Business History Books » Business Consulting » Club membership ripoffs
Club membership ripoffs
Question:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Many of you have read and commented on my trip report on the Carnival Spirit > a few days ago. We came back to San Diego so high in spirits that we > attended their sales presentation offering ‘fabulous deals’ on future > cruises, time shares and flights that we actually signed up, paid our dues, > and walked away with a shopping bag full of books, pictures, credentials and > the like. > We though we had bought three cruises. > Guess what. > We get two… at no discount from what we paid for the first one and no > guaranties that we will get an upgrade nor even the cabin we request now, > six months and a year ahead of time. > Do I feel like I’ve been had? > I should be. But it was kind of expected. At least it’s not a major loss nor > gain and the trip was excellent and we are looking forward to the next > two…. even if at full price. > I post this note just so that if you are listening to their sales pitches on > this point thing instead of cash or value, be wary…. ask the right > questions. And there is no way out of these things with 27 pages of > contracts you have to sign, all in their favor. > My travel agent just told me this as she is trying to make the reservations. > I asked point blank if these club things were worth anything. She said there > may be better deals. > Also, Carnival salespeople said the deal was good for any cruise ship. We > tried to get one that went somewhere else and no go. The club memberships > are for the company you sign with. Be careful! > I thought we had signed for three cruises at the price we paid and > conditions told to us by the salespeople. So now I am going to ask my travel > agent to look for deals for a year and a half from now and I don’t care if > it’s not on Carnival. They had a chance to keep us as loyal customers for > life and they blew it with this little fib of theirs. > Are they all like this? > Wayne > www.pueblaprotocol.com
No. Which club is this?
Response:
> Many of you have read and commented on my trip report on the Carnival Spirit > a few days ago. We came back to San Diego so
—-snip— (thanks) Carnival Club
Response:
> Many of you have read and commented on my trip report on the Carnival Spirit > a few days ago. We came back to San Diego so
—snip— To add insult to injury, I asked point blank if my travel agent would get her commission and was told "Absolutely yes" – guess what… no commission. I now have to pay for her services! No problem, I can afford it. But is this the kind of honesty and mutual respect offered by the Carnival sales people? Wayne
Response:
> Are they all like this?
Yup. You cannot do better than with a good travel agent. If you spy what you think is a great deal…immediately call your TA with details and have him/her check it out. We had a great price on a 4 day Carnival last April, naturally they wanted us to book direct…we called our TA…he got us the same price and he got the commission. I am currently getting boatloads of promo stuff from HAL….email, direct-mail, etc…all with "member" specials. But when I look online for HAL pricing, it is the same for anyone as it is for "members". Simply amazing.
Response:
> To add insult to injury, I asked point blank if my travel agent would get > her commission and was told "Absolutely yes" – guess what… no commission. > I now have to pay for her services! > No problem, I can afford it. But is this the kind of honesty and mutual > respect offered by the Carnival sales people? > Wayne
Sorry for the scam. Hard to believe that Carnival would sponsor this or did they? I didn’t look very long but all I could come up with is this website. http://www.carnivaltc.com/ I didn’t see any enrollment info etc. Why not post their and see what happens? Btw, why do you think you should pay your TA? The TA is to be paid by the cruise line.
Response:
Chrissy… The last time I was on the Pride I ran into a section of cruise personnel that were stationed down in the main lobby for the sole purpose of selling a special long term cruise package… as discussed in this thread. They worked me over pretty good… since I have booked a bunch of sailings with them over the past four years. I never did sign the papers… probably cause I was never sober enough to know what the heck I was getting into… and all the contractual B.S. that went along with it. (smile) But they had a special sales team aboard all week long pushing this "promo". To the best of my knowledge they have gotten pretty hard nose about commissions to outside TA’s. If you book direct… they ain’t getting any… so to speak. It use to be… if I booked direct my TA still got some of the action. Speaking of bookings… I’m sailing on the Pride… January 16th. It will be an interesting transition after 60 days on a freighter. Best regards Bill
Response:
> Chrissy… The last time I was on the Pride I ran into a > section of cruise personnel that were stationed down in the > main lobby for the sole purpose of selling a special long term > cruise package… as discussed in this thread. > They worked me over pretty good… since I have booked a > bunch of sailings with them over the past four years. I never > did sign the papers… probably cause I was never sober enough > to know what the heck I was getting into… and all the contractual > B.S. that went along with it. (smile) But they had a special sales > team aboard all week long pushing this "promo".
Seen them before, avoided them like the plague. > To the best of my knowledge they have gotten pretty hard nose about > commissions to outside TA’s. If you book direct… they ain’t > getting any… so to speak.
I haven’t been in that situation but it wouldn’t surprise me, Bill. > It use to be… if I booked direct my TA still got some of the > action.
Yes, varied from line to line but, yes. > Speaking of bookings… I’m sailing on the Pride… January 16th. > It will be an interesting transition after 60 days on a freighter. > Best regards > Bill
Good for you. Mexican Riviera. PV is a place I hear is very pretty. I want to do this with a PCanal out of Florida. Let us know how it goes.
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> To add insult to injury, I asked point blank if my travel agent would get > her commission and was told "Absolutely yes" – guess what… no commission. > I now have to pay for her services! > No problem, I can afford it. But is this the kind of honesty and mutual > respect offered by the Carnival sales people? > Wayne > Sorry for the scam. Hard to believe that Carnival would sponsor this or did > they? > I didn’t look very long but all I could come up with is this website. > http://www.carnivaltc.com/ I didn’t see any enrollment info etc. Why not > post their and see what happens? > Btw, why do you think you should pay your TA? The TA is to be paid by the > cruise line.
My TA is having troubles getting to cash my points with Carnival even though it’s a Carnival venture. It’s taking her three and a half days to get people at Carnival to work with her. And I asked, when buying the club membership, if my TA would get her commission. They said absolutely yes. My TA said no, that they are hedging on the point thing saying they can’t issue points to TAs. My TA said this is most likely due to the novelty of the cruise club product which she said has only been launched in a few ships and not fully debugged. Bottom line, I am not getting a penny’s extra value for putting over $3, 300 cash into Carnival’s pocket for use over the next five months and 11 months when I am trying… repeat, trying…. to get bookings. In chatting with Blanca my TA, we have decided that from now on we will look for deals to places my wife and I want to go and be done with it. My recommendation to anybody thinking of doing club memberships is to think twice and research other posters who may have something to ad as this string moves along with more input. The fact that the salespeople said we could use our points on any of the major cruise ships really ticks me off. They don’t. Wayne For some fun in getting to know more about Mexico why not start with the food? Check out my www.pueblaprotocol.com and go down a page where the fun starts. (Please pass this along to anybody you think would enjoy exploring pre conquest food in America) Free, a just for fun site – not selling nor promoting a thing.
Response:
> Are they all like this? > Yup. You cannot do better than with a good travel agent. If you spy what > you think is a great deal…immediately call your TA with details and have > him/her check it out. > We had a great price on a 4 day Carnival last April, naturally they wanted > us to book direct…we called our TA…he got us the same price and he got > the commission. > I am currently getting boatloads of promo stuff from HAL….email, > direct-mail, etc…all with "member" specials. But when I look online for > HAL pricing, it is the same for anyone as it is for "members". Simply > amazing.
It would appear that the Condo time share marketing people are wiggling their way into the cruise ship domain with this shift to points strategy. Our Coronado Beach Resort is still old fashioned week by week exchanges but we get a lot of invitations to free this or free that in order to hear the new point system. We listened, we enjoyed their hospitality, we declined. But were ’suckered’ into Carnival because of the superb time we had on that trip which led us to believe in the quality and honesty of their words. I really hope they wake up to this ‘mistake’ they are making. They lost a loyal customer family because of their little lie. I will now shop till I drop for the best deal and consider Carnival only on price and availability alone. Buyer beware! Wayne
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > My TA is having troubles getting to cash my points with Carnival even though > it’s a Carnival venture. It’s taking her three and a half days to get people > at Carnival to work with her. And I asked, when buying the club membership, > if my TA would get her commission. They said absolutely yes. My TA said no, > that they are hedging on the point thing saying they can’t issue points to > TAs. > My TA said this is most likely due to the novelty of the cruise club product > which she said has only been launched in a few ships and not fully debugged. > Bottom line, I am not getting a penny’s extra value for putting over $3, 300 > cash into Carnival’s pocket for use over the next five months and 11 months > when I am trying… repeat, trying…. to get bookings. > In chatting with Blanca my TA, we have decided that from now on we will look > for deals to places my wife and I want to go and be done with it. My > recommendation to anybody thinking of doing club memberships is to think > twice and research other posters who may have something to ad as this string > moves along with more input. The fact that the salespeople said we could use > our points on any of the major cruise ships really ticks me off. They don’t.
Wayne, your TA really needs to get a set of balls and go to bat for you with Carnival. For all practical purposes, you have been criminally defrauded. Do *not* pay here anything. She can get her commission, like the rest of us TA’s *from* *the* *cruisline* if she is due them. MOF, her taking monies from you may be unethical and possibly illegal. It is her job to get this straightened out if she expects a commission. If none is legally due her, then she can either do you a favor or you will need to jump on Carnival’s back yourself. They have several 800 numbers so it will cost you time but nothing else. Also, let Carnival know you are posting this to RTC. They may not like the sordid publicity. Don’t roll over on this. I don’t care if the system is buggy, that’s their problem to solve. Got get your money back. If they can’t do what they are supposed to, and if they have lied to you, why do business with them at all? Btw, if you paid by credit card, get them involved on a dispute of the charge.
Response:
snip— > Got get your money back. If they can’t do what they are supposed to, and if > they have lied to you, why do business with them at all? > Btw, if you paid by credit card, get them involved on a dispute of the > charge.
—snip— Thank you. You are right. The problem is that I bought points and not a cruise nor anything tangible. And the 27 pages of fine print contract is all in their favor. Not even a Harvard lawyer would dare tackle the issue. The only reason I brought this up in the first place is to caution others who may be considering points and club memberships. Read the fine print! I’ll take my two cruises and chalk this up to learning curve and hope they learn from it as well. Can’t knock a great company for the errors of an obviously outside consulting firm who is probably taking Carnival to the cleaners. Wayne
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > snip— > Got get your money back. If they can’t do what they are supposed to, and > if > they have lied to you, why do business with them at all? > Btw, if you paid by credit card, get them involved on a dispute of the > charge. > —snip— > Thank you. You are right. The problem is that I bought points and not a > cruise nor anything tangible. And the 27 pages of fine print contract is > all > in their favor. Not even a Harvard lawyer would dare tackle the issue. > The only reason I brought this up in the first place is to caution others > who may be considering points and club memberships. Read the fine print! > I’ll take my two cruises and chalk this up to learning curve and hope they > learn from it as well. Can’t knock a great company for the errors of an > obviously outside consulting firm who is probably taking Carnival to the > cleaners. > Wayne
Complain, Complain. You are just like the other jew. Fredstien
Response:
No Fred, I’m not complaining. I’m sharing an experience which is only a grain of sand under my very comfortable mattress with Carnival. Wayne
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> snip— >> Got get your money back. If they can’t do what they are supposed to, and > if >> they have lied to you, why do business with them at all? >> Btw, if you paid by credit card, get them involved on a dispute of the >> charge. > —snip— > Thank you. You are right. The problem is that I bought points and not a > cruise nor anything tangible. And the 27 pages of fine print contract is > all > in their favor. Not even a Harvard lawyer would dare tackle the issue. > The only reason I brought this up in the first place is to caution others > who may be considering points and club memberships. Read the fine print! > I’ll take my two cruises and chalk this up to learning curve and hope they > learn from it as well. Can’t knock a great company for the errors of an > obviously outside consulting firm who is probably taking Carnival to the > cleaners. > Wayne > Complain, Complain. You are just like the other jew. > Fredstien
Response:
>Complain, Complain.
Reading the whole thread, given what has happened to him in this transaction, my reaction is that Wayne is more uncomplaining than 99% of us would be. If anything he should in all rights be complaining more.
Response:
> Reading the whole thread, given what has happened to him in this transaction, > my reaction is that Wayne is more uncomplaining than 99% of us would be. If > anything he should in all rights be complaining more.
Damn straight.
Response:
Thanks!
Response:
Sadly, you truncated the original post which was "Complain, Complain. You are just like the other jew.Fredstien" There is a difference, pal. — DG in Cherry Hill, NJ
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Complain, Complain. > Reading the whole thread, given what has happened to him in this transaction, > my reaction is that Wayne is more uncomplaining than 99% of us would be. If > anything he should in all rights be complaining more.
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Many of you have read and commented on my trip report on the Carnival Spirit > a few days ago. We came back to San Diego so high in spirits that we > attended their sales presentation offering ‘fabulous deals’ on future > cruises, time shares and flights that we actually signed up, paid our dues, > and walked away with a shopping bag full of books, pictures, credentials and > the like. > We though we had bought three cruises. > Guess what. > We get two… at no discount from what we paid for the first one and no > guaranties that we will get an upgrade nor even the cabin we request now, > six months and a year ahead of time. > Do I feel like I’ve been had? > I should be. But it was kind of expected. At least it’s not a major loss nor > gain and the trip was excellent and we are looking forward to the next > two…. even if at full price. > I post this note just so that if you are listening to their sales pitches on > this point thing instead of cash or value, be wary…. ask the right > questions. And there is no way out of these things with 27 pages of > contracts you have to sign, all in their favor. > My travel agent just told me this as she is trying to make the reservations. > I asked point blank if these club things were worth anything. She said there > may be better deals. > Also, Carnival salespeople said the deal was good for any cruise ship. We > tried to get one that went somewhere else and no go. The club memberships > are for the company you sign with. Be careful! > I thought we had signed for three cruises at the price we paid and > conditions told to us by the salespeople. So now I am going to ask my travel > agent to look for deals for a year and a half from now and I don’t care if > it’s not on Carnival. They had a chance to keep us as loyal customers for > life and they blew it with this little fib of theirs. > Are they all like this? > Wayne > www.pueblaprotocol.com
Wayne, Guess you know now, but….."The value of something is in inverse proportion to the effort expended to sell it." As the Southern comedian Dave Gardner would have said: "Them’s wise sayin’s!" Stranger
Response:
I would check with the Attorney Generals office of the State in which your Club "documents" are filed. There should be a number of days after you signed the documents where you retain a right of recision. This all sounds like a major rip, but then again that’s why I never travel on Carnival. I tried them twice and swore I’d NEVER give them a third opportunity.
Response:
Many of you have read and commented on my trip report on the Carnival Spirit a few days ago. We came back to San Diego so high in spirits that we attended their sales presentation offering ‘fabulous deals’ on future cruises, time shares and flights that we actually signed up, paid our dues, and walked away with a shopping bag full of books, pictures, credentials and the like. We though we had bought three cruises. Guess what. We get two… at no discount from what we paid for the first one and no guaranties that we will get an upgrade nor even the cabin we request now, six months and a year ahead of time. Do I feel like I’ve been had? I should be. But it was kind of expected. At least it’s not a major loss nor gain and the trip was excellent and we are looking forward to the next two…. even if at full price. I post this note just so that if you are listening to their sales pitches on this point thing instead of cash or value, be wary…. ask the right questions. And there is no way out of these things with 27 pages of contracts you have to sign, all in their favor. My travel agent just told me this as she is trying to make the reservations. I asked point blank if these club things were worth anything. She said there may be better deals. Also, Carnival salespeople said the deal was good for any cruise ship. We tried to get one that went somewhere else and no go. The club memberships are for the company you sign with. Be careful! I thought we had signed for three cruises at the price we paid and conditions told to us by the salespeople. So now I am going to ask my travel agent to look for deals for a year and a half from now and I don’t care if it’s not on Carnival. They had a chance to keep us as loyal customers for life and they blew it with this little fib of theirs. Are they all like this? Wayne www.pueblaprotocol.com
Response:
Many of you have read and commented on my trip report on the Carnival Spirit a few days ago. We came back to San Diego so high in spirits that we attended their sales presentation offering ‘fabulous deals’ on future cruises, time shares and flights that we actually signed up, paid our dues, and walked away with a shopping bag full of books, pictures, credentials and the like. We though we had bought three cruises. Guess what. We get two… at no discount from what we paid for the first one and no guaranties that we will get an upgrade nor even the cabin we request now, six months and a year ahead of time. Do I feel like I’ve been had? I should be. But it was kind of expected. At least it’s not a major loss nor gain and the trip was excellent and we are looking forward to the next two…. even if at full price. I post this note just so that if you are listening to their sales pitches on this point thing instead of cash or value, be wary…. ask the right questions. And there is no way out of these things with 27 pages of contracts you have to sign, all in their favor. My travel agent just told me this as she is trying to make the reservations. I asked point blank if these club things were worth anything. She said there may be better deals. Also, Carnival salespeople said the deal was good for any cruise ship. We tried to get one that went somewhere else and no go. The club memberships are for the company you sign with. Be careful! I thought we had signed for three cruises at the price we paid and conditions told to us by the salespeople. So now I am going to ask my travel agent to look for deals for a year and a half from now and I don’t care if it’s not on Carnival. They had a chance to keep us as loyal customers for life and they blew it with this little fib of theirs. Are they all like this? Wayne www.pueblaprotocol.com
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Many of you have read and commented on my trip report on the Carnival Spirit > a few days ago. We came back to San Diego so high in spirits that we > attended their sales presentation offering ‘fabulous deals’ on future > cruises, time shares and flights that we actually signed up, paid our dues, > and walked away with a shopping bag full of books, pictures, credentials and > the like. > We though we had bought three cruises. > Guess what. > We get two… at no discount from what we paid for the first one and no > guaranties that we will get an upgrade nor even the cabin we request now, > six months and a year ahead of time. > Do I feel like I’ve been had? > I should be. But it was kind of expected. At least it’s not a major loss nor > gain and the trip was excellent and we are looking forward to the next > two…. even if at full price. > I post this note just so that if you are listening to their sales pitches on > this point thing instead of cash or value, be wary…. ask the right > questions. And there is no way out of these things with 27 pages of > contracts you have to sign, all in their favor. > My travel agent just told me this as she is trying to make the reservations. > I asked point blank if these club things were worth anything. She said there > may be better deals. > Also, Carnival salespeople said the deal was good for any cruise ship. We > tried to get one that went somewhere else and no go. The club memberships > are for the company you sign with. Be careful! > I thought we had signed for three cruises at the price we paid and > conditions told to us by the salespeople. So now I am going to ask my travel > agent to look for deals for a year and a half from now and I don’t care if > it’s not on Carnival. They had a chance to keep us as loyal customers for > life and they blew it with this little fib of theirs. > Are they all like this? > Wayne > www.pueblaprotocol.com
No. Which club is this?
Response:
> Many of you have read and commented on my trip report on the Carnival Spirit > a few days ago. We came back to San Diego so
—-snip— (thanks) Carnival Club
Response:
> Many of you have read and commented on my trip report on the Carnival Spirit > a few days ago. We came back to San Diego so
—snip— To add insult to injury, I asked point blank if my travel agent would get her commission and was told "Absolutely yes" – guess what… no commission. I now have to pay for her services! No problem, I can afford it. But is this the kind of honesty and mutual respect offered by the Carnival sales people? Wayne
Response:
> Are they all like this?
Yup. You cannot do better than with a good travel agent. If you spy what you think is a great deal…immediately call your TA with details and have him/her check it out. We had a great price on a 4 day Carnival last April, naturally they wanted us to book direct…we called our TA…he got us the same price and he got the commission. I am currently getting boatloads of promo stuff from HAL….email, direct-mail, etc…all with "member" specials. But when I look online for HAL pricing, it is the same for anyone as it is for "members". Simply amazing.
Response:
> To add insult to injury, I asked point blank if my travel agent would get > her commission and was told "Absolutely yes" – guess what… no commission. > I now have to pay for her services! > No problem, I can afford it. But is this the kind of honesty and mutual > respect offered by the Carnival sales people? > Wayne
Sorry for the scam. Hard to believe that Carnival would sponsor this or did they? I didn’t look very long but all I could come up with is this website. http://www.carnivaltc.com/ I didn’t see any enrollment info etc. Why not post their and see what happens? Btw, why do you think you should pay your TA? The TA is to be paid by the cruise line.
Response:
Chrissy… The last time I was on the Pride I ran into a section of cruise personnel that were stationed down in the main lobby for the sole purpose of selling a special long term cruise package… as discussed in this thread. They worked me over pretty good… since I have booked a bunch of sailings with them over the past four years. I never did sign the papers… probably cause I was never sober enough to know what the heck I was getting into… and all the contractual B.S. that went along with it. (smile) But they had a special sales team aboard all week long pushing this "promo". To the best of my knowledge they have gotten pretty hard nose about commissions to outside TA’s. If you book direct… they ain’t getting any… so to speak. It use to be… if I booked direct my TA still got some of the action. Speaking of bookings… I’m sailing on the Pride… January 16th. It will be an interesting transition after 60 days on a freighter. Best regards Bill
Response:
> Chrissy… The last time I was on the Pride I ran into a > section of cruise personnel that were stationed down in the > main lobby for the sole purpose of selling a special long term > cruise package… as discussed in this thread. > They worked me over pretty good… since I have booked a > bunch of sailings with them over the past four years. I never > did sign the papers… probably cause I was never sober enough > to know what the heck I was getting into… and all the contractual > B.S. that went along with it. (smile) But they had a special sales > team aboard all week long pushing this "promo".
Seen them before, avoided them like the plague. > To the best of my knowledge they have gotten pretty hard nose about > commissions to outside TA’s. If you book direct… they ain’t > getting any… so to speak.
I haven’t been in that situation but it wouldn’t surprise me, Bill. > It use to be… if I booked direct my TA still got some of the > action.
Yes, varied from line to line but, yes. > Speaking of bookings… I’m sailing on the Pride… January 16th. > It will be an interesting transition after 60 days on a freighter. > Best regards > Bill
Good for you. Mexican Riviera. PV is a place I hear is very pretty. I want to do this with a PCanal out of Florida. Let us know how it goes.
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> To add insult to injury, I asked point blank if my travel agent would get > her commission and was told "Absolutely yes" – guess what… no commission. > I now have to pay for her services! > No problem, I can afford it. But is this the kind of honesty and mutual > respect offered by the Carnival sales people? > Wayne > Sorry for the scam. Hard to believe that Carnival would sponsor this or did > they? > I didn’t look very long but all I could come up with is this website. > http://www.carnivaltc.com/ I didn’t see any enrollment info etc. Why not > post their and see what happens? > Btw, why do you think you should pay your TA? The TA is to be paid by the > cruise line.
My TA is having troubles getting to cash my points with Carnival even though it’s a Carnival venture. It’s taking her three and a half days to get people at Carnival to work with her. And I asked, when buying the club membership, if my TA would get her commission. They said absolutely yes. My TA said no, that they are hedging on the point thing saying they can’t issue points to TAs. My TA said this is most likely due to the novelty of the cruise club product which she said has only been launched in a few ships and not fully debugged. Bottom line, I am not getting a penny’s extra value for putting over $3, 300 cash into Carnival’s pocket for use over the next five months and 11 months when I am trying… repeat, trying…. to get bookings. In chatting with Blanca my TA, we have decided that from now on we will look for deals to places my wife and I want to go and be done with it. My recommendation to anybody thinking of doing club memberships is to think twice and research other posters who may have something to ad as this string moves along with more input. The fact that the salespeople said we could use our points on any of the major cruise ships really ticks me off. They don’t. Wayne For some fun in getting to know more about Mexico why not start with the food? Check out my www.pueblaprotocol.com and go down a page where the fun starts. (Please pass this along to anybody you think would enjoy exploring pre conquest food in America) Free, a just for fun site – not selling nor promoting a thing.
Response:
> Are they all like this? > Yup. You cannot do better than with a good travel agent. If you spy what > you think is a great deal…immediately call your TA with details and have > him/her check it out. > We had a great price on a 4 day Carnival last April, naturally they wanted > us to book direct…we called our TA…he got us the same price and he got > the commission. > I am currently getting boatloads of promo stuff from HAL….email, > direct-mail, etc…all with "member" specials. But when I look online for > HAL pricing, it is the same for anyone as it is for "members". Simply > amazing.
It would appear that the Condo time share marketing people are wiggling their way into the cruise ship domain with this shift to points strategy. Our Coronado Beach Resort is still old fashioned week by week exchanges but we get a lot of invitations to free this or free that in order to hear the new point system. We listened, we enjoyed their hospitality, we declined. But were ’suckered’ into Carnival because of the superb time we had on that trip which led us to believe in the quality and honesty of their words. I really hope they wake up to this ‘mistake’ they are making. They lost a loyal customer family because of their little lie. I will now shop till I drop for the best deal and consider Carnival only on price and availability alone. Buyer beware! Wayne
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > My TA is having troubles getting to cash my points with Carnival even though > it’s a Carnival venture. It’s taking her three and a half days to get people > at Carnival to work with her. And I asked, when buying the club membership, > if my TA would get her commission. They said absolutely yes. My TA said no, > that they are hedging on the point thing saying they can’t issue points to > TAs. > My TA said this is most likely due to the novelty of the cruise club product > which she said has only been launched in a few ships and not fully debugged. > Bottom line, I am not getting a penny’s extra value for putting over $3, 300 > cash into Carnival’s pocket for use over the next five months and 11 months > when I am trying… repeat, trying…. to get bookings. > In chatting with Blanca my TA, we have decided that from now on we will look > for deals to places my wife and I want to go and be done with it. My > recommendation to anybody thinking of doing club memberships is to think > twice and research other posters who may have something to ad as this string > moves along with more input. The fact that the salespeople said we could use > our points on any of the major cruise ships really ticks me off. They don’t.
Wayne, your TA really needs to get a set of balls and go to bat for you with Carnival. For all practical purposes, you have been criminally defrauded. Do *not* pay here anything. She can get her commission, like the rest of us TA’s *from* *the* *cruisline* if she is due them. MOF, her taking monies from you may be unethical and possibly illegal. It is her job to get this straightened out if she expects a commission. If none is legally due her, then she can either do you a favor or you will need to jump on Carnival’s back yourself. They have several 800 numbers so it will cost you time but nothing else. Also, let Carnival know you are posting this to RTC. They may not like the sordid publicity. Don’t roll over on this. I don’t care if the system is buggy, that’s their problem to solve. Got get your money back. If they can’t do what they are supposed to, and if they have lied to you, why do business with them at all? Btw, if you paid by credit card, get them involved on a dispute of the charge.
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snip— > Got get your money back. If they can’t do what they are supposed to, and if > they have lied to you, why do business with them at all? > Btw, if you paid by credit card, get them involved on a dispute of the > charge.
—snip— Thank you. You are right. The problem is that I bought points and not a cruise nor anything tangible. And the 27 pages of fine print contract is all in their favor. Not even a Harvard lawyer would dare tackle the issue. The only reason I brought this up in the first place is to caution others who may be considering points and club memberships. Read the fine print! I’ll take my two cruises and chalk this up to learning curve and hope they learn from it as well. Can’t knock a great company for the errors of an obviously outside consulting firm who is probably taking Carnival to the cleaners. Wayne
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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > snip— > Got get your money back. If they can’t do what they are supposed to, and > if > they have lied to you, why do business with them at all? > Btw, if you paid by credit card, get them involved on a dispute of the > charge. > —snip— > Thank you. You are right. The problem is that I bought points and not a > cruise nor anything tangible. And the 27 pages of fine print contract is > all > in their favor. Not even a Harvard lawyer would dare tackle the issue. > The only reason I brought this up in the first place is to caution others > who may be considering points and club memberships. Read the fine print! > I’ll take my two cruises and chalk this up to learning curve and hope they > learn from it as well. Can’t knock a great company for the errors of an > obviously outside consulting firm who is probably taking Carnival to the > cleaners. > Wayne
Complain, Complain. You are just like the other jew. Fredstien
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No Fred, I’m not complaining. I’m sharing an experience which is only a grain of sand under my very comfortable mattress with Carnival. Wayne
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> snip— >> Got get your money back. If they can’t do what they are supposed to, and > if >> they have lied to you, why do business with them at all? >> Btw, if you paid by credit card, get them involved on a dispute of the >> charge. > —snip— > Thank you. You are right. The problem is that I bought points and not a > cruise nor anything tangible. And the 27 pages of fine print contract is > all > in their favor. Not even a Harvard lawyer would dare tackle the issue. > The only reason I brought this up in the first place is to caution others > who may be considering points and club memberships. Read the fine print! > I’ll take my two cruises and chalk this up to learning curve and hope they > learn from it as well. Can’t knock a great company for the errors of an > obviously outside consulting firm who is probably taking Carnival to the > cleaners. > Wayne > Complain, Complain. You are just like the other jew. > Fredstien
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>Complain, Complain.
Reading the whole thread, given what has happened to him in this transaction, my reaction is that Wayne is more uncomplaining than 99% of us would be. If anything he should in all rights be complaining more.
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> Reading the whole thread, given what has happened to him in this transaction, > my reaction is that Wayne is more uncomplaining than 99% of us would be. If > anything he should in all rights be complaining more.
Damn straight.
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Thanks!
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Sadly, you truncated the original post which was "Complain, Complain. You are just like the other jew.Fredstien" There is a difference, pal. — DG in Cherry Hill, NJ
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Complain, Complain. > Reading the whole thread, given what has happened to him in this transaction, > my reaction is that Wayne is more uncomplaining than 99% of us would be. If > anything he should in all rights be complaining more.
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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Many of you have read and commented on my trip report on the Carnival Spirit > a few days ago. We came back to San Diego so high in spirits that we > attended their sales presentation offering ‘fabulous deals’ on future > cruises, time shares and flights that we actually signed up, paid our dues, > and walked away with a shopping bag full of books, pictures, credentials and > the like. > We though we had bought three cruises. > Guess what. > We get two… at no discount from what we paid for the first one and no > guaranties that we will get an upgrade nor even the cabin we request now, > six months and a year ahead of time. > Do I feel like I’ve been had? > I should be. But it was kind of expected. At least it’s not a major loss nor > gain and the trip was excellent and we are looking forward to the next > two…. even if at full price. > I post this note just so that if you are listening to their sales pitches on > this point thing instead of cash or value, be wary…. ask the right > questions. And there is no way out of these things with 27 pages of > contracts you have to sign, all in their favor. > My travel agent just told me this as she is trying to make the reservations. > I asked point blank if these club things were worth anything. She said there > may be better deals. > Also, Carnival salespeople said the deal was good for any cruise ship. We > tried to get one that went somewhere else and no go. The club memberships > are for the company you sign with. Be careful! > I thought we had signed for three cruises at the price we paid and > conditions told to us by the salespeople. So now I am going to ask my travel > agent to look for deals for a year and a half from now and I don’t care if > it’s not on Carnival. They had a chance to keep us as loyal customers for > life and they blew it with this little fib of theirs. > Are they all like this? > Wayne > www.pueblaprotocol.com
Wayne, Guess you know now, but….."The value of something is in inverse proportion to the effort expended to sell it." As the Southern comedian Dave Gardner would have said: "Them’s wise sayin’s!" Stranger
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I would check with the Attorney Generals office of the State in which your Club "documents" are filed. There should be a number of days after you signed the documents where you retain a right of recision. This all sounds like a major rip, but then again that’s why I never travel on Carnival. I tried them twice and swore I’d NEVER give them a third opportunity.