HAL not returning phone calls.

[sseibert3]

Good day Folks -

 

First post here.

 

New to HAL, we have 3 cruises booked with them.  Alaska from Seattle on July 1, an 11 day Eastern Caribbean from Ft Lauderdale in Jan '24 and a 28 day cruise of the Mediterranean in Sept '24 for our 50th wedding anniversary.  I am disturbed that on four occasions in the last two weeks, I have reached out to Holland America via telephone and have not received one return phone call.  I have tried the Chat feature numerous times and get no response.  I did get through via phone one time to find out my Personal Cruise Consultant is no longer with the company so I was put into VM and left a message for my new Personal Cruise Consultant.  No return call there either. 

 

We have previously sailed with Princess to Hawaii, and 2 sailings with Royal Caribbean in the Western Caribbean.

 

Having read great reviews about the HAL ships and their Ports of Call, we felt that this would be a good choice and upgrade.

 

I think after we return from this Alaska trip I will cancel our cruises and find another cruise line that can answer phones and questions.

 

In retrospect,  We should have completed one cruise before booking others, but the reviews of the ships, ports and the overall satisfaction of HAL's customers led us to believe that this cruise line was better than most in terms of service and vessels.

 

We did purchase Cancellation Protection.

 

I am hopeful that the Alaska cruise will be good and boost our feeling about HAL.

 

Disillusioned - 

 

Scott

 

 

[Copper10-8]

Was one of the numbers you called HAL Ship Services at 800-541-1576?

 

There is also general reservation assistance at 877-932-4259 or 206-626-7020

If you get a live person (which I've had on more than one occasion in the past, there might be a bit of a wait at times) instead of a voice mail, I would request to speak with a supervisor to deal with whatever your question(s) is/are

 

[sseibert3]

Thank you for your response.

 

We have tried 800.426.0327 and 800.628.4771.  We have also tried "Have us contact You" on the HAL website. 

 

I was transferred to VM before I had a chance to request being connected to a Supervisor.

 

I will try the numbers that you listed.

 

Scott

[albingirl]

And while you are at it, get a new PCC. 

[sseibert3]

Thanks albingirl -for your comment.

 

[SeaStar102]

Actually, tell the agent you DONT  want a pcc. Just deal with the agent you get online. That's what I ended up doing. The PCC never responded to my emails/ phone calls etc, even when trying to book new cruise. 

 

Carolyn 

[sseibert3]

Thanks for your comment Carolyn, 

 

I can only guess that they are understaffed and very busy.

 

Scott

Edited June 28, 2023 by sseibert3

[Haljo1935]

I feel your pain @sseibert3 on not getting return calls from your PCC - I have the worst one ever, even have an email from her telling me she's too busy to call me. If the day comes I leave HAL, which as 4* I hope doesn't happen, I will frame it and send to their entire C-Suite so they know what cost them my business. So, I truly understand your frustration. 

With that said, if you call during business hours (they're West coast Pacific time), you shouldn't get voicemail. You could likely be put on hold, but should eventually get a person not voicemail. I've never gotten the chat feature to work and don't understand why it's there.

I hope your experiences improve and that your cruise to AK is everything you want it to be. AK is lovely and once on ship, HAL is a nice cruiseline.

They did a beautiful job with our vowel renewal (highly recommend for your 50th) and each year on our anniversary sailings.

 

Edited June 28, 2023 by Haljo1935
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[sseibert3]

Thank Haljo1935.

 

All of my calls were made during West Coast Pacific time.

 

I hope we will enjoy the cruise too.

 

Scott

 

 

[erdufylla]

In my experience, you get sent to voicemail during business hours when the person you’re trying to connect with is already on another call. I’ve heard of people having terrible experiences with non-responsive PCCs, and have had a couple of them myself. I can tell you there are good ones out there, though, if it’s any consolation. I called mine a few days ago about an hour before end of business hours, got his voicemail, asked that he call me back before end of day about some promotional pricing I wanted to take advantage of, and he called me back within 10 minutes. I say that not to gloat, but to encourage you to put in a new request for a new PCC, and in the meantime, make it clear in the voicemails you leave that you need a call back ASAP. Hopefully that will help.

[Cruise Suzy]

43 minutes ago, sseibert3 said:

We have tried 800.426.0327 and 800.628.4771. 

The first number is for emergencies only. The second one is for Flight Ease.

[sseibert3]

Thank you for your posts.

 

Did not realize that one was emergencies and Flight Ease.  My error.

 

We also called 877.932.4259, so my phone says.  

 

Scott

[GlennG]

I can certainly empathize with seibert3.  We have been cruising with Holland America Line for over 15 years.  Most of the time, we have used the services of a PCC, and most of the time, we have received good and timely service.  Since the end of the COVID pandemic, however, we note that it takes 3 to 4 working days to get a response to an email request.  Sometimes the information requested is incomplete or irrelevant to our personal needs.  I can only surmise that PCCs, like all HAL employees, are overworked and cannot provide the services that we need and expect.  I intend on writing a detailed letter to senior administrators in hopes of a return to minimum standards of service which we expect.  Can anyone provide me with the address and phone number of HAL's chief executive officer?

[Heartgrove]

If you have trouble with the assigned PCC, ask for the supervisor. They may need to return your call later in the day due to the number of PCCs they support, but once you have their ear tell them what your problem is.  The conversations with customers are recorded and one time when we were assigned a non-responsive she went and listened to the recording. No problem after that getting a new PCC that really works for us.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Welcome to cruise Critic.

 

[YourWorldWithBill]

2 hours ago, albingirl said:

And while you are at it, get a new PCC. 

I've been trying to get a new PCC for about two weeks. No responses. But to @sseibert3, as others have said, call the PCC number and instead of punching in an extension just hold and the wait generally won't be too long before someone answers. Often they can help you, and you can also ask them to transfer you to a supervisor to request a different PCC. 

Obviously a lot of us feel the pain.

On another thread here I've seen people rave about their PCC, but maybe they live in a different universe. 

I'll bet you love your Alaska cruise, though! HAL is the way to go to Alaska!

Edited June 28, 2023 by YourWorldWithBill
Added a sentence.

[Haljo1935]

YES @YourWorldWithBill HAL does do AK very well!!

They've been sailing there since before AK was a state and we all get to benefit from that experience.  🥳

Edited June 28, 2023 by Haljo1935
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[sseibert3]

Thanks for all of your input.

 

I do not want to beat this to death, but it is encouraging/discouraging to hear that this is not a new issue. 

 

We'll get through this. 

 

Scott  🙂

Edited June 28, 2023 by sseibert3
added text

[RuthC]

There is a wealth of information in the collective memories of this forum. Are any of your questions of a nature that some of us may be able to answer for you? 

Please do know that the service on board the ships is NOTHING like what you are getting from Seattle. It is sooo much better on board! 

[Haljo1935]

38 minutes ago, RuthC said:

There is a wealth of information in the collective memories of this forum. Are any of your questions of a nature that some of us may be able to answer for you? 

Please do know that the service on board the ships is NOTHING like what you are getting from Seattle. It is sooo much better on board! 

Absolutely agree, which is why I say once onboard HAL does a nice cruise. We just gotta get there.

[Lakesregion]

If I read the Carnival news release about breaking the corporation up into parts, one of the items was the discontinuance of the California HAL office. I believe that they will be working out of a European office and there may be some transitional delays.

[Haljo1935]

7 minutes ago, Lakesregion said:

If I read the Carnival news release about breaking the corporation up into parts, one of the items was the discontinuance of the California HAL office. I believe that they will be working out of a European office and there may be some transitional delays.

I did not read that, but honestly just skimmed it. So, I've now got homework...

Is that the Long Beach office that Princess called home?

Edited June 29, 2023 by Haljo1935
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[FlorenceItaly]

7 minutes ago, Lakesregion said:

If I read the Carnival news release about breaking the corporation up into parts, one of the items was the discontinuance of the California HAL office. I believe that they will be working out of a European office and there may be some transitional delays.

CA office?  My PCC always calls me from a Seattle prefix, 206.

[oaktreerb]

23 minutes ago, Lakesregion said:

If I read the Carnival news release about breaking the corporation up into parts, one of the items was the discontinuance of the California HAL office. I believe that they will be working out of a European office and there may be some transitional delays.

Seattle is home for HAL on the West Coast.  I’ve never heard of a California office.

[POA1]

Princess has an office in Fort Lauderdale at the intersection of SE 17th Street & Eisenhower Blvd. I don't know what they do there, but the mirror glass on the building is the Princess head logo.

 

I think most of HAL's PCCs work virtual office. The phone caller ID will say 206 area code regardless of where they are located.