Being Ghosted by NCL Customer Service

[JDoyscher]

We booked on NCL Breakaway in January 2019 for a September 2019 Caribbean cruise. On May 22 there was a price drop of $460 per person. Final payment was not due until May 25th. I attempted to contact NCL and was on hold for nearly an hour. The recording stated there were longer than normal wait times. Had to hang up. Called back later and was on hold for 45 more minutes. I couldn't stay on hold so I found the price protection claim form on the NCL site and completed it. Got a confirmation email saying they'd be in touch and requests were handled in the order received. Tried calling a few times and had the same issue with being on hold for long periods of time. Finally got through on August 12. Was told that if I had spoken to someone prior to May 25 I would have gotten a full refund of the difference and that if it was worth it to me I would have stayed on hold for as long as was necessary. Was told the online form I filled out basically went nowhere and was the wrong thing to have done. Not sure how I would have known this! It was the "too bad so sad" routine. Since then I have emailed them through their online "pre cruise issue" customer service form twice. Have been assigned 2 case numbers. NO call back, no response whatsoever. This is crazy that I'm being denied any kind of help for missing out on a $920 refund because their hold times are really long. Any advice?

Edited August 21, 2019 by JDoyscher

[cottagers2000]

8 minutes ago, JDoyscher said:

 Any advice?

Simply be patient next time you are on the telephone waiting. Just curious as to how many times you actually tried to contact NCL between May 22nd and August 12th. Did you not consider sending an E-mail (or a carrier pigeon)?

[andymattmom]

13 minutes ago, JDoyscher said:

We booked on NCL Breakaway in January 2019 for a September 2019 Caribbean cruise. On May 22 there was a price drop of $460 per person. Final payment was not due until May 25th. I attempted to contact NCL and was on hold for nearly an hour. The recording stated there were longer than normal wait times. Had to hang up. Called back later and was on hold for 45 more minutes. I couldn't stay on hold so I found the price protection claim form on the NCL site and completed it. Got a confirmation email saying they'd be in touch and requests were handled in the order received. Tried calling a few times and had the same issue with being on hold for long periods of time. Finally got through on August 12. Was told that if I had spoken to someone prior to May 25 I would have gotten a full refund of the difference and that if it was worth it to me I would have stayed on hold for as long as was necessary. Was told the online form I filled out basically went nowhere and was the wrong thing to have done. Not sure how I would have known this! It was the "too bad so sad" routine. Since then I have emailed them through their online "pre cruise issue" customer service form twice. Have been assigned 2 case numbers. NO call back, no response whatsoever. This is crazy that I'm being denied any kind of help for missing out on a $920 refund because their hold times are really long. Any advice?

In three days you couldn't find the time to stay on hold for almost $1000 price difference? (From May 22-25)? Why did you make the final payment without resolving the issue? Why now 3 months later are you complaining? You should have called and kept calling- 

 

Understand the frustration but this seems to be your fault. We are all busy but if it was that important you could have found time 

Edited August 21, 2019 by andymattmom

[JDoyscher]

I called them 8 times and 3 of them I was on hold more and 2 hours with no answer. I have never done this before so did not know the "rules". I did email them. Got case numbers with no responses.

[JDoyscher]

We paid in full at the time of booking so we didn't owe anything for final payment. I'm guessing now that paying up front isn't maybe the best idea either.

You're right, this is probably my fault. I've never booked a cruise before and had no idea how all of this even worked. Trust me... If I had known that I'd lose my $960 I would have called in sick to work and stayed on the phone for as many hours as was needed. I know ignorance on my part is really no excuse. Do you think there is anything I can do at this point at all? I guess that's my question.

[andymattmom]

Usually after paid in full you're out of luck. I apologize if I came across as harsh. I usually leave a small amount to pay for final payment. 

[JDoyscher]

Just now, andymattmom said:

Usually after paid in full you're out of luck. I apologize if I came across as harsh. I usually leave a small amount to pay for final payment. 

Not at all harsh! Honest is good. Won't pay in full next time for sure!

[cottagers2000]

43 minutes ago, JDoyscher said:

We booked on NCL Breakaway in January 2019 for a September 2019 Caribbean cruise. On May 22 there was a price drop of $460 per person. Final payment was not due until May 25th. 

I think I probably know the answer to this question, but would you have spent so much time on the telephone if you had discovered that the price had gone up by $460 per person? It always amazes and rather amuses me, that when you have booked a cruise and agreed a price, you must have been happy with the price so why keep looking to see if the price has been lowered.

When I have booked a cruise in the past, I have never wanted to know if the price has changed, as I would not have been able to do anything about it, except maybe cancel and lose my deposit

[Zippeedee]

I never use a TA for just this reason. The first online agent I used charged a fee for changes and would never return calls when I called about price drops. Now I book directly with NCL and set a price watch online that alerts me whenever the price changes. I check often as well. I have saved over $900 on my next cruise by watching for price drops and grabbing the past cruiser's 20% off sale. 

 

OP, you were calling at the time when NCL was severely understaffed. They have supposedly hired a lot more phone reps so those wait times are significantly reduced. I would call again and ask for some onboard credit due to the long wait times. Ask nicely and ask for a supervisor if the rep won't help.

Edited August 21, 2019 by Zippeedee
more information

[adam_s_allen]

22 minutes ago, cottagers2000 said:

 so why keep looking to see if the price has been lowered.

When I have booked a cruise in the past, I have never wanted to know if the price has changed, as I would not have been able to do anything about it, except maybe cancel and lose my deposit

 Because between May 22-25 if they would have stayed on the phone until someone answered they would have saved $460 per person.

[adam_s_allen]

While it won’t save you any money, there’s a chance you may be able to upgrade catergories for cheap or even free.

[BirdTravels]

I call NCL later in the evening and hardly ever wait more than 5 minutes. 

 

The OP was clearly aware of the upcoming Final Payment and chose not to resolve the issue prior to Final Payment. And only attempted to get the refund 3 months later????

[awinte2]

i can appreciate where you coming from. I have booked a cruise with NCL again and have cruised with them many times in the past.  I tried calling several times and waited on hold for over and hour each time. This has never happened in the past and their customer service leave a lot to be desired.  

My mistake is  i  should have a personal cruise consultant like I do with Princess and all I do is email or call the consultant  and they handle all the issues.  

The reason companies and not just NCL give poor customer service  is because we let them.  If enough people stood up and expressed their displeasure and that is usually by not booking with them or buying a companies product then perhaps they will make the necessary changes to try and keep their customers satisfied.

I will complete this cruise with Norwegian but if their service does not improve then I have the choice to go elsewhere and I will.

[SeaShark]

I see people talking about this issue repeatedly, but you don't see people learning from it. 

 

There are any number of good TAs out there and NCL even offers everyone the service of a PCC. Whether a TA or a PCC, you have direct contact with someone who works on your behalf. AT NO COST TO THE CUSTOMER. For the life of me, I can't understand why people want to handle things themselves when someone else can do it without any extra cost. TAs and PCCs can also combine discounts and do other things that we, as individuals, simply cannot. 

 

I've never had these issues with my PCC or during the handful of times that I've used a TA. Not sure why people want to give their vacation over to whatever random person answers the 800 number. I've not seen posts by people who have benefited from this method, so I can't fathom why people insist on the DIY method (especially given the number of issues that DIYers seem to run into).

[emm126]

I am shocked that NCL stated it was your fault (if it was important to you, you should have stayed on hold?) and Why do they have a policy in place (the price protection form) if it is useless and goes nowhere? That's not great service IMO. I would call back and speak to a supervisor, if they see the price protection form was submitted before the final payment, they should honor it. Best of luck to you. I do hope you have a great cruise. 

[adam_s_allen]

3 minutes ago, emm126 said:

I am shocked that NCL stated it was your fault (if it was important to you, you should have stayed on hold?) and Why do they have a policy in place (the price protection form) if it is useless and goes nowhere? That's not great service IMO. I would call back and speak to a supervisor, if they see the price protection form was submitted before the final payment, they should honor it. Best of luck to you. I do hope you have a great cruise. 

Norwegian's Best Price Guarantee

If you see a better price on the same ship, sail date, and stateroom within 48 hours of booking – either on our website, or in a communication from us – we want to know. ... Re-price your cruise at the lower price, or. Give you 110% of the difference in onboard credit.

 

The form OP filled out was not the correct way to go about getting a price reduction.

 

Not saying NCL couldn’t have handled this circumstance better.

[beerman2]

22 minutes ago, emm126 said:

I am shocked that NCL stated it was your fault (if it was important to you, you should have stayed on hold?) and Why do they have a policy in place (the price protection form) if it is useless and goes nowhere? That's not great service IMO. I would call back and speak to a supervisor, if they see the price protection form was submitted before the final payment, they should honor it. Best of luck to you. I do hope you have a great cruise. 

Did you read the above post, PCC can do a lot for you and usually get back to you within a day. PCC's have a direct extension. My NCL PCC is excellent and even answers her cell on off days.

 

Lets us know that she will be back in office on xxxx day and will check the current prices/promotions. 

 

One must remember there are thousands of people either booking, looking for better deals , etc. on a daily basis.

[emm126]

20 minutes ago, adam_s_allen said:

Norwegian's Best Price Guarantee

If you see a better price on the same ship, sail date, and stateroom within 48 hours of booking – either on our website, or in a communication from us – we want to know. ... Re-price your cruise at the lower price, or. Give you 110% of the difference in onboard credit.

 

The form OP filled out was not the correct way to go about getting a price reduction.

 

Not saying NCL couldn’t have handled this circumstance better.

So then the res agent at NCL was wrong when she was told had she should have stayed on hold for hours to get the price adjusted? I am in customer service and it truly shocks me how some cruises conduct business. AND it really shocks me how many customers are ok with such bad service.  Companies should stand behind their policies and misinformation their employees give. That's all, 

[adam_s_allen]

18 minutes ago, emm126 said:

So then the res agent at NCL was wrong when she was told had she should have stayed on hold for hours to get the price adjusted? I am in customer service and it truly shocks me how some cruises conduct business. AND it really shocks me how many customers are ok with such bad service.  Companies should stand behind their policies and misinformation their employees give. That's all, 

No the agent was correct, OPs booking was way past the 48 hour mark.

[don't-use-real-name]

If you kept enough paperwork emails and time logged on the phone this LINK: may be interested in

helping you out - - -

 

https://www.elliott.org/company-contacts/norwegian-cruise-line-ncl/

 

Disgusting to note the least about this Ghosting issue !

[emm126]

4 hours ago, JDoyscher said:

Finally got through on August 12. Was told that if I had spoken to someone prior to May 25 I would have gotten a full refund of the difference and that if it was worth it to me I would have stayed on hold for as long as was necessary.

 

11 minutes ago, adam_s_allen said:

No the agent was correct, OPs booking was way past the 48 hour mark.

 See quote above- NCL agent said had you stayed on hold you would have received full refund of the difference, that was in August way past the 48 hour mark when she booked in January.  

[emm126]

57 minutes ago, beerman2 said:

Did you read the above post, PCC can do a lot for you and usually get back to you within a day. PCC's have a direct extension. My NCL PCC is excellent and even answers her cell on off days.

 

Lets us know that she will be back in office on xxxx day and will check the current prices/promotions. 

 

One must remember there are thousands of people either booking, looking for better deals , etc. on a daily basis.

I understand that, I always book with a Travel Agency so I don't have to worry about any of this, 1 call to my agent and I am done, they will take care of everything.  

[adam_s_allen]

14 minutes ago, emm126 said:

 

 See quote above- NCL agent said had you stayed on hold you would have received full refund of the difference, that was in August way past the 48 hour mark when she booked in January.  

Yes that is how the system works up until final payment date (depending on country) it is possible to cancel the cruise and get 100% refund. So if the price goes down before final payment you can call and essentially “cancel and rebook” for the new price. 

[zqvol]

5 hours ago, JDoyscher said:

We booked on NCL Breakaway in January 2019 for a September 2019 Caribbean cruise. On May 22 there was a price drop of $460 per person. Final payment was not due until May 25th. I attempted to contact NCL and was on hold for nearly an hour. The recording stated there were longer than normal wait times. Had to hang up. Called back later and was on hold for 45 more minutes. I couldn't stay on hold so I found the price protection claim form on the NCL site and completed it. Got a confirmation email saying they'd be in touch and requests were handled in the order received. Tried calling a few times and had the same issue with being on hold for long periods of time. Finally got through on August 12. Was told that if I had spoken to someone prior to May 25 I would have gotten a full refund of the difference and that if it was worth it to me I would have stayed on hold for as long as was necessary. Was told the online form I filled out basically went nowhere and was the wrong thing to have done. Not sure how I would have known this! It was the "too bad so sad" routine. Since then I have emailed them through their online "pre cruise issue" customer service form twice. Have been assigned 2 case numbers. NO call back, no response whatsoever. This is crazy that I'm being denied any kind of help for missing out on a $920 refund because their hold times are really long. Any advice?

 

You should have  read the price protetion form more closely and most importantly you should have held on the phone until you got to speak to a person.

[fshagan]

7 hours ago, JDoyscher said:

We booked on NCL Breakaway in January 2019 for a September 2019 Caribbean cruise. On May 22 there was a price drop of $460 per person. Final payment was not due until May 25th. I attempted to contact NCL and was on hold for nearly an hour. The recording stated there were longer than normal wait times. Had to hang up. Called back later and was on hold for 45 more minutes. I couldn't stay on hold so I found the price protection claim form on the NCL site and completed it. Got a confirmation email saying they'd be in touch and requests were handled in the order received. Tried calling a few times and had the same issue with being on hold for long periods of time. Finally got through on August 12. Was told that if I had spoken to someone prior to May 25 I would have gotten a full refund of the difference and that if it was worth it to me I would have stayed on hold for as long as was necessary. Was told the online form I filled out basically went nowhere and was the wrong thing to have done. Not sure how I would have known this! It was the "too bad so sad" routine. Since then I have emailed them through their online "pre cruise issue" customer service form twice. Have been assigned 2 case numbers. NO call back, no response whatsoever. This is crazy that I'm being denied any kind of help for missing out on a $920 refund because their hold times are really long.

<snip>

Any advice?

 

Take what you can get now. For $920 I would have certainly kept at it, put aside a few hours, and wait on hold.