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Never Again on RCCL! Poor Customer Service!


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On ‎7‎/‎12‎/‎2019 at 10:28 AM, nascarcruiser said:

Sadly not all companies work that way

I agree.  On a previous occasion, my husband started a job on January 15 with a company and the rules were "you must be working for one complete calendar year beginning January 1 before you take vacation time."  So he had to work all of that year he started PLUS the entire next year beginning January 1 all the way through December 31 before he got a vacation. You can bet we were ready for a vacation.   He had been accruing days but that policy was the policy so... 

Perhaps the OP didn't tell her son about the "surprise cruise" until after he had started the job and, even if it were possible to get that time off, he was not informed until after the job negotiations were already completed. 

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1 hour ago, gooselover said:

Yes, we were and RCCL was very generous on that they offered. While we were NOT able to go on the one we booked coming this October, we will be rebooking again.

 

I am glad they finally worked things out with you! :)  

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On ‎7‎/‎16‎/‎2019 at 10:29 AM, BensonFan711 said:

This is why I strongly recommend a travel agent.  I would NEVER book directly with a cruise line because my TA has far, far more leverage with them than I do.  I've never had a problem with refunds or cancellations, and my TA has always clearly explained the terms before running my card.  

Oddly enough, the most trouble free and smooth experience I have ever had with RCCL was one I booked directly with them. Every time I have used a TA, by the time we get to the ship something about the reservation has not come across correctly and we have to spend well over a couple of hours on the day of embarkation trying to get things sorted. 

I believe when I booked that particular cruise there was an option between "refundable fare" and "non refundable" fare much like the two usual options now are "we pick  your room" or "You pick your room."

You definitely have to have a good TA to get what you need.  I can't say I have had great experiences with the ones I have used-even ones that were personally referred to me by others.

 

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We have gone from accusing Royal of being deceptive to accusing people of being "cruel" for disagreeing with the OP about whether the disclosure was adequate. Further, the OP expressly, and wrongly as shown by the majority of responses, presumes to know that "most" of us would have also been deceived and remained uninformed of the NRD. I don't get the accusations of bad faith by people here.

 

Problem has been resolved. Regardless of the cause here, a lesson for everyone: READ EVERYTHING YOU GET TO ENSURE YOU ARE GETTING WHAT YOU WANT!

 

Incidentally, some of us even read the backs of contracts. I have posted before that this is how I discovered that 7-11's DVD rental contract back in the 90's authorized them to hire a locksmith to break in to your car or home if they "reasonably believed" a late DVD was inside. The clerk said no one had ever read it before, including him.

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22 hours ago, CruiseGal999 said:

 

Put a call recorder on your phone.  It's a free app and YOU will always have the call (save it) available to you.  I have had one on my phone for 2 - 3 years.  LOVE it.  NO ... I'm not saying this will be legal for court purposes ... we're not talking court here.  BUT it's peace of mind on your end.  RCL/RCI ... may not acquiesce even with your recording ... but it's easier to find and access YOUR phone call than theirs. 

In some jurisdictions it would be completely legal and perfectly admissible in court, if it went that far. 

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2 hours ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

Then again...they didn't ask either....

 

36 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

 

True.....but if the last time they booked, there was no such thing as NRD, it wouldn't occur to ask.

 

 

While I am very happy Royal stepped up and made good with the OP this is where I still have an issue.  Yes Royal should disclose the no refundable option, but in the world we live in with things changing so much, especially if I had not booked anything with a company in years, I would be asking the question if it wasn't stated. A simple "haven't booked with you in a while is your policy still to refund deposits up to final?" would have alleviated the whole issue.  The OP keeps saying how travel savvy they are but makes assumptions and you know what they say about assumptions.

 

Thank you for sharing your story, hopefully it helps someone else moving forward, either by Royal being more transparent and/or someone asking questions to ensure they get what they assume they are getting.

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40 minutes ago, gooselover said:

Thru the advice of a person who commented on this thread wherein the same thing happened to him, I wrote Mr. Fain and Mr. Bayley explaining the situation with an attachment of comments from this thread and what has happened to others.   I got a call from a team leader from Resolutions yesterday by the name of Jacquelyn.  Jacquelyn did explain to me that while 90% of calls are recorded, mine was not.  Just my luck.  However, Jacquelyn  was very concerned about what had happened and offered some nice options which we will be taking.

 

Regarding this situation and WHY I never even asked about refundable and nonrefundable again, I got back on Cruise Critic after a couple of years being away.  I wanted to let people know what had transpired with me.  Again, having no clue that deposits now default to NRD was new to me.  However, I have learned alot from this board. 

 

While this board is a wealth of information, it is also a very cruel board.  I think that most of you, had you been in MY shoes would have been furious finding out that what you THOUGHT was a refundable booking was not!  Some are quick to blame me in this situation, while other's were empathetic, and some had even gone thru the same thing.  I thank those for your help!

What many of us are having a problem with is your attitude.  We are all sympathetic to a degree, but you're placing 100% blame on the cruise line, while you admit that you didn't read the contract in its entirety and the print was too small.  That's not a defense.  And your decision to spitefully forego the cruise altogether and lose 2k in the process baffles many of us.

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1 hour ago, Ocean Boy said:

I think you are correct concerning the use of the word cruel. However, some people have certainly not mastered the art of being tactful when pointing out to someone what they could have, or should have, done differently.

 

I don't really know how many times over the years I have had to deliver the news of lung cancer to patients. It isn't really the time to say it might not have happened if they didn't smoke their damn cigarettes.

agreed

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On 7/10/2019 at 2:47 PM, gooselover said:

But the rep should have CLEARLY stated it was nonrefundable!  I would have gladly paid a little more to have it refundable.

 

It's usually not just a little more for a refundable price on a cruise.  Some of my cruises have been a $500/person or more difference between refundable and non-refundable.

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36 minutes ago, gaylemh said:

It's usually not just a little more for a refundable price on a cruise.  Some of my cruises have been a $500/person or more difference between refundable and non-refundable.

 

Agree.  I've seen the difference as little as $80 and as much as $800 for cruises of the same or similar length.  It's crazy. 

 

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The OP has sailed previously, many times on RCL, at a time when RCL had no such thing as NRD. At some point between his last cruise and the one he booked in this thread, RCL changed that policy. It would seem to me, any reasonable person would expect a refundable deposit based on the history of their sailings. Further, since his previous sailings were refundable, finding an NRD notation on the invoice was not something he was looking for.   

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5 minutes ago, rusty nut said:

The OP has sailed previously, many times on RCL, at a time when RCL had no such thing as NRD. At some point between his last cruise and the one he booked in this thread, RCL changed that policy. It would seem to me, any reasonable person would expect a refundable deposit based on the history of their sailings. Further, since his previous sailings were refundable, finding an NRD notation on the invoice was not something he was looking for.   

 

Exactly.  Why is it standard operating procedure to notify (and in some cases require a document to be signed accepting the NRD terms) the prospective cruiser about the NRD terms when booking cruises onboard, but not when booking cruises via phone.

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So....since you got a satisfactory resolution are you going to ask a moderator to retitle this thread?  Or start a new one saying "I said Never Again but I was wrong"? or "Customer Service did come through after all".  Seems only fair to be as vocal about their resolution as it was to bash them and blame them 100% for something that should have been equal blame.

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6 hours ago, HBE4 said:

 

Agreed. 14 pages into this thread and I think people have lost sight of the fact the the OP was not told over the phone that the deposit was Non-Refundable.  Everything else discussed (use a TA, double-check the invoice, etc) is just tangent issues deflecting from this fact.

 

Every time I've purchased a product and had to give a deposit - no matter how big or small - the person taking the deposit informs me if its non-nonrefundable or not.

 

How people can defend Royal is beyond me.  Unless they think the OP is not being entirely truthful.

I think the OP is not being entirely truthful. 

Edited by legaljen1969
Didn't want to be "cruel."
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5 hours ago, squale2 said:

Cruel? I don't think there was anything cruel being said here. 

Just remember, we are in a world where anything anyone says that is opposition to what someone else believes is "hate" and might "trigger" them.   Drastic words are the first used now, rather than the last.

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1 hour ago, rusty nut said:

The OP has sailed previously, many times on RCL, at a time when RCL had no such thing as NRD. At some point between his last cruise and the one he booked in this thread, RCL changed that policy. It would seem to me, any reasonable person would expect a refundable deposit based on the history of their sailings. Further, since his previous sailings were refundable, finding an NRD notation on the invoice was not something he was looking for.   

Well said!  

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2 hours ago, rusty nut said:

The OP has sailed previously, many times on RCL, at a time when RCL had no such thing as NRD. At some point between his last cruise and the one he booked in this thread, RCL changed that policy. It would seem to me, any reasonable person would expect a refundable deposit based on the history of their sailings. Further, since his previous sailings were refundable, finding an NRD notation on the invoice was not something he was looking for.   

 

In theory I agree and if their last sailing was recent this would hold more true.  However, since it had been years since they had sailed with Royal not as much.  I, as well as others here, have said the rep should have notified them about the deposit but the OP needs to take some responsibility as well.  How often do companies change their policies, quite often I have found, and the longer inbetween purchases the more likely it is. 

 

The issue many have is they were screaming big bad Royal was out to deceive poor me and I have no responsibility in it at all which just is not the case.  

Edited by akcruz
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2 hours ago, voyager70 said:

 

Agree.  I've seen the difference as little as $80 and as much as $800 for cruises of the same or similar length.  It's crazy. 

 

That’s when I move on to another itinerary or another line. NRD doesn’t work for me if I’m booking a year or more out. I would book NRD. closer to or after final payment but by that time I can usually find a better deal for a similar itinerary on another line.

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36 minutes ago, legaljen1969 said:

I think the OP is not being entirely truthful. 

 

I had a chuckle at you reason for editing your original post. 🙂

 

And while I may be on the side of the OP, I will admit the "strong wording" in title of the thread with exclamation points and all, along with a combative first post, was certain to provoke a vigorous debate.

 

And while some were forceful in their opposing opinions, cruel they were not. If someone wants to see a cruel post, go to a sports forum and discuss Yankees-Red Sox or almost any hockey team. The folks on those boards take cruel to a new art form. 😅

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So....since you got a satisfactory resolution are you going to ask a moderator to retitle this thread?  Or start a new one saying "I said Never Again but I was wrong"? or "Customer Service did come through after all".  Seems only fair to be as vocal about their resolution as it was to bash them and blame them 100% for something that should have been equal blame.


New title - “I became Loyal to Royal - the hard way!”
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What is the reason for eliminating the Refundable Deposit?

 

I think I read somewhere - possible here - that Royal is trying to discourage  people from booking 10 cabins on 7 different cruises 2 years out, then cancelling most of them 3 months out.

 

I can understand they want better inventory control but: A) is it really a widespread problem and B) is it really going to discourage people?

 

From what I see on the "Deployment" threads, trying to book a cruise as early as possible has become a sporting event!

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