X refusing to pay Shareholders OBC on old booking

[FAR_girl]

It is likely that not many of you will encounter this problem but some, like me, may still have one or two pre-rule change booking numbers. Bookings that were made before X changed the rules so you could not combine your shareholders OBC with most of the other types of OBC. I'm sailing the Mercury on one of those old booking numbers now. Booking made in 2007 and shareholder services confirmed shareholder OBC for the booking in 2008. When the booking was transferred to my TA shortly before final payment for my current sailing, the booking contained both OBC for having made originated the booking onboard and another line of OBC which I understood to the shareholders credit. The paperwork all looked fine. When credits came through on my account on the second day of the cruise, the amount for the shareholder's credit wasn't there. Guest Relations' first response was that I was not allowed to have both those credits. When I finally got them to understand that this booking number predated those new rules, they were willing to reach out to Miami. I was shocked then Miami denied having any knowledge of shareholder OBC for that booking or even me as a shareholder! :eek: So far, I have produced copies of the original booking invoice from 2007, my email to shareholder services in 2008 (with attachments) requesting the credit and the response acknowledging that the credit had been applied, a copy of a current brokerage statement demonstrating I still own RCL stock, and a copy of the invoice from my TA after the booking was transfered showing the seperate entries for OBC. I have escalated this issue to the manager of guest relations. While guest relations management has been understanding of my frustration and accepting of my position that I will not spend onboard until corporate fixes their mistake, still no solution.

 

It is amazing to me that, with all the things X is trying to keep customers that corproate would screw this up at the last minute and act like it is somehow my fault? I guess they really don't want me to sail the cruise I have booked next spring or put down the deposit on the one the future cruise consultant priced for me on the very first day of this cruise. Woulnd't they they rather I be posting to say that I love my butler (Ashwin) and find the restaurant improved? I guess not.

[greeneg]

My suggestion would be to persist with them; obviously the people in Miami that you are talking with do not have the word correctly. Speak with a Supervisor or Dan Hanrahan if that's what it takes.

[J & G]

My suggestion would be to persist with them; obviously the people in Miami that you are talking with do not have the word correctly. Speak with a Supervisor or Dan Hanrahan if that's what it takes.

 

 

Hi, Greeneg! Great to see you again.....long time since the H1N1 controversy.....I think that's the last time I read your posts. You are always such a voice of reason!

[rolfecms]

Let us know how this turns out for you.

 

Coincidently I just made a booking today using a booking number purchased onboard the Summit in 2008 before the rules changed.

 

Am I still eligible for the shareholder credit in addition to the celebrity passages OBC even tho I have not requested the shareholder credit yet from shareholder services? :confused:

[Lsimon]

Let us know how this turns out for you.

 

Coincidently I just made a booking today using a booking number purchased onboard the Summit in 2008 before the rules changed.

 

Am I still eligible for the shareholder credit in addition to the celebrity passages OBC even tho I have not requested the shareholder credit yet from shareholder services? :confused:

 

Look at the information on the investor relations website - see the last item in this FAQ:http://www.rclinvestor.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=103045&p=irol-shareholderbenefit

[FAR_girl]

UPDATE: Corporate has now agreed to pay a shareholders benefit, but not the $300 benefit that was already part of my booking. Admittedly, at the time the benefit was applied, the booking number was associated with a 14-night cruise and this Mercury cruise is only 9 nights. But the cruise associated with the booking number changed a couple times between 2008 and now and RCL/X never adjusted the shareholder OBC. And they also initially gave me more than I asked for -- when contacted RCL's shareholder services in 2008, I was only expecting $250 and not $300. From my point of view, given what they have put me through in order to get them to admit liability and the fact that they never adjusted the OBC amount as the booked cruise changed, they shouldn't be haggling over quantum now. Anyone happen to know what the brackets were for shareholders OBC in 2008?

[bob278]

I don't remember that they have changed in the 6-7 years we have gotten them. Here is the breakdown as I recall it has been all along.

$250 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 14 or more nights.

$200 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 10 to 13 nights.

$100 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 6 to 9 nights.

$ 50 Onboard Credit per Stateroom on Sailings of 5 nights or less.

 

Granted, they messed up delivering what you are entitled to and possibly a little something extra for the aggravation might be nice (a bottle of wine perhaps), but to expect $300 which was probably never valid is overly optimistic.

 

I find it interesting that you saw an item on your paperwork that appeared to be the Shareholder OBC. I have collected that on 7 RCL and 10 Celebrity cruises over the years and have never seen it show up before about the third day of the cruise (other than e-mail confirmations that usually only said something like "the requested benefit has been applied to your booking").

[FAR_girl]

Bob, thank you for the OBC brackets as you remember them. I thought that over 7 nights was $150 or so, but we were usually on 12 or 11 night sailings, so it is hard to me to be sure without consulting old paperwork I don't have electronic access to. As for the OBC showing up on paperwork, I agree that invoices or statements that come directly from X/RCL don't show it. But when the bookings get transferred to my TA they do show up. So when this booking was transferred shortly before final payment for this cruise, it showed $150 OBC (for booking onboard) as well as another entry for $300 OBC (shareholders credit). Already provided this to guest relations to send to Miami.

 

Although I've been told by guest relations that corporate will give me some shareholders credit, not a dime of it has shown up in my onboard account.

[FAR_girl]

With a little online legwork, I found several articles from 2008 regarding RCCL's shareholder benefit program (inc. this one from Cruise Critic -- http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/news.cfm?ID=2605 ). Under the program in place in 2008, a 9 night cruise would receive a $200 benefit. Had guest relations send this one to corporate, even offered to compromise to $150 but corporate is sticking with thier low-ball offer. Even worse, not a word of apology from corporate regarding this mess and their error in trying to claim there was no record of shareholder benefit on the booking. Guest Relations onboard has been very understanding and apologetic, but they just don't seem to have an ability to take matters into their own hands or force corporate to do the right thing.

 

First order of business when I get home -- look for other options to replace next year's Jewel of the Seas Baltic cruise.