I'm a little unhappy with Princess right now

[2pbears]

I should probably cool down a bit before writing this because I'm pretty cranky right now. I just called Princess because I was confused about our on board credits for our upcoming cruise. The hold time to speak to a rep was 20 minutes. When a rep finally came on the line she clarified all of the credits for me but then I realized that I had initially booked an Oceanview and then accepted an upsell to a Balcony cabin. The FCC OBC on my account was for an Oceanview ($25 pp). When I questioned this she said she would check with her supervisor about how to handle the adjustment. After holding for 5 minutes my call was disconnected. I called back again. This time the hold time for a rep was 25 minutes. I explained to the rep what had taken place previously and she put me on hold again to check with her supervisor. When she came back she said that her supervisor had told her that it was not their policy to adjust OBC when an upsell takes place. I told her that didn't seem fair and so she put me on hold again to check with Customer Relations. Long story short, Customer Relations came on the line and informed me that was their policy. Period. No adjustment would be made.

 

Thank you for letting me vent. I feel much better now but regret the fact that Princess wasted over an hour of my day this morning.:confused:

[f-mattox]

I feel your frustration. Once I accepted an upsell to a suite but I only got 1 cruise credit, not 2 like you are supposed to get for a suite. I realize that I didn't pay the full retail price for the suite, but I did pay more than the price of the mini-suite I originally booked. What was really annoying is that some people did get 2 credits with the upsell but nobody I talked to would budge. As an Elite it didn't really matter that much in the grand scheme of things--but it was a matter of principle.

[TracieABD]

I feel your frustration. Once I accepted an upsell to a suite but I only got 1 cruise credit, not 2 like you are supposed to get for a suite. I realize that I didn't pay the full retail price for the suite, but I did pay more than the price of the mini-suite I originally booked. What was really annoying is that some people did get 2 credits with the upsell but nobody I talked to would budge. As an Elite it didn't really matter that much in the grand scheme of things--but it was a matter of principle.

 

This happened to us as well. Eventhough we were in a suite (and told at the time of upsell that we would receive 2 credits), we only received one. Princess CSR would not budge.

[2pbears]

It's all about the bottom line and I get that. However, I think Princess (and a lot of other large companies) lately are forgetting what a large role Customer Service plays in the bottom line. In this situation, since I was already an unhappy customer after having spent over an hour on hold on the telephone, Princess could have made "an exception" to their policy and adjusted the OBC by $50. I would have been a happy camper instead of a raging maniac spouting off on Cruise Critic.

 

In the end we have more control over the bottom line than Princess cares to realize. In this situation we can reduce our on board spending by $50 and the bottom line will be the same as if they had adjusted the OBC. That's not a big deal and can be done by going to Alfredo's one night instead of Sabatini's. It will in no way affect the enjoyment of our cruise......and I'm just stubborn enough to do that;)

[cherylandtk]

2pbears,

I have to agree with you. I could see Princess' policy position for a free upgrade, but when you pay for the room, as in an upsell, it seems to me you should get what you pay for, or as in this case, the higher OBC for the type of room you paid for

 

Greenie, the Original post was about OBC for using an FCC on an upsold room...the cruise credits for sailing in a suite was the hijack and isn't in dispute.

[iownapolarbear]

I should probably cool down a bit before writing this because I'm pretty cranky right now. I just called Princess because I was confused about our on board credits for our upcoming cruise. The hold time to speak to a rep was 20 minutes. When a rep finally came on the line she clarified all of the credits for me but then I realized that I had initially booked an Oceanview and then accepted an upsell to a Balcony cabin. The FCC OBC on my account was for an Oceanview ($25 pp). When I questioned this she said she would check with her supervisor about how to handle the adjustment. After holding for 5 minutes my call was disconnected. I called back again. This time the hold time for a rep was 25 minutes. I explained to the rep what had taken place previously and she put me on hold again to check with her supervisor. When she came back she said that her supervisor had told her that it was not their policy to adjust OBC when an upsell takes place. I told her that didn't seem fair and so she put me on hold again to check with Customer Relations. Long story short, Customer Relations came on the line and informed me that was their policy. Period. No adjustment would be made.

 

Thank you for letting me vent. I feel much better now but regret the fact that Princess wasted over an hour of my day this morning.:confused:

 

 

Sorry for your frustration. The solution to these kind of scenarios is simple. Find a great Cruise Consultant-a Travel Agent that specializes in cruises. Your agent will do ALL the work. ;)

[WISH84]

Greenie, the Original post was about OBC for using an FCC on an upsold room...the cruise credits for sailing in a suite was the hijack and isn't in dispute.

 

UGH!!! :(

 

I apologize. Again. ;)

[dchip]

We also paid for an upsell from an Obstructed view cabin to a Premium Balcony. It never occurred to me that we should get more OBC. But now that you mention it, I may just call our TA.

 

Cheers, Denise

[OCruisers]

Happily, I have never had to wait or be put on hold because our travel agent handles any problems with Princess or any other cruise line for us. :)

 

LuLu

[ontheweb]

I should probably cool down a bit before writing this because I'm pretty cranky right now. I just called Princess because I was confused about our on board credits for our upcoming cruise. The hold time to speak to a rep was 20 minutes. When a rep finally came on the line she clarified all of the credits for me but then I realized that I had initially booked an Oceanview and then accepted an upsell to a Balcony cabin. The FCC OBC on my account was for an Oceanview ($25 pp). When I questioned this she said she would check with her supervisor about how to handle the adjustment. After holding for 5 minutes my call was disconnected. I called back again. This time the hold time for a rep was 25 minutes. I explained to the rep what had taken place previously and she put me on hold again to check with her supervisor. When she came back she said that her supervisor had told her that it was not their policy to adjust OBC when an upsell takes place. I told her that didn't seem fair and so she put me on hold again to check with Customer Relations. Long story short, Customer Relations came on the line and informed me that was their policy. Period. No adjustment would be made.

 

Thank you for letting me vent. I feel much better now but regret the fact that Princess wasted over an hour of my day this morning.:confused:

 

Wow, an hour on hold. That makes an excellent reason to use a TA. Actually, you could still switch your booking to a TA and let him or her fight this battle for you.

 

Whenever there is a thread about should you use a TA, the argument against always seems to come down to control of the booking. But, if the OP really actually had control, he would be getting the 2 credits instead of 1. I never understood how talking to a cruise line rep gave you more control than booking through a TA.

[Nezmo]

Yet, I recently approached my TA (who I am using for the first time) and asked them if they would contact Princess about a recent sale on a sailing that I already have booked. The sale is offering OBC but not on my level of cabin. I simply asked if they would inquire. They went to bat for me and we were given the full value of the OBC pp that was being offered on the other cabin levels. Furthermore, this is after our cabin level was sold out already. Subsequent to this, one cabin of our level did show up as available but the OBC offer was not provided. So, it seems we got a fantastic concession.

 

It really does seem inconsistent. But there's probably a method in their madness beyond just who you talk to.

[Sea Hag]

That's not a big deal and can be done by going to Alfredo's one night instead of Sabatini's. It will in no way affect the enjoyment of our cruise......and I'm just stubborn enough to do that;)

 

That's about how stubborn I am as well, so good on yer for that!

 

They should do the right thing and give you the obc for the cabin you paid for through the upsell.

[cruisequeen4ever]

They were correct. When I did my first upsell, I asked the upsell rep, and she said the same thing. There's no adjustment of OBC.

[caribill]

Wow, an hour on hold. That makes an excellent reason to use a TA. Actually, you could still switch your booking to a TA and let him or her fight this battle for you.

 

 

Not possible.

 

OP is past final payment date. Cannot switch booking to a TA then.

[azbirdmom]

I would write to Customer Relations on both issues. The folks you get on the phone may not be the best equipped to respond. Their address is customerrelations@princesscruises.com

 

You are paying for the upgraded cabin and in essence you are booking it, albeit at a discounted rate. You get everything else associated with the new cabin (including all Suite amenities), so logically it should extend across the board. Although logic doesn't always enter into Princess decisions. :confused:

 

By the way, I wrote to Customer Relations earlier this year when we accepted an upsell to a suite and didn't get the extra cruise credit. I received an email back from Captain's Circle the next day apologizing and stating that they had added it to our records. We also accepted a suite upsell for our cruise next week, so we'll see how that goes and if there has been a change in the policy.

[nyc12345]

From what I understand, the OBC is based on the category of room you booked. So if you get a free upgrade or a paid upsell, your OBC will not be adjusted because you didn't book the higher category. That has been Princess' policy on this issue.

 

As for those paying an upsell fee to go to a suite, I do believe that you get double credit, but you need to contact Captain Circle for adjustment.

[dorisis]

It's all about the bottom line and I get that. However, I think Princess (and a lot of other large companies) lately are forgetting what a large role Customer Service plays in the bottom line. In this situation, since I was already an unhappy customer after having spent over an hour on hold on the telephone, Princess could have made "an exception" to their policy and adjusted the OBC by $50. I would have been a happy camper instead of a raging maniac spouting off on Cruise Critic.

 

In the end we have more control over the bottom line than Princess cares to realize. In this situation we can reduce our on board spending by $50 and the bottom line will be the same as if they had adjusted the OBC. That's not a big deal and can be done by going to Alfredo's one night instead of Sabatini's. It will in no way affect the enjoyment of our cruise......and I'm just stubborn enough to do that;)

 

Sounds like a good plan to me.

 

I do find that having a really good TA to fight these battles has always been a plus.

[2pbears]

We also paid for an upsell from an Obstructed view cabin to a Premium Balcony. It never occurred to me that we should get more OBC. But now that you mention it, I may just call our TA.

 

Cheers, Denise

 

Denise, I would be very interested to know if your TA is able to get the OBC adjusted.

[2pbears]

Sorry for your frustration. The solution to these kind of scenarios is simple. Find a great Cruise Consultant-a Travel Agent that specializes in cruises. Your agent will do ALL the work. ;)

 

 

 

This is off subject, but do you actually own a polar bear?

[NickAndysMom]

Regarding double cruise credit for an up-sell to suite, I would suggest you contact Captain's Circle via email. It worked well for us - - -

 

My husband & I took a 3 night coastal cruise last March. We booked a guarantee mini-suite, and accepted an up-sell to a penthouse suite. It was fun to have the suite & all the goodies that come along with it, even for just 3 nights.

 

From what I'd read on this board, I had understood that we would NOT be given 2 cruise credits, as we had accepted an up-sell to the suite, and also given the short length of our cruise. When I checked our Captain's Circle account after our return from the cruise, I saw that we had been given only one credit each. Nevertheless, I decided to contact Captain's Circle by email to inquire whether we should have been awarded 2 cruise credits, as we had sailed in a suite. I received a prompt response, thanking me for my inquiry & letting me know that my account & my husband's account had both been updated with an extra cruise credit.

 

The kicker is that this got both of us to the Platinum level! We did NOT book this cruise, nor upgrade to the suite, with this in mind. We booked it because it was a nice, short getaway at a very good price. The rest just ended up being an unexpected bonus.

 

We will be doing another Princess coastal cruise next month, our first cruise as Platinum. We booked a confirmed mid-ship Caribe deck balcony cabin at an absolutely amazing rate, with no plans to accept an up-sell this time. (But you never know!)

 

Happy Sailing!

Beverly

[SenorBruce]

This is why we deal directly with a Princess TA (CVP). If we issues such as described our CVP resolves them effectively and efficiently. Plus our pricing structure includes a discount for dealing directly with Princess. Works great for us.

[caribill]

This is why we deal directly with a Princess TA (CVP). If we issues such as described our CVP resolves them effectively and efficiently. Plus our pricing structure includes a discount for dealing directly with Princess. Works great for us.

 

Can you explain this?

[Flatbush Flyer]

Wow, an hour on hold. That makes an excellent reason to use a TA. Actually, you could still switch your booking to a TA and let him or her fight this battle for you.

 

 

 

Whenever there is a thread about should you use a TA, the argument against always seems to come down to control of the booking. But, if the OP really actually had control, he would be getting the 2 credits instead of 1. I never understood how talking to a cruise line rep gave you more control than booking through a TA.

 

 

Voice of reason! Good!

Without top producing TA for that line, OP is a rounding error in their bottom line. The right TA, however, does millions in sales for them. That's real control of a booking.

[ontheweb]

Voice of reason! Good!

Without top producing TA for that line, OP is a rounding error in their bottom line. The right TA, however, does millions in sales for them. That's real control of a booking.

 

Thank you for the compliment.

 

We have twice received upgrades. The first time, our TA called and told us to accept it. It was a very good deal.

 

The second time I discovered it myself on my personalizer. I called our TA to check the location, and it was in a spot that we both felt would be noisy at night. (He said he never received the e-mail from Princess about it while they said they had sent it.) He tried to either get us a better location in the upgraded category or our original cabin back. Neither could be accomplished. After spending a lot of time with Princess, he did get us a cabin very close to where our original cabin was. That was time I would have had to spend on the phone with Princess. Plus as you have pointed out, I have a lot less clout with them than he does.

 

And this was in addition to the OBC and discount that he provided.

[dchip]

Denise, I would be very interested to know if your TA is able to get the OBC adjusted.

 

Nope, she wasn't able to get the OBC on the upsell. However, she did get us upgraded from an obstructed view cabin to an ocean view on the second leg of the B2B due to a significant price drop after final payment.

 

Heading to the ship in an hour. :D:D:D

 

Cheers, Denise