Shops on Board

Please be advised/warned......the Shops on Board do not belong to RC! This was the first time we ever purchased an expensive piece of Jewelry while on board...a Diamond Bracelet to be exact...we were never given our "Certificate of Authenticity". Now we are home and just realized it...Called RC and they basically can do nothing since this is an outside company. Well I had to call them-now I am the one jumping thru all the hoops to get what I should have been given when we paid for it. This I feel is the responsibility of RC to get this right-since the sales people in the shops all had RC name badges on....who would have known this? We've been cruising for 15 years with RC and never knew this. It also was the first time we have ever bought a piece of fine Jewelry while on the ship....never again! Buyer beware!

The shops on board are operated by a concessionaire. For well over 20 years, RCI has had a long term partnership with on-board retailers, Starboard Cruise Services and Harding Brothers. Other concessionaires are for Photo, Spa, and Art Auctions.

I suggest you contact Starboard Cruise Services directly with your issue of dissatisfaction.

Good Luck!

Check Here

From their FAQ page

• What can I do if I never received my Certificate of Authenticity?
  

A: Please include the following information and send a request for the COA via email to customer.service@starboardcruise.com .

1. Full Name

2. Full Address

3. Copy of your Gift Shop purchase receipt which contains the Purchase Price/Date, Vessel Name, SKU No. and your name.

Is there something wrong with the piece you purchased?

Do you have reason to believe it isn’t what it was advertised to be?

This seems like much ado about nothing.

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If it was very expensive, get it appraised...that should be better than a "certificate of authenticity"...whatever that is!

The shops on board are operated by a concessionaire. For well over 20 years, RCI has had a long term partnership with on-board retailers, Starboard Cruise Services and Harding Brothers. Other concessionaires are for Photo, Spa, and Art Auctions.

 

I suggest you contact Starboard Cruise Services directly with your issue of dissatisfaction.

 

Good Luck!

Thanks for your reply-we never knew this! i have been in touch with Starboard and they have thrown all the work back on me and RC wants to do the same-I feel its RC job to handle this. Ive tried but keep getting roadblocks from both sides. all I can say that I just learned a very valuable lesson!

If it was very expensive, get it appraised...that should be better than a "certificate of authenticity"...whatever that is!

I feel this important document should have been given to me at the time of purchase. When we have purchased Jewelry off the Sip , in prior years. we were always given a Certificate of Authenticity-

Is there something wrong with the piece you purchased?

 

Do you have reason to believe it isn’t what it was advertised to be?

 

This seems like much ado about nothing.

 

 

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Sorry-it is NOT much ado about nothing-especially when you are spending shy of $4Grand! Should we ever want or need to sell it-we now what we have. Nothing wrong with the piece nor do I believe it is not what they claimed it to be......I am just used to receiving this document when we have bought Jewelry off the ship.

Check Here

 

From their FAQ page

• What can I do if I never received my Certificate of Authenticity?
  

A: Please include the following information and send a request for the COA via email to customer.service@starboardcruise.com .

1. Full Name

2. Full Address

3. Copy of your Gift Shop purchase receipt which contains the Purchase Price/Date, Vessel Name, SKU No. and your name.

Thank-You! I'm having trouble obtaining a copy of the onboard receipt from RC.

Even if Starboard gets you this certificate its not worth the paper its written on. Get an appraisal from a licensed gemologist. They will certify what the material is, its correct weight and quality as well as its value.

Pretty sure none of the major cruise lines operate their own on board concessions. Just like how when you check in at the port, that person helping you may have on a Royal Caribbean name tag but they are not a Royal Caribbean employee. Same thing with on board shops, the art auction people, those working in the spa etc.

Please be advised/warned......the Shops on Board do not belong to RC! This was the first time we ever purchased an expensive piece of Jewelry while on board...a Diamond Bracelet to be exact...we were never given our "Certificate of Authenticity". Now we are home and just realized it...Called RC and they basically can do nothing since this is an outside company. Well I had to call them-now I am the one jumping thru all the hoops to get what I should have been given when we paid for it. This I feel is the responsibility of RC to get this right-since the sales people in the shops all had RC name badges on....who would have known this? We've been cruising for 15 years with RC and never knew this. It also was the first time we have ever bought a piece of fine Jewelry while on the ship....never again! Buyer beware!

Why is it always another’s responsibility. Aren’t you the one that forgot to request the certificate.

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Thank-You! I'm having trouble obtaining a copy of the onboard receipt from RC.

How do you buy a $4,000 piece of jewelry and not get a receipt? You would have had to sign for the purchase.:confused:

How do you buy a $4,000 piece of jewelry and not get a receipt? You would have had to sign for the purchase.:confused:

My thoughts exactly. Also why would you spend that on jewelry from an entity that is not local in case you have issues?

My thoughts exactly. Also why would you spend that on jewelry from an entity that is not local in case you have issues?

A receipt is needed for the customs declaration form too, so not sure why the OP doesn't have one.

A receipt is needed for the customs declaration form too, so not sure why the OP doesn't have one.

Exactly. How could you purchase something that costs that much and not get a receipt? Just doesn’t ring true. They have to report large purchases to customs so you would have to present a receipt to pass customs. Don’t know why you feel they are making you jump through hoops - all they want is a copy of the receipt.

I, too, suggest getting an independent appraisal - but don’t think you could ever get anywhere near what you paid if you tried to sell it. A friend fell in love with a diamond wedding set and paid over $6,000 for it from a reputable jeweler. A few years later she decided to sell it. The highest offer was $2,500.

Sorry-it is NOT much ado about nothing-especially when you are spending shy of $4Grand! Should we ever want or need to sell it-we now what we have. Nothing wrong with the piece nor do I believe it is not what they claimed it to be......I am just used to receiving this document when we have bought Jewelry off the ship.

A “certificate of authenticity” really isn’t going to assure a potential future buyer of anything.

You are doing a lot of work for nothing.

Go to your local jeweler and get an appraisal

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A “certificate of authenticity” really isn’t going to assure a potential future buyer of anything.

You are doing a lot of work for nothing.

 

Go to your local jeweler and get an appraisal

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

The only thing it would be good for is if the carat weight/clarity differs from that on the independent appraisal. Of course, then there would be a big hurdle to cross.

The shops, park west spas, photo gallery, and those working in them plus the so called photographers :rolleyes: do not work for or belong to RC.

The shops, park west spas, photo gallery, and those working in them plus the so called photographers :rolleyes: do not work for or belong to RC.

It is not just RC but all ships .

It is not just RC but all ships .

That's true for all "cruise lines". I was just referring to RC as this is a RCI forum.

... A friend fell in love with a diamond wedding set and paid over $6,000 for it from a reputable jeweler. A few years later she decided to sell it. The highest offer was $2,500.

Back in the 1950s, on a shore excursion in Rio, my mother discovered H. Stern Jewelers. She was a committed customer for many years. And whenever anyone raised any question about the value of a piece vs. what she paid, she just referred them to the H. Stern lifetime guarantee that whenever for whatever reason a customer was dissatisfied, they would buy the piece back for the same price. I.e., a forever money back guarantee. Don’t know if they still do that. But it makes sense to shop with vendors who stand behind what they sell.

I did have a satisfactory experience after a cruise, dealing with Starboard Cruise Services, so I think they are a reputable company to trade with....

I purchased a watch on board (The Crystal Serenity), and when I got home, I discovered that the salesman on the ship recorded the incorrect model number on my guarantee certificate. I needed that in order to collect the difference in price from what I paid, to what I found when I got home. I called their office, and they asked me to email them a copy of my receipt, along with the incorrectly written guarantee, and a couple of photo's of the actual watch, showing the front and rear, including the serial number.

It took some effort on my behalf, but a couple of weeks later, they mailed me the correct guarantee card, which I then in turn

sent to my credit card company, along with my evidence of a lower price, and a few weeks later, received a credit for the difference in price....:)