Had Fun until I was Denied my onboard credit!!

[luvvp]

I feel your pain, I really do.

I bet they will tell you that the "CashBack" program can not be combined with they $50 'discount' If you look at the prices, the 'past guest' price is one price. And if you look at the 'cash back' price, it is (pretty much) higher by the amount of OBC you get. Of course then there is the fine print :

 

(from Carnival Website)

*Cruise rates are in U.S. dollars, per person and based on double occupancy. No name changes. Cash back offer is non-transferable. Cash back is provided as a refundable onboard credit to your Sail & Sign account of: (i) $50 per person up to a maximum of $100 per stateroom on select 3 - 4 day sailings. If your Sail & Sign account has a cash balance at the end of the cruise after all authorized purchases have been applied to the account, any remaining unused portion of the cash back onboard credit will be delivered in check form to your stateroom on the morning of debarkation with your final Sail & Sign statement.

Cash back offer is capacity controlled and is not combinable with any other discount or promotional offer. Combinable with Fun Select rates only. Rates are subject to change at any time without prior notice. Category restrictions and exclusions apply. Available in stateroom categories 4A - 11. Blackout dates may apply. Valid on new individual bookings made between 3/9/09 - 6/30/09. Promotion is applicable to select ships and departures between 5/24/09-9/04/09. Government taxes and fees are additional for all guests. Cash back may not be applied to cruise fare or government taxes and fees. Please request fare code OCB. Ships' Registry: The Bahamas & Panama.

 

~Me thinks that they would not have been able to use 2 FareCodes.

 

Hope you get some satifaction.

(but I would not hold my breath)

(lesson: Buyer Beware)

:rolleyes:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The "Welcome back $50" has nothing to do with the past guest rate. This is a discount you receive if you book a cruise within two months of your last cruise.

 

I used this discount and received $50 off the total of our next cruise. It shouldn't matter what category you choose to book your next cruise.

[zqvol]

If you paid with a credit card, dispute the charge with them. When they ask for a written statement explaining, explain all that you did here as well as all the attempts you made to have it sorted out. Remember to use names, dates, and times. Make a copy. Also create a dispute with the Attorney General in your state, and send a copy to the attention of the person you spoke with at Carnival who refused to honor your credit.

 

Good luck.

The PVP told the OP incorrect information originally. the welcome back credit is not combinable with any other fare. It had its own fare code which prevent getting the other OBC.

 

There is nothing to dispute and no reason to contact the attorney general. All the OP is entailed to is an I'm sorry I made a mistake from the original PVP.

[zqvol]

Sounds like you were promised two conflicting OBCs, but you should have gotten one or the other. Darn. I would have been dissapointed too.

 

Sorry, but thats why you need to check credits on your docs before you leave, but even then, if past final payment, I dont think you could have resolved the issue, but at least you would have known earlier in the cruise how much OBC you had.

 

Iv been frustrated with Carnival too and the PVPs are very confused on rules that Carnival constantly is changing.

 

I would write a snail mail letter, and you probably can get some credit toward a future cruise, but probably wouldnt get it on the cruise you just took. Im kinda in the same boat, had a awful cruise during Ike (yes, its my opinion), but Carnival is the only year round game in town out of Galveston, so I still cruise on them.

 

OP says that he got one of the two , just not the one he wanted.

 

How do you know? You don't even know what kind of OBC the OP is referring to, do you? (Sorry if I missed that) And, there is absolutely no information posted about the welcome back credit, at least on carnival.com.

 

You are right about the Welcome back credit, but there is info about the Cash Back offer. The OP said that he got the Welcome Back credit, so he is not entitled to the Cash Back offer.

[zqvol]

So how do you find this online? I am supposed to get $240 per cabin from a carnival promo, but when I look at my reservations online, I see no mention of any OBC. Maybe I am looking at the wrong place. Please advise. This is clearly stated on my receipt from my TA. Should it also be noted somewhere on my cruise documents? I sail in one month.

 

It will appear on page 6 of your documents and will specifically say On Board Credit.

[UpstateCruizer]

OBC is not always visible online. I got email confirmations that I had received an OBC credit and kept checking my docs - nothing showed up. When I called my PVP, I was told that it probably wouldn't show up online, and that it would appear onboard.

 

So onboard I went to check my OBC, and finally found that some of it was there, but $100 was missing.

 

So I ended up on the phone with Guest Relations. However, they fixed the problem very quickly, and my credit card was reimbursed $100. I was able to give them the dates that I received my emails, and thankfully, they were able to see it in their system that they still owed me $100, so it was painless. I would have been much more upset if I had to run around trying to get it sorted out, and if in the end they wouldn't honour it.

3 and $63

I'm definitely seen that mistakes do happen with Carnival. I'm just lucky they've worked out alright.

 

 

I started printing out emails that showed any credit or OBC and I now bring them with me on the cruise. I learned after the first time they said I did not have the $50 welcome back credit. I had to jump through hoops to get that credit after we returned but I did finally get it. Now I bring a copy of all those emails.

[mzloolue]

 

If anyone knows a contact in the higher management that could provide me with the info I would really appreciate it. I know that Carnival has spent more than $100 of their money fighting me for this issue. I know that it is only $100 and now it's not even the money it's principle.

 

Dealing with Guest Services can be a bit like beating your head on a wall.

(Note my signature...it's referring to Guest Services)

 

You can try this lady.

She is something like a Guest Services supervisor.

Ms Espinosa

bespinosa@carnival.com

 

I have her phone and extension if you need it.

 

But, all that said, John Heald is your best bet, but I would still cover all the bases.

[7toEleven]

Op, you could of had this all settled before your cruise had you bothered looking on line for your obc before you left.

 

 

 

Okay, so not helpful and cynical!

[Ship Addict]

I feel your pain, I really do.

 

Oh I know, I know. Don't you just hate it when you're promised something and that person just doesn't follow through?

[Jsme]

I have to say I am confused. Please correct me if I am wrong. Are you saying you received the $50 welcome back credit and also booked with the $100 cash back offer? If so, normally the $50 off is taken off your cruise price. Not saying it is not done but I have never heard of it being given as a OBC. The $100 back is suppose to be OBC.

 

I would ask your PVP if you recieve the $50 off of the price of your cruise. If you did receive the the $50 off of your cruise your main question would be why you did not get the $100 OBC.

[Savoia]

OK now is where all went down hill......

 

 

 

 

Carnival's Customer Service has a very well deserved notoriously rotten reputation for refunds. This "avoidance" is actually something Carnival intentionally engages in...making it difficult and furstrating for customers in getting answer to achieve one thing..not having to issue and sort of moey back. To be fair while Carnival engages in it on a wide scale (oddly several of their divisions make the provess much easier in comparision). Many other companies use a "frustrate policy" to avoid credits as well.

 

There has been some hints given here about how to beat Carnival at their game. You have to be persistent and determined...otherwise Carnival gets what they want, which is to keep your money no matter what promises they previously made. If you contact the US Better Business Bureau and the US Dept. of Consumer Affairs you will find Carnival has one of the worst records of consumer relations..achieving their highest rating of "Highly Unfavorable" with the volume of complaints about them.

[djneph]

westcruzer:

 

I understand why you are upset and you should be. I worked for RCI for 5 years in various customer service positions and this is bogous. You need to escalate this and write a letter addressed to the CEO (if Carnival is like RCI they take these letters a little more, for lack of a better word, more seriously). This is a no brainer, if I had recieved your call, I would have first contact our revenue department to make sure when you booked there was on OBC offer available. If you qualified for either one and only one I would have given you a $50 refund to the card you used for your on board account, since like you said NO ONE and I MEAN NO ONE would choose $50 OBC over $100 OBC. Secondly, if the PVP is still telling you that you qualified for both (even if you don't) I would have given you both.

 

I don't think its Carnival as a whole that is trying to be unreasonable (at least i want to think they try to provide good customer service), ufortunately, even when I was at RCI its was always 'Agent Roulette'. Some staff just don't want to do anything (even though it is so easy). At RCI we were empowered to give up to $250 refund before needing a supervisor approval. Especially for something like this, were its obvious an error was made by someone ( either the PVP or you missundestood) based on bad info (again NO ONE will take $50 obc over $100 obc knowingly), we were trained it was better to make the customer happy than argue over such a small amount. A perfect example, we would get so many calls from people after the cruise claiming they never used the minibar, even sometime when there was like $20-$30 in charges, we just took their word and issued a refund.

 

Don't give up!

[salty dingo]

This is a familiar story. Someone at Carnival makes a verbal promise, but nothing is given in writing, and the person complains when the promise is not kept.

 

The PVP was obviously mistaken and should not have made the promise. Carnival has no way of knowing if the PVP actually said this, but they know for sure there the PVP should have said no.

 

I don't think Carnival should refund the money because they have no way to know for sure if the passenger is telling the truth. If they did check with the PVP and the PVP says they did make a mistake and promise the $50, then Carnival should refund it. However, I don't think the PVP is going to admit that.

[dec2007w3boys]

This is a familiar story. Someone at Carnival makes a verbal promise, but nothing is given in writing, and the person complains when the promise is not kept.

 

The PVP was obviously mistaken and should not have made the promise. Carnival has no way of knowing if the PVP actually said this, but they know for sure there the PVP should have said no.

 

I don't think Carnival should refund the money because they have no way to know for sure if the passenger is telling the truth. If they did check with the PVP and the PVP says they did make a mistake and promise the $50, then Carnival should refund it. However, I don't think the PVP is going to admit that.

I had both an email and a voice mail from my pvp stating I should receive obc for a military f&f special (back when they still gave obc after final payment). I waited a few days and checked again - only to find out my pvp was wrong and i couldn't combine the f&f with the one day sale I had purchased under. Needless to say I was irate and went through numerous "supervisors", but still didn't get the obc. I feel for you OP! I did know ahead of time and smuggled 24 beers on board to help cover the ~$160 I was expecting. Made me feel a bit better.

[tedjazz]

I had both an email and a voice mail from my pvp stating I should receive obc for a military f&f special (back when they still gave obc after final payment). I waited a few days and checked again - only to find out my pvp was wrong and i couldn't combine the f&f with the one day sale I had purchased under. Needless to say I was irate and went through numerous "supervisors", but still didn't get the obc. I feel for you OP! I did know ahead of time and smuggled 24 beers on board to help cover the ~$160 I was expecting. Made me feel a bit better.

 

It's just like a used car salesman...they'll tell you anything to get your money. Good Job on the Beer!

[80sramfan]

So how do you find this online? I am supposed to get $240 per cabin from a carnival promo, but when I look at my reservations online, I see no mention of any OBC. Maybe I am looking at the wrong place. Please advise. This is clearly stated on my receipt from my TA. Should it also be noted somewhere on my cruise documents? I sail in one month.

 

Log on to your reservation. Look in the payment area and at the bottom your obc should be listed. If it's not get on the phone.

[Vanessa L]

Hi west....I see you just joined in June. I so wish you'd have found us prior to cruising or I can imagine this never would have happened to you. While I really enjoy sailing Carnival there are 2 things that I have learned on this board about them, 1) their customer service is easily one of the worst in the world and 2) get ANYTHING a PVP tells you in writing. I even go so far as to say, "Send that to me in writing while we are on the phone and then I'll book." I've seen enough of these "he said, she said" stories on these boards to know that I cannot trust anything they say and get anything that is offered in writing ahead of time.

 

I hope this is resolved for you but I agree that if customer service is a big deal to you, Carnival is probably not the cruiselines you'll want to stay with. Ironically, the only time I've ever had an issue with a booking was when I used a TA, so I stick with the PVPs, but always get what they tell me in writing. Lesson learned, OP.

[Vanessa L]

This is a familiar story. Someone at Carnival makes a verbal promise, but nothing is given in writing, and the person complains when the promise is not kept.

 

The PVP was obviously mistaken and should not have made the promise. Carnival has no way of knowing if the PVP actually said this, but they know for sure there the PVP should have said no.

 

I don't think Carnival should refund the money because they have no way to know for sure if the passenger is telling the truth. If they did check with the PVP and the PVP says they did make a mistake and promise the $50, then Carnival should refund it. However, I don't think the PVP is going to admit that.

 

According to OP's post Salty, he said that he has a voicemail from his PVP stating that he IS eligible for both offers. Now, how'd you'd get that off your phone so that the supervisors can hear it, I don't know. But evidently, the PVP left the message while he was on the cruise so it was after the original offer was made, thereby admitting that they did offer OP both savings.

[gaylebd]

When booking I was advised I qualified for $50 per person up to $100 per cabin onboard credit. I mentioned that I had just cruised on the Splendor w/ my brother the month prior (horrible cruise experience forgetting the horrid design and coloring) and the PVP told me I also qualified $50 cash discount on the current cruise since it was so soon. I confirmed that it was on top of all promotions offered by her and she said YES.

quote]

 

Westcruzer - can you tell me if your documents listed your on board credit?

 

My docs do have the credit listed and I am wondering if I will also have a problem????

[westcruzer]

When booking I was advised I qualified for $50 per person up to $100 per cabin onboard credit. I mentioned that I had just cruised on the Splendor w/ my brother the month prior (horrible cruise experience forgetting the horrid design and coloring) and the PVP told me I also qualified $50 cash discount on the current cruise since it was so soon. I confirmed that it was on top of all promotions offered by her and she said YES.

quote]

 

Westcruzer - can you tell me if your documents listed your on board credit?

 

My docs do have the credit listed and I am wondering if I will also have a problem????

 

My docs did not show the OBC. All the previous cruises I have taken I never even knew where the OBC was listed and never had this problem.....I will ALWAYS make sure I have it in writing in the future with any cruise line....Carnival is still taking their sweet time at guest services even after the guest services rep talked with my PVP and my PVP told guest services I was entitled to both offers.

[MistyRo76]

"Trust ... but verify.";)

 

That's my boss' favorite saying!! Just made me laugh reading it.

 

Misty

[Socref124]

Good Luck with whichever cruiseline you choose. Hope you have great cruises in your future.:)

[calgarygary]

The PVP was obviously mistaken and should not have made the promise. Carnival has no way of knowing if the PVP actually said this, but they know for sure there the PVP should have said no.

Carnival most certainly would be able to determine if the PVP made the statement. They just need to review their call center's recordings.

 

OP, as has been mentioned, I would direct a quality letter of complaint to either Gerald Cahill or Howard Frank. If I were writing the letter, I would begin by stating that I initially enjoyed the cruise and then go into the issue that you are currently experiencing. I would ask that the recordings from the call center be reviewed and that Carnival stand behind the statements made by their agent. I would also request the full amount of what was initially promised be credited to the credit card they have on file and conclude that this experience with a true lack of customer service has deterred from your overall experience and has you questioning whether you would ever sail Carnival again.

 

Good luck with getting a resolution.

[parrotthead]

Oh I know, I know. Don't you just hate it when you're promised something and that person just doesn't follow through?

I think if I felt 'entitled' to something, then you can bet I'd make sure I was in the right place at teh right time to recieve what ever it was that I was 'thought' I was 'entitled' to. Not just fail to show up and then go all over b!tc#!ng about it.

[sharecruises]

More misinformation doesn't help

 

1) PVP's are NOT in India...they are in Miramar Florida, south of Lauderdale, north of Miami

 

2) I don't think that Carnival would keep recordings of a cruise that was booked months ago and already taken

 

it seems to be a fault of the PVP...and a reminder to "get it in writing"

 

hopefully they will give you the full $100 credit (extra $50) as any reasonable person would surely pick the $100 over $50 as you pointed out very well

 

if you keep at it, by snail mail, John Heald's blog etc ...you might get the other $50 somehow?? Or maybe money off next cruise?? Just get that in writing too :)

 

Good luck

[G'ma]

1. Get everything in writing via an email as soon as the reservation is completed. Read it carefully to make sure everything is there. If not, call back immediately and get it settled.

 

2. Check your reservation on line....credits and such will show up in your profile and on the reservations. If it doesn't, call immediateoly and get it settled.

 

Be proactive with your reservation...and your money.