On-Line Booking Requests: Anyone Get Response?

[mike14c]

There is certainly no shortage of complaining about Cunard shoreside service, particularly the 800 number, and I have had my run ins, too. But I am suprised that a recent booking request submitted through the Cunard US website received no response whatsoever (except the bounce back e-mail saying it was received and would be attended to promptly.)

 

Has anybody had any success with an online booking request? I know UK customers can book online directly, but for US customers, a failure to respond to a booking request isn't just bad service, its bad commerce. Should I be suprised??

[godfreyb]

DOn't want to misdirect this thread but I think this problem is related:

 

I registered with SailMail when we first cruised on Cunard and always received regular mailings with various offers etc. About 9 months ago these mailings ceased. Because we had missed a deal offer and had just found out about another deal from my TA which we took up, and then reading on these boards that other people were receiving deal offers in the US, I was determined to get to the bottom of it. I reregistered for SailMail and received a response saying that they had no trace of my World Club number (the Princessified one) and to contact them. Calling earlier this week, I found that both our booked cruises had our new (Princessified) World Club Number and that we were gold members. When the agent contacted the World Club department, I was told that their computers were down for the whole day and to call back tomorrow. I did and the (not as helpful) agent looked at the computer and said that there was no email address against my World Club number and that is why I never received any more emails with offers.

 

Questions:

 

1. Is that really the answer? - don't know until a few weeks have gone by to see if there are any mailings

2. Did changing the new numbers to the Princessified ones remove my email? - if so why is no one else affected?

3. Why is World Club not bothered that this is happening? - we would have definetely gone on one cruise if we had received notice that there was an offer.

 

I sort of ignored the importance of World Club until we booked a 2007 cruise at brochure early booking prices and unexpectedly received a 5% discount which is I realized a World Club benefit.

[Spike_Spiegel]

Mike -

 

I, too, was a little concerned at first when the online request took a little longer than I thought it should to generate a full response ... HOWEVER -

 

Since then, I have been nothing but impressed with Cunard and their customer service. I have received very complete mailings, emails with confirmations and changes, and good attention to detail by my personal "Cruise Vacation Planner" (Dianne ... if she is assigned to you, tell her you heard good things about her on Cruise Critic!).

 

Perhaps a little slow out of the gate, yes, but once things got rolling, they have done an excellent job!

 

(As they say ... YMMV ...)

 

- Spike