On Board Booking

[DOJO466]

The same is true for any company when a salesman, who feels liberated by distance from the home office goes rogue.

 

I sympathize with your situation, but none of those front line Ambassadors have the kind of authority which your offer suggests, so the choices are judgement error or malfeasance.

 

That staff member may well lose their position as a result of what seems to be a horrifying misrepresentation, but if the Company allowed such behavior to create a bonanza for some, it would not stay in business for very long.

 

It's the same principle under which your Bank is permitted to withdraw money from your Account if they discover after the fact that the Teller has made an error...... even if you are in possession of what would otherwise be a valid receipt.

 

It takes a number of days before you receive a written confirmation from Miami Hdqtrs. I would say this is a confirmation, not a rogue ambassador making a sell.

[hondorner]

ABSOLUTELY UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!! You've got to be kidding.

 

Guess based on your ridiculous statement everyone need to get any pricing for any transaction with any business approved and signed by the President of the company for it to be valid????

 

By the way, your bank example is an apples and oranges example to the OP's issue. A written quote is a valid Contract, an error by a teller is a complete different issue.

 

Let's try this valid example, if an airline sells a ticket at an erroneous price based on what is in the computer by an employee of the airline, they are required to honor that ticket price.

Your example is not valid. In that case, the airline actually sold you something and you hold the confirmation (the ticket), in the onboard agent they just quoted something yet to be confirmed. I would not consider a piece of paper with handwritten numbers to be a contract. The cruise line is correct, anyone could have written it.

 

Finally, how did you manage to arrive at the need for approval by a company President? That's a much further reach than anything said on this thread. You should consider whether your response was to the situation or to the messenger...

[rallydave]

Your example is not valid. In that case, the airline actually sold you something and you hold the confirmation (the ticket), in the onboard agent they just quoted something yet to be confirmed. I would not consider a piece of paper with handwritten numbers to be a contract. The cruise line is correct, anyone could have written it.

 

Finally, how did you manage to arrive at the need for approval by a company President? That's a much further reach than anything said on this thread. You should consider whether your response was to the situation or to the messenger...

 

Neither to your last question, my response was to the absurd response posted. As to choosing to say the President has to approve any contract, the poster stated that the Ambassador's did not have the authority to bind the company. If that is true, who does have the authority?? Is the customer expected to ask all sales people to provide their written authority to quote a price?? Obviously the President of a company has the authority to bind the company so without every customer asking every sales person to provide their authority to quote a price the authority goes to the President.

 

Yes, it is a reach to state the President however, how do we know that the written quote from the home office was not written by a rogue customer service agent. And, does the person in the home office have the authority to provide the price??

 

At some point the customer has to believe that the person in charge of selling cruises on board any ship has the authority to quote a price.

 

Regarding anyone could have written the quote on the piece of paper, yes that is true and in this computer age, anybody could generate a quote identical to what comes from the home office so where does the questioning stop?? In these cases according to the writers, the ambassador handed them the document so it most likely was not a blank piece of paper and had other words on it that could only have come from the ambassador negating the possibly that the paper was written by the OP.

 

Things are not always black or white and to say that a salesperson does not have the authority to quote a price is an insult to all sales people and if true would make every sales call a waste of time.

 

In addition, the OP stated that he booked on board so most probably the paper he received the last nite was the confirmation. If in fact the OP did book, that is pay the deposit based on the paper the ambassador gave him, at that point a contract was in place.

 

And, has anyone asked the ambassador what price he quoted to OP?? Sometimes that will solve the issue but, am most concerned over the poster stating that the Ambassador does not have the authority to quote a price.

 

This simply warns people to be extremely careful when booking on board that they are booking with someone who has the authority to bind the company to the price quoted.

[LHT28]

What nonsense :eek:

If you cannot trust the written quote from the future sale person why bother having them onboard

 

I guess people have to get any hand written quote witnessed by some person in higher authority for it to be valid

[ChatKat in Ca.]

When we booked onboard, we received a confirmation of our booking before we even left the ship by email.

[Carol From California]

On our recent (first) Oceania cruise last month we booked a future cruise. There was a discount of $325/person and reduced deposit of $250/person. The booking was transferred to our travel agent who gives us a substantial additional discount and some OBC. The booking can be changed one time to a different cruise.

[StanandJim]

And, has anyone asked the ambassador what price he quoted to OP?? Sometimes that will solve the issue but, am most concerned over the poster stating that the Ambassador does not have the authority to quote a price.

 

It is difficult to discuss this with you rationally because of the extent to which you have manipulated my statements in order to further your argument.

 

I NEVER said that the Ambassadors don't have the authority to establish a price for a future cruise with their clients. They definitely DO, and that entire part of your rant IS ENTIRELY YOUR OWN CREATION.

 

The sole issue which I was addressing is that of the Ambassador making an offer of a future Onboard Credit ostensibly given to make up for a perceived inequity with a previously paid fare.

Edited June 12, 2015 by StanandJim
content edit

[sitraveler]

OP is from down under. So is "me too". I think that's the problem and the situation is the difference in the price.

[wally_bushy]

Interesting that on a cruise holiday I have to be on the lookout for rogue Ambassadors representing the company.

At no point did I state that the handwritten page was a quote but I did expect the amount to equal the formal quote.

That is why I queried it asap and feel let down by the lack of communication from the "rogue ambassador " as she would have recognised her writing.

And yes I did check the currency of the price at the time

 

Any other story tellers out there

[redshine]

Spoke to oceanic today to find out what are the booking perks if we booked a future cruise on board. I told her that I am going on a July cruise on Oceana and wish to book a cruise that leaves in April.

She told me that the booking perks are the exact same as if I booked with my travel agent today and then went on board in July they would give me the perks since I booked a cruise for april 2016

I have never heard of getting on board booking perks if you book prior to getting on the cruise ship

Has anyone had this happen, I was under the impression that the only on board perks you get is if you book on board

[LHT28]

Spoke to oceanic today to find out what are the booking perks if we booked a future cruise on board. I told her that I am going on a July cruise on Oceana and wish to book a cruise that leaves in April.

She told me that the booking perks are the exact same as if I booked with my travel agent today and then went on board in July they would give me the perks since I booked a cruise for april 2016

I have never heard of getting on board booking perks if you book prior to getting on the cruise ship

Has anyone had this happen, I was under the impression that the only on board perks you get is if you book on board

someone is confused :)

 

If the cruise is offering perks such as PPG free internet etc you will get that if you book now & if they are still listed when you are on the ship & decide to book the cruise then you will get them also

 

Also if you book onboard as stated above you will get an additional $100 OBC for the new cruise & for the cruise you are on plus a small discount

 

If you book before your upcoming cruise you can always ask when onboard if you can get the onboard booking perks you may or may not get them

[StanandJim]

Spoke to oceanic today to find out what are the booking perks if we booked a future cruise on board. I told her that I am going on a July cruise on Oceana and wish to book a cruise that leaves in April.

She told me that the booking perks are the exact same as if I booked with my travel agent today and then went on board in July they would give me the perks since I booked a cruise for april 2016

I have never heard of getting on board booking perks if you book prior to getting on the cruise ship

Has anyone had this happen, I was under the impression that the only on board perks you get is if you book on board

 

No, it is true, on Oceania as long as you are sailing on one of their ships before that "future cruise", they will offer Onboard Booking Benefits.

Those Benefits vary by type of accommodations booked, however, and also by the popularity of that future cruise, so don't expect Christmas in July ;)

[ronrick1943]

Hey! Anything thing additonal you get is better than getting nothing, why wouldn't you book.

Rick

[Balloon Man]

We booked a future cruise while on Nautica. Transferred it to our usual TA. No problem. Decided to change the cruise to a longer and more expensive cruise on Insignia. No problem, all on-board booking perks remained.

 

Had a disagreement with travel agent and asked to move cruise to a different TA. No problem except all on-board perks were lost. I asked why? "You can only make one change" was the response from Oceania.

 

Asked where it said this in the terms and conditions on the UK website? It didn't. All perks restored.