Compensation

[Cru1s1ng2009]

What are some reasonable/unreasonable things you've seen on cc that posters have asked for compensation?

 

How do you ask for this? I mean, without shame? Do you go to guest services, explain your issue, slam your fist on the counter and say, "I DEMAND compensation for this?" Or do you wait for them to rectify the problem if there is one?

Edited May 17, 2019 by Cru1s1ng2009
ogtuil

[neverbeenhere]

Everyone has their own style. 

[neverbeenhere]

Some want compensation for the lack of a barrel chair. 

[mek]

10 minutes ago, Cru1s1ng2009 said:

What are some reasonable/unreasonable things you've seen on cc that posters have asked for compensation?

 

How do you ask for this? I mean, without shame? Do you go to guest services, explain your issue, slam your fist on the counter and say, "I DEMAND compensation for this?" Or do you wait for them to rectify the problem if there is one?

I was on a TA last year and our last stop was Dublin.  We took a shore excursion that turned out to be considerably less than promised.  I went to the shore excursion desk and when they heard what had happened they offered me a partial credit. All I asked was "what can you do for me?"  No demands and they handled it to my satisfaction.

[DirtyDawg]

If you communicate the issue with the proper staff, compensation is usually pretty automatic. It might not be a free cruise for blown dinner service, but the cruise line usually offers something.

 

When this happened to us, they comped the dinner, and the next day they delivered a plate of chocolate covered strawberries and a bottle of champagne. OK it was only sparking wine, which was crap, but the gesture was nice. 😀

Edited May 17, 2019 by DirtyDawg

[Cru1s1ng2009]

7 minutes ago, mek said:

I was on a TA last year and our last stop was Dublin.  We took a shore excursion that turned out to be considerably less than promised.  I went to the shore excursion desk and when they heard what had happened they offered me a partial credit. All I asked was "what can you do for me?"  No demands and they handled it to my satisfaction.

completely reasonable

[DirtyDawg]

43 minutes ago, Cru1s1ng2009 said:

What are some reasonable/unreasonable things you've seen on cc that posters have asked for compensation?

 

How do you ask for this? I mean, without shame? Do you go to guest services, explain your issue, slam your fist on the counter and say, "I DEMAND compensation for this?" Or do you wait for them to rectify the problem if there is one?

 

The Mods moved your thread to the Ask a Cruise Question Forum.

 

You should demand compensation!!!

[Cru1s1ng2009]

1 minute ago, DirtyDawg said:

 

The Mods moved your thread to the Ask a Cruise Question Forum.

 

You should demand compensation!!!

Dang it, you are RIGHT!

[klfrodo]

If you slam your fist and demand, you will get nothing

If you calmly explain your dissatisfaction and ask how can we improve the situation,,, something positive will almost always happen.

 

1. My wife and I purchased an excursion. That morning my wife was not feeling well. I knew we deserved nothing. No refund, nothing. I went to the excursion desk and explained that my wife was not feeling well. I wanted to offer the tickets to crewmembers free of charge. They smiled, said thank you for the offer, and gave me a full refund.

 

2. Hotel reservations. Had confirmation and everything. Showed up at 4 in the afternoon. Reservation system showed no confirmation, no reservation, and no rooms available. Wife started to go off. I asked her to walk away. Asked to speak to the manager. Explained the situation, I had a confirmation, the reservation system shows nothing, hey, things happen, we now have an issue and is there anything he can do to help us out.. He walks away, comes back 5 minutes later with keys to a 2 bedroom condo down the street.

[ldubs]

 #1 - have had that happen (someone being sick) more than once with members of our party.  Refund given every time morning of the excursion.  All we did was explain and ask.   

 

Edit:  funny -- as I scroll through this thread there is one of those banner ads for a personal injury lawyer.   

Edited May 17, 2019 by ldubs

[DirtyDawg]

23 minutes ago, klfrodo said:

If you slam your fist and demand, you will get nothing

If you calmly explain your dissatisfaction and ask how can we improve the situation,,, something positive will almost always happen.

 

You sound like how I am. I am more of a diplomat than Mrs. Dawg. She  calmly demands improved service and demands compensation. She does quite well with her approach as well. My approach leaves less bruising on the poor customer service staff.

☺️

Edited May 17, 2019 by DirtyDawg

[FlyerTalker]

Completely depends on what your sense of entitlement is.

[wwcruisers]

Slam your fist? Demand compensation? Ummm....NO. 😱

 

My DH and I have cruised RC and X for nearly 20 years, now. As you can imagine, we've had a wide variety of issues that sent us to the Guest Relations desk, in search of a solution. In the great majority of cases, we have had satisfactory resolutions to our issues. Sometimes it was just a matter of getting the problem fixed -- while some involved compensation of some sort. So, to address your question of HOW to ask, here are a few 'rules of the road' that have worked for us, over the years:

 

-- Be patient. Everyone standing in that (sometimes long) Guest Services line would rather be out, enjoying their vacation -- just like you. When it is your turn, if you have a calm, polite demeanor -- and maybe even a smile -- you'll find that you get better results, from that tired person on the other side of the desk.

-- Be specific about the issue you are having, and what you need the person at the GR desk to do about it. Whining about problems you had on your last cruise -- or pointing out how much better another cruiseline is -- is not helpful.

-- Write down the name of the person you speak to at the GR desk -- or, even better, ask if they have a business card. If they do, write down the date and time of your conversation on the back of it -- and save it, for future reference.

-- If the problem is not resolved, in a timely manner -- follow-up. This may require another trip (or phone call) to the GR desk. If necessary, make a firm (but polite) request to speak to the GR desk manager. If that fails to yield satisfactory results, request an interview with the Hotel Director (at their earliest convenience).

-- As a last resort, contact Corporate, after your cruise. You really should make every effort to resolve the issue, while you are still onboard. However, if your best efforts fail -- write a letter (or e-mail) to the Corporate Headquarters. Include all of those details that you have written down -- including the names of everyone you spoke to onboard, about the problem (that's where those business cards come in handy). Keep your letter short and to the point, being careful to avoid exaggeration or hyperbole. Also, try to mention something positive that stood out, about your cruise experience. Be sure to include a daytime phone number or e-mail, where you can be reached.

 

Using these criteria, we have almost always had a satisfactory resolution to just about any problem (big or small) that we have encountered in our years of cruising. Hope this helps! 😎

 

Edited May 17, 2019 by wwcruisers

[Cru1s1ng2009]

31 minutes ago, klfrodo said:

If you slam your fist and demand, you will get nothing

If you calmly explain your dissatisfaction and ask how can we improve the situation,,, something positive will almost always happen.

 

1. My wife and I purchased an excursion. That morning my wife was not feeling well. I knew we deserved nothing. No refund, nothing. I went to the excursion desk and explained that my wife was not feeling well. I wanted to offer the tickets to crewmembers free of charge. They smiled, said thank you for the offer, and gave me a full refund.

 

2. Hotel reservations. Had confirmation and everything. Showed up at 4 in the afternoon. Reservation system showed no confirmation, no reservation, and no rooms available. Wife started to go off. I asked her to walk away. Asked to speak to the manager. Explained the situation, I had a confirmation, the reservation system shows nothing, hey, things happen, we now have an issue and is there anything he can do to help us out.. He walks away, comes back 5 minutes later with keys to a 2 bedroom condo down the street.

that was so sweet of you to offer them up like that.

 

this is usually my approach. Honestly I just want whatever it is fixed, I don't want to be paid for it.

[Cru1s1ng2009]

11 minutes ago, DirtyDawg said:

 

You sound like how I am. I am more of a diplomat than Mrs. Dawg. She  calmly demands improved service and demands compensation. She does quite well with her approach as well. My approach leaves less bruising on the poor customer service staff.

☺️

You get more bees with honey

[iancal]

The tiny number of issues that we have had over 20 plus cruises have all be rectified immediately by bringing them to the attention of the right staff person.   Hardly a reason to ask for any credit.

 

We have never even thought of monetary or credit compensation.  But then again, we have never suffered through a flooded cabin or a cabin with no AC or HVAC for days on end.  That might be a different issue.

 

We did receive a bottle of wine on two occasions from Celebrity. Both after complementing staff members.  One for doing an amazing job on our cabin every day.  The other, a front desk clerk, for putting up with a very loud and a very obnoxious man who was incredibly rude and condescending for no reason whatsoever.  He simply wanted everyone to know who he was and how important he was (in his own mind that is).  Clerk took it in stride, poor guy.

 

 

[Cruiser_1977]

I appreciate all of the previous posts. However, I was really hoping to read some of the "unreasonable" things folks have heard 😉

[iancal]

My guess is that some people will be, or should be, too embarassed to own up some of these scams.

[Cru1s1ng2009]

18 minutes ago, JennyB1977 said:

I appreciate all of the previous posts. However, I was really hoping to read some of the "unreasonable" things folks have heard 😉

me too! We have a ton of information here. Just need to find the examples.

[DirtyDawg]

1 hour ago, Cru1s1ng2009 said:

You get more bees with honey

 

You obviously have never met my wife. She catches grosses of hives with her approach. 😉

 

As they say, there is more than one way to skin a cat.  Yours and mine use novocaine. Mrs. Dawg.... not so much.☺️

 

Edited May 17, 2019 by DirtyDawg

[wwcruisers]

47 minutes ago, JennyB1977 said:

I appreciate all of the previous posts. However, I was really hoping to read some of the "unreasonable" things folks have heard 😉

 

Here's a suggestion: On your next cruise, take a book down to the lobby where the GR desk is located. Find a comfortable place to sit and read, nearby. Without even trying to eaves-drop, I assure you that you'll hear ALL SORTS of things, over the course of an afternoon! 😵 (And, you'll probably want to find a different place to read, after that! 😉)

[DirtyDawg]

1 minute ago, wwcruisers said:

 

Here's a suggestion: On your next cruise, take a book down to the lobby where the GR desk is located. Find a comfortable place to sit and read, nearby. Without even trying to eaves-drop, I assure you that you'll hear ALL SORTS of things, over the course of an afternoon! 😵 (And, you'll probably want to find a different place to read, after that! 😉)

 

No way! That's the best entertainment on the ship some times!

[Merion_Mom]

40 minutes ago, Cru1s1ng2009 said:

me too! We have a ton of information here. Just need to find the examples.

 

Then here  you go!

 

And I know that you are aware of this thread, because you posted on it  😉

 

[SRF]

Most times, I tell them of issues, so that can know to fix them in the future.  If no one says anything, they don't know about the problem.

 

Most times, I get some form of gift.  Even though I have not asked for anything.

 

If I have a more major issue, I would expect compensation, and if it was not offered, I would be asking.  I might even get more heated.  But mainly, I wait and contact the headquarters.  That normally gets results.

 

And if that does not work, I call the president of the company.  I never reach them, but they have a whole staff to deal with people who are so upset they call the president. 🙂

 

And if nothing works, I no longer do business with that entity.   I will not stay in the Singapore Marriott for poor treatment and lack of response.   And I stay mainly in Marriotts.

[Essiesmom]

Back in 2010 we were on the end of an eastbound TA on Solstice.  Our last port before Barcelona was Malaga.  We booked an excursion to the Costa del Sol - Marbella and Puerto Banus.  (We had already been to the Alhambra).  It was Sunday.  We went to Marbella first, and were there too early for the shops to be open.  We walked around admiring the quaintness, and went into a church, found the odd shop opening.    Back on the bus to Puerto Banus.  We were there mid morning, nothing open.  Its a high end place, we were let off by the marina, surrounded by lots of high end shops, certainly not the kind of shop that woudl interest the average mainstream cruise passenger.  But that is a moot point, as it was Sunday, and nothing was going to open until after noon.  There were lots of interesting looking restaurants, but again, they weren't open yet.  Our tour guide disappeared and could be seen occasionally, walking and talking on his cellphone.  We had better than an hour to wander around.  We met at the appointed time and were bused back to the ship.  When we got back to the ship, I went to the Shore Excursions desk and asked if there was a form I could fill out to review the tour.  She asked me if there was a problem, and I explained about the tour.  She gave me a piece of paper to write down my critique.  The next day I had a note in my cabin saying they would refund 1/3 of the cost of the tour.  I did not ask for that.  I really have no idea if they followed through, as I never got a copy of my account.  EM