What to do about bad service.

[RuthC]

Maybe the reduction thing is the clue. Reduce the autotip but not remove it. Then tip very generously the good service staff. They don't have to pool the tips since you didn't remove autotip but the staff that didn't do the job gets dinged.

Unfortunately it doesn't work that way. If you do not leave the service charge in place in full everyone given a cash tip must turn it in to the pool. Only when you leave the service charge at the full $10/day can additional tips be kept.

[CDRMark]

Which begs the question, how do the staff who receive tips know to turn them in or keep them? Is a list of tip removers posted for the entire crew to see? Do they turn them in and let management return the appropriate amounts? Dicey.

 

MarkB

[Kami's pal]

If you remove or reduce your gratuities, the accountant has your name. They will go to each of the people that you might have tipped privately and demand the tips for the pool. Now, one person might be able to conceal a "privately received" tip once in a while, but if (s)he isn't adding to the revenue of those in the pool either by turning in their tips or getting the auto tip revenues their fellow crew will start asking questions. I'm certain that is also part of HAL's strategy. Instead of having supervisors do the job of evaluation, corrective measures etc., they make everyone monitor everyone else's work. Great for team building?

 

I hate to say it but if that's the way it is, I would first go "up the ladder' right to the ship's captain. You can write a letter on stationary found in that binder in your desk. Address it to the captain, with your full name, cabin number and a question about who you should contact next? Leave it at the front desk with a smile and it will get delivered. I've done this several times on several different lines. Of course you will detail everyone you've spoken to. You will know because, you will document, get their names etc. This is a business. You are a customer. As much as we like the "family feeling" that the professional, experienced, skilled crew create, it is a business. They are in the hospitality business.

 

And, if no changes result I would remove the auto tip, replace it with a private tip accompanied by a letter to the recipient.

 

"Dear Waiter,

 

Thank you for the great service you provided in the dining room at table N first seating. I enjoyed my meals because you remembered my name, remembered that I am allergic to shellfish, knew that I liked raspberries and not strawberries, entertained us with origami, blah blah, blah.

I am sorry that I had to remove the auto tip, and therefore you have to share this. However, I did not want to miss recognizing your skilled service."

 

Sincerely,

Cabin #

 

That will get anybody's attention. The waiter/ steward can decide whether (s)he wants to pool the tip and say nothing, reveal the contents of this note, or speak to the cabin steward, assistant waiter etc to figure out who didn't get tipped. Leave it up to the crew. I don't like the pooling policy, but I will not be held captive by it. I can follow the letter of the law too, and still behave ethically.

[BruceMuzz]

If you would take some advice from someone in the cruise business.............

 

We want you to think that a cruise ship is a floating hotel. It really is not by the way, but for arguments sake, lets assume it is.

 

We have a Hotel Director/ Manager.

What is his job? Pretty much the same as it is on shore; managing the Hotel Service employees and ensuring that all goes well for the guests. He has Department Heads who manage each Hotel Service Department and ensure that all goes well there.

 

If you have a problem anywhere, it is best to first contact the Department Head who is responsible for that area; Executive Housekeeper for Rooms, Food and Beverage Director for Bars and Restaurants, Cruise Director for Activities and Entertainment. This works in Hotels on land, it also works in Hotels at sea.

 

Hint1: If you telephone the reception desk and tell them your problem, they are going to do the same thing recommended above; contact the Department Head. Contacting him directly by yourself merely speeds up the solution and gets you back to enjoying your vacation that much sooner.

 

Hint2: If you wait until the end of the cruise, and then complain, it is too late and your experience has already been ruined.

 

After giving the Department Head what you consider to be a reasonable opportunity and time to fix the problem, you must go to the next step.

Contact the Hotel Director. The buck stops with him.

 

Hint1: Screaming, shouting, and other types of poor behaviour WILL NOT speed up the resolution of your problem. Rational explanation and discussion WILL usually speed up the resolution of your problem.

 

Hint2: If you wait until the end of the cruise, and then complain, it is too late and your experience has already been ruined.

 

Hint3: Telling a ship employee that you have been on 27 cruises will NOT impress him. He has probably been in 500 cruises.

 

Hint4: ***Very important*** Threating a lawsuit at any point in your discussion usually works against you. Since litigation (or threatened litigation)seems to be the national sport in America these days, hardly anyone takes it seriously anymore. But Cruise company lawyers want to play it safe. They normally instruct ship management to cancel all attempts to solve your problem as soon as you threaten a lawsuit - just in case you are not blowing smoke (even though you probably are). In the end, your cruise is ruined, your problems remain unsolved, and you werent really going to sue anyway.

 

Finally, you should be aware that the Captain of a modern cruise ship is legally representing the owners and is responsible for getting the vessel from Point A to Point B. After that he is little more than a figurehead.

The last time that a Ship Captain had something serious to say about Hotel Services was sometime during the Eisenhower Administration.

It wont hurt to complain to him. But if you do, he is going to telephone the Hotel Director, who is going to telephone the Department Head, who will then fix the problem. It just takes longer this way.

 

QUICK RECAP:

Dont suffer with a problem. Report it NOW.

Give them reasonable time to fix it - then go to the TOP.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[Kami's pal]

for outlining the ladder (or is it chain) of command. All these people are listed somewhere on the ship's information, I assume. Or maybe posted on a plaque somewhere.

 

And IF that doesn't work, how does one find out who is the supervisor of the hotel captain? As you know, trying to get past the gate keepers via email seems very difficult.

 

I think that if I didn't have a decent solution to a dirty cabin, or a rude, or unskilled waiter, I would still remove my auto tip, and tip privately writing a note to those receiving my tip. They have power too, and deserve to know why the system didn't work, when they did a good job.

[HeatherInFlorida]

I'm not sure I feel it's my responsibility to track through the chain of command to find the appropriate person to whom I should complain. I'm on a cruise! A vacation! ... often for only 7 days. As passengers, we should know we have one central place to go (the Main Desk or Front Desk ... whatever it's called). They bear the responsibility for calling the appropriate department head and getting the situation resolved.

It was all I could do one day to even find the Maitre D' in the dining room, let alone the Chief Housekeeper!

Happy to say I've never had a problem large enough to have to chase after anyone of significance, but if I ever do I would hope I can call a central location to get it resolved rather than go on a wild goose chase all over a rather large ship.