Is Cunard Customer Service Usually So Poor?

[jimdee3636]

My wife and I recently completed our first Cunard cruise: a 21-night sailing on the QM2. We loved it, and while onboard we made an "open" future cruise booking, knowing that we'd like to go on one of the Cunard ships in 2020 or 2021. Soon after we returned, we each received a nice "Welcome Home" booklet from Cunard, which, among other things, offered "special onboard savings" (combinable with our future cruise benefits) on "more than 24 voyages." However, the booklet listed only ten such voyages, all of them in 2019 (which would be impossible for us, for various reasons). I called the Cunard toll-free number to find out if any of the other 14 ("or more") voyages are in 2020 or beyond. I gave the lady my Cunard World Club number, and after she looked it up she said, "So you're calling about something you received from Princess Cruises?" Princess? I've sailed with Princess, but I have a completely different past-guest number with them. (I realize they're both under the Carnival umbrella, but...). I then asked the lady if she could at least look up and see exactly what cruises Cunard is including in the offer I received, since presumably everyone on my cruise got the same offer booklet afterward. She put me on hold for several minutes in order to talk with her supervisor, and when she came back she told me that "no one in the office" knows the answer. "So there's no way I can find out?" "No, sorry." End of call.

 

Is thing kind of thing normal? If so, it does not inspire confidence in Cunard.

[PORT ROYAL]

11 minutes ago, jimdee3636 said:

My wife and I recently completed our first Cunard cruise: a 21-night sailing on the QM2. We loved it, and while onboard we made an "open" future cruise booking, knowing that we'd like to go on one of the Cunard ships in 2020 or 2021. Soon after we returned, we each received a nice "Welcome Home" booklet from Cunard, which, among other things, offered "special onboard savings" (combinable with our future cruise benefits) on "more than 24 voyages." However, the booklet listed only ten such voyages, all of them in 2019 (which would be impossible for us, for various reasons). I called the Cunard toll-free number to find out if any of the other 14 ("or more") voyages are in 2020 or beyond. I gave the lady my Cunard World Club number, and after she looked it up she said, "So you're calling about something you received from Princess Cruises?" Princess? I've sailed with Princess, but I have a completely different past-guest number with them. (I realize they're both under the Carnival umbrella, but...). I then asked the lady if she could at least look up and see exactly what cruises Cunard is including in the offer I received, since presumably everyone on my cruise got the same offer booklet afterward. She put me on hold for several minutes in order to talk with her supervisor, and when she came back she told me that "no one in the office" knows the answer. "So there's no way I can find out?" "No, sorry." End of call.

 

Is thing kind of thing normal? If so, it does not inspire confidence in Cunard.

 

Elevate your legitimate concern immediately to Carnival CEO with a copy to the Cunard CEO.  This is not Cunard.

[North West Newbie]

Contact Centres. The bane of my life.

[waltd]

Just an FYI  my Captain Circle number for Princess and my World Club number for Cunard are the same.     I could see some confusion by the CS person.

[MarkBearSF]

1 hour ago, waltd said:

Just an FYI  my Captain Circle number for Princess and my World Club number for Cunard are the same.     I could see some confusion by the CS person.

AND they share the same offices in the US - so it's entirely possible that the rep handled both lines.

Also, these promotional offers are launched by marketing and often targeted to specific groups. It's not unusual for any of the phone reps on any of the lines to be unaware of, and unable to find, specific promotions or offers without the offer code.

Realize also, that the phone reps for Cunard and all lines may not ever have been on a cruise and are not really knowledgeable.

 

Edited August 20, 2019 by MarkBearSF

[Pennbank]

14 hours ago, jimdee3636 said:

My wife and I recently completed our first Cunard cruise: a 21-night sailing on the QM2. We loved it, and while onboard we made an "open" future cruise booking, knowing that we'd like to go on one of the Cunard ships in 2020 or 2021. Soon after we returned, we each received a nice "Welcome Home" booklet from Cunard, which, among other things, offered "special onboard savings" (combinable with our future cruise benefits) on "more than 24 voyages." However, the booklet listed only ten such voyages, all of them in 2019 (which would be impossible for us, for various reasons). I called the Cunard toll-free number to find out if any of the other 14 ("or more") voyages are in 2020 or beyond. I gave the lady my Cunard World Club number, and after she looked it up she said, "So you're calling about something you received from Princess Cruises?" Princess? I've sailed with Princess, but I have a completely different past-guest number with them. (I realize they're both under the Carnival umbrella, but...). I then asked the lady if she could at least look up and see exactly what cruises Cunard is including in the offer I received, since presumably everyone on my cruise got the same offer booklet afterward. She put me on hold for several minutes in order to talk with her supervisor, and when she came back she told me that "no one in the office" knows the answer. "So there's no way I can find out?" "No, sorry." End of call.

 

Is thing kind of thing normal? If so, it does not inspire confidence in Cunard.

 

14 hours ago, PORT ROYAL said:

 

Elevate your legitimate concern immediately to Carnival CEO with a copy to the Cunard CEO.  This is not Cunard.

 

8 hours ago, waltd said:

Just an FYI  my Captain Circle number for Princess and my World Club number for Cunard are the same.     I could see some confusion by the CS person.

 

7 hours ago, MarkBearSF said:

AND they share the same offices in the US - so it's entirely possible that the rep handled both lines.

Also, these promotional offers are launched by marketing and often targeted to specific groups. It's not unusual for any of the phone reps on any of the lines to be unaware of, and unable to find, specific promotions or offers without the offer code.

Realize also, that the phone reps for Cunard and all lines may not ever have been on a cruise and are not really knowledgeable.

 

 

Seems a legitimate mix up according to other posts.

Why go for the Jugular , Port Royal ?  Cunard  a Carnival Brand , like others  do make mistakes !

Edited August 20, 2019 by Pennbank

[PORT ROYAL]

3 hours ago, Pennbank said:

 

 

 

 

Seems a legitimate mix up according to other posts.

Why go for the Jugular , Port Royal ?  Cunard  a Carnival Brand , like others  do make mistakes !

 

Let one explain.

Because of bad past experiences with Cunard Customer Services (oxymoron).  

Cunard Customer Service's new protocol, now allows them upto 28 days to respond to a written question/concern/complaint.  

One waits, and waits, only to receive a generic reply that fails to answer the original question.  

Then one writes again, only to discover the 28 day rule is again reapplied.  

The protocol process is repeated over and over without a resolution.  Then 6 months have passed. 

In desperation one elevates to the Board, and heyho a telephone call received from the Executive Office, a short discussion, then within 2 days all resolved.

 

Is it "going for the jugular" as you suggest?  

When one considers it a potential effective process for reducing the Customer Service's complaint protocol to a more acceptable time period.

Edited August 20, 2019 by PORT ROYAL
Predictive text

[Victoria2]

12 minutes ago, PORT ROYAL said:

 

Let one explain.

Because of bad past experiences with Cunard Customer Services (oxymoron).  

Cunard Customer Service's new protocol, now allows them upto 28 days to respond to a written question/concern/complaint.  

One waits, and waits, only to receive a generic reply that fails to answer the original question.  

Then one writes again, only to discover the 28 day rule is again reapplied.  

The protocol process is repeated over and over without a resolution.  Then 6 months have passed. 

In desperation one elevates to the Board, and heyho a telephone call received from the Executive Office, a short discussion, then within 2 days all resolved.

 

Is it "going for the jugular" as you suggest?  

When one considers it a potential effective process for reducing the Customer Service's complaint protocol to a more acceptable time period.

Contrast that, with my one and only experience. A legitimate complaint about Health and Safety when disembarking. The email was logged and a reference number given to me. Within a week Customer Services had assigned me a named person, who looked into my complaint and upheld my comments with promises it wouldn't happen again and the crew involved had been given additional training in the area of my complaint.

 

Maybe they had, maybe they hadn't, but my concern was logged and a decent response given.

 

Maybe I had a concern Cunard felt needed a quick response or maybe I was just lucky. Either way, I was a happy camper!

 

[Pennbank]

20 minutes ago, PORT ROYAL said:

 

Let one explain.

Because of bad past experiences with Cunard Customer Services (oxymoron).  

Cunard Customer Service's new protocol, now allows them upto 28 days to respond to a written question/concern/complaint.  

One waits, and waits, only to receive a generic reply that fails to answer the original question.  

Then one writes again, only to discover the 28 day rule is again reapplied.  

The protocol process is repeated over and over without a resolution.  Then 6 months have passed. 

In desperation one elevates to the Board, and heyho a telephone call received from the Executive Office, a short discussion, then within 2 days all resolved.

 

Is it "going for the jugular" as you suggest?  

When one considers it a potential effective process for reducing the Customer Service's complaint protocol to a more acceptable time period.

 

Contacting the CEO, in my opinion, is Still Over the top, or even could be  compensation seeking,  just for a future cruise enquiry mix up. 

Edited August 20, 2019 by Pennbank

[PORT ROYAL]

3 hours ago, Pennbank said:

 

Contacting the CEO, in my opinion, is Still Over the top, or even could be  compensation seeking,  just for a future cruise enquiry mix up. 

 

Unlike many cruisers, I have never sought compensation, preferring to obtain a recognition of the truth, when a ship's purser's desk manager became economical with it, and the whole department repeatedly denied, possibly with their jobs under threat. Hence the repeated push back by the ship.  It was only when I asked the Executive Office to review the CCTV and sound recordings was it resolved.  Compensation was offered, but declined, accepting an apology.

 

I will continue to be proactive.  

 

You have an opinion which one declines to criticise.

[Tigrou]

On 8/20/2019 at 11:56 AM, PORT ROYAL said:

 

Let one explain.

Because of bad past experiences with Cunard Customer Services (oxymoron).  

Cunard Customer Service's new protocol, now allows them upto 28 days to respond to a written question/concern/complaint.  

One waits, and waits, only to receive a generic reply that fails to answer the original question.  

Then one writes again, only to discover the 28 day rule is again reapplied.  

The protocol process is repeated over and over without a resolution.  Then 6 months have passed. 

In desperation one elevates to the Board, and heyho a telephone call received from the Executive Office, a short discussion, then within 2 days all resolved.

 

Is it "going for the jugular" as you suggest?  

When one considers it a potential effective process for reducing the Customer Service's complaint protocol to a more acceptable time period.

 

Whilst I haven't ever resorted to contacting the CEOs, I have to agree entirely with Port Royal's synopsis of Cunard's Customer Service - which I also agree is an oxymoron.  This is exactly the process I have experienced whether I have contacted them through the website or by 'snail mail'.  If you ask a question they don't like, they simply give it a stiff ignoring!