handle anything beyond simple tasks. I have absolute no confidence of the info they provide so I don't even ask.

[leck57]

On 2/22/2024 at 9:03 AM, memoak said:

You need a CVP. And just what is your exact issue ?

 

A CVP may not be the solution anymore. I've never had/used a CVP but recently I received an email from a supposed CVP (I had entered a Princess competition but had given them a "junk mail" email address as I expected to get the usual marketing follow ups) and this guy introduced himself as my new CVP. He is based in the Phillipines, with I suspect, the rest of the Princess off shore call centre incompetence. I was thinking of finding a CVP as I haven't been impressed lately with my TA but I wouldn't want a CVP who has probably never set foot on a cruise ship.

[MacMadame]

 

3 hours ago, memoak said:

If you stopped doing business with any company that uses offshore call centers you would probably be back to the dark ages. Many many companies use them. Princess does have the option of using US based CVP’s and why people don’t use the or a TA is beyond me

I was on a general CC forum and someone was complaining about the NCL call center. Same complaints as here. It really does seem to be the way of things these days.

 

The reason I didn't use a TA is that I couldn't figure out which ones are good and which ones aren't. So I just booked myself.