Just got so aggravated I cancelled my cruise

[EAZYLIVING]

Truly sad you had to cancel over $38. Thanks for letting us know.

 

Thanks you for my Monday LOL, I almost choked:p.

 

OP, don't let bad customer service and your pride ruin your next beautiful Royal Caribbean cruise.

Edited June 1, 2015 by EAZYLIVING

[trev71]

It's the reason some swear by using a TA.

Those that "want to be in control" don't like it so much some times.

I wouldn't dream of cancelling a cruise because of a poor experience with a rep on the phone.

 

 

I wouldn't cancel because of a bad CSR rep. Maybe you didn't really want to take this cruise.

 

Like another poster posted maybe a TA is a good thing for you

[Paul65]

I feel bad I have to tell my husband I cancelled. We are diamond members, and enjoyed the Freedom very much, but might be going back to Carnival or try another line.

 

Yes, I'm afraid I wouldn't be very happy, as the husband, if I found out my wife had cancelled a cruise I was looking forward to, because she got frustrated with the customer service she received, while calling to try to get a $38 reduction in the fare.

 

(And I know my wife wouldn't be too happy with me, if I did something like that without consulting her first.) :eek:

[JTBCruiser]

Yes, I'm afraid I wouldn't be very happy, as the husband, if I found out my wife had cancelled a cruise I was looking forward to, because she got frustrated with the customer service she received, while calling to try to get a $38 reduction in the fare.

 

(And I know my wife wouldn't be too happy with me, if I did something like that without consulting her first.) :eek:

 

 

I can just imagine the conversation with my DW if this same thing happened. "Honey, RCI customer service just got me PO'd, they had me on the phone for over an hour, wouldn't match the lower rate and screwed up our OBC but I fixed them, I cancelled the cruise over $38.00."............. "You did WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTT??!!

 

Agree, everyone has their breaking point and I've dealt with my fair share of customer service challenged Moe Larry and Curly's but to cancel over $38.00? I think not. I sincerely wish the OP the best of luck in finding an alternative cruise. As for me, I'd be eating lot's of dog biscuits in the proverbial dog house DW would banish me to. :cool:

[micmacmissy]

Truly sad you had to cancel over $38. Thanks for letting us know.

 

She did not cancel her cruise over $38. She cancelled her cruise because she was subjected to horrible customer service, and didn't want to stand for it anymore.

I applaud you for doing that. RCCL cheerleaders won't see it this way, but I certainly do. More like: RCCL lost a good customer over $38.

 

You, on the other hand, did the right thing. Sorry most people won't understand...but there are plenty of great ships/itineraries/cruise lines to choose from...so don't waste your money being loyal to one who doesn't provide you with at least decent customer service.

Edited June 1, 2015 by micmacmissy
typo

[DebJ14]

My husband would be furious if I cancelled something he was looking forward to without consulting with him first. He would probably blame me for being rude to the person at the cruise line, or not explaining myself well. LOL!

 

At least I would have hung up and discussed what happened with DH before canceling. You can always do that.

 

But, as other have said with the state of customer service today if I could cancel at will I probably wouldn't have Direct TV, internet, phone or electricity.

 

DH says I should never be President because I would have access to the nuclear codes and we would all be doomed!

[Cindy]

I continue to be amazed at what terrible experiences people have with customer service at RCCL.

 

I do find it a little sad that this much aggravation and headache for the OP came over $38. But I guess everyone has their breaking point.

 

I always book directly (usually on-board bookings) and when I have to contact RCI I call the C&A number instead of the regular reservation number. I have found the agents to be extremely pleasant and helpful. Occasionally they won't be able to do what I want them to do, but they still try hard to make me happy and are apologetic if they can't give me what I want -- usually a lower price or a bigger cabin!:rolleyes: The last C&A rep that apologized to me wished she didn't have to charge me a higher fee to move to an Aqua Theater Suite -- it was $15.00!:D

 

I understand they have policies and guidelines they have to follow that may not make a lot of sense to me, but I've always felt like the person on the other end of the phone is working hard to make the customer happy. I'm sorry the OP had a different and frustrating experience. For my time and tolerance level, I'd much rather call Royal Caribbean than DirecTV or my local utility company!:eek:

 

As for changing cruise lines over a phone call or a $38 price difference, if you choose to do that I hope you find what you're looking for. I cruise or have cruised on several different lines, and I don't think there's a noticeable difference between the phone agents or policies from line to line. The agents are responsible for implementing the policies of the company they work for, but in the end they're all doing the same job, and frequently have to tell people "no."

[transam84]

While I can totally understand the frustration of being on hold and dealing with customer service, I have learned that such small changes in price are not worth the hassle. The various things that make up the price go up and down all the time and the cost is the sum total. For my anthem cruise I noticed the port taxes went down by $8 since I booked but the cruise cost stayed the same. But I have a bunch of onboard credit that I would lose if I rebook. It's all a game. I honestly would not bother unless the amount was over $200. That's just me. There are some battles that are not worth fighting. It is the nature of sales. It's all a numbers game. I bet all the cruise lines do it and hotels and on and on. I use a TA so she deals with customer service. She is an expert. :)

[Paul65]

For my anthem cruise I noticed the port taxes went down by $8 since I booked but the cruise cost stayed the same. But I have a bunch of onboard credit that I would lose if I rebook.

 

Just FYI - It should not require rebooking to get them to adjust your port taxes. It may not be worth you time to try to get a refund for just a few dollars, but I'm pretty sure you could get that $8 back, if you really tried, without rebooking.

[silentbob007]

Called for a price adjustment a few minutes ago. Called C&A and not reservations. 1.5 minutes later the reservation was changed and emailed to me.

[marci22]

Called for a price adjustment a few minutes ago. Called C&A and not reservations. 1.5 minutes later the reservation was changed and emailed to me.

 

Yes, but that doesn't always happen. Many times, I have had someone answer who not only doesn't know the rules, but argues with me when I ask them to check.

 

100% of the time I ask for a copy of the guest booking to be sent to me. I'd say I get it about 50% of the time, necessitating another call.

 

It can really be aggravating. I try to view it as sport.

[silentbob007]

Yes, but that doesn't always happen. Many times, I have had someone answer who not only doesn't know the rules, but argues with me when I ask them to check.

 

100% of the time I ask for a copy of the guest booking to be sent to me. I'd say I get it about 50% of the time, necessitating another call.

 

It can really be aggravating. I try to view it as sport.

 

True and fair enough.

[cruisinfanatic]

I wouldn't cancel because of a bad CSR rep. Maybe you didn't really want to take this cruise.

 

Like another poster posted maybe a TA is a good thing for you

Can you quote the right person next time

[cruisinfanatic]

She did not cancel her cruise over $38. She cancelled her cruise because she was subjected to horrible customer service, and didn't want to stand for it anymore.

 

I applaud you for doing that. RCCL cheerleaders won't see it this way, but I certainly do. More like: RCCL lost a good customer over $38.

 

You, on the other hand, did the right thing. Sorry most people won't understand...but there are plenty of great ships/itineraries/cruise lines to choose from...so don't waste your money being loyal to one who doesn't provide you with at least decent customer service.

You just cancelled out your first sentence

[cruisinfanatic]

Gave them the complaint. She did offer to reinstate it at original price, original room with OBC. However, I told her I was too aggravated, had posted on Cruise critic negative comments, and I just wanted her to know. They spend so much money advertising, then they have a loyal customer and make me mad.

 

It probably means nothing to them, but I told her when they go over complaints, tell them my story, and that although I had a wonderful time on Freedom, they just pissed me off enough to cancel my cruise.

 

It is just my husband and I, occasionally my 20 yo son or our friends join us, so I may just try Princess for our next one. Thanks for listening to me complain. I feel better now, and really have to get to work.

What happens if they .... you off? Cancel again?

[Guest maddycat]

Called for a price adjustment a few minutes ago. Called C&A and not reservations. 1.5 minutes later the reservation was changed and emailed to me.

 

Yes, but that doesn't always happen. Many times, I have had someone answer who not only doesn't know the rules, but argues with me when I ask them to check.

 

100% of the time I ask for a copy of the guest booking to be sent to me. I'd say I get it about 50% of the time, necessitating another call.

 

It can really be aggravating. I try to view it as sport.

 

I called the C&A D+ number earlier this afternoon. Within 5 minutes I had a $120 price reduction. The customer service rep. emailed a new invoice to me while I was still on the phone with her.

 

She then asked if there was anything else that she could help me with. I told her that I couldn't set my onboard preferences when I tried last week. She said that a few people had mentioned that they were having the same problem. She set all of my preferences for me.

[marci22]

I think op is D. I agree that D+ reps tend to be better but I have had some who did not know the current rules.

 

I have had some great reps and some horrible reps its RC roulette you makes yer spins you takes yer chances.

[Merion_Mom]

I'm glad you feel better but don't you think you cut off your nose to spite your face?

 

My favorite expression. Well, one of them. :)

 

I called RC four times today. Because of the new sale, I wanted to book some Harmony cruises, because those prices were very..............wait for it..............alluring. ;) :D

 

I spoke with four different RC reps.

 

I had four fabulous phone calls.

 

Just sharing my experience.

[pinkroses]

I find that the time of day and which day you call really makes a difference with wait time. That said, just a couple of days ago I had to cancel a cruise, moved the deposit to another booked cruise, added prepaid gratuities and made a payment all without a hitch. I spoke with Joann. Shortly after my phone call, I received an email from RC to evaluate my call with Joann. I thought that was a good touch.

[tiessa]

It's good to know some CSR's are competent. It's a shame all of them are not. If they were RCCL wouldn't have people trying other cruise lines.

[Desert Cruizers]

Since I have always used a local TA, my question to those who book directly is, how quickly do you receive your invoice showing your booking & price, someone said they had to call twice. I receive ours from our TA very soon after booking ( via email ) & by mail and an updated one within 5 days after I authorize them to have the cruise line run the payment. Her office tells the cruise line to charge to the CC.

Edited June 2, 2015 by Desert Cruizers

[cruisinfanatic]

Since I have always used a local TA, my question to those who book directly is, how quickly do you receive your invoice showing your booking & price, someone said they had to call twice. I receive ours from our TA very soon after booking ( via email ) & by mail and an updated one within 5 days after I authorize them to have the cruise line run the payment. Her office tells the cruise line to charge to the CC.

You get it immediately, sometimes while still on phone. I don't know why your TA waits as much as 5 days for a payment confirmation.

[Carolla5501]

This reminds me of a guy on another travel board I follow... he got mad at Delta due to a change in flight times just got them to refund his ticket... So proud of himself!

 

Of course he then discovered that to rebook the flight on his new "great" airline was going to cost 2x as much as the one on Delta with the slightly subpar flight times.

 

As for the 'I told them I was going to post on Cruise Critic" threat? REALLY? You said that? At this point I think there is more to this story then we are getting here.

 

But if you are looking for perfection in travel customer service today you may have to stay home.

Edited June 2, 2015 by Carolla5501

[susancruzs]

This isn't about being a cheerleader for a cruise line, not at all. The rant about customer service and almost 2 hours on the phone, begs the question? It took almost 2 hours and you stayed on the phone? After 15 minutes I would have said, I'm going to think about this and call back. There is no way I would spend over an hour on the phone and I'm home every day.

 

There is a bigger picture here and I think it every time I read rants about service. You are dealing with one person among many, ask to speak a supervisor, or take a breath and call back. You spend thousands for a cruise, getting so upset over a small amount of money and the way it is handled doesn't make sense to me. Life is too short and there are way more important things causing stress.

[papaflamingo]

So, I'm somewhat of a "RCCL Cheerleader," and I don' really blame her. Things HAVE changed. This might just have been "the last straw." I understand that. I always use a TA for this very reason. Recently I booked 3 Crown Lofts for late 2016 to take my family on my Retirement Cruise. It was a good deal, but not cheap. I did it directly and then assigned the booking to my TA. While trying to get all the appropriate discounts, etc. I had to have the "Rate Rules" on my computer to read them to the RCCL Rep. They were all very nice, but had to clear each thing with their supervisor. Then I had to go through the "hoops" to assign the booking to my TA. I did this on a Sunday, it seemed very straight forward, so I figured I'd lock in the cabins and rate without bothering my TA. Now, I thought that RCCL Customer Service was very nice and willing to correct things, but they just don't know the rate rules like they should. Anyway, my comment to my TA was "You deserve more pay!"

So, sometimes we hit the wall. Enough is enough. I am looking at other cruise lines also, but reading their CC boards, there seems to be little difference over there or they are worse. So I stick with "the known."

To the OP. Good luck. Let us know what you find, if i's better, worth losing D+ perks, I'd like to know. I tried Celebrity, to "sedate" for me, so I am back.