Is this what RCI customer service is Like? Should I just cancel my Cruises?

Look at it this way. If you buy something at the store on Saturday and it goes on sale Sunday can you go back to the store and get the credit?:rolleyes:

Except for groceries, here in Ontario, Canada, you can! Most stores will honour it within a few days, but Sears gives you I think, two weeks!

What I don't like about the discounts is the fact that they jacl the rates so you don't end up saving at all. Airline pricing design has come to cruise lines!

I remember the good old days...when the price was the price until a few weeks before sailing, and any remaining cabins were discounted so the ship would be full...

Look at it this way. If you buy something at the store on Saturday and it goes on sale Sunday can you go back to the store and get the credit?:rolleyes:

Yes, many stores will give you the sale price, have done it many times.

Look at it this way. If you buy something at the store on Saturday and it goes on sale Sunday can you go back to the store and get the credit?:rolleyes:

Yes, back when I worked in retail, we called this a "price adjustment" and did it all the time; many retailers still do it as long as it's within a specified period of time from when you bought the item (usually a week or two). Some credit cards also offer price protection coverage that provides the same benefit.

First Timer here ... and quite an unhappy one at the moment :mad:

 

I hate internet posting, but this has forced my hand.

 

Well the call centre guy was really very rude.

 

This is the first time I have had to dealt with RCI Customer Service and my impressions are not good.

 

I can be fickle and when I make up my mind I tend to act.

 

I am more than happy to cancel the $10K + I have invested with RCI and never look back.

 

Any thoughts on this or should I just take my money and go back to non-cruising vacations?

 

As I said $100 OBC vs $10K spend is all it will take for me to get adequately pissed off and go elsewhere

Whatever you decide....have a NICE day. :) :rolleyes:

Look at it this way. If you buy something at the store on Saturday and it goes on sale Sunday can you go back to the store and get the credit?:rolleyes:

I have never thought about booking a cruise in those terms, but yes, I have often taken advantage of this scenario.

Strangely I've never experienced any negative issues dealing with the call centre from Australia but I do ensure that I've done my homework prior to the call as most of the customer service reps have never been anywhere near a cruise ship!

Recently I called to book a cruise for some friends who were interested in one I had recently booked. The CSR went out of his way to have them booked close to us then mentioned that they ere entitled to $200 on board credit.

I joked that yes I was doing all the work & they got the OBC but I had missed out on the new promotion because I'd booked the previous week.

He did a dummy booking to make sure the price hadn't increased since my booking then said I can cancel your booking then re-book you into the same cabin so you too receive the OBC BUT you will have to pay another deposit and wait a few days for the original deposit to be refunded back into your credit card.

I gave him to go ahead to do this so ended up with a new booking number for the same cabin with $200 OBC. The refund appeared in my credit card 3 days later.

By the way I had called the call centre prior to this enquiring about having the OBC added to my booking just 1 day after I booked but that CSR said sorry can't be done as the offer was for new bookings only so I didn't pursue it at the time so it just goes to show that like all CSR for all companies some are more focused on customer service than others.

The second CSR gave me his name & told me whenever I call them to ask for him . If he wasn't available to leave my name & number & he would call me back. He did agree that some junior members of their team were not as familiar with what was possible but he had been working there for over 2 years & was now a senior CSR - obviously I have his name stored away for future reference.

It is frustrating that you have to keep calling back to get the answer you know is correct, or you just happen to get someone who actually knows the policies. It happens in the US too.

If you are unhappy, you should definitely cancel and re-book with one of those excellent Australian cruise lines.

Yes, back when I worked in retail, we called this a "price adjustment" and did it all the time; many retailers still do it as long as it's within a specified period of time from when you bought the item (usually a week or two). Some credit cards also offer price protection coverage that provides the same benefit.

Does that cover cruise lines?:confused:

I have never experienced as bad customer service as I have received through RCI uk call center.

We split our party from 1 cabin to 2 and chaos prevailed. It took me hours to try and sort out issues they created (phone bill over £25) - including spelling names wrong 3 times and then trying to say I had filled them in wrong and they wanted to charge me to change them - luckily I had my invoices to prove I didn't and that they were originally correct.

They then tried to change my costs and accused me of lying - they point blank refused to either allow me to email back the original invoice they had sent or pass me up line to speak with a manager. At the same time they 'lost' my OBC again tried to say I didn't have any - I had bought $600 worth at that point.

I gave up and contacted someone from RCI in the uk through email (can't recall the email address but search under my user name and in thread about my issues someone gave me it). They called me back withing 30mins of me sending the email and all issues where sorted straight away - he could even see all the mistakes that the call center had made on his screen. - I was also given compensation.

However, even when checking in on line I found they had changed my name back wrong and had to call again - the web site then said no luggage tags as sailing with 10 days and we are not sailing with in 10 days.

Their web is awful and all the customer service issues have taken their toll (hrs and hrs of calls) and I will not book through the UK again - If I cannot find a US TA I will cruise another line.

Look at it this way. If you buy something at the store on Saturday and it goes on sale Sunday can you go back to the store and get the credit?:rolleyes:

Unless its perishable, yes absolutely.

Sorry, I just noticed you were not in the US. I have heard RCI is not as friendly or helpful, the call center is in Guatamala? I believe.

Hi dacsmom, I live in California and just want to mention that I called RCI last month (about our current booking), and spoke with a rep in Guatemala who provided very pleasant and excellent service. I even received my Guest Invoice just moments later via email. I was surprised at the call center location, but very pleased with the service! :)

Does that cover cruise lines?:confused:

Nope, don't think so.

Unfortunately RCI Customer Service is the same as 95% of the CS departments I have encountered with large corporations.

Once in a blue moon you will get lucky and are connected to a rep that knows what they are doing and are focused on helping the customer. The rest of the time you are likely to be connected to someone who will quickly prove Ron White nailed it.

Look at it this way. If you buy something at the store on Saturday and it goes on sale Sunday can you go back to the store and get the credit?:rolleyes:

Most of the time. Some credit cards even offer to look for the same item at a lower price and refund the extra purchase (Citi does it, but I haven't had time to register my purchases with them).:)

But maybe not a car.

Thanks for all your comments

Thought I should give you an update on what has happened.

Well it has taken a number of calls, emails and follow-ups but finally this has been sorted. Original price reinstated and the OBC added. :)

It is a really poorly run customer centre, different people seem to have different ideas and tell you different things. There are obviously some good diamonds that can get things done. I had one agent on the phone, saying it was resolved and I would get an email in a few hours with an updated invoice. It didn't. I had the patience to wait 2 days before following up again with another rep by email. This rep told me it could take 72 hours for the change to be applied. I then wrote back and mentioned that I was told it was only a few hours; strangely enough an updated invoice arrived just a few minutes after I sent that email. :confused:

My other bookings are through US travel agents, so hopefully I wont have this problem again. I only booked the ovation online from RCI directly as it was cheaper than what I could find from the US.

I hope the onboard service is as good as some people mentioned. I guess tips make a huge difference in that world.

Thanks for all your comments

 

Thought I should give you an update on what has happened.

 

Well it has taken a number of calls, emails and follow-ups but finally this has been sorted. Original price reinstated and the OBC added. :)

 

It is a really poorly run customer centre, different people seem to have different ideas and tell you different things. There are obviously some good diamonds that can get things done. I had one agent on the phone, saying it was resolved and I would get an email in a few hours with an updated invoice. It didn't. I had the patience to wait 2 days before following up again with another rep by email. This rep told me it could take 72 hours for the change to be applied. I then wrote back and mentioned that I was told it was only a few hours; strangely enough an updated invoice arrived just a few minutes after I sent that email. :confused:

 

My other bookings are through US travel agents, so hopefully I wont have this problem again. I only booked the ovation online from RCI directly as it was cheaper than what I could find from the US.

 

I hope the onboard service is as good as some people mentioned. I guess tips make a huge difference in that world.

The squeaky wheel gets the grease!:D

So glad you had patience enough to get what you wanted. I really hope you love your cruise, you will need it after this. But, we have always had a good time once onboard. Sad but true that you have to keep calling until you get the answer you want. You would think the answer to the same question with the same company would be the same...but, it rarely is. Congrats and enjoy

I am glad that it worked out for you and hope you can now enjoy your cruise to the max.:)