Very Poor Customer Service

[Don Pedro]

I'm with you on that. It only takes a couple of minutes to check the online system. It may seem a bit anal to some, but I don't care to ruin my vacation on the last day by standing in the long, snaky line waiting for Customer Relations when it could have been handled days before. But that's just me...

 

I also check mine on the ships that are set up for online account viewing. Unfortunately several ships lack this capacity and going down to guest services for a daily printout would be a pain in the butt. RCCL needs to make the online account viewing available on all their ships.

[Goodtime Cruizin]

If ever you needed a post that encapsulates completely why people stop posting on this forum, it's this one. So unnecessary. This is a discussion forum, not a place for regular "in the know" cruisers to flame those who didn't know better at the time...

 

First. The OP has resisted any & all common sensical posts in this thread. The OP has some culpability in their problem and claiming ignorance isn't going to work and so far hasn't. This thread is 7+ pages long and I've read nothing that the OP has accepted any responsibility.

Second, the OP did know better as it was stated they felt the line was too long and elected not to wait.

Third, checking your account is not a taught or learned event although RCCL does place comments in the cruise compasses that communicate this.

Lastly, I don't consider myself 'in the know'. In fact, I checked my account on my first cruise, found a small error, went to Guest Service... and stood in line to get it resolved. How did I know to do this? It's common sense.

Edited July 9, 2015 by Goodtime Cruizin

[Paul65]

Yeah. He did admit on page 2 of this thread that he checked his invoice before boarding and the 2 free drink packages weren't on there. Lesson learned----GET IT IN WRITING (email). I'd like to think he didn't lie. I'm sappy that way I guess.

 

I thought he said he booked without the deal, saw it advertised later, and called trying to get it, but was never successful. (Might have to read again, to make sure I'm remembering right.) So, I don't think there was ever the agreement, before getting on the ship, that drink packages were included.

 

(I certainly wasn't suggesting he lied; only that he may have misunderstood.)

[biomedbob]

I'm at the purser's desk almost every morning :confused:@ 6 AM or there abouts. No lines...sleepy, but cordial person behind the desk. Ask for the current printout.

 

Shows the charges, the OB credits. No surprises on the last day.

 

Be proactive!

[Desert Cruizers]

My husband may not go down daily for a printout, but over a 2 week cruise, he will get a printout 4 X's, about midway into the first week and near the end and repeat the 2nd week.

[HARP]

"I got on the ship BELIEVING I WAS ENTITLED TO THEM, led to believe by the purser, that I was indeed entitled to them, who subsequently issued them, without asking me or my wife to sign any documentation (which is usually standard procedure for any charges applied to your account) APOLOGISED for all the inconvenience and then went on to explain that gratuities due would also be taken off the onboard account!! ."

 

Well my train of thought on this matter.

.

1. The purser did not document the fact that he/she "gave you the drink packages" It was just too easy to slap stickers on your cards and send you on your way. No one would question it.

 

2. The purser could just take off the gratuities so as far as you see they were prepaid. (Nothing to question here people remove gratuities all the time.) So he/she made you happy and did not document the drink packages and removed your gratuities.

A happy guest leaves the counter thanking the purser. Purser hopes he/she gets a good write up on the end of the cruise survey.

 

3. When you went to up grade the package with a different purser they noted that they had not been paid for and just sold you the drink packages that you wanted and you signed for them. Hence documented. Happy guest leaves the counter.

 

So the first purser was "giving the farm away" to make you happy and the second purser caught it.

 

And you got the bill to prove it.

Guest not happy now.

Edited July 10, 2015 by HARP

[kwbound]

If ever you needed a post that encapsulates completely why people stop posting on this forum, it's this one. So unnecessary. This is a discussion forum, not a place for regular "in the know" cruisers to flame those who didn't know better at the time...

 

 

Well said.

[kwbound]

I'm at the purser's desk almost every morning :confused:@ 6 AM or there abouts. No lines...sleepy, but cordial person behind the desk. Ask for the current printout.

 

 

 

Shows the charges, the OB credits. No surprises on the last day.

 

 

 

Be proactive!

 

 

Wow - I hope I'm not spending my hard earned vacation dollars with a company so prone to mistakes that I need to drag myself out of bed and to the pursers desk that early every morning while I'm on vacation!

[Paul65]

Wow - I hope I'm not spending my hard earned vacation dollars with a company so prone to mistakes that I need to drag myself out of bed and to the pursers desk that early every morning while I'm on vacation!

 

I've never asked for a print-out of my account while on a cruise, though I do occasionally check it on the in-room system, when that is available. And the only time I've ever caught an issue was at the very end of the cruise, when they give you an itemized bill. There was a small charge for mini-bar, and I knew that we hadn't actually taken anything from there.

 

I didn't bother waiting in line to fix that (especially since it was just a few dollars - not worth my time), but I did send an e-mail after getting back home, and they refunded that charge. Of course, they might be a little more reluctant to just automatically refund a charge of several hundred dollars for drink packages.

 

Things can go wrong with billing, but I don't think it's all that frequent an occurrence.

[Ocean Boy]

Wow - I hope I'm not spending my hard earned vacation dollars with a company so prone to mistakes that I need to drag myself out of bed and to the pursers desk that early every morning while I'm on vacation!

 

6 AM is mid morning for me. I would not be dragging myself out of bed.

[Ocean Boy]

I also had to call RCI after my invoice was issued for the same reason. The gratuities were supposed to be included but were still showing on the invoice. After calling they removed mine but left them showing on my husbands account and so I had to call again. Eventually the new invoice was correct. But I will be double checking my final invoice before final payment.

 

Make sure you have something in writing that says your gratuities are included or you might find them adding them daily to your account when you are aboard the ship. And don't forget to check your account while on the ship to make sure that they are not being added.

[kwbound]

6 AM is mid morning for me. I would not be dragging myself out of bed.

 

 

If you don't mind me asking, how late do you stay up at night? Do you go to the shows, clubs, etc.? On normal work days I'm up and about by that time too. But I'm also in bed early the night before. Six a.m. on my cruise ship clock is pretty early!

[ruthnewark]

If it helps, our TA said that they (ROyal Caribbean) would send us an immediate invoice with the tips included in the price and then about two-three weeks later we would get an amended invoice. We are due to chase it up actually so thanks for the reminder...

 

I've spoken to someone at RC. Apparently it's 'an accounting exercise' They need to add the cost of the gratuities to the invoice in order to add an equivalent size credit to the invoice. This will happen any time between a couple of weeks from now and the final payment date.

If they just left it as it was with no gratuities on it, someone on board would look at it and then charge the gratuities to my onboard account.

 

I'm writing myself a reminder in my diary!

[rodenboy]

I've spoken to someone at RC. Apparently it's 'an accounting exercise' They need to add the cost of the gratuities to the invoice in order to add an equivalent size credit to the invoice. This will happen any time between a couple of weeks from now and the final payment date.

 

If they just left it as it was with no gratuities on it, someone on board would look at it and then charge the gratuities to my onboard account.

 

 

 

I'm writing myself a reminder in my diary!

 

 

Thank you for this! I will keep on at our TA on a regular basis! Thankfully, she's a friend of the family so she will be on the case for us!

[ckfred]

This is why it pays to deal with a TA, rather than book directly with RC. If a promotion comes up, the TA knows how to redo a reservation to take advantage, whether it's a BOGO Free, a drink promotion, or whatever.

 

Let me also say that when charging anything on a ship, whether it's a drink package, a item in a shop, or a meal in a specialty restaurant, look at the charge slip before walking out.

 

On our last cruise, our TA treated us to dinner in a specialty restaurant, which we learned via a phone call from the restaurant manager.

 

Yet, when the bill came, it was for the standard charge. We mentioned this to our waiter, who then tracked down the list of "free" dinners that came out of HQ in Miami.

 

I also hold onto all of the charge slips, not only until the statement is slipped under the door the last night, but until my credit card bill arrives.

[reallyitsmema]

This is why it pays to deal with a TA, rather than book directly with RC. If a promotion comes up, the TA knows how to redo a reservation to take advantage, whether it's a BOGO Free, a drink promotion, or whatever.

 

Let me also say that when charging anything on a ship, whether it's a drink package, a item in a shop, or a meal in a specialty restaurant, look at the charge slip before walking out.

 

On our last cruise, our TA treated us to dinner in a specialty restaurant, which we learned via a phone call from the restaurant manager.

 

Yet, when the bill came, it was for the standard charge. We mentioned this to our waiter, who then tracked down the list of "free" dinners that came out of HQ in Miami.

 

I also hold onto all of the charge slips, not only until the statement is slipped under the door the last night, but until my credit card bill arrives.

 

Using a TA, checking and holding onto your charge slips is not going to prevent something from being erroneously charged to your on board account. Checking your on board account either on the interactive tv system or by getting a printout is the only way you are going to see extra charges.

[poncho1973]

I'm at the purser's desk almost every morning :confused:@ 6 AM or there abouts. No lines...sleepy, but cordial person behind the desk. Ask for the current printout.

 

1. 6am on a cruise is too close to after when I just went to bed at 2-3am. I'm sleeping and don't have time for nonsense like walking while I'm sleeping.

 

2. Maybe I'm missing out on a secret source of fun, but why one Earth would I get a daily printout of anything? I look at my TV or just get the summery at the end of the trip. I'm not on vacation to babysit a bunch of bean counters.

[Ocean Boy]

1. 6am on a cruise is too close to after when I just went to bed at 2-3am. I'm sleeping and don't have time for nonsense like walking while I'm sleeping.

 

2. Maybe I'm missing out on a secret source of fun, but why one Earth would I get a daily printout of anything? I look at my TV or just get the summery at the end of the trip. I'm not on vacation to babysit a bunch of bean counters.

 

Unfortunately, those counters are trying to get their hands on more of our beans than what was agreed to.:p

[Ocean Boy]

If you don't mind me asking, how late do you stay up at night? Do you go to the shows, clubs, etc.? On normal work days I'm up and about by that time too. But I'm also in bed early the night before. Six a.m. on my cruise ship clock is pretty early!

 

We usually head back to the cabin between midnight and 1 AM depending on what is going on. I'm used to getting up at 4:15 AM and I naturally usually wake up shortly after when cruising. I'm out of the cabin by 5 AM and there is always time for a nap during the day . I really love early morning out on deck. If I slept in and missed it I'd be pretty annoyed with myself. We always take my parents along with us when we cruise. My mother is the other early riser in the family so this is usually our time together with just the two of us. I think those early morning cups of coffee together while looking out over the ocean will be some of my best memories some day.

[BonTexasNY]

We usually head back to the cabin between midnight and 1 AM depending on what is going on. I'm used to getting up at 4:15 AM and I naturally usually wake up shortly after when cruising. I'm out of the cabin by 5 AM and there is always time for a nap during the day . I really love early morning out on deck. If I slept in and missed it I'd be pretty annoyed with myself. We always take my parents along with us when we cruise. My mother is the other early riser in the family so this is usually our time together with just the two of us. I think those early morning cups of coffee together while looking out over the ocean will be some of my best memories some day.

 

I got all "ferklempt (choked up) reading your post. Treasure those alone times you spend with your mom I know you do.

[DebJ14]

Using a TA, checking and holding onto your charge slips is not going to prevent something from being erroneously charged to your on board account. Checking your on board account either on the interactive tv system or by getting a printout is the only way you are going to see extra charges.

 

And even then something might not show up. On one of our cruises on the Rhapsody we got our bill the morning of debarkation and looked fine.

 

A few weeks later another charge showed up on our credit card from RCCL. We called to inquire as all the charges we made were on the statement we received.

 

It seems someone made a call to the Phillipines from our stateroom (yes, we had a Filipino steward) to the tune of $105.00. We assured them we never called the Phillipines at 10am the morning of debarkation. In fact at that time we were in our car driving home from the pier having gotten off the ship at 8:30am.

 

They quickly processed a credit back to our credit card to offset the charge after investigating the matter.

Edited July 10, 2015 by DebJ14

[Ocean Boy]

I got all "ferklempt (choked up) reading your post. Treasure those alone times you spend with your mom I know you do.

 

Thanks. I do. I think our "morning routine" is part of why she loves cruising so much.

[tlatrice]

I got all "ferklempt (choked up) reading your post. Treasure those alone times you spend with your mom I know you do.

 

I, too, was like "awwwww...." when I read his post. My son and I have an early morning ritual on board too! He's only 15, but the thought of us keeping it going when he's an adult...well, it really just made my morning!:D

[BonTexasNY]

I, too, was like "awwwww...." when I read his post. My son and I have an early morning ritual on board too! He's only 15, but the thought of us keeping it going when he's an adult...well, it really just made my morning!:D

 

Glad I wasn't the only one with a ferklempt awwww moment. :)

 

Getting back to the business at hand, as many on here stated, saving your charge slips is what you SHOULD be charged, not necessarily the only items you WILL be charged.

 

DebJ that's terrible about the phone call to the Phillipines. I can't imagine someone actually jeopardizing their job doing something so blatantly wrong that is so easily tracked.

[ckfred]

Using a TA, checking and holding onto your charge slips is not going to prevent something from being erroneously charged to your on board account. Checking your on board account either on the interactive tv system or by getting a printout is the only way you are going to see extra charges.

 

No kidding! Checking the account balance and comparing charge slips against the balance were implicit, and I didn't think I spell it out.

 

I've been in hotels where I had a charge slip for a meal, but somehow the amount on the bill at check-out didn't match the amount of the charge slip.

 

As for having a TA, it seems to me that the vast majority of people who complain about incorrect cabin costs, missing promotion discounts, and such booked with RC directly. When dealing with a TA, you don't wind up canceling a reservation and rebooking, in order to take advantage of a promotion.

 

I've had cruises where the reservation has been modified several times to reflect a promotion, as well as fare drops while still holding the same reservation number and cabin.