What a ROYAL PAIN!!

[taylor1293]

Short summary of my booking:

 

I booked a cruise in April of 2017 for March of 2019 on the Allure. I paid this cruise off in September of 2018. In November, I noticed the price went down, so I called...and received OBC. On my statement, I noticed that my OBC was only for $1 (should have been $259). So on December 15, I called back and had them send me a letter stating the correct OBC (which they did) and they again sent me my invoice which showed I had a zero balance.

 

Fast forward to checking in.

 

I had completed my online check-in, but was unable to access my Set Sail pass. I thought it was a glitch (no biggie) so about a month went by and I noticed it still said "pending".

 

On Feb 2 I called Royal, the man I spoke to said it was because my online check-in wasn't complete...but he would fix it. Oh ok...I thought it was complete...but great...thanks dude for your help! He tells me to check again in a couple of days.

 

On Feb 6, I check and it still says pending. I speak to someone who tells me that he can see that it's complete but I just won't be able to access it. He tells me that it's fine though I can get my luggage tags and Set Sail pass at the port. 

 

On Feb 10, I call again. This representative tells me that he will contact resolutions (and he is on the phone with them while he is on the phone with me.). He tells me that someone will call me back that day. Of course, no call ever calls. Also on this day, I receive an invoice from Royal saying I owe OVER $800!!

 

Today, I call again and I speak to a rep who has me on hold for a while, only to disconnect me after 12 minutes. He never calls back.

 

I call back and speak to yet another person. He has me on hold most of the time (understandable and I appreciate that he is trying to help). However, he comes back and tells me the reason I owe over $800 is because when I called for the lower rate (in November), I was given the choice of a higher rate and some OBC. Uhm...in what world does that make sense? "Hey Royal...I'm calling so that I can pay you hundreds more just for the fun of it." I make clear that I have my invoices. This call lasts over 30 minutes and while I am on hold...you guessed it...I'm again disconnected. He never called back.

 

So I just checked my email..and I have a new invoice with the correct balance due of zero. And the $1 showing for the OBC. Which I am going to have to call about (again) to make sure that wasn't messed up during this whole ordeal.

 

I just checked my Set Sail pass and I can finally see it...but my luggage tags are "pending". 

 

This is only my second cruise with Royal. Do they often conduct business so poorly?

 

Anyway...moral of the story - always check those invoices and keep them handy!

 

[Gatordad815]

While I think they do a lot of things great & I’ve enjoyed our 2 cruises with them tremendously, in my limited experience with them there is definitely room to improve the pre-cruise phone service. There is WIDE variation in the knowledge/skill of the person on the other end of the phone, the answers you will receive, and the overall experience.

 

I’ve had the same “disconnect” issue happen enough times when I’m working through a difficult issue with them that I’m convinced it’s no accident. That said, once you finally do get a supervisor or someone who actually has the knowledge, authority, skills and desire to help resolve your issue, that person is typically very good and clear at communicating what they’re doing and why. Those people are sometimes very difficult to get to when you’re experiencing a problem, but they do exist so all hope isn’t lost.  

 

Good luck resolving your issue and have a great cruise!

[Cel_cruise]

Oh my - Royal Pain is right! Have you escalated this to any of the usual suspects recommended on cruise critic yet? I think for the amount of time you have been on the phone you should!


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[mattb31]

I think the original person who re-booked you really messed up. Usually when you re-book at a lower price (at least in my experience) you lose any incentives that came with the original fare. On the contrary if you book with no OBC and there then is an OBC sale, you can get the OBC, but you will be booked at the new price.

 

Sounds like you just got a person on the phone who had no idea what they were doing and screwed everything up.

[beerme1]

Not to be snarky by any means so please don't take it that way. I will only book a cruise using a T/A

Kind of the opposite of my feelings about using Expedia. I will never book a trip of any sort utilizing them for anything other than a car rental. Due to past experiences.The T/A can and has managed to keep us right with RC over a few cruises.

 

[suesnake2002]

I try not to book directly with rccl, using a TA. But i recieved a great offer from mlife. When i called and booked thru casino I asked can I transfer to my TA. And Carol told me oh yes, no problem. So I contacted TA, and transferred my booking to him. Sending him my original invoice, with price i was given, prepaid gratuities, and insurence. 

Welllll we are on day two of him trying to get that exact price. 

First they just upped the price, then they changed the amount of the cost of ins. to up the price. Ugh

[goneclear]

Another vote for using a Travel agent. One call, no wasting time holding on the phone.

Any situation arises, just pass it on to them. Sit back and relax while it gets resolved.

 

[packedandready]

I've read that contacting RCI through 'a certain social media page' (didn't know if I could say it) gets prompt attention. Good Luck

[maranelloboy05]

I've been dealing with a similar issue but with a future cruise credit. I've now spent over 2 hours on the phone with them and just now got the issue rectified. I have no doubt the cruise itself will be fantastic, however based on the stress of trying to sort out issues that are on their end which has lots of my money tied up doesn't make me very happy and honestly doesn't really make me want to go through this process again.

[junglecat]

I've not had any major issues but I feel any phone conversations with them for anything has been very lacking and not warm and fuzzy.  It always seems to feel like a run around.  I don't think I've ever hung up and felt reassured I got the right answers.  I hope you get this resolved and have a wonderful cruise.  

[ONECRUISER]

So sorry happening to you. Wont help now, but always keep all invoices, if don't get them request them every time a Change is made. Keep on them, Good Luck!

[taylor1293]

On 2/12/2019 at 9:14 PM, Gatordad815 said:

While I think they do a lot of things great & I’ve enjoyed our 2 cruises with them tremendously, in my limited experience with them there is definitely room to improve the pre-cruise phone service. There is WIDE variation in the knowledge/skill of the person on the other end of the phone, the answers you will receive, and the overall experience.

 

I’ve had the same “disconnect” issue happen enough times when I’m working through a difficult issue with them that I’m convinced it’s no accident. That said, once you finally do get a supervisor or someone who actually has the knowledge, authority, skills and desire to help resolve your issue, that person is typically very good and clear at communicating what they’re doing and why. Those people are sometimes very difficult to get to when you’re experiencing a problem, but they do exist so all hope isn’t lost.  

 

Good luck resolving your issue and have a great cruise!

I felt the same about the disconnect. I don't feel like it was an accident. I called Royal again this evening and everything is fixed. Looking forward to our cruise.

 

 

On 2/12/2019 at 9:34 PM, Cel_cruise said:

Oh my - Royal Pain is right! Have you escalated this to any of the usual suspects recommended on cruise critic yet? I think for the amount of time you have been on the phone you should!


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Everything has been fixed. My balance is back to zero and my OBC is still there. I called today to confirm!

 

 

 

On 2/12/2019 at 10:33 PM, mattb31 said:

I think the original person who re-booked you really messed up. Usually when you re-book at a lower price (at least in my experience) you lose any incentives that came with the original fare. On the contrary if you book with no OBC and there then is an OBC sale, you can get the OBC, but you will be booked at the new price.

 

Sounds like you just got a person on the phone who had no idea what they were doing and screwed everything up.

I think you are right. What is weird is that the new invoice didn't come for a couple of months after that change. Maybe it was combo glitch and inexperience. All is fixed now though :).

[taylor1293]

On 2/12/2019 at 11:50 PM, beerme1 said:

Not to be snarky by any means so please don't take it that way. I will only book a cruise using a T/A

Kind of the opposite of my feelings about using Expedia. I will never book a trip of any sort utilizing them for anything other than a car rental. Due to past experiences.The T/A can and has managed to keep us right with RC over a few cruises.

 

I don't think your post is snarky at all. I agree a TA would have saved me the time and frustration of dealing with this on my own. Unfortunately, it's hard for me to let go of that control. lol

 

 

On 2/13/2019 at 7:14 AM, suesnake2002 said:

I try not to book directly with rccl, using a TA. But i recieved a great offer from mlife. When i called and booked thru casino I asked can I transfer to my TA. And Carol told me oh yes, no problem. So I contacted TA, and transferred my booking to him. Sending him my original invoice, with price i was given, prepaid gratuities, and insurence. 

Welllll we are on day two of him trying to get that exact price. 

First they just upped the price, then they changed the amount of the cost of ins. to up the price. Ugh

How frustrating! I hope it all gets fixed for you.

 

 

On 2/13/2019 at 7:27 AM, goneclear said:

Another vote for using a Travel agent. One call, no wasting time holding on the phone.

Any situation arises, just pass it on to them. Sit back and relax while it gets resolved.

 

Agree that a TA saves you time and frustration!

 

 

[taylor1293]

On 2/13/2019 at 9:25 AM, packedandready said:

I've read that contacting RCI through 'a certain social media page' (didn't know if I could say it) gets prompt attention. Good Luck

I've heard the same. Fortunately, it has all been fixed and we are good to go!

 

 

On 2/13/2019 at 9:49 AM, maranelloboy05 said:

I've been dealing with a similar issue but with a future cruise credit. I've now spent over 2 hours on the phone with them and just now got the issue rectified. I have no doubt the cruise itself will be fantastic, however based on the stress of trying to sort out issues that are on their end which has lots of my money tied up doesn't make me very happy and honestly doesn't really make me want to go through this process again.

Sorry to hear you are having a similar issue. It's so aggravating! I feel the same. This will be our 17th cruise, but only 2nd with Royal and it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. If it were just one untrained employee, it wouldn't be such a big deal. But it was several that made this situation as frustrating as it was.  Hope you were able to get your problem fixed.

[taylor1293]

On 2/13/2019 at 11:12 AM, junglecat said:

I've not had any major issues but I feel any phone conversations with them for anything has been very lacking and not warm and fuzzy.  It always seems to feel like a run around.  I don't think I've ever hung up and felt reassured I got the right answers.  I hope you get this resolved and have a wonderful cruise.  

Yes, their customer service leaves something to be desired :). Thanks, it's all been resolved and we are good to go.

 

 

On 2/13/2019 at 11:21 AM, ONECRUISER said:

So sorry happening to you. Wont help now, but always keep all invoices, if don't get them request them every time a Change is made. Keep on them, Good Luck!

Thanks, I think that me having the November and December invoices that showed I was paid-in-full is what put a stop to all the "You called back and requested a higher rate" nonsense. Because he was pretty set on telling me that he was reading the notes from November and that it said I called and requested a higher rate. Which was a complete fabrication on his part. It's all fixed now, thankfully.

 

 

[pcur]

Another reason I love my Big Box TA:  they are dogged about getting the correct information from RCCL, AND getting a new invoice every time.  

 

My guess is the obc will show up on the second day of the cruise, but not on the invoice.

[taylor1293]

2 minutes ago, pcur said:

Another reason I love my Big Box TA:  they are dogged about getting the correct information from RCCL, AND getting a new invoice every time.  

 

My guess is the obc will show up on the second day of the cruise, but not on the invoice.

 

I had them send me a letter of confirmation regarding the OBC because it only shows as $1 on the invoice.

[pcur]

2 minutes ago, taylor1293 said:

 

I had them send me a letter of confirmation regarding the OBC because it only shows as $1 on the invoice.

Good! 

 

Next cruise think seriously about using a TA, as they are trained to deal with the RCCL CSR's.  I found out mine are not allowed to leave the call with their customer (that would be me) until they have satisfactorily handled the problem.  

 

I was on the phone a few weeks ago for a price drop on a booked cruise.  The final payment date was several days in the future, but I had paid the cruise off.  There was a price drop and obc involved.  It took him 1.5 hours on the phone to get the refundable deposit cruise changed to a non-refundable, lower price, plus obc, and keep the same cabin.  I made and ate lunch while I waited for him.

 

I asked him to pleeeeeease tell me he wasn't working on commission, and he said no way, and that he actually LIKES  the sticky problems to work on:  makes his shift go faster.  My kind of Customer Service!

[ONECRUISER]

26 minutes ago, taylor1293 said:

Yes, their customer service leaves something to be desired :). Thanks, it's all been resolved and we are good to go.

 

 

Thanks, I think that me having the November and December invoices that showed I was paid-in-full is what put a stop to all the "You called back and requested a higher rate" nonsense. Because he was pretty set on telling me that he was reading the notes from November and that it said I called and requested a higher rate. Which was a complete fabrication on his part. It's all fixed now, thankfully.

 

 

Thanks for follow-up, happy you got it, them, straightened out

[taylor1293]

1 hour ago, pcur said:

Good! 

 

Next cruise think seriously about using a TA, as they are trained to deal with the RCCL CSR's.  I found out mine are not allowed to leave the call with their customer (that would be me) until they have satisfactorily handled the problem.  

 

I was on the phone a few weeks ago for a price drop on a booked cruise.  The final payment date was several days in the future, but I had paid the cruise off.  There was a price drop and obc involved.  It took him 1.5 hours on the phone to get the refundable deposit cruise changed to a non-refundable, lower price, plus obc, and keep the same cabin.  I made and ate lunch while I waited for him.

 

I asked him to pleeeeeease tell me he wasn't working on commission, and he said no way, and that he actually LIKES  the sticky problems to work on:  makes his shift go faster.  My kind of Customer Service!

 

That’s definitely great customer service! 

 

[taylor1293]

1 hour ago, ONECRUISER said:

Thanks for follow-up, happy you got it, them, straightened out

 

Thanks, me too! 

[vacationlover_mn]

On 2/13/2019 at 10:12 AM, junglecat said:

I've not had any major issues but I feel any phone conversations with them for anything has been very lacking and not warm and fuzzy.  It always seems to feel like a run around.  I don't think I've ever hung up and felt reassured I got the right answers.  I hope you get this resolved and have a wonderful cruise.  

I’ve had the best luck calling between 1 & 3pm central...  polite, helpful people.  When I’ve called at different times, it’s a different story...