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It wasn't that long ago that the name Brenda Moran
became well-known in cruise circles as the lady who complained so much
that Royal Caribbean banned her from sailing on its ships.
Many cruise fans were upset with her situation -- not because she got
banned, but exactly the opposite. They refused to believe she had any
legitimate complaints and were upset that the cruise line had given her
any financial compensation in previous cases. These cruise fans are
correct; people who whine endlessly, like Brenda Moran, are only abusing
the system to the detriment of people with legitimate complaints.
So in the interest of readers who may someday have an honest gripe on a
cruise ship, we present the best way to register a legitimate complaint
and get results from a cruise line.
This is NOT Complaining for Fun & Profit
I recently ran across a web site selling a book entitled "How to
Complain for Fun and Profit." The author claimed he had once written to
the CEO of Ritz-Carlton about a bad hotel stay and was given a free week
in Hawaii in a suite with all expenses and even meals gratis. This is
not a lesson on complaining for fun and profit.
I did not object to the author getting compensation for a complaint, but
I certainly do object to the title. It is not acceptable to make
unfounded complaints to any company simply to finagle free things they
might give to you as "compensation."
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If you choose to "complain for fun and profit," you could end up like
Brenda Moran, getting your name dragged through the mud and your
favorite vacation company banning you for life. And you would deserve
it.
Our goal is to show you what our readers showed us -- that cruise lines
do listen to real complaints. And if they see you as a valuable
customer, they can be surprisingly generous in compensating you for your
troubles.
This IS About Registering Legitimate Complaints
Here is the message board where readers shared their cruise compensation
experiences with us. (link is Making Legitimate Complaints.). It's
important to understand that the cruise lines do recognize and care
about something that is truly not right for you. At least a dozen people
told us stories about how they found something wrong on a cruise,
registered a complaint, and were eventually compensated.
The rate of success for these readers in getting compensation was
astonishing. We expected to see perhaps a fifty-fifty split between
resolved and unresolved complaints, but almost every story we read
showed us they had received compensation. And they all followed almost
exactly the same procedure.
Step One -- Be Specific
We get a fair number of complaint letters here, and one thing we notice
with incredible predictability is how they always include a laundry list
of every little thing they could think of to complain about.
These lists are almost funny in their predictability. You can always
count on:
* A smell that permeated the hallways
* A random hair in the bathroom not belonging to the current occupants
* A rug stain
* Inedible food served in the buffet area (not all of it, just certain
items)
* Noise from somewhere they didn't want to hear
* A rude staff member who, upon hearing about the horrible cruise these
people were having, did absolutely nothing to help them except
apologize.
There are always plenty of little things to complain about, but an
effective complaint (i.e., one that will get results) is not a laundry
list of everything that went wrong. It is OK to make a list of the real
complaints, but do not go beyond turning in the list and then dropping
those complaints. Certainly do not demand compensation for every little
thing. To complain effectively means specifying which problem demands
attention, and to address only that issue as something deserving of
compensation.
As you know, we've been doing Carnival almost
exclusively for the last few years, and I usually book inside GTY. On
our last cruise, (Glory) we once again booked inside GTY, and were
assigned cabin R1456. That's the last cabin on the port side aft. I had
a feeling it might not be the best in the world, but what the heck, you
take the good with the not so good. It turned out to be great, EXCEPT
when underway there was a constant groaning noise from machinery below
us. It got worse the faster we sailed, but wasn't terrible IMO. While
walking through the atrium, I decided to stop at the purser's desk and
ask if there was another cabin available, and explained the slight
problem. I wasn't nasty, or demanding, just inquiring. The very nice
girl at the desk noted my Platinum status, and told me that we were
sailing "full ship," but perhaps something could be done, and she'd let
me know. I really didn't expect anything, but the next morning I got a
nice note from the purser's desk, stating that they were aware of the
problem, and were looking into possible solutions. The next morning, a
note appeared under the door, stating that they were VERY sorry, but
there simply wasn't any way to move us, but to make up for the
inconvenience, they were posting a $380 credit to my sign-n-sail card.
The lovely Mrs. Jones ran, not walked, to deck 5 to the shops, and
needless to say we walked away with lots of goodies, and a very small
sign-n-sail bill.
Step Two -- Stay Calm
Almost everyone on our message boards had followed nearly the same
steps. While they were onboard they calmly took their concern to the
front desk and notified them of the problem. In some cases the onboard
personnel took steps to try to solve the problem, and in some cases they
could have done more. The one thing every successful complaint
resolution had in common was that the complainers remained calm and
polite throughout the entire process. They did not yell, demand
immediate satisfaction and certainly never said, "I will never sail on
this cruise line again!"
In fact, it was shown repeatedly that the most successful complaint
resolutions came to guests who went out of their way to show
appreciation to the staff onboard for their efforts to resolve the
problem. We at Cruise v1news.com understand the concept of
ire. Sometimes you become understandably upset, and it shows in your
manner and speech. We are not saying this is unjustified in every case.
But our goal is to tell you the best way to get some compensation for
your problem -- and getting upset and angry is not it.
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Example: colorcrazie Wrote
I always try to mix compliments in with any complaints. There is always
something really wonderful to note and I like giving extra credit when
it is due. Our waiter on this trip was the highlight, so I mentioned him
by name and table number.
But I also was very specific about the problems. We received back a
generous shipboard credit offer for our next Carnival cruise, which is
in November -- enough for a couple of tours and still cover most of our
tips. We are Platinum, so that may have helped.
Displays of Anger Rarely Work
Displays of anger rarely help you get a resolution. Let's put the shoe
on the other foot: If you worked for a company where you didn't make the
rules or set the policies, you wouldn't like a guest holding you
personally responsible for problems beyond your control. Even though a
guest's anger may be justified, the person at passenger services did not
create the problem. To get results, act like an adult who is only
interested in results. An adult doesn't demand apologies or accept lip
service. Accept their first apology graciously and respond with, "I
truly appreciate your concern, now what can we do to resolve my
problem?"
Your goal is to appear as a valued customer, not a chronic complainer
who threatens to air dirty laundry until you get results. You are not
angry, but you expected better based on your prior experience and the
line's good reputation. Explain your complaint calmly.
Example: Trip Wrote
My one letter of complaint got me a $300 certificate from Royal
Caribbean.
Back in the 90's, brochures did not note obstructed cabins. I purchased
what we thought was an outside cabin, so surprise, surprise, when we
opened the door. We had a great cruise, but I decided to write to tell
them I didn't get what I thought we were getting, and how would we have
known, since it was not notated?
I prefaced my letter stating how much we enjoyed the Majesty, but this
one thing disturbed me. The letter from RCI admitted this should be
corrected; however, the next brochure was already printed, but rest
assured, after that, all brochures would be clear on the matter. They
included my voucher, and needless to say I was thrilled to death. I was
also able to use this as a deposit as well, which I did. Kudo's to RCI!
Establish Your Compensation Value
When you describe your complaint, this is not the time to threaten or to
demand compensation for every little thing that was wrong. Be specific
about how you were "injured" monetarily and make a suggestion on how you
feel you should be compensated. If you say, "I paid for an oceanview
cabin on an upper deck, but I ended up in an inside cabin on deck three,
then I see the difference in the brochure rate is $____."
In the letter, give them as many details as possible: the ship name,
cabin number, sail date, the names of everyone on board you sincerely
thought did a very good job (let them know you are a detail-oriented
person). Also include your home address, telephone numbers, and email
address. You can add your laundry list of complaints, but do say "I
don't expect compensation for this, but thought you should know."
If you do not get immediate satisfaction, then go back the next day and
repeat the process, but this time ask for the names of the Hotel Manager
and the Captain. Write a letter explaining your problem and make three
copies; mark one as "Front Desk, Passenger Services" and address the
other two to the Hotel Manager and the Captain, including your name,
booking number and cabin number.
If you do not receive a phone call by the end of the next day, the next
time you see the Captain or the Hotel Manager, ask them if they received
the letter. If they say "no," explain you left it for them at passenger
services. If they say "yes," then politely ask them what they thought of
your complaint.
Example: jacdenv24 Wrote
From Celebrity back in 2000 we got a very good response to what I think
was a legitimate complaint. We booked an inside cat. on the bottom deck
of the Horizon. When we checked in, we were informed that we had been
"upgraded" but it turned out we were moved DIRECTLY under the galley!
Noise was really horrendous -- trolleys rolling across the floor at all
hours, and dishwashers running.
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After the first night, we asked to be moved back to our original cabin
but apparently someone in a group occupied it. After the second night,
we asked for another cabin, anywhere as long as we could get some sleep.
The ship was fully booked.
We made a point of going to customer service every day to register our
complaint even though we knew we wouldn't be moved. As soon as we got
home, we wrote to Celebrity and explained the problem in detail. Within
a month, we received a letter of apology plus a credit of $750 per
person on our next cruise, which was close to a complete refund!
Step Four -- Have Patience
Once you have fully documented and aired your complaint as described
above, be prepared to wait for the resolution. Our readers tell us that
sometimes they got immediate satisfaction. But sometimes they didn't.
Most of the complaints that got compensation involved cabin problems --
maybe you paid for an oceanview and got an obstructed view, or maybe you
were under the gym and had to listen to footfalls every waking hour.
If you get moved to a better cabin during the cruise, good for you, case
solved. But we have read dozens of complaint letters where guests who
demanded to be moved during the cruise also demanded some financial
compensation during the cruise. This rarely happens, mainly because such
decisions are not made by the onboard management, but rather by the
onshore customer service or consumer affairs departments.
Many of our readers were not financially compensated during the cruise,
but by following up with phone calls and letters after the cruise they
received their compensation after the fact. While this is not ideal,
let's look into why it works this way.
Example: seadog2 Wrote
DW and I were on the Monarch and a water main burst outside our cabin
just above the door. We were flooded out at 2 o'clock in the morning. It
was well after 3 before we got back into our cabin. The next day we were
relocated to another cabin. When we returned home we called RCI and were
told that the incident had already been reported and we were given 40%
off our next cruise. That's 20% each. The vouchers came about 30 days
later.
Registering a Complaint After the Cruise
When you register a complaint after the cruise, that department contacts
the personnel onboard who were involved in trying to solve your problem.
Working as mediators, they will ask the onboard personnel what happened
and what action was taken. They will also ask the employee to assess
your behavior as a customer. Are you a good customer whose business is
worth keeping, or did you complain about every little thing, demand
financial compensation instantly and make a constant public spectacle
when you didn't get your way?
What you want from the people on board is a good report card. You want
them to say you were gracious, patient and understanding, and that they
think you fit the ideal customer profile.
When you write you complaint letter after the cruise, first express
appreciation for everything that was great about your cruise experience.
If you are a repeat customer who has spent a lot of money with their
company, tell them how often you recommend the line to your friends.
Not only does this show them how valuable you are as a customer, it also
shows that your complaint is in stark contrast to the wonderful
experience that you typically enjoy on this cruise line.
Step Five -- Wait and Follow Up
In the letter, tell them when and how you prefer to be contacted. Say
you understand it takes some time to process these letters, but that you
can be reached at (phone number) every weekday from 9:00 to 5:00. Say
you expect an acknowledgement they received the letter within 30 days,
even if a resolution will take longer. Mention that if you don't hear
from them within 30 days, you will write follow-up letters, and imply
that you might copy the president of the cruise line, the Better
Business Bureau, the Coast Guard, the CDC and your congressman.
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Example: Magnolia Blossom Wrote
We actually got a free seven-day cruise for two from RCCL.
The stevedores in New Orleans dropped my luggage overboard and it sank,
but they did not confess for two days, and RCCL told us our luggage
would meet us in Cozumel, then Belize . . . etc. Finally they told us
what had happened. During the cruise we got $150 credit in the gift
shop.
We were never ugly or rude. Hey, it was a cruise and it got to be a big
joke that I was "nekkid on the high seas." People would actually buy me
drinks. Life's too short to be ugly unless it's your only option.
When we got home I wrote a very long and humorous letter to RCCL asking
the gents in charge to imagine life with a woman in the same clothes for
seven days.
I thought they would give us a discount on a future cruise but was
amazed when they gave a free cruise for two. We used it for our first
sailing on the Adventure of the Seas, and they gave us a fabulous cabin
and a bottle of wine! Kudos to RCCL.
Most Cruise v1news.com Readers Do Receive Compensation
Most of our readers -- a good 90 percent -- did receive compensation
from the cruise line. What should you ask for and what should you
expect? You are most likely to get a future cruise credit. It may be
half-off a future cruise, a few hundred dollars off, or it may be
smaller. Some of our readers say they received an entirely free future
cruise. Some said they got vouchers for a $750 future cruise credit. In
some cases it was smaller compensation.
If you hear nothing, or do not get the kind of compensation you
expected, the next step is up to you. If you still feel strongly about
your case you can follow up, but remain honest. Do not make it into a
matter of who is right or wrong, and reiterate what you feel is adequate
and fair compensation.
If you are not satisfied, you can choose never to sail with that cruise
line again, you can escalate your complaint letters, or you can even
file a claim in small claims court. But the aim of this article is tell
you what has worked for our experienced cruisers.
Kind, low-key, even-handed letters to customer satisfaction departments
of cruise lines generally do get results. You will likely get the most
compensation if you accept it in the form of a future cruise credit. If
this is not satisfactory to you, then you probably will be dropped from
the "valued customer list" and will receive substantially less. The
ultimate choice is yours.
Final Word
Ultimately, enjoying the cruise is your responsibility. Throwing a
temper tantrum in the lobby over a stray body hair in your sink or a
torn pillowcase is not going to win you any sympathy with the onboard
staff. It also certainly will not get you any compensation. So do not
ruin your own cruise by sweating the small details. We understand that
sometimes a number of small details will add up to a frustrating cruise
- but unfortunately that is probably not enough to get you any financial
compensation unless you can prove some monetary damages.
If you have a frustrating cruise due to many small things, do not sail
that cruise line again. Send us a Reader's Cruise Review Cruise
v1news.com Member Reviews and vent all you want. We do publish
every letter we get. But we strongly urge you not to get so upset it
completely ruins your cruise. It's your vacation - make a commitment to
enjoy it no matter what happens.
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