I’m going to give you a word of advice for booking your cruise online.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Here’s what happened yesterday.

A call came into me from a very distraught man. He said that he had been transferred from the online agency his cruise was booked with from one place to another for the last two hours. That he was taking a cruise (his first) departing next month and he had to make some changes. This concerned me as making changes this close to the sail date can incur penalties. He gave me his booking number and that’s when it got worse.

His booking number didn’t come up in my system! That could only mean one thing. He hadn’t booked that cruise online with my company’s website. He was now really upset. How did his call end up with me I asked him. He had been transferred so many times by this time he had no idea.

I felt kind of bad for him. But this happens too often. His wife had booked the cruise on an internet website and when they got the email confirmation, they found it was booked on the wrong date. It was the week later! This is not uncommon as the programs used to make bookings can get quite confusing and require very careful attention when filling in the details. (Even now I suffer anxiety every time I book air online …. so afraid I’ve put something in incorrectly.)

Now, because it was not our booking, I legally had no access to it. But there was one thing I could do and any of the previous agents, whomever they were, could have done as well. I called the cruise line for him and get him to those that could help.

What they confirmed for me was that I, in fact, was not involved with his reservation, but neither was the online site he thought it was booked with!

The good news was that he could now talk directly with the cruise line and they would call that agency directly for him to get this straighted out. It was too bad no one had just made a quick call to his cruise line 2 hours prior!

*** This brings me to a very important point when you are using the internet and booking travel. Check out their customer service BEFORE you make your reservations. ***

This happened to be a well known, named site. What I think happened was that their was a re-seller using the named site to market their cruises. They booked it and as a result legally have to service it.

Looking to book your next cruise online. Here’s some suggestions:

  1. Always call the site’s direct number and confirm the information. No answer by a real person, do not book it there. Not comfortable with that consultant, do not book it. No direct (800) number? Forget it!
  2. Ask if the consultant will be available to answer any future questions you may have or help with any problems. Get their direct extension.
  3. If you are looking at a cruise 6 to 8 or more months out — which you should be doing anyway — make a call back to that consultant. If he/she answers, that is a good sign. If they do not answer, leave a message to have them call you back. If you get a timely call back….good sign! Late call back or no call, do not book with them. Period.
  4. Find out if the company has a customer service center. Find out if it is accessible after normal business hours.

As I was about to transfer my caller to the cruise line, I could tell he was quite relieved. He wished me a thousand thanks. That was a good way to end the day.

Cruise Snapshot Tip of the day: If your agency is not responding to your calls, call the cruise line directly. Politely explain what is going on and ask if they would call your agency for you.