shareholder frustration

[summercruisin']

I cruise yearly, and I am going on #14 tomorrow (yay! :D). I'm also a shareholder, so like I have done for the past 4 cruises, I faxed my proof of ownership (and all the cruise info) to Carnival about a month in advance and watched my booking page......the shareholder benefit never posted. So, today, I called Carnival to see what was up.

 

I spent an hour on the phone :mad: while Carnival tried to get me to give up my $100. First they told me their policy is that the request and proof has to be sent in with the deposit (never heard of such a thing and never have done that before). I pulled up a Carnival statement of stockholder benefits which says that the request should be sent in at least 2 weeks in advance. The Carnival rep claimed she could not find that document online. I asked where to find the document that states the policy she was using to deny my request, and she could not tell me where to find that either. After insisting that I talk with someone else who could not only tell me where to find that policy but also fix the problem (since it seems crazy to me that Carnival would fight this much over a $100 benefit they have determined I've earned by being a shareholder), they finally put me on hold to "find my fax." When they came back, they claimed they never got it, even though I have my confirmation that it was successfully sent and they agreed it was sent to the correct number. :mad:

 

After allllll that, the rep said that if I bring proof of ownership of shares on the cruise with me tomorrow, they can credit me at guest services. Needless to say, I'm not excited to start my vacation jumping through hoops at guest services.

 

Anyone know who I could contact at Carnival to let them know this should be handled better (someone who will at least pretend to care? :p)? I am already thinking of next year's cruise and don't want to have to repeat this aggravation in the future.

Edited August 5, 2016 by summercruisin'

[ImaginationCruiseBride]

I know it's too late for this cruise, but this is why you need a good PVP, she takes care of all of this stuff for us and we've never had a problem.

[figdu]

Post it to John Heald's Facebook page. It is amazing how quickly companies solve issues when they have been publicly shamed for not doing what the are supposed to do.

[wecamp]

I always email mine and have received confirmation within a week. I do this pretty quickly after i make reservation and i take printed confirmation on boat with me.

 

Now i probably jinxed myself.

[Micahs Grandad]

I ran into my first ever problem with this in last week.

 

Sent it in got acknowledgment never posted. Sent it in again got acknowledgment but also told me statement was lost.

 

Sent it in third time and nothing.

 

Said screw this and sent statement to pvp. 15 minutes later got email that account was credited and than phone call from pvp telling me it was done.

 

Another good reason to use pvp. Apparently dept for doing this is screwing with more than you and me.

[lele100]

I always sent the request with a a copy of my stocks statement to this email guestadmin@carnival.com, usually get a response within 4 days

[winddawn]

I know it's too late for this cruise, but this is why you need a good PVP, she takes care of all of this stuff for us and we've never had a problem.

My PVP does too. I email my shareholder docs to her and she emails them over for me. Then the credit usually appears on my cruise docs in a couple days and I get an email telling me it posted. I think the fax method is a lot more unreliable. Some of those seem to fall into a black hole never to be seen again.

[Bookbug53]

We deposited for our upcoming cruise in January! Requested our OBC by fax about a month ago. Had it credited two days later.

 

RESTRICTIONS

• This offer is good for only one cabin occupied by the shareholder. Only one benefit OBC can be applied to a cabin, even if there are multiple shareholders in the cabin.

• This offer can only be applied to bookings under deposit.

• This offer cannot be used for casino credits/charges and gratuities.

• This offer is combinable with most cruise fares. Some restrictions apply.

• This offer is combinable with most onboard credit offers.

• This offer is non-transferable.

• Applications to receive this benefit must be made no later than 14 days prior to the cruise departure.

Edited August 5, 2016 by Bookbug53

[Micahs Grandad]

My PVP does too. I email my shareholder docs to her and she emails them over for me. Then the credit usually appears on my cruise docs in a couple days and I get an email telling me it posted. I think the fax method is a lot more unreliable. Some of those seem to fall into a black hole never to be seen again.

 

Never had a problem before so have always emailed. If this happens again will get my pvp involved faster.

[ontheweb]

We have our $100 credit for our cruise later this month, but it took 4 tries. They kept claiming they never got the fax. Finally on the 4th try, I was sent an e-mail within 5 hours congratulating me on getting the credit. My TA was even told (I was on the phone with him when he called his Carnival representative and also heard) that it was in my files waiting to be acted upon. But a week later, they said no they were still waiting for it. (This was after the third attempt to get the credit.)

 

My TA says Carnival loses things more than any other cruise line, and he spends more time on the phone with them trying to straighten things out than any other cruise line.

 

I started a previous thread asking why Carnival takes so long to give the credit. Some posted that since their information was not lost that meant that Carnival never loses the faxes they receive. Your experience is just another proof that this happens.

[sfaaa]

The SH benefit policy dictates that OBC request is to be sent by fax or snail mail. Never says anywhere that this can be done through email. Is this something new?

[PAPERBKWRITER]

I also get the credit. I send my request snail mail and always check a week or so later to make sure the credit is applied. Once the credit never reached the ship but I always carry proof with me and I got the credit 3 days later. I hope you got the name of the person telling you to bring it with, I think you'll get the credit but in the future you may want to check a few weeks ahead to make sure.

[robin13]

I just faxed in my proof of stock ownership on Tuesday and got an email from Carnival the very next day. Please note that since I booked with a TA they did send her the email telling me that I was approved for the $100 OBC. I will bring the letter with me when I sail in case I don't see the $100 OBC applied to my account just in case.

 

Sorry to hear that some of you are having issues with this but mine went through without a hitch.

[Micahs Grandad]

The SH benefit policy dictates that OBC request is to be sent by fax or snail mail. Never says anywhere that this can be done through email. Is this something new?

 

Have been stockholder for over 5 years and always have emailed CCL.

 

For some reason Princess will insist on fax.

[ohiowilly]

have always emailed my request in to GuestAdmin@Carnival.com, and have always gotten an acknowledgment very quickly. For my current, upcoming cruise, i got confirmation and saw the credit on my account the same day.

[NCTribeFan]

I also always send mine via email, at least one month prior to sailing.

 

Have usually had it applied within a couple of days; once it was only 59 minutes!

 

Only problem I've ever had was last cruise when I sent the email and neglected to attach the document. I re-sent it, but got a request to fax it in, which I did. Took about 2 weeks to have it applied.

 

I always get an email that they received my request, then also get one stating the OBC has been applied. I always print that email and take it with me, just in case.

 

I certainly wouldn't wait until the day before sailing to check on it! :eek:

 

I've never had to bother my PVP with it. Last cruise, I booked through a TA (not really; I joined others in a cabin that had already been booked through a group rate). I wasn't going to bother him with a SH issue since he hadn't gotten credit for the booking (but I bet he would've taken care of it).

[winddawn]

We have our $100 credit for our cruise later this month, but it took 4 tries. They kept claiming they never got the fax. Finally on the 4th try, I was sent an e-mail within 5 hours congratulating me on getting the credit. My TA was even told (I was on the phone with him when he called his Carnival representative and also heard) that it was in my files waiting to be acted upon. But a week later, they said no they were still waiting for it. (This was after the third attempt to get the credit.)

 

My TA says Carnival loses things more than any other cruise line, and he spends more time on the phone with them trying to straighten things out than any other cruise line.

 

I started a previous thread asking why Carnival takes so long to give the credit. Some posted that since their information was not lost that meant that Carnival never loses the faxes they receive. Your experience is just another proof that this happens.

Carnival fax for shareholder credit is a black hole. No secret there. Take your chances if you feel lucky! Otherwise, find a good PVP.

[cntrydncr1]

I've never had a problem...usually gets posted in a few days.

[Micahs Grandad]

I've never had a problem...usually gets posted in a few days.

 

never did before now, wonder how many people have had a problem recently?

[SkyMaster]

I've got two Jan, 2017 cruises that I've got to apply for the OBC on, but have been waiting as I've had 'em complain that the statement that I send was dated more than 90 days before sailing. Guess I'll go ahead and send them in, and see what happens. I've had problems with them a time or two, but as a "Diamond" guest, I just call the diamond desk, and they have always fixed it. Just another GREAT perk of being "Diamond". ;)

 

"SKY"

[Micahs Grandad]

I've got two Jan, 2017 cruises that I've got to apply for the OBC on, but have been waiting as I've had 'em complain that the statement that I send was dated more than 90 days before sailing. Guess I'll go ahead and send them in, and see what happens. I've had problems with them a time or two, but as a "Diamond" guest, I just call the diamond desk, and they have always fixed it. Just another GREAT perk of being "Diamond". ;)

 

"SKY"

 

Thanks for the idea, never thought of calling Diamond desk.:)

[MMastell]

I'm sorry you're having this problem. I have never had a problem with the shareholder benefit.

 

Just last week I faxed a cover letter with; Name, booking number, sail date, ship and contact information, along with the appropriate page of my June statement with a "star" by the Carnival shares. I did blackout my account number with a sharpie, as I always do.

 

I had a problem with my fax machine and it failed the first time and then I re-sent it and within an hour I had my confirmation email and it was posted to my reservation the next day. Actually I had a rejection because they only received a partial fax but two minutes later I received the confirmation. :)

 

I have never had to wait more than two or three days for a confirmation. My experience last week seemed like an exception, but a good one. I know I always fax it during business hours. You may have also but it seems it will get dealt with faster during that time rather than being in the fax pile the next morning.

 

Take care and I do hope you get the credit.

Mike

[bptex]

I had to send mine via fax twice. The first time I hand wrote my booking number on the first page. The second time I made an actual cover page with all of my info and it worked.

[Micahs Grandad]

I had to send mine via fax twice. The first time I hand wrote my booking number on the first page. The second time I made an actual cover page with all of my info and it worked.

 

Next time will add a cover page, in the past wrote pertinent info on statement but perhaps a separate page would make it more idiot proof

[Florings]

First time I sent mine in, it was denied via email as being sent in too early (sent in March for an October cruise) - the email said to send it in with a new statement closer to cruise date.

 

I sent it the 2nd time in July with the new statement and it was approved and credit showed up on my documents.

 

But that would seem to negate the Carnival rep's suggestion that you have to request at the time of booking...when they wouldn't even accept it several months after I booked!

 

Still, in the end, all is well for my credit....

Edited August 8, 2016 by Florings