Can I consider my Royal Caribbean Email (RCCL) a scam?

[RumJunkie]

So... maybe I am way out of line here.

TL:DR;

* Discount email received, but not discounts showing.

* Phone rep tells me discount are already applied.  Then claims I missed the sale.

* "Manager" admits there was no sale prices.  Does not address the email I received or help me contact marketing.

= I think they are sending a fake discount email so you click-bait book at full price.

Manager says go ahead and post this on social media they don't care. So... I am!

 

I have an upcoming cruise, and I am focusing on the Deluxe Beverage because as I had the numbers but I was looking at Beverage and Zoom, excursions, and other items.

When I first booked, I noticed lots of the items I am interested seemed pretty expensive.  But I know there will be a discount offer coming, so... don't panic.

I got the standard "book now at a discount" email.

After 3 days, planner still does now show any discounts, either in the prices or the "sale xx% off" banners you normally see.

A call to RCCL and talk to a sales rep who says the sale price is already in the price shown.  I explain that I had already priced several items, and there was no discount.  Also, they normally indicated which items are discount and by how much with a graphic, also missing.  We discuss the beverage package which was at $67 a night pre-discount-offer.  He says there is a discount is included it $553.42 total.   I do the backwards math (thanks Windows Calc) and that $67 a night. 

He then tells me it was a 3-day sale and its over.  I explain I clicked on it shortly after it arrived.  Then he says it was a 1-day sale and I missed it.  I ask to escalate.  He doesn't want to.  After I insist, he puts me on hold for 25 minutes - hoping I go away - comes back and I tell him I have all day to be on hold, transfers me finally.

Manager says there is not and has not been a sale and says there is no email (I forward the email).  I ask to get contact info for marketing and the manager tells me there is no way to contact marketing by any method. 

 

Seems like they send out a "there is a discount" email, knowing there is no discount, so you would click-bait and book a deal.  Either that, or the was a technical issue that I was not seeing the discounts.  She said there was not technical issues as I was they only one who called.  I said... so the only option is that RCCL is emailing its loyal cruises with fake discount emails, because if that is the case - I am going to put it out on social media and that is not going to be a good look for the cruise line.  She said to go ahead and post it.  So...  here it is!

 

 

 

[SonicShip]

The normal price of the beverage package is about $83 -$89 per day.

[brillohead]

The discount is off the on-board prices, not related to the price they were charging yesterday or the price they're going to charge tomorrow.  

If you want to pay the higher price on board, go ahead and wait.  
If you don't want to pay whatever they are charging at the time you click the link in your email, then don't pay for it.
If you find a price you're happy with, go ahead and buy it -- if the price goes down, you can always cancel your purchase and repurchase at the lower price at a later date.

You can call it a "scam" if you want, but it's just creative marketing. A true scam is if you pay for something and then they don't give it to you when you're on board.  

[cruiseguy1016]

1 hour ago, brillohead said:

The discount is off the on-board prices, not related to the price they were charging yesterday or the price they're going to charge tomorrow.  

If you want to pay the higher price on board, go ahead and wait.  
If you don't want to pay whatever they are charging at the time you click the link in your email, then don't pay for it.
If you find a price you're happy with, go ahead and buy it -- if the price goes down, you can always cancel your purchase and repurchase at the lower price at a later date.

You can call it a "scam" if you want, but it's just creative marketing. A true scam is if you pay for something and then they don't give it to you when you're on board.  

 

Just clarifying for anyone that does this. Purchase the lower priced package FIRST to confirm that you get the lower price, then cancel the original, higher priced, purchase. Multiple people have reported that sometimes the lower price is gone (in a matter of minutes) when they try to book it.

[poocher]

I have found, in the new planner, the on board price for the DBP is listed ($84 for my cruise) and the banner percentages are accurate at both 20% and 30%.  Keeping my fingers crossed for 40%!

[cruiseguy1016]

38 minutes ago, Heymarco said:

Creative marketing should not leave someone feeling that they were scammed. There is no way you can offer 10 different types of sales and come up with exact same bottom line. I hope we can agree that it’s a very shady, borderline unethical, business practice at best.

 

I keep track of pricing for my booked cruises to monitor price drops. I have a cruise booked for March of 2022 that has had 16 different sales attached to it. These are prices available to the general public. Those "sales" do not include another 20 C&A, Resident and First Responder discounts I've qualified for. Only one of those 36 sales has generated a price lower than what I originally paid.

[Cigar King]

It's your email account.  You can consider anything you wish as a scam.

 

That being said, marketing messages are often not what they appear to be.  Caveat emptor.

[Merion_Mom]

1 hour ago, Cigar King said:

It's your email account.  You can consider anything you wish as a scam.

 

That being said, marketing messages are often not what they appear to be.  Caveat emptor.

 

....and a "sale" or "discounts" does not mean every item, every ship, every sailing.

[HicksRA]

Relative to their discounts, I call it Royal math.  They always say “XX% Off Onboard Prices”.  
WTH knows what the actual “onboard price” is for that particular day??  
if you like the price, buy it. If not, move on. 

Edited July 20, 2021 by HicksRA

[RumJunkie]

11 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

....and a "sale" or "discounts" does not mean every item, every ship, every sailing.

Yea - I left off it was the "discount" email you get before your cruise... it was to me, with my booking, for that ship, and that day.  Issue #2 being "It is on sale", "you missed the sale", "it was never on sale"... all statements from Royal.   If they jack the price up 20%, then discount it 20%... that slimy but at least "truthful".  haha

[neverbeenhere]

I will say if they jack the price 20% and then discount it 20%, you got a better price. 

[later]

9 hours ago, neverbeenhere said:

I will say if they jack the price 20% and then discount it 20%, you got a better price. 

At last someone that can do the math.  You are correct.

Edited July 21, 2021 by later

[cruiseguy1016]

10 hours ago, neverbeenhere said:

I will say if they jack the price 20% and then discount it 20%, you got a better price. 

 

But they don't do it that way. They jack it 25% and then discount it 20% so the price stays the same.