Princess Cruise Line: I HAVE to VENT!!!!!

[janetz]

(Janetz or anyone with advice)....I was wondering how does the process work if one wishes to use cash only for onboard account vs. providing Princess with a credit card #? I have only cruised Princess once before and used a credit card which I thought was mandatory at check in. I did have minor problem which was resolved fairly easy enough, but I would feel more comfortable using cash only after reading some horror stories here...I would hate to come home from a wonderful cruise only to face credit card "h.e. double toothpicks"... (LOL) Dont know if i can say the "H" word here! :rolleyes: Thanks for the advice.....

 

 

When you board you just tell them you are setting up a cash account. You will have to go to the purser's desk to do give them the $$$ Any money left over, they will give you a check back. You can check your account during the week to see where you are at. The minimum is 300.00. We have my daughter and her friend this time and they are both getting their own accounts. :D I think they have this information posted somewhere on the Princess website also.

[belder]

When you board you just tell them you are setting up a cash account. You will have to go to the purser's desk to do give them the $$$ Any money left over, they will give you a check back. You can check your account during the week to see where you are at. The minimum is 300.00. We have my daughter and her friend this time and they are both getting their own accounts. :D I think they have this information posted somewhere on the Princess website also.

 

Thanks for the quick reply! Just wondering one more things...Do they mail you a check for overpayment or give it to you on the spot?

 

Thanks again!

[nycglitter]

This is the correct procedure. If the original poster had done this, the credit card charges would have been reversed immediately while the credit card company handled the dispute with Princess.

 

This is not the point. The point is, the merchant should be able to explain the charges, then rectify the account without a hitch. It was not a fraudulent charge, therefore my cc company would not become involved until I had run out of steam with the cruise line.

 

Princess needs to wake up. Cruising is a competitive industry with lots of choices. Until now I have always had GREAT experiences and even convinced some of my non-cruiser friends that they have to try it.

 

We did enjoy our cruise and the folks on the ship were great. Customer service (call center) however is a completely different story.

[janetz]

Thanks for the quick reply! Just wondering one more things...Do they mail you a check for overpayment or give it to you on the spot?

 

Thanks again!

 

 

At the end of the cruise you go to the desk to "settle up". It is given then. Sometimes on the last night, the line is longgggggggg. Go late.:)

[bhopal21]

This is the correct procedure. If the original poster had done this, the credit card charges would have been reversed immediately while the credit card company handled the dispute with Princess.

 

I totally agree, this would have been the easiest solution. Three times this year I have had to do the above and there was nothing to it. If the charges do not belong to you the vendor will have to prove that they were in fact your purchases, it's that simple.

 

Mike:)

[scamper]

When you board you just tell them you are setting up a cash account. You will have to go to the purser's desk to do give them the $$$ Any money left over, they will give you a check back. You can check your account during the week to see where you are at. The minimum is 300.00. We have my daughter and her friend this time and they are both getting their own accounts. :D I think they have this information posted somewhere on the Princess website also.

 

I have always just registered a credit or debit card. I have considered the cash option and may try it sometime. I just have to ensure that I always get a copy of my bar bill each and every time. I am not always the best at that.

[janetz]

I have always just registered a credit or debit card. I have considered the cash option and may try it sometime. I just have to ensure that I always get a copy of my bar bill each and every time. I am not always the best at that.

 

 

 

Have to keep those copies! It is your "proof".....:D

[xxTheRiverNJ]

Question: Were the excess charges on your final bill onboard (delivered the last morning) or did they just come out of nowhere and appear on your credit card bill?

 

I'm going on the crown this sunday. Can you tell me...Will they allow you to check your charges each day and pay cash to clear the account each day?

[janetz]

I'm going on the crown this sunday. Can you tell me...Will they allow you to check your charges each day and pay cash to clear the account each day?

 

 

You can check each day but I am not sure about paying each day. Don't see why not. :) Have a great time!

[raydon]

Sad your wonderful cruise turned into this. We truly ejoyed reviewing your photos...all of them!

[ArizonaRalphie]

If Princess are now doing the India call centre/accounting department thing, stand by for more of this. Loads of UK companies have exported these functions to India, and whilst the Indian individuals concerned are always polite and nice, the operation as a whole just doesn't seem to work well and customer service levels have dropped like a stone.

 

:)

And, if your hearing impaired it is nigh impossible to understand the person on the other end.

[GBeret]

Our future cruise credits have always been charged directly to our credit card and have never been a part of our onboard ship account.?

 

I agree, anytime we purchase future cruise credits, on board the ship (Usually two at $100 each.) the cost is billed to our credit card and does not EVER appear on our shipboard billing account for the voyage we are on.

 

We always try to purchase at least two of these credits, anytime we're on a cruise as we feel that it is a great deal, especially when you cruise at least twice a year with Princess, as we normally do.

 

Sorry to hear of your problems!

[ArizonaRalphie]

Have to keep those copies! It is your "proof".....:D

I'm kinda' wondering about this. Your receipts are only proof that you made the purchase not that you didn't. Of course it is a record if somehow the amount is changed.

[bdjam]

This is not the point. The point is, the merchant should be able to explain the charges, then rectify the account without a hitch. It was not a fraudulent charge, therefore my cc company would not become involved until I had run out of steam with the cruise line.

 

Princess needs to wake up. Cruising is a competitive industry with lots of choices. Until now I have always had GREAT experiences and even convinced some of my non-cruiser friends that they have to try it.

 

We did enjoy our cruise and the folks on the ship were great. Customer service (call center) however is a completely different story.

If you were charged incorrectly and advised the credit card company of that fact, the credit card company would become involved and would have investigated appropriately, a determination of fraudulent activity would be part of that investigation. Laws in place to protect the credit card customer would have been enacted and your account would have been credited until either Princess reversed the charge or it was proven to be correctly yours. As you found out, those in customer service aren't always the ones best suited to handle billing disputes - but Princess has a direct relationship with your credit card issuer and they know how to talk to the cruise line about these types of situations. If your credit card company would not do this for you, it is operating outside of US credit laws.

And while I'm at it, credit laws to allow the vendor 30 days to substantiate or reverse a charge - your credit card company protects your account by doing it immediately while the investigation is underway.

 

Princess handles thousands of credit card transactions a day and most of them don't involve issues. It's unfortunate that a billing mistake has caused you to cancel future business with them, but if your credit company had handled the issue, perhaps the situation would have gone a little smoother. And, quite frankly, Princess should have a policy in place not to address these issues, but to refer the passenger back to their credit card issuer.

[newman's dad]

This is not the point. The point is, the merchant should be able to explain the charges, then rectify the account without a hitch. It was not a fraudulent charge, therefore my cc company would not become involved until I had run out of steam with the cruise line.

 

Princess needs to wake up. Cruising is a competitive industry with lots of choices. Until now I have always had GREAT experiences and even convinced some of my non-cruiser friends that they have to try it.

 

We did enjoy our cruise and the folks on the ship were great. Customer service (call center) however is a completely different story.

 

Sorry for your mess but you should be mad at your credit card company not Princess. You have a right to dispute the charges with your credit card company since it's a disputed charge. They are required to remove the charges until the dispute is resolved. Sounds like you talked to the wrong party at the credit card company. Also, If charges are on the bill that you didn't authorize it can be handled as a fraud claim.

Lots of companies have billing issues don't sweat it, dispute it. When a charge is disputed the credit card company credits your account, then forwards the claim to Princess. Princess then has 90 days to supply proof of the charges Example a signed receipt. If they don't suppy proof within this period you win. If they supply proof of the charge it is reapplied to your account.

Relax enjoy your vacation and let the credit card company do the work. If they give you a has tell them per regulation E they must return you money an resolve the claim.

[marne001]

I have been cruising for thirty years as of last month! In the beginning, it was an enchanting traditional ocean liner experience with just 115 passengers. Service was top notch, even on a three star ship as I found myself in 1967. It was a cash as you go environment. Never a problem. In the last several years I have found myself needing to defend my position with several cruise lines. I think I am, if anything, an extremely patient and polite person. In the mid 90s I started finding little errors on my cruise charge card. Initially, the cruise lines took care of it with my call to the purser's office. A few years later on a Carnival ship, I was charged for someone's cocktails[several rounds + champagne = big bill]. The purser's staff told me it was up to me to find the error and handed me all the little charge slips from the particular bar where the charges were made. I was instructed to go through them. Being somewhat obedient, I set to the task of sorting through some bar's receipts and sure enough found one that had my portfolio [cruise card] number on it. CCL removed the charge. I do not remember being thanked or apologized to or even told to go to hell. haha. Charges never seem to disappear, just appear on passengers portfolios. I cruise 2-3 times per year and on average there is a charge on my account that I did not do. Once I had to provide my shore excursion ticket stub to prove I WAS NOT ON THE SHIP at the time of the charge to get the errant charge removed my my account. Experiences like this one condition us. Someday there will likely be a charge, that is not mine, I will decide to not fight city hall, err, the purser's office and 'let it go'. I review my charges several times during the cruise. This gives me a chance to fix/fight a mistake before the end of the cruise when things can get difficult.

[nycglitter]

I agree, anytime we purchase future cruise credits, on board the ship (Usually two at $100 each.) the cost is billed to our credit card and does not EVER appear on our shipboard billing account for the voyage we are on.

 

The future cruise credit was NOT on my folio, it was a seperate charge. This was in fact the only charge that they can't seem to remove. No problem taking my money, just giving it back.

 

If you were charged incorrectly and advised the credit card company of that fact, the credit card company would become involved and would have investigated appropriately, a determination of fraudulent activity would be part of that investigation. Laws in place to protect the credit card customer would have been enacted and your account would have been credited until either Princess reversed the charge or it was proven to be correctly yours. As you found out, those in customer service aren't always the ones best suited to handle billing disputes - but Princess has a direct relationship with your credit card issuer and they know how to talk to the cruise line about these types of situations. If your credit card company would not do this for you, it is operating outside of US credit laws.

 

And while I'm at it, credit laws to allow the vendor 30 days to substantiate or reverse a charge - your credit card company protects your account by doing it immediately while the investigation is underway.

 

Princess handles thousands of credit card transactions a day and most of them don't involve issues. It's unfortunate that a billing mistake has caused you to cancel future business with them, but if your credit company had handled the issue, perhaps the situation would have gone a little smoother. And, quite frankly, Princess should have a policy in place not to address these issues, but to refer the passenger back to their credit card issuer.

 

Okay, I understand how credit card companies work. I understand how to settle disputs over fraudulent charges. That is NOT what happened in this case. I apparently did not make myself clear, so let me try again.

 

The $800 in charges that were not mine, were cleared up fairly quickly, that was not the big problem. (That would have gone to my credit card company had it not been taken care of.) The problem was the fcc. It was a charge I was aware of and did ask for. (It was NOT on my folio, it WAS a seperate charge) I changed my mind when I got home and wanted Princess to give me the refund. I followed the procedure that they gave me to make that happen. That IS the problem. It did NOT happen. That is not the credit cards problem, it is Princess'. As of yesterday it should be resolved once and for all.

 

Princess needs to be accountable. It's called customer service.:cool:

[CruiseAholic]

Many companies are sending things to India to be processed, costing American jobs.

 

Credit card companies especially, not very re-assuring to know that so much of our personal information is in the hands of people making $1 an hour.

[happyscot]

Many companies are sending things to India to be processed, costing American jobs.

 

Credit card companies especially, not very re-assuring to know that so much of our personal information is in the hands of people making $1 an hour.

 

 

 

Well........$1 an hour is $20 an hour or more over there. The jobs are going overwhelmingly to graduates from "good families", and are hugely sought after. These guys earn more than doctors there, and are regarded as privileged workers.

 

BUT.......various stories are starting to come out about lax security and corruption, and if these increase, then customers have got to start making themselves heard I think.

 

The other side of the coin is that this approach dramatically reduces costs, and this is part of the reason for cheap cruises etc (and good performances for your corporate investments). Personally I'd pay more to have better service, but it's a choice really - difficult to have both.

[newman's dad]

And while I'm at it, credit laws to allow the vendor 30 days to substantiate or reverse a charge - your credit card company protects your account by doing it immediately while the investigation is underway.

 

 

Excuse me! The regulations give you 60 days from the date the charge first appears on a statement. The merchant then has up to 90 days to prove it's a valid charge or they lose the dispute. If it is a fraudulent charge it can be claimed years after the fact.

Understand the card companies Visa, Mastercard Ect. don't lose the funds. The issuer your bank pays the loss and attempts to recover the funds through a chargeback process. If the card is present then the merchant must supply a signed receipt.

[newman's dad]

Let me start this by saying that I am a pretty reasonable and level-heded person, however, I have my limits.

 

I made the mistake of placing a deposit for a future cruise while onboard the Crown Princess on the July 23, 2007 sailing. Chalk it up to living in the moment...big mistake!

 

When I returned home and saw my credit card statement, I saw the correct charge for my on-board purchases, including the future cruise credit, and several RANDOM charges that could not be accounted for ($800 total). After a series of phone calls to their billing department it was clear that they had issues with their accounting practices and as they had trouble clearing up the $800 in additional charges. It was at that point that I asked that my future cruise credit be refunded.

 

Fast forward 2 weeks and 5 additional phone calls and that brings you to today. I just got off the phone with a supervisor regarding the fact that despite being told that my depost had been refunded, it hadn't been. She told me that they just discovered that the requests for refunds were being sent to INDIA and ending up dead. No one was ever going to see the requests and without my 5 phone calls, the refund would never have been processed. The supervisor blamed it on their technical department (:confused:?)

 

The process left such a bad taste in my mouth, it will be quite some time before I would ever consider another Princess Cruise. It's a shame too because we rather enjoyed the cruise (for the most part) and would have tried them again (as evidenced by the future cruise credit). I have literally spent more time post cruise with Princess Customer Service trying to remedy this than I did to book the cruise. Go figure.

 

Sorry about the rant (believe it or not, this is the condensed version of the actually run around), but just thought you should know that if your are expecting any refund, or for that matter a certain level of customer service, you are in for an uphill battle.

 

Pheww! I feel better now. Thanks for listening!

 

This was so simple you received your statement when you left the ship. When the statement from you credit card company arrived you should have sent them a copy of the shipboard statement and disputed the charge. Simple the no don't match billing dispute. Your card company gave you the wrong information because

either you failed to fully explain the issue or the charge was on your checkout statement and you failed to review it and dispute onboard.

The fact that the credit was misplaced was complicated by you not disputing the bill correctly. Next time inform the credit card rep that Reg E requires them to take the dispute and remove the charge until the dispute is resolved. Now you claim your upset with Princess. When charges are made about 1 in 50 are keyed for the wrong amount. Most only a few cents and never noticed by the cardholder. The credit card company charges the merchant a percentage of each transaction to cove the cost of this process. Most of the time the disputed funds are removed from your account within 24 hours and you never have anymore dealing with the company ot the credit card company.

[CruiseKidz]

OMG, I hope this does not happen to us when we sail in Sept. because we will only have another 9 days in the US before we return home. That would be the last thing we need. Besides we hope to pay for everything in cash which we have already purchased.

 

Actually I am surprised anybody has employment in the US anymore having discovered that United has their call centre in the Phillipines, and that is another story. The all speak English, but I don't believe they totally understand it! Say no more :(

 

Val

Hey Val, Love the aviator, how did you go with your $ currency? did you buy at the top, I got US$ and Euro today ordered it last week before the AUD$ and markets started to go south.

Back to the thread, here in OZ we are getting calls from Bruce or Jason in Bangalore

[nycglitter]

This was so simple you received your statement when you left the ship. When the statement from you credit card company arrived you should have sent them a copy of the shipboard statement and disputed the charge. Simple the no don't match billing dispute. Your card company gave you the wrong information because

either you failed to fully explain the issue or the charge was on your checkout statement and you failed to review it and dispute onboard.

 

The fact that the credit was misplaced was complicated by you not disputing the bill correctly. Next time inform the credit card rep that Reg E requires them to take the dispute and remove the charge until the dispute is resolved. Now you claim your upset with Princess. When charges are made about 1 in 50 are keyed for the wrong amount. Most only a few cents and never noticed by the cardholder. The credit card company charges the merchant a percentage of each transaction to cove the cost of this process. Most of the time the disputed funds are removed from your account within 24 hours and you never have anymore dealing with the company ot the credit card company.

 

 

While I appreciate your obvious and extensive credit knowledge. None of what you said applies to my situation. As it turns out, the additional charges were in fact not on my folio, but charges that remained pending and then ultimately disappeared on my credit card because because they were "test" charges. Apparently Princess will "test" a credit card at different intervals throughout a cruise to ensure that you have sufficient room on your credit card. Most people are probably not as anal as I am with my credit card statements and would not have noticed them because they disappear before your next billing cycle. I have never encountered anything like that in all of my years of using credit cards. It actually took Princess a fair amount of time to figure out that is in fact what happened.

 

As for the rest, I feel as though I have explained it a million times and continue to get "help" on subjects that don't apply. I was merely venting as to the frustration I felt due to some of the folks at Princess who have not been trained properly on their own systems. (This was actually told to me by the supervisor. New bunch of folks out of training taking phone calls when they are still not clear on the policies and how to work with "live" customers. Not my words, that came from Princess).

 

I don't know about where you work, but I know that any job I have ever held, customer service has always mattered. Any time you interact with the public, it is extremely important to LISTEN and the RESOLVE the problem. I was never hostile, always calm, and explained my concerns clearly to the Princess call center representatives. In return, I was yelled at, hung up on and left on hold for inordinate amounts of time. Would that be acceptable to you?

[MaryPoppinz]

I had to cancel a cruise once and the credit was almost immediately visible as a refund on my online statement. But, I was dealing with a TA.

 

NYC, I'm going to take your experience as a lesson to transfer my onboard bookings to my TA the second I get home. That way, I'll be dealing with my TA getting the refund generated rather than directly with Princess.

 

Thanks for the reminder.

[sradogna]

While I appreciate your obvious and extensive credit knowledge. None of what you said applies to my situation. As it turns out, the additional charges were in fact not on my folio, but charges that remained pending and then ultimately disappeared on my credit card because because they were "test" charges. Apparently Princess will "test" a credit card at different intervals throughout a cruise to ensure that you have sufficient room on your credit card. Most people are probably not as anal as I am with my credit card statements and would not have noticed them because they disappear before your next billing cycle. I have never encountered anything like that in all of my years of using credit cards. It actually took Princess a fair amount of time to figure out that is in fact what happened.

 

As for the rest, I feel as though I have explained it a million times and continue to get "help" on subjects that don't apply. I was merely venting as to the frustration I felt due to some of the folks at Princess who have not been trained properly on their own systems. (This was actually told to me by the supervisor. New bunch of folks out of training taking phone calls when they are still not clear on the policies and how to work with "live" customers. Not my words, that came from Princess).

 

I don't know about where you work, but I know that any job I have ever held, customer service has always mattered. Any time you interact with the public, it is extremely important to LISTEN and the RESOLVE the problem. I was never hostile, always calm, and explained my concerns clearly to the Princess call center representatives. In return, I was yelled at, hung up on and left on hold for inordinate amounts of time. Would that be acceptable to you?

 

I, for one, commend you for your patience!! You have explained yourself very well. Unfortunately some of the answers have been so concentrated on defending Princess that they missed the whole point. As I read you, you are not so upset about the fact that a mistake was made but rather about the terrible service and treatment you received in trying to get it resolved. I don't blame you!

 

I would say that my first reaction might also be to withdraw my business and that is certainly an option. Maybe, also, after you get your money back you could speak with a person of authority at Princess and express the customer service failures.

 

I have found that the front-line employees at most customer service centers can be frustrating in these situations. But, usually there is someone over them that cares about their failures. That person will usually attempt to make it right for you in order to regain your confidence in their product and hopefully change some policies to stop the practice from happening again.

 

Best of luck!