What Happened to Carnival Customer Service

[ooulio]

I am just wondering is it just me having problems. We were on the Miracle in Feb. We had stayed over nite in Ft Lauderdale the nite before . We got a shuttle and took it to Miracle in the am. Checked all our suitcases. Everything was okay. We went to Lido Deck and waited. Went to our room. We waited for our luggage. Got 2 finally. Around 5 o'clock or so they made a announcement that all the luggage had been delivered. We opened up the door . We asked our steward. He told us to go down to Pursers desk and check. We walked the wrong way on the ship. We found our last suitcase on the other side of the ship. Not even near our room number. It was like 6:30 when we found it. OUr steward came and saw where it was. No comment. We put it on the bed . Someone had shoved something in the TSA lock and broke the silver bars on our Tommy Hilfiger suitcase. Our steward came in the room. We showed him something was shoved in . Someone had tried to break in and gave up when they did the announcement. They must have realized people were looking for them by now. The steward called downstairs and asked for someone to come up and cut my lock. After a hour, I went back to the Pursers desk. I told him they had delivered it to the wrong room and tried to break into my suitcase. They acted like they could have cared less. Finally after so long, a guy in brown jump suit came up and looked. He looked at my suitcase. I showed him where someone broke my silver bars and broke and jammed my TSA lock. He had to cut it. He said "OH yeah!" Whatever!

I didn't except a miracle. When I came home, I wrote to Carnival. I get a letter saying thanks for letting us know. Not even a lousy $50.00 credit. My suitcase is ruined. I had to use a zip tie to close it on the way home. That was my one really expensive suitcase. I am very disappointed with Carnival's Service. You seem to have gone down hill! If you don't care about your customers, they will start going elsewhere. I don't care if I finally reached VIP or not. I might start looking elsewhere for my next cruise.

[LHP]

File for damages under your Travel Insurance...but they are probably going to tell you to file it under your Homeowners first.

[Justsyd]

File for damages under your Travel Insurance...but they are probably going to tell you to file it under your Homeowners first.

 

I agree. File it on your insurance. Read your cruise contract. Carnival is not responsible for luggage in the port or after it's delivered on the ship. Luggage can get messed up/lost or any cruise line, and it does!

 

© Carnival shall not be liable for: (1) Guest’s failure to comply with the requirements set forth in Clauses 4(a) and 4(b); (2) any loss or damage before baggage comes into Carnival’s actual custody on board or after baggage leaves Carnival’s actual custody on board, including, but not limited to, loss or damage by airlines or other transportation services; (3) any loss or damage of baggage while not in the actual possession, custody and control of Carnival; (4) damage due to wear, tear or normal usage; (5) any loss or damage of perishable items, medicine, liquor, cash, securities or other financial instruments, or (6) any loss or damage while in the custody and control of stevedores.

[BeccaBecca1713]

You can't prove Carnival was responsible. And no, I'm not being a cheerleader, just stating the obvious. When you handed your suitcase to the porters, they could've easily been the ones to do something. They are not employed by Carnival. I'm sorry that happened to you, but there are other factors at play here.

[CT Cruiser10]

Your suitcase may have been stolen by another passenger, explaining the damage as well as the odd location in which it was found.

[LHP]

Your suitcase may have been stolen by another passenger, explaining the damage as well as the odd location in which it was found.

 

Sadly, there is a good chance this happened.....

if there was NO tag at all...it would have not been put infront of any cabin.

[golfadj]

I have learned over the years that porters (the ones taking the suitcase from me on the pier (for a forced gratuity) and the ones on the ship are very rough on our luggage.

 

Each time I can pretty much count on at least some damage.

 

Sorry this happened ot you OP but you have no idea whom to blame. Next time do what we do buy cheap luggage at Sams.

[LucyR.]

I buy cheap luggage because it gets thrown and the corners get warped.

 

I think it was lucky that you had a lock on it because the thief was not sucessful in breaking into your luggage.

 

I once saw a beautiful designer luggage set that I truly wanted to buy but I didn't because I knew the airlines or the cruise ships were going to ruin the beauty of the leather. I forced myself to walk away from it.

 

Since I am a VIP and was the first one to enter the luggage area when disembarking the ship... I saw a small designer bag that had the LV symbols on it for Louis Vitton. I thought that is so stupid to not carry that small bag off the ship themselves. It could easily be stolen since nobody asks if it is truly our luggage as our porters pick up our luggage and we walk out.

One time my sister walked out with the wrong luggage. Lucky she noticed that it was the wrong luggage. She was able to get security to return the luggage and find her luggage.

[T. Advisor King]

The original poster has a fair beef and for something like that, Carnival should have offered something. Not because they "owe" it, but because it is good customer service.

 

Filing any sort of insurance claim will be a waste of time. I assume the deductible will be higher than the out of pocket cost.

 

I've carried on my luggage on Carnival cruises for as long as I can remember, just for those reasons, but I appreciate this would be very difficult for some passengers.

 

I think the whole manner in which Carnival processes luggage is flawed. If you don't carry on your own luggage, you're effectively forced to hand it over, for a fee, to an individual who generally works neither for Carnival nor the port authority. Then there is a big mystery about what happens with it when it disappears into the black hole, and then your luggage shows up (most of the time), but it is left out in the hallway where anyone could take it. There is a complete lack of security or accountability.

 

People complain about airlines and luggage, but when I hand over my luggage to an airline check-in agent, they are responsible for it and no other passengers have access to it between the time I hand it over and the time it comes sliding down to the luggage carousel.

 

And if anything goes wrong, the airline is bound by the Warsaw Convention (which is incorporated by reference into every airline ticket) to provide compensation. And that compensation is available not just for the worst case scenarios (lost and never found), but also for relatively minor inconveniences, like luggage being delayed by more than a certain number of hours.

[ORDMan]

Hate to hear this happened, but it's the same at the airlines. 20 years in the business and I tell people the same thing-don't buy expensive luggage. I know it's stylish and looks great, but behind the scenes it's getting tossed, slid, and stacked in dusty or dirty cargo bins. The cargo bin of an airplane isn't carpet that is vacuumed, it's dirty fiberglass or metal that has never been cleaned. And the bag agents (much like the porters I imagine) don't personally have anything against you, but they have hundreds of bags to handle and very little time, so they toss, slide, or whatever it takes to get it onboard quickly, and off again often in rain, snow, or 100 degree weather. And your luggage is out in the weather too.

 

I just cringe when I see the (real) LV luggage, Tumi, leather, etc being checked at the airport, or even gate checked on a regional jet.

[Aplmac]

No experienced traveller uses high-falutin' Brand suitcases

unless they want to attract the eyes of the thieves

and you accomplished exactly that! :D

 

 

Use junky old things that last 3 trips -and then replace with equally cheap and junky things.

That's how the pros do it.

 

 

Oh..one more thing.

Be sure to buy black luggage so they can get entirely lost in a sea of other black luggage

and then you can spend 10-15 mins. trying to locate yours

This is great fun at airports, in particular. ;)

.

[AWCHIEF]

In over 30 years I have only checked a bag while traveling one time and you guessed it, it got lost, trashed and found 2 weeks later, with half the contents missing. That was at least 20 years ago while traveling on military orders overseas. There is no reason to fly or cruise with more than will fit in a carry on sized bag. It does not matter how long the trip is, 3 days or 3 months does not matter. Hopefully the OP and others learned a good lesson this time.

That said this is a perfect example of the decline in customer service for all types of business not just Carnival.

[Aplmac]

This is a perfect example of a Royal Caribbean *ro11 :cool:

[firefly333]

This is a perfect example of a Royal Caribbean *ro11 :cool:

 

??? I think I missed the connection here ...whiz...

[LHP]

This is a perfect example of a Royal Caribbean *ro11 :cool:

 

I do not think the OP is a troll....

 

perhaps a little unreasonable in their expectations....but not a troll.

 

In 43 Carnival cruises, we have not had any luggage lost or damaged.

 

It sounds like the OP had the misfortune of being the victim of a potential theft from a passenger and when they could not get it open...dumped it.

 

All that luggage lined up in the hallways....I am sure it happens.

[PA Dutchman]

I am under the conclusion that if the airlines don't beat your luggage up the cruise lines will. At least it been awhile that our luggage has flew around the country more then we did. Get insurance, or get $50 bucks from the cruise line , your choice.

[ooulio]

I have never had any problems except bangs on any or our cruises. I loved the navy blue suitcase which is why I bought it. I won't spend a lot of money anymore. Tommy Hilfiger is strong so that is why we bought it. I was standing at the room with the door open a dozen times so it wouldn't get lost. I don't like black because it looks like a million , I have to go crazy looking for it even with ribbons on it. I am VIP so got right on. I had just got out of the shuttle vehicle. They came right over and took our luggage to those bins. We stood outside and waited while they put it in the bin. I was more mad at the attitude over the suitcase. It wasn't our favorite cruise. The morning after the alarm came on at 2am saying something and woke us up, we had no water. I had to complain about that too. Good thing we were in VIP line. Water finally came on at lunch. Then we could take showers. We asked the steward about the laundry. He kept telling us about the price. We tried to explain. Free one time. I finally did it myself. Screwed up my GF dinner 3 or 4 times. I just gave up. Tried to tell me I ordered something else. I know what I ordered. Even my husband said , you didn't order that. They were too laxa dazy. Supper club was wonderful.

[scchasgal]

I Good thing we were in VIP line. Water finally came on at lunch. Then we could take showers. We asked the steward about the laundry. He kept telling us about the price. We tried to explain. Free one time. I finally did it myself. Screwed up my GF dinner 3 or 4 times. I just gave up. Tried to tell me I ordered something else. I know what I ordered. Even my husband said , you didn't order that. They were too laxa dazy. Supper club was wonderful.

 

 

Re your laundry - are you a platinum or higher cruiser or were you VIP because you had a suite?

[Karshrimp]

We learned after our first 2 cruises not to spend alot on luggage because they get pretty trashed.

Had one new piece that was missing one of the rollings wheels by the time it was delivered to our cabin. On another piece, the telescoping handle was jammed in the "up" position. Never could get it back down. My neon pink luggage I bought so it would be easy to spot, now has black, dirty marks a foot long on them (along with a 5 inch tear on the back of one of the pieces).

Yep, just going to keep using my neon pink, dirty and torn luggage until they finally kill them...which may only be one or two cruises more!

Never experienced someone screwing with my locks like you did. It sure has the smells of an amature though which makes me lean towards it being another passenger...just my opinion!

[jaded99]

No experienced traveller uses high-falutin' Brand suitcases

unless they want to attract the eyes of the thieves

and you accomplished exactly that! :D

 

 

Use junky old things that last 3 trips -and then replace with equally cheap and junky things.

That's how the pros do it.

 

 

Oh..one more thing.

Be sure to buy black luggage so they can get entirely lost in a sea of other black luggage

and then you can spend 10-15 mins. trying to locate yours

This is great fun at airports, in particular. ;)

.

 

We play this game too - we don't even need luggage tags, we just look for the broken wheels :p

 

OP: That does suck, honestly. I know they're not "legally" responsible or whatever, but since you're a frequent (platinum?) guest that seems like one of those small things they could do to go above and beyond.

[big_duck]

Re your laundry - are you a platinum or higher cruiser or were you VIP because you had a suite?

 

And it's not free one time, it's free as many times as you want (unless you are on a JH bloggers cruise ;))

[Koval]

This is a perfect example of a Royal Caribbean *ro11 :cool:

Esther is not a Troll, I have cruised with her before, she is just stating that Carnival could have been better at their customer service.

In all of what happened to her luggage.

She probably wouldn't have even posted if they would have acted like the gave a darn.

Now that she has all the "I know better than you about luggage" information,

I am sure she will run down to the Good Will and get a bag for her next cruise.

Really, I think she just needed to vent a little, not get ripped up one side and 1/2 way down the other about her choice of Luggage

I too think it is odd the way the luggage is handled for a cruise

but the most expensive item in my bags is the Formal dress, lets hope if they steal my bag they are size 12 and like purple.

But they best not wear my dress to dinner, or I will be having a little visit with them :eek: and It may not be pretty.

[Karshrimp]

Esther is not a Troll, I have cruised with her before, she is just stating that Carnival could have been better at their customer service.

In all of what happened to her luggage.

She probably wouldn't have even posted if they would have acted like the gave a darn.

Now that she has all the "I know better than you about luggage" information,

I am sure she will run down to the Good Will and get a bag for her next cruise.

Really, I think she just needed to vent a little, not get ripped up one side and 1/2 way down the other about her choice of Luggage

I too think it is odd the way the luggage is handled for a cruise

but the most expensive item in my bags is the Formal dress, lets hope if they steal my bag they are size 12 and like purple.

But they best not wear my dress to dinner, or I will be having a little visit with them :eek: and It may not be pretty.

 

Now that's a thread I have never seen..."Someone stole my luggage and then showed up at Formal Night in my clothes"!!! :eek:

[katiel53]

And it's not free one time, it's free as many times as you want (unless you are on a JH bloggers cruise ;))

 

Sorry, but I have to disagree with you. My DH and I are Platinum and when we went on Dream a year ago January, we were told we could only send laundry ONE time.

 

This was NOT a cruise with many Platinum guests. On the last day I mentioned to the steward we weren't happy with having to do our laundry as we expected some of it to be done onboard and he said "I would have taken it more often" if we had asked, but he was told to put the paper in each cabin saying only once per cruise.

 

I could understand if there were a lot of Platinum cruisers as even John Heald mentioned on his blog, but according to our steward, that wasn't the case. We are sailing on Dream again for a B2B this weekend, and believe me, if we are told only once, I will be up to the customer service desk.

 

 

OP,

Did you have soda, beer, or some kind of alcohol in your suitcase? I am thinking that if you did, security might have tried to open your suitcase and then given up and put it somewhere else so that they could deny your claim. JMO.

[LynneL]

In our years of sailing, we have twice had luggage arrived damaged. First time something heavy put on the side of our luggage & broke the frame. Someone at the desk got duct tape and fixed it. We were advised to bring the luggage to a repair shop when we returned home & Carnival would pay the bill. It was inexpensive luggage so we did not pursue the issue.

 

Just 2 months ago we were on the Miracle and my daughter had a piece of her luggage damaged. Actually, it was a piece she borrowed from a friend so she felt that much worse. Carnival was more than fair in the handling of that matter and my daughter greatly appreciated it.