Addressing complaints

[Sagittarius traveler]

My supervisor is always hiding lol they take forever to address guest concerns lol.

 

4 hours ago, HillBilly Bob said:

All it takes is one sentence.    "I want to speak to your supervisor".  EVERYONE has a supervisor.  

 

[sparks1093]

2 hours ago, 2wheelin said:

Probably moved on to enjoy life without criticism. They asked a question and it was answered in the next post. Some helpful hints in others but mostly, if not outright accusing them of wanting money, negative comments on their lack of knowledge of how aggressive to be while on the ship. Many of us were not raised to escalate problems immediately to the top. 

The older I get, the more likely I am to expect action.

I would prefer "assertive" to "aggressive" and how "assertive" one needs to be is based entirely on how bad they perceive the problem to be. It's not a matter of escalating a problem immediately to the top, either, there is a process/progression involved- speak to the employee (in this case the steward), then speak to guest services (if necessary) and then speak to the Hotel Director (again, if necessary). To me waiting until after the cruise to address the issue with Corporate is more akin to escalating immediately to the top.

[2wheelin]

1 hour ago, jimbo5544 said:

Looks like a fairly jaundiced view.   A simple thanks would be nice.  When you post open ended generalizations you get questions.  Part of why Cruisecritic works so well.

True. Questions are fine but when you are already feeing down because of a problem, you really don’t need to be told you were basically stupid for not doing something else. It is good to get advice and know what others experience.

Sorry if I sometimes forget to offer thanks for good advice I get on CC. I have learned a lot.

[2wheelin]

1 hour ago, sparks1093 said:

I would prefer "assertive" to "aggressive" and how "assertive" one needs to be is based entirely on how bad they perceive the problem to be. It's not a matter of escalating a problem immediately to the top, either, there is a process/progression involved- speak to the employee (in this case the steward), then speak to guest services (if necessary) and then speak to the Hotel Director (again, if necessary). To me waiting until after the cruise to address the issue with Corporate is more akin to escalating immediately to the top.

Thanks for the correction. Been out of the work force too long I guess. I always stressed to my employees the difference.

You are also right that problems usually can be addressed progressively. It is also true that many cruisers do not know there are more progressions between guest services and captain. That’s just not something the casual cruiser thinks about. (Or wants to deal with on vacation)

And sometimes people get home and decide the problem is more important to them than while on vacation. While on vacation, people say “don’t spoil your time worrying about it”. When they get home, people say “you shouldn’t have put up with that”. That is not an excuse—just an explaination.

And sometimes things happen at the end of the cruise without time for all those steps.

[sparks1093]

19 minutes ago, 2wheelin said:

Thanks for the correction. Been out of the work force too long I guess. I always stressed to my employees the difference.

You are also right that problems usually can be addressed progressively. It is also true that many cruisers do not know there are more progressions between guest services and captain. That’s just not something the casual cruiser thinks about. (Or wants to deal with on vacation)

And sometimes people get home and decide the problem is more important to them than while on vacation. While on vacation, people say “don’t spoil your time worrying about it”. When they get home, people say “you shouldn’t have put up with that”. That is not an excuse—just an explaination.

And sometimes things happen at the end of the cruise without time for all those steps.

That is true, which is why these things are pointed out in these threads- it lets the OP know what they should have done and should do in the future and it also let's others know what to do. When I first started cruising I didn't know any of this myself. I've never had to deal with it since we've never had any issues that were that big of a deal but the process that I've outlined is the one that I would follow should it ever happen. I do understand that sometimes one can have regrets after the cruise but again after the cruise there is very little that can be done to rectify the problem (the OP might feel better about getting a canned "we're sorry we didn't meet your expectations" but other than that it's very likely nothing will come of their complaint). I do also realize that this is nothing that people want to deal with on vacation, but they paid good money for a certain standard to be met and insisting on receiving that is not a bad thing. 

[jimdalva]

 

 

 

 

The crew sometimes cut corners , because Corp. places more and more demand on them. We have been on A lot of cruises, and our cabin may not always be 100%, but the crew always appears to be working darn close to it.  Yes, send your complaints up the chain, and fill out the survey. Thats the only way the boys upstairs will perhaps stop squeezing the help and allow them to do the right job.

 

I would hope people don't penalize the crew, they deserve their tips.

[sparks1093]

37 minutes ago, jimdalva said:

 

 

 

 

The crew sometimes cut corners , because Corp. places more and more demand on them. We have been on A lot of cruises, and our cabin may not always be 100%, but the crew always appears to be working darn close to it.  Yes, send your complaints up the chain, and fill out the survey. Thats the only way the boys upstairs will perhaps stop squeezing the help and allow them to do the right job.

 

I would hope people don't penalize the crew, they deserve their tips.

I appreciate that the crew works hard but if I have to speak to a crew member to rectify a concern that is within their job description then I would expect them to rectify it and receiving reduced tips could be a consequence of failing to meet that expectation. 

[jimdalva]

3 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

I appreciate that the crew works hard but if I have to speak to a crew member to rectify a concern that is within their job description then I would expect them to rectify it and receiving reduced tips could be a consequence of failing to meet that expectation. 

Their post did not make clear if they ever spoke to their steward. 

If they were sure that their steward was just lazy, that's one thing, but I find that is rarely the case.

 

[WhaleTailFlCruiser]

On 1/29/2020 at 4:08 PM, Mutumbojimbo said:

The poster did go to Guest Services. How much of a cruise should anyone give up waiting in line there? We went 2x and spoke to our steward about an issue on a recent cruise. After that, I gave up. I did not pay with the goal of standing in line at Guest Services. I made my feelings clear in the survey, but I will write Carnival If I don't hear back soon. 

 

But did the poster escalate it up the chain of command? Once back on shore there isn't much that can be done. 

[sparks1093]

18 minutes ago, jimdalva said:

Their post did not make clear if they ever spoke to their steward. 

If they were sure that their steward was just lazy, that's one thing, but I find that is rarely the case.

 

That is correct, their post didn't make it clear about that. But if you have a complaint about how the steward is doing his/her job they are the first ones to talk to and that usually does the trick. I responded to your post because I think I'm the only one that mentioned adjusting the tips and as I said, it's only after giving the steward the opportunity to rectify things would I even consider it. 

[kenb]

The original poster is LONG gone!! Let's go on with are lives.  I see this on all the boards. My ex MIL called it the Pearl Harbor effect. She would walk into the room when hen her 2 brothers were together and make a comment that she knew would get them into an argument. She would walk out and watch the fireworks. Again, I see this on many of the boards.

[Banditswife]

On 1/28/2020 at 2:41 PM, amyotravel said:

 

Back from your cruise and need to speak with someone?

Contact our Guest Care team.

(800) 929-6400

Mon-Fri 8:30am to 6:30pm EST

Saturday 9:00am to 5:00pm EST

 

But probably better done in writing.

 

Carnival Cruise Lines

Guest Relations

3655 N.W. 87th Ave

Miami, FL 33178

 

Also Guest Solutions Support:

guestsolutionssupport@carnival.com

This

I had a major complaint about a recent cruise.  I emailed guest services with my complaint.  I got a call back within a few days from a CCL rep.  She was very little help, but did give us OBC for our next cruise.  Make sure you attach pictures to your email, with specific complaints.  Mention talking to Guest services while on cruise.  Give your phone # & booking # & VIFP #.  They will call you back.

[Banditswife]

16 minutes ago, Banditswife said:

This

I had a major complaint about a recent cruise.  I emailed guest services with my complaint.  I got a call back within a few days from a CCL rep.  She was very little help, but did give us OBC for our next cruise.  Make sure you attach pictures to your email, with specific complaints.  Mention talking to Guest services while on cruise.  Give your phone # & booking # & VIFP #.  They will call you back.

In my case, I did go to guest services & my cabin steward, it was not a cleanliness issue.  I felt my issue could only be corrected by corporate.  I don't think filling out that survey does much good.  And in the issue mentioned by original poster:  I am surprised that going to guest services didn't correct the problem.

Edited January 30, 2020 by Banditswife