A little concerned

[Cruise Dreams]

I booked a cruise on Monday afternoon(for September) with an online discount cruise agency that I've used several times in the past. Shortly after booking the cruise, I had a question and called the agency. I was transferred to the agent who deals with the online bookings. My call went to voicemail, and I thought at the time: "no problem". I left a message with all the pertinent information and a call back number.

 

Since then, I have come up with a few more questions and/or requests, and have left several additional messages. Thinking the agent might be on vacation, I called the agency again, hoping to speak to anyone who might be able to help. I was told that the agent wasn't on vacation, and I would need to speak with her directly regarding my questions and requests. I told the operator that I had already left several messages, but hadn't received a response. The operator seemed equally surprised that my calls hadn't been returned. He patched me through to the agent's voicemail again, and I left another message.

 

In the past, I've never had any difficulty in getting questions answered or phone calls returned with this agency. The main reason I'm concerned is that some of my issues are somewhat time-sensitive. I'm trying to be patient, but I'm getting a little frustrated with the lack of response. I understand that agents are busy, and there is a 3 hour time difference, and that I'm not the only customer, and so forth. But, what is considered a reasonable amount of time to have to wait for a phone call to be returned? Just curious.

 

We'll see what tomorrow brings. Thanks for listening!

[chasetf]

.....We'll see what tomorrow brings. Thanks for listening!

Sorry to hear about your frustrations. It certainly looks like a new TA in your future. In today's electronic age I would think it imperative to be able to access a TA via email.

 

That is one reason we stay with our tried and true TA. She is always ready to answer / return our calls and answer our emails.

[janetz]

I booked a cruise on Monday afternoon(for September) with an online discount cruise agency that I've used several times in the past. Shortly after booking the cruise, I had a question and called the agency. I was transferred to the agent who deals with the online bookings. My call went to voicemail, and I thought at the time: "no problem". I left a message with all the pertinent information and a call back number.

 

Since then, I have come up with a few more questions and/or requests, and have left several additional messages. Thinking the agent might be on vacation, I called the agency again, hoping to speak to anyone who might be able to help. I was told that the agent wasn't on vacation, and I would need to speak with her directly regarding my questions and requests. I told the operator that I had already left several messages, but hadn't received a response. The operator seemed equally surprised that my calls hadn't been returned. He patched me through to the agent's voicemail again, and I left another message.

 

In the past, I've never had any difficulty in getting questions answered or phone calls returned with this agency. The main reason I'm concerned is that some of my issues are somewhat time-sensitive. I'm trying to be patient, but I'm getting a little frustrated with the lack of response. I understand that agents are busy, and there is a 3 hour time difference, and that I'm not the only customer, and so forth. But, what is considered a reasonable amount of time to have to wait for a phone call to be returned? Just curious.

 

We'll see what tomorrow brings. Thanks for listening!

 

 

Ask for the supervisor and tell him or her the same. :)

[willysgrandma]

Ask for the supervisor and tell him or her the same. :)

 

 

The problem is you usually don't have the option of getting any human being on the line.

 

We booked our first cruise with an on line agency and once we booked, always had the same issue getting someone on the phone. Our calls were not returned until a day or two later.

 

Good luck.

[glendalemom]

I had same problem this year. My solution I cancelled and booked with another on-line agency. My cruise was approx. $100 more with the second agency and was worth every penny for peace of mind. The new agent always responded in a timely manner. Good Luck.

[Spikesgirl]

Even at the sake of lower prices, this is why I skip on-line TAs and continue on with our locally based one. At any point, I can go into her office and see her. Guess I'm just a face-to-face kinda person and still don't quite feel comfortable with on-line booking.

 

Hope that you get your problems all taken care of and you end up with a great cruise.

 

Charlie

[cindep]

I'm experiencing a very similar thing (wondering if we have the same agent?). I have asked for the supervisor (of course they are out of town) and plan to ask for a different agent to handle my cruise. If they can't provide one, I'll be off to greener pastures. Like the other person said, there is no reason to put up with this!

 

Feel free to e-mail me. We may need to ''talk''.

 

cphillips@qs1.com

[CruiseAholic]

Just the reason I deal with an agency that I can go and park myself at. I've heard many stories over the years where people have had problems with some of the online ones.

[bubbadog]

i would leave another message and say dont bother i found someone else,and then use a different agency that answers your questions,i have zero tolerance for poor cust service:))));)

[34TigerLily]

I booked directly from Princess's web site. I had to make some changes to the reservation and I had some additional questions. I called their customer service number and got an immediate response. Why waste time dealing with middlemen? Do you really save that much?

[ldoc31]

I booked directly from Princess's web site. I had to make some changes to the reservation and I had some additional questions. I called their customer service number and got an immediate response. Why waste time dealing with middlemen? Do you really save that much?

 

The savings has always been significant for us.

[Cruise Dreams]

Thanks everyone for your responses.

 

Another day, and still no word from the agent. Hmmm. You know, I hadn't even thought about switching our booking to another agency. I still have a few more days until final payment is due. How would I go about making the switch? I know people switch their bookings all the time, from the cruise lines to travel agents. Gee, I wonder if I could switch this booking to Princess, even at a higher rate. I'm afraid if I switch to another agency I'll have the same problem, or different problems. :( Again, I'm just so shocked because I've always had good service from them in the past.

 

Cindep---did you ever get a response from your agent?

[Jacqueline]

Pls don't switch to Princess as you will have the same lack of knowledgeable customer service that you are now receiving. Also Princess is not cheaper than a TA.

There are plenty of good online TA's with great reputations. This is your best bet.

[fool4greys]

I had a similar problem with the online TA I used for our November cruise. I called several times and left a message. I finally spoke with another agent that told me to leave her a voice message and send her a reply from the booking receipt she sent me. This worked but she did not respond quick enough for me to switch to the room I wanted.

 

I probably will not use her again in the future. This has not driven me away from online TAs, yet.

 

Laura

 

PS the difference between the online and Cruise website was appx. $600.00.

[cindep]

I checked and the supervisor won't be back until tomorrow (Friday). I will be contacting her then to see if another agent is available to take my booking. Otherwise, I'll look into a different agency. I'd like to think this is just a personality conflict, but I am really not that demanding. However, if I call or e-mail and ask something be done, I expect it to be done in a timely manner AND the way I asked WITHOUT any lip. This experience has just floored me as I've never dealt with someone before who has been so unwilling to do what I ask. I've cruised with Princess 13 times ... I have a clue what I want and how I want things done!

[rdsqrl]

Thanks everyone for your responses.

 

Another day, and still no word from the agent. Hmmm. You know, I hadn't even thought about switching our booking to another agency. I still have a few more days until final payment is due. How would I go about making the switch? I know people switch their bookings all the time, from the cruise lines to travel agents. Gee, I wonder if I could switch this booking to Princess, even at a higher rate. I'm afraid if I switch to another agency I'll have the same problem, or different problems. :( Again, I'm just so shocked because I've always had good service from them in the past.

 

Cindep---did you ever get a response from your agent?

 

I'm not sure how you would switch your booking to another agent without getting the permission of the first agent -- which you can't get because he/she won't return your calls. You probably would have to switch it to Princess first, and then have the booking switched to your new agent, rather than an agent-to-agent switch. But my advice is to definitely cancel/switch that booking with the original agent. It seems to me at this point that if he/she hasn't responded to four days' worth of messages, even if you were to receive a response right this minute, any confidence in that agent you might have had is gone -- the well is poisoned. Just move on to someone else and enjoy peace of mind. There's enough stress planning a vacation (like trying to find the perfect bathing suit) that you don't need to add more. Just my two cents.

[janetz]

I booked directly from Princess's web site. I had to make some changes to the reservation and I had some additional questions. I called their customer service number and got an immediate response. Why waste time dealing with middlemen? Do you really save that much?

 

 

 

Yes, you do with a good TA. :)

[DrivesLikeMario]

What's more than the money you save, is the personal service you get.

 

If I were you, I'd call the agency back and request to speak to a manager. When you get that person's voice mail, which you probably will get, then leave a message with:

 

Your name

Your booking number

Your sail date

Your return phone number

The time and date you are calling

 

Say in your most calm, level-headed, unemotional voice:

1. You've called numerous times with no response back.

2. You want a call back within 24 hrs. or you will cancel your cruise with them and will book with another agency.

 

If you don't get a response back, call Princess & explain the problem. They'll tell you how you can fill out a form and fax it in saying you want to change agencies. It may take as long as a week, but it'll be worth it.

 

No agent should go without returning phone calls or e-mail. Unless on vacation, every agent should return calls & e-mail within 24 hrs. IMO.

[silvercruiser]

It was my understanding that in the last couple of years the costs for a cruise had to be the same everywhere and that no one was allowed to underprice.

 

I've dropped many TAs over the years because they were too busy to answer phone calls and were just generally unavailable. The so-called "bucket shops" are the worst.

 

I now have one who's wonderful and very accessable. I can call her on the phone and talk or send an e-mail and it's answered right away. This is a somewhat upscale agency, but their prices are the same as I find on cruise.com, the only website where I can price individual cabin categories.

[willysgrandma]

It was my understanding that in the last couple of years the costs for a cruise had to be the same everywhere and that no one was allowed to underprice.

 

I've dropped many TAs over the years because they were too busy to answer phone calls and were just generally unavailable. The so-called "bucket shops" are the worst.

 

I now have one who's wonderful and very accessable. I can call her on the phone and talk or send an e-mail and it's answered right away. This is a somewhat upscale agency, but their prices are the same as I find on cruise.com, the only website where I can price individual cabin categories.

 

 

RCCL and Celebrity don't allow TA's to discount but Princess is one that does.

[DrivesLikeMario]

The prices on Princess are NOT the same everywhere. RCI & Celebrity prices are fixed and cannot change.

 

Any TA can reduce their commission with Princess and I would recommend that you shop around because they aren't the same at all between agencies. Just keep in mind that sometimes, you get what you pay for. ;)

[LonghornKJK]

It's easy to switch the booking. I did it and, no, you do not need the first TA's permission. I would find a new agent first and he or she likely has the fax number to use to transfer the booking or you can call Princess customer service. You need to have the pertinent information for both TA's (name, address, license number?, etc.) Princess says to allow 48 hours for the transfer to be finalized. And don't tell the old TA that you're doing this -- he or she may cancel your booking and you risk not getting another cabin or the one you want (that also happened to me but we got it resolved.)

[Cruise Dreams]

Once again, you guys have come through with great information and tips. Thank you all so much.

 

Here's the latest.....Just for fun, this evening I decided to check my cruise personalizer. Lo and behold, one of my requests was granted. So now, at least I know that the agent has heard my messages. Too bad, I still have three other questions that I need answered.

 

I will be calling again tomorrow and request to speak with a higher authority. We'll see how far I get with that. I might just have to put some of your suggestions into action. They do charge a $75 cancellation fee, so I'd have to weigh the benefits of changing at this point.

 

But, I'm sure this will all be a distant memory when I've got that froo-froo drink in my hand at sailaway.

[Cruise Dreams]

I have called the travel agency both on Friday and today, to request to speak with a supervisor. Both times I've been told she's out of the office, and I was patched through to voicemail. The agent still hasn't returned my phone messages, or my emails. Funny thing is....she's the supervisor for customer service. Wow!

 

The gal I spoke with today asked if I had booked online or over the phone. When I told her I had booked online, she said that it's difficult to get help when you book online!!!! Wow! I'm still shaking my head over that response. She then put me through to the supervisor's voicemail.

Perhaps they need to get out of the "online" business, if they can't provide customer service to those who book online. Good grief!

 

Final payment is tomorrow. I really thought this would have been resolved on Friday. Two words come to mind: Never Again!!! Rassum Frassum!!

 

Cindep...I sent you an email.

[cindep]

I'm pretty certain we are dealing with the same agency. I agree -- never again! I just saw a price drop on our cruise for the cabin category I want. You might check that as well.

 

Good luck!! Sounds like we BOTH need it!