The great towel rip off

[EVALUATOR]

I watch my pennies..And I would not be happy with a 25.00 extra charge, but scam I dont think so...

This is obviously such a hot subject that I dont think RCCL would rish the opportunity of a repeat customer...

If we do the math, the 25.oo towel proberly cost them...9.999(at least)...so they would make a profit.

But, Would they actually jeapordize a future potential customer for the sake of $10.00. No!

I think they work to hard to provide quality service and a product to put that into harms way. Can you inmagine how much they made off of your cruise, extras and drinks..10.00 is a drop in the bucket.

Sometime bad things happen to Good people unfortuniatly it was your day :(

 

Think of the positive experience and feeling you had while onboard...ahhhhhhh.

Just my 2cents worth.

 

But it's really not just $10.

 

If they bought the towel for $9.99, and charge you $25.00 for a towel you didn't take they have your $25.00 and they still have their used towel to "sell" again.

 

And the new RCI Logo towels only cost $29.95 delivered to your room, new, and plastic wrapped. Far cry from the used, stained, and tattered ones they charge you $25.00 for.

[Ocean Boy]

This is obviously such a hot subject that I dont think RCCL would rish the opportunity of a repeat customer...

 

I think the scenario that they put EVALUATOR through goes beyond ridiculous.

[crusinmama06]

Makes me so glad that I use a CASH account ;) They can't overcharge for anything when they don't have access to my credit card. :p

 

These stories are ridiculous and I would be :mad:

 

I remember when I sailed on FOS years ago and they first started this system - I thought it was pretty easy. Who knew it could go horribly wrong? :eek:

[uktraveller]

Just off Brilliance. After disembarkation our credit card was charged for more than the total of the final bill........called RCI UK and were informed that it was a charge for unreturned towels!

Just a small point........we never used a single pool towel during the whole cruise and our seapass card never went anyway near the swipe machine at the towel station:mad:

They have agreed to refund the charge.

 

We will be operating a cash only account on our next cruise.....that way they can't add "extra charges" after disembarkation.

[Linco711]

Can't be bothered by this towel nonsense. Had the same silliness at many land-based resorts, not worth the bother when we're on vacation to enjoy ourselves.

 

We bring cheapo, ugly bargain beach towels with us, and mark our names on them beforehand with indelible pen. If somebody wants to steal them, have at it, and if we see you with them later, good luck explaining to Security why our names are on them, not yours.

 

Plus, when I climb out of the hot tub or the pool wiping the chlorine out of my eyes, I can always spot my chaise longue immediately - the one with the ugly towel.

 

But they get smelly after a few uses.....yuk!:)

[UNV-IT!!!]

It's happened to me on two different sailings. Once it was on the paper bill I received under the door. Went to front desk and had it removed. Second time it was on cc later. Called and it was again removed. But I just don't get how they can screw this up when they scan the card and are looking right at the screen. It should say if it went through or not

[CrusingJoe]

I borrow some pool towels from a Chair Hog early in the cruise and then I don't need to worry about it. This is a lot easier than buying them at walmart before you leave and you always have clean towels. It's not stealling the towels because I always return it to the same chair onthe last night of the cruise. ;)

 

Great Idear. :D

[CrusingJoe]

What about it is not nice? I think it is a great idea.

 

Did you return them?

[swmer]

I borrow some pool towels from a Chair Hog early in the cruise and then I don't need to worry about it. This is a lot easier than buying them at walmart before you leave and you always have clean towels. It's not stealling the towels because I always return it to the same chair onthe last night of the cruise. ;)

 

A great tip for one that has been victim to towel overcharging. Luckily for me Guest Services sorted it out very quickly.

[Unkle Fred]

On our Serenade cruise in mid-October, we were charged $40 for towels that were turned in the day before debarkation. Guest services removed the charge when I challenged it.

[mpoole3]

This summer on the Allure I went to check out 2 more towels and they said I already had the MAX number of towels checked out. (we already had 2) But based on what his computer said we had 4 checked out two each. I had to spend 15-20 mins of my seas day debating the number of towels we had checked out. So now when I return my towels I always reconfirm with the towel guy that I have zero checked out RIGHT?!?

[cruzemaven]

This summer on the Allure I went to check out 2 more towels and they said I already had the MAX number of towels checked out. (we already had 2) But based on what his computer said we had 4 checked out two each. I had to spend 15-20 mins of my seas day debating the number of towels we had checked out. So now when I return my towels I always reconfirm with the towel guy that I have zero checked out RIGHT?!?

 

...and why should we be put in that position when we are suppose to be on vacation. One may not want to call this a scam but it is definitely a racket! Wonder how much RCCL makes in undiscovered overcharges?

[belles53]

Well, I got my refund for the towel charge and had a long conversation with the agent I spoke with. I told him that the RCCL corporate people need to follow these boards, if they don't already. I suggested that the consider changing their towel procedures and should realize that their overcharges, deliberate or negligent, affect their reputation.

[welldone60]

We have cruised on four differnt lines over the years and have had items charged that we did not purchase on all four. Most have been sodas or drinks from the cabin, never a big amount. Some we have caught before leaving the ship. I don't think it's a planned overcharge, but it does happen.

[Macfans]

That is precisely why we use American Express. Dispute the charges. We get a printed return receipt from the towel gods. They hate to have to do it, but it alleviates this sort of issue. :D

[LiveLoveCruise]

I don't attach a credit card to my room for this reason. I use cash. No surprises!

[AlanFromFL]

I borrow some pool towels from a Chair Hog early in the cruise and then I don't need to worry about it. This is a lot easier than buying them at walmart before you leave and you always have clean towels. It's not stealling the towels because I always return it to the same chair onthe last night of the cruise. ;)

 

So YOU'RE the guy that keeps taking my towels! :D

[Brad1185]

If they made up $40 in fake towel charges on 200 people each cruise 52 weeks a year on 22 ships they would get around 9 million a year. They seem to add the fake towel charges after midnight the last night of the cruise.

 

Just finished a HAL cruise and there were rolled up towels all over the place for everyone to use without all the checking in and out nonsense RCI does.

[nanwel]

What happened to the good old days, when you were allowed to exchange towels on the deck as often as you want. I had no billing issue on my Panama canal cruise last yr. But, did not like having to go to the pool deck with wet sandy dirty towels after outings (how unsanitary) to exchange them for clean ones.

Who wants to lug them around - we used to just dump them in a bin at the dock.

Perhaps too many people left them on the beach etc after the day out - too lazy to return them, and they have spoiled it for us.!!!

Cannot be bothered to lug my own with weight restrictions on luggage etc.

No, it did not stop chair hogs - they put one flip flop on one chair one on chair two and leave for the day, or a "free" book from the library.

Think the hassle would not be worth the effort from RC point of view!

Maybe sew scanners in the towels so they beep when we take them away from the pool deck!, and only issue towels as you leave the ship for use on out trips.

Have seen lots of towels left all over the place on cruise ship islands prior to the new system. Maybe this will be better for the cruise lines bottom line! See if they reduce our fairs because they have less towel loss!

[cruisinp]

Get all the towels you want from the gym locker rooms with no check out!

 

The problem with this solution is that passengers will start to take these towels home and then we will need to scan our card in the gym!

[denamo]

We actually had a towel taken from us at the security checkpoint to get back on the ship. Our items were put on the conveyer and went through the scanner. When we got to the end to retrieve them, someone had taken one from the top of our bag!! Looks like someone didn't want to pay for their towel they left at a beach.:p Desperate times calls for desperate measures! :rolleyes: We did actually appeal to the ship and they honored our story. So, when we leave the ship and do a beach run next time, we will make sure the towels are either in the bottom of the bag or have a zipper top bag.

[dachshunddoglover]

I'm really bored so I just read this entire thread. I feel very lucky to have never been overcharged about the towels (although I have not checked my credit card slip to my final account paper slid under the door :eek:) BUT I have been charged for mini bar stuff we never used. We always take the stuff out right when we get there and put our own stuff in. The mini-fridge must be a NIGHTMARE for the cabin steward to empty everyone's fridge (a term I use loosely since it is barely cold). I think the fridge should be filled upon request and left empty unless asked for. Do they really make that much money on mini-bar stuff anyway?

It's hard to keep track of those darn towels with 4 kids but I will be very dilligent in the future. My kids will call me the "Towel Natzi"!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

E-Beth

[ChevyCruiser]

I avoid all these hassles and never check out a towel. There are always plenty of towels unattended in the sunny spots near the pool ;), along with a free paperback book or magazine. I just pick up the book I want to read with the towel and I'm all set for the cruise. When I need a new towel I just exchange it at the towel station.

[Tucker in Texas]

I think the fridge should be filled upon request and left empty unless asked for. Do they really make that much money on mini-bar stuff anyway?

 

E-Beth

 

I just got off the Mariner of the Seas. I always check to make sure everything is in the mini-bar that is suppose to be there when I board and then ask the room steward to remove the contents. I don't plan on putting my own stuff in there but just don't want the responsibility of the contents. Sometimes they took it off, other times just put it an empty cabinet, in a sack under the bed, or stuff it around the "refrigerator" (husband calls it shade).

 

I forgot to ask the room steward(ess) to empty it the first night. The next day around noon I happened to be in the cabin when there was a knock on the door and a crew member said she needed to inventory the mini-bar. I told her as far as I was concerned, she could empty it as we wouldn't be using anything in it. She did. I got the feeling that she was happy to do it because that would be one less cabin she had to check every day or so.

 

Do the ships have a separate person to check the mini-bar or is it left up to the room steward? I always thought it was an additional job for the room steward to check to see if anything had been consumed since they were the only ones who knew it had been emptied.

 

Tucker in Texas

[sgjanice]

I avoid all these hassles and never check out a towel. There are always plenty of towels unattended in the sunny spots near the pool ;), along with a free paperback book or magazine. I just pick up the book I want to read with the towel and I'm all set for the cruise. When I need a new towel I just exchange it at the towel station.

lol thats very funny!!!

Just off Princess cruise line and they give fresh pool/beach towels in your room everyday. They dont seem to worry about people stealing them.

I always bring my own beach towels...they've been all over the Caribbean.