Corporate phone number for OBC complaints

[macandlucy]

I agree the ones that took advantage of the system did nothing legally wrong. I would have done the same thing, capitalized on an advantageous situation.

 

NCL also did nothing wrong. They didn't anticipate people gaming the system in such a way. Once it was brought to their attention, they shut it down. They should not reward someone taking advantage of the company by grandfathering in their scheme.

 

The rub, with me, is that now you have a couple of people whining that they were not allowed to complete their little scheme.

 

I do still agree that their funds should be returned immediately. There is no reason for them not to receive a prompt refund for amounts over $1000....unless NCL is doing to these people what they tried to do to NCL. Maybe it's punishment :D you know, legally, they have to refund the money...but there is a loophole that they don't have to do it immediately. :eek: how does it feel to have someone trying to take advantage of YOU for their financial gain?

 

In the end, as far as good will and future business......I think NCL will do just fine if they lose a couple of passengers over this, especially if those customers are ones that tend to plot to make their particular cruise a money losing event for the company. You really can't afford to keep clients like that.

 

If you did this and had your advantage taken away, then I think you should just suck it up and move along. It was bound to be discovered, especially once people came on here bragging about it.

 

Side note: I am curious what cabins they had. Did they book insides, ocean views, or balconies where their loophole would almost pay for the cruise fare? Or, were they in Garden Villas and Haven cabins where it would only be a small percentage of the cruise fare?

 

I didn't do that myself, but I do plan to buy $700 OBC and cash out $200 in the casino for walking around money. At my exchange rate of 1.33 that could cost NCL somewhere between $10 and $20 I'd guess. So, I guess I am doing the same thing, but just in my very small potatoes way.

 

I don't fault NCL for ending it -- and I said as much in my earlier post; but similarly, and as you say, I don't fault the people who saw an opportunity and tried to run with it. And it seems the reason they bought it early was because they though they'd be okay even if the loophole close because they had purchased it in advance. I understand why they'd feel irked, but it was a gamble. On the other hand, once that transaction was finalized it was kind of "final payment" on the OBC, and prices shouldn't go up after final payment is made.

 

I kind of see it like ordering a pair of shoes, paying for them and then in the time between manufacture and delivery, the cost to the seller goes up and then she, instead of delivering my shoes, sends me a refund cheque with an explanation that her costs have gone up and can no offer the shoes at the price we had agreed on. That might be legal, but it leaves a bad taste.

 

But YMMV :)

[NLH Arizona]

 

I kind of see it like ordering a pair of shoes, paying for them and then in the time between manufacture and delivery, the cost to the seller goes up and then she, instead of delivering my shoes, sends me a refund cheque with an explanation that her costs have gone up and can no offer the shoes at the price we had agreed on. That might be legal, but it leaves a bad taste.

 

But YMMV :)

I think the difference is that you haven't bought anything with the OBC yet. NCL sold On Board Credit for you to use in the future to purchase something, which means, you spend it on board the ship and I think that is the rub for NCL. Taking money out to spend at the ports is something I would think they don't consider what the gift of this great exchange rate was for, it was for spending it on the ship, hence the name On Board Credit. Why on God's green earth would anyone think that NCL gave them this great exchange gift to spend the money other than on their ships and I bet that was the reason for the change (and how they caught on) and I can't fault NCL for stopping it immediately, even though it hurts those that were actually spending the OBC on the ships.

[Kingofwylietx]

I didn't do that myself, but I do plan to buy $700 OBC and cash out $200 in the casino for walking around money. At my exchange rate of 1.33 that could cost NCL somewhere between $10 and $20 I'd guess. So, I guess I am doing the same thing, but just in my very small potatoes way.

 

I don't fault NCL for ending it -- and I said as much in my earlier post; but similarly, and as you say, I don't fault the people who saw an opportunity and tried to run with it. And it seems the reason they bought it early was because they though they'd be okay even if the loophole close because they had purchased it in advance. I understand why they'd feel irked, but it was a gamble. On the other hand, once that transaction was finalized it was kind of "final payment" on the OBC, and prices shouldn't go up after final payment is made.

 

I kind of see it like ordering a pair of shoes, paying for them and then in the time between manufacture and delivery, the cost to the seller goes up and then she, instead of delivering my shoes, sends me a refund cheque with an explanation that her costs have gone up and can no offer the shoes at the price we had agreed on. That might be legal, but it leaves a bad taste.

 

But YMMV :)

 

What you are doing is not abusive in the least. I think your (to use your term) small potatoes way is exactly the way NCL expected and wanted people to use it.

 

Also, using your analogy, what the others did was buy 5000 pairs of those shoes at a nice discount. They did this to return most of those shoes back to the company at a later date, to be refunded at a much higher price per shoe. In this case, the company is delivering some of the shoes, with a note that they won't be delivering all 5000 shoes.

 

See, I'm not lumping you into that group. I think you are participating just as the cruise line expected everyone to participate....and probably 99% did just like you. It's that other 1% that keep making these threads.

Edited February 6, 2016 by Kingofwylietx

[xcell]

I bought $1500 a month ago

 

Saw the limit...

 

Called NCL - they said "it went through"

 

So I said, wait till the end of the cruise to get my money back...yep?

 

Can't they just reverse the charge?

[SuiteCruiser]

If the money is used as OBC, then the cost to NCL is peanuts compared to the loss on the exchange. Once people start taking money off of the ship, I agree, they're taking advantage of the situation.

Edited February 6, 2016 by SuiteCruiser

[NLH Arizona]

What you are doing is not abusive in the least. I think your (to use your term) small potatoes way is exactly the way NCL expected and wanted people to use it.

 

You really believe that NCL sold folks an OBC at a fantastic rate, so they can spend it somewhere other than on their ships?

[sfaaa]

I don't fight someone else's battle but my own. So count me out on your phone campaign.

[Kingofwylietx]

You really believe that NCL sold folks an OBC at a fantastic rate, so they can spend it somewhere other than on their ships?

 

No. Why would you think that? The person I quoted was using ALL their money on the ship, and it wasn't much money. Read what I quoted, then read what I wrote. I interpreted 'walking around money' as being spent walking around the ship. Of course, now, I can't think of anything on the ship where you use cash.

 

I'm going to let you guys finish this one off, I've read and replied to too many Canadian OBC threads. I've lost interest and NCL seems to have pretty much fixed it.

Edited February 6, 2016 by Kingofwylietx

[c-ditty]

If you're a capitalist, there's nothing immoral or "wrong" about doing everything you can to maximize profit (personal or corporate) and reduce costs, provided you operate within the law.

 

Some smart Canadians saw an opportunity and took it. Those people did absolutely nothing wrong.

 

NCL saw they were potentially losing money there and closed the loophole, well narrowed it. Can't fault them for that either.

 

Will the goodwill and potential future business they lose over not grandfathering early adopters in be worth the exchange rate savings for that limited number of people? Time will tell.

 

Well stated

[NLH Arizona]

No. Why would you think that? The person I quoted was using ALL their money on the ship, and it wasn't much money. Read what I quoted, then read what I wrote. I interpreted 'walking around money' as being spent walking around the ship. Of course, now, I can't think of anything on the ship where you use cash.

 

I'm going to let you guys finish this one off, I've read and replied to too many Canadian OBC threads. I've lost interest and NCL seems to have pretty much fixed it.

The poster said: I didn't do that myself, but I do plan to buy $700 OBC and cash out $200 in the casino for walking around money. At my exchange rate of 1.33 that could cost NCL somewhere between $10 and $20 I'd guess. So, I guess I am doing the same thing, but just in my very small potatoes way. So he said he is doing the same thing, but in a very small potatoes way? Plus why would you need walking around money, if you plan on spending all of it on the ship?

[triptolemus]

Much like the outrage over the new (now old) room service charge, the anger over this change will certainly die.

 

Loophole closed. Get over it. On Board Credit Lives Matter? Not so much.

[macandlucy]

The poster said: I didn't do that myself, but I do plan to buy $700 OBC and cash out $200 in the casino for walking around money. At my exchange rate of 1.33 that could cost NCL somewhere between $10 and $20 I'd guess. So, I guess I am doing the same thing, but just in my very small potatoes way. So he said he is doing the same thing, but in a very small potatoes way? Plus why would you need walking around money, if you plan on spending all of it on the ship?

 

Yes, I plan to spend $500 onboard on bingo and casino and spa etc, and then cash out $200 in the Casino, minus the 3% they charge, which will cost (I estimate) NCL somewhere in the neighbourhood of 10-20 bucks. That $200 I spend will be on taxis or in ports. However, considering they will get some cut of the $500 onboard I spend, I think that's pretty reasonable. Perhaps some see that as abuse? I sure don't.

 

With respect to "abuse" and costing NCL extra money though -- I never order more than one entree or app or dessert -- are the people who do also guilty of abuse? I have a drinks package, but will only have a couple of drinks per day -- are people who have five, six, 10 drinks per day abusing or taking advantage of NCL? Personally, I don't think so, but I know for sure that my $10 - $15 exchange rate advantage on $200 will not even come close to costing NCL what a heavy drinker with the UDP will.

 

I think it all comes out in the wash.

[macandlucy]

You really believe that NCL sold folks an OBC at a fantastic rate, so they can spend it somewhere other than on their ships?

 

JUst to clarify -- the rate I can buy (have not bought any yet) OBC at is 1.33. That's okay, but far from fantastic.

[EyeSeaEwe]

I think you misread what Boschmann wrote, as they said the rest of us are the ones paying for the "favorable" exchange rate. In other words, I'm pretty sure Boschmann is on your side.

Maybe I did, that is always a possibility. I am not afraid to admit that! :eek:

[rnustad]

I am within 12 days of sailing. I called NCL 5 days ago because of CC blog posts regarding the OBC limit and people abusing it. I got a supervisor involved and they could not see the new $1000 limit in the system. I looked on NCL OBC purchase page and did not see it on the $25, $50, or $100 OBC links. What I did see was a hidden way to purchase $500 and $1000 OBC links after you clicked on the $100 OBC link. On the $500 and $1000 OBC purchase links did I see the $1000 OBC limit. Still when I called 5 days ago, NCL knew nothing about it.

 

We purchase OBC to gamble on the ship. Call it a de facto savings account! I purchase in $100 increments every week like a savings account. We spent over $2000 on our last cruise gambling. (No judgment's please) We were comp'd a cruise and given 20% off this cruise.

 

12 days before our cruise, NCL wants to refund the overage. Do you think the refund will make it before our cruise? Doubt it!!!. After NCL called me today to inform me of the refund, I called back. Apparently, their is mass confusion within the management level and casino reservations. Our refund is on hold and they will call me back.

 

I called again tonight as I didn't hear back from NCL about the refund. I asked for the Casino Reservations Supervisor and threatened to not put $1 into their machines. We have unresolved casino issues from our last cruise on NCL. We emailed a complaint and had never heard back from NCL ever. This was over 1 year ago.

 

Don't do me like this, NCL!!!! I will be calling again tomorrow to complain even more. I shouldn't have to worry about a thing 12 days out from the cruise. I was half in 'Cruise Mode' and then I have to worry about this sh*t. I am pissed.

[fshagan]

We purchase OBC to gamble on the ship. Call it a de facto savings account! I purchase in $100 increments every week like a savings account.

 

12 days before our cruise, NCL wants to refund the overage. Do you think the refund will make it before our cruise? Doubt it!

 

No judgement from this non-gambler. You can spend your money any way you please.

 

I don't think you'll receive your credit before your cruise, and I'm not sure how it will help you anyway. Using a credit card to gamble has to use the "cash advance" feature of the card, doesn't it? I'm not sure how that works with a credit balance on your card, but on my credit cards cash advances are pretty expensive with both transaction fees and higher interest.

 

The people who are hurt the worst in this one are those that bought when the rate was just OK but still expensive in their currency, and now they are looking at deflated credit dollars by 30 - 40%. That's about a significant a loss as the 2008 stock market crash. I didn't really understand what they were facing until I realized they didn't actually buy USD, they bought an option for USD that is being returned to them deflated after NCL realized it was a bad deal.

 

For the people affected, I now think this is a the worst decision NCL has made in terms of the impact.

Edited February 10, 2016 by fshagan

[RDC1]

If you're a capitalist, there's nothing immoral or "wrong" about doing everything you can to maximize profit (personal or corporate) and reduce costs, provided you operate within the law.

 

Some smart Canadians saw an opportunity and took it. Those people did absolutely nothing wrong.

 

NCL saw they were potentially losing money there and closed the loophole, well narrowed it. Can't fault them for that either.

 

Will the goodwill and potential future business they lose over not grandfathering early adopters in be worth the exchange rate savings for that limited number of people? Time will tell.

 

I suspect that NCL would not have cared that much if ALL of the OBC was spent on board. It is the buying OBC and then turning it into USD to take home that would have driven the reaction.

 

If it was spent on board NCL would have still seen a profit on the transactions, even if the margin was somewhat lower. The money converted and taken off ship went directly to the bottom line in a negative way.

 

Keep in mind that they have the data to see exactly how much OBC is purchased and exactly how it is spent. Including how much is cashed out but not used for play in the casino. So they will know exactly how many people were doing arbitrage with the offered rate.

Edited February 10, 2016 by RDC1

[c-ditty]

If needed you can email the CEO of NCL to provide feedback on the OBC fiasco.

 

fdelrio@nclcorp.com

 

I don't believe for a minute that this email is actually the CEO's personal email, but I would expect that he has people that look after his inbox and reply on his behalf.

 

It was provided to me by the nice lady I spoke to at NCL Corporate office.

 

If you feel the need to reply and say you are going to email the CEO and tell him how happy you are with the policy change...save it. Do whatever you feel you need to do as a shareholder. This info is for those that feel they have a valid concern and want to express it to the right people in the organization.

[rnustad]

Just called back NCL Casino Complaint department regarding the OBC limits and refunds. She immediately got the casino reservations department on the phone with me. Apparently, the limits and refunds will not affect casino reservations at this time. They know this money is to gamble with and how it will affect their bottom line. I was told by Rosie, Casino Coordinator who was calling most casino reservations with OBC over $1000 yesterday, that NCL changed their mind for casino reservations. She told me my OBC credits will remain. I am still angry that they made poor decisions to upset me within 10 days of my cruise. I don't need to think of this, I need to decide what to bring and how to make the most of my precious time off from work.

 

I don't blame them for the policy change due to people abusing it and profiting from the refunds, but it was done poorly. This change was effective Jan 21 according to another poster and according to a supervisor I spoke with last night, it was done about a month ago. Their decision to refund when so close to a sailing date is mind boggling. Dont play with peoples money.

 

Please excuse the grammar and spelling above. I was so upset yesterday, that I put on two different color shoes (same shoe style) and went to work like that. Thank god no one realized it. I realized it when I went to tie my shoe and saw I had two different color shoe laces and then realized two different color shoes on. OMG!!!

[macandlucy]

I suspect that NCL would not have cared that much if ALL of the OBC was spent on board. It is the buying OBC and then turning it into USD to take home that would have driven the reaction.

 

If it was spent on board NCL would have still seen a profit on the transactions, even if the margin was somewhat lower. The money converted and taken off ship went directly to the bottom line in a negative way.

 

Keep in mind that they have the data to see exactly how much OBC is purchased and exactly how it is spent. Including how much is cashed out but not used for play in the casino. So they will know exactly how many people were doing arbitrage with the offered rate.

 

I agree -- I think they'd love it if one spent $10,000 of pre bought OBC onboard!

 

And also agree that the reason they capped it was because they saw that people were cashing out and taking the money off the ship. If NCL wants to get into the currency exchange biz, I think we can all be confident that they wouldn't be in that business to lose money.

 

But, I find nothing wrong with NCL's desire to make a profit, or an individual passenger's desire to maximize their vacation dollars by currency hedging.

 

NCL charges a 3% "convenience" fee to get cash in the casino. That's also profiting off currency exchange, and I don't object to that either.

[fshagan]

Just called back NCL Casino Complaint department regarding the OBC limits and refunds. She immediately got the casino reservations department on the phone with me. Apparently, the limits and refunds will not affect casino reservations at this time. They know this money is to gamble with and how it will affect their bottom line. I was told by Rosie, Casino Coordinator who was calling most casino reservations with OBC over $1000 yesterday, that NCL changed their mind for casino reservations. She told me my OBC credits will remain. I am still angry that they made poor decisions to upset me within 10 days of my cruise. I don't need to think of this, I need to decide what to bring and how to make the most of my precious time off from work.

 

I would get an email from them just in case you find the OBC gone on the first day of your trip. As Gorbachev once said, "trust but verify".

 

 

Please excuse the grammar and spelling above. I was so upset yesterday, that I put on two different color shoes (same shoe style) and went to work like that. Thank god no one realized it. I realized it when I went to tie my shoe and saw I had two different color shoe laces and then realized two different color shoes on. OMG!!!

 

If it happens again, and one of your co-workers points it out, say "I know, it's weird but I have another pair just like it at home."

[Freckles_51]

I don't recall seeing the following question asked and not sure which thread to post it in but don't want to start yet another thread on the topic so here goes...

 

Has anyone cruised yet with a booking that included non-refundable OBC as part of a promo, and also pre-purchased OBC? Could you still pre-purchase $1000 or did the non-refundable OBC count towards the $1000 limit?

[insidecabin]

They can fix the problem by not fixing exchange at time of bookings for future $purchases

 

You pay the rate the time you buy your add on.

 

It got real silly I was buying $500obc for $400 st one point.

[c-ditty]

So just got off the cruise Sunday and NCL is in definite need of assistance when it comes to organization and coordinating the OBC.

By day 3 my OBC still wasn't showing on my account. Even better, I got a letter saying my onboard account was suspended because I selected a cash account but didn't have any cash deposit.

 

I had to provide the front desk with printouts of my amenity receipts so they could investigate. They had the OBC on my account within hours but make sure you bring copies of all your receipts.

 

I also managed to find a way to get more than $1000 OBC but won't be blabbing it all over the forums and having the loophole get closed.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[NLH Arizona]

So just got off the cruise Sunday and NCL is in definite need of assistance when it comes to organization and coordinating the OBC.

By day 3 my OBC still wasn't showing on my account. Even better, I got a letter saying my onboard account was suspended because I selected a cash account but didn't have any cash deposit.

 

I had to provide the front desk with printouts of my amenity receipts so they could investigate. They had the OBC on my account within hours but make sure you bring copies of all your receipts.

 

I also managed to find a way to get more than $1000 OBC but won't be blabbing it all over the forums and having the loophole get closed.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

I'm sure they will figure out the loopholes as folks use them. Like purchasing shore excursions and/or other items prior to the cruise and then cancelling them when onboard the ship. As soon as it becomes a lot of $'s, they will start sending a check in the amount and exchange rate paid for them.