Customer Services - How Can This Be?

[cbjroms]

I returned from a cruise and was sent a survey on 13th April. The survey encouraged me to contact Customer Services about a persistant problem we had onboard and I emailed on 19th April.

 

I had a response from Customer Services on 26th April - 'Thank you for taking the time to contact us, your comments have been sent to the ship to investigate further.'

 

It is now 16th May and I am still waiting.

What is so difficult about Customer Services providing quick and meaningful reponses?

[Harry Peterson]

1 minute ago, cbjroms said:

I returned from a cruise and was sent a survey on 13th April. The survey encouraged me to contact Customer Services about a persistant problem we had onboard and I emailed on 19th April.

 

I had a response from Customer Services on 26th April - 'Thank you for taking the time to contact us, your comments have been sent to the ship to investigate further.'

 

It is now 16th May and I am still waiting.

What is so difficult about Customer Services providing quick and meaningful reponses?

Nothing remotely difficult about it, and very often it’s the way to transform a potentially negative ex-customer into a very positive advocate for the company. Companies are judged by the way they handle complaints.

 

Unfortunately, though, P&O either haven’t understood this, or, more likely, do understand it but prefer the Ryanair approach - just ignore complaints and tough it out because it’s cheaper.

[majortom10]

They have under ABTA rules to respond to your complaint in 28 days so there is time yet.

[LondonLad60]

1 hour ago, majortom10 said:

They have under ABTA rules to respond to your complaint in 28 days so there is time yet.

Or does "Thank you for taking the time to contact us, your comments have been sent to the ship to investigate further." count as a response within 28 days? They may have RESPONDED to the complaint, but they certainly haven't addressed it.

[cbjroms]

The crazy thing is that shore-based Customer Services is allowed (apprarently by senior management) to provide a 1/10 customer experience when the ship's crew is expected to achieve far better. It is almost as if senior management dont see the service provided by shore-based as relevant to the customer experience.

 

I would be very surpised if ignoring complaints actually saved P&O money - I suspect it comes at a cost. Ryanair gets away with it because it offers no more than getting from A to B as cheaply as possible. When I received the P&Osurvey it said that its aim was (something like) to be the first choice of cruise brand.

 

From my own business I know that very few people bother to complain (most just go elsewhere) and so those that do need to be treated really well. 99% of the time all it takes is a small gesture (eg voucher for a bottle on next cruise or speciality restaurant voucher) to turn the situation around and the

secret is that it costs the company relatively little compared to the value perceived by the complainant.

 

.

[Fionboard]

Do they still send you a questionnaire? I have done 5 cruises since last August and have not had one for any of them. My contact preferences including email.

[Megabear2]

57 minutes ago, Fionboard said:

Do they still send you a questionnaire? I have done 5 cruises since last August and have not had one for any of them. My contact preferences including email.

It's not actually a questionnaire now. You will be invited in 48 hours after your return to submit a Feefo review. If you do that including any complaint you are generally contacted by telephone at some point after.  My last two cruises I did make comments, some of which were negative, and I received the call and both led to compensation in the form of quite large FCC and refunds for the items I wrote about.

[Cruisemeister2002]

Things have changed if questionnaires are requested once a passenger arrives home. Normally up until our last cruise 2018 these were requested to be filled in and taken to reception a couple of days prior to disembarkation. As for complaints I have always written to P&O Carnival House Southampton and from what I recall have always been satisfied with whatever form the compensation takes. I suppose in16 cruises I have complained roughly 5 times with regards to a variety of problems. Suitcase trashed, handbag trashed, problems with an onboard package, excursion problem and an arrival coach time when for whatever reason P&O started allocating a precise arrival time so that by the time we got to the cabin they were then calling for Muster Drill. If has has been indicated they now send a Feefo Review seems a bit less personal than one that is filled in whilst aboard and also doesn't target the precise place you wish the review to be seen. Anyway when I saw Feefo thought it was some to do with the giant in "Jack and the Beanstalk"  

[pete14]

On 5/16/2022 at 1:36 PM, cbjroms said:

I returned from a cruise and was sent a survey on 13th April. The survey encouraged me to contact Customer Services about a persistant problem we had onboard and I emailed on 19th April.

 

I had a response from Customer Services on 26th April - 'Thank you for taking the time to contact us, your comments have been sent to the ship to investigate further.'

 

It is now 16th May and I am still waiting.

What is so difficult about Customer Services providing quick and meaningful reponses?

I understand your frustration but presumably involving the ship, (which is now on another cruise), in an investigation may delay the response. I would prefer a thorough investigation and delayed response to a quick one which is less likely to be meaningful.

[cbjroms]

In my opinion, companies too often leap to the conclusion that a customer complaint has to await an investigation. My issue was simply that the hot water temperature on Aurora was tepid at best and meant that the bath we paid for was of no benefit. This was reported 3 times onboard, nothing changed and no feedback was ever received.

 

All Customer Services need to do in order to please me is offer a relatively minor gesture. This could have been done immediately and then I would have been delighted. Obvioulsy then Customer Services would need to liaise with the ship as to whether this is an ongoing problem and avoid any future disappointed customers. But this could be done in slower time.

[MX-Drew]

It is very unfortunate this, "the investigation will take 28 days" is also used to fob you off I believe. In my case I have submitted a complaint about an upcoming cruise. I was looking for some form of small compensation or even move the cruise to later this year as certain facilities like the evening nursery will not be available. I received the aforementioned standard response but the big problem is 28 days is after the cruise.

As a result I have cancelled two future cruises, a 14 night and a 28 night and we have said we will no longer use P&O as our go to cruise line. So was that cheaper for them?

Edited May 20, 2022 by MX-Drew

[Harry Peterson]

1 hour ago, cbjroms said:

In my opinion, companies too often leap to the conclusion that a customer complaint has to await an investigation. My issue was simply that the hot water temperature on Aurora was tepid at best and meant that the bath we paid for was of no benefit. This was reported 3 times onboard, nothing changed and no feedback was ever received.

 

All Customer Services need to do in order to please me is offer a relatively minor gesture. This could have been done immediately and then I would have been delighted. Obvioulsy then Customer Services would need to liaise with the ship as to whether this is an ongoing problem and avoid any future disappointed customers. But this could be done in slower time.

Funnily enough, that’s pretty much exactly the situation we had on Azura. Again, the problem was ignored onboard, and again it was never addressed through the complaints process. Presumably it’s just one of those things customers are expected to tolerate.

[cbjroms]

Never understand why Customer Services take for granted that the customer is interested in the cause of the problem. I dont care why the water was tepid!

[Vampiress88]

Anyone have email for complaints? The email they gave me is being ignored. 

[Josy1953]

10 hours ago, Vampiress88 said:

Anyone have email for complaints? The email they gave me is being ignored. 

When I had a complaint that was not resolved on board and then ignored by customer services in Southampton I escalated it to Paul Ludlow, his email was paul.ludlow@carnivalukgroup

I was contacted by his secretary a few days later and my issue was resolved quickly.

I  had got a letter from customer services on-board acknowledging that I had made them aware of the problem but that they had not resolved it.

Edited May 21, 2022 by Josy1953

[paulatsea]

11 hours ago, Vampiress88 said:

Anyone have email for complaints? The email they gave me is being ignored. 

I was told to use guest.services@carnivalukgroup.com on the phone.

no reply or even acknowledgement.

 

I also tried sending a message via the website customer service section.

again - nothing !

 

 

[DS_Dean]

I think this is pretty much normal. P&O operates a more Ryanair esque customer service experience. 

[zap99]

51 minutes ago, DS_Dean said:

I think this is pretty much normal. P&O operates a more Ryanair esque customer service experience. 

Perhaps the receive so few complaints that they don't know what to do. Do you remember the old Carlsberg advert?.

[Bazrat]

Comes as a complete surprise that anyone sails with p&o anymore, us aside who regularly cruise with them, any particular problems we have had with them as been sorted quickly so we must be the lucky ones.

Edited May 21, 2022 by Bazrat

[Fionboard]

Yes, I have had to contact them a few times recently and found service better than a lot of others.

[MX-Drew]

2 minutes ago, Bazrat said:

Comes as a complete surprise that anyone sails with p&o anymore, us aside who regularly cruise with them, any particular problems we have had with them as been sorted quickly so we must be the lucky ones.

After the two cruises I have booked and fully paid for are over I’m not going with P&O anymore. I have cancelled and lost deposits for two cruises.

[zap99]

10 minutes ago, Fionboard said:

Yes, I have had to contact them a few times recently and found service better than a lot of others.

I phoned yesterday to move our Iona Cruise to Britannia. The young lady on the phone couldn't have been more helpful. Friendly, competent, all that. No complaints at all. She even apologised for my long wait on the phone. That wasn't necessary as it was only 35 minutes. Try phoning BA.

[Josy1953]

2 hours ago, Bazrat said:

Comes as a complete surprise that anyone sails with p&o anymore, us aside who regularly cruise with them, any particular problems we have had with them as been sorted quickly so we must be the lucky ones.

We have only ever complained to P&O once but the experience means that we only go with them now during the winter when there is no real alternative because my husband can't fly.  Princess are now our preferred choice and if I have to call them for any reason they seem to be a lot more helpful. 

[jeanlyon]

2 hours ago, MX-Drew said:

After the two cruises I have booked and fully paid for are over I’m not going with P&O anymore. I have cancelled and lost deposits for two cruises.

Exactly what I am doing for my 2 cruises where only paid a deposit.  Totally lost interest.

[Ardennais]

2 hours ago, zap99 said:

I phoned yesterday to move our Iona Cruise to Britannia. The young lady on the phone couldn't have been more helpful. Friendly, competent, all that. No complaints at all. She even apologised for my long wait on the phone. That wasn't necessary as it was only 35 minutes. Try phoning BA.

I think that 35 minutes IS a long wait. You don’t mind Zapp because you have the time, not so easy when you’re still working.