Rude Princess Phone Consultants

[ECCruise]

More then likely the agent you spoke to probably does not care if she gets fired. We're talking about a minimum wage job here. Also they have a lot of turnover and most don't last long anyway.

 

Or, it is entirely possible that the agent is a single mother that has a family to feed. Or has elderly parents that need help. Or is working a second job to help fund a child's education.

 

"More than likely" statements should only come from someone directly familiar with that particular person's situation. And, just a few seconds of Googling revealed that they are NOT minimum wage jobs (not CEO pay either :)), have tuition reimbursement, health benefits and more.

[rkmw]

I know on my last few upgrades, I got an email that stated I had 48 hours to noy accept the email, and after 48hours thevupgradecwould be applied.

 

must be different booking with an australian agent as we dont get the 48 hours to decide on any upgrade

[jasbo49]

At least with a good TA they look after this kind of an issue for you without being rude and if they don't then you find a new TA.:rolleyes:

 

You seem to assume that everyone has access to "a good TA." Some of us don't, including me and possibly our OP. I live outside a town of 2,000. There's no travel agent here (was before the Internet took away all the business). There's one in the closest "big town" (20,000) and four or five in the "big city" 30 miles away. None of these is a cruise specialist, though they won't likely admit it.

 

We'd have to drive 150 miles to Eugene to find a real travel agent. So, I'm not asking for pity, just quit assuming everyone has access to a good travel agent.

 

Jim

[ar1950]

You seem to assume that everyone has access to "a good TA." Some of us don't, including me and possibly our OP. I live outside a town of 2,000. There's no travel agent here (was before the Internet took away all the business). There's one in the closest "big town" (20,000) and four or five in the "big city" 30 miles away. None of these is a cruise specialist, though they won't likely admit it.

 

We'd have to drive 150 miles to Eugene to find a real travel agent. So, I'm not asking for pity, just quit assuming everyone has access to a good travel agent.

 

Jim

 

Ask around when on a cruise, even on these boards if you know how to contact some of the posters (and many people do if you check your roll call attendees on the cruise). The TA does not need to be local. We found one (thanks to someone around here) that is in Pennsylvania and we live in AZ. E-mail and phone calls are the order of the day in our digital world. Face-to-face seems to have gone by the wayside.

Edited August 27, 2014 by ar1950

[Putterdude]

You seem to assume that everyone has access to "a good TA." Some of us don't, including me and possibly our OP. I live outside a town of 2,000. There's no travel agent here (was before the Internet took away all the business). There's one in the closest "big town" (20,000) and four or five in the "big city" 30 miles away. None of these is a cruise specialist, though they won't likely admit it.

 

We'd have to drive 150 miles to Eugene to find a real travel agent. So, I'm not asking for pity, just quit assuming everyone has access to a good travel agent.

 

Jim

 

I live in a community of 8,500 and we no longer have a TA either and so I share your pain. My TA is in Vancouver, BC and it would cost me the better part of a $150 to go to visit him what with ferry fares, fuel, meals, downtown parking. So just how did I find this TA......well by the same way people cultivate a relationships with TAs.....by asking other satisfied clients of his....if one puts in the effort there are relationships to be forged, good service to be had and money to be saved.

[SandyAtSea]

There was a thread on the RCI board a couple of years ago about one of their ships that went in for drydock and they added some rooms and renumbered others. Some people who had booked months and months in advance in order to get a specific corner aft balcony ended up losing their stateroom because the numbers changed and their old stateroom (location) was sold to someone else because it now had a different room number. RCI didn’t even try to match the original bookings with the new numbers. (I like RCI, just saying that there have been even worse situations – in my opinion – where passengers had no recourse at all.)

 

I notified Princess over the phone that I did not want an upgrade but thanks to what I have learned on this forum, I still check my Personalizer every day to make sure my room number hasn’t changed!

[billco]

You seem to assume that everyone has access to "a good TA." Some of us don't, including me and possibly our OP. I live outside a town of 2,000. There's no travel agent here (was before the Internet took away all the business). There's one in the closest "big town" (20,000) and four or five in the "big city" 30 miles away. None of these is a cruise specialist, though they won't likely admit it.

 

We'd have to drive 150 miles to Eugene to find a real travel agent. So, I'm not asking for pity, just quit assuming everyone has access to a good travel agent.

 

Jim

I should have mentioned in my post about cancelling bookings with a large travel agency. I am in California and that agency is in Florida. My new TA is in a small town in Ohio with a population less than 3,000. I have never physically met a TA or a Princess CSR. Everything has always been done online. Edited August 28, 2014 by billco

[LoveThisCruisingThing]

so glad i don't book directly. A great reason to have a good ta who not only saves me a ton of money over booking directly but also does battle for me.

 

ita

[Loonbeam]

I met my current TA face to face about 6 years after I started using her - and she is only 20 miles away. With email and phone just never felt the need. She was a referral, not a cruise specialist at all, but an expert in other areas where I am not (she is AMAZING at finding boutique hotels, etc).

 

You seem to assume that everyone has access to "a good TA." Some of us don't, including me and possibly our OP. I live outside a town of 2,000. There's no travel agent here (was before the Internet took away all the business). There's one in the closest "big town" (20,000) and four or five in the "big city" 30 miles away. None of these is a cruise specialist, though they won't likely admit it.

 

We'd have to drive 150 miles to Eugene to find a real travel agent. So, I'm not asking for pity, just quit assuming everyone has access to a good travel agent.

 

Jim

[Loonbeam]

Not an option. Yield management software is key to profitability. Actually I shouldn't say that, but one side effect of doing so would be goodbye to price drops and probably a much longer cancellation penalty period.

 

IMHO, I don't believe that Princess should ever change a cabin a cruiser purchased without consulting the cruiser first.

[SoCal Cruiser78]

The consultants don't have the power to "undo" your upgrade. They have to fill out the form for the department that handles those, and tell you that you will hear back. That's the procedure for an unwanted upgrade.

 

I disagree with this statement. I called recently about an "upgrade" and the person on the phone switched me back and I watched it change on My Princess while I was on the phone with a very friendly Princess representative.

 

I have had to undo a couple of upgrades; both times Princess phone reps told me they had to fill out a form and submit it to another department. Some reps can mark a booking for a meta upgrade only, and others can't. I don't know whether this is a training issue, or if some senior reps are allowed to do things online that junior ones aren't?

 

Things do seem to be very "hit or miss" when it comes to Princess phone reps.

Edited August 28, 2014 by Ryndam2002

[KarateMan]

Thankfully the situation is now rectified and I have my original cabin number back. So I am now happy about that.

 

It was a very worrying 24 hours. The attitude and tone of the phone consultant gave me no confidence that it would be changed at all.

 

The last thing she said to me before I asked to speak to her manager was "if you don't like the upgrade you can just cancel your cruise and lose all your money" - to me that sealed her fate as a bad consultant and I lost all confidence and trust in her ability. Saying that to a passenger you have no idea what the woman is capable of next. When she said that I became sceptical that the request was even put through to move me back.

 

Thanks for the people who put the supportive replies, on other areas of the internet I got personal messages from people who had had a similar experience so it is a wider thing and I have had others tell me that they were inappropriately spoken to when they asked for their cabin back.

 

In reality I can see it is a tough job. I am normally very friendly and sociable with the people on the phone because I know they can get some very demanding passengers wanting "special treatment" or "better deals", I never wanted any of that and simply wanted my original cabin back. I was not prepared for the rude response and taken by complete surprise.

 

I do think people like that should not be working for Princess call centres at all. When a phone consultant suggests to a passenger if they don't like the upgrade they should cancel and lose all their money, well that is a line that they should never cross. It is also a dangerous thing to say because if they are prepared to say if then what if they were to follow through with it. They used it as a veiled threat. It as after that statement my concern grew and I asked to speak to the manager and the phone was hung up on me.

 

When the team leader enquired he claimed she said the line went dead. Well what a load of BS. It is very convenient for a line to drop out the moment you ask to speak to a manager.

[Sea Day Cruiser]

 

Yes, I disagree also. Same thing happened to me a couple of weeks ago. No email, TA not notified. I called Princess and, bingo, I got my original cabin back. No muss, no fuss.:):)

 

The same thing happened to me last week. I happened to check my Personalizer and discovered I'd been upgraded from Plaza deck almost mid-ship to Baja near the rear. No notification of any kind. I emailed my TA and she called Princess. They told her it could take two days to change my room back. She emailed me and I checked on line again. I was already back in the original room booked.

[sprint180]

I think most people would consider that a good upgrade.

 

It's only a good upgrade if it is what you want. I got a "upgrade" on my Alaskan cruise. I'm sure most would have wanted it but I had booked to be close to my sister and her husband. That was more important to me then the room.

[KarateMan]

It's only a good upgrade if it is what you want. I got a "upgrade" on my Alaskan cruise. I'm sure most would have wanted it but I had booked to be close to my sister and her husband. That was more important to me then the room.

 

That's exactly my feeling on what an upgrade is. To me what they offered me was a downgrade. It is true I was in an inside cabin to begin with but in all honesty where is the benefit of moving from an inside cabin to an obstructed view outside cabin? There is no benefit to that at all. They may as well have not moved me at all as it was no improvement whatsoever.

 

Quite the contrary the original cabin I booked was right on Lido deck. Just a short walk from the pools where I enjoy my time on the ship, it is close to my favourite pizza bars on the ship and also close to the spa and gym area. I literally had my prime location (and still do now) on the ship.

 

To have moved me right down to Emerald deck in the middle of the ship was more of an inconvenience.

[DebJ14]

First world problem! Very disturbed that the OP wants the CSR fired. I'm not sure I would want to do business with the attitude that comes through on the posts.

[jasbo49]

I live in a community of 8,500 and we no longer have a TA either and so I share your pain. My TA is in Vancouver, BC and it would cost me the better part of a $150 to go to visit him what with ferry fares, fuel, meals, downtown parking. So just how did I find this TA......well by the same way people cultivate a relationships with TAs.....by asking other satisfied clients of his....if one puts in the effort there are relationships to be forged, good service to be had and money to be saved.

 

Well, sometimes I go off half-cocked, and apparently this was one of those times. This is all news to me. I'll have to check into it. I've thought about trying to use their services, but assumed we'd be limited to the local brick-and-mortar TAs. I actually visited the closest guy once and was surprised to find I knew more about cruising and cruise lines than he did.

 

Anyhow, my apologies for my sort-of lecturing tone. I've been bothered several times by this seeming assumption that we all live in big cities, and it stuck in my craw. My bad.

 

Jim

[Cruzin-K]

Thankfully the situation is now rectified and I have my original cabin number back. So I am now happy about that.

 

It was a very worrying 24 hours. The attitude and tone of the phone consultant gave me no confidence that it would be changed at all.

 

The last thing she said to me before I asked to speak to her manager was "if you don't like the upgrade you can just cancel your cruise and lose all your money" - to me that sealed her fate as a bad consultant and I lost all confidence and trust in her ability. Saying that to a passenger you have no idea what the woman is capable of next. When she said that I became sceptical that the request was even put through to move me back.

 

Thanks for the people who put the supportive replies, on other areas of the internet I got personal messages from people who had had a similar experience so it is a wider thing and I have had others tell me that they were inappropriately spoken to when they asked for their cabin back.

 

In reality I can see it is a tough job. I am normally very friendly and sociable with the people on the phone because I know they can get some very demanding passengers wanting "special treatment" or "better deals", I never wanted any of that and simply wanted my original cabin back. I was not prepared for the rude response and taken by complete surprise.

 

I do think people like that should not be working for Princess call centres at all. When a phone consultant suggests to a passenger if they don't like the upgrade they should cancel and lose all their money, well that is a line that they should never cross. It is also a dangerous thing to say because if they are prepared to say if then what if they were to follow through with it. They used it as a veiled threat. It as after that statement my concern grew and I asked to speak to the manager and the phone was hung up on me.

 

When the team leader enquired he claimed she said the line went dead. Well what a load of BS. It is very convenient for a line to drop out the moment you ask to speak to a manager.

I'm glad you got your cabin back, and I agree that rep has no business dealing with customers. At an absolute minimum she should be reprimanded and given additional training. There is no excuse for what she said to you.

 

Princess gave me a "downgrade" once. Thankfully, My TA was able to get my original cabin back.

[Cruzin-K]

Well, sometimes I go off half-cocked, and apparently this was one of those times. This is all news to me. I'll have to check into it. I've thought about trying to use their services, but assumed we'd be limited to the local brick-and-mortar TAs. I actually visited the closest guy once and was surprised to find I knew more about cruising and cruise lines than he did.

 

Anyhow, my apologies for my sort-of lecturing tone. I've been bothered several times by this seeming assumption that we all live in big cities, and it stuck in my craw. My bad.

 

Jim

I'm in a big city in Texas, and my TA is in a small town in Pennsylvania. I've never met her, but we are Facebook friends. She's very responsive and good at what she does. She even answered an email at 3 a.m. from the Allure of the Seas inaugural. Lol. Although, I don't think answering 3 a.m. emails are her normal practice.

[Putterdude]

Well, sometimes I go off half-cocked, and apparently this was one of those times. This is all news to me. I'll have to check into it. I've thought about trying to use their services, but assumed we'd be limited to the local brick-and-mortar TAs. I actually visited the closest guy once and was surprised to find I knew more about cruising and cruise lines than he did.

 

Anyhow, my apologies for my sort-of lecturing tone. I've been bothered several times by this seeming assumption that we all live in big cities, and it stuck in my craw. My bad.

 

Jim

 

How can I remain angry with a man who lives 150 miles from Eugene, OR....one of my fave states....if you live anywhere close to I-5 I'll wave on our way by at the end of October on our way to AZ.:) However, next time you take a cruise or if you already know some others who cruise ask them who they use by way of a TA. It may take a little time, I have gone thru a couple, but the guy we have used for the last 6 years has saved us thousands of dollars and deals with the corporate bafflegaff that is often dispensed by cruise lines.

[Northender]

jasbo - We live in a very small town in Maine. Originally from the Boston, MA area. But my TA is from LI, NY. Never met him, he was recommended by others and we have stuck with him for the last 8 or so years.

 

So as Putterdude advises, ask others when cruising about their TA and test the waters. As I mentioned earlier in this post, I went directly to Princess about my so called upgrade, and it was fixed right away.

 

If I, or anyone else in my company, spoke to a client like you were, the message from above would have been 'Don't let the door hit you in the a&s on your way out.' :D:D

[geoherb]

I'm glad the OP got the original cabin back. And I'm glad I've never had to push to get a cabin I've picked out reinstated. So far, the only times we've been upgraded have been with guarantees.

[zephyrella14]

EDIT: on carefully re-reading your post, I'm gonna unpost what I just said, aside from noting that the heat of your fury leading me to wonder just what you sounded like during the initial conversation.

 

What he sounded like is irrelevant. Good customer service should always be given, if not in a kind manner at least in a professional manner, it is not our place to tell people how the should feel or what they should want. I work with different customer in my field, everyday, I have for years..we apologize for the inconvenience and the trouble and do our best to please our customers.

[Colo Cruiser]

What he sounded like is irrelevant.

 

Not really, but we won't go there. ;)

[OCruisers]

Happily, we have a great TA who deals with this sort of thing for us. :)

LuLu