Trouble with onboard credit

[jlnprt]

Currently aboard Nieuw Statendam and we're getting the "run around" regarding on-board credit. We had on-board credit from our travel agent (big box one if that matters) as well as additional amounts from stock credit and future cruise credits, etc. It's not all showing up. I've been to guest services 3 times and they still haven't solved the issue. They said they've emailed Seattle and are waiting for a response. I think what is confusing the issue is that the credit from out travel agent seems to be the same amount as the total of the other credits and two of the guest services reps have tried to convince me that it's all there, but I brought documentation.  One of them scanned the documents and sent them to Seattle. They said there's no reason to come back to guest services as they will contact me when they've heard back. We are now at the midway point of our cruise and I think I need to push the issue. Any suggestions on next steps?

[Mary229]

Can your agent help?   Future cruise credits are not OBC so quit worrying about that or do you mean the OBC from the future cruise deposit.  The Stockholder OBC will only be assigned to one person.  Do you have the the HAL booking confirmation?  That is where you see OBC 

[jlnprt]

Oops, yes I meant obc from future cruise deposit. I brought the confirmation of stockholder credit as well as copy of the original booking. Travel agent sent me a copy of the confirmation as well, which I showed to guest services. The first person I talked to gave me a sticky note with a list of the on-board credit pm our account but that didn't include the travel agent's obc.

[Mary229]

Did the travel agent OBC appear on the confirmation? If I am understanding you have the HAL confirmation and it shows both the shareholder and the FCD OBC?  What is missing is the TA’s OBC, correct?

[Alberta Quilter]

If the big box TA is the one that sells $1.50 hot dogs, isn’t their perk a shop card instead of OBC?  Or is it different where you’re from?

[BSR]

56 minutes ago, jlnprt said:

Currently aboard Nieuw Statendam and we're getting the "run around" regarding on-board credit. We had on-board credit from our travel agent (big box one if that matters) as well as additional amounts from stock credit and future cruise credits, etc. It's not all showing up. I've been to guest services 3 times and they still haven't solved the issue. They said they've emailed Seattle and are waiting for a response. I think what is confusing the issue is that the credit from out travel agent seems to be the same amount as the total of the other credits and two of the guest services reps have tried to convince me that it's all there, but I brought documentation.  One of them scanned the documents and sent them to Seattle. They said there's no reason to come back to guest services as they will contact me when they've heard back. We are now at the midway point of our cruise and I think I need to push the issue. Any suggestions on next steps?

I had the exact same problem you mentioned.  They kept saying all my OBC, stock credit,  FCC and AARP is on our account except it wasn't.  I went to guest services 4 times and showed my documentation.  They kept saying they sent emails to Seattle and it showed the same.  Next they said they tried to call the big box and could never get an answer.  When I returned home I called several times to get it resolved and finally they said they would give me a FCC and it would appear on my account.  When I went to book another cruise it wasn't there.   I called again and now they told me I received everything I was entitled to.  I was so upset with the whole way this was handled on the ship and with the big box.   Never booking with them again. 

 

I wish you luck and hopefully you will have a  better experience than I did.  Let me if it works out. 

[Lido deck main]

20 minutes ago, BSR said:

I had the exact same problem you mentioned.  They kept saying all my OBC, stock credit,  FCC and AARP is on our account except it wasn't.  I went to guest services 4 times and showed my documentation.  They kept saying they sent emails to Seattle and it showed the same.  Next they said they tried to call the big box and could never get an answer.  When I returned home I called several times to get it resolved and finally they said they would give me a FCC and it would appear on my account.  When I went to book another cruise it wasn't there.   I called again and now they told me I received everything I was entitled to.  I was so upset with the whole way this was handled on the ship and with the big box.   Never booking with them again. 

 

I wish you luck and hopefully you will have a  better experience than I did.  Let me if it works out. 

I book with big box, I can log into my account, see the invoice open it up and can check all the onboard credit, I.e. check to see the shareholder and AARP has been added, I do that before the cruise,  I also print that sheet off to bring with me.  The onboard credit I get from big box does not come via cash o.b.c, on the ship but via a shop card only, they send an email indicating shop card is available, I can also go online and view all my shop cards.  I am in Canada and we get shop cards, I just checked for U.S. customers from what I can see it might be shop cards there as well.  It changed I think in the last five years we used to get cash on board credit, now just shop cards.

[BSR]

2 minutes ago, Lido deck main said:

I book with big box, I can log into my account, see the invoice open it up and can check all the onboard credit, I.e. check to see the shareholder and AARP has been added, I do that before the cruise,  I also print that sheet off to bring with me.  The onboard credit I get from big box does not come via cash o.b.c, on the ship but via a shop card only, they send an email indicating shop card is available, I can also go online and view all my shop cards.  I am in Canada and we get shop cards, I just checked for U.S. customers from what I can see it might be shop cards there as well.  It changed I think in the last five years we used to get cash on board credit, now just shop cards.

I had all my documentation from the big box showing what we were supposed to receive.  We got OBC as some kind of promotion they were offering and also the shop card.  Guest services couldn't do the math to see that we were missing some OBC.  I even highlighted it and went line by line with them.  Did this with several different people. They really didn't care or tried to see what was missing and kept saying they had to verify it with the Seattle office. 

[Lido deck main]

20 minutes ago, BSR said:

I had all my documentation from the big box showing what we were supposed to receive.  We got OBC as some kind of promotion they were offering and also the shop card.  Guest services couldn't do the math to see that we were missing some OBC.  I even highlighted it and went line by line with them.  Did this with several different people. They really didn't care or tried to see what was missing and kept saying they had to verify it with the Seattle office. 

I missed that extra promotion I booked two cruises in May 2024 one for July 2024 and the other for October 2024.  That promotion here in Canada came out first or second week in June for new cruises. Promotion was just on for a week.  Hopefully you get everything that is due.

[BSR]

6 minutes ago, Lido deck main said:

I missed that extra promotion I booked two cruises in May 2024 one for July 2024 and the other for October 2024.  That promotion here in Canada came out first or second week in June for new cruises. Promotion was just on for a week.  Hopefully you get everything that is due.

Cruise is long over.  Big box took back the FCC offer that they promised us.  I made several calls and spent way too much time on trying to get what we were entitled to.  Not booking with them again.  

[KAKcruiser]

It always amazes me how much trouble you have to go through just to get what you are entitled to.  And, no matter how hard you try, sometimes it just doesn't work out.  I agree that you shouldn't book with them again.

[Blackduck59]

2 hours ago, BSR said:

I had all my documentation from the big box showing what we were supposed to receive.  We got OBC as some kind of promotion they were offering and also the shop card.  Guest services couldn't do the math to see that we were missing some OBC.  I even highlighted it and went line by line with them.  Did this with several different people. They really didn't care or tried to see what was missing and kept saying they had to verify it with the Seattle office. 

So I take it the OBC you are fighting for is from the "Big Box" TA? I which case it has nothing to do with HAL, you are talking to the wrong people. You should be talking to the TA. HAL is not going to give you a credit from an outside source if the outside source hasn't forwarded the "Credit" to the ship. I have some OBC coming from my TA (I don't know how much) and if they don't notify HAL then I will contact my TA and get it sorted.

[jlnprt]

Thanks for all of the responses. The big box TA is indeed the home of the cheap hot dogs. The past couple of cruises, we've received a shop card instead of obc. This cruise lists both. Guest services put my call through to the big box TA and they said they could see the obc on their end and emailed me the document. I showed it to guest services. The last person I talked to assured me that they should have a response by yesterday. It's not the end of the world, but I'd definitely like to get everything we're supposed to get without so much difficulty.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

I wish we could see our OBC before the cruise. , How it is broken up ..

[Mary229]

5 minutes ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

I wish we could see our OBC before the cruise. , How it is broken up ..

You can see OBC before the cruise.  It is on your HAL confirmation form aka the “HAL Invoice”.   I always have my TA send me the final rendition after final payment.  

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

4 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

You can see OBC before the cruise.  It is on your HAL confirmation form aka the “HAL Invoice”.   I always have my TA send me the final rendition after final payment.  

Yes you are correct , I am saying it would be nice to see how it breaks down.

[Mary229]

Just now, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

Yes you are correct , I am saying it would be nice to see how it breaks down.

Yes, it would be and it would solve the OP’s dilemma 

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Just now, Mary229 said:

Yes, it would be and it would solve the OP’s dilemma 

You could have 7 different types OBC.  and some have no Codes .

[ontheweb]

7 hours ago, Blackduck59 said:

So I take it the OBC you are fighting for is from the "Big Box" TA? I which case it has nothing to do with HAL, you are talking to the wrong people. You should be talking to the TA. HAL is not going to give you a credit from an outside source if the outside source hasn't forwarded the "Credit" to the ship. I have some OBC coming from my TA (I don't know how much) and if they don't notify HAL then I will contact my TA and get it sorted.

Our TA once told me if we ever had this type of problem onboard instead of wasting time fighting them, contact him afterwards and let him sort it out.

[Alberta Quilter]

6 hours ago, jlnprt said:

Thanks for all of the responses. The big box TA is indeed the home of the cheap hot dogs. The past couple of cruises, we've received a shop card instead of obc. This cruise lists both. Guest services put my call through to the big box TA and they said they could see the obc on their end and emailed me the document. I showed it to guest services. The last person I talked to assured me that they should have a response by yesterday. It's not the end of the world, but I'd definitely like to get everything we're supposed to get without so much difficulty.

The only thing I can think of that may be the confusion, because I also book through the same TA, is that they show HAL's OBC on their confirmation as well as the shop card info.  On your confirmation, is there a third line stating the TA OBC amount?  I've not seen them offer OBC in addition to the shop card; it was one or the other.  But I haven't cruised in a long time so I could be wrong.

 

At any rate, I hope you get this sorted out.  It's not an enjoyable way to spend one's vacation time.

[SeaMatesNYC]

If you’ve not already done so, I would recommend that you write up all your issue (along with a synopsis of the fruitless visits to Guest Services) and submit in both Let Us Know via Navigator as well as to Guest Relations in Seattle via email along with all your documentation, thus creating a paper trail, and then hopefully enjoy the remainder of your trip. Getting satisfaction from onboard seems a dwindling prospect at this point given their deflection to “Seattle.”  Just my opinions based upon similar experiences. 

[Fouremco]

1 hour ago, SeaMatesNYC said:

If you’ve not already done so, I would recommend that you write up all your issue (along with a synopsis of the fruitless visits to Guest Services) and submit in both Let Us Know via Navigator as well as to Guest Relations in Seattle via email along with all your documentation, thus creating a paper trail, and then hopefully enjoy the remainder of your trip. Getting satisfaction from onboard seems a dwindling prospect at this point given their deflection to “Seattle.”  Just my opinions based upon similar experiences. 

I agree totally. 

 

A number of years ago, when booking, we had our pick of several perks offered by the cruise line, including our choice, a beverage package. When we boarded, however, we found out that due to a slip up by our then TA, we didn't have the beverage package. We approached guest services, who agreed that we were entitled to this perk, but couldn't give it to us without HQ giving them the ok. They contacted HQ, but the response was that it was the TA's mistake and that they weren't going to give us the package. Guest services were visibly embarrassed by this decision, but couldn't override it.

 

To your point, I had documented everything, including the cost of all of the beverages that we had purchased, and post-cruise wrote to the office of the CEO explaining the situation and asking for resolution. As a result, we were awarded a beverage package for our next cruise. When we had had to cancel that cruise, they were good enough to shift it to a future cruise.

 

In the OP's shoes, I'd keep track of all onboard purchases, but otherwise just enjoy the cruise and wait until afterwards to try to settle the issue.

[Hlitner]

15 hours ago, BSR said:

I had the exact same problem you mentioned.  They kept saying all my OBC, stock credit,  FCC and AARP is on our account except it wasn't.  I went to guest services 4 times and showed my documentation.  They kept saying they sent emails to Seattle and it showed the same.  Next they said they tried to call the big box and could never get an answer.  When I returned home I called several times to get it resolved and finally they said they would give me a FCC and it would appear on my account.  When I went to book another cruise it wasn't there.   I called again and now they told me I received everything I was entitled to.  I was so upset with the whole way this was handled on the ship and with the big box.   Never booking with them again. 

 

I wish you luck and hopefully you will have a  better experience than I did.  Let me if it works out. 

We have previously posted our experience that just about everything involving HAL onboard accounts and their accounting system is simply awful.  Whether it be an issue with OBC, overcharges onboard (we had 11 on our last HAL cruise), and the less than helpful attitude of Guest Services (ie. "we will send an e-mail" to somebody), it has been an ongoing issue for about as long as we have cruised on HAL (about 30 years).   Regarding the OBC issue, it has happened to us, and since we use very customer oriented cruise agencies (not big box stores) we have only been able to get things fixed by calling or e-mailing our cruise agency!  They, in turn, must call their contacts at HAL and get things fixed!

 

A few years ago, when I posted about HAL accounting errors, I mentioned that we have never heard of an error in the favor of the passenger.  Some other posters think that is deliberate and others think it is just accounting incompetence.  

 

Our only suggestion to the OP is do not give up and try to seek help from your cruise agency. 

 

Hank