Unbelievable service at contact centre.

[Son of Anarchy]

7 minutes ago, margo2011 said:

obviously they aren’t concerned about customer retention or business service level .

Unfortunately, regarding the HQ shore side operation does seem to have been like that for several years.

 

There remain, however, lots of us who keep coming back for more! Maybe we're masochists?!

[Pippa04]

8 hours ago, margo2011 said:

 

Sorry for rant ,I just wanted to know my cabin number and if I need to print off NHS proof of jabs for domestic  or travel as there are two on the NHS app ,as we aren’t visiting any port  not sure 

 

 

 

 

 

That's interesting. Previously there was only proof of jab for travel - this domestic one has just been introduced presumably as the "vaccine passport" for concerts etc.

You need the travel one by the way.

[margo2011]

1 minute ago, Pippa04 said:

That's interesting. Previously there was only proof of jab for travel - this domestic one has just been introduced presumably as the "vaccine passport" for concerts etc.

You need the travel one by the way.

Thank you 

[wowzz]

1 hour ago, ann141 said:

Sometimes to get a certain benefit(usually OBC) you have to book direct in order for it to be applied.I think also due to the delay in refunds and having to pay the balance  to a TA early it has encouraged people to book direct.In fact we booked direct with Princess for our latest cruise but shall probably use a TA for future cruises if the discount is worth it.

We booked with our TA for a May 2022 Princess cruise,  and got £200 discount off the "official" price. OK, not a fortune,  but not to be sneezed at.  

[ann141]

18 minutes ago, wowzz said:

We booked with our TA for a May 2022 Princess cruise,  and got £200 discount off the "official" price. OK, not a fortune,  but not to be sneezed at.  

I agree that £200 discount is worth booking via a TA. We do usually book via a TA and will do again if the cruise is longer than 6 or 7 days but so far I have been happy that I have been able to contact Princess quickly to answer any queries etc.At one time we used to get 5% discount but now the max discount seems to be about 3%

[smilesonfaces]

I do agree it is frustrating being on hold for a fairly straight forward enquiry. 
The information you need though could be found relatively stress free on the website.

Some people haven’t been given their cabin number until a couple of days before,

restaurants can only be booked once on the ship.

Have you checked your junk mail for the confirmation email ?  If not maybe give it a few more days. 
All the information you need about the covid regulations is available on the website. The vaccination details are on the covid 19 app, I will be printing it out but don’t forget the printout only lasts for a month to prevent fraud.

 

I know it isn’t ideal and it is nice to speak to a human being but it’s not worth getting stressed over and most of your enquiries could be resolved online fairly quickly. 

[wowzz]

2 hours ago, smilesonfaces said:

All the information you need about the covid regulations is available on the website. The vaccination details are on the covid 19 app, I will be printing it out but don’t forget the printout only lasts for a month to prevent fraud

I ordered my NHS Covid pass on Sunday. Received it today - no expiry date shown. On fact, it tells you to keep it safe, so the implication is that the certificate is permanent.  

[smilesonfaces]

It is the one you print or save yourself that has an expiry date. It  has month expiration date. It has been done to make it less open to fraud. The paper one you can apply for doesn’t have an expiry date. It not the vaccination status that expires it is just the barcode. 

Edited July 29, 2021 by smilesonfaces

[wowzz]

10 minutes ago, smilesonfaces said:

It is the one you print or save yourself that has an expiry date. It  has month expiration date. It has been done to make it less open to fraud. The paper one you can apply for doesn’t have an expiry date. It not the vaccination status that expires it is just the barcode. 

I applied for it online. It contains all my vaccination details,  and has a bar code, but not a QR code. It specifically states that I may need to show it when travelling abroad. 

I already have my QR code on my phone, but like the reassurance of having a physical piece of paper!  

[Adawn47]

17 hours ago, pete14 said:

I have never experienced such long waits. Are you using the freephone number (08000523840)? This is the number I tend to use on the basis that if they are paying for the call, they may answer sooner.

I was having the same problems as other posters even 3 weeks ago, long wait times, 1hr 15 mins+, and countless dropped calls. I then, using the above number, phoned Saturday morning 9am on the dot. First attempt, a recorded message saying they were closed, hung up, pressed redial, and after all the usual spiel was connected with a real human being. It's worth a try.

Avril

[Adawn47]

17 hours ago, majortom10 said:

Yes and many regretting it later because of the appalling customer service of P&O.

I guess you speak as you find Tom. I used a well known TA for many years, but after one appalling incident that totally ruined a cruise for us, never used a TA again. I've booked direct with P&O for the last 10 years and can quite honestly say that I have never had bad customer service. I've always found them friendly, helpful and polite. I'm not saying there haven't been any mistakes made, we all make them, but they have always been rectified immediately without having to jump through hoops as I did with my TA. There are two sides to every coin Tom, and could the phone lines be busy because booking direct with P&O is popular?

Avril

[wowzz]

22 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

I guess you speak as you find Tom. I used a well known TA for many years, but after one appalling incident that totally ruined a cruise for us, never used a TA again. I've booked direct with P&O for the last 10 years and can quite honestly say that I have never had bad customer service. I've always found them friendly, helpful and polite. I'm not saying there haven't been any mistakes made, we all make them, but they have always been rectified immediately without having to jump through hoops as I did with my TA. There are two sides to every coin Tom, and could the phone lines be busy because booking direct with P&O is popular?

Avril

Sorry Avril, that doesn't wash. If they are that popular, they should employ enough people to deal with their popularity.

[terrierjohn]

59 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

I guess you speak as you find Tom. I used a well known TA for many years, but after one appalling incident that totally ruined a cruise for us, never used a TA again. I've booked direct with P&O for the last 10 years and can quite honestly say that I have never had bad customer service. I've always found them friendly, helpful and polite. I'm not saying there haven't been any mistakes made, we all make them, but they have always been rectified immediately without having to jump through hoops as I did with my TA. There are two sides to every coin Tom, and could the phone lines be busy because booking direct with P&O is popular?

Avril

In order to decide which is best we probably need a poll to determine just how many have no issues with booking direct vs those with issues, and the same for those booking through a TA. 

Not sure if this current version of CC has a poll facility.

 

[Snow Hill]

21 hours ago, Harry Peterson said:

I’d agree. Early experiences with my first booking direct with P&O taught me never to book direct again, and I’ve stayed with the same excellent TA ever since. Faultless service - the one most people here use, but the name of which cannot be mentioned.

 

Obviously too late now for the OP, but I’ve felt for some time now that this is part of a deliberate plan by P&O to drive people into the hands of agents with a view to substantially reducing their staffing. There’s a commission cost, of course, but it’s perhaps lower than the cost of maintaining a reservations department.

Must admit we have never had any problems booking direct, we used a TA once, they made so many mistakes we have never used one since. 

[wowzz]

3 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

In order to decide which is best we probably need a poll to determine just how many have no issues with booking direct vs those with issues, and the same for those booking through a TA. 

Not sure if this current version of CC has a poll facility.

 

It's not about issues perse, but how easily it is to get any issues resolved.

Both P&O and TAs can make mistakes, but by the sound of it, trying to get through to P&O to resolve any issues is the big negative as far as booking direct is concerned. 

[wowzz]

3 minutes ago, Snow Hill said:

Must admit we have never had any problems booking direct, we used a TA once, they made so many mistakes we have never used one since. 

Just as a matter of interest, naming no names (!) did you book through a generic TA, or through a specialist cruise agency?

[HikingPete]

1 hour ago, Adawn47 said:

could the phone lines be busy because booking direct with P&O is popular?

Avril

This morning I tried to call P&O, first at 8:29, and was rightly told they were closed. Hung up, and immediately tried again, and received the "we are very busy" message and sat on hold for half an hour before giving up (I do have a life to live, and work to do).

 

When I've spoken to phone reps they are always very helpful... but the company needs more of them.

 

Will I raise a complaint? Yes, I probably will. I've got the names of the people I've spoken to and will mention them as being a credit to their role. The issue is with the decision makers who are happy to leave paying customers waiting for lengthy times, rather than them pay for more staff.

 

Covid/Popularity etc. is not an excuse.

[Adawn47]

43 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Sorry Avril, that doesn't wash. If they are that popular, they should employ enough people to deal with their popularity.

They have lost so much revenue since 2020 began that they are  having to recoup their losses somehow, it's unfortunate that it's in customer service, and let's be honest, the volume of bookings is much higher than normal. I don't think P&O are the only cruise line having this problem. Not an excuse, merely a possible explanation. 

Avril

[zap99]

14 minutes ago, Snow Hill said:

Must admit we have never had any problems booking direct, we used a TA once, they made so many mistakes we have never used one since. 

We book every holiday, package, or cruise direct. We booked a holiday to Canada that had several different elements with a cruise specialist about 5 years ago. I felt like piggy in the middle. Since then all direct. The travel agents in the high st have been closed. If I need to speak to P&O at the moment I phone the free phone number, put the phone on speaker and get on with something else. Of course the should have more staff, but so should all companies doing telephone sales. Have you tried phoning Amazon.🤔

[wowzz]

4 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

They have lost so much revenue since 2020 began that they are  having to recoup their losses somehow, it's unfortunate that it's in customer service, and let's be honest, the volume of bookings is much higher than normal. I don't think P&O are the only cruise line having this problem. Not an excuse, merely a possible explanation. 

Avril

But if I can get through to my TA without any problems,  (the largest P&O agency in the UK) when they have higher bookings than nomal, it shows that it can be done.  

[Harry Peterson]

“Your call is important to us…………….”      🤮

[Snow Hill]

41 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Just as a matter of interest, naming no names (!) did you book through a generic TA, or through a specialist cruise agency?

Specialist, we don’t use generic  TAs for booking holidays, most are useless. 

[wowzz]

1 minute ago, Snow Hill said:

Specialist, we don’t use generic  TAs for booking holidays, most are useless. 

I agree with you there. In fact, for land based holidays we book everything direct (although that may change now in these Covid times!)

[Snow Hill]

2 minutes ago, wowzz said:

I agree with you there. In fact, for land based holidays we book everything direct (although that may change now in these Covid times!)

Most of our land based holidays overseas have been one where we drive to, so easier to do all the work yourself. Our more recent land holidays to Kos and the French Alps were both booked directed with operator direct, both covered by ATOL/ABTA.

 

We used to have a good local independent TA, however the owner retired and sold the business to one of the High St TAs who then 9 months later closed the agency. 
 

 

 

[Son of Anarchy]

Since P&O started price fixing a few years ago, we switched, mostly to booking direct.

 

However, we do have one cruise on the books with a TA.  Needed to phone them this morning.  Took them half an hour to answer the phone.  OK, that is considerably less than waiting times quoted earlier, but still a bit of a wait.

 

The lady who took the call grasped my issue straight away and said she will chase up the accounts department to sort it and stop sending me emails saying that I haven't paid the balance when I have!  Wait and see whether I get another automated email later.