C&A..please hire some high school kids

[Kesaelcele's gramma]

Keep the Seapass card from each of your cruises in a safe place.

 

Keep a spreadsheet of all your cruises with the reservation number, ships name, date sailed, and your cabin number. Trust me, at some point you will be glad you have all the information...when C&A tells you..."We have no record of you on that ship in that cabin!:eek:

 

I Just received credit for a cruise I took 7 months ago! Well actually, I did not receive credit, but it does show up in my cruise history....but not in my cruise credit total! :(

 

Maybe next year the credits will be right?

 

BILL

 

We've had the same problem with our cruise credits on the website. On the listed cruises it shows 14 for the cruise "value", but the number credited shows only 12. When I've asked C&A about it, I was told that THEIR computer showed all 14 , but I've been waiting since November for them to update the website numbers.!

 

I also hstill haven't had the fuel surcharge removed for my cruise booked for next November (I booked November 10th- and my reservation says so!). I was told to give them a month to get THAT sorted out (the month was supposed to be up April 8th!), but it hasn't changed yet.

 

Are they REALLY working on it?????

[Rancher Dave]

LOL! I’m willing to work even though I’m in the 8th grade, as long as I get a discount for my next cruise! :D

 

 

They may waive your f/c and give your parents some free drinks! :D

 

 

I agree with OP the C&A issue has been going on since I first started reading up on RCCL and took my first cruise on them. Depending on the official record on the next cruise I will get either G or P level stuff.

 

It is odd they can get revenue related things fixed quickly but C&A has to wait. In a year of C&A we have only seen 1 magazine in the mail.

[CRUIZIN SUZAN]

I brought this thread back to life. I have been having problems with this since my last cruise on 11/07 and when I began researching my next sailing search was still not working and I spent alot of time checking here for similare problems and work-arounds, on the RCI website and on the C&A phone number. I am glad to see that I am not alone. I STILL can not get my 6 DS enrolled or signed up as it says he is a minor and it can not be done except by a parent or guardian. I AM his parent and when I log into my res# under MY C&A # and click on the button to "enroll other household members"- I STILL can not get it done. Super frustrating.

 

Speaking of magazines, I still get NCL magazines (though their customer service department surely is aware that I will never sail them again after our last sailing 2 years ago) and the HAL and Carnival Currents magazines. The only one I am interested in now is the RCI one and have NEVER gotten one. Our last sailing with them was 11/07. Go figure. I realize that the cruise industry is very revenue driven, but c'mon. Get the software fixed or just own up that you have no intention of fixing it, let us mourn, pick up the pieces of our shattered lives and move on.

 

It seems to me that all of their efforts are put into revenue driven details and there are no efforts put into customer service "feel good" issues, like the magazines, C&A / web cruise history issues, clear resolution to the fuel surcharge, etc.

[celle]

Well, all you US residents who can at least see your cruise credits (accurate or not) are lucky!

 

When I sign in to the C&A page, the following message comes up:

"We are working to extend Crown & Anchor Society online account services internationally. These online account services are not currently available for all countries. Stay tuned!"

 

That has been the same message for the past 2 years, to my certain knowledge.

 

I get e-mails to tell me that my discount vouchers can be seen on a certain web site, but they can not.

 

It's high time RCCL and C&A treated their international passengers the same as their US passengers!

[CruiseKeeper]

They must be actively working on the problem again. Yesterday, my C&A status, credits, and cruise history went AWOL. The reappeared last night and this morning they are all gone again.

[Bert64]

My mother and I went on our first cruise in 2001. I've been on a few more since, she's been on none. However, she regularly receives the savings certificates and whatever the newsletter thing is IN THE MAIL...I have YET to receive anything in the mail from them. :mad: Why is that?

 

I went to check my cruise credits, and I expected it to take a bit to update. But, I didn't expect for my last cruise to just completely disappear!! How is it that it can be under "Purchased Cruises" and then just disappear as though it never happened?? One would think it wouldn't be too difficult to move a "Purchased Cruise" to "Completed Cruise" once it's been completed...

 

I guess it doesn't make too much of a difference until you change your status and the system doesn't show you should be getting your new perks...

[silentbob007]

I went Platinum in December, but when I booked in February for my March cruise, they still had me as gold. I sent an email when I got the docs and was given the canned response. When I boarded, I was given a gold card. On embarkation day, I talked with the LA, she pulled me up on her computer, saw I realy was Platinum, and switched my books and put a Platinum Member sticker on my SeaPass. It was my hope that this would fix my problem, but coming back from that cruise ... my mom got a letter confirming her Diamond status, and I'm still stuck on Gold. I called C&A, and it was supposedly fixed, but who knows ....

[codewize]

OK I agree with most of you and I too share the frustration. My credits usually show up in my cruise history just not in the cruise credit total. So all is well the next time. I have called, they have my credits and my level changed.

 

Now, I think this is all stemming from an issue that happened quite some time ago. They changed software packages and had a glitch. Rather than going through the conversion again I think they just felt it would be easier to manually repair all the cruise credit stuff.

 

I remember they made a change and then all hell broke loose. Soon after that it was all fixed with the exception of this ongoing cruise credit issue so the above statement is an assumption based on that information and my vast experience in the IT industry. Data conversion is NOT fun and usually cost 10's of thousands of dollars.

 

Remember that we only see about 10% of whats really going on.

[TEXASMUNK]

Huh? Hire some High School Kids?

 

Just had to jump in and read it!

 

There is definately a misstep in here somehwere.

 

Question: What group of customers to you want to irritate the least?

 

DUH! maybe, the ones spending the most money on your ships?

 

Just a guess.

[swedish13]

Now that I've reached Platinum, but RCCL still shows me as Gold, I'm excited to be able to cash in on some discounts. I booked a Thanksgiving cruise on Independence of the Seas and then go back once in a while to see if there are any price drops and so far none on the RCCL site. I'm having a difficult time finding some affordable air from Wisconsin so I thought I would try Northwest Air and see if they are offering any cruise/air packages and so far no luck. However, on the Northwest site I was able to find a "RESIDENT DISCOUNT" for my state(wisconsin) and this does not appear on the RCCL site.

I called C & A and informed them what I found and they did indeed give me the "Wisconsin Resident Discount" in addition to the Platinum discount in which I'm really happy. The frustrating part is that I had to call to get it and that it does not appear on the RCCL site. C & A informed me that they are indeed having some computer frustrations.

[codewize]

See and that's not what I see. My level changes but my cruise credits don't change for a while. Now the points do take some time to get counted which I find odd but a few weeks after your return your most recent voyages should be in your cruise history.

 

Once that happens, you're all good, regardless of what the total credit count is.

 

Now that I've reached Platinum, but RCCL still shows me as Gold, I'm excited to be able to cash in on some discounts. I booked a Thanksgiving cruise on Independence of the Seas and then go back once in a while to see if there are any price drops and so far none on the RCCL site. I'm having a difficult time finding some affordable air from Wisconsin so I thought I would try Northwest Air and see if they are offering any cruise/air packages and so far no luck. However, on the Northwest site I was able to find a "RESIDENT DISCOUNT" for my state(wisconsin) and this does not appear on the RCCL site.

I called C & A and informed them what I found and they did indeed give me the "Wisconsin Resident Discount" in addition to the Platinum discount in which I'm really happy. The frustrating part is that I had to call to get it and that it does not appear on the RCCL site. C & A informed me that they are indeed having some computer frustrations.

[land lover]

I think you need to follow up and follow up...yes I know many of you have done that but let me tell you my experience........

 

March 7th arrived home from cruise that gave us cruise credit #10, 3 weeks later leaving on another cruise called up March 12th to get Diamond status, made at least 7 calls over a week period, finally it showed on THEIR C&A COMPUTER for my reservation that we were all showing as diamond... Called TA to get 100. credit off booking, called C&A to confirm I got the credit, called CC company to make sure it showed...yes, it does take time, but you just have to keep on them.

 

Boarded the ship March 31 we were all diamond, we even got the C&A diamond pins.

 

Our status Has not been correct on web site forever........

[Firefighterhoop]

I just got D+, and it took me 6 phone calls, one of which still hasn't been returned that was supposed to be on last Thursday:mad: , but at least they have the status right... I think.

[cruzincurt]

I think you need to follow up and follow up...yes I know many of you have done that but let me tell you my experience........

 

March 7th arrived home from cruise that gave us cruise credit #10, 3 weeks later leaving on another cruise called up March 12th to get Diamond status, made at least 7 calls over a week period, finally it showed on THEIR C&A COMPUTER for my reservation that we were all showing as diamond... Called TA to get 100. credit off booking, called C&A to confirm I got the credit, called CC company to make sure it showed...yes, it does take time, but you just have to keep on them.

 

Boarded the ship March 31 we were all diamond, we even got the C&A diamond pins.

 

Our status Has not been correct on web site forever........

 

Similar thing happened to us last fall. Promises, promises, promises, to be recognized as Diamond for a cruise 4 weeks later. Didn't happen. Took 5 months of calls, calls, calls...finally we will be Diamond on next month's cruise. One cruise late.

 

It's hard to understand when you call about getting credit for a past cruise and they say they have no record of you being on that ship....Well, I sure recall being on it. YOU have to give THEM your past booking number or they can't find you. Now fuel surcharges....instantly applied, no software problems there.

[lmurf]

After our 5th cruise in March 08, this should've moved us from Gold to Platinum. Well, of course, it didn't. After exchanging several emails to no avail, I told them: "I am considering booking another RC cruise, but am hesitant to do so until you get this fixed." In about a week, I received new C & A membership cards and also received a letter indicating that my wife and I were both now Platinum members. So...looks like making the threat worked. But, on the website, it is still not right.

 

One would think that they would definitely get this fixed for the people who are spending the most $ with their company. It really sucks.

[Georgeny]

One would think that they would definitely get this fixed for the people who are spending the most $ with their company. It really sucks.

 

I am Diamond, recognized as Diamond and still get no respect. I just wrote Fain that our May 4th Mariner cruise wil be our last on RCL products, Celebrity included. Putting my money where someone cares enough to remember it was spent with them.

 

C&A is supposed to be positive, seems to me more negative results. Maybe shoudl hire some High School kids to run the company not C & A.

[Rala]

Sounds like everybody is messed up! My husband and I ALWAYS cruise together. C&A says he has 20 credits which is correct, but I only have 18. And, no, DH was never missing for a few days before anybody asks, lol! The website says we have 16 credits. It really does seem ludicrous in this age of computer technology that they cannot revamp this system and get it right.

[SeaDays]

I, also, have been negotiating for a half-year to get my history and status up to date. Story is in another thread.

 

But I have inside information that the C&A software come from the same company that built Celebrity's 'M' class azipods. Case closed.

[TahoeBob]

To folks not in the IT industry, it is easy to blame the software.

But the thing is that many times it is the software, At the school I work at we bought some new software for a upgrade, guess what after it was installed it did work the way it should have. It would not talk to the old program in another system he way it should have.

 

we have been working on the system for over 2 years and it was all about software, fix one thing then another part stops working because of the fix on the first part.

[TahoeBob]

I, also, have been negotiating for a half-year to get my history and status up to date. Story is in another thread.

 

But I have inside information that the C&A software come from the same company that built Celebrity's 'M' class azipods. Case closed.

Would that be anything run by Microsoft really what do people think will happen when running anything powered by Bill Gates.

[kingsgirl]

LOL! I’m willing to work even though I’m in the 8th grade, as long as I get a discount for my next cruise! :D

 

I'm so jealous that you like to cruise at such a young age. My niece (who is in grade 7) went on a boat once (Maid of the Mist - Niagara Falls) and because it was choppy has vowed never to go on one. So much for taking her cruising :(

[codewize]

OK I'll chime in again. There is no reason for a 'new system' to talk to an 'old system'

 

Usually, the procedure is, the new software vendor will do some testing to see what it takes to convert the old database to the new format. Of course if everyone was smart in the development stages and would write against an SQL or DB2 database we wouldn't have these problems.

 

Once they know what it takes and it works successfully, they'll write you a program to automatically convert the data, this way you can do it when you're ready with very minimal down time.

 

So you install the new software package, test it in the real environment. Once the software works the way it should, then and only then do you migrate the data into.

 

At that point it's a done deal. there's no going back and there's no reason for the 2 systems ever to communicate with each other.

 

Again, I've done this countless times for everything from a $100 million a year RV company to a small 5 computer retail store. It's all the same regardless of size and it's certainly not rocket science.

 

Sorry for the computer rant but so many incompetent people make way to much money.