Never Again on RCCL! Poor Customer Service!

[alfaeric]

2 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

I wonder what RCI's response would have been if the OP had called back right after getting the booking confirmation and asked for the change to refundable. If they would have allowed it then I agree with you. But if they stuck to their guns when the rep never disclosed the fact then I'd be very upset.

The response is a long and drawn out call that includes resolutions so that you can correct the error.  BTDT.  

 

It's happened to us a few times, and we caught it when we read the documents that were e-mailed to us. 

 

Because of that, we go out of our way to make sure it's a refundable fare (which are a lot closer to the non-refundable ones these days.)

[919Florida]

3 minutes ago, gooselover said:

However, hidden in TINY PRINT was a disclosure that said this was a nonrefundable deposit.  I doubt that ANY of you would have caught this as everything looked perfectly normal!  And YES, I did look over the cruise documentation

 

I don't feel its hidden. I have booked several Royal cruises and the confirmations clearly state non refundable everytime. I have known it every time I booked mine and my most recent cruise I just booked said non refundable in the same place it always says it. But that's just me. Whenever i get my confirmations from any cruise lines I always read everything over closely to make sure there is no surprise and if there is I would take care of it right away so there is a better chance to get the issue fixed. Not wait 7 months.  

[molly361]

4 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

I wonder what RCI's response would have been if the OP had called back right after getting the booking confirmation and asked for the change to refundable. If they would have allowed it then I agree with you. But if they stuck to their guns when the rep never disclosed the fact then I'd be very upset.

Yes they would have changed it.  Or you can cancel without penalty up to 24 hours after making the booking whether refundable or not

[gooselover]

If a deposit is NONREFUNDABLE, it should CLEARLY state so on the website - this did not state this....and when I called the rep to book, he never mentioned it.  It's very clear with Carnival if nonrefundable or not!

 

[reallyitsmema]

5 minutes ago, gooselover said:

Let me be more specific here.  We DO NOT get our cruise documentation until AFTER we book the cruise and pay the deposit.  I am VERY familiar with refundable and nonrefundable.  We are experienced cruisers!  There was NOTHING that stated t his was a NONREFUNDABLE deposit - the rep never mentioned it at all!  After I booked the cruise and paid the deposit, I got the cruise documentation.  It all looked NORMAL!  There was the usual about how much the deposit would be refunded on this date and this date etc.  However, hidden in TINY PRINT was a disclosure that said this was a nonrefundable deposit.  I doubt that ANY of you would have caught this as everything looked perfectly normal!  And YES, I did look over the cruise documentation.  Nothing looked out of place.  It was when I was trying to cancel it, that the supervisor had me look at a particular section.  I highly doubt that any of us would have seen it, let alone even thought for a second that this was a nonrefundable deposit.  The rep should have TOLD ME, or made me aware, or even reiterated this was a nonrefundable deposit, but he did not.  RCL refuses to pull the recording.  Wonder why?

 

The statement about nonrefundable is not hidden.  It the middle of a booking confirm is the DEPOSIT AND FINAL PAYMENT SCHEDULE.  It is the second sentence of the first line, hardly hidden.

 

Every booking I have made since there have been non refundable deposits, the rep I spoke to made sure I knew it was non refundable.  Why the rep you spoke to didn't mention is beyond me.  As for the resolutions department and ask for the tape to be pulled.

[Ocean Boy]

2 minutes ago, molly361 said:

Yes they would have changed it.  Or you can cancel without penalty up to 24 hours after making the booking whether refundable or not

I did not know that.

[karena1]

12 minutes ago, gooselover said:

Let me be more specific here.  We DO NOT get our cruise documentation until AFTER we book the cruise and pay the deposit.  I am VERY familiar with refundable and nonrefundable.  We are experienced cruisers!  There was NOTHING that stated t his was a NONREFUNDABLE deposit - the rep never mentioned it at all!  After I booked the cruise and paid the deposit, I got the cruise documentation.  It all looked NORMAL!  There was the usual about how much the deposit would be refunded on this date and this date etc.  However, hidden in TINY PRINT was a disclosure that said this was a nonrefundable deposit.  I doubt that ANY of you would have caught this as everything looked perfectly normal!  And YES, I did look over the cruise documentation.  Nothing looked out of place.  It was when I was trying to cancel it, that the supervisor had me look at a particular section.  I highly doubt that any of us would have seen it, let alone even thought for a second that this was a nonrefundable deposit.  The rep should have TOLD ME, or made me aware, or even reiterated this was a nonrefundable deposit, but he did not.  RCL refuses to pull the recording.  Wonder why?

I am sorry this happened, but my invoices clearly state it is non refundable. The printing is not any smaller than anything else on the invoice.  I check my invoices the minute I book to make sure all is good.  You have 24 hours to change/cancel if you want.  The non refundable is very clearly stated on the invoice, it is not in Tiny Print.  

 

[dawnelda]

I book refundable deposits exclusively (except suites of course) and I've looked and looked for where the confirmation indicates refundable or not. Here's what mine always says in the Deposit and Final Payment Schedule section:

 

Your deposit has been posted to your reservation.. Final Payment is due by 28 SEP 2020, 5:00 PM EST
The balance due must be paid in full by the final date listed above to prevent booking from cancelling. Balance and payments may not reflect transactions made within the past 48 hours.
To facilitate the crew recognition process, a $14.50 USD gratuity ($17.50 USD for Suite guests) is added to each guest’s SeaPass account daily. This gratuity is shared
amongst the dining, bar and culinary services staff, stateroom attendants and other hotel services teams.

 

Maybe Canadians get a different confirmation format than most of the people posting in this thread? I even did a CTRL-F in the document to look for "refundable" and get 0 results.

[Cruiser_1977]

Did you specifically ask for non refundable or assume that is what you were being quoted? It's strange when I booked in April they had the invoice in my inbox before I hung up. I asked them to hold while I read it. The NRD was clearly marked and while the print is small, it's in a clearly marked section regarding the deposit...

[CRUISEFAN0001]

15 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

I wonder what RCI's response would have been if the OP had called back right after getting the booking confirmation and asked for the change to refundable. If they would have allowed it then I agree with you. But if they stuck to their guns when the rep never disclosed the fact then I'd be very upset.

We'll never know.

[karena1]

1 minute ago, dawnelda said:

I book refundable deposits exclusively (except suites of course) and I've looked and looked for where the confirmation indicates refundable or not. Here's what mine always says in the Deposit and Final Payment Schedule section:

 

Your deposit has been posted to your reservation.. Final Payment is due by 28 SEP 2020, 5:00 PM EST
The balance due must be paid in full by the final date listed above to prevent booking from cancelling. Balance and payments may not reflect transactions made within the past 48 hours.
To facilitate the crew recognition process, a $14.50 USD gratuity ($17.50 USD for Suite guests) is added to each guest’s SeaPass account daily. This gratuity is shared
amongst the dining, bar and culinary services staff, stateroom attendants and other hotel services teams.

 

Maybe Canadians get a different confirmation format than most of the people posting in this thread? I even did a CTRL-F in the document to look for "refundable" and get 0 results.

I always book non-refundable and here is what mine says:

 

"The minimum deposit for this reservation is Non-Refundable. A change fee of $100 per guest will apply for ship or sail date changes".

 

It is the first thing on the reservation below the price breakdown for the cruise.  Very clearly stated and very easy to see.

[SteelMagnolia9]

I always request to review the quote in writing to ensure accuracy before I make any deposit.

 

I recently requested a quote from another cruise line. I indicated I would only book if the deposit was refundable as the cruise was more than a year out. The rep sent me the quote and it stated that the deposit was non-refundable. I called the rep back and questioned why I was receiving a quote with a non-refundable fare. She stated it was the cruise lines best fare for that particular cruise. I did not book.

 

Always get the quote in writing before you book.

[Retired LEO]

21 minutes ago, gooselover said:

 However, hidden in TINY PRINT was a disclosure that said this was a nonrefundable deposit.  I doubt that ANY of you would have caught this as everything looked perfectly normal!  And YES, I did look over the cruise documentation.  Nothing looked out of place. 

The print is the same as the rest of the document. There is nothing TINY about it. If you had read it instead of just looking it over you would have seen it and that's the time to take care of it.

[HBE4]

12 minutes ago, gooselover said:

If a deposit is NONREFUNDABLE, it should CLEARLY state so on the website - this did not state this....and when I called the rep to book, he never mentioned it.  It's very clear with Carnival if nonrefundable or not!

 

 

Actually, if you are checking prices on the website, it's pretty clear which fares are refundable and which are not.

 

I'm not trying to give you are hard time as I do this all the time. Check prices and cabin availability on Royal's website, then call Royal to make the reservation.  In all but one case, the rep is clear and upfront about the charges. The only exception is one time the rep tried to up-sell me into a higher category room and "fudged" the numbers - sometimes quoting the price with taxes & gratuity and other times not, as to minimize the price difference. Slightly shady but the rep sounded young and nervous so I chalked it up to inexperience.

 

Back you your original point, I agree with you: the rep should have told you over the phone as you were making the booking that it was a NRD.

 

Hopefully it can be resolved. Good luck!  Who knows, maybe your sons new boss may lt him take the time off anyway.  It's happened to me when switching jobs with vacation already booked.  Fingers-crossed.

[SteelMagnolia9]

4 minutes ago, SteelMagnolia9 said:

I always request to review the quote in writing to ensure accuracy before I make any deposit.

 

I recently requested a quote from another cruise line. I indicated I would only book if the deposit was refundable as the cruise was more than a year out. The rep sent me the quote and it stated that the deposit was non-refundable. I called the rep back and questioned why I was receiving a quote with a non-refundable fare. She stated it was the cruise lines best fare for that particular cruise. I did not book.

 

Always get the quote in writing before you book.

I also want to add that I am sorry that this got by you. I hope you can still have a wonderful cruise.

[Merion_Mom]

It is distressing to face a situation like this.  Lesson learned, I hope.  

[ONECRUISER]

1 hour ago, gooselover said:

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

 

Some Cruises I booked are high as $700 more for Refundable. And that was for just me sailing Solo

Edited July 10, 2019 by ONECRUISER

[Thorben-Hendrik]

1 hour ago, gooselover said:

I asked them to please pull the recording of this booking back in January to prove to them that the rep never told me nonrefundable.  Of course, they didn't care!

Nothing surprising here....!.🙄

#royaltreatment

[SuiteLady]

52 minutes ago, fscool said:

I am not sure if RCL does this when you book direct or maybe it is just TA's but in all of the cruises I have booked I basically start with a "hold" on a room.  That gives me a couple of days to figure out what I want to do.  On the Guest Booking Offer document that I get it tells me whether the booking will be NO REF DEP or REF DEP.  Only after I see that document and decide on my plans do I lock it in.  

 

Do the RCL agents not do the same thing?

 

 

When I booked, I was told that I could make any changes with no penalties, up to 30 or 60 days- not sure.  I booked with Next Cruise while on the Anthem.  They said nothing about refundable/ non-refundable, however when they handed me the invoice, I looked it over and clearly saw that it was NRD.  It was for 2 of us, and we had paid for insurance already, so I was okay with it.  IMO, I don't buy any vacation and not go over my invoice carefully to make sure I got everything I paid for and that everything is correct!  It is unfortunate and I do have to say that I believe the whole refundable/ non-refundable deposit is for the birds....  Even though they like the fact of the lower price, there can be a higher cost down the road if one needs to cancel. 

[Thorben-Hendrik]

53 minutes ago, gooselover said:

Let me be more specific here.  We DO NOT get our cruise documentation until AFTER we book the cruise and pay the deposit.  I am VERY familiar with refundable and nonrefundable.  We are experienced cruisers!  There was NOTHING that stated t his was a NONREFUNDABLE deposit - the rep never mentioned it at all!  After I booked the cruise and paid the deposit, I got the cruise documentation.  It all looked NORMAL!  There was the usual about how much the deposit would be refunded on this date and this date etc.  However, hidden in TINY PRINT was a disclosure that said this was a nonrefundable deposit.  I doubt that ANY of you would have caught this as everything looked perfectly normal!  And YES, I did look over the cruise documentation.  Nothing looked out of place.  It was when I was trying to cancel it, that the supervisor had me look at a particular section.  I highly doubt that any of us would have seen it, let alone even thought for a second that this was a nonrefundable deposit.  The rep should have TOLD ME, or made me aware, or even reiterated this was a nonrefundable deposit, but he did not.  RCL refuses to pull the recording.  Wonder why?

They do not have a recording.....😜

RCI has more than 1 shady busienss practice - this is certinly one of them!🤮🤑

[gooselover]

Yes, my credit card couldn't demand they get the recording, nor when I talked to them in January when I went to cancel, I specifically asked the rep for a recording, and she said they are not obligated to do that.

[cruisinfanatic]

1 hour ago, gooselover said:

If a deposit is NONREFUNDABLE, it should CLEARLY state so on the website - this did not state this....and when I called the rep to book, he never mentioned it.  It's very clear with Carnival if nonrefundable or not!

 

When researching your cruise, when you get to the end and final cost, it clearly says deposit is non refundable. Try it with glasses on this time

[Merion_Mom]

I went into my invoices to see if I could find one from the same time frame as @gooselover's.  I was thinking that perhaps the language had changed from then until now.

 

It hasn't.  The same clear language was on my invoice from September 2018.

 

"Deposit of $250.00 is due by 09 SEP 2018,5:00 PM EST   Final Payment is due by 29 DEC 2019, 5:00 PM EST The minimum deposit for this reservation is Non-Refundable. A change fee of  100 USD per guest will apply for ship or sail date changes. The balance due must be paid in full by the final payment date listed above to prevent your booking from cancelling. Balance and payments may not reflect recent transactions made within the past 48 hours."
 

[brillohead]

I doubt that most companies keep every recording for every conversation for every representative in perpetuity.  

I even doubt that most calls are actually recorded (not just RCI -- every large corporation)... if you listen, the disclaimer is usually that this call MAY/MIGHT be recorded for quality control.  

When booking ANY travel, it's up to you to make sure you're booking what you want and at the fare you want.  It's not just cruises -- airlines also only show you the non-refundable fare (because it's the cheapest) unless you go out of your way to request a refundable fare (which is astronomically higher).  

Regarding the comment about having 30 days to change a reservation after booking at NextCruise, that is specific ONLY to the NextCruise bookings and does not apply to general bookings through the website, on the phone, or through a Travel Agent.

Speaking of Travel Agents, any decent TA will get you the same OR BETTER pricing as you'll get from the RCI website/call center, and also hold the room(s) for 24 hours and give you a chance to look over the entire booking confirmation/invoice before putting any money down.   I'd recommend the OP try using a reputable TA next time, but they state that they're never using RCI again, which works for me -- reduced demand means my prices will be lower! 

[SteelMagnolia9]

8 minutes ago, cruisinfanatic said:

When researching your cruise, when you get to the end and final cost, it clearly says deposit is non refundable. Try it with glasses on this time

I have empathy for the OP. Sometimes things like this get past us, for one reason or another.

Edited July 10, 2019 by SteelMagnolia9