Ripped Off.

[ozbrian]

The first screenshot states that the sale is 50% off the ONBOARD price. This suggests to me that the price onboard is higher, and that the 30% off website price equals the 50% off onboard price.

 

You may be right but that sounds a bit convoluted and assumes that there is always a discount buying on-line. I just checked the site and it doesn't say that it is cheaper than onboard pricing.

And if that was the case surely customer service would have explained that rather than saying they weren't made aware of the offer I received. I wonder how I find out what the curent onboard price is in AUD?

[Ourusualbeach]

You may be right but that sounds a bit convoluted and assumes that there is always a discount buying on-line. I just checked the site and it doesn't say that it is cheaper than onboard pricing.

And if that was the case surely customer service would have explained that rather than saying they weren't made aware of the offer I received. I wonder how I find out what the curent onboard price is in AUD?

 

On board prices are only on US$ and unfortunately it is not unusual for customer service to be unaware of many things including promos.

[forkcreek]

Someone much wiser than me who has worked for RCCL coined a phrase: " The crews onboard the ships practice HOSPITALITY but the Executives in Miami practice HOSTILITY.

[mollyeilis]

"onboard" pricing

As I stated, I rang the number they provided and RC confirmed that it was 30% off and they weren't even aware of the 50% off offer.

 

"select" sailings

It was sent to me as a targeted offer for my upcoming cruise so no issue with it not being a "select" sailing. And if it wasn't a "select" sailing why would it let me click through to my online account directly from the offer and give me any discount at all.

 

I'll stand by my post about people going off without the facts. I didn't say your post was stupid. You may be a very clever person, I don't know, but you dismissing this, rolling your eyes and lumping this in with every thread that was caused by people not reading the T&C's was a stupid assumption.

 

"my last word"? somehow I think not.:)

 

Yeah, the only way you'll know what onboard pricing is is when you're onboard.

 

You may be right but that sounds a bit convoluted and assumes that there is always a discount buying on-line. I just checked the site and it doesn't say that it is cheaper than onboard pricing.

And if that was the case surely customer service would have explained that rather than saying they weren't made aware of the offer I received. I wonder how I find out what the curent onboard price is in AUD?

 

Customer service knows nothing. Just assume that and go from there. They aren't on the ships they probably have never been on a cruise, they don't know the price it'll be on the ship.

 

 

Listen I can't stand Royal's pricing nonsense. I ignore the % off and just look at the price. Is that price something I can live with? If yes, book it. If no, don't book it. I don't care of it's "50% off" or not; if it's too high in price, I can't do it.

 

Maybe a big huge complaint in Australia would get them to take a look at the fact that no one really knows what their base prices anymore. They have constant sales that oculd just be their base prices, we don't know. They don't have the option to look at the base price and just book that. So it's silly. But then maybe they would just fix it for Australians and the rest of us would still have to ignore whatever sale banner they have and just book it if we want it.

[Clarea]

Someone much wiser than me who has worked for RCCL coined a phrase: " The crews onboard the ships practice HOSPITALITY but the Executives in Miami practice HOSTILITY.

Th Miami folks don't need any more practice.:rolleyes:

[roxy2003]

Although we are diamond cruisers (becoming diamond plus on the next cruise), there have been a few things that have started me questioning the ethics of the company:

- the cruise sales that are not really sales (is this legal in Aus?)

- the mysterious $12-$16 minibar charges that appear on credit cards after disembarking

- the web site problems

 

I think it is understandable for a company to have the occasional problem with their website, but when that happens they should be providing the call center with information to ASSIST the customer not just brushing them off. I am getting tired of "it's the website" excuse.

 

(Obviously) I like the product but I am getting more and more disillusioned with the financial side. :(

 

I just returned from a cruise on Radiance from Sydney and I too got two $10.00 charges for the "mini" bar - which by the way there was NO MINI Bar in our stateroom, only an empty "cooler". Of course they said they would remove the charge, but still the hassle of having to call them to get it taken care of.

 

I learned of the common mini bar charges "error" from the boards here, I wonder how many people don't bother to double check the final billing and they get away with $10, $12, $15 dollars here & there. If it's an "error" how long will it take for them to fix it?

Edited February 10, 2017 by roxy2003

[bluemarble]

Onboard prices:

 

http://www.royalcaribbeanincentives.com/content/uploads/Voom.pdf

 

Bob,

 

Do you know if this document you posted back in January on another thread showing the onboard voom pricing is still accurate? If so, this might assist the OP. It has been a few years since I have sailed Royal Caribbean, so I have been reading a lot of different threads to learn what voom is all about and how it is priced. I found this post of yours to be particularly helpful during those investigations.

 

Regards,

John

[Clarea]

Bob,

 

Do you know if this document you posted back in January on another thread showing the onboard voom pricing is still accurate? If so, this might assist the OP. It has been a few years since I have sailed Royal Caribbean, so I have been reading a lot of different threads to learn what voom is all about and how it is priced. I found this post of yours to be particularly helpful during those investigations.

 

Regards,

John

The document I posted had the same prices I saw onboard Brilliance and Rhapsody a couple of weeks ago.

[ozbrian]

The document I posted had the same prices I saw onboard Brilliance and Rhapsody a couple of weeks ago.

 

That's very useful information, Thanks. I'd still need to figure out what conversion rate they are using for their AUD pricing. . .

 

BUT . . . the pricing is not the worst issue with this experience. It was when I pointed out that I was not getting the advertised pricing well within the 4 day promotion period and they took 7 days to respond and offered no explanation, just a "Sorry, the promo has ended".

[lucymorgan]

Thanks for that info Clarea and Bluemarble

 

I just checked and my daughter received the cruiseplanner sale email as well. I didn't get the email so it was a lost opportunity especially as I am the one that pays for the cruise! (she's a full time student)

 

We clicked on the link in the email and here is the description plus T&C. (Ozbrian - to post pictures you need to get a free photosharing account such as photobucket.com, upload the pics there then post the address using the picture icon when you post a thread).

 

 

We are four diamonds on our next cruise and only two of us are active internet users, so I am wondering what the best strategy for internet might be (especially as surf and stream are probably the same as just surf on voyager). Can you apply more than one diamond discount to a single package? I guess not. It is a 12 day cruise.

[ozbrian]

Thanks for that info Clarea and Bluemarble

 

I just checked and my daughter received the cruiseplanner sale email as well. I didn't get the email so it was a lost opportunity especially as I am the one that pays for the cruise! (she's a full time student)

 

We clicked on the link in the email and here is the description plus T&C. (Ozbrian - to post pictures you need to get a free photosharing account such as photobucket.com, upload the pics there then post the address using the picture icon when you post a thread).

 

We are four diamonds on our next cruise and only two of us are active internet users, so I am wondering what the best strategy for internet might be (especially as surf and stream are probably the same as just surf on voyager). Can you apply more than one diamond discount to a single package? I guess not. It is a 12 day cruise.

 

I'd suggest you just use your 30 free minutes for being a diamond member, and when that runs out, use your partners free minutes. That way the two active internet users get an hour free each. I've done that in the past as my wife does not use internet onboard. If you're very active, an hour may still not be enough.

 

Thanks for the tip on posting pictures. I'll buy you a drink next time we cruise together, I see by your signature that we sailed to Hawaii together in 2011. That was a great trip!

[lucymorgan]

I'd suggest you just use your 30 free minutes for being a diamond member, and when that runs out, use your partners free minutes. That way the two active internet users get an hour free each. I've done that in the past as my wife does not use internet onboard. If you're very active, an hour may still not be enough.

 

Thanks for the tip on posting pictures. I'll buy you a drink next time we cruise together, I see by your signature that we sailed to Hawaii together in 2011. That was a great trip!

 

LOL DD will be on the internet most of the time I think. Uni starts while we are the cruise so she will need it for that. She is a distance ed student so she uses the internet to watch and participate in lectures and tutorials. I expect it will be too slow for participation but she can download them to watch (or watch when we get back). That plus checking up on her horse and communicating with friends :)

 

Looking forward to that drink

 

Yes it was a great cruise to Hawaii - I particularly loved French Polynesia and swimming with the "Sting" rays that don't have stings but instead give love bites :) You wouldn't want to try that in Australian waters :)

Edited February 10, 2017 by lucymorgan

[The_Big_M]

I'd suggest you just use your 30 free minutes for being a diamond member, and when that runs out, use your partners free minutes. That way the two active internet users get an hour free each. I've done that in the past as my wife does not use internet onboard. If you're very active, an hour may still not be enough.

 

Fortunately, it's 24 hours of free internet for Diamond members.

[Biker19]

Do you know if this document you posted back in January on another thread showing the onboard voom pricing is still accurate?

 

The current on board pricing for VOOM has been the same since multi-tiered VOOM was rolled out last May - $13 for Surf and $18 for Stream.

[Biker19]

BUT . . . the pricing is not the worst issue with this experience. It was when I pointed out that I was not getting the advertised pricing well within the 4 day promotion period and they took 7 days to respond and offered no explanation, just a "Sorry, the promo has ended".

 

As you have found out, e-mail is not the way to contact RCI when expecting a timely response - sometimes they never answer.

[Ourusualbeach]

As you have found out, e-mail is not the way to contact RCI when expecting a timely response - sometimes they never answer.

 

What's worse...sending an e mail and not getting a response or calling and getting a wrong answer.:D. You just can't win.

[Biker19]

We are four diamonds on our next cruise and only two of us are active internet users, so I am wondering what the best strategy for internet might be (especially as surf and stream are probably the same as just surf on voyager). Can you apply more than one diamond discount to a single package? I guess not. It is a 12 day cruise.

 

Stream is not the same as Surf - download speeds on Stream can be up to 10x faster than Surf, but, for most users and most apps, you really don't notice that diff.

 

I would use three of the four coupons on sea days (you'll get 25 hours of use from the time your start) and then apply the fourth coupon on day 10 for the remaining days package which should cost you $6 (2x13-20). All four of you can use the same one device login - you just can't login more than one device at a time.

[nelblu]

"onboard" pricing

As I stated, I rang the number they provided and RC confirmed that it was 30% off and they weren't even aware of the 50% off offer.

 

"select" sailings

It was sent to me as a targeted offer for my upcoming cruise so no issue with it not being a "select" sailing. And if it wasn't a "select" sailing why would it let me click through to my online account directly from the offer and give me any discount at all.

 

I'll stand by my post about people going off without the facts. I didn't say your post was stupid. You may be a very clever person, I don't know, but you dismissing this, rolling your eyes and lumping this in with every thread that was caused by people not reading the T&C's was a stupid assumption.

 

"my last word"? somehow I think not.:)

 

Their e-mails promos are sent across all boards. I get so many specials, but I'm not eligible for any that deal with OBC, as if is not combinable with D+ balcony discount which is much better than any amount of OBC. I've complained that RCl should be able to screen and exclude accordingly those C&A members that are not eligible to some form of discount in their promo.

[SherriZ366]

I got the 50% Internet (stream and surf) promotion on our upcoming 2-25-2017 cruise but not on the May 21 cruise.

[tinkertwo]

I had a similar thing happen last year. I wrote a letter stating that the item offered was not what they were giving. They sent back some silly response that was generic and did not answer my questions at all. They also said they were sorry I was canceling my cruise. No where did I mention canceling my cruise.

 

I responded to their response with a very hot furious email. I said if they were not going to bother to read my email then don't bother to respond as they are wasting both their and my time. I said they obviously were to busy to care what their flyers said and maybe they could at the very least acknowledge they had made an error and not try to coat it as my error. I said they could keep their canned response as I was sure no one would bother to read this email either. I mentioned if they could not bother to acknowledge I had questions maybe I couldn't bother to book again with RCCL.

 

I received a real email back by someone who had read my response and was very apologetic. She did answer my questions and gave me a $200 obc as a good will gesture. While that was all very nice they really need to start reading peoples emails so they can actually respond to the issue and not send out some canned response.

[NoWhiners]

 

:D

 

Absolutely dreadful website they have

 

swoopy

 

I completely agree. Today I decided to do online checkin (our first RCI cruise). Got to Step 2, Add credit card (or whatever they call it). Tried to do myself, but using DH credit card :D. Wouldn't work. OK, I assumed we needed to sign him up first, so I selected him, entered info, still wouldn't work.

 

Finally called RCI. Rep told me "Oh, if you are using Chrome, that's a problem, go use IE". So after I expressed my disbelief (she said "I tell customers this all the time"), I asked if I could give her the info. And she could, and it worked great.

 

Don't they train these people to say "ahh, yes. Chrome can be problematic, but I would be happy to enter that information for you"????

 

I am getting tired of being told I need to use a different browser to do things. It's 2017, all companies need to do better.

 

OK, rant over, I feel better now :D I hope the cruise goes better than the planning!

 

ML

[ThirstyCruiser]

Finally called RCI. Rep told me "Oh, if you are using Chrome, that's a problem, go use IE". So after I expressed my disbelief (she said "I tell customers this all the time"), I asked if I could give her the info. And she could, and it worked great.

Unbelievable. Often accompanied by the nonsense to clear cookies or your browser's cache. Nonsense that a customer has to do it at all, not that it might work. How come I never have to use a specific browser or clear cookies when buying some $10 piece of junk I don't need from Amazon, but I do when trying to buy a cruise costing thousands from RCI?

 

It makes me feel a little better to assume the monkeys running RCI's website all wear suits. As we all learned from many Super Bowl ads of years past (where were they this year?!), all monkeys working in corporate America wear suits.

[ThirstyCruiser]

In the US on our recent sailings the mini-fridge is no longer stocked unless you request it to be filled. This should help eliminate the mysterious - and erroneous - late charges. RCI will credit those when they occur, but it is a pain to have to chase that down.

Unfortunately, I don't think it will help in the least. These fraudulent charges are not the result of accidentally charging someone for 14 items instead of 13 actually used. The charges are occurring often on sailings where the fridge is empty by design, or at most has 2 bottles water.

 

I wonder if the monkeys coded something into the system that says automatically charge for the 2 bottles unless the attendant specifically records the 2 bottles were not consumed, and nobody told the attendants they have to record explicitly that the 2 bottles were not consumed.

[lucymorgan]

Stream is not the same as Surf - download speeds on Stream can be up to 10x faster than Surf, but, for most users and most apps, you really don't notice that diff.

 

I would use three of the four coupons on sea days (you'll get 25 hours of use from the time your start) and then apply the fourth coupon on day 10 for the remaining days package which should cost you $6 (2x13-20). All four of you can use the same one device login - you just can't login more than one device at a time.

 

Thanks Biker for the suggestion, I lost track of the discussion about whether stream is any different from surf on non-O3B ships (which I assume Voyager is). I think I will buy one surf and stream package and use the diamond coupons as you suggest for partial second access.

[ozbrian]

RESOLVED.

 

I emailed head office yesterday and just received a 20 minute phone call from them. During the call I was asked to resend through the promotion I received.

They checked it thoroughly and apologised for the inconvenience caused. They said they would take the matter up with the person involved.

 

They could not reduce the price in the checkout to match the original offer but instead gave me ‘good will OBC’ for the difference+

 

We already have OBC from the booking we will struggle to use but apparently the good will credit is fully refundable if not used.I just need to ensure they use my normal OBC credit first.