? re: final billing on Sail & Sign card

[urbanhawk]

:confused: I sailed on the Destiny (and had GREAT trip!)The morning of the 16th, when I was reviewing my S & S card, prior to disembarking, there was a charge from the nite before that I know wasn't mine. I know there can be mistakes made. I checked with the Purser, but due to the passengers checking out, she couldn't research it at the time, so she filled out an inquiry form, to be sent on the Guest Services. About a week later I went ahead and sent an e-mail to G.S. On January 8th, I sent a letter to G.S.-the 1st half commenting on the great cruise, staff, etc., then the 2nd half I explained about the charge I was questioning (tho the purser wrote on the inquiry "passenger refusing to pay". Geez, it was only for $10.00 in the dining room, and $1.50 gratuity.) My question is how long does it take to hear from G.S.? (Even just an e-mail, saying it's being looked into.) I could care less about the charge, but do feel ignored, by Carnivaljust doesn't seem like good customer relations. Any thoughts, feedback would be appreciated. (Just as an fyi-I booked another cruise-on the Miracle in Dec.!):D

[cruisinsly]

I dont know how long it will take. Stay on them though. On our last cruise, I checked the night before we arrived back into Tampa on our TV to see what charges had come through on our sign and sail acct. I noticed one for about $40. We immediately went to GS. They pulled up my acct and told me that I had made the charge in the casino (which I did not go to at all). I told them that it was not my charge. They told me the same thing - they will research it. I told them that coming back would be an inconvenience to both me and DH. They tried to tell me that it would take about an hour or so to research it. We told them it was fine, and we sat down across from them in the little bar area. It did take a while, but it was credited back to my acct in about an hour. When the waitress at the casino charged someone for drinks, she transposed the numbers of someones folio acct - which just happened to be my folio number. We understood that mistakes do happen and didnt let it damper our night. Hope this gets resolved for you soon, just wanted to share my experience of a similar acct.

[urbanhawk]

Thanks Stacy for telling me about your experience-we'll see what happens!

[Wylie Coyote]

First time cruiser...my first coming up in a couple of weeks. I have a few questions about this type of situation.

 

1st, how can the numbers get transposed. Don't they swipe the S&S Card through a machine or something upon each use? Are you saying that servers just jot down the number from your card onto their order pad or something? At least, don't you have to sign for charges?

 

2nd, why would this take so long (even an hour is too long) for them to figure out what has hapened? Can't they pull up the charges in their system? How does this process work? Are they having the signed receipt from the shop/bar/casino pulled and reviewed?

 

3rd, isn't there a method to call Guest Services from your stateroom, if you discover charges in error on your account? If you could do that, then they can do whatever they need to in their systems to verify the charge and leave you a voice message regarding the outcome. Do you really have to visit them in person and wait them out for an hour?

 

And finally, how often does this happen? I have read a few threads about this situation. Do I really need to be reviewing the charges that much?

 

I am not really fretting over this, but I am curious as to why it seems to be such an effort to get a resolution to something that should be really simple - I don't want to spend an hour or more at the Guest Services desk during my vacation to dispute charges with them. I know, I know, the problem I will probably encounter (not really a problem) is realizing that all those charges for all those things are really mine and I have to pay! LOL :eek:

 

Thanks in advance for your input and responses.

[cruisinsly]

1st, how can the numbers get transposed. Don't they swipe the S&S Card through a machine or something upon each use? Are you saying that servers just jot down the number from your card onto their order pad or something? At least, don't you have to sign for charges?

Yes, you do have to sign for your charges. When the waitress inputs the information into the computer, she transposed the numbers. I dont know if they swipe or actually type in the numbers since I was never in the casino. This is the explination that was given to me from GS.

 

2nd, why would this take so long (even an hour is too long) for them to figure out what has hapened? Can't they pull up the charges in their system? How does this process work? Are they having the signed receipt from the shop/bar/casino pulled and reviewed?

They could not (or would not) pull the waitresses receipts until the end of her shift. Her shift was about to end, and then they needed to balance her receipts out. That is why it took so long. They had to pull the receipt with my folio number on it. Once they did and it had a man's name signed on it, they realized that it was not me who made the charges. So, yes, the charges can be pulled up in the computer, however, the signature cannot.

 

3rd, isn't there a method to call Guest Services from your stateroom, if you discover charges in error on your account? If you could do that, then they can do whatever they need to in their systems to verify the charge and leave you a voice message regarding the outcome. Do you really have to visit them in person and wait them out for an hour?

We were put on hold when we called. It was around midnight on the last night, so we just went down to GS. No biggie for us since we were getting ready to turn in. No, I did not want to sit down there for so long. But, since I use to work in the service industry I knew that in order to have this cleared up soon (instead of the next morning when the lines were long) I would need to do so then. Sure, you can try to call down there and have them do it. They can tell you that they will look into it. I would rather know that they are working on my issue other than standing down there talking to each other about their days off - which is what they were doing when we walked up. So, yes, if you want confirmation that the problem has been taken care of, you walk down there, wait them out, and get confirmation that it is taken care of.

 

And finally, how often does this happen? I have read a few threads about this situation. Do I really need to be reviewing the charges that much?

I have no idea how many times it happens. This is the first time out of my 6 cruises that this has happened to me. I would not say that you need to review your charges that much, but you know what you have spent. The last night, just pull up your acct and look it over. That is how I found it. Trust me, I didnt obsess every day over our account.

 

I am not really fretting over this, but I am curious as to why it seems to be such an effort to get a resolution to something that should be really simple - I don't want to spend an hour or more at the Guest Services desk during my vacation to dispute charges with them.

I didnt either. However, we are a 1 income family. I stay at home with our son. Money can become really tight for us. I dont want to fund someone elses drinks while on vacation.

 

know, I know, the problem I will probably encounter (not really a problem) is realizing that all those charges for all those things are really mine and I have to pay! LOL :eek:

lol I thought so too, and usually it is my charges. But not this time :)

[CruisinKelly]

I have had someone's else folio number end up on a receipt brought to me to sign for a drink on more than one occassion. I've told the waiter/waitress that wasn't my account and they went back and fixed it. I think that it's an innocent mistake but alot of passengers don't even look at the receipt when they sign for the charges. We had one time with a charge on our account that wasn't ours and it only took a phone call (in the middle of the cruise) and they fixed it. I have no idea with it being at the end of the cruise how long it might take.

[fllady61]

another importance of keeping all receipts, and checking it at the end of each day. We don't charge anything after we get our paper.

 

Of course we prepay our gratuity, so the only thing we really charge is a few drinks, and a soda card for my DD.

 

Each cruise our Sail and sign card gets cheaper and cheaper. in 06, DD's frist cruise, it was nearly 1500$. next cruise it was bout 500$ (3 day) last cruise, less than 400$. Maybe our next one will only be about 100$. Who knows.