Issue with PCC?

[jvalentine]

Hi all,

 

Has anyone ever had issues with their PCC from HAL? Experiencing customer service issues and think it might just be better to cancel with HAL and then find a good agent. Did know if others have had issues...any suggestions?

[SilvertoGold]

Some seem to be great. Some so-so.

 

My impression (with mine) is if you book suites, they love you.

 

Mostly an efficient system, where one handles the selling and others complete the booking, invoicing, payment.

[cruz chic]

I have a great one but I had a couple of not great ones before that. I've had some really bad TAs including one that booked the wrong cruise then lied about it. She was the manager of a well known chain here. No thx. Just ask for a new PCC. I generally do not book suites.

[sail7seas]

You can certainly ask for another PCC if you wish.

You also have the choice to switch to a TA, without penalty, if you prefer.

[DaveOKC]

Like any where, there are some good and some bad ones (PCCs). If you get a good one, hang onto them, if they are bad, ask to be reassigned.

[Lizzie68]

Hi all,

 

Has anyone ever had issues with their PCC from HAL? Experiencing customer service issues and think it might just be better to cancel with HAL and then find a good agent. Did know if others have had issues...any suggestions?

 

Yep. I am on my second one now, and she is supposed to be "the best they have". Right. One booking is still with her, but it will be transferred to a TA soon. Emails often get ignored. Phone messages ditto. Last October she was supposed to working on putting 2 or 3 cruises together for me as soon as the spring itinerary was available to get me to a certain location. Guess she forgot. I Figured it out for myself.

[Cruising-along]

The first one we had was lackluster. Did the minimum and was slow to answer emails and calls. The 2nd one we got is a gem. She responds within 5-30 minutes, and goes above and beyond. Always calls before we leave to see if we have any questions, and calls when we return to ask how it was.

 

We have never booked a suite.

[jvalentine]

I'm just about at my wits end. I asked for her help with 2 different bookings and good day...I get more info from my bulldog, Frank. I'll reach out to a few contacts tomorrow and see if I can luck into a good TA or PCC. Thanks for everyone's help/advice!

[sail7seas]

No reason to put up with that.

Ask for a supervisor and tell them the situation.

[iancal]

Don't put up with any nonsense. You are not getting what you are paying for.

 

Get another PCC or better yet get a TA that will provide you with additional OBC's.

Edited January 20, 2016 by iancal

[Hflors]

Are the Pccs the people you talk to when you call HAL with a question about something or is there some other dept. at HAL for PCC's? When I booked our upcoming cruise while on our last cruise I did it with the onboard rep.

 

The funny thing is he booked me on the wrong cruise. It was so funny because when the paperwork got to my cabin it had the wrong total. And I said to my husband. "This amount is wrong. The difference was about $1400 more. When I looked more closely he had me boarding in Boston. We live two hours away from Ft Lauderdale and that is where I was supposed to board. So I went to the future cruise desk and waited until he finished with another couple and quietly asked him to change it. It turns out that he did another booking for another couple who wanted to go out of Boston and got the embarkment port confused. No problem he changed it and had the new paperwork to me that day. He and I actually laughed about us needing to fly to Boston when we would really only need to drive to Ft Lauderdale.

 

Anyway is there any advantage to using a PCC? We usually just turn our bookings over to a TA who gives a very nice discount off the booking amount.

[cruz chic]

The pcc's are a separate dept. If you are happy with your ta why would you bother with a PCC?

[jtl513]

helenpsi - a warning from the Guidelines:

 

There shall be no third-party recommendation (whether positive or negative in content) of travel agencies on any forums within Cruise Critic. General discussions regarding the TYPE of AGENCY to be used to purchase a cruise will be allowed, as long as no recommendations for any source of purchase are posted.

 

Touting of your personal cruise agent or cruise line "personal cruise consultant" (or any other venue by which you purchase a cruise) is not allowed on our message boards. Postings that contain "tell them John sent you" will be removed without notice.

 

This means you should not ask about someone's travel agent, nor should you respond in kind. Offering to email someone your travel agent's name or info is also not allowed, nor is asking members to email you for the information.

 

Cruise Critic will remove violations of the "third-party recommendation" guideline without warning. Additional posts may result in permanent suspension of your posting privileges.

Edited January 20, 2016 by jtl513

[jvalentine]

jtl513...I think Helen was just trying to be helpful...not spam/salesy which those rules prevent from happening to the boards.

 

I do appreciate everyone's advice. We had been using a PCC for some time now and the level of service has just been poor at best. I guess my thought by using a HAL pcc was that they were directly involved with the cruise line and thought they would tend to know more about that line's cruises. And I totally get that good service and bad service can happen anywhere you choose to do business, but I did want to see how others had handled it.

 

Thank you again to those that responded, I appreciate your input.

[HELENPSL]

helenpsi - a warning from the Guidelines:

 

There shall be no third-party recommendation (whether positive or negative in content) of travel agencies on any forums within Cruise Critic. General discussions regarding the TYPE of AGENCY to be used to purchase a cruise will be allowed, as long as no recommendations for any source of purchase are posted.

 

Touting of your personal cruise agent or cruise line "personal cruise consultant" (or any other venue by which you purchase a cruise) is not allowed on our message boards. Postings that contain "tell them John sent you" will be removed without notice.

 

This means you should not ask about someone's travel agent, nor should you respond in kind. Offering to email someone your travel agent's name or info is also not allowed, nor is asking members to email you for the information.

 

Cruise Critic will remove violations of the "third-party recommendation" guideline without warning. Additional posts may result in permanent suspension of your posting privileges.

 

Since this is a HAL forum I didn't think that it would be an issue in sharing the name of the PCC. I knew that I couldn't give 3rd party info which I don't have because I don't use a TA.

 

Thanks for the information.

 

Helen

[DaveOKC]

Are the Pccs the people you talk to when you call HAL with a question about something or is there some other dept. at HAL for PCC's? When I booked our upcoming cruise while on our last cruise I did it with the onboard rep.

 

The funny thing is he booked me on the wrong cruise. It was so funny because when the paperwork got to my cabin it had the wrong total. And I said to my husband. "This amount is wrong. The difference was about $1400 more. When I looked more closely he had me boarding in Boston. We live two hours away from Ft Lauderdale and that is where I was supposed to board. So I went to the future cruise desk and waited until he finished with another couple and quietly asked him to change it. It turns out that he did another booking for another couple who wanted to go out of Boston and got the embarkment port confused. No problem he changed it and had the new paperwork to me that day. He and I actually laughed about us needing to fly to Boston when we would really only need to drive to Ft Lauderdale.

 

Anyway is there any advantage to using a PCC? We usually just turn our bookings over to a TA who gives a very nice discount off the booking amount.

 

I have not been impressed with the future cruise desk people in general. A few good ones, but more that are not very impressive IMO. I have had more "run ins" with this department than any other on a HAL ship by far.

 

The main advantage to having a HAL PCC is they are better connected (in my experience) to the other HAL departments, so it is easier to get things done. Second, by booking with HAL, you get upsell offers sent directly to you (not your TA) and you can view your account details online.

Edited January 20, 2016 by DaveOKC

[RocketMan275]

I have not been impressed with the future cruise desk people in general. A few good ones, but more that are not very impressive IMO.

 

The main advantage to having a HAL PCC is they are better connected (in my experience) to the other HAL departments, so it is easier to get things done. Second, by booking with HAL, you get upsell offers sent directly to you (not your TA) and you can view your account details online.

 

You may or may not receive an upsell offer. The offer may or may not be a good one. But every time I book with a TA, I get 10-15% discount. I just book the cabin I might have received as an upsell and receive the discount. I do this on every cruise I book on HAL or Princess.

[cruz chic]

You may or may not receive an upsell offer. The offer may or may not be a good one. But every time I book with a TA, I get 10-15% discount. I just book the cabin I might have received as an upsell and receive the discount. I do this on every cruise I book on HAL or Princess.

 

What? May or may not? If there have been upsells available I've seen them. I always laugh when people are so intent on pushing TAs because they get a discount. Excellent for you. If you are happy with it stick with it. Some folks just love to hate on PCC's and constantly complain about them then use them again. That blows my mind. Why not just stick with the "excellent" ta?

[albingirl]

No reason to put up with that.

Ask for a supervisor and tell them the situation.

 

I've tried that, and usually that's a big road to nowhere. Just ask for a new PCC. I had one that wouldn't return phone calls and when she did, didn't seem to care much when I would have a concern that involved mega money. I asked her if she made that much in a day where it didn't matter and then I got fed up. I got so fed up this year that I decided to cruise on a different line.

[DaveOKC]

You may or may not receive an upsell offer. The offer may or may not be a good one. But every time I book with a TA, I get 10-15% discount. I just book the cabin I might have received as an upsell and receive the discount. I do this on every cruise I book on HAL or Princess.

 

Sounds like you have a great TA, so I would stay with them for sure. My experience with TAs have not been very good, so I will stick with my PCC for now.

[RocketMan275]

Sounds like you have a great TA, so I would stay with them for sure. My experience with TAs have not been very good, so I will stick with my PCC for now.

 

I can understand that. There are good and bad TA just as there are good and bad PCC.

 

I keep mentioning the fact that there are good TA that do discount to encourage people to check around. They can get better service and cheaper prices if they are willing to do the work to find a good TA.

[cruz chic]

I've tried that, and usually that's a big road to nowhere. Just ask for a new PCC. I had one that wouldn't return phone calls and when she did, didn't seem to care much when I would have a concern that involved mega money. I asked her if she made that much in a day where it didn't matter and then I got fed up. I got so fed up this year that I decided to cruise on a different line.

 

Iirc that was an issue with a beverage package. I'm not sure what the PCC could do to resolve that since for most that package is not "free". Would using a ta result in a better outcome?

 

When I use my PCC I know what I want to book. I think if you need more hand holding such as suggesting itineraries some TAs might be better. I've found in my life that cheap doesn't usually translate into better so discounts don't usually outweigh the negative that comes with it.

Edited January 20, 2016 by cruz chic

[cruz chic]

I can understand that. There are good and bad TA just as there are good and bad PCC.

 

I keep mentioning the fact that there are good TA that do discount to encourage people to check around. They can get better service and cheaper prices if they are willing to do the work to find a good TA.

 

It's not a matter of "doing the work". Some are really not interested. I've found that no matter what some folks say the ta crowd just doesn't like to stop. I've never seen anyone that uses a PCC get as aggressive.

[jtl513]

I knew that I couldn't give 3rd party info which I don't have because I don't use a TA.

As far as CC is concerned, a PCC is the same as a TA:

your personal cruise agent or cruise line "personal cruise consultant" (or any other venue by which you purchase a cruise)

[RocketMan275]

It's not a matter of "doing the work". Some are really not interested. I've found that no matter what some folks say the ta crowd just doesn't like to stop. I've never seen anyone that uses a PCC get as aggressive.

 

Finding a good TA does take work and the savings depend upon what you book and how often you cruise. I've advised other posters multiple times that they need to evaluate their personal situation and their objectives since savings may not be worth the work necessary to find a good TA. I think that is more reasonable advice than aggressively promoting TA.

 

I mention the advantages so often because I am so appreciative that others encouraged me "to do the work" by frequently mentioning the advantages. It maybe old news to the more experienced here but there are always people who are new to cruising who may also appreciate this too. Those posters may have been 'aggressive' but they save me over a thousand a year.