RCI ''Customer Service''

[Rala]

Yeah, I've read the thread. I understand the situation and how it happened. I'll probably try another cruise at some point with the lessons I've learned. It won't be for a while though since this experience left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

 

Please don't paint all of RCI with the same brush. It seems a little over the top to say you'll never "set foot on another RCI ship" because of the less than cordial personalities of a couple of port agents. You are sort of "cutting off your nose to spite your face". If I were you, I would get another TA who plays by the rules and I am sure you'll be much happier with RCI. I will agree that they could have been a little more helpful with information, but it was not their fault that you owed the additional money.

[madforcruising]

I seem to remember that if you are booked under a discount that you are not eligible for, that you have to pay the difference between what you paid and whatever the most recent rate for the category of cabin you booked is. If Kaida paid $1400 pp and the going rate went up to $1800 pp in the interim then that accounts for the $800 extra.

 

Sue L... is this assumption correct or am I all wet?? (It wouldn't be the first time, BTW!!!)

cruiseloverandagent...any thoughts on this theory from your experience?

 

Thanks for trying to explain, I did understand and am well aware of the discounted part not being eligible for. I just don´t get how they think that owing $300 is ok, but another $500 is overcharge:confused:

 

But anyway it´s not really important.:)

[wolfganghowell]

kaida and brodel - so very sorry your first experience was such a mess. Try to see it from RCI's perspective - you were attempting to board using a rate that did not apply to you. They had no idea you had been victimized by your TA and they are under strict policies on how to handle this type of situation. Your TA should have caught that rate restriction. She should have read the papers before handing them off to you - that is a basic job requirement. The fault is completely with the TA. not the cruise line. Again, I'm sorry for the rotten parts of your trip but hope your next vacation is a lot more fun. And Citibank should be able to easily solve the fraudulent charge and get that cleared up. When it rains, it pours!

[Texaspepper]

One of the principal rules to follow when receiving travel documents....Read, read and check every line of info. Since we are Crown & Anchor members, our age rate is an automatic plug in from RCL.

[brodel]

Try Scope . .just kidding:). . .Hey, don't give up cruising over this one post. . .Look. . .wife and I were on the RCL Voyager Of The Seas 15 Day Barcelona to Galveston, TX. Booked an inside room. .room had a engine or boiler rumble noise. Went to Guest Services and next day a very helpful GS Agent moved us to a balcony room on deck 6 plus sent a porter to move every thing on hanger and suit cases -NO upgrade fee what so ever, just a great GS Agent. On our next Voyager OTS Feb 1, 2009 out of Galveston, the same GS Agent, Anita saw us and called us by name. . .next day sent a bottle of wine to our stateroom welcoming us back on board. Good Customer Service!

That does sound awesome! We couldn't even get a curtain fixed so the light from the hallway wouldn't keep Kaida awake.. :(

 

 

How would you react, if you were selling a product and somebody tried to fraudulently pay less for the product than they should, this is what you were doing, trying to get a rate that you were not entitled to and save yourself $800. If I was the cruiseline, I would have been very unhappy with you and do as they did, demand the money that had been stolen from them, and to which they were entitled.

 

Now if the fraud was commited by you or by your travel agent only you will know, if the fraud was commited by the TA then only they will know if it was intentional or not.

Ahh.. ok I see your argument. It's much easier to treat people like they're crooks instead of customers as long as the outcome is favorable for you.

 

Nobody stole money from you (I´m not talking about the fraudulent CC charge here). They simply charged you what you owed. It´s not the cruise lines fault your TA gave you a quote for a rate you were not eligible for. This would have happened to you with any other cruise line as well.

 

If they had only charged us what we owed (at the time the mistake was found to be the discount misapplied) then I would have had no issue because it's completely understandable to ask someone to pay the difference after pointing out the mistake. If this was done, we would have had less on the trip, but I couldn't fault the company for that.

 

What actually happened was them saying you didn't get the rate you were supposed to and oh by the way now you're going to pay the rate as if you hadn't booked months in advance and we're charging you the rate for right now. The excuse I keep hearing for this is "it's the company policy" if royal is that inflexible and \ or doesn't see the problem with that, then I'm sure things like this and people with similar experiences have caused others to move on to other cruise lines where people are customers and not bank accounts.

 

Thanks for trying to explain, I did understand and am well aware of the discounted part not being eligible for. I just don´t get how they think that owing $300 is ok, but another $500 is overcharge:confused:

 

But anyway it´s not really important.:)

 

Sorry if it wasn't clear.. but $300 was the difference due to the mistake that got us the discount we weren't truly eligible for, the extra $500 was due to the fact the rate had changed from our time of booking.

 

And Citibank should be able to easily solve the fraudulent charge and get that cleared up. When it rains, it pours!

I'm hoping Citibank can help, but I'm not sure what they can do. If they can do anything then that will be one heck of a feat in my eyes.

 

Edit: I just realized you meant the charge on the card for the store on board.. sorry I was thinking of the other situation.

[madforcruising]

Sorry if it wasn't clear.. but $300 was the difference due to the mistake that got us the discount we weren't truly eligible for, the extra $500 was due to the fact the rate had changed from our time of booking.

 

Thanks, now I finally understand where that $300 / $500 statement comes from.:)

[madforcruising]

If they had only charged us what we owed (at the time the mistake was found to be the discount misapplied) then I would have had no issue because it's completely understandable to ask someone to pay the difference after pointing out the mistake. If this was done, we would have had less on the trip, but I couldn't fault the company for that.

 

What actually happened was them saying you didn't get the rate you were supposed to and oh by the way now you're going to pay the rate as if you hadn't booked months in advance and we're charging you the rate for right now. The excuse I keep hearing for this is "it's the company policy" if royal is that inflexible and \ or doesn't see the problem with that, then I'm sure things like this and people with similar experiences have caused others to move on to other cruise lines where people are customers and not bank accounts.

 

The time they found out you had booked under a rate you didn´t qualify for was at check-in. Not at time of booking. As mentioned earlier if you book a discounted rate like senior or residency, the check-in at the pier is the point you have to proof that you qualify for this rate. It´s not checked at the time of booking, final payment or when your cruise docs are issued. So it´s the going rate at that moment that will apply.

With the ever changing rates it would be hard to know what rates were given at the time of your booking.

On another thought what if the price had gone down from the rate you had originally booked at. Would the policy still be bad?

 

Are you sure that other cruise lines would have handled this way differently? Seriously I don´t know the policies of the other lines regarding this, but it wouldn´t surprise me if they did the same thing.

[BecciBoo]

 

 

Well they shouldn't be bugging us about it since the issue is either with the TA or RCI's inability to fix the situation and / or prevent it from happening in the first place. For me, it's a lesson learned for our next cruise(s), and it just narrows down the next search for a cruise since I'll never step on another RCI owned ship.

 

They can keep the money they effectively stole, but they've lost much more in return since anyone I know that mentions going on a cruise will get a rundown on how they may be treated. I'm quite sick of telling this story and harping on this issue, but I'll tell it over and over again to make sure no one I know gives money to this group of thugs.

 

BF...if you would look at the issue from the perspective of RCCL, you'd see that in their possition...Two people who are not eligible for a senior discount (no matter how that happened) tried to board with a set sail pass that they were not eligilble for, therefore, they were charged the original price of their cabin, which they certainly DID INDEED owe RCCL. They did not steal anything, they simply charged you the correct passage. It's that simple. There were hundreds of others who sailed in the same catagory of cabin as you who would really be PO'ed if you got what they paid $800 more for cheaper...get my drift? I do agree that the port agents should have been more forthcoming with the reasons. It should have been explained more specifically and clearly. But IMHO RCCL did nothing wrong...still puzzling over the gift shop charge, nothing on the ship takes a charge card unless you have made special arrangements before you sail Not to use your sail pass. Otherwise, only sail passes are accepted for payment onboard. As for the bugs....you'd be so surprised to know what lurks around your own home that you don't see...I wouldn't let that bother me...I would've reported it to housekeeping and went on with my fabulous vacation. BTW, you won't find the situation any different on any other line. They would have proceeded exactly the same way.

[kaida72]

We just wanted to warn 1st time cruisers like we were of the ins/outs of the system - BUT i will say again - we always, always gave our correct ages it reflects on the invoice and when we had to give our passport information.

 

Plus when we showed up it isn't like I got a gray wig and a walker! We honestly thought we got a $150 discount for being first timers like our TA told us. So to us the $800 penalty was not justifiable. If we had intentions of stealing then yes the $800 would have been rightfully asked for but we are able to prove that isn't the case and Royal still doesn't care. So we are hurt and stuck in the middle.

 

At the time that I booked (which was really, really early) the Oceanview was $1561 without the discount. She said she'd get us a better deal. RCL charged us for the day of the cruise - which again I say I didn't mind if they said that our TA booked wrong and we had to pay back the discount based on date of booking but they wanted the extra moola.

 

We learned a lesson to book it ourselves and not use Royal ( after all they refused to tell us why they wanted the money to begin with).

[kaida72]

I don't care if other lines have the same policy. It was how RCI handled it...literally we went to the special desk and the lady had her hand out and said I need your card for the $800 you owe us. No formalities, no reason. Just give us the money.

 

Next cruise we will know and be able to prevent this from happening. But we want to start fresh.

[luckyprincess]

You know, I love Royal Caribbean, but come on people - are you really going to tell me that if you all went over to try new "cruise line X" and the room you were in had cockroaches, they wouldn't let you get on without making you pay $800 WITHOUT A REASON, most of the crew members weren't smiling or friendly, the service desk seemed bored and bothered and gave wrong answers....yadda yadda yadda - are you really going to tell me you wouldn't high tail it right back to Royal Caribbean and then let all of us on here know about all those rough patches so that we would think long and hard about 'what if that happens to us' on "cruise line x"? Of course you would - if you try to say that cockroaches are fine and awesome and a great part of your cruise then I call liar liar. Either that or just...ewwww:eek:

[Kim4]

That TA sounds really fishy. He/she doesn't get a commission because you are "special"? And, you're getting a first-time cruisers discount?

 

I'm sorry you had a bad experience. It must be disappointing to save up for and look forward to a vacation and then have it turn out not quite as hoped.

[madforcruising]

We just wanted to warn 1st time cruisers like we were of the ins/outs of the system - BUT i will say again - we always, always gave our correct ages it reflects on the invoice and when we had to give our passport information.

 

Plus when we showed up it isn't like I got a gray wig and a walker! We honestly thought we got a $150 discount for being first timers like our TA told us. So to us the $800 penalty was not justifiable. If we had intentions of stealing then yes the $800 would have been rightfully asked for but we are able to prove that isn't the case and Royal still doesn't care. So we are hurt and stuck in the middle.

 

At the time that I booked (which was really, really early) the Oceanview was $1561 without the discount. She said she'd get us a better deal. RCL charged us for the day of the cruise - which again I say I didn't mind if they said that our TA booked wrong and we had to pay back the discount based on date of booking but they wanted the extra moola.

 

We learned a lesson to book it ourselves and not use Royal ( after all they refused to tell us why they wanted the money to begin with).

 

I don´t think nayone on this thread accused you of trying to cheat with your age, however your blame needs to be with your TA and not RCI.

 

But you´ve learned something the hard way and I wish you happy sailings on whatever line you´ll cruise in the future.

[brodel]

The time they found out you had booked under a rate you didn´t qualify for was at check-in. Not at time of booking. As mentioned earlier if you book a discounted rate like senior or residency, the check-in at the pier is the point you have to proof that you qualify for this rate. It´s not checked at the time of booking, final payment or when your cruise docs are issued. So it´s the going rate at that moment that will apply.

With the ever changing rates it would be hard to know what rates were given at the time of your booking.

On another thought what if the price had gone down from the rate you had originally booked at. Would the policy still be bad?

 

Are you sure that other cruise lines would have handled this way differently? Seriously I don´t know the policies of the other lines regarding this, but it wouldn´t surprise me if they did the same thing.

 

WE didn't book anything under a discounted rate. As a matter of fact, we always entered our info correctly and it even showed on the invoice that we are on the 25 - 45 age range.

 

It's not really that hard to know what the rates were at the time of booking. All you need is a receipt.. which I had with me. If the cruseline wants to give me a discounted rate because of whatever, that's their call to make and if they can and do, then that's a benefit to them as well since it provides a better customer experience. If I demand it for no reason other than the reason that I think I am somehow entitled to it, then that's just stupid.

 

BF...if you would look at the issue from the perspective of RCCL, you'd see that in their possition...Two people who are not eligible for a senior discount (no matter how that happened) tried to board with a set sail pass that they were not eligilble for, therefore, they were charged the original price of their cabin, which they certainly DID INDEED owe RCCL. They did not steal anything, they simply charged you the correct passage. It's that simple. There were hundreds of others who sailed in the same catagory of cabin as you who would really be PO'ed if you got what they paid $800 more for cheaper...get my drift? I do agree that the port agents should have been more forthcoming with the reasons. It should have been explained more specifically and clearly. But IMHO RCCL did nothing wrong...still puzzling over the gift shop charge, nothing on the ship takes a charge card unless you have made special arrangements before you sail Not to use your sail pass. Otherwise, only sail passes are accepted for payment onboard. As for the bugs....you'd be so surprised to know what lurks around your own home that you don't see...I wouldn't let that bother me...I would've reported it to housekeeping and went on with my fabulous vacation. BTW, you won't find the situation any different on any other line. They would have proceeded exactly the same way.

 

We didn't have the issue with the bugs (thankfully..) As I stated earlier, if it had happened as you described, I would have been fine. It's the extra money that the mistake ended up costing US that RCI should have been able to see as an obvious oversight and fix on the spot.

[akcruz]

brodel, I do truly feel sorry for what you went through and the agent at the port should have told you what was going on, but at this point I would chalk it up to lessons learned and move on. Unfortunately it appears that to get your business the TA pulled one over on you by booking a rate you were not eligible for. Due to their negligence this whole string of events was put into play. I would fight this with the TA and see what they will do to rectify their mistake.

 

I would encourage you to try RCI again with the knowledge you now have and next time come on here to CC and other similar places to find out as much as you can. I have learned that I need to take control of my vacation and do what I can myself. This way I know exactly what I am getting and have nobody except myself to blame if I don't do the proper research.

 

If you truly will not be back again, enjoy whatever cruise line you pick, just realize again research is needed to make sure you know what you are getting into. Each cruise line and even land based vacations can have their issues.

[kaida72]

Thanks Luckyprincess for your thoughts and understanding.

 

Akcruz - we did actually come to cruisecritic and I talked my BF into Royal based on all the fabulous customer service stories we had heard. It just wasn't that way for us. I also didn't find a lot about the discount thing so that's why I felt it was important to mention it to people like us who were just happy to have money to go.

 

Who knows though - if Royal's response to our letter is at least an apology for their port agent not explaining what happened and her curtness then maybe their could be reconsideration. (I am not looking for a discount on a next cruise from them.) I just don't feel that ambivalent now since it was just last week.

 

Oh - I agree about the cockroaches - EWW.

[buckanear]

as i said, i am over it. I was trying to clear up things a little bit.. I'm done worrying about it. I'm just going with a cruise line that wants our business long term instead of screwing us,

 

And what, if anything, are you going to do to "punish" the travel agent who screwed you? You're quick to blame the cruise line and yet the travel agent comes out unscathed. The TA quoted you a price for a senior discount knowing full well that you didn't qualify and told you it was because you were first timers, which isn't true. The TA scammed you to get the commission and left you high and dry at the pier after they got your money. A TA worth a flip would have already reimbursed you if it had been a true mistake.

 

This sort of thing infuriates me because I am the one that has to deal with these situations and so I know what it's like to be at the other end of the counter. I've been screamed at countless times. I've heard the "I'll never sail royal again... I'm a diamond plus member and I'm going to carnival", I've been called countless names including a crook, idiot, and a minimum wage moron all because a travel agent fraudulently cut prices to get someone to book. I have yet to hear an apology from either the irate customer or the travel agents.

[Rala]

That TA sounds really fishy. He/she doesn't get a commission because you are "special"? And, you're getting a first-time cruisers discount?

 

I'm sorry you had a bad experience. It must be disappointing to save up for and look forward to a vacation and then have it turn out not quite as hoped.

 

Fishy is an understatement. It is pretty apparent that your TA fraudulently booked your cruise. I would go after him/her with a vengeance to get my money back. Whether Royal's "policy" is fair or not, were it not for your unscrupulous TA you would never have known that said policy even existed, let alone have to deal with it.

 

I, too, am sorry that your first cruise did not go the way you would have liked. Better luck in the future.

[akcruz]

Thanks Luckyprincess for your thoughts and understanding.

 

Akcruz - we did actually come to cruisecritic and I talked my BF into Royal based on all the fabulous customer service stories we had heard. It just wasn't that way for us. I also didn't find a lot about the discount thing so that's why I felt it was important to mention it to people like us who were just happy to have money to go.

 

Who knows though - if Royal's response to our letter is at least an apology for their port agent not explaining what happened and her curtness then maybe their could be reconsideration. (I am not looking for a discount on a next cruise from them.) I just don't feel that ambivalent now since it was just last week.

 

Oh - I agree about the cockroaches - EWW.

 

Not to doubt you, I am sure you came to CC before your cruise, but in all the time I have been on here I have NEVER heard of a first time cruiser discount. If it was me, I would have been on here right away when the TA mentioned it to find out if there was such a thing. It just looks a bit strange when both of you have your first posts and they are all negative. If you were on here prior to your cruise you would have been posting and asking tons of questions. I know I was before my first cruise and still do!

 

As many others have said and neither of you have acknowledged, it is your TA that screwed you. They are the one that you should be writing letter to in order to get your money reimbursed for their mess up.

[ruskatab]

I cant believe how many people dont think the roaches are a big deal and dont think the OP should be disgusted by them. I guess alot of yalls houses have roaches. If I saw a roach on a cruise ship I would flip out! If they are crawling around in the cabins imagine how bad they must be in the kitchens...so nasty! The OP should call the health department. I guess RC cut back on bug spray and exterminators too.

[wraithe]

Well they shouldn't be bugging us about it since the issue is either with the TA or RCI's inability to fix the situation and / or prevent it from happening in the first place. For me, it's a lesson learned for our next cruise(s), and it just narrows down the next search for a cruise since I'll never step on another RCI owned ship.

 

Well, since you're a first timer, you need to realize that RCL owns Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Azamara, Pullmantour, Croisières de France and quite possibly interest in others. Didn't want you to inadvertantly spend your money somewhere you don't want to. Too bad your TA didn't feel that way.

 

They can keep the money they effectively stole, but they've lost much more in return since anyone I know that mentions going on a cruise will get a rundown on how they may be treated. I'm quite sick of telling this story and harping on this issue, but I'll tell it over and over again to make sure no one I know gives money to this group of thugs.

 

Stole, thugs, that's pretty harsh, don't you think? Through no fault of RCL, you attempted at the prompting of your TA to violate the cruise contract that you agreed to when you filled out your Set Sail pass and agreed to when you paid your fare, but RCL is the thief/thug. I think if you really want to find out who is wrong, take a long hard look in the mirror and then call your TA and advise same that you are going to hire an attorney, contact CLIA (the folks that most TA's who are legit subscribe to from my experience), contact the BBB, Angie's List and smear their name from one end of cyber space to the other. You can actually do some good there, smearing RCL is foolish on your part, because there are too many people who know immediately that you are the one that is wrong, and whether they admit or not, any of your acquaintances that are experienced with cruising.

[luckyprincess]

I cant believe how many people dont think the roaches are a big deal and dont think the OP should be disgusted by them. I guess alot of yalls houses have roaches. If I saw a roach on a cruise ship I would flip out! If they are crawling around in the cabins imagine how bad they must be in the kitchens...so nasty! The OP should call the health department. I guess RC cut back on bug spray and exterminators too.

OMG thank you! I"ve been going crazy thinking I'm in the minority that finds cockroaches crawling around on the cruise ship disgusting. And you're right - if they are finding them in the rooms the what's in the kitchen:eek:

[kaida72]

Demean another person for doing their job - cruiseloveragent. In fact, we didn't yell, make a scene or call the agents any names whatsoever. I hope that puts your mind at ease that the person at the counter did not feel our wrath. Because they didn't. Maybe that is why they felt it was okay to be curt to us - we were too nice, although upset about it - we knew she was doing her job. I came from a credit card co. and learned it is never right to treat people that way. Sorry it has happened to you. Our take was to go, try to have fun, and come back and find out what happened. We treated everyone we delt with, with the respect another human being deserved. Our beef is that we weren't given the same in tone or attitude in return. It had to be obvious to them we were confused. Information would have solved a lot.

 

Oh, by the way - I am not using either again. In my eyes the TA is just as culpable and I won't be recommending her services to anyone. We are in the middle and have learned a lot! One of which is we should have received more paperwork, luggage tags, etc. that we never got. We got one invoice showing we paid with our correct ages and that is it.

 

Anyway I hope we have saved others who even with what they thought was the best research possible can still learn something and prevent the issue on their part, the TAs part and Royal's.

 

(no one seemed upset about the bugs I saw on their pastries - what's up with that? :)

[BecciBoo]

I cant believe how many people dont think the roaches are a big deal and dont think the OP should be disgusted by them. I guess alot of yalls houses have roaches. If I saw a roach on a cruise ship I would flip out! If they are crawling around in the cabins imagine how bad they must be in the kitchens...so nasty! The OP should call the health department. I guess RC cut back on bug spray and exterminators too.

 

If you were ever on a galley tour I can assure you, you would see a sparkling clean, BUGLESS environment out of gleaming stainless steel and lots of clean cooks and yummy smells and sights! And these tours go on almost everyday at all times of day, so don't think they run to clean them up before one. Unfortunately, roaches are island bugs anyway and where ever a ship docks, it will inherantly pick them up, the good news is they are exterminated just like they are in your homes. When a bug crawls through the insecticide left around the walls, they die soon. Just because you happen to see one with their legs up in the air (as the OP stated this one was, I might point out!), doesn't mean the ship is infested with them. I have never seen even one, dead or alive in 8 cruises on 5 different RCCL ships.

And the OP and BF still just do not seem to get the real picture here. The $800 they paid was not extra, they owed it for their fare...that should be the last word here. Sorry, but that's the fact. Even going after the TA, which would never see my face again, would not change the fact they owed RCCL that money. It was either inexperience or scam by the TA that caused the problem, but they still owed the fare. I agree the TA owes them something, but not the $800 which was the proper amount for their cruise. If the agents were rude, that is a matter of complaint, like I said before, it should have been clearly explained. Hope they will just learn from this mistake and try to do more research.

[kaida72]

You are right the $800 wasn't extra but $500 of that was; we acknowledge we owed up to $300, which is what we would have paid on the date of booking in addition had the discount not been taken. But their is a penalty built in by Royal (maybe other lines) that if you deliberately take a discount you do not get they will charge you the going rate the day they sail, which is always much higher and therefore a deliberate penalty to those who are trying to commit fraud against them. All we are saying is we didn't try to not pay the proper amount, and it still doesn't matter.

 

In fact, how many of you defending Royal can say that there is not one store, service, etc. that you no longer are customers for based on experiences that you felt where not right where customer service is concerned? Be honest. Everyone has one place they refuse to give anymore of there money to justified 100% or close enough.

 

Therefore we have learned many lessons and wanted to share them with others, who could very possibly end up like us without this knowledge. So in the long run us sharing everyone wins - newbies like us hopefully will see what happened, prevent it and end up thoroughly enjoying whichever cruise line they go with including Royal.