DCL declines to make good on offers from hurricane issues!

[paulmc80]

I can understand if my posts were deleted. My English is quite awful ....to the eyes what scratching on a chalk board is to the ears. LOL

 

[logan1_2000]

These boards have hosted many a thread about the value or perceived lack therof of using a travel agent vs. booking yourself. And many a thread has grown about how to go to this on-line site or that to get the lowest fare. And throughout this thread we have heard from people who ended up dissatisfied with how things went with discount travel agents, or when insurance was not purchased. An agent is the person who recommends travel insurance, and the hurricanes were a prime example of why such insurance exists. My DW's chronic health ailments, currently under control but you never know, are why I purchased the trip insurance for spring break next year. Many times when I used to use the AMEX card extensively (before the Disney Visa was invented) I paid a hefty annual fee but in terms of service, I always got it, no questions asked. Hertz rental cars bases their entire ad campaign on it--there's Hertz, and there's "not exactly". If you go to a retail travel agent, get personal service and have a relationship with the agent, you can expect them to help look after you. And that doesn't go hand in hand with lowest fare.

Anyone on these boards who never got a little short with people under circumstances that were far short of devastating hurricanes raise your hand. Hey, look, no hands! It would be nice if CM's smiled like Polyanna no matter what, but gimme a break--

So 1) trip insurance; 2) CM's are people too; 3) hurricanes are not healthy for cruises and other living things; 4) when things start falling apart and there is the slightest hint of irregularity, if someone offers you the chance to just say no thanks and get all your $ back, take it--don't get in the middle of shift on the fly and then expect not to lose out on at least something; and 5) don't expect TA's to be uber-responsive when you went to them for a discount. I know hard lessons were learned from these hurricanes--but lets be mindful that every DISer who vented on these boards about how he or she got screwed livved to tell about it compared to those wholost their lives in the hurricanes, and I imagine if they are griping over a couple hundred in expenses or even a couple thousand, they probably can complain about that because they did not lose their house to the storms.



New Mantra: Just say "No" to cruising during Hurricane season, or without insurance at any time.

 

[paulmc80]

Well, I don't know that anything in life is a definite. Be it hurricane season or not. Stuff happens.

Yep, no one is smiley face all the time. What's bad to one person isn't necessarily bad, and may even be good, to another. It keeps life interesting doesn't it ........ Keeping this in mind ...... I was acutely aware of the DCL employees' situation when going int Orlando on 9/6/04 for the 9/7/04 cruise. I did something small, but special, for each DCL employee I had contact with. I really hate to mention this because it comes across as me expecting something in return ..... and that I certainly do not. I wanted to let them know they, as people, were appreciated by me and my wife.

I encountered many, many problems at the resort, getting to the port, while on the ship and even now still trying to correct them. Not once have I been angry with, emotional or upset with any DCL employee.

Now, at this point I take exception with the handling of my letter. I did expect my letter to be read, and someone to answer my question. Its simple ... but they didn't even answer my question in the letter. My nicely written, non-complaining, unemtional letter that asked one simple question.

I have a life too. I have to make a living too. I am a human being as well. It would have been nice for DCL to treat my letter that way. Their response clearly indicated a sterotyping of customers that write inquiries to them. How .. oh mighty ones how .. did they get "disappointment" out of my letter I'll never know. I just asked a question. But, its fine. That's part of life.

But, being the nice person I am. I will write them and tell them what they did wrong in their letter. They should have the benefit of knowing what I, a customer, think and feel about their handling of my inquiry. Hopefully my actions make them a better company in handling customer inquiries. Maybe, just maybe, this won't happen to many more customers of theirs.

Its not having problems ... there will always be those..... but rather the measure of character is how the problems are dealt with.

 

[invaderzim]

Very nicely worded! It's not that DCL could help the weather, but they can correct how they handle the consumer. I wrote them a letter five weeks ago about a promise of 10% on a future cruise made to us on the 8/28 sailing. I have yet to get a response. I'll wait another week or so, and then maybe email or call. But like you said, we took time out to write the letter. As a courtesy, they could at least answer it personally (and not generically).

 

[rae519]

Originally posted by paulmc80
Well, I don't know that anything in life is a definite. Be it hurricane season or not. Stuff happens.

Yep, no one is smiley face all the time. What's bad to one person isn't necessarily bad, and may even be good, to another. It keeps life interesting doesn't it ........ Keeping this in mind ...... I was acutely aware of the DCL employees' situation when going int Orlando on 9/6/04 for the 9/7/04 cruise. I did something small, but special, for each DCL employee I had contact with. I really hate to mention this because it comes across as me expecting something in return ..... and that I certainly do not. I wanted to let them know they, as people, were appreciated by me and my wife.

I encountered many, many problems at the resort, getting to the port, while on the ship and even now still trying to correct them. Not once have I been angry with, emotional or upset with any DCL employee.

Now, at this point I take exception with the handling of my letter. I did expect my letter to be read, and someone to answer my question. Its simple ... but they didn't even answer my question in the letter. My nicely written, non-complaining, unemtional letter that asked one simple question.

I have a life too. I have to make a living too. I am a human being as well. It would have been nice for DCL to treat my letter that way. Their response clearly indicated a sterotyping of customers that write inquiries to them. How .. oh mighty ones how .. did they get "disappointment" out of my letter I'll never know. I just asked a question. But, its fine. That's part of life.

But, being the nice person I am. I will write them and tell them what they did wrong in their letter. They should have the benefit of knowing what I, a customer, think and feel about their handling of my inquiry. Hopefully my actions make them a better company in handling customer inquiries. Maybe, just maybe, this won't happen to many more customers of theirs.

Its not having problems ... there will always be those..... but rather the measure of character is how the problems are dealt with.

Well said, Paul.
I think that whenever we are paying for a service, we have the right to state our opinion and make comments. This goes for all services - doctors, teachers, travel agents, etc. And hopefully, the little problems will not grow into larger ones and some of the suggestions might eliminate them completely.

Rae

 

[paulmc80]

See! Them ESL classes are paying off. LOL

I'm getting philosophical in my old age and just trying to make life better I guess. Plus, I'd truly like to take another Disney cruise and trying to get in the groove again. Was hoping for a better response to make me feel good about forking over my money to them. And ... a better response is one that answers my question even if its not an answer I really like.

I have great respect for that.