CruiseNext Bait & Switch tactic

[hawkeyetlse]

We bought 1 deposit for $250. There were 2 promotions going on:

 

1) Buy 1 deposit, get one free.

2) For the $250 deposit I purchased, I should have received a $100 onboard credit

Are you saying you filled out the form asking to purchase only one deposit, and they gave you two? That is not what should have happened.

 

But if you asked to take advantage of the 1st offer, then the 2nd offer no longer applies. They should have made it clear to you that the two offers could not be combined, and you should have avoided assuming that they were combinable. Read the rest of this thread if you feel like having all of this explained to you in much harsher terms.

Edited April 6, 2016 by hawkeyetlse

[tel2]

We just came back from an amazing cruise on the Norwegian Jewel. Everything about the cruise was perfect - except the CruiseNext program. While onboard, we purchased the CruiseNext deposit and had some issues.

 

We bought 1 deposit for $250. There were 2 promotions going on:

 

1) Buy 1 deposit, get one free.

2) For the $250 deposit I purchased, I should have received a $100 onboard credit

 

My onboard account was charged as follows:

* CruiseNext Deposit - $250

* CruiseNext Deposit - $250

* Non-Refundable Deposit +$100

* Non-Refundable Deposit +$150

 

As you can see from the charges, I got charged twice...I'm pretty sure this was the "buy one get one free" charge.However, the Non-Refundable deposit pretty much cancelled out the 2nd charge of $250...and I never actually got my $100 credit. Our concierge indicated he would take care of it, but never did.

 

I ended up contacting CruiseNext when we returned as they were not able to resolve my issue.

 

For those interested in CruiseNext while onboard, be sure to check your onboard account charges and make sure you get credited properly.

 

So, if I am understanding this correctly, you wanted to purchase one (for 250) and get the 100 on board credit. Instead, you they "sold" you two, for the total price of 250. So, if you really only wanted one, sell the second one on here or on ebay. What would have been a nonrefundable credit onboard had they done it correctly will then be transformed into actual cash in whatever amount you can sell it for. They are fully transferable.

 

Terry

Edited April 6, 2016 by tel2

[Demonyte]

So, if I am understanding this correctly, you wanted to purchase one (for 250) and get the 100 on board credit. Instead, you they "sold" you two, for the total price of 250. So, if you really only wanted one, sell the second one on here or on ebay. What would have been a nonrefundable credit onboard had they done it correctly will then be transformed into actual cash in whatever amount you can sell it for. They are fully transferable.

 

If they just came back, certificates are also refundable (30 days after the purchase date).

 

"4. CruiseNext Deposits are refundable only within 30 days of purchase, in the amount paid minus the amount of the instant shipboard credit. ..."

 

https://www.ncl.com/popup/cruisenext_terms

Edited April 6, 2016 by Demonyte

[khaide612]

At the end of the day, it appears NCL has intentionally made the material confusing and open to multiple interpretations. Yes, he received exactly what he was entitled to, but certainly not what the advertising material wanted him to believe he was receiving.

 

Do different ships/cruisenext staff have different materials? All the materials I've seen show a list like in Post #6, The last chance flyer says Buy 1 Get 1 Free but says Pay $250 today, get $500. There's really no confusion other than people interpreting things the way they want to get the best benefit. I'd love to see the materials that indicate you could get 2 certificates for $150.

[gochina]

I want to do a B2B. Wonder if I wait until after I got on the first leg to book a second leg so I can take advantage of this offer? Has anyone ever done it this way?

[irisrmanio@hotmail.com]

I ended up just cancelling it. I will definitely cruise with NCL again, but will likely skip on these types of offers on the ship and just book through our PCC.

[khaide612]

I want to do a B2B. Wonder if I wait until after I got on the first leg to book a second leg so I can take advantage of this offer? Has anyone ever done it this way?

 

A guy I just cruised with did this. He was having so much fun he decided to stay on an extra week as the prices were so good & he could use the cruisenext program.

[hawkeyetlse]

I want to do a B2B. Wonder if I wait until after I got on the first leg to book a second leg so I can take advantage of this offer? Has anyone ever done it this way?

It has been reported that you can't get the CruiseNext Ultimate perks if you book less than 30 days out, just like the regular Free at Sea promo. It may depend which ship you are booking, again like the regular promo. The problem is, there are no detailed terms and conditions for CruiseNext Ultimate bookings, so no one can tell you what they will offer you on board if you choose to do this.

[hawkeyetlse]

I ended up just cancelling it. I will definitely cruise with NCL again, but will likely skip on these types of offers on the ship and just book through our PCC.

If you are definitely booking NCL again, you just threw away $100 or $125…

[kjquilts]

On our December 2015 cruise on the Jewel we purchased two $250 cruise next rewards for $250 (buy one, get one free). On April 4th we used those two rewards for $500 towards payment for 10 Day Alaska cruise on the Pearl leaving May 5th. The ability to use two rewards on a single cruise has been extended (for now) until the end of August. Easy $250 saved for us :)

 

 

[bruadhin]

Do different ships/cruisenext staff have different materials? All the materials I've seen show a list like in Post #6, The last chance flyer says Buy 1 Get 1 Free but says Pay $250 today, get $500. There's really no confusion other than people interpreting things the way they want to get the best benefit. I'd love to see the materials that indicate you could get 2 certificates for $150.

 

I have yet to sail with NCL, so I haven't seen the material first hand. That said, there are more than a few people who have come here complaining about this. And I am not surprised, it is just like "Free Beverage Package", oh but we are going to charge you for the service charge.

 

There are a lot of businesses that write ad copy that may be technically correct, it is very deceptive in word choice and how it is written. And I am not talking just typical exaggeration, only promoting the positives. I am talking word choice that is very specific so as to lead people to a certain conclusion.

[khaide612]

I have yet to sail with NCL, so I haven't seen the material first hand. That said, there are more than a few people who have come here complaining about this. And I am not surprised, it is just like "Free Beverage Package", oh but we are going to charge you for the service charge.

 

There are a lot of businesses that write ad copy that may be technically correct, it is very deceptive in word choice and how it is written. And I am not talking just typical exaggeration, only promoting the positives. I am talking word choice that is very specific so as to lead people to a certain conclusion.

 

The material is in Post #6 of this thread. That is just the stuff that they put in the daily schedules. Like all promos/sales/anything, you have to read the fine print. Even going shopping at a department store with a coupon, they will have terms like not valid on all items or these things cost extra. It's up to the consumer to read the terms.

[bruadhin]

The material is in Post #6 of this thread. That is just the stuff that they put in the daily schedules. Like all promos/sales/anything, you have to read the fine print. Even going shopping at a department store with a coupon, they will have terms like not valid on all items or these things cost extra. It's up to the consumer to read the terms.

 

I am well aware. It is why it is in fine print. I see it in my industry all the time. Misleading TV commercials, ads, etc. The regulators are coming down on it and fine print often is not allowed to be so small anymore.

 

Disclaimers and fine print are one thing, but when disclaimers complete change the nature of the large print, I feel that is misleading.

 

Added:

I went back and re-read post 6. Nothing there seems to be a problem. I wonder if it is the copy displayed at the FCC desk?

Edited April 6, 2016 by bruadhin
Addition

[khaide612]

I agree that there is a lot of misleading stuff out there but sometimes people just hear what they want to hear. You read the paperwork. It complicates it slightly but it tells you right under the Buy 1 get 1 free that you pay $250 for $500 worth of deposit. It used to be even more complicated as they would say OBC but not state you could use the OBC toward the certificates. It led to a lot of confusion and discussions about what can people could spend the OBC on.

[hawkeyetlse]

It used to be even more complicated as they would say OBC but not state you could use the OBC toward the certificates.

They still say that, it depends on the ship. On every ship we have been on, since last year when CruiseNext was introduced, but already before that when it was Freestyle Cruise Rewards, the tactics used to sell these deposits have been a little different on every ship. I cannot remember the number of times I have heard a spiel like "For those of you who were familiar with the previous program, listen carefully, because we have some exciting news for you and for everyone else! Let me tell you about a brand new offer that we are making available for a limited time only!" And then it turns out to be the exact same deal as before, formulated in yet another obfuscated way.

 

To be fair, this is one of the best deals on board, and it got even better last year when they increased the OBC to 50% for 2 or more deposits purchased. So if I saw anything that suggested that they were offering even more than that, I would ask a lot of questions before buying (and then I would end up buying anyway, because where else on board can you double your money 100% of the time?)

[bruadhin]

They still say that, it depends on the ship. On every ship we have been on, since last year when CruiseNext was introduced, but already before that when it was Freestyle Cruise Rewards, the tactics used to sell these deposits have been a little different on every ship. I cannot remember the number of times I have heard a spiel like "For those of you who were familiar with the previous program, listen carefully, because we have some exciting news for you and for everyone else! Let me tell you about a brand new offer that we are making available for a limited time only!" And then it turns out to be the exact same deal as before, formulated in yet another obfuscated way.

 

To be fair, this is one of the best deals on board, and it got even better last year when they increased the OBC to 50% for 2 or more deposits purchased. So if I saw anything that suggested that they were offering even more than that, I would ask a lot of questions before buying (and then I would end up buying anyway, because where else on board can you double your money 100% of the time?)

 

I would agree with all of that, except for the change in pitch as I haven't heard any of them.

 

It really is a good deal, I don't know why they have to get silly about it. I get wanting to be positive and promote it as new and limited time only to encourage people to take action now. But I don't see why they need to get confusing in how it works.

 

"Act now. Buy one, get one free!* Can only be purchased while on board." *Purchaser will receive OBC equal in value to the purchase price of one certificate.

[sfaaa]

There is nothing wrong with changing a marketing slogan or sales pitch from time to time given the old ones tend to get boring after a while.

[bruadhin]

There is nothing wrong with changing a marketing slogan or sales pitch from time to time given the old ones tend to get boring after a while.

 

To who???

 

There are basically two types of cruisers on board. Those who know how good a deal it is, or those new to NCL. The first need no convincing, they just have to know it exists. The second have never heard it before, so why fix what isn't broke?

[happy0ne]

We read it the same way tho we did understand, the wording is not correct

[CruisinHarvey]

Really? Bait and switch to what? You bought 2 and paid for 1. Exactly what they said. Stupid thread.

[esm54687]

What's even more stupid is you commenting on a 4 month old thread that was beaten to death already.....

[triptolemus]

What's even more stupid is you commenting on a 4 month old thread that was beaten to death already.....

 

Word.

[CruisinHarvey]

What's even more stupid is you commenting on a 4 month old thread that was beaten to death already.....

 

good point. my bad.

[Jana60]

Recently I was on the Breakaway and decided to take advantage of the CruiseNext promotion. The day I went down to purchase the certificate, the promo ad in the Freestyle Daily said "buy one $250 certificate and get one free". The standard $250 certificate came with a $100 OBC so I figured it was a great deal..... two $250 certificates for $150... why would I think it wasn't a deal considering everything else on the ship was being marked down... what a great way for NCL to increase CruiseNext purchases \ metrics while locking in future revenue from passengers by discounting them. NOPE! It turns out that NCL's definition of buy one and get one free is completely different than the the real world.

 

NCL requires you to buy TWO $250 certificates for $500 and get a $250 OBC.... wait, the ad said buy ONE not TWO...this actually cost me $100 more than the ad read. So I talked to the CruiseNext Manager and gave her an example using the CruiseNext ad's wording.... "the Best Buy ad says buy a $250 television and get a second for free. You would walk into Best Buy with $250 and expect to walk out with TWO tvs..... not walking into Best Buy and pay $500 and being issued a $250 store credit".... she agreed with my Best Buy example but could not understand her own ad....... I then gave an example "NCL is running a promo where the first two guests pay and the third \ fourth are free..... NCL doesn't charge full price for the third \ fourth and then issue an OBC for that amount, right?".... of course she said that they don't charge for the third \ fourth.

 

While in the big picture, it's not a huge deal..... but considering NCL is nickel and diming us, increasing prices quarterly, holding the passengers accountable for all their T&Cs that are out there, and I'm sure their legal counsel ok'd the ad..... I expected it to be honored. According to her, I am the only one who has ever read the buy ONE get ONE free exactly as it was written....or the first to challenge the promo ad.... she seemed out of sorts that someone actually was standing in front of her complaining. She did not have a viable solution other than comping me a specialty dinner, however this offer wasn't made until 7:30pm on our last night and logically impossible to use.

 

I had submitted a card to the Hotel Director and he referred me to Guest Services..... while I appreciate his response... the CruiseNext Manager reports directly to him.

 

Make sure you have NCL explain their promos before you do anything... it was a great cruise and didn't really ruin anything but I was not pleased with the "bait and switch" tactics and the "dismissive" attitude from the CruiseNext staff

 

Your reasoning doesn't make sense. You were given two $250 future Cruise certificates and when all was said and done your credit card was only charged $250. This means you paid $250 for $500 worth of cruise certificates. If Norwegian had charged you $500 and only given you a $250 onboard credit to be used on a FUTURE Cruise then I would understand your complaint but this was not the case. They gave you a $250 onboard credit which was immediately applied to the charge. Thus you were only charged $250 on your credit card for two certificates. This means you got one of those certificates for free! If they offered you a free specialty restaurant dinner on the final night of the cruise it was probably only to get you out of there hair because they couldn't get you to understand the logic of what they were telling you.

Edited July 31, 2016 by Jana60

[triptolemus]

Your reasoning doesn't make sense.

 

The thread... the thread is dead!