More P&O woe

[Ess001]

Evening all.

You may recall my recent post where I was experiencing difficulty getting much shareholder benefit OBC added to my account. Only resolved by an email to David Dingle who sorted - well I won't know for sure until we cruise.

Today we received a call from p&O to say that they had to cancel our booking for Sindhu on New Years Eve. We booked and paid for this select dining venue on 4th September as NYE is an anniversary for us and we wanted to be sure to have a nice venue to celebrate. We were offered 17 as an alternative and agreed for the extra charge to be taken.

I returned home an hour or so later to a very dismissive answer machine message from p&O saying they couldn't book us into 17 and that we must log on to our cruise personaliser to cancel the Sindhu booking and obtain a refund and that we would have to book for later in the cruise! I am so disappointed at this appalling customer service. We booked and paid over two months ago and now are without a booking.

I've emailed David Dingle again so will let you know what he comes back with. In the meantime if any of you have booked Sindhu for NYE please check that your booking hasn't been cancelled.

Ess x

[GillD46]

It appears that P&O don't know what they are doing these days. I am so sorry you have been treated so badly, and hope you manage to celebrate your special occasion elsewhere.

[Manoverboard]

Very annoying and hardly an isolated case

... but ...

Your initial Sindhu booking was, I assume, via CP and the correct time honoured procedure is indeed for you to go back into CP and effect the cancellation. This is so that the refund goes to exactly the same CC/DC as the original charge.

P&O's offer of a reservation in 17 is imo not possible as they cannot effect an additional charge against your card because they do not have the Card details, these go via World-Pay-ish as opposed to P&O.

My advice is to press on and book 17 rather than wait for divine intervention, after the booking has been placed he may be able to pull a few strings but unfortunately somebody else will then get a cancellation call re their NYE booking in 17.

[Mervyn and Trish]

I'm not normally one for making a huge fuss, as cock-ups happen. We are all capable of human error. For me it is how they errors are dealt with and in your case that seems to be badly.

Since you have booked on line and they have accepted the payment it would seem to me that they have a contract with you and it is their problem to sort it out. Their reluctance to do so may be, as Moby says, because that is how their credit card system works. Or it may be so that you instigate the actual cancellation, giving them the let off from the contract.

Personally I'd make a phone call or two before cancelling. Rather than wait for the email back I'd ring Carnival House and ask to be put through to David Dingle or his PA. On the one occasion we had a serious gripe with P&O we happened to be in the Southampton area for a few days after so we walked into Carnival House and asked to see Carol Marlow, the then MD. We didn't get to see here but did get a senior person from Customer Relations and a very rapid and satisfactory resolution.

[Ess001]

Thank you for your replies - I have had a response from David Dingle saying he will ensure this is appropriately dealt with so I'll get back to you with how that pans out!

I haven't cancelled the Sindhu booking/payment from the personaliser for that reason, and I did try to book another restaurant but they are all now showing as full. As I suspected they would, hence why I was happy to book and pay on 4th September to ensure my reservation!

I have since checked my cruise personaliser too as I haven't received the excursion booklet yet and I now see I have been issued with e-tickets and e-labels. I have never opted out of postal communication so am really irritated by this too! I always like to go through the excuRSION list at leisure and book for there!! Ggrrr

It will take me a lot to be out off P&O but they are certainly getting there!

I hope nothing else goes wrong

Ess x

[CaroleF]

When we have been sent an excursion brochure we've also had the tickets and labels via the Cruise Personaliser. The excursion brochure seems to be getting sent later and later - I think last time it was barely a month before we cruised and we'd already booked trips via the CP but we too like to have the brochure to look at and always take it with us so we can remind ourselves of the details of the trips we've booked. So don't give up on the brochure, it may still come.

Carole

[Ess001]

Thanks Carol, I'll keep my fingers crossed that it arrives soon.

The trouble is several things have already gone wrong with this cruse and I think i am now looking for more things!!!

Ess x

[Manoverboard]

We always aim to locate the excursions within our CP asap and to then print out those of potential interest ... after a chat with Mobietta I book them.

It is always best, imo, to book the cruise excursions online and well in advance of the actual cruise date. It's very easy to cancel them if the brochure advocates a change of mind at the eleventh hour.

Good luck with DD.

[Ess001]

I'm pleased to day that P&O have now sorted my booking and I am booked for 17!

And the cruise booklet with exursions arrived on Saturday.

So I'm a happy bunny, with 32 sleeps to go!!!

Ess x

[GillD46]

I'm glad it's all been sorted for you. Have a wonderful cruise and a special celebration.

[barney]

Good that that's all sorted Ess001

Have a great time. It'll be round in no time.

[Manoverboard]

Happy New Year / Anniversary