Bad Off Ship Customer Service

[robptaylor]

It has been awhile since we have cruised HAL but one thing I remember is the excellent customer service. Unfortunately, my latest experience with corporate customer service has been quite the opposite.

 

I have a couple of concerns with an upcoming cruise and contacted HAL via email about my concerns and to clarify issues. It would probably be inappropriate to rehash those concerns in this thread since they have been discussed at length in other threads.

 

It took HAL almost two weeks to respond to my first inquiry and they basically refuse to respond to any follow up questions. If I call the customer service desk they can be helpful but given my schedule, I find email much more convenient. It seems slightly ironic they didn't respond to my initial concern until after full payment was due.

 

Even when I call, I basically seem to get the brush off and there doesn't seem to be much desire to resolve my concern. I have also received conflicting information from different people.

 

Has anyone else had problems dealing with HAL corporate? I think I am being fairly reasonable and patient but there doesn't seem to be the same attention to customer service land side as there is at sea.

 

Honestly, my experience with corporate has been so bad, I may not cruise HAL again but we'll see how this gets resolved.

[DaveOKC]

Did you book through a TA or HAL directly? If its a TA, HAL normally will not discuss your cruise with you directly (after all, thats why they pay the TA a commission to handle your reservation).

 

I book through a HAL Personal Cruise Consultant (PCC) and he is very good about getting back to me quickly about a number of different topics. Also, we both like to use email for this and it works great - often I get an answer in minutes. If he is out of the office, he has other PCCs who will answer my calls/questions.

Edited August 13, 2016 by DaveOKC

[Fouremco]

As you indicate elsewhere that you have booked through a TA, you might be better off directing your enquiries to your agent than HAL.

[OlsSalt]

It might depend on the nature of your concerns. HAL is a mass market cruise line and is set up to provide general information, but probably not to address more highly personalized enquires.

 

No need to disclose what your particular concerns, are but something to consider when requesting highly specific responses.

 

I had my own issues recently about their contradictory Yellow Fever shot requirements and decided to take a pass on one of their cruises too. But not on HAL cruises in general, because over all we do love their general level of service.

[take us away]

Sorry you had / have difficulties and hopefully yours is a 1-off situation. Maybe if you approached them with only 1 or 2 main issues you may have better luck.

 

Have had an issue in the past and worked with HAL corporate on this. Have never had much luck with the phone people at HAL so started with a letter then followed up via email. HAL responded via mail and an email or 2 but mail was primary. It was a few weeks before it was all resolved which was fine with me as do understand that everyone has other duties. Ended up being very satisfied with what was worked out. The resolution came from an assistant to Stein Kruse when he headed HAL.

[Krazy Kruizers]

HAL gets tons of e-mails everyday -- thus I would not use that method of communication with them.

We have had to write letters to HAL a few times over the 20 years we have sailed on them. We got much better results that way.

Telephone -- no way.

[Caribbean Chris]

I've had excellent pre-cruise customer service via email regarding needs related to a disability.

[easyboy]

I understand your frustration but I hope it is just an isolated case.