Shame on you Adam Goldstein-CEO RCI

[jeffreytg]

Our flights on 19th April from Scotland were cancelled due to Volcanic Ash resulting in all our plans to holiday in USA and our 25th April cruise on Liberty of the Seas cancelled.

 

We have never been so disappointed at the way RCI reacted.

Shame on you Mr Goldstein CEO RCI.

 

Continental Airlines - Full Refund

American Airlines - No Refund

Sofitel Miami - Full Refund

Royal Caribbean - Dont want to know.

Basically go away and dont bother us.

Dollar Car Rental - Partial Refund

Intercontinental Hotels - Full Refund

Tampa Hotel No Cancellation Charge.

 

Many of the above were bought as non refundables. Well done to each for changing their policies, except RCI.

 

The Volanic Ash is is a very unusual occurrence. How companies react can ensure future business or not. RCI failed.

Shame on you Mr Goldstein CEO RCI.

 

We asked if we could get a credit of some amount for our 24/25th cruise with RCI. (one off diamond plus). We were prepared to pay extra. Nope.

 

This reaction was contrary to what had been posted by RCI earlier and seemed to have been reversed.

 

Nope. Please go away, we are busy with real customers on our fly-cruise packages.

 

Shame on You Mr Goldstein CEO RCI.

Clearly the customer comes last in RCI culture.

Unless of course Mr Goldstein can prove me wrong.!!

 

Now, lets see where did I put that Princess brouchure!!!!!!!

 

I purchase a ticket to the World Cup final. Due to bad weather my plane is diverted and I arrive too late to make the match. Should I expect that my ticket to the world cup match be refunded to me or that I be given a ticket to the next Cup Final?

[MrPete]

Everybody agrees this is nobody's fault. But everybody also agrees that if anybody is to bear the brunt of the expenses, it shouldn't be the consumer.

 

 

I don't understand this thinking.

 

If you had a business, and a contract, and the contract didn't have provisions, yet insurance in available to the consumer, and they did not purchase, whether covered or not, why should the burden automatically be put on the business?

[madforcruising]

It took them several days because they didn't want one our planes going down with a few hundred people on it. That would have cost far more. Safety is safety. The reason flying is so safe is because we are so precautous.

 

 

I get the safety issue and as I said I´m all for safety, but aside from some computer simulations from one single source the airspace was closed and remained closed for many days even though test flights showed no problem at all and it took them like almost a week to confirm no plane threatening ash up there. All I say if you close airpsace for safety issues (which I fully understand) get your A$$ moving to confirm the problem instead of just watch the train wreck. Sorry but I feel a number of gvernments and authorities failed big time here.

[CruisinGerman]

In response to the above post, at least as far as the airlines are concerned, if your flight was cancelled during the volcano incident and you were awaiting re-booking by your airline to get you home, the airline is responsible for providing your meals, hotel accommodation, telephone calls, e-mails or faxes.

 

And according to the law, this obligation cannot be overriden by the fact that it was an act of god and not the airline's fault. The only thing you are NOT entitled to if it is not the airline's fault is additional COMPENSATION.

 

Even companies like Easyjet and Ryanair have finally acknowledged the application of this law, and are now posting on their websites that you are entitled to these expenses.

 

British Airways website gives you instructions on how to send them a claim for your meals and hotel expenses, etc.

 

And here in Europe, if you booked air/sea with the cruiseline's European office or with an EU travel agency, the law says you are entitled to a full refund of both elements. RCCL is trying to close its eyes in front of the law and say on its European website that it will refund the air but give you a future cruise credit for the cruise portion.

 

Stick up for your rights -- by EU law in this case you are entitled to a cash refund of all elements, including the cruise.

 

What is not yet clear under EU law, is whether you are protected if you booked your flights on your own.

 

Here in Spain, you are protected if you booked separate flights, but booked them at the same travel agency where you purchased the cruise, since the Spanish version of the EU Package Directive specifically considers it to be a package if you purchase one tour element (the cruise) and another one (the air) at the same travel agency, but the agency bills you separately for the second arrangement.

 

Because it is up in the air as to who is responsible for absorbing the loss, the cruise line should make the gesture of allowing the passenger a future cruise credit, in those cases where the law is not clear.

 

Cunard did that -- they allowed people who could not get to the immediately-departing cruise the opportunity to rebook another cruise.

 

Sending the Celebrity ship to "rescue" 2,000 Brits who were already covered by the airlines and tour companies, but at the same time denying relief to hundreds of passengers who could not get to the RCCL and Celebrity ships, leaves a very sour taste in my mouth.

 

Kind regards,

 

Gunther and Uta

[Sparkle 123]

Scotland01

I am truly sorry at the way RCI have treated you and saddened by the lack of sypmathy by some of the posters on this thread.

As someone who enjoys putting my own travel itineraries together rather than having the package it make me feel quite nervous about future trips we have arranged.

 

I do think that under the exceptional circumstances RCI could have bent the rules for you especially as you are a frequent cruiser with them.

I hope you get some compensation from your insurance.

 

I also agree with CruisinGermans comments that as well as looking after other tour operators clients by sending the Eclipse to rescue stranded holidaymakers they should consider their own disappointed passengers too who booked cruise only who were unable to get to their ships.

 

This whole situation has been unprecedented and sticking to the rules rigidly is not very good for customer relations.

 

Good luck to you, hope you get something sorted out with RCI.

Lisa

[Scotland01]

Thanks to CruisinGermans and to abbafan. We are on the same wavelength! We have had no reply from RCI and we had to insist our travel agent claim our prepaid tips and port taxes but so far nothing in writing. This will not go away! Margaret

[madforcruising]

Thanks to CruisinGermans and to abbafan. We are on the same wavelength! We have had no reply from RCI and we had to insist our travel agent claim our prepaid tips and port taxes but so far nothing in writing. This will not go away! Margaret

 

 

It will go away just as all those topics go away eventually at some point, as nobody cares forever;)

[livylotte]

RCI does care

 

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/8109629.Celebrity_Eclipse_rescue_will_cost_hundreds_of_thousands_of_pounds/

 

.... for other peoples customers.

[madforcruising]

RCI does care

 

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/8109629.Celebrity_Eclipse_rescue_will_cost_hundreds_of_thousands_of_pounds/

 

.... for other peoples customers.

 

Hmmm, it looks more like that article is about Celebrity and not RCI.

[donaldsc]

Did you bother to buy insurance. If not - tough! You do not have my sympathy.

 

DON

[marci22]

RCI does care

 

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/8109629.Celebrity_Eclipse_rescue_will_cost_hundreds_of_thousands_of_pounds/

 

.... for other peoples customers.

 

Well a rescue gets them a lot more press than just refunding customers. Refunding isn't sexy.

[Ocean Boy]

Well a rescue gets them a lot more press than just refunding customers. Refunding isn't sexy.

Very interesting observation.

[Ocean Boy]

Did you bother to buy insurance. If not - tough! You do not have my sympathy.

 

DON

 

Hmmm, I'm sure you just trashed someone day... yeah.

[madforcruising]

Very interesting observation.

 

And I would say true as well. I bet this gives Celebrity and RCCL more good press than the few stories about RCI not helping travelers gives them a bad one.

[Ocean Boy]

And I would say true as well. I bet this gives Celebrity and RCCL more good press than the few stories about RCI not helping travelers gives them a bad one.

 

No question it generates a lot of good press. Of course, I bet they don't make too much mention of the fact that they cancelled a non revenue producing cruise in order take these folks home.

[madforcruising]

No question it generates a lot of good press. Of course, I bet they don't make too much mention of the fact that they cancelled a non revenue producing cruise in order take these folks home.

 

He said:

 

President of Celebrity Cruises Dan Hanrahan said it "just seemed to be the right thing to do" to cancel a cruise for travel agents and press in order to bring British nationals home.

[Ocean Boy]

He said:

Correct. But how many people know that they would all be aboard without charge? He also goes on to say that this was going to cost the line hundreds of thousands of dollars. Wasn't the cruise line already going to spend that on the original set of guests that it was planning to bring aboard? Whatever the case, I don't mind RCI and Celebrity getting some good press. It's all good.

 

"It's going to be in the hundreds of thousands of pounds but that's a guess at this point, I haven't spent any time thinking about it, it's just the right thing to do."

[madforcruising]

Correct. But how many people know that they would all be aboard without charge? He also goes on to say that this was going to cost the line hundreds of thousands of dollars. Wasn't the cruise line already going to spend that on the original set of guests that it was planning to bring aboard?

 

"It's going to be in the hundreds of thousands of pounds but that's a guess at this point, I haven't spent any time thinking about it, it's just the right thing to do."

 

Well I took his comment about the cost as extra cost to get to spain and back, thinking mostly about fuel cost for that trip, Not so much the cost to feed those people. But I admit I don´t know what was planned for the TA´s and press and where they would have sailed or if they had sailed at all.

[heavychevy]

But whose God has more money to cover the refunds?:eek::D

 

 

da big Corporate God named HUGE CORPORATE TAX WRITE OFFS.

My condolences to all those who are/were stranded. There will be no lawsuits or 'wars', but lost corporate dollars that are not allocated for 'bail-outs' will be written off. And the Consumer...looses again. Any bail-out for all that emergency charging?

With all due respect, this is a very funny thread.......

[Peter Potter]

Let me get this right. You're pissed that RCCL won't refund your money due to an act of god that RCCL had no control over? It's not their fault that your flights were canceled. If you booked your flights through the cruise line, then you might have had a leg to stand on.

 

Did you even have trip insurance?

I paid £564 insurance for a week as I had my elderly Mother with me (what a waste of money that was!). We know it was an act of God. Nobody is denying that. what we are saying is that RCI didn't even come to our hotels to let us know what was happening. We were dumped. Only when they were told we had gone to the BBC did they get coaches for us. Many had no money and no vital medication (and some people had life threatening conditions). No sympathy for RCI. the ship sat in Venice dock and left (a few days after it should have) probably half empty while other ships were going along picking up stranded passengers. Never again will I go with RCI. I booked the whole thing as a package and was assured when we got off the ship we wouldn't be abandoned - ALL LIES!!!

[michael-g-rice]

If this had canceled internal US flights we would be reading a different story on these boards, but with most things that happen in the world if it’s not in the US of affects the US then the US people and US companies are not interested.

In most cases if something happens in other parts of the world, most US TV news stations don’t even report on it, like we saw in this case until the volcanic eruption was 4 days old

[heavychevy]

I paid £564 insurance for a week as I had my elderly Mother with me (what a waste of money that was!). We know it was an act of God. Nobody is denying that. what we are saying is that RCI didn't even come to our hotels to let us know what was happening. We were dumped. Only when they were told we had gone to the BBC did they get coaches for us. Many had no money and no vital medication (and some people had life threatening conditions). No sympathy for RCI. the ship sat in Venice dock and left (a few days after it should have) probably half empty while other ships were going along picking up stranded passengers. Never again will I go with RCI. I booked the whole thing as a package and was assured when we got off the ship we wouldn't be abandoned - ALL LIES!!!

 

This seems so ODD to me that they would not have 'emergency stand-by' plans in their 'system'. This company was the first in during the Haitian earthquake, their public relations seems to have slipped in a crack somewhere.

[brmoqueen]

We were on Radiance over 9/11........another disaster...although not an act of Mother Nature but nonetheless NOT Rcl's fault......We had c/o...they did not help us get home....we were not furious with them....

 

RCL was awesome in how they handled the perverbial 'plan b' with 9/11.

 

Insurance is the key and if you don't want to take gambles then book it all thru the cruiseline.

 

Enjoy Princess!!

[waterbug123]

This seems so ODD to me that they would not have 'emergency stand-by' plans in their 'system'. .

 

And it seems equally odd to me that more PASSENGERS don't have 'emergency stand-by' plans in THEIR systems.

 

Example: People have mentioned folks being left on the dock in Dubai who had no money for a hotel. I do feel sorry for them, but seriously....you are going to travel out of the country on a trip that ends in a country other than your own and not think for one second that SOMETHING unexpected MIGHT happen and maybe, just maybe, you should have a contingency plan?? Extra cash and/or available balance on a credit card. Others have mentioned people stranded without vital medicine. Again, have an emergency stand by plan, i.e. EXTRA meds, just in case. A cell phone with charger. The name/number of some hotels in your debarkation city (if it's not your home city/country) just in case the ship is late getting back into port or there is some other reason (volcanic ash!) that you cannot immediately return home.

[Peter Potter]

We were on Radiance over 9/11........another disaster...although not an act of Mother Nature but nonetheless NOT Rcl's fault......We had c/o...they did not help us get home....we were not furious with them....

 

RCL was awesome in how they handled the perverbial 'plan b' with 9/11.

 

Insurance is the key and if you don't want to take gambles then book it all thru the cruiseline.

 

Enjoy Princess!!

 

I booked it as a complete passage through RCI and the insurance through them and NO HELP WHATSOEVER. Insurance (£564 for the week) is NOT the key during a natural disaster!!