Rip off

[paver59]

I booked with princess a few months ago with an exclusive offer for 2015.Only to find out they now have the same cruise on offer with free upgrade to balcony and also on board credit with low deposit.And when I've just phoned up to complain,they couldn't offer me the same deal so I've told them to stick it were the sun doesn't shine.

Edited January 3, 2014 by paver59

[Cauzneffct]

I booked with princess a few months ago with an exclusive offer for 2015.Only to find out they now have the same cruise on offer with free upgrade to balcony and also on board credit with low deposit.And when I've just phoned up to complain,they couldn't offer me the same deal so I've told them to stick it were the sun doesn't shine.

 

That's a strange reaction given that you seemingly had no problem paying what you paid when you paid.

[slc22]

I booked with princess a few months ago with an exclusive offer for 2015.Only to find out they now have the same cruise on offer with free upgrade to balcony and also on board credit with low deposit.And when I've just phoned up to complain,they couldn't offer me the same deal so I've told them to stick it were the sun doesn't shine.

 

You are far from final payment for a 2015 cruise Why not cancel your current booking and book a new one under the sale terms?

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

You are far from final payment for a 2015 cruise Why not cancel your current booking and book a new one under the sale terms?

I agree ...

[thinfool]

I booked with princess a few months ago with an exclusive offer for 2015.Only to find out they now have the same cruise on offer with free upgrade to balcony and also on board credit with low deposit.And when I've just phoned up to complain,they couldn't offer me the same deal so I've told them to stick it were the sun doesn't shine.

 

You had control of your booking and now you are dissatisfied.

 

A travel professional would have had your back, would have cancelled and rebooked your trip at the better deal and you would barely have known it.

 

A good TA is 'priceless'. :)

[Potstech]

You are far from final payment for a 2015 cruise Why not cancel your current booking and book a new one under the sale terms?

 

Then he would have nothing to complain about instead of asking what he should do. So now he is mad at Princess and will be mad at those who do not show him sympathy about his "supposed problem"

[paul929207]

You have to realize the businesses adjust prices to demand. Most likely the price drop you are seeing for 2014 is for new bookings only. People who have made final payment cannot get the lowered price

[skynight]

Cancel the cruise and re-book through a travel agent. Promos change all the time in the cruise industry, and it is standard practice to cancel and re-book. Once re-booked watch closely, it could change again especially during the spring promo "wave" season.

[Loonbeam]

I would assume they booked non-refundable to get the lower fare.

 

When you book a promotional fare, always check to see if its non-refundable. If you take one of those fares, you are trading the ability to price drop knowingly in return for a locked in discount that could improve (or prices could go up). It's not a rip off, the terms are clearly defined.

 

If your fare is refundable, can't see why you couldn't cancel and rebook.

 

You are far from final payment for a 2015 cruise Why not cancel your current booking and book a new one under the sale terms?

[paver59]

Yeah I cancelled their and then,what annoys me they sent me an exclusive price because I've been with princess before .Only for anybody to get a far better deal.

[geoherb]

That's one of the downsides to booking early. I usually book cruises after the final payment date--knowing that whatever the price is isn't going to change for me. If I see a better price later, tough luck.

 

As others have said, the good thing about booking early is that you can cancel and rebook your cruise without anything to lose unless it's one of the rare promotions with a nonrefundable deposit. There's a danger you could lose your cabin in this process.

[Loonbeam]

Prices change on a daily basis contingent on demand. If a lot of people took the exclusive offer they may never have offered the other pricing.

 

If we all complain too much, they could go the airline route and charge more for refundable fares, or not honor price drops, etc.

 

There's a lot of recent threads on how Princess is doing things that people don't like just to make money. Um, that's their job. It's great if they can offer extra things people want, You can make the point there is such thing as too much profits, but CCL doesn't seem to hit that level, and until they do, revenue will ALWAYS trump perks, it has to.

 

Yeah I cancelled their and then,what annoys me they sent me an exclusive price because I've been with princess before .Only for anybody to get a far better deal.

[Larlin]

Yeah I cancelled their and then,what annoys me they sent me an exclusive price because I've been with princess before .Only for anybody to get a far better deal.

 

If you were looking forward to a wonderful cruise, I sure hope you re-booked at the lower price. (But, keep watching for lower prices) :)

[thinfool]

Study marketing. It will amaze or distress you.

 

Thousands of us get 'exclusive' offers from Princess several times a year. Sometimes they stay rather 'exclusive', other times, not so much.

 

Your terminology of "Rip off" is both inaccurate and slanderous. Nothing Princess did is either illegal or misleading.

 

The problem you have had is simply modern capitalism (making a profit) and marketing combined.

 

Happens all the time. Buyer beware.

[AKman2495]

The fact that you got an "exclusive" offer does not mean they can't or won't make a better offer to someone else later.

 

It seems like what they offered other cruisers later was not the "exclusive" offer they gave you.

 

Also, please note that the word "exclusive" does mean "best".

[Host Jazzbeau]

Also, please note that the word "exclusive" does mean "best".

 

I hope you're sitting down: it also doesn't mean you were the one and only person in the world who got this "exclusive" offer.

[cruzsnooze]

You had control of your booking and now you are dissatisfied.

 

A travel professional would have had your back, would have cancelled and rebooked your trip at the better deal and you would barely have known it.

 

A good TA is 'priceless'. :)

A TA does not care about your booking as much as you do. I keep control of my booking for such situations so i can call the cruise line and talk to them about issues or price reductions. Have you asked them about cancelling and rebooking your cruise?

[LoveThisCruisingThing]

I booked with princess a few months ago with an exclusive offer for 2015.Only to find out they now have the same cruise on offer with free upgrade to balcony and also on board credit with low deposit.And when I've just phoned up to complain,they couldn't offer me the same deal so I've told them to stick it were the sun doesn't shine.

 

I'm sure that Princess will feel your loss.

[RDC1]

Yeah I cancelled their and then,what annoys me they sent me an exclusive price because I've been with princess before .Only for anybody to get a far better deal.

 

Rate fluctuation considerably. Princess will send out early purchase offers to previous guests that enable those that really want to select particular rooms to be able to do so at some discount. Then comes the early bird fares that are 10+ months out that run for specific periods that are available to everyone. Then the prices tend to go up until you get about 6 months out. At that point the fares will depend upon demand. Prices can drop considerably. However, if you are interested in specific cabins those might be gone, entire classes might be filled. If it is a high demand cruise then the prices might actually go up.

 

The deal you were offered was exclusive in that it allowed previous cruisers to get some discount and get an early selection of choice cabins, that others had to pay full price for. It was not a guarantee that prices would never be lower.

[PoppyandNana]

That's one of the downsides to booking early. I usually book cruises after the final payment date--knowing that whatever the price is isn't going to change for me. If I see a better price later, tough luck.

 

As others have said, the good thing about booking early is that you can cancel and rebook your cruise without anything to lose unless it's one of the rare promotions with a nonrefundable deposit. There's a danger you could lose your cabin in this process.

 

Booked a June 2914 cruise last Aug. Paid $4850 for a 2B balcony on Celebrity. Current quotes are around $7000 for OCEAN VIEW. I'm sorry what what it you said about it being a downside to booking early?

[Hlitner]

Yeah I cancelled their and then,what annoys me they sent me an exclusive price because I've been with princess before .Only for anybody to get a far better deal.

 

An "exclusive price" does not mean the same thing as the best price :). Perhaps you got a high price meant exclusively for you. Cruise lines are no different then most travel providers in that they are always changing pricing and marketing new promos. Catching the lowest price or best overall deal takes a little luck and (often) a lot of experience. We have taken lots of cruises and sometimes found that the early bookers got the best deals...and other times booking at the last minute (inside the final payment period) got absolutely amazing deals. It is all like rolling the dice. It is not any different with the airlines when prices can change several times in a single day.

 

Hank

[Pam in CA]

Booked a June 2914 cruise last Aug. Paid $4850 for a 2B balcony on Celebrity. Current quotes are around $7000 for OCEAN VIEW. I'm sorry what what it you said about it being a downside to booking early?

You're right. Cruise prices can, and do, go UP rather than down. All three of my booked Princess cruises have gone up and for two of them, the difference is over 20%. Sounds like the OP needs to find a good TA who would have discounted their cruise fare and given them OBC and perks.

[DougH]

If you had taken and sailed on the cruise at the price you originally booked would you say you were ripped off? You were happy at that time or you wouldn't have agreed to give them your money

[hollon]

Cancel the cruise and re-book through a travel agent. Promos change all the time in the cruise industry, and it is standard practice to cancel and re-book. Once re-booked watch closely, it could change again especially during the spring promo "wave" season.

 

What does princess usually offer during the spring wave season? Also if you book and princess has another sale, can you cancel and rebook at the lower/sale price if it's before final payment. I've only cruised w/ princess once, and royal caribbean won't let you do that.

[Pam in CA]

What does princess usually offer during the spring wave season? Also if you book and princess has another sale, can you cancel and rebook at the lower/sale price if it's before final payment. I've only cruised w/ princess once, and royal caribbean won't let you do that.

Most special promotions are for new bookings only and are non-refundable. That's why I get "cancel for any reason" insurance. Frequently, if you book with a good discount TA, you're saving more than the reduced fare others get when booking later.