Poor Customer Service

[denali1]

 A full week ago, I sent HAL Customer Service,  two emails, on their website form. They have failed to respond. While I could give in and call, that is not the point. Surely, it’s not the customer service they want. One e mail was about an error on the loyalty program, and the website said to send them the form. The other e mail concerned a letter I received offering a “Private Sale”, which wouldn’t work on their website, despite their clear instructions. Again, they suggested the form. 

As a result, I will probably take my business for an upcoming cruise elsewhere. While my $8-$10 K is a small pebble in the water to them, I have a problem with poor customer service. Too often nowadays, on any business, customer service ends when they get your money. It is sad. 

 

 

[grsnovi]

Wow! A full week! Patience is certainly not my strong suit and I'm sorry you're unhappy however I'm not certain everyone has had or will have the same experience. My experience is quite different: we had an issue with a shore excursion while in Norway. HALL made it good. We were pleased.

[Djptcp]

 I think it's always better to call with a customer service issue. Sometimes email responses take longer than you think they should and they probably have a thousand or more emails to deal with at one time.

[denali1]

They didn’t respond on days 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or day 7. Not even as much as a robo response that “we got your email”. If they have so many issues that a response takes more than a week, there are far more issues than  just a late email. 

 

As for calling, I mentioned that I could call them, but they asked me to fill out a form.  I simply complied. 

 

If I had run my business like this, I would have not kept customers. Just sayin. 

[Krazy Kruizers]

Now you should write a letter to the president and tell him what all has happened.

 

No guarantee that you will hear from him either.  But it is worth a try.

[SilvertoGold]

Many HAL departments take 2 weeks to reply.  Your Loyalty problem should go to the Mariner Society.  They will get back to you, but I agree about phoning, instant access to a live person.

 

 

Edited May 30, 2019 by SilvertoGold

[denali1]

Well, I did send the form to the Mariner group. I think my mistake was obeying their request to use their form. I should have called and ignored their instructions. But 2 weeks to reply? Wow, just wow. 

[bEwAbG]

They don't have thousands of people sitting around waiting to answer your email.  It's a struggle all businesses are having to adapt to & deal with.  Southwest used to respond within a day or two but now it takes a lot longer than that because so many more people would rather write than call.

 

If you want an immediate answer or help with something, you'll still need to call.

[Fouremco]

I'd concern myself far less about the time it takes them to respond than nature of the reply once received. One week is hardly a lengthy period of time when they have to check on your problems, determine their cause and arrive at a solution. Personally, I'm tired of receiving quick responses from companies that either fail to or only partially address my problem. Far too much emphasis being put on speed and not the quality of such responses.

[denali1]

Thank to all who responded. Let me say this:

 

Regarding bEwAbG’s comments:  I see your point about all businesses taking a lot longer to respond. I know this is true from a flower company that charged me double for some flowers. We tried talking to them. But, their customer service was overseas, and they could not be understood, nor did they speak our language well. It was finally resolved via e mail. That was a 3 week effort. 

 

As to “thousands of people sitting around to answer your email”,  (despite it being a snarky comment),  I realize that. However, they should discontinue their forms and email, if the phone is the answer.  And it’s not like the invention of email is a recent thing. It goes back well over 20 years. They should have adapted by now. They have to know both their call volume, as well as the email volume. 

 

They should say the only method is the phone. Problem then would be solved, maybe...

 

Regarding Fouremco’s response, I agree about the quick disingenuous answers. It is a good point. However, on their forms, I clearly stated what the problem was, in one sentence. The rep could reply that they are researching the problem. Again, one sentence.  And if you call, you risk being told that they have to research it. When does it end?

[TiogaCruiser]

If course you are assuming they got your email form.

 

IIRC I have received auto replies when I have emailed them.

[taxmantoo]

19 minutes ago, TiogaCruiser said:

If course you are assuming they got your email form.

 

IIRC I have received auto replies when I have emailed them.

Every time for me also...within seconds, it is automatic.

Edited May 30, 2019 by taxmantoo

[colbe]

I have also always received an auto reply. Perhaps the problem is actually at your end?

 

[ontheweb]

38 minutes ago, TiogaCruiser said:

If course you are assuming they got your email form.

 

IIRC I have received auto replies when I have emailed them.

I was thinking the same thing. No robo reply may very well mean that your e-mail was lost in cyberspace and never received by them.

[thinfool]

• As a suggestion, the latest 'goto' method of customer service is FB or Twitter.  Those sites are live continually and often result in results in far less time than email.
• I have to continually remind myself of this fact when I have an issue that needs attention.

[Taters]

1 hour ago, denali1 said:

Thank to all who responded. Let me say this:

 

They should say the only method is the phone. Problem then would be solved, maybe...

 

 

Well, as a person who is 100% deaf, I don't really think this is a good idea.

 

I wrote to the Mariner Society about some missing suite day credits just over 3 weeks ago and haven't heard back yet.  This will certainly not stop me from wanting to sail on HAL again.  It really is okay, as it is not an emergent need. Is your situation emergent?

Edited May 30, 2019 by Taters

[iwantsomesun]

This is my first time on HA. I had a question and I tried emailing and got nothing. Phone call was perfect. Short wait time, great response. Seems like they just aren't ready to use methods of communication that the rest of the world uses. That said, the phone response was top notch so I'll give them a pass and see how the on board experience is before deciding if I'll be back. That's what really matters.

[woody14h]

The greatest tool any company can use is a Chat button.  For those of us who are deaf or hard of hearing, we rely on emails rather than telephone. I have found Chat a most effective and useful tool. To those companies who have this, I am very grateful. I have never seen one on HAL.  Nor on Celebrity, my other go to Line. Why? With the age of HAL's passengers, it would seem an ideal customer relation tool. 

[DaveOKC]

14 hours ago, iwantsomesun said:

This is my first time on HA. I had a question and I tried emailing and got nothing. Phone call was perfect. Short wait time, great response. Seems like they just aren't ready to use methods of communication that the rest of the world uses. That said, the phone response was top notch so I'll give them a pass and see how the on board experience is before deciding if I'll be back. That's what really matters.

 

I think that you will find HAL to be top notch in customer service.  We have received great service from both the onboard and land based personnel.  I have had several experiences with land based personnel where they went far above what I expected and it really helped me out.  Onboard, the crew is very friendly and extremely helpful.  Service is the main reason we cruise on HAL.

[*Miss G*]

Since you didn’t receive an immediate auto-response to both form submissions I would guess that it all landed in your junk mail folder.  Check there.  It may be too late to see them as it’s been 7 days which is the usual amount of time before that folder is cleared, but you should always check.

[msmayor]

Do you have a HAL Personal Cruise Consultant?  Years ago when I called to book a Westerdam cruise I dealt with one who has been with me ever since.  Any time I have a question, she is the one I email or call direct - about anything HAL related.  She turns around responses within 24 hours consistently, and if she's out of the office she has a backup who handles things.

 

I still remember emailing her on a weekend about switching to the Explore 4 promotion, not expecting to get a response until Monday.  I heard back from her within hours, and she took care of everything for me right then.

 

I would pick up the phone, call...and get yourself a PCC.  A good one can be a great partner when dealing with HAL.

[denali1]

I have read all the responses the last 24 hours, and agree with many of them.

 

I did find the robo responses in the junk mail folder. I should have checked it sooner. Good ideas from many to check. My bad. 

But....now it is 8 days with no response to my two inquiries in any folder. On their form. (So...they did indeed receive my inquiries). 

 

I agree with  fyree39 that a week is too long, and there are so many cruising options today. Which is my point. With all the options, a cruise line has to join the 21st century and get with the program on email. I suppose iwantsomesun is correct in saying they are just not ready to use methods of communication that the rest of the world uses .I wonder why they even have the online forms if they can simply not respond for days, a week, or whatever. 

 

We have sailed HAL, and I agree with DaveOKC that their shipboard service is really good. However, to those who have great service from their land based “customer service”, that’s great. Not my experience. And a cruise lines customer service is not just aboard the ship. I guess it’s about the principle. We are their customers, spending thousands of dollars. Don’t we deserve better, without going around their instructions?

 

Woody14h is correct about needing a “chat” button. The fact these cruise lines don’t have one, is telling.  And Taters 3 week wait is totally unacceptable. This person is 100% deaf, so what is Tater supposed to do?  

 

To Taters question, no the issues aren’t urgent, other than the “Private Sale” expires in June. But how many weeks are they allowed? The response from thinfool is important....use Facebook. A good idea, but HAL’s instructions were to use their online form. So.....if you follow their instructions, you can’t use Facebook, and they discourage calls. 

 

I don't use a PCC, which is msmayor’s suggestion. But, to have one, don’t you have to book cruises with the cruise line? I get much better deals with travel agencies. Much better. So I bypass PCC’s. Good suggestion otherwise. But again, it’s contrary to HAL’s own instructions of fill out a form and email it in. 

 

I suppose the thing to do is just ignore their instructions and instead call or use Facebook. This is what I get for following instructions. 

 

Edited May 31, 2019 by denali1

[taxmantoo]

8 days ... two of those are weekend ... leaving 6 days.  My only advice: RELAX!  Many folks have had a problem with the Loyalty Program; they do get fixed in time.  It is not worth fretting over! Can't get a booking to work on the internet? The phone is your friend 🙄

[cshapard]

When I taught school in NC, it was nearly impossible to get anyone on the phone in the downtown school system office.  And this was one of their employees calling and leaving messages about an important topic...about children.  I quickly learned to suck it up and physically go downtown and knock on doors to get answers.  While I understand you can't physically go to the HAL corporate office, I think your switching cruise lines over waiting for an email answer is a bit over the top.  Pick up the phone.  

[Boatdrill]

On 5/30/2019 at 7:29 AM, denali1 said:

Well, I did send the form to the Mariner group. I think my mistake was obeying their request to use their form. I should have called and ignored their instructions. But 2 weeks to reply? Wow, just wow. 

So now you're at a point where the ball is in your court, and a decision needs to be made.

You've said you're taking your business elsewhere, because of the lack of any response from HAL within your time frame.  

Bottom line: If your time frame (that HAL doesn't know about) is more important to you than sailing with HAL again,  then you are right to move on.  If your time frame is not really a true line in the sand, then call HAL and get the help you're looking for. 

Edited June 1, 2019 by Boatdrill