Princess let me down badly

[coloradocruiselover88]

This is so very sad and distressing.  Does anyone think that Princess would have behaved differently had the Aunt purchased Princess travel insurance? Is that even allowed in the UK? I am not familiar with the insurance laws/regulations.

 

It still breaks my heart that they were both treated in such an awful manner. Prayers for your Aunt.

 

 

[JimmyVWine]

53 minutes ago, pris993 said:

I don't feel Princess let the OP down.

Thanks for your perspective. Lots of excellent thoughts and suggestions in your post. I agree that in some ways (likely the most important ones) Princess didn’t let the OP (or more importantly, the aunt) down. The story began at 4:00 a.m. and by 6:30 the aunt had been examined, taken off the ship and was headed to the hospital. Big picture, that is the most important part of the story and Princess did right here. And under current restrictions in Italy, there was no way that the OP was going to get to go to the hospital. Perhaps a more direct, less misleading conversation should have been had. But the stark reality is that no visitors were going to get in. Not Princess’ fault. But the portions of the story involving the lost luggage and the crude way the billing issue was addressed certainly count as letdowns. These made an extremely stressful situation even more stressful. Princess can do better in that regard. But big picture, taking into account the dire medical emergency, Princess appears to have handled that aspect well and that should not be overlooked. But neither should the human elements that need refinement. 

[dog]

38 minutes ago, dog said:

Princess definitely let you & your aunt down. 
over the bill you are not responsible for.

 

Over keeping your aunt’s documents 

 

Over  not being able to put through payment to aunt’s on-board account

 

Over the luggage hassle

 

over having you in close contact to Covid + passéngers

 

over not being able to find you a hotel, BNB room. ( they did not put the effort in)

 

support crews are probably not trained, new to the job, understaffed

 

you would not be let into the hospital in Italy

 

Adding:

over putting you outside in the heat to wait for transfer that did not come & resulting in you needing medical attention 

 

I do agree medical took care of aunt in a timely manner

[pris993]

11 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

Thanks for your perspective. Lots of excellent thoughts and suggestions in your post. I agree that in some ways (likely the most important ones) Princess didn’t let the OP (or more importantly, the aunt) down. The story began at 4:00 a.m. and by 6:30 the aunt had been examined, taken off the ship and was headed to the hospital. Big picture, that is the most important part of the story and Princess did right here. And under current restrictions in Italy, there was no way that the OP was going to get to go to the hospital. Perhaps a more direct, less misleading conversation should have been had. But the stark reality is that no visitors were going to get in. Not Princess’ fault. But the portions of the story involving the lost luggage and the crude way the billing issue was addressed certainly count as letdowns. These made an extremely stressful situation even more stressful. Princess can do better in that regard. But big picture, taking into account the dire medical emergency, Princess appears to have handled that aspect well and that should not be overlooked. But neither should the human elements that need refinement. 

Thanks for your thoughts too.  

 

I recently had a medical emergency in my family.  Family was transmitted to local ER.  He went by ambulance, I followed separately.  When I arrived at ER, my Covid status was checked and I was allowed in the waiting room.  I would expect something similar in Italy.  She may not have been able to visit her Aunt but I would guess staff at the hospital could have but her touch with social services for assistance.    The least of my concern would be luggage.  I would have let Princess find the luggage and leave it with the port authority if necessary and collected later.    The Op was under stress she may not have of thought of that option someone at Princess could have made that suggestion.  

 

I have found medical expenses need to be settled before leaving the ship.  Since the niece is related, I believe it is reasonable for Princess to expect her to cover those expenses before she left the ship, since Aunt was not able to do so.  If the Niece was not able to do so, then cruise line would have to come up with another option.   From her story it seems a lot of time was wasted on dealing with lost luggage and the billing issue, which I would guess added to her stress.  I have gone in and out of the port of Rome and know connecting with private transportation there is challenging too which is part of her story.  She mentioned a transport by name which I believe is a private car service.   It would seem someone from Princess could have done a better job helping her find that transport which they ordered.   By the way, generally hospitals will not release a patient until a bill is settled, or they are confident that insurance will cover the account.  Her story does not address how that was handled or resolved.   

 

While OP says she was new to Princess, her cruise critic membership seems to be well established, so I would expect her to understand better how cruise lines operate.   I am sure if she did not know much about this before she has learned a lot from this experience.   Tough lesson to learn.

 

Since I am traveling with a 90 year old I have thought. " what if something happens"  and what do I need to have to respond.  I don't know how old the OP is, probably not old enough to think about such things in advance.    

 

I guess it is not surprising folks make assumptions things will be taken care of for them in emergencies.  I had a friend who was visiting family in France.  This friend ended up in the hospital needing surgery for a kidney stone.  He complained that the hospital sent a bill later to his home in Israel, he did not expect to get charged.  Because he was visiting a niece in France, he assumed he would not be charged.  I thought, he was lucky they released him without payment.   That probably only happened because he furnished a local family member's address in Paris. 

 

I have worked in a doctor's office and would not make such assumptions.  

 

I have insurance if either my significant other or I died while traveling, our remains may be transported back home by simply making a telephone call, from anywhere in the world and costs are covered.  We hope this never happens but at 75 and 90 one never knows.   Better be prepared just in case, the insurance I have only costs a onetime fee of $500 pp. 

 

Hopefully Princess take a look at this situation and considers what they might do differently too.  Would I want to count on that?  No, especially now in this post Covid time where all cruise lines are struggling to survive.  

 

[deltaqueenie]

Dear Megabear2, I’m so sorry to hear this has happened to you and your Aunt. It certainly is a devastating story, and makes me apprehensive about traveling on Princess- if we had to deal with a medical emergency. It doesn’t seem like the situation was handled well, at all. I hope your Aunt will be ok, and I’m so very sorry for you. Thank you for taking time to share your story…💕

[Megabear2]

4 hours ago, memoak said:

Then her aunt should have paid her bill. She was not unconscious as far as I can tell. If you travel with your parents and they have a heart attack you wouldn’t pay their bill and settle up with insurance later ?

Thank you for your unkind comment. My aunt was not awake and was in total heart failure.  You really expect that I should have gone back to the medical centre and interrupted the team of four medical professionals working to keep her alive?  

 

I repeat Princess were given a credit card in the name of my aunt with ample funds to cover any expenditure and could have simply requested the money from the card company via the normal channels.  The problem was that the payment of their bill was more important to them than allowing me to go to be with my aunt.  However I have no wish to get dragged into a fruitless argument about the rights and wrongs of bill payment by me or anyone else. I was seeking opinions as to whether the lack of support from Princess to people in a medical emergency was normal or correct when I posted this.  Princess are a US company whereas I am British.  I have no idea of the workings and behaviours of the former, all I can say is that my experience of being unaided and left alone in a foreign non English speaking country would not be an acceptable in the UK. Certainly my aunt's and my well being would have come before any financial matters.

 

To all those other kind people who have expressed sympathy and support, I thank you. 

[californiagirl]

To the OP I’m very sorry you had to deal with so many issues not of your making.  I also hope your aunt recovers.  So, so stressful.  I don’t give Princess a pass that their employees are new and don’t know how to handle situations like this.  That’s ridiculous!  I’m sick and tired of covid as an excuse for poor service.  Emergencies such as this occur on a regular basis on cruise ships.  The restart of cruising was a year ago, plenty of time to get their ducks in a row.  They should have contacted more senior officers if they didn’t personally know how to handle this situation.  Pre-covid we have friends who had an emergency situation similar to your aunt’s.  Princess assisted the spouse every step of the way.  Helping with luggage, accommodations, transfers etc.  I’m appalled to read about their lack of sensitivity and assistance in your case.  
 

As to the medical charges, the only people I would feel obligated to pay their medical expenses are my spouse and minor/dependent children.  I would have told Princess it’s their problem not mine.  THEY are the ones who should have made sure the aunt had enough credit to cover unexpected expenses onboard.  I would notify my credit card that this was a fraudulent charge and I did not authorize it.  
 

We have cruised Princess since 2002 and overall have had good experiences.  It makes be profoundly sad to see Princess steering itself into the reef so to speak.  I will be elite after my next cruise in September.  Even with the gradual diminishing of the product, pre-covid Princess was still pretty good.  Not so sure anymore.  

[Megabear2]

I have now read what to me are overnight posts and for clarity would like to say:

 

1. I was not suggesting the bill would not/could not be paid.  The card on file with Princess has a £20,000 limit - it was a standard UK issued chip and pin credit card not a debit card as some appear to believe.  It was issued by Visa from a leading UK bank. Checking yesterday after my brother in law activated his power of attorney Princess had already settled my aunt's onboard account in the princely sum of US$176.89 so they were able to take payments from it as required.

 

2. I had a separate American Express card in my name with a credit limit of £18,000. Again this was on file with Princess and they had also settled my slightly higher account of US$316.00.

 

3. It is a term of contract in the UK for passengers to have mandatory travel insurance to be allowed to sail on any cruise ship. The minimum medical cover required is £2,000,000.  My aunt's policy of insurance covers medical expenses up to £15,000,000. Again any expenses onboard would be fully covered, we were not sailing with no facility to pay as some seem to think was the case.

 

4. There is a legal agreement on medical cover for UK citizens travelling in Europe and Australia for reciprocal medical emergency cover. This is called the GHIC and covers 70% of emergency medical care and is paid for by the UK government to the Italian one in this instance.  Therefore once ashore in a medical emergency the costs of medical aid cease to be a problem to worry about.

 

5. It was not me expecting to be allowed in the hospital to accompany my aunt.  I am fully aware of worldwide covid restrictions on visitors to hospitals and the requirements for patients to be unattended.  It was Princess who were pushing me to go to the hospital despite my asking them to clarify the situation before me leaving the port.  I expected them to at least know local rules rather than trying to force me into a blind alley which would have left me alone on the pavement outside the hospital with nowhere to go and only minimal cash in my pocket, I had €40 in cash together with several hundred US$ and the same Pounds sterling. It should be remembered it was a Saturday and all banks were closed until 9.00am Monday morning.

 

6. It should also be remembered I was in a non English speaking country and I do not speak Italian. Princess had a shoreside team who were Italian and therefore could speak the local language.  I had expected, wrongly, that they would have a person as a liaison between me and the hospital to keep me up to date with the situation.

 

7.  I was given the name and telephone numbers for a Princess representative who was to be my liaison ashore.  He failed to show.  After waiting for nearly 2 hours for this person to appear calls were made and I was promised a replacement liaison, he too failed to appear.

 

8. It was not that I would not pay the Princess bill, more that I wanted them to take it from the card in my aunt's name which they were holding.  This was to preserve my own credit card funds for use by me ashore for hotel, sustenance and travel costs within the Rome area.  I am aware UK travel insurance does not accept immediate liability for claims, often taking 48 hours or so to authorise and accept them even in a dire emergency. By taking the money from me rather than my aunt Princess would substantially reduce my available funds which I required to ensure my comfort and safety.

 

9. On disembarkation I was given a "Family Support" telephone number in Southampton, UK.  On calling this I was told they could do nothing and to be frank the provision of this line of support was about as much use as a chocolate teapot!

 

10. I did not wait for the luggage deliberately and just wanted to leave. Princess would not allow me to go until it was located. They also stated it would return to the ship. It did not, I have subsequently learned it was taken to the hospital.  All paperwork and GHIC were handed to Princess' shoreside supervisor with instructions it was needed urgently at the hospital to facilitate acceptance of liability. Unfortunately that bag has also now been mislaid and as a consequence the family in UK are currently meeting the medical Bill's until it is located.

 

I hope this clarifies the situation for those who think this is merely about the bill payment. It is not.  My distress is the total lack of Princess being willing to fulfil their obligations to offer me a duty of care or the promised help and assistance.  

 

Thank you.

Edited July 12, 2022 by Megabear2

[caribill]

6 hours ago, memoak said:

It has always been required 

to pay Princess medical bills when leaving ship and then get reimbursed by insurance after getting home.  We have had this happen numerous times over our 30+ years of cruising   This is not unusual 

 

But the payment should be to the patient's account, not the OP's.

 

Just because they are related to one another does not mean each is responsible for the other one's expenses.

[Megabear2]

1 hour ago, caribill said:

 

But the payment should be to the patient's account, not the OP's.

 

Just because they are related to one another does not mean each is responsible for the other one's expenses.

To be picky I am actually only related to my aunt by marriage.  She is my husband's relative being married to his uncle.  We also live 150 miles from each other and I was actually travelling with her at one week's notice due to her friend who was scheduled to travel with her deciding he did not want  to travel.  In fact his trip was not cancelled and Princess had full payment for three solo travellers rather than the two who did travel.  I am just thankful it was not my aunt and her 81 year old friend alone on this trip. At least I'm a relatively healthy 66 year old who understands technology and can generally look after myself.  I dread to think what would have happened if they were alone.

[Megabear2]

7 hours ago, Mary loves to travel said:

I think when the aunt got taken away by ambulance.... that interfered with paying the bill.

Correct. European chip and pin cards require secondary authorisation by typing in a code sent to a registered mobile telephone number. As the card was my aunt's the code was correctly sent to her telephone which was in the ambulance with her.  I am aware Australia also uses this secondary authorisation.

[Gettingwarmer]

2 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

I hope this clarifies the situation for those who think this is merely about the bill payment. It is not.  My distress is the total lack of Princess being willing to fulfil their obligations to offer me a duty of care or the promised help and assistance 

I think @Megabear2is happy with her Aunts medical care onboard, she is just very distressed with their attitude and attention to her and her Aunts welfare  after she had left the ship. The Princess liaison officer did not materialise and she was left alone and important documents were lost. 

Edited July 12, 2022 by Gettingwarmer

[Jazzytelly]

So sorry to hear about your ordeal.

 

Someone on a Disney Forum posted about going on a Princess Cruise. They dropped her luggage in the water on Embarkation. Took it away and said she would get it back at the first port , 2 days later. She thought they would sort the case, launder it etc but no it was still soaking wet. So they took it away again and said it would be sent to her house. 2 weeks after arriving home the case arrived, everything inside was still wet and mouldy. Princess are refusing to pay any compensation. So another customer they have lost plus others of course that read the story. 
 

Love and best wishes to you and your family 

[leck57]

1 hour ago, Megabear2 said:

 I am aware Australia also uses this secondary authorisation.

 

Yes we do but if I was overseas and in a similar situation to you, the phone code probably would not have come through as I probably have my phone on flight mode. So I would have had the same problem.

I'll just say that I congratulate you on the composure you have shown, both with the incident with your Aunt, and with your replies to one or two posters on here. One or two replies have been beyond any sort of compassion and karma awaits them. My replies would have had me banned from CC. I am loyal to Princess but you see the real Princess apologists emerge from under their rocks in relation to issues like yours.

I just hope things get better for your Aunt. Best wishes.

[Ombud]

9 hours ago, memoak said:

It has always been required 

to pay Princess medical bills when leaving ship and then get reimbursed by insurance after getting home.  We have had this happen numerous times over our 30+ years of cruising   This is not unusual 

Should only be the case if she signed anything at the medical center making her the guarantor 

 

@Megabear2hope your dear aunt recovers!!

[Megabear2]

I have now spoken with my card company and the charge is being reversed.  Thank you for the suggestion.  I can also confirm that my family and the UK insurance team have persuaded Princess to take the funds from the correct card, i.e. the one they held on behalf of my aunt.

 

Unfortunately the missing insurance documents and GHIC card have still to be located.

[dog]

10 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

I have now spoken with my card company and the charge is being reversed.  Thank you for the suggestion.  I can also confirm that my family and the UK insurance team have persuaded Princess to take the funds from the correct card, i.e. the one they held on behalf of my aunt.

 

Unfortunately the missing insurance documents and GHIC card have still to be located.

Was a family member able to get your aunt’s cell phone or access your aunt’s insurance policy in her email on a computer?

 

thanks for clarification. This is so helpful in alerting us to be prepared. my travel companion always has a copy of my docs, & vice versa. Screenshots help as well.

 

take care.

[Megabear2]

19 minutes ago, dog said:

Was a family member able to get your aunt’s cell phone or access your aunt’s insurance policy in her email on a computer?

 

thanks for clarification. This is so helpful in alerting us to be prepared. my travel companion always has a copy of my docs, & vice versa. Screenshots help as well.

 

take care.

The mobile phone is at the hospital with my aunt. It is no longer charged and the charger is in the missing bag.  

 

The insurance policy had all ready been activated by myself and Princess doctor. However the supporting documentation and the vital card remain missing. The documents/screenshot etc are on her missing IPad.  It should be remembered until a week before she was travelling with someone else.

To explain I was on a Celebrity cruise from 15 June to 25 June, arrived UK late 25 June, travelled to my home 150 miles from my aunt due to a rail strike and then drove to join her late evening 26 June.  We flew to Majorca on 27 June as part of the package- ironically it was her 83rd birthday that day and this holiday was her celebration of that and her first trip abroad since the death of her husband of 60 years who passed at the beginning of the pandemic.  As a result she was dealing with issues alone for the first time. She did have everything in place and organised well.

[wowzz]

28 minutes ago, dog said:

Was a family member able to get your aunt’s cell phone

If you read the thread, you will see that the aunt's phone was with her in the  Italian ambulance. 

How is a family member in the UK going to get to the phone? 

[dog]

17 minutes ago, wowzz said:

If you read the thread, you will see that the aunt's phone was with her in the  Italian ambulance. 

How is a family member in the UK going to get to the phone? 

Oh, my mistake then. I thought a family member from the UK was going to Italy.

 

tone of your post- unkind.

Edited July 12, 2022 by dog

[Megabear2]

3 minutes ago, dog said:

Oh, my mistake then. I thought a family member from the UK was going to Italy.

 

tone of your post- unkind.

You are correct. My aunt's sister is currently in Rome staying with a family friend who was away over the weekend. Unfortunately she has not been allowed to see her sister or have access to her belongings. To be honest access to the telephone or IPad are now irrelevant as it's the GHIC card which is urgently required.

 

Thank you for your words of support, they were appreciated. The issue is so confused it's very difficult to stay on track with it!

[dog]

17 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

The mobile phone is at the hospital with my aunt. It is no longer charged and the charger is in the missing bag.  

 

The insurance policy had all ready been activated by myself and Princess doctor. However the supporting documentation and the vital card remain missing. The documents/screenshot etc are on her missing IPad.  It should be remembered until a week before she was travelling with someone else.

To explain I was on a Celebrity cruise from 15 June to 25 June, arrived UK late 25 June, travelled to my home 150 miles from my aunt due to a rail strike and then drove to join her late evening 26 June.  We flew to Majorca on 27 June as part of the package- ironically it was her 83rd birthday that day and this holiday was her celebration of that and her first trip abroad since the death of her husband of 60 years who passed at the beginning of the pandemic.  As a result she was dealing with issues alone for the first time. She did have everything in place and organised well.

To OP: Thanks for answering politely.

sorry, I thought I read that aunt’s son was now dealing with issues.

[Coral]

8 hours ago, pris993 said:

Most travel insurance also has phone contacts for assistance as well.    I would have made good use of that contact information. 

 

Did you read that they could not get through to the travel insurance company?

[dog]

4 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

You are correct. My aunt's sister is currently in Rome staying with a family friend who was away over the weekend. Unfortunately she has not been allowed to see her sister or have access to her belongings. To be honest access to the telephone or IPad are now irrelevant as it's the GHIC card which is urgently required.

 

Thank you for your words of support, they were appreciated. The issue is so confused it's very difficult to stay on track with it!

 

[Megabear2]

2 minutes ago, dog said:

To OP: Thanks for answering politely.

sorry, I thought I read that aunt’s son was now dealing with issues.

Absolutely no problem, as I say long and convoluted.  Just to clarify the family consists of her sister and her various nieces and nephews, of which I'm one.