Fun Card not very, waste of time

[CanWeGoYet?]

Got the Carnival Fun card a couple months back, for the sole purpose of using it to earn a little more OBC. Turned out to be nothing but a headache. I have over 10,500 points due to the various promotions offered. According to the FAQ, you can redeem funpoints as soon as they are credited to your account.

 

Have been unable to do so, go to Rewards tab, scroll down to "redeem points" and I am brought to the freaking FAQ that will help answer my questions. Gifts, OBC etc are supposed to pop up. Spoke to an absolute nimrod at their customers service center, who told me that I could not redeem points because they had to be charged on a cruise ship. Actually, my first purchase was to Bon Voyage, she did not think this was carnival. :rolleyes: In any case, points are points no matter where you got them - I should be able to redeem them. I asked to speak to a manager, after getting her snotty reply she was a "account relationship manager" I asked to speak to her boss. Could not, all busy, but one would call me back.

In the meantime, I call back & get another "relationship manager" who says he will just go ahead & get the onboard credit for me. Problem solved! Only apparently not. This morning, after 3 days, I get a call back from the supervisor. She checks, and no one has redeemed my points for OBC. Because no one can. She said they are unable to process the request, because of some computer glitch in their system that won't allow points (I guess for only certain customers?) to be redeemed. And that many consumers have complained, and they have "escalated" the situation to the technicians, who are working on it.

 

She said I just have to keep checking back. Meanwhile, they require 15 days to process the obc request, and my cruise sails in 30. Wonder what the odds are of this problem being solved in time. Just seems awfully convenient, get people to open an account and then tell them sorry we can't figure out how to give you the perks that made it worth your while to sign up in the first place....

 

So that is my experience with this craptastic card. Anyone else ran into this, or have any suggestions? Host Mach? If this is truly a systems problem with the card, and not a bait & switch, can't imagine why they aren't able to fix it or go around it.

[Cambrensis]

What a disappointment. We have always resisted the most such "rewards" cards due to the small print and restricted uses of points; have preferred the well-known national cards (I think against CC rules to say which ones but you probably know who they are) that reward in cold, hard cash.

[tamirpr]

That is strange. When they converted over, I went the first day and transferred my points online to $100 OBC and it was credited immediately. Is this new points that they aren't redeeming or points you already had?

[*Mach*]

Got the Carnival Fun card a couple months back, for the sole purpose of using it to earn a little more OBC. Turned out to be nothing but a headache. I have over 10,500 points due to the various promotions offered. According to the FAQ, you can redeem funpoints as soon as they are credited to your account.

 

Have been unable to do so, go to Rewards tab, scroll down to "redeem points" and I am brought to the freaking FAQ that will help answer my questions. Gifts, OBC etc are supposed to pop up. Spoke to an absolute nimrod at their customers service center, who told me that I could not redeem points because they had to be charged on a cruise ship. Actually, my first purchase was to Bon Voyage, she did not think this was carnival. :rolleyes: In any case, points are points no matter where you got them - I should be able to redeem them. I asked to speak to a manager, after getting her snotty reply she was a "account relationship manager" I asked to speak to her boss. Could not, all busy, but one would call me back.

In the meantime, I call back & get another "relationship manager" who says he will just go ahead & get the onboard credit for me. Problem solved! Only apparently not. This morning, after 3 days, I get a call back from the supervisor. She checks, and no one has redeemed my points for OBC. Because no one can. She said they are unable to process the request, because of some computer glitch in their system that won't allow points (I guess for only certain customers?) to be redeemed. And that many consumers have complained, and they have "escalated" the situation to the technicians, who are working on it.

 

She said I just have to keep checking back. Meanwhile, they require 15 days to process the obc request, and my cruise sails in 30. Wonder what the odds are of this problem being solved in time. Just seems awfully convenient, get people to open an account and then tell them sorry we can't figure out how to give you the perks that made it worth your while to sign up in the first place....

 

So that is my experience with this craptastic card. Anyone else ran into this, or have any suggestions? Host Mach? If this is truly a systems problem with the card, and not a bait & switch, can't imagine why they aren't able to fix it or go around it.

 

 

Wow... what a pain in the posterior...

I don't know anyone at Carnival to address this to as the issue is with the credit card company and not a Carnival function.

I'll be glad to send along a question but I suspect that you'll have an answer way before I will...

:)

[cowetamom]

I also have had no problem converting my points to an onboard credit. Took about three to four days for it to show up on Carnivals site. I thought it was super easy. Sorry it's not working for you.:confused:

[KroozFoolz]

I have a similar problem.

On January 1, 2010, the website showed I had "qualifying transactions" for which funpoints could be redeemed for statement credit. I just needed less than 100 additional points to redeem for a full credit for a final payment I had made for a Carnival cruise. No problem - within a week, I had "earned" those additional points. BUT when I then went to redeem the points, the website showed I had no qualifying transactions! Same type of very frustrating phone conversations (including being on hold for 30 minutes, only then to have the call disconnected) you experienced, tink 360. I sent an email through the website and had some very "interesting" back and forth emails with their response to my inquiry and request to fix the problem being a scripted reply (quoting the "rules" of the program) which did not address the problem. I am following the rules - THEY ARE NOT! Supposedly they started a "case" to investigate the situation, but.....

 

Over 30 days now, and no resolution.

 

Very frustrating.

[steveaaaaa]

Got the Carnival Fun card a couple months back, for the sole purpose of using it to earn a little more OBC. Turned out to be nothing but a headache. I have over 10,500 points due to the various promotions offered. According to the FAQ, you can redeem funpoints as soon as they are credited to your account.

 

Have been unable to do so, go to Rewards tab, scroll down to "redeem points" and I am brought to the freaking FAQ that will help answer my questions. Gifts, OBC etc are supposed to pop up. Spoke to an absolute nimrod at their customers service center, who told me that I could not redeem points because they had to be charged on a cruise ship. Actually, my first purchase was to Bon Voyage, she did not think this was carnival. :rolleyes: In any case, points are points no matter where you got them - I should be able to redeem them. I asked to speak to a manager, after getting her snotty reply she was a "account relationship manager" I asked to speak to her boss. Could not, all busy, but one would call me back.

In the meantime, I call back & get another "relationship manager" who says he will just go ahead & get the onboard credit for me. Problem solved! Only apparently not. This morning, after 3 days, I get a call back from the supervisor. She checks, and no one has redeemed my points for OBC. Because no one can. She said they are unable to process the request, because of some computer glitch in their system that won't allow points (I guess for only certain customers?) to be redeemed. And that many consumers have complained, and they have "escalated" the situation to the technicians, who are working on it.

 

She said I just have to keep checking back. Meanwhile, they require 15 days to process the obc request, and my cruise sails in 30. Wonder what the odds are of this problem being solved in time. Just seems awfully convenient, get people to open an account and then tell them sorry we can't figure out how to give you the perks that made it worth your while to sign up in the first place....

 

So that is my experience with this craptastic card. Anyone else ran into this, or have any suggestions? Host Mach? If this is truly a systems problem with the card, and not a bait & switch, can't imagine why they aren't able to fix it or go around it.

 

 

I am having the same issue.When clicking on Redeem award, I get a screen with the Word "Fun Points" and 2 FAQs.

 

This is it for me with this card.As my sail time gets shorter,I will do something,but I am hoping it fixes itself.

 

Steve

[okgirl]

Sorry this is happening to you. I do think it is just a temporary glitch since others (including myself) have been able to redeem our fun points with no problems.

 

As recently as 3 weeks ago it was working fine. That's when I redeemed points for a $200 OBC for my Conquest cruise leaving this Sunday.

 

Having said that though, I don't think this is the best reward card out there and I would actually prefer using one that accumulates airline miles. So I'm going to start searching for that when I get back.

[firefly333]

Iv had great luck with my RCL VISA card, very easy to redeem points and can be used with any TA or person you book with.

[H82seaUgo]

I've only used cards that have a cashback. No limits, and I can do with the money as I like.

[CanWeGoYet?]

My AMEX celebrity card was not exactly "intuitive" in the steps online you took to redeem - but once you were in the right screen there was nothing to it. Also customer service was helpful and I never hung up the phone thinking I wanted to wring someone's neck, lol.

 

If this only serves as a cautionary tale, I guess it is some use. Resist the lure of easy on board credit - it really isn't worth the hassle.

[CanWeGoYet?]

That is strange. When they converted over, I went the first day and transferred my points online to $100 OBC and it was credited immediately. Is this new points that they aren't redeeming or points you already had?

 

Points are all fairly new, I got the card 4-6 weeks ago thinking I've got a cruise coming up - wanted to add to my OBC. I thought 2+months before cruise would be enough, but in reality may not be.

 

Got an email from Barclay's (the company carnival card is under)

Thank you for contacting us regarding your Carnival MasterCard account. We understand your concern and would like to apologize if you have received anything less than superior customer service from us; however, we can certainly assist you.

Our records indicate that one of our supervisors made you a callback on February 16, 2010. She had generated a case regarding the rewards and have it forwarded to our Executive Department for investigation and it is still under review. Please note that it will usually take 7 to 10 business days up to a maximum of 30 days for us to resolve the issue. We will notify you accordingly once the issue has been resolved. We appreciate your patience regarding this matter.

 

 

 

 

Please know that it is our goal to provide our customers with exceptional customer service and we regret to learn that we have not exceeded your expectations.

 

Should you have additional questions or concerns regarding your account, please reply to this message.

 

 

 

Sincerely,

 

Marjorie Cxxxxxxxxx

 

E-mail Relationship Manager

 

at least it was not a canned response.

 

[KroozFoolz]

at least it was not a canned response.

 

 

Here is the last email I received several weeks ago:

 

"Thank you for contacting us regarding your Carnival MasterCard account. We understand your concern regarding FunPoints redemption and would like to apologize if you have received anything less than superior customer service from us. We appreciate the time you have taken to provide us with this valuable feedback.

 

This concern has been forwarded to our Executive Office for review on January 07, 2010. Please allow up to 30 days for a resolution. We appreciate your patience on this matter. The Executive Office will contact you after your request has been reviewed.

 

If you have any other questions and concerns, please reply to this e-mail. We appreciate your business and look forward to continuing to service your financial needs.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

Jessalee Bxxxxxxx

E-mail Relationship Manager

 

I am still waiting to hear back. :rolleyes:

[CanWeGoYet?]

Eh, looks totally canned now. Toss in a few details specific to each writer to change it up. I hope it gets resolved in time for your cruise.

[KroozFoolz]

Eh, looks totally canned now. Toss in a few details specific to each writer to change it up. I hope it gets resolved in time for your cruise.

Thanks. We have already taken the cruise. I want statement credit for the qualifying transaction (the final payment) rather than obc. (We had enough obc for all our S&S charges, except ~$5, from Carnival and TA.:D) If I can't get the statement credit for the final payment for the cruise we have already taken, I hope to use my points for statement credit for my deposit when I book another Carnival cruise. Just have to decide which cruise I want to do post-Thanksgiving week.

 

Our next cruise is on Princess. I have the Princess Visa (which is through the same bank :eek:). I hope using those points for obc on Princess won't be as frustrating.

 

I don't blame the reps I have talked with on the phone or the ones that have responded to my emails. They are just doing what is outlined and scripted for them. It has to be as frustrating for them as it is for the customers they are trying to help. I don't think I could stay at a job like that. I just wish whoever has the knowledge, power and authority to remedy the "glitch" in the program would get around to doing so.

 

I hope it works out for you too. Have a great cruise!

[gator2700]

qualifying transactions, when clearly I had just put my deposit for my cruise on there. The transaction shows up, for me to pay.....but not for a qualifying transaction. I called and the person I spoke to said they were having technical issues with the website and that I should check back in a few days.

 

When you use your points for OBC, how do you get the OBC? Do you have to type in your booking number or something? It was going to allow me to do that, but not use the points for credit on my bill.

[Kurbanfan]

I knew when the card changed over that I would need a Carnival purchase to qualify..........so I put down a deposit on my cruise...........

A few weeks later it showed that I qualified and I redeemed my points for $400 obc........showed up right away.......easy as pie......

 

Yes you need to put your booking number in........

[DGP1111]

I've had three perfect successes with online redemption of FunPoints, and have bragged here that I really like the new program, but I do agree there is currently an issue.

 

Just now I went in to my account and did a mock redemption attempt. I got the same No qualifying transactions at this time message, which is absolutely false. :(

 

When I checked on the onboard credits, there are two 'screens' of items, but it won't let me go past the three on the first screen, so a $200 non-spa credit option doesn't even appear.

 

This past weekend I was able to get a credit redemption with zero effort, so (for me) it seems to be an 'on again / off again' challenge. I'm sorry to read that others are having issues all the time.

[KroozFoolz]

Anothing "interesting" thing that happened to my account -

 

20,000 points were redeemed (not by me) for a statement credit of $200 - with no qualifying transaction tied to it - it does not show up in my "redemption history." This happened on December 30. I called and asked about it but no surprise they had no answer for me. :rolleyes:

 

I was told a supervisor would contact me - he did - he left me a voice mail on New Year's Eve. :p

[CanWeGoYet?]

Anothing "interesting" thing that happened to my account -

 

20,000 points were redeemed (not by me) for a statement credit of $200 - with no qualifying transaction tied to it - it does not show up in my "redemption history." This happened on December 30. I called and asked about it but no surprise they had no answer for me. :rolleyes:

 

:eek: Holy Smokes. This is not good!

[Nannydd12]

Hey Tink, I have the fun points card and had no problem going online and redeeming 40,000 points for a credit to my credit card. I did this just last month and it put the credit on my account within an hour. We use this card for gas and anything Carnival and are using it for sail and sign on our cruise. Hope that your mess gets worked out in time for onboard credit but if not maybe you can try a account credit. See ya in 30 days!!!!

[beach410]

Made our next cruise deposit on our card, its already showing the points credited, but cant redeem them. Do you need to be paid in full for transaction to register as a qualifying purchase? I am getting same message. Is there some place to add my booking #, what am I doing wrong?

[CanWeGoYet?]

Made our next cruise deposit on our card, its already showing the points credited, but cant redeem them. Do you need to be paid in full for transaction to register as a qualifying purchase? I am getting same message. Is there some place to add my booking #, what am I doing wrong?

 

It isn't you, it's them (or their site actually). Their rocket scientists in the IT division are apparently trying to fix the bugs in the system, so that people can redeem their points. I bet if they had a computer glitch that suddenly gave everyone a zero balance, they would find a way to fix that screw up pronto. :D

[horse1]

I am having the same problem. I received a similar email to the ones all ready posted. I received a case number on 2/1/2010 even though I have been dealing with them since 1/4/2010.

 

I am envious of the ones that have not had a problem, I have over 100,000 points. I did nothing wrong when I booked my cruise through a Carnival PVP.

 

As to redeeming points for an onboard credit, I was able to do that with no trouble and redeemed 20,000 points for $200 onboard credit. I have also already taken the cruise and am just waiting for the statement credit.

 

Even though I knew they couldn't do anything, I sent Carnival an email. They responded back, saying "keep contacting Barclaysus.com and they have sent my email to the proper department for review". Maybe if enough people sent them an email that might get barclays to get on the ball for those of us not lucky enough to have the points go through smoothly.

[CanWeGoYet?]

Took your advice, I think it's a great idea to let Carnival know. Was on hold a great while but the supervisor I spoke to said he would forward my complaint on this card to the finance dept., and also CC to the highest rung in the carnival corporate ladder. The card is associated with Carnival, I think they should at least know that Barclays is promising rewards to customers that they are not (for the time being anyway) able to deliver. Hopefully they will exert some pressure on the company or reevaluate their affiliation.