Letter to Goldstein about RCCL refusing to discuss TA bookings

[booze brothers]

Having documentation with you is a must. Many times this has happened to us and customer service fixes the problem. They even called my TA.

 

It's annoying but at least, so far, the problems have been fixed.

[Paulxyz2004]

Where did I state this even once, nevermind repeatedly?

 

Obviously the TA is not an employee of RCCL.

 

However TAs do in some ways represent the cruise line, because (as far as know) they should have an agreement with the cruise line to act as their agent. If a cruise line has poor agents working for them, they will have more problems and it will reflect poorly on the cruise line. I believe that the cruise line understands that it is in their interest to have competent, honest and reliable TAs working as their agents.

 

The TA does not act as an Agent for the cruise line. The TA acts as your Agent.

 

Your letter is simply addressed to the wrong Party. It´s not the cruiseline that Needs to provide the information you request. It´s your TA needing to provide this information, maybe even in the way of a copy of the cruiselines confirmation. But again this document from the cruiseline Needs to get to you via the TA.

 

I can certainly see why the cruiseline doesn´t want to get caught in the middle between the customer and TA.

 

Let´s create a Scenario here - TA promised you pre-paid grats, now you call the cruiseline to ask if it´s on your booking and get told it isn´t (becaus your TA for whatever reason might Chose to not put them on your Reservation until quite the last Minute). I´m pretty sure the TA will get quite miffed at the cruiseline, because they get called by you for the grats, tell you all is well and you start to question it because the cruiseline told you it´s not there. I can certrainly see how there´s going to be some confusion and Frustration on every side.

[Paulxyz2004]

From my understanding of what OP said in the letter, the request is to consider making the details of the customers cruise contract available for view by the customer when using a TA. I totally agree with that request.

 

I'm currently using a large on line TA company, but I can't view my cruise contract with either the TA or RCI website. It has been very frustrating. I've been making payments towards the final cost. I have my credit card payment record, but the amount I've paid and balance owed doesn't match with what TA is verbally telling me. I've asked for a copy of my payment record and the on-board credit I should expect to see when I get on the cruise, but they won't give me either. One issue was my RCI Visa points, the TA didn't seem to know I had redeemed points and had to call RCI to verify. My cruise is now paid in full and I've been able to print my Set Sail Pass. I'll ask again for an email showing the on-board credit I should have for this cruise, it's somewhere between $22.00 and $102, so it's not much to really worry with.

 

I just want to be able to SEE my reservation, what I've paid & what I still owe and anything else such as on-board credit, drink package, excursions or whatever. Then if something is different from my understanding, I'll call whoever, whether it's RCI or TA.

 

But your Reservation is with the TA, so your -completely valid request about seeing your Reservation -Needs to be addressed to your TA. Your TA Needs to provide a Website showing you those Details, as you booked with them, not the cruiseline.

[griffy116]

We have a very reputable TA. He always summarizes what we are getting and breaks it down. He makes it simple. It's an OBC. He also used to do bottles of wine and/or cupcakes, chocolate strawberries. We always mentioned the gift/perk upon return. When he asked about wine following a cruise and there was a long pause, we both realized that it never arrived. He called the cruise line but really, after you are back home that's not the point. He was embarrassed and disappointed. We get an e-mail that confirms our OBC for each cruise. We've mistakenly thought we qualified for OBC from Royal and he's always explained why we aren't entitled to the credit if it doesn't apply. You have to be careful when choosing a TA. Just like all of us have discovered that we can't combine some of our discounts with OBC recently, some of the TA's out there don't really know what's included and what's not. The TA gets a commission from Royal to handle these problems and to advise passengers. Royal includes what THEY are responsible for delivering. You travel agent is responsible for the rest. Have it in writing BEFORE the cruise and before you get to the final payment date.

[joepeka]

From my understanding of what OP said in the letter, the request is to consider making the details of the customers cruise contract available for view by the customer when using a TA. I totally agree with that request.

 

I'm currently using a large on line TA company, but I can't view my cruise contract with either the TA or RCI website. It has been very frustrating. I've been making payments towards the final cost. I have my credit card payment record, but the amount I've paid and balance owed doesn't match with what TA is verbally telling me. I've asked for a copy of my payment record and the on-board credit I should expect to see when I get on the cruise, but they won't give me either. One issue was my RCI Visa points, the TA didn't seem to know I had redeemed points and had to call RCI to verify. My cruise is now paid in full and I've been able to print my Set Sail Pass. I'll ask again for an email showing the on-board credit I should have for this cruise, it's somewhere between $22.00 and $102, so it's not much to really worry with.

 

I just want to be able to SEE my reservation, what I've paid & what I still owe and anything else such as on-board credit, drink package, excursions or whatever. Then if something is different from my understanding, I'll call whoever, whether it's RCI or TA.

 

I am in agreement with this statement and I feel it's in line with what the OP is reasonably suggesting RCI implement. Although our TA is always willing to print off a copy of our booking details and email it to us, it would be more expedient if those details were available via our reservation on the RCI web site in read-only mode, with the very clear statement that any questions or issues had to be directed to the TA.

[Paulxyz2004]

I am in agreement with this statement and I feel it's in line with what the OP is reasonably suggesting RCI implement. Although our TA is always willing to print off a copy of our booking details and email it to us, it would be more expedient if those details were available via our reservation on the RCI web site in read-only mode, with the very clear statement that any questions or issues had to be directed to the TA.

 

 

Why is it the cruiseline who Needs to put this up on their Website and not the TA?:confused:

[HiCSailor]

You missed the point, RCL is not involved--it's between the Pax and the TA.

I see it differently. Help me see the errors in my thinking...

 

If the benefits (eg: bottle of champagne, credit for JR, child's soda package) are to be provided by RCI by agreement between the TA and RCI that us customers are not privy to, and the travel agent communicated the benefits to the cruise line along with the rest of my booking information, then how can the travel agent be solely at fault when RCI doesn't deliver? Is the TA required to physically board the vessel and coordinate every detail of the booking? Does the cruise line assume responsibility for helping me enjoy cruise vacation?

[nelblu]

I see it differently. Help me see the errors in my thinking...

 

If the benefits (eg: bottle of champagne, credit for JR, child's soda package) are to be provided by RCI by agreement between the TA and RCI that us customers are not privy to, and the travel agent communicated the benefits to the cruise line along with the rest of my booking information, then how can the travel agent be solely at fault when RCI doesn't deliver? Is the TA required to physically board the vessel and coordinate every detail of the booking? Does the cruise line assume responsibility for helping me enjoy cruise vacation?

 

You do not know what was communicated by your TA--as someone on this thread suggested go back to your TA and ascertain what went astray, or you just want to gripe about RCL.

[Rancher Dave]

I am a travel agent and you do realize it is very easy for the ship board crew to blame it on the TA because then they don't have to deal with it. A couple of times I have a problem and gone to CS and gotten the you have to talk to your TA about that and you should see their faces when I say I am the TA it gets handled very quickly then. So don't always assume the TA didn't do what they were supposed to because I'll bet 99 times out of 100 they did and the cruise line dropped the ball.

 

Exactly the truth! I've had that exact same conversation and after that the guest services folks changed their attitude. On a different line they messed up an OBC they were to have posted, by end of cruise it was posted. All due to one system not talking to another...in the end, the other system saved the OBC and posted it to a different cruise...so not even is everything the fault of the cruise line peeps, it could be a computer system issue which seem to be the cause of various issues.

[Cuizer2]

Hi, I just wrote a letter to Goldstein which I thought I would share here.

 

Please don't bother telling "That is why I never book through a TA" or "you need to find a new TA". This is not about the TA but rather about RCCL and their policy regarding bookings made via TAs.

 

 

I had this problem on one of my Royal Caribbean cruises. While I was able to resolve the problem on board, it took a lot of time and thus lessened the value of my vacation.

[Bases5]

I don't believe this to be true at all. As a matter of fact, Royal states on their web site that they recommend using a TA.

 

 

 

Most travel company's recommend using a TA even if they would rather you book directly.

That way when you have a issues booking directly they can always say. We recommended a TA:eek:

I work for a top 100 big business and they are always weaving there words to make every situation not there fault.

You have to love big corporations, they have there Sh** together,:rolleyes:

[Arzeena]

Wow. I had the EXACT same problem on my last cruise and thought I was alone.

 

Last minute phone call to my TA before sailing, once I boarded and realized the benefits were missing had no effect, even after repeated trips to guest relations.

 

That issue is with all cruise lines. I understand there is some kind of general policy.

We had a slight indifference in the TA amenities once on board (I dont rememebr if it was an NCL or Royal ship)They let us use their front desk phone to make a free call to the TA and they also emailed the TA themselves.

[joepeka]

Why is it the cruiseline who Needs to put this up on their Website and not the TA?:confused:

 

The cruise line is the ultimate provider of the service and is the collection point for all the details of the cruise. My TA books the travel on my behalf and it's kept in the cruise line's system; I make shore excursion/dinner/drink package/etc. reservations against that booking and it's kept in the cruise line's system and my TA doesn't necessarily know about those reservations. So why couldn't the cruise line (who have all the details of the cruise) make it available online in browse-only mode?

[BillNY]

Here's my take on this discussion:

 

Both of these entities, the TA and the cruise line, are offering a service to customers. What the OP is requesting, simply a way of being able to view what the cruise line "sees" in reference to the details of the service they are providing, i.e., the actual cruise, doesn't seem to be asking too much. That doesn't mean they should be expected to fix the problem, but, would it not be beneficial to the cruse line to have this matter resolved before the customer is on the ship and not being stressed by something that could have easily been resolved weeks before?

No one is asking the cruise line to do anything about the problem other than the possibility of fielding a call from a customer who may misunderstand that they need to fix the issue with their TA, and simply informing them of that. It seems to me there would be less escalation of annoyance between customer and cruise line if this were the case.

Having to play, "Well, I don't see my OBC on the cruise website, but I'm sure it will be there when I board", when the solution suggested by the OP is so simple, seems pretty logical.

Edited January 24, 2015 by BillNY

[MCC retired]

Just book direct with RCI and you won't have to worry about those "goodies" from the TA, as there won't be anything beyond what RCI may be giving you.:rolleyes:

[CORKY_Q]

The cruise line is the ultimate provider of the service and is the collection point for all the details of the cruise. My TA books the travel on my behalf and it's kept in the cruise line's system; I make shore excursion/dinner/drink package/etc. reservations against that booking and it's kept in the cruise line's system and my TA doesn't necessarily know about those reservations. So why couldn't the cruise line (who have all the details of the cruise) make it available online in browse-only mode?

 

I second that remark, Joe. It would be so simple then for the cruising customer to see whether all parties are on the same boat. No pun intended.:D

[shipshape sam]

We had an issue and onboard customer service had to call home office, per my understanding, which took 2 days to get back an answer on our 15 day cruise. This was day 3 when the issue came up.

 

I can't for the life of me understand why I can't go to my cruise folder for that sailing and see what my OBC's are, etc. The TA must have to coordinate with Royal at some point, and thus, Royal could update this sailing profile. It is not rocket science. For example, if providing me with a free speciality dinner, why can't that be reflected on my profile as an OBC for $x. or just throw it into a general OBC.

 

There for sure is a way to at least get part of the way there that would be of benefit to all 3 parties involved.

[BecciBoo]

But RCCL would rather you book directly with them avoiding Commission paid to TA's

So they kind of put a little (tripping point) into your reservation.

QUOTE]

 

If that were really true, then why on more than one occasion when booking cruises onboard, will the Loyalty Ambassador automatically assign that booking to your TA if you used one for your current cruise. That has happened on more cruises than I care to tell you and makes me quite angry. You fill out your Next Cruise information...leave it at the Cruise Desk and bingo, they look and see you are with a TA currently and put them on the reservation. So annoying. The last cruise with Celebrity, we even had an appointment booking with the agent onboard and she assigned it without even asking us.

 

I also use TAs for the perks they provide, but I book initially direct with RCCL. Then I wait for a deal from the TA and transfer the booking to get those perks. If RCCL really wanted my business, they wouldn't assume I want to use the TA again. They'd let me decide that.:mad: And put themselves in as my agent.

Edited January 24, 2015 by BecciBoo

[LMaxwell]

I agree with OP on principle. It's 2015. There's no reason that the guest shouldn't or couldn't be provided with an invoiced breakdown of everything they are due to have.

 

RCI doesn't want to talk to guests who use a TA? Well...that's besides the point really. The invoice to a guest should be comprehensive enough to show all benefits tied to that guests booking.

 

How many times do people post here "Where can I see this or that on my booking?" And the inevitable answer is you will see it onboard. Kind of late at that point if there is an issue. Proving this proof/information to the guest ahead of time is for everyones benefit; the guest, the TA, and the onboard crew who inevitably have to deal with issues as they arise.

 

Transparency in the booking really is NOT too much to ask. Anything less than that feels like a game being played. At least that is my opinion.

[Paulxyz2004]

The cruise line is the ultimate provider of the service and is the collection point for all the details of the cruise. My TA books the travel on my behalf and it's kept in the cruise line's system; I make shore excursion/dinner/drink package/etc. reservations against that booking and it's kept in the cruise line's system and my TA doesn't necessarily know about those reservations. So why couldn't the cruise line (who have all the details of the cruise) make it available online in browse-only mode?

 

Because as it is now the TA is owning the booking and the TA might not want you to see all that information. Like for example your TA wants you to gift something as a surprise and don´t want you to see this in your Reservation.

The wish for all those information being available online is fine, but it Needs to be provide from whoever holds the booking.

So why couldn´t the TA make it available online in browse only mode?

[joepeka]

Because as it is now the TA is owning the booking and the TA might not want you to see all that information. Like for example your TA wants you to gift something as a surprise and don´t want you to see this in your Reservation.

The wish for all those information being available online is fine, but it Needs to be provide from whoever holds the booking.

So why couldn´t the TA make it available online in browse only mode?

 

The TA won't necessarily have all the details of the booking; as I mention, if I make reservations online against the booking, the TA will have no clue that has occurred and therefore won't be something the TA can provide. The cruise line has everything and (as it seems others on this thread agree) should be the entity to make it all available to view.

[nelblu]

I agree with OP on principle. It's 2015. There's no reason that the guest shouldn't or couldn't be provided with an invoiced breakdown of everything they are due to have.

 

RCI doesn't want to talk to guests who use a TA? Well...that's besides the point really. The invoice to a guest should be comprehensive enough to show all benefits tied to that guests booking.

 

How many times do people post here "Where can I see this or that on my booking?" And the inevitable answer is you will see it onboard. Kind of late at that point if there is an issue. Proving this proof/information to the guest ahead of time is for everyones benefit; the guest, the TA, and the onboard crew who inevitably have to deal with issues as they arise.

 

Transparency in the booking really is NOT too much to ask. Anything less than that feels like a game being played. At least that is my opinion.

 

Are you kidding, you'd trust RCL's IT dept to come up with an all encompassing solution--look at the issue with DD and entertainment reservations on Quantum.

[critterchick]

OP, Adam Goldstein is no longer in charge of RCI - he is now at the holding company. Your comments should be directed to mbayley@rccl.com - he will forward it to the appropriate department. RCI (and Mr. Bayley) would of course prefer that you just email C&A but my experience has been that those emails only get a cursory canned response.

 

And I like your son's rendering of the new FOS. :)

 

Although this is generally the case, it is not always so with all cruise lines.

 

Had virtually the exact same situation with Princess:

 

TA provided OBC, specialty dining and bottle of champagne.

 

Called Princess and the Rep. was able to confirm all of the above so that we would not have an issue when we embarked the ship. All went smoothly onboard.

 

Princess does one better - you can dowload your travel summary which will show all of your onboard credits and any gifts. This is true whether you book directly or with a TA. What does not show is the price of the cruise or the price of the gifts (obviously they show the amount of each OBC).

 

Why is it the cruiseline who Needs to put this up on their Website and not the TA?:confused:

 

The TA should provide a copy of every benefit or gift that is promised to the customer. It should not be the customer's responsibility to round up the documentation, other than to remind the TA if s/he has failed to provide it. But I do think that RCI should provide the same kind of travel summary directly to the client. It's too easy for them to hide behind the "ask your TA" mantra - as long as the customer's request doesn't affect the TA's income, it should not matter.

Edited January 24, 2015 by critterchick

[lilyhammer]

The same thing happened to me on my Navigator cruise in Nov. TA promised me $150 OBC and prepaid gratuities. Nothing showed up the first day, so I emailed my TA before we set sail and she said she called them both in and that I should wait. The OBC showed up the next day, but not the pre paid gratuities. I emailed everyday and she kept calling RCCL and checking on it too and they kept telling her it would show up later. It never did show up. This put a damper on my cruise since I was expecting to spend a lot less.

 

When I got back, my TA said she would request RCCL issue me a refund. Still haven't seen it and it's been weeks. I know they are slow with refunds because they had repriced my cruise before final payment (website glithes, they said) and I had to wait for that refund too.

 

Do you all think I have a RCCL problem or a TA problem? I was ready to write it off, but my TA said no, I should keep fighting for it, so I don't think it's her.

[Paulette3028]

My point is that RC ends up dealing with it onboard anyway.

How is it a benefit to them to have the problems, conflicts, etc, that result?

Not providing the information does not solve the problems, it just makes it worse.

 

In the post that I wrote that you responded to, I believe it would be easy to provide the information online to cruisers.....but it doesn't work that way.

 

I even asked my husband if on our last cruise, when we got a Stockholders OBC if it was shown on our online reservation -- he said 'no, it was not'. But he did have the email from the Investment department that came to us, after we sent in the paperwork to receive our Stockholders OBC. He took the email with us, just in case we needed it.....but alas -- we did not, because our OBC was there when we checked in.