Norwegian Cruise Line Changes Service Charge Policy

[mafig]

Did you read the post I referred you to?

 

They can. They did. They will.:)

[jb456]

Did you read the post I referred you to?

 

They can. They did. They will.:)

 

I did and it means nothing. Close to the bottom of the response it says you are required to send the form in 30 days from your sail date. Our records indicate you did not therefore the refund will not be honored blah blah blah.

 

The rest of the letter is just marketing lingo.

 

 

The poster also said they did not send a form in.

 

 

So you can't say "They can, they will, they did"

 

They were denied because they never sent anything in nothing more then that!

Edited September 16, 2015 by jb456

[NLH Arizona]

This is a change from discretionary to mandatory.

 

You now have to pay before you leave the ship.

 

 

Dress it up all you like we are there,

 

 

NCL service charge is no longer discretionary.

If it is reimbursable, then it is not mandatory. If they said you couldn't get it back, then it is mandatory.

[abe3]

Help me here, please. Where else, what other industry, are dishwashers and laundry people compensated in part with tips?

 

 

Resorts have service fees that help pay the behind the scene staff.

[sparks1093]

Help me here, please. Where else, what other industry, are dishwashers and laundry people compensated in part with tips?

 

Some restaurants and hotels are set up where the front line tipped employee tips out to others so it's not unheard of.

[LMaxwell]

Actually only time will tell since none of us know for sure how this is all going to play out. You have your guess and others have theirs and it's really anybody's guess.

 

I contacted NCL through their FB page and they verified for me. No guessing required. But why take my word for it, please go ahead and do the same.

[NLH Arizona]

NCL will deny your refund if it is not service related and if you did not give them a chance to fix it onboard.

Has someone actually filed a claim for reimbursement without having a service issue, which followed all the instructions, and been told they will not get their money back? Didn't the procedure just start last week? Has there been time for someone to send in the form in and get a response?

[insidecabin]

This is not really about who pays or not.

 

You get sold a cruise with a suggested, service charge/grats/tips that will be added to your onboard account for your convenience and adjustable as you see fit

 

to then get told it is compulsory you can't leave the ship without paying it.

 

What about a room service charge added at your convenience when you make the order but if the order never comes you have to write in after the cruise to get a refund.

 

How would you like it if you booked cagnies and the steak was bad you had to

write to NCL HQ to get the charge removed from you account weeks after you had paid it.

[jb456]

Actually only time will tell since none of us know for sure how this is all going to play out. You have your guess and others have theirs and it's really anybody's guess.

 

There should be no guessing at all..... just go by the contract that you agreed to. We all know what it says in the contract so that's the answer.

[Moby0215]

People who say they tip in cash so why should they need to tip twice either don't realize that the DSC is not a tip or they just don't care and just want money back for no reason (unless there truly was a service issue). It is a service charge which is used to pay different types of workers, some whom you might not even come in contact with. And for the people who say that the contract states that it is discretionary so it is their right...that is true it is an available option for you to reduce or remove the service charge but it is meant as a solution to a problem. Not just because you don't want to pay it.

 

 

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[sparks1093]

I contacted NCL through their FB page and they verified for me. No guessing required. But why take my word for it, please go ahead and do the same.

 

If you want to believe them that is of course your perogative but I've never found them to be that reliable with information.

[Ctrinh225]

People who say they tip in cash so why should they need to tip twice either don't realize that the DSC is not a tip or they just don't care and just want money back for no reason (unless there truly was a service issue). It is a service charge which is used to pay different types of workers, some whom you might not even come in contact with. And for the people who say that the contract states that it is discretionary so it is their right...that is true it is an available option for you to reduce or remove the service charge but it is meant as a solution to a problem. Not just because you don't want to pay it.

 

 

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Thank You!

 

 

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[sparks1093]

There should be no guessing at all..... just go by the contract that you agreed to. We all know what it says in the contract so that's the answer.

 

NCL defines discretion differently than you do and they spell it out in their FAQ. Would this hold up in court? Maybe, maybe not, but this is the lens they will be probably be using when issuing refunds.

[canadianeh934]

Lets look at this issue:

 

The service fee could be changed with you going to guess services and change them.

 

Now you have to go to guess services still and request a form and give a reason as to why, then fill out the form and send it it with the reason why you are requesting a refund. It has to be service related before you can get a refund as well as NCL can and will deny requests.

 

Sure sounds like it is mandatory.

 

I always tip the individuals who serve me...tipping others is not part of my idea of tipping. Tipping the cook....no way they get paid to cook, same as the laundry people they get paid to do the laundry.

 

The list of individuals who work on a ship are vast and NCL is attempting to sell us a bill of goods about who tips go to, when it is unlikely that tips are given to anyone other then the under paid staff who clean our rooms and service us drinks and food. They get paid less because they are depending on tips.

 

To respond as well to the people who said that people would quit their jobs if they were not getting the tips: Well look at the individuals who work in the cruise industry and where they come from...they do not quit because they are feeding their families as the come mostly from under develop economic countries were jobs are not available even at a below poverty amounts that us cruisers could not live on.

 

Just to be clear I have never went to the service desk to remove Tips....I also tip in cash to individuals who serve me.

 

NCL is sure working hard at pissing off its clients!

Edited September 16, 2015 by canadianeh934

[sparks1093]

Gee, if they are so well paid, then what difference does it make if people leave the DSC or not?

 

One minute everyone's complaining about the poor dishwasher who is getting ripped off by those who remove the DSC, then the next posts we learn the dishwasher is actually making mega-bucks compared to his homeland.

 

You can't have it both ways.

 

I have never claimed the dishwasher gets a portion of the service charges and rather doubt that they do (at least for washing dishes, if they are assigned to a task outside of that then they might be entitled to a share). They are well paid, but their pay comes from the service charges so if those charges are removed or reduced that reduces their pay.

[jmele999]

Quick question.

 

We always pay the DSC and always tip our room steward extra. Does the room steward gets to keep the extra tips they collect or do they have to turn them in and pool them together?

[Wendy&Grumpy]

Actually I think you do need to wait in line. From what I've read in another thread (I've been reading quite a few so I'm not sure where), you have to go to Guest Services for the form an tell them what's wrong. You fill out the form (with a number on it), you get the form (with the same number on it) and send it in.

Read Post #64 in the "ask a cruise question" forum. NCL will deny your refund if it is not service related and if you did not give them a chance to fix it onboard.

 

That's actually a link to my post above... post #31. ;)

[LMaxwell]

Now you have to go to guess services still and request a form and give a reason as to why, then fill out the form and send it it with the reason why you are requesting a refund. It has to be service related before you can get a refund as well as NCL can and will deny requests.

 

 

Go to guest services. Request form. Follow instruction on form.

 

That's it! No more. No less.

 

You don't have to jump a hurdle to be given the form.

 

Your claim on the form is not subjective.

 

They ask if there is a service issue so that they can correct the issue going forward, not to penalize or deny a guest.

[PATRLR]

People who say they tip in cash so why should they need to tip twice either don't realize that the DSC is not a tip or they just don't care and just want money back for no reason (unless there truly was a service issue). It is a service charge

If it's a service charge, then make it mandatory and put an end to this nonsense. Why is it not mandatory? Because it originated as a replacement for tips. Until they make it mandatory, it is tips.

 

If they would make it mandatory, then we could end this discussion and move on to the discussion of "how much should we tip our cabin steward?" ;)

[sparks1093]

I don't know how to respond to that.

 

I've never found the customer service/public relations folk to be all that reliable about how things work so I am cynical that any information that they put out is accurate. It may work the way that they told you but I recognize that it may not.

[sparks1093]

If it's a service charge, then make it mandatory and put an end to this nonsense. Why is it not mandatory? Because it originated as a replacement for tips. Until they make it mandatory, it is tips.

 

If they would make it mandatory, then we could end this discussion and move on to the discussion of "how much should we tip our cabin steward?" ;)

 

If the service charge replaces the tip, mandatory or not, then there is no need to leave an additional tip as they have already been compensated for their services. Of course the passenger is always free to leave an additional tip if they feel that it is warranted.

[LMaxwell]

I've never found the customer service/public relations folk to be all that reliable about how things work so I am cynical that any information that they put out is accurate. It may work the way that they told you but I recognize that it may not.

 

I''ll choose to believe a corporate spokesperson over someone like MrsPhoenix that claimed there will be negative repercussions against guests (that person has been on one cruise ever, and a different line) or someone like Maywell who claims NCL is "punishing guests".

 

Stop and think about it for a moment. If there's an endemic service issue on a particular ship NCL would want to know, and SHOULD know, so that they can correct it, not so that they can "punish people" for reporting issues.

[Realitoes]

Has someone actually filed a claim for reimbursement without having a service issue, which followed all the instructions, and been told they will not get their money back? Didn't the procedure just start last week? Has there been time for someone to send in the form in and get a response?

 

As many folks have stated in this forum, normally providing small tips to room stewards and wait staff through out the cruise improves the service they provide. I was surprised at how big a difference it made!

 

Unfortunately, we don't have the discretionary funds to afford tipping this way, so we adjust the service charge to compensate. Instead of wasting time the last day of the cruise, last year we mailed the request to NCL after the fact, referencing the Guest Ticket Contract wording. About three weeks later an adjustment was made to our credit card. Emailing the request should make it even easier.

Edited September 16, 2015 by Realitoes

[canadianeh934]

Go to guest services. Request form. Follow instruction on form.

 

That's it! No more. No less.

 

You don't have to jump a hurdle to be given the form.

 

Your claim on the form is not subjective.

 

They ask if there is a service issue so that they can correct the issue going forward, not to penalize or deny a guest.

 

 

Sorry that is not how it will go....any time you need to request a refund by filling out a form you can be sure that the likely hood of getting a refund is slim. They will cite their service charges policy that you would have signed as the reason why they will not be issuing a refund.

 

This is most definitely subjective otherwise they would simply take the charges off your account when finalizing your account before departure. You now have to send in a request for a refund!

 

[Moby0215]

If it's a service charge, then make it mandatory and put an end to this nonsense. Why is it not mandatory? Because it originated as a replacement for tips. Until they make it mandatory, it is tips.

 

If they would make it mandatory, then we could end this discussion and move on to the discussion of "how much should we tip our cabin steward?" ;)

 

 

It's not mandatory because then there would be no recourse if someone had a valid service issue that could not be resolved. The problem is people want to remove it just because they can or because they want money back.

 

 

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