New OBC Promotion

[michealjohn]

I also booked a cruise for November 2014 on the day they were released for sale with an on board spend of £70 per person.

I noticed through these boards that the OBC had gone up to £220 per person so,rang P&O twice to enquire if the new spend applied to existing customers andon both occasions was told by the operator that they would need to ask the manager and would call me back,up to now this as not happened.

After the problems with fare types in the past it seems that P&O have still not learned their lesson and continue to offer a two tier system with loyal customers losing out AGAIN.

I have sailed on a number of occasions with other cruise lines but,always came back to P&O too which I have taken nine Caribbean cruises,now I will not return to P&O but go elsewhere .

[stocktonmackem]

I sent an email to David Dingle yesterday saying how disgruntled I was regarding the new perks. Fair play to him (or his PA) I had a reply within half an hour saying he will pass it on to Customer Service to have a look. He may be passing the buck but who knows. I wonder how long it will take for customer service to reply with the words Tough as happened when I lost out last year.

[crompton21]

Before Vantage fares, people didn't appear to get anywhere near being so angry about price reductions. Dai is clearly correct when he says that prices always come down as departure dates come closer.

 

The reaction to this new promotion appears to be a hangover from the vantage fiasco, which I assume means that every pricing action until Mar 2015 or there abouts is likely to cause anger amongst some.

 

With cruises offering "getaway" fares having now just about all departed, I am intrigued as to what will happen when cruises sold under the new select price are reduced. I assume mid January or thereabouts.

 

What's the betting that isn't going to go down well?

[the english lady]

I am a vantaqe /select fare booker.

I did not get extra obs as the cruise has not down in price.

I know full well that the price of the cruise will go way down nearer to sailing date , which I am happy with.

However one now feels it is shoot yourself in the foot time again. I understand the t and c of all the fares. What I did not expect was for P and O to be sooo sneaky as to not lower the price, but to increase the obs.

If somebody at Carnival HQ thought this was a good idea, they are mistaken.

People who paid vantaqe got the short end of the stick. Looks like those who paid select when they first came out may have got the short end of the stick.

Please please please P and O treat those who have paid the most money the fairest. That is what it comes down to fairness.

[morecambe]

Completely agree with you English Lady, this affects our booking for end of March 14 fly cruise on Ventura from Malaga. Booked early under Vantage and fully accept that prices can be reduced, happens all the time on the High Street, however have usually had the use of the item. Since booking, P&O have changed the smoking policy on balconies and a change of port and have never contacted us to let us know of these changes only found out about them on the cruise forums. Accepted these changes as we wanted to visit the ports of call, enjoy the P&O product and love travelling on Ventura, but, it's as you have stated. the sneakiness of their actions in this promotion totally (a)voiding their Vantage fare promise. Fairness or good customer care practice,would be to offer more OBC or OBS to those of us affected by this.

[annieuk]

I had a letter from our TA yesterday in respect of a cruise next September booked under the Vantage Fare. P&O say they have increased our OBC under their Price Promise from £300 to £580. Whether this is as a result of the new scheme or whether the old Vantage Fare is still there I don't know - still very pleased with the extra OBC.:)

[jeanlyon]

I have a cruise booked under Vantage for October 2014. We have £120 OBC. Nobody has given me any more, so I can only think that your fare has gone down with Select?

[daiB]

I had a letter from our TA yesterday in respect of a cruise next September booked under the Vantage Fare. P&O say they have increased our OBC under their Price Promise from £300 to £580. Whether this is as a result of the new scheme or whether the old Vantage Fare is still there I don't know - still very pleased with the extra OBC.:)

 

It must be Vantage as as far as I know there are no price promises with the new booking system.

 

Well done. :)

[sunny seas]

Booked caribbean cruise for 2014 for 3 couples one couple celebrating 50 yrs wed, accepted possible price reductions will occur but wanted to book early and select cabins. Vantage price included £70 obc.

 

New select price is the same as Vantage was but now extra obc if booked by 28th Feb which we did of course but not since select price. I will ring my TA and P and O not expecting any increase. But it's 'here we go again' with pricing sagas and can't help but feel a bit peeved.

 

As I did all the booking for our group just would love to get a little more for them.

 

sunny seas:rolleyes:

[AnnieC]

Booked caribbean cruise for 2014 for 3 couples one couple celebrating 50 yrs wed, accepted possible price reductions will occur but wanted to book early and select cabins. Vantage price included £70 obc.

 

New select price is the same as Vantage was but now extra obc if booked by 28th Feb which we did of course but not since select price. I will ring my TA and P and O not expecting any increase. But it's 'here we go again' with pricing sagas and can't help but feel a bit peeved.

 

As I did all the booking for our group just would love to get a little more for them.

 

sunny seas:rolleyes:

 

Take a look at this thread on the Cunard board: http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1959496

 

The most recent post indicates that someone has actually succeeded in getting the OBS price matched and, as I'm sure you know, P&O and Cunard operate in a similar way.

 

Good luck!

[sunny seas]

Spoke to nice lady at P and O she said its a special promotion from 23rd Dec till 28th Feb so does not apply to existing bookings! She suggested I email customer services. Will do and feed back

 

sunny seas:confused:

[Francisdrake]

Did you get a positive response on this by any chance ? just noticed they are now offering £50 per person additional on board credit as well as the select promotion on a cruise i'm booked on now.

[sunny seas]

Had an email reply saying they have passed my email for case management within customer services and that they will look at my case and getback to me.

 

Sunny seas

[Movietone]

Apologies if this is a silly question but how do I know if my booking is a Vantage or Getaway or nothing at all. I booked A403 last April direct with P&O and I have no proof but a strong recollection of talk of price protection, obc and free parking. There is nothing on the booking confirmation or E ticket referring to anything other than obc.

[wilson2579]

Apologies if this is a silly question but how do I know if my booking is a Vantage or Getaway or nothing at all. I booked A403 last April direct with P&O and I have no proof but a strong recollection of talk of price protection, obc and free parking. There is nothing on the booking confirmation or E ticket referring to anything other than obc.

 

Sounds like you are Vantage if you have been given OBC or free parking. Did you choose your cabin and if so you are Vantage which is now changed to select booking.

[the english lady]

Apologies if this is a silly question but how do I know if my booking is a Vantage or Getaway or nothing at all. I booked A403 last April direct with P&O and I have no proof but a strong recollection of talk of price protection, obc and free parking. There is nothing on the booking confirmation or E ticket referring to anything other than obc.

 

From what you have stated it does sound as though you are a vantage booker.

As has been posted this booking would now be changed to a select booking.

If the cruise is the same price under select ,no xtra OBS. If it had gone down you would have got xtra OBS of the difference in price. As you have not had that it sounds like your cruise is either the same price, or has gone up when it changed to select.

[Midsomer Madness]

Personally I'm getting a little bit fed up of people continually moaning about everything that p&o do. If you booked a holiday through say Thomson, Thomas Cook, Expedia etc and a few days, weeks, months later they brought out a promotion offering free extras, or at a cheaper price would you expect them to offer the same to you? No..so why should cruise lines be any different? I'm sure if the prices went up everyone wouldn't be scrambling in quite the same way.

 

Offers happen, and unless people booked very very close to the offer coming out and travel agents may have been aware it was coming out, (then you may have a case to answer) it's just tough luck!

[amitch3000]

I think most people on this forum understand that prices change according to market forces, but the issue is the "price promise" p&o so heavily pushed with the vantage fares. They now seem to have no intention of honouring this promise.

 

 

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[Essex Racer]

You are quite right amitch3000 - it's the so called Vantage fare price promise they talked up so much to encourage you to book early and if the fare reduced like for like you would receive additional OBC or an upgrade.

 

By offering the now renamed Vantage / Select fare with the same terms etc but with additional OBS they have effectively reduced the fare - IMO!

Edited January 5, 2014 by Essex Racer

[Francisdrake]

Not just your opinion, sure everyone who has been affected will be disappointed with how P&O are acting over it.

[rangersgirl]

Not just your opinion, sure everyone who has been affected will be disappointed with how P&O are acting over it.

 

It feels to me like they have just said tuff. When a small gesture would have went a long way in restoring trust in them.

[amitch3000]

Email to customer services has resulted in a positive response - have matched the On board spend. I'm very happy with that! I realise prices will fall over the next few months but that's life!

 

 

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[Essex Racer]

My email to customer services sent on 23rd Dec received the standard we understand but sorry no change.

[davecttr]

I too understand that prices may vary because of supply and demend and agree that the 'promises' they give that are the problem.

 

I notice on the cunard board people are getting increased obc for existing bookings but only if they press the point. Apparently Cunards litererature includes a 'no loss of value' for their equivalent of Select Fares but people are arguning that increased obc for new bookings is in fact causing loss of value. I suspect this might have legal implications which is why cunard are backing down.

 

For me the deal breaker will be if they start selling better cabins at lower prices than the price i paid without offering me a free upgrade first. The select fare T&C's state that upgrades are exclusive. For me this means if they have a free cabin available at a higher grade they must offer it to select fare payers in lower grades, only then can they offer it for general sale. complicated eh!

 

This simple example may help

 

There are 2 grades of cabin, one costing £1000 and one costing £1200. I buy the £1000 one with a select fare. Nearer the cruise i find out they have been selling the £1200 category for £900. This irritates me, i feel i have been ripped off etc.

 

If the new system works as it should they will offer me a free upgrade to the £1200 cabin and sell my existing £1000 cabin for £900. They get the same total £1900 fare and have a happy select customer. It is not rocket science, i wonder if they will do it :rolleyes:

[wilson2579]

Email to customer services has resulted in a positive response - have matched the On board spend. I'm very happy with that! I realise prices will fall over the next few months but that's life!

 

 

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I have had OBC matched also for my mini cruise which I booked a year in advance. I emailed a complaint which took a few weeks to get a reply but had a reply today with the good news. To be honest it isn't a lot, as it is only a 2 day mini cruise, but it is what we would have been given if we were booking now, plus sailing as gone up in price, so I am better off.