Why are P&O no longer docking in Amsterdam

[arendale1]

I’ve just registered my complaint directly with P&O. Not holding my breath, but even the woman I spoke to had family that felt the same.

This cruise was booked 9 months ago, and sold to me with the great advantage of being able to come and go from the ship in to Amsterdam as we liked. This was a big deal to us due to our personal family circumstances.

We’ll see what the response is, but I don’t intend to be fobbed off.

Edited March 5, 2019 by arendale1

[AlisonB1978]

I’ve still not had a formal response to my complaint from P&O, other than the very apologetic telephone call that resolved nothing. Sent a follow up to P&O and submitted my complaint to ABTA too.  

[BarmyJackArmy]

24 minutes ago, AlisonB1978 said:

I’ve still not had a formal response to my complaint from P&O, other than the very apologetic telephone call that resolved nothing. Sent a follow up to P&O and submitted my complaint to ABTA too.  

Never even had a phone call just a very short E mail telling me we would now be docking at somewhere I'd never heard of instead of Amsterdam .Of course they waited for full payment first , funny that ? When I starting sailing with P and O many years ago at least I felt like a valued customer , not so now,,  this may well be my last year of sailing with them as if they don't hold their hands up on this one what next ? 

[AlisonB1978]

2 minutes ago, BarmyJackArmy said:

Never even had a phone call just a very short E mail telling me we would now be docking at somewhere I'd never heard of instead of Amsterdam .Of course they waited for full payment first , funny that ? When I starting sailing with P and O many years ago at least I felt like a valued customer , not so now,,  this may well be my last year of sailing with them as if they don't hold their hands up on this one what next ? 

The phone call was following my formal

complaint, but they never had the curtesy to provide a response to my complaint, addressing the questions I asked and there was no attempt made to seek any resolution. 

[BarmyJackArmy]

They have 28 days to respond to formal  complaints apparently hple you get some answers I didn't . Ironically I've never booked  a short cruise before always avoided  them as it's a long journey to the port for us so a lot of travelling for a short trip. However we are travelling with  a friend who has never been, and we were really looking forward to spending some time with her and giving her a flavour if the city. This will now be marred as we  can't even hop in a taxi due to affordability of journey's back and forth our new port ,  so no matter which you dress it up we are now at the mercy of shuttle buses. And any seasoned cruisers will know they are far from deal for this kind of commute.

[Harry Peterson]

For anyone interested, I've pasted ABTA's response to the complaint below.  Not altogether surprising, since ABTA exists to support its member companies (who pay for it to exist) - not look after their customers.  They've clearly had a response from P&O showing their viewpoint, and just gone along with it to keep their member happy.

 

Needless to say, I completely reject this 'significant alteration' argument, and I'm very confident that a county court judge will also reject it - what they're doing changes the whole nature of the cruise, and to argue that the change isn't significant is patent nonsense.  So much for ABTA - I think we all now know where they stand if one of their members is the subject of a complaint.

 

Thank you for contacting ABTA. We’re sorry to learn of your complaint against our Member. 

We’ve studied the contents of your complaint carefully, and feel that the company does not appear to have breached our Code of Conduct. Docking 40/45 minutes away would not be regarded as a significant alteration to your booking so compensation would not be due. Should you wish to cancel, this will be in line with their terms and conditions.

Your contract with the company is covered by the booking conditions. These set out the rights and obligations of you both in respect of the booking. 

If you do want to continue with your case, we would strongly recommend that you seek independent advice, for instance from a solicitor, or the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline (Tel: 0345 404 0506), as we cannot advise you on your chance of success. 

We hope that this clarifies the position of ABTA.

Regards
ABTA Customer Support Team

[Harry Peterson]

Deleted (duplicated in error).

Edited March 7, 2019 by docco
Deleted (duplicated in error).

[BarmyJackArmy]

Another cop out from ABTA  I see, why am I surprised ?  .Well I urge people to vote with their feet in future and take their custom elsewhere. Cruising has gained in popularity in the last ten years for sure. But P & O are not as great as they seem to  think they are, and are certainly not the company I first sailed with twenty plus years ago.I know there are better options out there .I  have booked and paid for two cabins  so it may be worth me taking them to a small claims court . I'm sure P&O are  banking on the fact that many people will roll over, play dead,and just suck it up. And many will I'm sure, but personally as a customer I'm sick and tired of being trampled on. 

[Ataraxia]

Perhaps the operational reasons are due to the restrictions on the lock which have been implemented until 2023 - the assumption that the new tax at Amsterdam is the sole reason the port has been changed may be wrong.

[Harry Peterson]

15 minutes ago, Ataraxia said:

Perhaps the operational reasons are due to the restrictions on the lock which have been implemented until 2023 - the assumption that the new tax at Amsterdam is the sole reason the port has been changed may be wrong.

I've seen nothing to support that view - from P&O or from anywhere else.  Nothing in these recent news reports either:

https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/3770/

 

https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/3824/

 

[kruzseeka]

33 minutes ago, Ataraxia said:

Perhaps the operational reasons are due to the restrictions on the lock which have been implemented until 2023 - the assumption that the new tax at Amsterdam is the sole reason the port has been changed may be wrong.

 

Just looked at the Amsterdam cruise schedules for one month.  There are still plenty of ships listed including Celebrity, NCL and others - not P&O or Cunard for example which is what we would expect. However, I'm a bit surprised to see a lot of Holland America ships still scheduled for visits.  As HA are part of Carnival it doesn't look like a blanket Carnival ban which is interesting.  Or am I missing something - perhaps the original Dutch connection?  But if as we suppose the action is dictated by Carnival why is one of their brands breaking ranks?  Perhaps more a cruise-line by cruise-line decision?  

https://www.ptamsterdam.nl/en/cruises-portal#calendar-sea-cruise

Edited March 8, 2019 by kruzseeka

[Pennbank]

20 minutes ago, kruzseeka said:

 

Just looked at the Amsterdam cruise schedules for one month.  There are still plenty of ships listed including Celebrity, NCL and others - not P&O or Cunard for example which is what we would expect. However, I'm a bit surprised to see a lot of Holland America ships still scheduled for visits.  As HA are part of Carnival it doesn't look like a blanket Carnival ban which is interesting.  Or am I missing something - perhaps the original Dutch connection?  But if as we suppose the action is dictated by Carnival why is one of their brands breaking ranks?  Perhaps more a cruise-line by cruise-line decision?  

https://www.ptamsterdam.nl/en/cruises-portal#calendar-sea-cruise

 

I think the reason Holland America still use Amsterdam Cruise Terminal is that the Cruises start and terminate from there, therefore not subject to the extra tax being a Home port.

Edited March 8, 2019 by Pennbank

[kruzseeka]

23 minutes ago, Pennbank said:

 

I think the reason Holland America still use Amsterdam Cruise Terminal is that the Cruises start and terminate from there, therefore not subject to the extra tax being a Home port.

Thanks for that clarification - that makes sense. 

[BarmyJackArmy]

Some very knowledgeable people on here many thanks for your advice, nice to be able to let off a little steam on times..   

[arendale1]

I have had a response from P&O which doesn’t give a specific reason, have quoted below and goes on to say that no compensation will be paid:

 

It is fair to say we are constantly looking for the best travel options for our passengers as we visit more than 200 ports around the world each year, weighing a wide range of factors that include passenger’s enjoyment and experience, tourism options, operations, port fees and other related costs, geopolitical factors and guest safety. The change has been made due to operational reasons with this in mind.

 

 

[Harry Peterson]

5 minutes ago, arendale1 said:

I have had a response from P&O which doesn’t give a specific reason, have quoted below and goes on to say that no compensation will be paid:

 

It is fair to say we are constantly looking for the best travel options for our passengers as we visit more than 200 ports around the world each year, weighing a wide range of factors that include passenger’s enjoyment and experience, tourism options, operations, port fees and other related costs, geopolitical factors and guest safety. The change has been made due to operational reasons with this in mind.

 

 

Same here. No matter how hard you push them, and how high the level within the company, they refuse point blank to explain what the operational reasons are.

 

Dishonest, deceitful, prevaricating, cavalier, untrustworthy...............name your own adjective.

[majortom10]

Another great P&O  con that they do is included in your cruise fare is port fees and taxes for your ports of call but if you do not whatever the reason they do not have to pay the port they have missed due to not stopping there but they do not reimburse passengers the charges they have already paid. We did a cruise on Princess (also Carnival) and missed 2 ports one through ship breaking down and the other port through bad weather. Within 24hrs we had received a letter to our cabins stating they were reimbursing port fees/taxes for the 2 missed ports and large amount of OBC in compensation for missing port through breakdown of ship. When we missed ports on P&O ship I asked at Pursers Desk if we were going to be reimbursed port fees/taxes that we had paid for port we missed and therefore they didnt have to pay. Initially they tried to make out that cruisers didnt pay port fees/taxes as it was paid for by P&O out of the "goodness of their heart" their words not mine and after many arguments they admitted that port fees/taxes are paid for within cruise fare but they never reimburse them. So in effect it went straight into P&O coffers as profit which for 3000 people is no small amount. But that is the difference between P&O and Princess for customer service..

[Harry Peterson]

15 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

Another great P&O  con that they do is included in your cruise fare is port fees and taxes for your ports of call but if you do not whatever the reason they do not have to pay the port they have missed due to not stopping there but they do not reimburse passengers the charges they have already paid. We did a cruise on Princess (also Carnival) and missed 2 ports one through ship breaking down and the other port through bad weather. Within 24hrs we had received a letter to our cabins stating they were reimbursing port fees/taxes for the 2 missed ports and large amount of OBC in compensation for missing port through breakdown of ship. When we missed ports on P&O ship I asked at Pursers Desk if we were going to be reimbursed port fees/taxes that we had paid for port we missed and therefore they didnt have to pay. Initially they tried to make out that cruisers didnt pay port fees/taxes as it was paid for by P&O out of the "goodness of their heart" their words not mine and after many arguments they admitted that port fees/taxes are paid for within cruise fare but they never reimburse them. So in effect it went straight into P&O coffers as profit which for 3000 people is no small amount. But that is the difference between P&O and Princess for customer service..

Almost as if the British people who are the main customers of P&O are seen as a pushover, isn't it?  🙂

 

P&O know their customer base very well indeed - older, more accepting, Daily Express/Mail (or even worse) reading customers who are quite possibly also being ripped off by their banks and insurance companies as a captive audience unwilling or unable to tackle them where it hurts.

 

Not all, by any means, of course - but probably a good majority.

[daiB]

12 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

Another great P&O  con that they do is included in your cruise fare is port fees and taxes for your ports of call but if you do not whatever the reason they do not have to pay the port they have missed due to not stopping there but they do not reimburse passengers the charges they have already paid. We did a cruise on Princess (also Carnival) and missed 2 ports one through ship breaking down and the other port through bad weather. Within 24hrs we had received a letter to our cabins stating they were reimbursing port fees/taxes for the 2 missed ports and large amount of OBC in compensation for missing port through breakdown of ship. When we missed ports on P&O ship I asked at Pursers Desk if we were going to be reimbursed port fees/taxes that we had paid for port we missed and therefore they didnt have to pay. Initially they tried to make out that cruisers didnt pay port fees/taxes as it was paid for by P&O out of the "goodness of their heart" their words not mine and after many arguments they admitted that port fees/taxes are paid for within cruise fare but they never reimburse them. So in effect it went straight into P&O coffers as profit which for 3000 people is no small amount. But that is the difference between P&O and Princess for customer service..

As has been pointed out before, the difference between U.K. and U.S. law. It’s the same with trying to claim money when there is a price fall. In the U.S. they have to pay you the difference if it is before 90 days until your cruise. I found that out not long after our first cruise. One of the reasons why there is a price differential between prices on the same cruise depending on where you live. Comes up frequently on Princess CC boards.

[daiB]

7 minutes ago, docco said:

Almost as if the British people who are the main customers of P&O are seen as a pushover, isn't it?  🙂

 

P&O know their customer base very well indeed - older, more accepting, Daily Express/Mail (or even worse) reading customers who are quite possibly also being ripped off by their banks and insurance companies as a captive audience unwilling or unable to tackle them where it hurts.

 

Not all, by any means, of course - but probably a good majority.

No it’s US law which makes them pay the money back.

[Harry Peterson]

1 hour ago, daiB said:

No it’s US law which makes them pay the money back.

You may be right - I have no knowledge whatever of US law. 

 

But American consumers, by and large, are treated with a good deal more respect by companies than UK consumers - the recent Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal being just one example.  These forums suggest that the same applies to cruise companies.

 

What is very clear, though, is that P&O have no respect whatever for their customers, and always assume they can trample all over them.

[daiB]

4 minutes ago, docco said:

You may be right - I have no knowledge whatever of US law. 

 

But American consumers, by and large, are treated with a good deal more respect by companies than UK consumers - the recent Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal being just one example.  These forums suggest that the same applies to cruise companies.

 

What is very clear, though, is that P&O have no respect whatever for their customers, and always assume they can trample all over them.

No the difference is US law.

 

i thought you were good on the law?

[Harry Peterson]

54 minutes ago, daiB said:

No the difference is US law.

 

i thought you were good on the law?

Only English law - no knowledge whatever, apart from mere hearsay, of US law.  Completely different system, as is Scottish law.

[mercury7289]

Another good laugh!

[BarmyJackArmy]

I don't fit in to the typical P & O cruiser for sure  ( Lemmings R Us )  I just really enjoy cruising .Though do prefer Princess and Celebrity these days as do feel like a valued customer when I cruise with them and if I have had cause to complain which is rare  it's been dealt with effectively and politely .P&O reception staff however have tried to belittle me on several occasions when I have tried to point out errors, or complain about bad service. And have you seen the look on their faces if you dare to ask to remove the tipping charge. You'd swear I'd committed a criminal offence. !! It's taken them this long to come around to the idea of drinks package , whatever next ??? Cabin fridges that actually you keep your drinks cold??? Perish the thought ! Anyway rant over I too have had the same standard response from P & O with  absolutely no reasonable explanation, and do I really want to know they visit 200 ports ?? Well 201 now with the alternative Amsterdam stop .

 

Edited March 8, 2019 by BarmyJackArmy