Celebrity's actual deceit on Move Up - bid for upgrade

[george_sf]

Just sharing our experience. It was not a good start to our vacation in about a week. 

 

 

TL;DR - Celebrity gave us a great Move Up room costing a pretty penny. They backed it out a week later after giving the room to a VIP for a deep discount. 

 

 

My husband / I bid and were successful for a Move Up on the Silhouette. Celebrity Suite to Penthouse Suite. On March 7th, we got the email that said our bid (over $5400 additional) was accepted. Credit card charged even before we got the email. The Celebrity site showed our new room and we downloaded the new luggage tags! 

 

On March 13th, we got a call from a STAR program flunky. (STAR includes the Move Up program). The Penthouse Suite was not available; she had no info on why it was reserved by another passenger. They were moving us back to the Celebrity Suite. We wanted to speak to her manager. Manager is "out for weeks" and not available before we cruise. We get a lot of "I am sorry I have to make this call." Nothing about how it affects us, loyal Elite Plus cruisers. Celebrity's own Terms and Conditions be damned, I guess these aren't really "final." Flunky later sends an email offer of minimal OBC that says "thank you for taking the time to take my call." That evening, we send an email to the CEC team and Laura Hodges Bethge, President Celebrity Cruises.  

 

On March 14th, we got a call from a STAR manager... (We get a few more answers.) We told her that in the era of immediate inventory updates, it is categorically impossible that this room was reserved by an average revenue customer where it was then overlooked for 6 days. We are told that the room was purchased as part of a category guarantee. So when my husband says "put them in the vacant Celebrity Suite," we are told the passenger purchased a "Penthouse guarantee." Pressing her, she said the revenue dept does higher guarantees, not just Ws (W = Suite Guarantee). We realize this is total BS: we have in fact just been told it was also offered to a VIP paying a steep discount. She told us our refund was being processed that day. The STAR manager sends an email later in the day that she has applied that minimal OBC and repeats their term "sorry for the inconvenience."

 

Later on March 14th, we got a call from a CEC. (Celebrity Engagement Center). I have to point out that our travel agent urged us to be sure that Laura Hodges Bethge's office knew of this incident. The travel agent wanted to be sure it wasn't buried by the flunkies that messed up. Talking to the CEC exec was about a 3 minute call. It did not give us the confidence that this issue was heard or will be addressed so it doesn't happen the future. You can tell the call was solely a "check-off item" so Laura Hodges Bethge can say that someone followed up. We were told that the error was "not intentional." "Not intentionally" giving our room to a VIP doesn't improve our vacation. 

 

Celebrity supposedly says they are a Service Driven line, for differentiation in the market. But in this instance, Celebrity failed us miserably.

 

Our vacation had started on a low point! 

 

George 

 

 

 

 

[abbydancer2003]

I'm so sorry this happened to you, but it is indeed possible to book a guarantee room for a specific suite category.  In 2022, we booked a Sky Suite guarantee.  I know that's the lowest suite but it wasn't a W it was a sky suite.  So i think it possible to book a guarantee in. specific suite category - although why they'd do it for the very limited penthouse is beyond me.  

[george_sf]

There are 2 penthouse suites on the ship. A guarantee for 2 rooms is "selling it." (Some ships have over 100 Sky Suites. Those are "guarantees." ) Also, these reservation types are not available to average passengers and not available to travel agents. 

 

Also, we asked specifically - "Did this other reservation come in after we were assigned the room?" The STAR manager says they don't know and they can't find out. Our BS meter went high again.  

[abbydancer2003]

5 minutes ago, george_sf said:

There are 2 penthouse suites on the ship. A guarantee for 2 rooms is "selling it." (Some ships have over 100 Sky Suites. Those are "guarantees." ) Also, these reservation types are not available to average passengers and not available to travel agents. 

 

Also, we asked specifically - "Did this other reservation come in after we were assigned the room?" The STAR manager says they don't know and they can't find out. Our BS meter went high again.  

I'm not disputing what you're saying at all.  I was just trying to clarify that they do sell guarantees into specific suite categories, not just W "suite guarantees".  Although as you say, there are only 2 Penthouses, so why would, if they were both sold, offer a guarantee?  As I said, that's beyond me.  Just because it makes no sense whatsoever doesn't mean they wouldn't do it.

 

 

Edited March 16 by abbydancer2003

[chemmo]

Annoying and disappointing….I feel for you. Having cruised Silhouettes PH it really is a wonderful experience.

 

It would appear you have exhausted all options of complaint now, all you can do is put it behind you, get on board and enjoy your CS.

 

As a note for the future, we find we generally get the best prices for RS and PH shortly after itineraries are released. I know for certain on our Equinox cruise we paid significantly less for our RS than two couples had paid for theirs through the move up system. Perhaps you could soften the blow of your disappointment by looking out for a good offer in the future rather than using the move up system.

[billc23]

I'm sorry to hear about the treatment you received from Celebrity. It doesn't seem that they are instilling confidence in the brand when people read about their many missteps.  

 

I wonder what does VIP status mean and how does one become a VIP to Celebrity??

[hcat]

wow.. talk about a weasel reneg! 

 

Once they acceped your bid and charged the credit card, that should have sealed the deal .What a display of bad faith!

 

.They should now comp your entire cruise as part of their  "apology package", plus mega OBC.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[cruisetonowhere10]

I hope you at least received the refund quickly.  That would be what would send me through the roof.  I would be on the phone every day.  I love the excuse that it takes so many billing cycles to see a refund but than others happen almost immediately.  In this case, I’d want it immediately.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

Who was the VIP ? 

[StopTheWorld]

Just curious - how do you know the cabin was sold to a vip for a deep discount? Was this disclosed during one of the calls you had? 

[wrk2cruise]

I agree this is very poor form for Celebrity and that minimal OBC (assuming in the couple hundred $$) range which they always state as a "One time Good Will Gesture" would not be adequate after committing to a $5k+ upgrade.

 

I had something a little bit similar that was handled much better.  I had booked an AQ room about 3 weeks before sailing.  I got a call about a week later that they had oversold AQ and would I accept a CC stateroom with a refund of about 25%.  I was concerned that the refund would be in OBC, but no it was refunded to my CC.  Long story short I was able to pick any CC cabin I wanted.  We had all the AQ amenities in our room and were able to eat in Blu.  It was a win-win and was left satisfied.  The exact opposite experience of the OP.

 

So in my opinion a better response from Celebrity would be to provide some of the PH amenities for the OP in their CS, like unlimited specialty dining, laundry etc.  Maybe if the onboard staff is aware of what happened there might be some accommodation

[wrk2cruise]

Thinking about this more, I wonder how many other phone calls they had to make as I'm sure the CS was won by someone which opened one or more lower categories.

 

It's really an oversold situation and compensation should be more in line with that, although they are not being denied boarding.

[Liao]

Reading this post, I really wanted to have some empathy for the OP but the referral several times to a CSR simply doing their job (certainly not a decision maker, rather just the messenger) as "flunkies" says a lot.  Bottom line is you are still whole + some, and in the original CS you booked and had anticipated having a nice vacation.

[At Sea At Peace]

7 hours ago, george_sf said:

Just sharing our experience. It was not a good start to our vacation in about a week. 

 

Our vacation had started on a low point! 

 

George 

 

 

Yeah, that's a tough one.  After getting all excited to win the best on the ship it makes it harder to take losing it. 

 

I don't know why such happened.  

 

Laura Hodges Bethge CEO is really tough to get for a matter like this; she's about a year into running the entire line and that's a lot on her plate to take on individual matters.

 

I would recommend Andrea Shey, I believe VP of the Loyalty Program for about the same amount of time.  I watched many cruise videos and read many online commentaries from her and, after having an issue of our own, she actually immediately communicated with us, commented and forwarded to the correct department head for resolution.  We got a phone call in minutes and our issue was resolved satisfactorily.  We believe the person was from an "Executive Office" type response team.

 

Anyway, CC has many different thread post with various emails for her.  The one we used originally and successfully was below.

 

ashey@celebrity.com

 

I will recommend, as I do to all in such conditions, to conduct yourself in a balanced, passionate (about Celebrity cruise history) and non-adversarial manner (even though you could have every right to feel so) as, in these corporate level access situations, we find that a touch of sugar coating works more often than vinegar.

[Homosassa]

Let's get this straight:

 

1. You booked a category cabin that, at the time, you were happen with.

 

2. You then put in a bid for an upgrade that was still probably a discounted price from the regular price or guarantee price category for the cabin.

 

3. You were notified that your bid was accepted.

 

4. You then received a call from a employee who was doing their job (probably  courteously and professionally), that due to an error or a mix up, you upgraded cabin was not available.

 

5.Cruise line ticket contracts (Terms and Conditions) include the language that a cabin assignment can be changed at a the cruise line's discretion.

 

6. For some reason, there is the perception that all the  cruise line professionals that were in contact with you are "flunkies," a derogatory term for someone who performs menial tasks, usually obsequiously. You, of course should only be dealt with by the cruise line CEO's office and immediately receive your discounted cabin.

 

Is that the gist?

 

Yeah, no.

 

 

[george_sf]

Thanks for understanding. Yes, we got a lot of excitement and lots of disappointment within the span of a week. 

 

I used the word "flunky" as it was an appropriate description for the 1st person to call us. The woman who originally called was a young employee, who made the call about her. It was hard for her. She was't the "messenger"... She could provide no reason how or why it happened or why it was US that lost the room. When asked to speak with a manager who could provide answers, we're told "it's Spring Break" and of course managers are not available. She had no authority to compensate us more than $100 OBC each. It was insulting to leave this job to her. Our email to the President specifically asked to get contacted by "someone with knowledge (and actual influence to fix this)" 

 

 

[spiritkat090909]

I am totally on your side. I would be DEVASTATED, were I to get such a prime moveup, accepted according to terms and have it SNATCHED out of my reach at the last minute. AND to be offered no real compensation. $100 obc? Ridiculous. My expectation would be to be made 'whole'. As in, another PH on a different date. Or the OBC in the amount I paid for the moveup with a refund as well. Totally a BIG screwup. And my guess is the VIP is probably the CEO, who seems to sail a lot more than the old one. JMO.  In any event, someone more important than you or the rules of moveup.  So so sorry for you.

[Hearthosesteeldrumsplayin]

So sorry this happened to you.  I would be disappointed, too!  However, let me provide something that happened to us on an NCL cruise.....I'm sure whoever got our suite was over the top!  We had a 3 bedroom suite booked soon after CoVID pauses reopened.  We were meeting up with our long-time friends who live in a different state for this cruise.  One couple tested + for CoVID just before the cruise.  They cancelled (of course, this was AFTER payment was made, so they had to claim insurance).  However, NCL CANCELLED the entire stateroom!  We showed up to board and were told we didn't have our room!  (I'm sure someone else had received the move-up bid!)  After much jockeying, we were given our stateroom back.  I thought at that time, "I bet someone is REALLY dissapointed!"  Just one scenario....

[george_sf]

Let's get this straight:

 

1. You booked a category cabin that, at the time, you were happen with.

 

>> YES. And we are still happy with it and will have a good vacation. The folks on the ship are great and had nothing to do with this screw up.

 

2. You then put in a bid for an upgrade that was still probably a discounted price from the regular price or guarantee price category for the cabin.

 

>> It was lower that regular price. I have no idea what a "guarantee penthouse" costs as it's not a published fare. 

 

3. You were notified that your bid was accepted.

 

>> It was accepted. They charged our card. They changed our room. We printed our boarding passes and luggage tags. And their own Terms and Conditions on MOVE UP say it can't be reversed. You get this room and that's it. 

 

4. You then received a call from a employee who was doing their job (probably  courteously and professionally), that due to an error or a mix up, you upgraded cabin was not available.

 

>> We get a call from someone who is too green and immature to do this job. The call is about her. And she can't provide any answers nor can she provide a person that will. She was polite, but it's the wrong person to call about such a screw up. 

 

5.Cruise line ticket contracts (Terms and Conditions) include the language that a cabin assignment can be changed at a the cruise line's discretion.

 

>> The MOVE UP is very clear that this can't be modified unless Celebrity cancels the cruise or moves you to a different cruise. 

 

6. For some reason, there is the perception that all the  cruise line professionals that were in contact with you are "flunkies," a derogatory term for someone who performs menial tasks, usually obsequiously. You, of course should only be dealt with by the cruise line CEO's office and immediately receive your discounted cabin.

 

>> Now this is derogatory. Such a screw up should come with an explanation and an actual apology. We got neither. So yeah, of course we escalated.

 

Is that the gist?

[paulh84]

Did you make up the part about the “VIP” or did someone actually tell you that? 

[Rick&Jeannie]

5 minutes ago, paulh84 said:

Did you make up the part about the “VIP” or did someone actually tell you that? 

I'm curious about this as well.  Perhaps an assumption?

[LXA350]

In summary, a error happened in the whole process. Either the upgrade confirmation was confirmed by the system almost simultaniously when someone else bought the cabin at full fare / someone else already received the upgrade.

 

That you end up with your orignal cabin is ok but the whole process seemed quite unprofessional. You should have received a simple excuse that the upgrade was processed by error and as a token of appreciation they should have offered you USD 200 OBC, issue closed.

[wrk2cruise]

Since the OP will be on the sailing I'm sure they will be able to discretely find out who is actually in the room.  I too wouldn't be surprised if it was a cruise line executive.  If that's the case then it's more inexcusable.

 

[kaysha2004]

I'm sorry this happened to you. You have the right to be frustrated. Celebrity is really going downhill in their service. I have one more cruise then I'm done with them.  I've sailed on Virgin 8 times and they are getting my future cruise $$.

[Rick&Jeannie]

10 minutes ago, wrk2cruise said:

Since the OP will be on the sailing I'm sure they will be able to discretely find out who is actually in the room.  I too wouldn't be surprised if it was a cruise line executive.  If that's the case then it's more inexcusable.

 

Is it true that people have heard it was Taylor Swift....?