NCL Custermer Service is Horrible

[Giantfan13]

We booked a cruise about 3 weeks ago, leaving this Friday Jan 5th on the Breakaway. We booked a guaranteed inside cabin at their 'sail away' rate and we got a cabin basically the next day. We also received an email saying we could bid for an upgrade which we tried to do. We did book this with an internet travel agent. I tried to bid for over a week, but it would accept it. I finally called NCL and they told me I was $50 short on the money, that was paid so that's why my bids were accepted. So I called my travel agent and it was straightened out but the fault being with NCL. During this time, as per our roil call, several others had booked the cruise and bid for upgrades that were accepted. When I was finally able to bid, the ship is sold out.

I called NCL, explained that because of their error, it prevented me from bidding and when I was able to bid, I was basically shut out. I asked if there was anything they could do to make up for their error. Once I got to the supervisor in charge of such things, she was abrupt, rude and for sure, not very understanding. I wasn't asking for anything really, just something to show that NCL cared if they screwed up, but obviously, they do not care and the woman basically hung up on me while I was still trying to make my point.

We have cruised many other cruise lines and I have found that if, or when, they do screw up, they, at least, try and make the customer a bit happier. This is my first cruise on NCL in about 10 years and probably my last also.

I am not upset that I did not get anything because NCL screwed up, but I am upset at the way I was spoken t o and the way I was treated by a supervisor. I ran a business for 35 years and if I talked to my customers that way, I would have been out of business after 10 years.

In 20 years of cruising I have never written a thread about a bad experience with a cruise line until now. Happy New year NCL customers

Cheers

Len

[DMH15]

First, your story is a little difficult to follow. Are you saying that you still owed $50 on your initial cabin? And that was the problem?

 

If you were doing a bid it would go through your travel agent who owns your booking. Any mistake or problem that kept your bid from being considered is not NCL's fault but your travel agent's.

 

Now after the bidding is complete you want them to re-open the process for you?

 

If I have understood you incorrectly please elaborate.

 

 

 

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[gmbhardy]

What exactly were you expecting from NCL to resolve your issue?

[xriva]

If I got a complaint like this, I’d try not to be rude, but I would be very confused. You say you tried to bid for a week, but it was accepted. I assume you mean rejected. You called NCL (not your travel agent) and you were $50 short. On what?

 

It sounds like your travel agent hadn’t paid the full fare so that’s why your bids were rejected. So, get a better travel agent. That’s not NCL’s issue. If you weren’t paid up, that’s not their fault.

 

 

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[deliver42]

Your TA was responsible for sending the correct final payment.You also should have gotten a final statement showing the payment, and a zero balance. If you didn't get that, and you didn't ask for it, then the onus is on you.

[casofilia]

If you used a TA I am surprised that NCL would even discus anything regarding the actual booking with you. I think the problem is with your TA.

[Shayhooper]

I'm confused. You were $50 short on your final payment or you were $50 short on the bid?

 

At the end of the day, you are getting exactly what you paid for. What is there to compensate you for? Even if you had bid the maximum amount allowed there is no guarantee that you would have gotten an upgrade.

[Giantfan13]

OK

Maybe I did not make myself clear. I used a travel agent and paid the full amount I was asked to pay.to the travel agent. I then tried to bid on the upgrade, for an entire week, and it kept telling me there was a problem, try again later. After a week I called NCL and was told that the amount I paid was $50 short and that's why my bid wasn't accepted. I paid the additional money to NCL to be able to bid. I then called my TA and told them the story and they immediately said NCL was wrong to even charge me anything. The error was on NCL's part and I did pay originally, what was the correct price. I was then refunded the $50 from NCL.

My problem was, by the time this was straightened out and I was allowed to bid, the ship had been sold pout, so whatever I did bid was useless, there were no more upgrades available. I called NCL again, because the error which prevented me from bidding, was a mistake on their part, and all I asked was if they could compensate me IN ANY WAY. I did not ask for anything specifically.

As I said originally, I wasn't expecting anything, but I felt the need to just get that off my chest. What I did not expect was to be talked to in a manner like I was, rudely et al.. The whys and the how's are just that, the whys and how's. What I was writing about was NOT that they didn't see things my way, but the way I was disrespected on the phone by an agent of NCL.

I hope that clears some things up.

Cheers

Len

[jlowe420]

That sucks i know i would be a bit upset. I’d only say that bidding is never a sure thing and if it’s going to disappoint you to miss out it’s better to just get what you want up front.

 

I love the haven but the GF doesn’t find it necessary. We could get a lower room and hope for a winning bid and save a few bucks but since i know I’d be disappointed without it we just buy it up front. Yes it’s more expensive but i know I’m in the room I’ll like the most.

 

I am sure though you will have a wonderful cruise so enjoy and try not to let it ruin a great vacation!

 

 

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[hftmrock]

OK

I then called my TA and told them the story and they immediately said NCL was wrong to even charge me anything. The error was on NCL's part and I did pay originally, what was the correct price. I was then refunded the $50 from NCL.

 

 

your TA said it was NCL's fault? you paid the TA in full... I will tell you there is a 99% chance it was your TA who made the mistake. You got the $50 refund after the TA fixed it without your knowledge.

 

I highly doubt it was NCL's fault.

[mking8288]

Sorry, I will take your version of the bidding story at face value as is. But still find it nearly impossible to believe that anyone at NCL will tell us ... trying to submit a bid, with the given terms & conditions, of being short at $50 to score something better under the "Upgrade Advantage" to increase whatever the amount by another $50 ?? - was that per person or for the cabin. As you booked via a T/A - I am sure others, not just me, find it unusual that NCL would even speak with you directly on the payment errors ... whatever.

 

Curious if you care to share, was your bid in the poor or fair range, how far below or above - was there a minimum amount on the scale ?

 

Did you get an email confirmation with your initial bid offer? If your upgrade was accepted, status would've changed to "processing" and if there was an error or your credit card issuer did not approve the payment, there should've been some digital or electronic trails left behind ... no ?? Was your bid then rejected or simply expired at the 48 hours mark today ??

 

As others noted, even if you bid a much higher amount - there is no guarantee that it would be accepted and/or that any available stateroom remained in the higher category(s).

[SeaShark]

A) Why did you keep trying to bid for a week without inquiring?

 

B) Why did you call NCL instead of calling your Travel Agent? (who is paid by you to work on your behalf)

 

C) Why would you give someone at NCL money when you KNEW you had already paid the Travel Agent?

 

D) Why wasn't your response to the request for money "I'm sorry, but I disagree...I have paid. I will have my Travel Agent get in touch with you to straighten this out."?

 

E) Do you think it is odd that the ONLY time customer service is "rude" is when people are getting an answer that they don't like and/or want to hear?

 

F) Being that NCL was "rude", why not just deal with your Travel Agent? (Who is not "rude")

 

 

FWIW...Once the final payment date passes, NCL (and every other cruise line out there) is not going to allow a booking to exist for very long....and certainly NOT a week or more...where money is owed. Unpaid reservations are simply CANCELLED. Since this was a TA-initiated reservation, NCL would have contacted the TA with a demand for the missing funds immediately. So if the system somehow showed that you owed money, why wasn't this taken care of by the TA?

[xriva]

Technically, if you were $50 short inside final payment, NCL could have canceled your cruise, so perhaps you should thank them.

 

 

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[uneamie]

Well...if your cruise leaves on the 5th you better leave now because there's a blizzard headed there tomorrow. A rejected upgrade may not be your biggest concern at this point. Just saying. Hope you make it and have a wonderful cruise. We are boarding the day you come back.

[LMaxwell]

I wasn't asking for anything really, just something to show that NCL cared if they screwed up, but obviously, they do not care and the woman basically hung up on me while I was still trying to make my point.

 

 

Seems like you were asking for something, but you didn't know what, and kept wanting them to do "something".

 

I too have dealt with a lot of people in business and those that propose a reasonable resolution often get it, or some sort of compromise. Those with either unrealistic demands, OR, this is the worst, absolutely no specifics whatsoever, tend to get nothing and walk away bitter.

 

Had you said I think for the aggravation a bottle of wine, or a comp dinner, or $50 OBC, etc. at least you have a starting point to negotiate from. But when a customer says "Just do something, anything" and gives no indication of what would make them happy...

 

What is it that would have made you happy?

 

And if you booked the cruise with about 4 weeks total lead time and you were getting an error trying to do something; why waste 30% of your time before reaching out to your agent? I get an error twice in five minutes and I call, I don't wait a week and especially not when I have 2 or 3 weeks until sailing.

[MsTanyaNYC]

Damn you guys are tough In these threads but OP I understand why you were frustrated. I would be upset too if I was not able to bid due to an error. There are no guarantees but the opportunity would been nice. Sorry that happened to you.

 

 

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[BirdTravels]

Damn you guys are tough In these threads but OP I understand why you were frustrated. I would be upset too if I was not able to bid due to an error. There are no guarantees but the opportunity would been nice. Sorry that happened to you.

The OP decided to book through a low-bid internet travel agent who failed to make the proper payment to NCL (can you say, they pocketed the money). Then the OP wants NCL to compensate them for the travel agent's mistake. If the OP really wanted something, they should be going after the Travel Agent and trying to get some OBC or other compensation.

 

There was a time when you were not eligible to bid if you booked a guarantee room like the OP. And maybe the $50 was to move from a guarantee to a confirmed booking????

[Cyclops32]

I think many are missing the OP's point. He is complaining about how NCL talked to him. I agree with some above in that I wouldn't complain at all to NCL about the issue but because he called and did talk to NCL we all don't know the tone of the NCL rep or everything that was said between the two. The OP did say they just wanted to vent

 

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[Two Wheels Only]

I think that some (especially those on CC) read about bid success stories and expect to not only be able to bid but to also score a great deal. Neither is guaranteed.

 

From what I read, the OP is feeling "...it prevented me from bidding and when I was able to bid, I was basically shut out..." as if being able to bid and win is the expectation.

In the end, the OP is getting what they booked. Can't really complain about getting exactly what you asked for and paying exactly (eventually) what you agreed to pay. Since a guaranteed stateroom was booked, the OP was willing to "roll the dice" from the beginning. The OP crapped out. :(

[Keith1010]

Very sorry to hear about your experience.

 

Keith

[Budget Queen]

You are never going to find out the - Facts_ of what happened, and assumptions of "fact" is being made. I too, will speculate the problem source is the TA.

 

The OP booked a guarantee cabin= they are getting exactly what they paid for.

 

Then the claim, "I'm not asking for anything" but the big deal they are making because they are looking for something to be given to them. ??

[Casino Comp Chick]

OK

Maybe I did not make myself clear. . I called NCL again, because the error which prevented me from bidding, was a mistake on their part, and all I asked was if they could compensate me IN ANY WAY. I did not ask for anything specifically.

As I said originally, I wasn't expecting anything,

Cheers

Len

 

Yes very clear, you called NCL back again expecting something they refused to offer and you are upset by that. I don’t think it has anything to do with being rude, I just think you didn’t like that answer.

[newmexicoNita]

OP, whether or not you were shut out from bidding means little as you have no idea how high you would have had to bid in order to get the upgrade anyway. NCL never reveals how much ended up being enough. The company being rude is not acceptable. I can understand that. Of course we have no idea how you approached them either. If you were pleasant most likely they would have been as well; maybe not. Only you and NCL knows how you acted. The point is: you originally booked an inside cabin at a good rate, you decided to pay a little extra and maybe get lucky and you didn't win the lottery. We did the same thing on our last cruise; booked outside, hoped to get balcony: it didn't work. Now we know if we really want a certain type of cabin we better be willing from the beginning to pay the price. Now, just go and enjoy your cruise, forget about your disappointment. You came on here, you vented, now forget it. Life is too short to let things you can't change ruin the day for you. BTW, the $50 situation was the fault of the TA I bet.

[Julma]

Seems like you were asking for something, but you didn't know what, and kept wanting them to do "something".

 

I too have dealt with a lot of people in business and those that propose a reasonable resolution often get it, or some sort of compromise. Those with either unrealistic demands, OR, this is the worst, absolutely no specifics whatsoever, tend to get nothing and walk away bitter.

 

Had you said I think for the aggravation a bottle of wine, or a comp dinner, or $50 OBC, etc. at least you have a starting point to negotiate from. But when a customer says "Just do something, anything" and gives no indication of what would make them happy...

 

What is it that would have made you happy?

 

And if you booked the cruise with about 4 weeks total lead time and you were getting an error trying to do something; why waste 30% of your time before reaching out to your agent? I get an error twice in five minutes and I call, I don't wait a week and especially not when I have 2 or 3 weeks until sailing.

 

This post has excellent points. We were one of three couples who cruised with NCL in Sept. Booking through NCL, each couple was given different information about perks. I had each couple get info they were given in a form of an email, still different. Sent emails off to someone (I had done my homework as to who could actually benefit from the info) at NCL and received a call back with a day. The perks we were to receive were made clear and we were offered 3 free specialty dinners each for all six of us. I thought that was above and beyond. My email was clear that we were sailing with a couple who had never cruised and one who had never cruised NCL and this caused stress and confusion which wasn't the best first impression. NCL seemed very appreciative that I brought it to their attention.

[sloperate]

Please "spell check" in the future! Your complaints might be taken more seriously.