Fare guarantee programme

[SANDAS]

Hi all,

I would appreciate any thoughts/comments anyone may have on the workings and integrity of the SS Fare guarantee programme.

Earlier this year I booked an extra winter sun cruise from Rome to Malaga on the refurbished Wind (as a treat) at the Silver Privilege fare of £1450. Recently a couple of friends thought they might join us and we clicked for a quote on the official SS site and got one for £1311 plus $200 SBC. They decided against it and I though no more of it until they mentioned in passing that it had come down a fair bit from when we booked. I then looked at the quote more carefully and saw that it had not come from SS but from a TA. I contacted SS to point out that the fare was reduced and requested a credit under their Fare guarantee programme promise but they said that their fare was not reduced.

Now I have no problem with TA's offering discounts - I use one myself for that reason, nor do I have a problem with late bookings being discounted - I took advantage of a 20% discount with SS to do South America earlier this year but I do have a problem with SS saying they have not reduced a fare when, in practice, they have. If you click on the official SS web site and request a quote it seems reasonable to assume that it is SS giving the quote. I would not expect any reputable company to pass on my email details to a third person without either my permission or some disclaimer on the site.

It seems to me that they are getting round their Price guarantee by passing quote requests to a third party and pretending that the fare has not been reduced.

Has anyone else got a quote from a TA after requesting one on the SS site?

Does it seem reasonable to pass quote requests on like that? Is it normal practice?

[billcrooz]

Hi all,

I would appreciate any thoughts/comments anyone may have on the workings and integrity of the SS Fare guarantee programme.

Earlier this year I booked an extra winter sun cruise from Rome to Malaga on the refurbished Wind (as a treat) at the Silver Privilege fare of £1450. Recently a couple of friends thought they might join us and we clicked for a quote on the official SS site and got one for £1311 plus $200 SBC. They decided against it and I though no more of it until they mentioned in passing that it had come down a fair bit from when we booked. I then looked at the quote more carefully and saw that it had not come from SS but from a TA. I contacted SS to point out that the fare was reduced and requested a credit under their Fare guarantee programme promise but they said that their fare was not reduced.

Now I have no problem with TA's offering discounts - I use one myself for that

 

 

 

 

 

 

reason, nor do I have a problem with late bookings being discounted - I took advantage of a 20% discount with SS to do South America earlier this year but I do have a problem with SS saying they have not reduced a fare when, in practice, they have. If you click on the official SS web site and request a

quote it seems reasonable to assume that it is SS giving the quote. I would not expect any reputable company to pass on my email details to a third person without either my permission or some disclaimer on the site.

It seems to me that they are getting round their Price guarantee by passing quote requests to a third party and pretending that the fare has not been reduced.

Has anyone else got a quote from a TA after requesting one on the SS site?

Does it seem reasonable to pass quote requests on like that? Is it normal

 

practice?

 

 

Sometimes, when searching for Silversea website, you might get what you think is their website,but in reality, it's a travel agency ....with a discounted price..just a thought

[SANDAS]

Thanks for the thought but it's not what happened. I actually have the SS site on a favourites page as I look at it so often and am also totally familiar with how it looks.

Also I got a couple of friends to try the official SS site and they got a response from a TA too.

[5waldos]

I would take a screen shot of the price and forward it back to Silversea. It should not be rocket science for a SS agent to compare two numbers- either the price offered is the same as you paid or it is not. And if the TA is calling at SS's request, they should be willing to honor it.

[wripro]

How did you book your cruise originally, directly with SS or through a TA, which is what you should have done. If you used a TA why isn't he/she fighting this battle for you?

[SANDAS]

I did book my cruise through a TA - I always do, but this query is not about a cruise I booked through them for myself. The query is about a quote which I made directly to SS about a potential additional booking for the same cruise. That enquiry was passed on from their site to a third party. That is what I wondered if anyone else had experienced. I am suspicious that this was done to disguise the fact that they had dropped their prices but I may well be mistaken. Mainly I thought that this Cruise Critic site was the best place to find out if anyone else had experienced contacting SS but getting a reply from a third party. On reflection I expect you all always go straight to a TA. I only idly pressed the 'get a quote' button because we were sitting at the computer and looking at the SS site and, also, sometimes it is helpful to tell my TA the best price that SS or Regent or whoever offers and she works from that.

Sorry for any confusion

[drron29]

Call me a cynic but this is exactly what I expected when I read the fare quarantee rules.First the lower fare has to be published on the Silverseas site and secondly the request must be in writing-how very modern.

It could be as simple as quoting a TA the listed price but offering them extra commission hence the ability to discount.

Hopefully I am wrong but I cant see many being able to benefit from this quarantee.