P&Owe

[ONT-CA]

Our return to the Azura in January for a second Caribbean cruise aboard P&O was in a Handicap cabin on D deck.  Very spacious, accommodating the wheelchair and most comfortable. Good size balcony.  Towards the end of the cruise there was a plumbing disaster with a water line rupturing and flooding the adjacent cabin.  The water seeped into our cabin where we discovered it in the morning when rising, standing in puddles of saturated carpet. Vacuum machinery was applied during most of the day leading us to evacuate the space.  When we returned they had changed the machinery to fans and dehumidifiers and unfortunately, as we entered we were hit with the odour, no, stench of nicotine.  The carpets were giving up the years of saturated imbedded tobacco smoke (sanctioned or otherwise) and as asthmatics we asked to be moved.  We had to forgo formal night although had a sound night's sleep in a cabin on the top deck. When returning to our original cabin the following day, the foul odour was all but gone.  

 

A member of staff approached us and broached the subject of compensation.  It was our contention that as one of our cruise days was lost, the value of one night's stay based on our cruise cost would be fair.  What was offered was substantially less and applicable only to a future cruise.  Unsatisfied, we decided to deal with the matter with P&O's head office on our return home.  At that time we noted that formal attire had absorbed the nasty odour which necessitated dry cleaned.  Regardless, P&O stuck to their original offer but did say they would now make it a cash transaction.  With no other vindication available, we accepted the amount and asked that it be sent to a named charitable organization in the UK in our names.  This request was refused and we were told that the stated amount would be transferred within 72 hours.  The past three week has seen no resolution nor warranted response to our repeated request.

[majortom10]

Welcome to P&O Customer Services they are useless at best.

[Britboys]

I would say welcome to UK Customer Services.  Marella and CMV are both pretty useless and many non-cruise Customer Service teams in the UK and pretty useless too.

 

Sorry to hear about your experience whilst on your cruise.

[Harry Peterson]

Some companies provide excellent customer service (even in the UK) but some don't - P&O is one that rarely does, and you have to fight them every step of the way.

 

They have a certain age and customer profile which tends to be very accepting and very unlikely to complain effectively - and they exploit that.  Probably something to do with the now outdated notion in the UK that 'we don't complain'.

 

Those days are fast disappearing, and at some point P&O will have to wake up to the fact that bad customer service like this will actually cost them customers and money.  Then they'll change.

 

 

[mercury7289]

docco

 

I think you would be surprised how many people in this category do complain, they just do it quietly and privately, and probably get a better resolution by doing so!

 

 

[Harry Peterson]

3 minutes ago, mercury7289 said:

docco

 

I think you would be surprised how many people in this category do complain, they just do it quietly and privately, and probably get a better resolution by doing so!

 

 

I would be surprised, because the evidence suggests otherwise.  Some people will certainly be taking them on, and winning, quite possibly with NDAs, but the typical P&O customer just moans about it and does nothing.

[daiB]

16 minutes ago, mercury7289 said:

docco

 

I think you would be surprised how many people in this category do complain, they just do it quietly and privately, and probably get a better resolution by doing so!

 

 

Exactly.

[Bennybluehat]

26 minutes ago, mercury7289 said:

docco

 

I think you would be surprised how many people in this category do complain, they just do it quietly and privately, and probably get a better resolution by doing so!

 

 

Absolutely correct. I work closely with customer services and those who are amicable, pacient and respectful do get better results than those who scream the loudest and cause the biggest fuss. I can catogorically say that people in the UK do complain but it’s how they go about it that causes the issues and believe me some of the complaints received are trivial to say the least. Companies must deal with genuine issues and should respond accordingly but I’m afraid lots of people cause much ado about nothing expecting to be given vast amounts of compensation. The few spoil it for the many.

[terrierjohn]

35 minutes ago, docco said:

I would be surprised, because the evidence suggests otherwise.  Some people will certainly be taking them on, and winning, quite possibly with NDAs, but the typical P&O customer just moans about it and does nothing.

I generally agree with you Docco especially their belief that their way of doing things, like emdbarkation and disembarkation procedures are beneficial to passengers and not just P&O, however for individual CS complaints I think it is much better to go direct and to be discreet.

[Harry Peterson]

Are we suggesting, then, that the OP has been fairly treated?  Or that he's acted in any way unreasonably?

[daiB]

55 minutes ago, docco said:

Are we suggesting, then, that the OP has been fairly treated?  Or that he's acted in any way unreasonably?

Who said that?

[Guest ccpm]

No-one said that the OP was  fairly treated. The comments re discreet was on the process in general not this issue in particular

[Harry Peterson]

28 minutes ago, ccpm said:

No-one said that the OP was  fairly treated. The comments re discreet was on the process in general not this issue in particular

So being discreet, quiet, amicable and pleasant hasn’t helped much then, has it?

[Guest ccpm]

Can'r comment don't know the exact circumstances of the OP.  My comment was on 2 elements of discussion on this thread not on specifics. I did not give my opinion as to a best way forward or on the outcome in this case.  

[Bennybluehat]

We had quite a serious issue with P & O which was dealt with swiftly and had an outcome that was satisfactory. We could have pressed to try and get more from them but a large financial settlement wouldn’t have solved this particular problem. I found their customer service adequate, not brilliant but not rubbish either.  It certainly hasn’t put me off using P&O in future. I’m not commenting on the specific case of the original thread but I think the likes of a P&O will have many customers who will never be satisfied with the outcome of a complaint whatever it might be.

[stocktonmackem]

I have had cause to contact P and O and each time they have dealt with the matter quickly and satisfactorily. The weren't really complaints as such just points about how they could do thing differently for disabled guests. As someone who deals with customer service I just pointed things out and didn't scream and shout. I find in my job the nicer you are the more you get from me.

[Britboys]

1 hour ago, stocktonmackem said:

I have had cause to contact P and O and each time they have dealt with the matter quickly and satisfactorily. The weren't really complaints as such just points about how they could do thing differently for disabled guests. As someone who deals with customer service I just pointed things out and didn't scream and shout. I find in my job the nicer you are the more you get from me.

 

I agree.  I also spent over 13 years in front-facing Customer Services and was much more likely to go the extra mile for someone who took up their complaint in a reasonable, pleasant manner.