NCL Refusing to HOnor our OBC- SLEAZY MOVE!

[lvtotrvl1]

I know of a post I read on another messageboard. These people booked online that agency that pays gratitues for RCI and Celebrity for 2 people. They found out the last day of the cruise that the agency had NOT paid the tips as promoted. It was too late to put it on their ship's account so they did the envelope tips-fortunatley they still had enougth cash on them to do this.

 

When they returned and contacted the agency-the agency admitted their mistake, but said they had no "proof" these people had paid their tips (as they did it by envelope-it being too late to put it on their account) so they could not reimburse them.

 

So, after hearing of this experience, I can understand why kathy would be concerned. If it is an acency giving her the credit, she should insist that they put it in writting-so she has something to dispute later.

 

I totally agree! A long time ago, I had clients call me from the ship saying NCL said there was no OBC...there was, and I had paid it myself...after a few (long ) phone calls with NCL my clients were given the OBC..I felt terrible that they had to go through this...from that point on, I send an invoice with the OBC noted on it (which has to be done manually), and have never had another problem. Moral of the story, when booking through a TA please have your OBC noted on the invoice....it can save alot of time!

[cynbar]

Kathy-- I took your original post as a warning to other cruisers, and I thank you for that. You may have lost a little sympathy when you went beyond the statements of fact to include some NCL bashing, but that's another story. Anyway, again in the interest of education for the rest of us, can you give us just a little more info?? Who promised you the OBC, and when?? What made you call NCL to check?? And did they really say something like "We just don't feel like it" or was it more "That promo does not apply to your new sailing date" or "You were given the wrong information about the OBC" ??. The more we know about what happened, the more we can ALL protect ourselves in the future. Thanks for your help---- no flaming here!!!!

[Kathylovescruises]

I booked on board directly with NCl . Not sure if they are still doing this. THe OBC was indicated by promo codes. Now they do not want to honor that promotion. I cannot do anything about it.

 

Reading the former NCL poster, I am not surprised at what has occurred.

I do have all my paperwork, so does NCL. They keep a running list on all conversations- you know, what the call was about, etc.. even back to a cruise I took with them 2 years ago!( actually pretty impressive). Probably the norm in the industry, I don't know.

 

Hope noone else has this problem- it isn't the money as much as the principle.

 

I would hope that with the economy is as it is, more people in service industries would learn to treat their customers better. A cruise is hardly a necessity- except for mainaining sanity, I suppose.

 

there are a lot of providers out there, and we have many choices. NCL has made this a no brainer for us.

 

Have a SpArKlInG day!

 

Kathy

[kewbrook]

I have to jump in agree. Things like this happen a lot.

 

I just recently had my entire cruise cancelled accidentally by NCL! I had used the freestyle certificate and they never applied the certificate for the deposit. The first I knew about it was when a PCC called and asked about my cancellation.

 

I was told that the ship on that date was now more expensive so I would need to change the date of my cruise, pay a little more and lose some of my OBC. The PCC worked very hard with his supervisor and after many frustrating days I now have my original date, price and obc back.

 

Thanks Kathy for the heads up to ppl about getting things in writing. I know it has helped me. Also, go cruising, enjoy, live and learn.

[Kathylovescruises]

Kathy-- I took your original post as a warning to other cruisers, and I thank you for that. You may have lost a little sympathy when you went beyond the statements of fact to include some NCL bashing, but that's another story. Anyway, again in the interest of education for the rest of us, can you give us just a little more info?? Who promised you the OBC, and when?? What made you call NCL to check?? And did they really say something like "We just don't feel like it" or was it more "That promo does not apply to your new sailing date" or "You were given the wrong information about the OBC" ??. The more we know about what happened, the more we can ALL protect ourselves in the future. Thanks for your help---- no flaming here!!!!

 

 

Hi, Cynbar

I looked into the issue as the result of another posting several weeks ago- can't remember the specifics.

We were promised it both at original booking and at re-scheduling. We did it all directly thru NCL, the result of booking while still aboard a cruise. I think that they have a different program now.

I am certainly not looking for sympathy- I am simply shocked that NCL would treat people this way. They have not provided a reason that is consistant- actually, they haven't provided one except " we are not honoring the OBC" There is only so much time one can spend on hold with the cruiseline.

As I said earlier, a lady named Jennifer, a supervisor with NCL was very nice but was told by her superiors that they would no longer honor this. The superiors (gotta love all these superiors) are going to 'give me a call"

I won't wait for the phone to ring, as Jennifer's superior told me the same thing.

 

My next vacation will be done thru a TA- they deserve DOUBLE the commission if they are willing to deal with this nonsense!

 

I do have all my papers, NCL is not swayed by this.

 

Kathy

[Mrs. H.]

Thank you Kathy for bringing this up.

 

After my 'cruise from hell' on NCL Dawn, I wrote and complained and got a letter from them for OBC on my next cruise. Well I wound up booking Alaska cruise with them, (sister's choice/her 1st cruise) and I had no problem with my OBC.

 

This past Friday I booked my next cruise on NCL Dawn for May 2009.

I was told by my TA who was on the phone with NCL at the time, that I would be getting OBC for past guest and military.

 

From reading what Kathy and eveyone here is saying, I will be very careful when I get my docs and such to make sure my OBC and insurance is there.

 

My suggestion to Kathy (and everyone) is to always take names, dates and times you spoke with people and really write a good letter with all this information and send it to NCL. They should be made aware of the problem your having.

 

I had a major problem from Dec. 30, 2007 to Jan. 3, 2008 with TA's when I booked my cruise for April '08 and let me tell you it was a very good thing I had all my ducks in a row. When I dealt with each new TA I was able to relay what had happened over the past few days. At the end they had wanted to comp my insusrance but was not able to so they paid for my next years membership with my timeshare. I would rather not have had the aggravation, but thank goodness I had the time and energy to keep on top of them until problem was resolved.

I am using the timeshare TA for this new booking and things are going smoothly. Funny thing is I have the TA who was #6 out of the 7 TA's that helped me back in Jan. lol

 

Good luck Kathy.

[longtimewatcher]

I am a longtime lurker here and have learned so much. I have avoided posting as I think they monitor what we type here at work ( I don't trust big companies either).

 

I have been watching this message and really curious as to what happened. The OP keeps saying she is not hiding anything, but I noticed that some posters have asked qustions and the OP gets defensive instead of answering the questions. If there is 15 pages of documents, there must be more than what she is telling us. I have only cruised once on NCL and hope they do not have that many pages about me.

 

I do trouble shooting for a Sr Exec in our company and the story I first get about customers accounts and what we eventually find after gathering the facts is often very differenent. Sometimes the customer is 100% correct and sometimes the company is 100% correct. But more times than not, there is some confusion in the middle.

 

If the OP would answer some of the questions asked by others and not be so defensive, maybe somebody can help. She says she is not hiding anything but she is not telling us either. I am really curious since this is what I do at work.

[SeattleMother]

I have to say, Kathy, that I believe you completely.

 

Here's my OBC scenario for my upcoming cruise.

 

-Booked two cabins on a cruise.

 

-Learned about the OBC sale, and called to request it.

 

-Was told that I would get X amount of credit for each cabin.

 

-Checked my email confirmation. One cabin had X amount. The other had XX amount.

 

-Called back to inquire. Was told that I could get XX amount for each cabin if we moved a Latitudes member in each.

 

-Checked my new email confirmation. OBC was back to X amount per cabin.

 

-Called back next morning. Was told that I had never had XX amount, even though I have emails showing it. Eventually spoke to a supervisor who said he had figured it out and I had XX amount for each cabin. New/new email confirmation still says X amount. Supervisor says he will email me an "amenity invoice" that will show the OBC. It come to my email blank. Supervisor says that's all he can do. The computer shows XX amount for each cabin, and I just have to trust him. I ask him to mail me a hard copy since he cannot email me a copy with the right amount. He says he cannot.

 

-Called back a few days later and said that I would just like to check on how much OBC I have. Rep says that I have XX amount on one cabin and X amount on the other. I ask him to double check because I was told XX on each. He says "Oh, yes. There it is. XX amount on each cabin." I ask him to email me confirmation. New/new/new confirmation lists XX amount on each.

 

-Still not sure I trust that I will get it even with written proof. My lack of trust will be a factor on whether or not I will keep or cancel this reservation.

 

Rachel

[sjbdtz]

Kathy,

 

I have a question:

 

Is this what happened?

 

- You booked a suite on a particular date, which had a set price, and an OBC.

 

- For whatever reason (not important), you changed the date of your sailing and the front-line agent told you that the same OBC would apply to your new sailing date.

 

- When your confirmations came, the OBC was nowhere to be found.

 

- When you phoned in, you were told by supervisors that they can see where the front-line agent "told you" you'd get the OBC, but that essentially the front-line agent was wrong, or misunderstood, and that the OBC doesn't actually apply to the sailing date you've picked.

 

 

 

Is this what you mean by "they took it away from you"? I'm not picking sides here because I get frustrated with call centres all the time...but is it possible that you were never entitled to the OBC on this sailing date in the first place?

 

Lawyers have a neat little thing they sign letters & contracts with "E&OE"...which means "Errors & Omissions Excepted". It basically means: if we obviously screwed up, then that's a screw-up and not part of the contract. Golfers would say "Mulligan".

 

Kids would say "do-over", no touch-backs! ;)

 

 

From the sound of it, a mistake was made. Should they honor the mistake? If the lotto mistakenly published that your number was drawn, when in fact it wasn't.....should they award 2 jackpots....1 for the number that's official, and one for the mis-print?

 

I submit that the answer is no. That said, I think that if they treated you rudely, you have to evaluate your business relationship on THAT basis...and determine whether it was serious enough to penalize yourself from the CV A3.....

 

I also think that they should give you SOMETHING (perhaps a smaller OBC?) in consideration of the wringer you've been put through.

[newmexicoNita]

Nita-

 

I am sorry. I thought you were calling me anti- corporation.

 

Kathy

 

don't worry, just consentrate on getting your OBC if you can. I will say again and this isn't putting anyone down: too often, one little change on a reservation can change everything.

 

Good luck

 

Nita

[Kathylovescruises]

I am a longtime lurker here and have learned so much. I have avoided posting as I think they monitor what we type here at work ( I don't trust big companies either).

 

I have been watching this message and really curious as to what happened. The OP keeps saying she is not hiding anything, but I noticed that some posters have asked qustions and the OP gets defensive instead of answering the questions. If there is 15 pages of documents, there must be more than what she is telling us. I have only cruised once on NCL and hope they do not have that many pages about me.

 

I do trouble shooting for a Sr Exec in our company and the story I first get about customers accounts and what we eventually find after gathering the facts is often very differenent. Sometimes the customer is 100% correct and sometimes the company is 100% correct. But more times than not, there is some confusion in the middle.

 

If the OP would answer some of the questions asked by others and not be so defensive, maybe somebody can help. She says she is not hiding anything but she is not telling us either. I am really curious since this is what I do at work.

 

 

 

Dear Sir or Madam Lurker ( love the moniker)

This whole post started as the result of another having a similar problem

I have answered all the questions- and I have 15 pages sitting in front of me.Since I would have to redact my personal info in order to then scan them and post them, it would be quite an undertaking. What exactly do you need to know? No one asks specifics, they just say that there must be more to this...she's not telling the whole story....

Perhaps if we were in court the readers would be interested in all the "evidence", but I have answered all questions posed-what am I not telling you? Really- what?

I booked, I changed with the promise of the promo I originally received, same booking #, same everything. The OBC has since been denied . Perhaps there is something that the cruise line isn't telling ME!!

It really isn't anything more than that ! I cannot control what NCL does and I can answer posts as I please. Perhaps in my next life I will be a bit more charming...

sorry if my attitude offended anyone-not my intent.

I am simply stunned that NCL would treat ANY consumer this way.

 

Customer service brings back the customer if it is good...

but it works both ways.

 

Kathy

 

[Almagetty]

Kathy:

 

I am so sorry that you have had to deal with all of this! A pre-cruise experience shouldn't be so frustrating.

 

My advice to you is to bring all of your paperwork with you on the ship. Sit down with the onboard cruise consultant and/or the Hotel Director. Explain your situation calmly, including how this was originally an onboard booking. I have a feeling that your situation will be resolved once you are onboard. Don't bother talking to the staff at check-in. I don't think they even work directly for NCL.

 

I hope you have a wonderful cruise!

[newmexicoNita]

I totally agree! A long time ago, I had clients call me from the ship saying NCL said there was no OBC...there was, and I had paid it myself...after a few (long ) phone calls with NCL my clients were given the OBC..I felt terrible that they had to go through this...from that point on, I send an invoice with the OBC noted on it (which has to be done manually), and have never had another problem. Moral of the story, when booking through a TA please have your OBC noted on the invoice....it can save alot of time!

You are right, we have all had that happen, not just on NCL. I have ordered gifts for clients and many times never had them show up..On another line earlier this year I ordered a bottle of scotch for hubby (his gift for booking with his Travel agent) LOL and the cruise line had an OBC promo..Got to the cabin, nothing. We did get it straightened out, but it took a couple of days..Stuff happens..

 

Nita

[newmexicoNita]

I have to say, Kathy, that I believe you completely.

 

Here's my OBC scenario for my upcoming cruise.

 

-Booked two cabins on a cruise.

 

-Learned about the OBC sale, and called to request it.

 

-Was told that I would get X amount of credit for each cabin.

 

-Checked my email confirmation. One cabin had X amount. The other had XX amount.

 

-Called back to inquire. Was told that I could get XX amount for each cabin if we moved a Latitudes member in each.

 

-Checked my new email confirmation. OBC was back to X amount per cabin.

 

-Called back next morning. Was told that I had never had XX amount, even though I have emails showing it. Eventually spoke to a supervisor who said he had figured it out and I had XX amount for each cabin. New/new email confirmation still says X amount. Supervisor says he will email me an "amenity invoice" that will show the OBC. It come to my email blank. Supervisor says that's all he can do. The computer shows XX amount for each cabin, and I just have to trust him. I ask him to mail me a hard copy since he cannot email me a copy with the right amount. He says he cannot.

 

-Called back a few days later and said that I would just like to check on how much OBC I have. Rep says that I have XX amount on one cabin and X amount on the other. I ask him to double check because I was told XX on each. He says "Oh, yes. There it is. XX amount on each cabin." I ask him to email me confirmation. New/new/new confirmation lists XX amount on each.

 

-Still not sure I trust that I will get it even with written proof. My lack of trust will be a factor on whether or not I will keep or cancel this reservation.

 

Rachel

now maybe some of you know what we, as TAs go through..Again, this isn't just NCL by anymeans...

 

Nita

[Former mesa NCL]

Nita-

 

You are right on.

 

Automatic place in heaven for you!

[Kathylovescruises]

Agree with the above! I feel guilty that I am going to use a TA next time as you have shown what you go thru!

 

One cruise, before the days of internet, we left from Miami. Our TA in Sarasota sent us a HUGE basket with champagne, treats, all sorts of stuff. Yum! Except that the cruise line sent it to the wrong ship and gave it to passengers with the same last name. They enjoyed, never noting that the note was personalized to us...

Our dear TA took 3 months to get her money back from the line- and then sent us a basket at home!

 

And now- time to go to a Veteran's Day service- have to honor those who have given so much for this country.

 

Take care- and I beleive it should be TRIPLE commission!

 

kathy

[longtimewatcher]

You got me really interested. So, if my boss had given me this custoemer to research I would first ask when the original cruise was booked and paid for abd start to construct the whole thing.

 

A few of the earlier psoters asked for a clarification of what took place. In our business, I would try to go through the customer service notes and try to construct the series of events to see where it all broke down. Somebody along the line miscommunicated something - duh, that is why we are having this discussion.

 

We work very had to provide good customer service, but as our president says, good customer service does not mean giving away the company store just because a customer says they are owed money. We have a duty to our shareholders to manage it correctly, including giving refunds when they are due.

 

sjbdtz did ask some good questions that would be a good start, but kathy, you continue to just say they owe the money and don't tell us anything more.

[VoyageVirgin]

After reading 4 pages of posts on this subject I have a few questions.

 

Kathy

- Why did you receive the OBC in the first place?

Was it because you booked onboard during one of your cruises?

Was there a time limit for booking or taking the cruise?

Was it a limited time OBC promotion that is no longer available?

 

 

If you pay attention to many posts on this subject you should know that if you change your reservation (for any reason) you may/can/will lose your OBC.

 

I can appreciate the fact that you are upset about being told you could maintain the OBC and then NCL didn't/couldn't honour the OBC. Might be they have no way to plug it into the system without the promo codes being valid any longer.

 

Rudeness is not acceptable when practiced by anyone, customer or customer service reps.

 

One more question: Why aren't you utilizing an Personal Cruise Consultant for this particular cruise ?? They might be more helpful than calling reservations and dealing with the uninformed.

 

 

Keep escalating the problem until you receive a satisfactory reply.

[falken]

Lawyers have a neat little thing they sign letters & contracts with "E&OE"...which means "Errors & Omissions Excepted". It basically means: if we obviously screwed up, then that's a screw-up and not part of the contract. Golfers would say "Mulligan".

 

Ah, but it all depends on what side the lawyer is on. See, the lawyer on the other side would say that when the rep promised the OBC they were acting as an agent for the company and entered in to an oral contract (which can be binding in the state of florida).

 

Not to mention the fact that if someone is promised $100 and it is later discovered that such a promise should not have been made it would not be an obvious E&O. A better example of E&O would be if the rep read $100.00 on the screen and thought it said $1000.00 which is what was said outloud, perhaps even if the screen said $1000.00 but it was mistyped in to the system and was suppose to only be $100.00 and there was further evidence to the fact that the promotion was to indeed be $100.

[longtimewatcher]

Those questions and many others have been asked. I know in our business if we ask those types of questions and the customer just keeps demanding an adjustment to their account, it gets heated quickly. Customer demands. Cust Service Rep asks for clarification. Customer demands. CSR asks nicely. Our smarter reps transfer to a supervisor. Not so smart ones keep going back and forth and pretty soon they say something they should not. Watching this whole thing from afar I am starting to see how this got so heated and maybe how the OP is mad and NCL is sleazy.

 

 

After reading 4 pages of posts on this subject I have a few questions.

 

Kathy

- Why did you receive the OBC in the first place?

Was it because you booked onboard during one of your cruises?

Was there a time limit for booking or taking the cruise?

Was it a limited time OBC promotion that is no longer available?

 

 

If you pay attention to many posts on this subject you should know that if you change your reservation (for any reason) you may/can/will lose your OBC.

 

I can appreciate the fact that you are upset about being told you could maintain the OBC and then NCL didn't/couldn't honour the OBC. Might be they have no way to plug it into the system without the promo codes being valid any longer.

 

Rudeness is not acceptable when practiced by anyone, customer or customer service reps.

 

One more question: Why aren't you utilizing an Personal Cruise Consultant for this particular cruise ?? They might be more helpful than calling reservations and dealing with the uninformed.

 

 

Keep escalating the problem until you receive a satisfactory reply.

[icouldahadav8]

Hi, Kathy

 

What ship are you sailing on over the holidays?

 

As for our friend in "Mesa"......I don't know what you have been taught, or, who taught you....but...when I worked Reservations, I happen to know that NCL spends ALOT of man-hours researching OBC's to make sure that folks get what they are entitled to......

[garycarla]

Hi, Kathy

 

What ship are you sailing on over the holidays?.....

 

It was in her Signature but I see that she has removed it. It is the Pearl on the 28th of December if I remember correctly.

[Kathylovescruises]

First of all, "Mesa" must refer to Mesa, AZ where calls are frequently handled. i don't know why they are in Mesa, Az. Many times when I have called i have been put thru to that call center. Perhaps the current NCL employee who posted can explain.

 

Longtimewatcher- all the following info, with the exception of a few misc. calls, are in my posts. the calls aren't relevant, but since there is a desire for info, here it is. BTW- do you work for NCL? Perhaps your story is a bit hard to buy, as well....

 

1. We booked onboard the Jewel and SPECIFICALLY asked if the OBC would transfer if we changed reservations, as our children's Spring Break 15 months away was not yet posted at school. We were assured that the OBC would follow us.

2. I have been checking on this in various ways for a while- several months ago I ordered some gifts for the kids and checked on the OBC- still there

3 .My confirmation has not changed- we kept the same ship and room, changed dates. Thae date is the only change shown on the confirmation

4. I have not been dealing with first line res. agents- i am dealing wiht supervisors.

5. When I called with a CAS question 3 weeks ago, my OBC was still in the system.

6. I have had the same confirmations for over a year- nothing has changed

7. When I called after a thread relating the same problem last week, my OBC had "dispapeared" .NCL admits that I should have received it but that they will not honor it.

8. I am still waiting for the superiors superiors to call, but not holding my breath.

9. Why the big defense for NCL? My last cruises wit them were wonderful- I have been quite a cheerleader, in fact. Criticizing a line that people like isn't criticizing those who patronize the line!

10. Strange things happen- this is not some new reservation, I am well aware that the CV's are sold out now- they always are on peak Holiday cruises.

11. I am also well aware, after 2 dozen or so cruises, that changes can affect rates, OBC, etc. This was not the case here.

12. this was not some on-line perk that has expired.

13. Anymore questions? i am packing for a trip and , frankly, tired of all this. I wanted to warn folks to be cautious and voice my dismay at poor treatment. I have all my Docs, will take them with me. NCL hads the same Docs, we reviewed them together. Their story makes no sense to me, as ther is no rhyme or reason. If the OBC shouldn't have been given, they should just apologize and admit an error. Better than just having the OBC disappear and then be told - oh yes, you had it but we won't honor it.

All this within the last 10 days or so. And please excuse me if my dates are off by a day or 2- I am on a different computer right now.

 

Thanks

 

Kathy

 

HAve a great day!

[Kathylovescruises]

It was in her Signature but I see that she has removed it. It is the Pearl on the 28th of December if I remember correctly.

 

 

I didn't remove anything. My signature is not the same now as it was this morning. Even my countdown clocks are missing. I was adding another cruise clock and the whole thing disappeared. I use a Mac, this happens sometimes. I am also having problems posting- they keep getting erased when I hit the Post button.

Again- an assumption being made about me.

 

 

KAthy

[newmexicoNita]

Agree with the above! I feel guilty that I am going to use a TA next time as you have shown what you go thru!

 

One cruise, before the days of internet, we left from Miami. Our TA in Sarasota sent us a HUGE basket with champagne, treats, all sorts of stuff. Yum! Except that the cruise line sent it to the wrong ship and gave it to passengers with the same last name. They enjoyed, never noting that the note was personalized to us...

Our dear TA took 3 months to get her money back from the line- and then sent us a basket at home!

 

And now- time to go to a Veteran's Day service- have to honor those who have given so much for this country.

 

Take care- and I beleive it should be TRIPLE commission!

 

kathy

 

To all of you, I am certainly not complaining, I love my job, but for those who think we do nothing but call or enter a few words in our computer and sit back to collect big commission checks it is little more involved then that...If I had to support a family on my income, OMG, but I don't and I love what I do 90% of the time.

 

Nita LOL