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Regent communication and marketing issues

CruisetheCs

By CruisetheCs,
in Regent Seven Seas Cruises

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Travelcat2

Travelcat2

Posted
Posted (edited)
If you complete the form at the page below, that should do the trick for you.

 

https://www.rssc.com/change-address/

 

Wow - you are about to become the most popular person on the Regent board:D While we are happy to be on the list, there have been ongoing comments regarding getting off of the mailing list. This almost deserves a sticky at the top at the page!

Edited by Travelcat2
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CruisetheCs

CruisetheCs

Posted
  • Author
Posted
Greetings Cruise Critic community. For those of you that have sailed with us, you know that we take a great deal of pride in our brand. We strive for excellence in all areas, and the website is no exception. The issues you have brought up in this thread are all known, and addressing them issues is on the short-term road map. There have been some changes in this area recently, and I'm optimistic that we will make significant strides in the right direction in the coming months.

 

Thank you as always for your patience, for sharing your thoughts, and above all, for sailing with Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

 

The website is always "under construction" - unlike Seven Seas Explorer ;) - so the notice would always have to be there.

Thanks for posting, Mike. And thanks for having a sense of humor about this. Is there some time frame envisioned in "short-term" road map?

 

You may or may not want to get into this, but I am extremely curious how such a glitch could happen and still not be fixed with at least some simple tweaking of text, for example, saying something such as "launched" instead of "under construction."

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Mike Moore

Mike Moore

Posted
Posted
BTW, I did notice another error on the site yesterday - a Seven Seas aft suite on the Mariner was listed under a Seven Seas forward suite

Good morning Travelcat2 - could you point out (either here or via email at mmoore@oceaniaregent.com) where it is that you are referring to?

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flossie009

flossie009

Posted
Posted
Greetings Cruise Critic community. For those of you that have sailed with us, you know that we take a great deal of pride in our brand. We strive for excellence in all areas, and the website is no exception. The issues you have brought up in this thread are all known, and addressing them issues is on the short-term road map. There have been some changes in this area recently, and I'm optimistic that we will make significant strides in the right direction in the coming months.

 

Thank you as always for your patience, for sharing your thoughts, and above all, for sailing with Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

 

Mike,

While we have your attention, can I ask for some other website issues to be addressed when your team get a chance:

 

1. It would be helpful if there was a tab at the top of the HomePage for 'FAQ'. The FAQs contain a lot of very useful information but many people, especially those new to Regent, tend to miss the content

 

2. When booking excursions on-line it would be handy if there was the facility to cancel previous bookings and to be able to 'Waitlist' on fully booked excursions

 

3. Why are those viewing the UK website unable to find out available cabins, as those using the US website can?

 

On a more positive note, and as someone else posted, the 'Find-a-Cruise' facility on the website is excellent and easy to use :) It is also good to see that Explorer is now officially out of its construction phase ;)

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flossie009

flossie009

Posted
Posted
Hi flossie - some of those are simply system limitations. The ability to wait list tours is a known defect that will hopefully be resolved soon.

 

Thanks, Mike.

Not quite sure what 'system limitations' means but presumably it is a polite way of saying "no can do"

 

 

Patience? I hadn't noticed :)

 

but maybe

 

"I am extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end" --Margaret Thatcher

 

Very good - try this one:

Patience.jpeg.06e71ac89f718c5c01d05dbdc378f078.jpeg

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Travelcat2

Travelcat2

Posted
Posted
But that error you noticed is indicative of the points we've been making - forward and aft haven't changed on the Mariner that I'm aware of, so there's really no excuse for that type of error. If I booked a suite expecting a bath and a half and ended up with just one bath, I would be absolutely livid. I know that ports and excursions can change, but forward and aft on a ship should be pretty much constant...

 

 

Bill, Mike Moore was kind enough to look into this issue for me. It ends up that the website has always been the way it is (showing Seven Seas Forward and Aft Suites mixed together with no indication of which have 1 1/2 baths). I asked if perhaps they could look into this in the future as it would make it easier for customers.

 

We do not typically look at Seven Seas Suites (no particular reason) but wanted to change from the Grand Suite that we booked for next year to a Seven Seas Suite with 1 1/2 bathrooms because we were so impressed with the suite. I ended up calling my TA (who in turn called Regent) and gave us the suite numbers that have 1 1/2 baths. There are only four Seven Seas Suites on the Explorer with 1 bath.

 

Admittedly, Seven Seas Aft and Forward suites on the Mariner and Voyager are easier to figure out - just by the suites numbers. However, to confuse our brains a bit more, on the Voyager, the forward suites have 1 1/2 baths and on the Mariner it is the aft suites. I wonder who thought up that idea when they were building the Mariner?

 

Thought you would be interested in what I learned!

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TWG_ag

TWG_ag

Posted
Posted

I have been reading these boards for over 14 years and have less than 200 posts, but I knew before I started reading this thread I would comment. I am also surprised to find myself on Regent's side. Plus, I enjoy when the heavy hitters go against each other and then there was the surprise visit by a Regent dignitary. What more can you ask for.

 

Customer interface is something that companies have to deal with everyday. Given the outsized expectations of their customers, most companies struggle to attain the perfection demanded of them. I do not know why there is an expectation of a "Luxury Line" having a flawless customer service and website experience. I actually think Regent does a respectable (not perfect) job with both. The best Airlines, Hotels and Cruise lines have negative customer interactions everyday. You can throw more money and training at the problem, but the fast pace of changing information and increased expectations of an educated and technologically sophisticated customer base is not likely to be met. I guess companies can expend the money to make them flawless, but the cost would come at the expense of higher ticket prices or lower quality of product and service and no one wants that. I sense that Regent like most companies, struggles daily to balance the equation.

 

I cruise on Regent and Celebrity. I can assure you that on the Celebrity board you can read the exact same comments about poor communications with incompetent back office and over marketing. These are the only two companies I follow, but I expect the boards of other lines are similar based on what I hear on these two. I try not to rely on the back office and do everything I can to avoid talking to them, I have a TA for that. I have never had a problem that was so bad I did not get it fixed or that I did not simply get over. I actually came to Regent several years ago over some Celebrity back office mishaps, but returned after three years when some changes occurred.

 

Please understand, I see no problem with complaining. Some on this post have given the history of their issues which are legitimate, and I encourage people to pursue recourse or response when they feel it is necessary. However, I too believe that many times the fault is the misreading or mishearing of what they were told. The customer is not always right even if sometimes you give into them. If you don't like the answer, vote with your feet as I did with Celebrity for three years.

 

I would close by commenting on two items; Marketing and the Website. Marketing is what it is. The volume of stuff I get from Regent that goes directly into the recycle bin is no worse than what I get from other travel companies, airlines, credit cards, charities and on-line companies that in some cases I have never done business with. As long as companies get a targeted response rate from a medium of advertising they are using, they are going to keep it up. I have long since stopped trying to get off of lists, I just sadly throw the junk away. As for Websites, they are out of date and inaccurate as soon as they are published. It does not matter how much review you do, you will never find every error. Before you say the ones you have seen are so obvious, I will close with this admission. As the CFO of my company, I sign off on of the annual report. About 10 years ago we issued one that was drafted by my staff, reviewed by Finance, Legal, Marketing and the CEO. It was checked by the staff and two partners at a big four audit firm and our outside lawyers. The company name was misspelled on the title page. You never catch everything.

 

Thanks again for an entertaining and star studded thread. I hope to someday meet and visit with all of you. If you get on the Mariner on September 3rd, maybe that can happen.

 

TW

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auldlassie

auldlassie

Posted
Posted

I haven't sailed Regent yet, but am just about to book a cruise with them. I have cruised with Seabourn, Silversea, Oceania and am shortly to sail on Crystal. Just want to add that in my experience, all of these lines have some website issues, just as their on board experiences can have a few issues also. None so far have bugged me to the point that they have lost me as a customer. Far from it, thank goodness! Crystal has come closest though, with a fiasco over a cancelled river cruise. Despite that, I will still sail on Symphony next month with an open mind and see what I make of it.

 

Here is a personal plea if anyone from Regent is still following this thread, regarding their current website. Can someone take a look at what I believe is an error on the deck plans for Explorer on the website? These plans are all over other websites too, so the error is proliferating. The lifts (elevators for those in the USA) and stair positions, cannot possibly all be correct. A lift shaft has to align between floors and some of these do not. It is highly likely most are correct but the misalignment prevents sureity. Yes, I understand that the rake of the decks according to the ship design has to be taken into account and I have done so.

 

On the floors and cabin categories I favour, the lifts are nearby. I am trying to select a cabin not directly at the lifts or stairs in case of noise as I am a very light sleeper. I'd like to preclude this, but cannot do so with certainty and that is quite irritating to me. Anyone looking at the plans and booking a particular cabin specifically not right beside the lifts, runs the risk of being rather disappointed if they board and find those lifts not quite where they expected them to be but in fact right by their cabin. Neither my TA nor Regent UK were able to tell me their correct positions, as they only had these plans to refer to.

 

A quick website check and alt would be much appreciated. This is not a difficult fix. It can be verified in situ after all - and might help many future customers.

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flossie009

flossie009

Posted
Posted

Interesting that today after visiting the Regent website I was offered a survey allowing feedback on the website experience (A study by iPerceptions)

 

Seems like Regent are taking the important first step to improvement - gathering feedback :)

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UUNetBill

UUNetBill

Posted
Posted
Interesting that today after visiting the Regent website I was offered a survey allowing feedback on the website experience (A study by iPerceptions)

 

Seems like Regent are taking the important first step to improvement - gathering feedback :)

 

I had that pop up a week or two ago. I definitely took the time to fill it out. :eek:

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diebroke

diebroke

Posted
Posted
If you complete the form at the page below, that should do the trick for you.

 

https://www.rssc.com/change-address/

 

My apologies for bumping this thread up, but I am really annoyed.

I have previously posted my history of trying to be removed from Regent’s mailing list to avoid the massive amount of material I receive.

Several years ago, I expressed my frustration on this board, and the heralded FDR came on the board to say that if I would send him an email with my information, he would remove me from the mailing list. I did as he requested & he was unable to do what he said he would do. (The head of his fan club noted on this board that it is unreasonable to expect that he would do what he said he would do because as CEO, he is very busy.)

Then, earlier this year, another thread emerged about frustrations with the large amount of unwanted mailings from Regent. I again posted my frustration & Mike Moore came on the board to say that if I sent him my info, he would have me removed. Bingo. It worked & I expressed my appreciation for Mike's effort.

I have just returned home from a 5 day absence, & in my mail was one large Regent catalog & 3 brochures. Apparently, my removal was temporary. Of course there was other unwanted mail. Regent was in first place with 4 separate mailings. Second place was one mailing from several different businesses. There were no other mailings from the other cruise lines I have cruised with including Celebrity, Seabourn, Lindblad, & AMA Waterways.

I will make another effort to be removed by using the website. The good news is that I have just sold my home & am moving out-of-state. I believe the US Post Office will not forward these brochures. So if Regent continues to send them, the only losers will be the environment & possibly the family who purchased our home.

I hope my new address will remain a secret from Regent.

This is really frustrating no matter how many people are being killed by trees in Washington State.

It is not the behavior I expect from a luxury brand.

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IndiTravler

IndiTravler

Posted
Posted
Feel free to send me an email with your information and I'll be happy to look into why you have suddenly begun to receive mail again.

 

I'll be sending you an email again too. I also started receiving >=1 brochure a day again after you got mine stopped.

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