dgr231 Posted July 30, 2009 #1 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Hello all, Here is my story: I originally booked the Carnival Miracle for 09/21/2009 under the "Past Guest" rate for two people in a category 8D. The total of the cruise came out to $2,097.94. About 3 months later, I was surfing the Carnival site to see if there had been any major changes to the rates and I found that a new type of rate, their "Cash Back" rate has just been put in place. I made sure I was logged out of the site, cleared my cookies, cache, history and temporary internet files so that the prices would not be adjusted at all based on me being a past guest. It turned out that for a total of $2,237.94 I could book a category 8H extended balcony and get $240 cash back in the form of onboard credit per the offer. I immediately called my PVP and after explaining the math to him for about 10 minutes (it took him a while to understand it), he realized that I would essentially be paying more up front (which I knew) but that after the onboard credit was taken into account I would actually be saving $100 and would have a nice upgrade to an extended balcony. I asked him to cancel my previous reservation as it was still months before my final payment was due and I didn't book under the early saver rate. He said that everything was done and that I was booked under the new rate with $240 onboard credit. Yesterday, after reading someone's post on CC about not getting their onboard credit I decided to call my PVP to make sure that I had mine as I noticed on my confirmation e-mail that it didn't mention anything about onboard credit. He didn't answer, so I called the number again but decided to speak with whoever came on the line so as not to bother my PVP about it. I was informed by her I didn't have any onboard credit and that I was booked under the "Past Guest" rate for a category 8H. At this point, I called my PVP back to figure out what was going on. He confirmed what she had said, that I was booked on the "Past Guest" rate. I proceeded to explain to him how we had canceled that booking and did the other to which he kept telling me that I only upgraded, and that I didn't change anything. I couldn't cancel at this point because my final payment had already been paid. After about 10 minutes of trying to explain this to him, he finally found a note that he had left on the booking that explained that I had canceled my previous reservation and rebooked for the new one with $240 onboard credit. As he read this note, he said "Oh, you're right, you did change the booking type. Let me talk to my supervisor and see what is going on." After about 20 minutes, I received a call back from him informing me that the system didn't log that I changed my booking type, only that I had upgraded from a category 8D to 8H. When I asked what was going to happen to my onboard credit, he told me that his supervisor was going to give me the difference between what I would have paid for my 8D and what I did pay for my 8H which was $140. I asked why and wasn't given an answer. My girlfriend then called back and asked why we weren't getting what we had paid for and she was given a story by my PVP about how we had gotten a past guest discount on the "Cash Back" rate of $100 and that is why we weren't getting that in onboard credit (remember I looked at the price after clearing all my internet files and making sure I was logged out and the price I was charges was exactly what was quoted). He said there was nothing else that he could do. Does anyone else think that I got screwed over? Does anyone else think this is wrong?? -D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nunu Posted July 30, 2009 #2 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Carnival needs to start recording these calls and make the PVP's accountable for what they say/promise to their clients if they aren't providing email confirmations that show these credits up front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglinc@msn.com Posted July 30, 2009 #3 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Yep, I think it's wrong and you got screwed. I hope they will make it right. Doug Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katie333 Posted July 30, 2009 #4 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Most places record calls these days since it protects them as well as the consumer (and can also help with quality monitoring). I'd be shocked if they didn't but I suppose anything is possible. For $100 you might spend a lot of energy fighting it but you are in the right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelz66 Posted July 30, 2009 #5 Share Posted July 30, 2009 It does sound very fishy....what was the cancellation charge for the first booking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefly333 Posted July 30, 2009 #6 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Absolutely, screwed over. I sure wouldnt ever use that PVP again, not that they would care. Seems like Carnival is making a lot of mistakes and not making things rights. I would talk to the supervisor and point out that the notes say you signed up for a $240 OBC, not $140. I dont think telling us will get it done. Unfortantely, things get messed up. I spent last night on the phone with Reliant, and the last time after 90 miinutes on hold I got cut off at 12:30 in the morning. They have that I owe them the last payment, in spite of their records showing I paid it, cut off my automatic processing because my bank changed my VISA card .... I say we both keep trying. Im not giving up. You shouldnt either. Sometimes you have to call more than once to get things fixed. Customer Service doesnt seem to be about fixing things. Its about telling you what they did and why, and making you keep at it to get things back to what they should be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jsme Posted July 30, 2009 #7 Share Posted July 30, 2009 I also agree the PVP needs to be held more responsible. Recording calls would be a great way to do this. They would not even have to record every call just some. Maybe that would keep them on their toes a bit more. I have only used a PVP a couple of times. I prefer to do it online on my own. It seems when you bring others into it then there can be some type of mistake at that point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firefly333 Posted July 30, 2009 #8 Share Posted July 30, 2009 It does sound very fishy....what was the cancellation charge for the first booking? They were booked past guest, no cancellation charge. They always allow you to upgrade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerseyshoreBruce Posted July 30, 2009 #9 Share Posted July 30, 2009 My 2 cents - YES! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisichka Posted July 30, 2009 #10 Share Posted July 30, 2009 If they continue to refuse to set things right, personally I would report it to the BBB. BTW: I always record my phone calls. Get a google voice phone number and it is very simple to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LHP Posted July 30, 2009 #11 Share Posted July 30, 2009 I would send a letter to: Mr. Ruben Rodriguez Carnival Cruise Lines Carnival Place 3655 NW 87 Avenue Miami, Fl. 33178-2428 Explain it just as you did here. (short and just the facts) The bottom line is that you should be upgraded for free and get $100 OBC in order to come out with the "same deal" as what was advertised. These do get complicated....so I would suggest you write: This is what I had. (8D) I cancelled and this is what I was suppose to have....(8H at a $140 higher rate but with $240 OBC). Since the supervisor has already removed the $140....you are still owed the $100 OBC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelz66 Posted July 30, 2009 #12 Share Posted July 30, 2009 They were booked past guest, no cancellation charge. They always allow you to upgrade. wow...then they really got shafted. just one more reason in a long list of why not to use a PVP. :rolleyes: They work for the cruise line not for you. And shouldn't you be allowed to pick your "personal" vacation planner? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegs222 Posted July 30, 2009 #13 Share Posted July 30, 2009 wow...then they really got shafted. just one more reason in a long list of why not to use a PVP. :rolleyes:They work for the cruise line not for you. And shouldn't you be allowed to pick your "personal" vacation planner? ICAM on that statement. There are some good PVP's out there BUT I would guess that there are more that do not know what they are doing. It is sad that there are people on this board that know more about booking than the PVP's. I will never use a PVP again, it is just too much of a risk. I am very happy with our TA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgr231 Posted July 30, 2009 Author #14 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Thank you all for your advice. I do agree that it is almost not worth the energy to fight the $100 OBC, but perhaps I will write a letter about it, as LHP suggested, to see what happens. I also think I will book online in the future as I'm pretty sure this would not have happened if I did that in the first place. -D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisichka Posted July 30, 2009 #15 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Thank you all for your advice. I do agree that it is almost not worth the energy to fight the $100 OBC, but perhaps I will write a letter about it, as LHP suggested, to see what happens. I also think I will book online in the future as I'm pretty sure this would not have happened if I did that in the first place. -D Sometimes a promotion (such as OBC, etc) will state something like "valid on new bookings only. If you cancel an existing cruise and then rebook, this promotion will not apply". Did it have terminology like that maybe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgr231 Posted July 30, 2009 Author #16 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Sometimes a promotion (such as OBC, etc) will state something like "valid on new bookings only. If you cancel an existing cruise and then rebook, this promotion will not apply". Did it have terminology like that maybe? As far as I know, it did not have that stipulation. I normally look for those types of things so I feel as though I would have caught it. If for some reason that stipulation was in place and I didn't catch it, I would like to think that my PVP would have informed me of this and not told me that he had set everything up... -D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2tcdx2 Posted July 30, 2009 #17 Share Posted July 30, 2009 I think though this error should have been caught by you not getting a new booking number? If he only upgraded the reservation you had then you would have kept the same booking number. If you cancelled and clearly started all over with a new booking, there would have been a new booking number I would believe. I would have thought this error would have been caught before final payment if that bit of detail had been noted? While I realize it is their mistake, again there were most likely clues along the way that something was not correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trock Posted July 30, 2009 #18 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Their customer service/pvp department is so poorly managed.. One has to be their own 'pvp/ta'... it's ridiculous We have to start making the PVP email us a recap on the phone call (or perhaps we should email them..) or better yet get a good TA.. Which is what I have I dealt with their PVPs twice.. once was enough.. Good Luck OP! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgr231 Posted July 30, 2009 Author #19 Share Posted July 30, 2009 I think though this error should have been caught by you not getting a new booking number? If he only upgraded the reservation you had then you would have kept the same booking number. If you cancelled and clearly started all over with a new booking, there would have been a new booking number I would believe. I would have thought this error would have been caught before final payment if that bit of detail had been noted? While I realize it is their mistake, again there were most likely clues along the way that something was not correct. Considering that I was told by my PVP that everything was set and I was booked for the new rate with $240 OBC, I didn't look for any clues that would lead me to believe something was wrong. I received the confirmation e-mail that said I had the 8H at a the new rate and because I have never had OBC before, I didn't know where/if should have been listed on the confirmation. I assumed everything was taken care of per my phone call. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trock Posted July 30, 2009 #20 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Considering that I was told by my PVP that everything was set and I was booked for the new rate with $240 OBC, I didn't look for any clues that would lead me to believe something was wrong. I received the confirmation e-mail that said I had the 8H at a the new rate and because I have never had OBC before, I didn't know where/if should have been listed on the confirmation. I assumed everything was taken care of per my phone call. That was a ridiculous statement -(not yours) It is not your responsibility to know the PVPs job however frustrating it is for a customer You can not be expected to know every single question to ask and review your booking from multiple angles... jeessshhh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherrybaby412 Posted July 30, 2009 #21 Share Posted July 30, 2009 If they continue to refuse to set things right, personally I would report it to the BBB. BTW: I always record my phone calls. Get a google voice phone number and it is very simple to do. It's illegal in some states to record phone calls without both callers' consent. Some states only one person has to be aware and that would be you but other's both have to know. JUst an FYI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurbanfan Posted July 30, 2009 #22 Share Posted July 30, 2009 You got screwed........ I know this is too late now, but before your conversation ended after the second booking you should have told the PVP to e-mail your confirmation of obc..........never take anyone's word........ I have used a TA who I love and trust dearly for 10 years and every time I am due obc I have her e-mail and snail mail confirmation....... This is my proof for her and when I get on board......... I would still fight it. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zqvol Posted July 30, 2009 #23 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Hello all, Here is my story: I originally booked the Carnival Miracle for 09/21/2009 under the "Past Guest" rate for two people in a category 8D. The total of the cruise came out to $2,097.94. About 3 months later, I was surfing the Carnival site to see if there had been any major changes to the rates and I found that a new type of rate, their "Cash Back" rate has just been put in place. I made sure I was logged out of the site, cleared my cookies, cache, history and temporary internet files so that the prices would not be adjusted at all based on me being a past guest. It turned out that for a total of $2,237.94 I could book a category 8H extended balcony and get $240 cash back in the form of onboard credit per the offer. I immediately called my PVP and after explaining the math to him for about 10 minutes (it took him a while to understand it), he realized that I would essentially be paying more up front (which I knew) but that after the onboard credit was taken into account I would actually be saving $100 and would have a nice upgrade to an extended balcony. I asked him to cancel my previous reservation as it was still months before my final payment was due and I didn't book under the early saver rate. He said that everything was done and that I was booked under the new rate with $240 onboard credit. Yesterday, after reading someone's post on CC about not getting their onboard credit I decided to call my PVP to make sure that I had mine as I noticed on my confirmation e-mail that it didn't mention anything about onboard credit. He didn't answer, so I called the number again but decided to speak with whoever came on the line so as not to bother my PVP about it. I was informed by her I didn't have any onboard credit and that I was booked under the "Past Guest" rate for a category 8H. At this point, I called my PVP back to figure out what was going on. He confirmed what she had said, that I was booked on the "Past Guest" rate. I proceeded to explain to him how we had canceled that booking and did the other to which he kept telling me that I only upgraded, and that I didn't change anything. I couldn't cancel at this point because my final payment had already been paid. After about 10 minutes of trying to explain this to him, he finally found a note that he had left on the booking that explained that I had canceled my previous reservation and rebooked for the new one with $240 onboard credit. As he read this note, he said "Oh, you're right, you did change the booking type. Let me talk to my supervisor and see what is going on." After about 20 minutes, I received a call back from him informing me that the system didn't log that I changed my booking type, only that I had upgraded from a category 8D to 8H. When I asked what was going to happen to my onboard credit, he told me that his supervisor was going to give me the difference between what I would have paid for my 8D and what I did pay for my 8H which was $140. I asked why and wasn't given an answer. My girlfriend then called back and asked why we weren't getting what we had paid for and she was given a story by my PVP about how we had gotten a past guest discount on the "Cash Back" rate of $100 and that is why we weren't getting that in onboard credit (remember I looked at the price after clearing all my internet files and making sure I was logged out and the price I was charges was exactly what was quoted). He said there was nothing else that he could do. Does anyone else think that I got screwed over? Does anyone else think this is wrong?? -D Like you said, doing the math . . . I can't see that you come out any different cash wise, but maybe I'm doing the math wrong. Your net after the $240 OBC was going to be $1997 now it looks like you are paying $1957. Or am I figuring it out wrong. I guess the real issue is, what is the bottom line that you are out of pocket. Are you doing better or are you out $100? If you are out, post a note on John Heald's blog. He has amazing ways of getting things made right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgr231 Posted July 30, 2009 Author #24 Share Posted July 30, 2009 You got screwed........I know this is too late now, but before your conversation ended after the second booking you should have told the PVP to e-mail your confirmation of obc..........never take anyone's word........ I have used a TA who I love and trust dearly for 10 years and every time I am due obc I have her e-mail and snail mail confirmation....... This is my proof for her and when I get on board......... I would still fight it. Good luck! After this experience I now know to do that. Like you said, doing the math . . . I can't see that you come out any different cash wise, but maybe I'm doing the math wrong. Your net after the $240 OBC was going to be $1997 now it looks like you are paying $1957. Or am I figuring it out wrong. I guess the real issue is, what is the bottom line that you are out of pocket. Are you doing better or are you out $100? If you are out, post a note on John Heald's blog. He has amazing ways of getting things made right. The math comes out to me paying exactly what I was paying before, $2,097.94 (2,237.94 - 140) which is fine, better than losing money on this deal, but its more about the principle. I should be getting $240 OBC making my total payment after OBC $1,997.94. I realize that it isn't that big of a deal, I just feel a little cheated is all. I completely understand that it could be a thousand times worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocJohnB Posted July 30, 2009 #25 Share Posted July 30, 2009 BTW: I always record my phone calls. Get a google voice phone number and it is very simple to do. I would be careful doing so. It is illegal in some states to record telephone conversations without the permission of the other party. Take a look here. http://www.rcfp.org/taping/ BTW Florida is one of the states that require all party consent, and Carnival headquarters is in Miami, so . . . . . . . Not giving legal advice, but I would assume if you told the PVP you were recording the conversation, asked and received an OK you are good to go. If they refuse permission, would probably not do business with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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