Sick and Tired of Tricks

[sr4mjc]

I had this happen once and they refunded the charge with no issue.

[rubrrick]

Wolf, you are a savvy cruiser, and it's sad that you have to put up with this.

 

What we do, is to empty out our mini frig......and let the mini bar cart attendant know where we have put everything, and on the last day, we reload the mini bar, and you know how many cruises we do with Royal, and we have never been charged.

 

I think that the solution is to let the mini bar attendant know where the items are, when emptying the mini bar, and having them come in on the morning before leaving, to show them that everything is back in place.

 

You are a long time Royal Caribbean cruiser, and I would hate to see you move on over this. Call Royal and explain what is going on with your card, and have them credit you for any items missing in the mini bar.

 

When do we get to cruise together again????:D

 

Rick

[A&L_Ont]

They use to empty out the fridge but then we ran into a couple of cruises where the attendants suggested they couldn't and if we wanted it empty, we could do it ourselves. Now we just leave it. We've never been charged and if we need something chilled, we just ask for ice. I don't subscribe to any trickery or conspiracy theories. Ship happens.

 

We do some thing similar, as even in the suites, for almost a year the cabin attendant has refused to empty the fridge. We now have our attendant fill our beer bag with ice, to which we fill with water, pop and beer. Those beverages are way coolder than any item in the fridge. If we need ice we take it from the ice bucket for our drinks.

 

With the new bar tender system that has been implemented we have caught mistake charges while on the ship and the concereige has removed them. With our beer bag system to date we have had no "accidental" charges.:)

[Thetrail]

I must make myself clearer...I don't empty the mini-cooler. I'm moving the water bottles and/or cans of pop off the vanity. They way they pile that stuff up, you can't get access to the side shelves and there's already limited space on the desk top. There's barely room for the ice bucket! On my Serenade repo cruise, now that I think of it, there were 6 bottles of water sitting on the desk, one of the bottles had melted chocolate dripped down the side and there were 5 bottles of water in the cooler. I never saw the candy. Next time (March on Jewel) I will do an assessment of the honor bar and immediately notify my cabin steward if something is missing.

 

On my August solo cruise on MJ, Orville was the barman checking the mini-bars and he was my bar server in the MDR (I had a drink package). Orville and I hit it off, and I told him of experiences regarding the after charges and that I don't touch it. I tipped him well and that cruise was the only one in the last year and a half that I did not have the after charges.

 

I think setting up my Seapass as a cash account will be in my future.

Again It's just not that difficult...have your cabin steward empty your frig, remove the water etc. on your counter......:rolleyes::rolleyes:

[travelgoddess1]

This happened to us 2 weeks ago. When I noticed the discrepancy on our cc statement, I immediately called RCI, and they put me in touch with Corporate Guest Relations, who reversed the charge. It was for a little over $15, and was, indeed, the mini-bar. Annoying, certainly, but easily fixed. :)

[MADflyer]

While this is easily fixed for those that realize they have had a charge applied in error, RCI are making substantial revenue at this moment off the many passengers that never compare their actual charges on their credit card against their final billing amount statement onboard.

 

With the number of complaints appearing here on cruise critic regarding this matter, this problem must be significantly wide spread, as CC only represents only about 10% of actual passengers onboard each ship at a maximum.

 

To those that keep insisting that RCI will remove items from the cabin, this is currently not the case for the majority of passengers and the refusal to do so has been quite absolute for the past year on almost all ships in the fleet. Cabin Attendants have been stating that they are not 'allowed' to remove the items from the cabin.

[cruising grandma]

We have either emptied the fridge or ask that it be emptied many times, and we have been charged several times after returning home for items we didn't use. It is time consuming and annoying to have to call to get credit card refunded of items never used. This has not been only on Royal Catibbean cruises, either, so thinking of changing cruise lines won't help the problem.

 

My last cruises were b2b2b on Freedom in the same cabin. The first day of the cruise, I removed all items from fridge and placed them below tv and above fridge. I told the room steward that I would not be using any of the items. On the third week, he removed a few bottles of water, and when I questioned him, he said they needed them for another cabin, but I would not be charged. By the end of the week, all items had been removed, and he said he removed them, but not to worry that I would not be charged. Final statements last day were correct, but I will check my credit card statement when it arrives and make sure it's right. I have resolved this problem by calling the cruise lines and the credit card before, but it is a hassle.

[travelgoddess1]

While this is easily fixed for those that realize they have had a charge applied in error, RCI are making substantial revenue at this moment off the many passengers that never compare their actual charges on their credit card against their final billing amount statement onboard.

 

With the number of complaints appearing here on cruise critic regarding this matter, this problem must be significantly wide spread, as CC only represents only about 10% of actual passengers onboard each ship at a maximum.

 

To those that keep insisting that RCI will remove items from the cabin, this is currently not the case for the majority of passengers and the refusal to do so has been quite absolute for the past year on almost all ships in the fleet. Cabin Attendants have been stating that they are not 'allowed' to remove the items from the cabin.

 

In this day and age, it makes sense to check your cc statement against all receipts and charges, not just from the cruiselines. There is too much room for error. Yes, you're correct, it shouldn't be, but it is. And yes, it is a hassle to correct, regardless of the source.

[island lady]

I hope someone from RCI is reading this thread. From what I have read here, and from my own mini bar charges I had to call and reverse, this is happening way too often and is way too common.

 

Agree with previous poster. How many of us actually notice the small extra charges that were placed AFTER final bill was given to us at the end of the cruise? How many of us actually take the time and trouble to go through the hassle of reversing that charge...even though RCI customer service is congenial about it, and I have had no problem having those charges reversed...we still have to take the time.

 

Now....what is the source of these many unjustified charges? And why does it keep happening? Too easy for some to just help themselves and they know it? To justify and spread out shortages by the beverage department? Is the person checking the mini bar really that stupid to make so many errors AFTER you leave? I would hope RCI would not stoop to the level of this last nickle and dime charge. At the very least they need to get it under control, as evidenced by this active thread. And how many have had to call to complain? Doesn't RCI see those reversal charges and shouldn't they be concerned by the multitude of them?

[BillOh]

Too bad they do not have locks. Although, If I recall one of the previous threads on this very subject, someone mentioned that there are mini bar locks on the Q (?) class.

 

I was thinking of bringing "crime scene tape" and putting it on the fridge door the first day and removing it the last day.

[cruisinfanatic]

While this is easily fixed for those that realize they have had a charge applied in error, RCI are making substantial revenue at this moment off the many passengers that never compare their actual charges on their credit card against their final billing amount statement onboard.

 

With the number of complaints appearing here on cruise critic regarding this matter, this problem must be significantly wide spread, as CC only represents only about 10% of actual passengers onboard each ship at a maximum.

 

To those that keep insisting that RCI will remove items from the cabin, this is currently not the case for the majority of passengers and the refusal to do so has been quite absolute for the past year on almost all ships in the fleet. Cabin Attendants have been stating that they are not 'allowed' to remove the items from the cabin.

I see 1 a week at very most. That's pretty insignificant considering the amount of cruisers each week

[island lady]

I was thinking of bringing "crime scene tape" and putting it on the fridge door the first day and removing it the last day.

 

LOL!! Yes!! That is the best idea I have heard yet! :D

 

I also had mentioned that I would love to be able to have our nefarious beverage checker put a requested lock on the mini bar, or at the very least a seal tape.

[robtulipe]

To those that keep insisting that RCI will remove items from the cabin, this is currently not the case for the majority of passengers and the refusal to do so has been quite absolute for the past year on almost all ships in the fleet. Cabin Attendants have been stating that they are not 'allowed' to remove the items from the cabin.

 

We've done 7 RC cruises on 4 different ships in the last year and had different cabins on all, even the B2B ones. We've never had a problem with the cabin steward telling us that emptying the mini frig wasn't possible.

Maybe it was the fact that the contents weren't actually removed from our cabin, only from the mini-frig and stored elsewhere. As mentioned earlier in this thread, we typically do this ourselves, including the restocking at the end of our cruise. We advise the cabin steward prior to doing so and indicate as to where the contents are to be stored if the mini-frig stocking attendant wants to check them. Typically the response is that he will advise the bar services person of this which, IMHO, is better for all. ;)

[MADflyer]

We've done 7 RC cruises on 4 different ships in the last year and had different cabins on all, even the B2B ones. We've never had a problem with the cabin steward telling us that emptying the mini frig wasn't possible.

Maybe it was the fact that the contents weren't actually removed from our cabin, only from the mini-frig and stored elsewhere. As mentioned earlier in this thread, we typically do this ourselves, including the restocking at the end of our cruise. We advise the cabin steward prior to doing so and indicate as to where the contents are to be stored if the mini-frig stocking attendant wants to check them. Typically the response is that he will advise the bar services person of this which, IMHO, is better for all. ;)

 

That is good for you. I have been told a flat no on removal on Vision, Legend, Liberty, Quantum and Oasis within the past year.

 

Of course, I have stored the items elsewhere in the cabin. I had one night on Liberty a year ago May with rough seas though where these items became quite dynamic.

 

I had them removed previously on Serenade, Liberty and Brilliance prior to this recent claim that they are not allowed. So, I know they previously complied with the request, but CURRENTLY do not.

Edited November 16, 2015 by MADflyer

[mcatmcat]

I was charged for one redbull onboard Liberty. The charge was made the 2nd day of the cruise and I was able to catch it as I daily review my folio on the tv. Although the redbull was always in the freezer the whole time it took them the whole week to remove the charge from my account.

[robtulipe]

That is good for you. I have been told a flat no on removal on Vision, Legend, Liberty, Quantum and Oasis within the past year.

 

Of course, I have stored the items elsewhere in the cabin. I had one night on Liberty a year ago May with rough seas though where these items became quite dynamic.

 

I had them removed previously on Serenade, Liberty and Brilliance prior to this recent claim that they are not allowed. So, I know they previously complied with the request, but CURRENTLY do not.

 

We disembarked from B2Bs on Freedom on the first of this month and had a cabin on different decks for each cruise. We were allowed to empty the mini-frig with no such problem with the two different cabin stewards we had.

Same goes for the cruises we did in the last year on Radiance, Navigator and Serenade. I would have followed up this denial with the cabin stewards supervisor and even further up as RCI is well known for their inconsistency. ;)

Edited November 16, 2015 by robtulipe

[poncho1973]

Sounds like a solid case of cutting off your nose to spite your face. Needlessly.

 

 

 

Poor Stewart. He has so much to remember for so many cabins - some that I bet he didn't even think were assigned to him and on ships where he doesn't even work. :P

 

R.I.P. Stewart! Overworked and underpaid.

[LA_CA_GAL]

This has happened to me on the last 2 RCI cruises.

 

Next cruise, I am taking duct tape and wrapping the fridge with a note "not to be opened until next cruise."

 

Also, last time I was in Vegas, if you so much as moved anything in the fridge, they have sensors and charge goes on your account as soon as you move anything.

[MADflyer]

We disembarked from B2Bs on Freedom on the first of this month and had a cabin on different decks for each cruise. We were allowed to empty the mini-frig with no such problem with the two different cabin stewards we had.

Same goes for the cruises we did in the last year on Radiance, Navigator and Serenade. I would have followed up this denial with the cabin stewards supervisor and even further up as RCI is well known for their inconsistency. ;)

 

It is just one of the many annoyances that RCI provides for passengers supposedly on vacation on a regular basis. If any given ship does not have a proper system in place to handle such a simple matter, I am certainly not going to take it to another level.

 

I am glad to hear that some passengers are still finding this issue open for discussion at some levels, but can guarantee that I will never bother again and nor will I suggest to anyone else that having them removed is still possible based on my experience.

[wolfcathorse]

I hope someone from RCI is reading this thread. From what I have read here, and from my own mini bar charges I had to call and reverse, this is happening way too often and is way too common.

 

Agree with previous poster. How many of us actually notice the small extra charges that were placed AFTER final bill was given to us at the end of the cruise? How many of us actually take the time and trouble to go through the hassle of reversing that charge...even though RCI customer service is congenial about it, and I have had no problem having those charges reversed...we still have to take the time.

 

Now....what is the source of these many unjustified charges? And why does it keep happening? Too easy for some to just help themselves and they know it? To justify and spread out shortages by the beverage department? Is the person checking the mini bar really that stupid to make so many errors AFTER you leave? I would hope RCI would not stoop to the level of this last nickle and dime charge. At the very least they need to get it under control, as evidenced by this active thread. And how many have had to call to complain? Doesn't RCI see those reversal charges and shouldn't they be concerned by the multitude of them?

 

Thank you...you understand my angst.

[robtulipe]

It is just one of the many annoyances that RCI provides for passengers supposedly on vacation on a regular basis. If any given ship does not have a proper system in place to handle such a simple matter, I am certainly not going to take it to another level.

 

I am glad to hear that some passengers are still finding this issue open for discussion at some levels, but can guarantee that I will never bother again and nor will I suggest to anyone else that having them removed is still possible based on my experience.

 

If you don't want to take it further that's your choice but we want to able to put our own beverages, including the wine and bottled water we can bring on at embarkation and what we get as C&A gifts, in our cabin's mini-frig. If the cabin attendant thinks they can get away with it they may indicate that its not possible but we've never run into that, ever. It may be that we just tell them what we are going to do as we've done so often on our past cruises and they know we cruise a lot with RCI because of our C&A status.

On that last B2B on Freedom our first cabin attendant indicated he wasn't sure if he could get a cart with the hanging rod for our clothes on hanger and indicated that all our clothes should be all repacked in our luggage. That wasn't the information we had been given with our consecutive cruiser package, only clothes in drawers need to be packed and I told him so. Later that day DW was speaking with the hotel director and mentioned in passing what we had been told by the cabin attendant about the lack of proper moving carts. He appeared to shocked at what he heard, asked her for our cabin # and said there would be no problem with our cabin change as it was the cabin attendant's responsibility to move our stuff to our new cabin and he would do so with the proper cart for our clothes on hangers.

We felt that attendant didn't want to be bothered with getting a cart for our cabin change to one deck above. I'm not suggesting one needs to go that high for such a trivial matter but it did save us from having to follow up on this further. :)

Edited November 17, 2015 by robtulipe

[shipshape sam]

We have them remove stuff too. I need room for my beers.

[MADflyer]

If you don't want to take it further that's your choice but we want to able to put our own beverages, including the wine and bottled water we can bring on at embarkation and what we get as C&A gifts, :)

 

I think we are miss-communicating or something. I am only stating that they are refusing to remove items from the cabin. I always empty the mini-fridge myself now and always make use of this for personal items.

 

I have to admit that I am even the type that when they charge me a small amount during a sailing or when I notice a few dollars extra on my credit card statement, I just let it go. It is annoying that it keeps happening though and that is my only point and it is in support of the OP.

[mollyeilis]

I don't feel calling RCI is going to help as it's my word against theirs.

 

It's certainly your choice to not call, but then you definitely won't get a refund. If you call, you will.

 

If this helps - every cruise I call my Room Steward on the first day to have him/her empty the mini-fridge completely. They do it gladly and with no fuss. I've never gotten a room charge post-cruise after that.

 

1/14 and 10/15 Freedom and Vision (panoramic room with the coolers), the request was totally refused, to empty out the cooler for us. We emptied it on our own, put our stuff in there, refilled it at the end of the cruise, and we weren't ever charged. But again, the request was refused.

 

 

I am obviously in the minority, but wonder why people need the cooler in the first place - technically you are not supposed to bring drinks on board and I use an ice bucket to cool my wine that I carried on. True refrigerators are provided if you need to refrigerate meds. So what goes in the cooler that necessitates emptying?

 

We get a water package and put our Evians in the cooler. So far at least one adult has had Replenish as well, and puts the smaller waters in the cooler as well, so there's a stock of it. (we drink a LOT of water, and we cannot drink ship's water) And as someone else said, desserts brought back...that sort of thing. Also, some beer I brought back to the room but had the cap left on.

 

I'm moving the water bottles and/or cans of pop off the vanity. They way they pile that stuff up, you can't get access to the side shelves and there's already limited space on the desk top. There's barely room for the ice bucket! On my Serenade repo cruise, now that I think of it, there were 6 bottles of water sitting on the desk, one of the bottles had melted chocolate dripped down the side and there were 5 bottles of water in the cooler. I never saw the candy.

 

Completely bizarre! On our cruises the non-cooled items were up and away, in a little shelf at the vanity, above my head. No mess at all on the vanity.

 

Sodas and waters were in the cooler, other stuff was up here:

 

http://i826.photobucket.com/albums/zz187/12diggory/RCCL/oct18tooct23%202014/DSCF4803_zps0b23e7fb.jpg

 

It's up above where my hat is on the vanity.

 

http://s826.photobucket.com/user/12diggory/media/RCCL/oct18tooct23%202014/DSCF4799_zpsbb7686fc.jpg.html

 

 

 

 

Again It's just not that difficult...have your cabin steward empty your frig, remove the water etc. on your counter......:rolleyes::rolleyes:

 

Except he's not talking about the fridge.

 

"I'm moving the water bottles and/or cans of pop off the vanity."

 

In the rooms he's in, they are leaving those things *on the vanity*, and once with chocolate on a bottle.

 

So something odd is happening, because I've never had water or sodas NOT in the fridge.

Edited November 17, 2015 by mollyeilis

[Mark-Sheffield]

On our last Indy cruise, we removed the items out of the fridge and showed the mini-fridge person where we had placed them and said that we would not be using anything and that we will put them back in before we left. Which we did and there was no charges on our final bill or any subsequent charges. I would have certainly challenged any charge, regardless of how small it was because it's the principal involved.