Consumer - ONE man’s meat is another’s poison. Or one person’s idea of fun is another’s torture.
While some things might be open to debate, companies need to listen to clients. And hear them.
But the responsibility cuts both ways: if you’re unhappy, speak up, the sooner the better.
Durban reader Kerisa Moonsamy is aggrieved by her family’s experience on a two-day “cruise to nowhere” from December 14 to 16.
They needed a break, so she booked on the MSC Musica.
As a single income household with a special needs child, they had saved up for what they hoped would be the experience of a lifetime. But Moonsamy said the experience was one she’d rather forget.
She had booked through Cruise About the Point in Sea Point (a division of Flight Centre) and asked the agent if her son’s wheelchair would fit through the cabin door. She was assured it would.
Once they checked in, the chair couldn’t fit through the door, so she and her husband had to carry their 40kg son in and out of the room.
She said the cuisine was poor, too, describing it as “oily, stale and tasteless”.
“Now before anyone jumps to the conclusion that we only eat curries because we’re Indian: we eat curry once a month. The food aboard the MSC Musica tasted old and had a chemical aftertaste.”
Moonsamy said staff were rude and disinterested.
“They made us feel like we were stupid for asking questions. When I asked the waiter at Belle Epoque if he could please bring us the next course as my son was getting a little fussy and we would need to leave soon, he told me to ‘just relax and wait’.”
The no-smoking signs were not abided by, with smoke pervading the deck areas and smokers were throwing their cigarette butts from the balcony. Staff did nothing to control the situation.
For special needs passengers, she said, there was a small area on the deck with seating provided. Here, able-bodied passengers basked and refused to move despite seeing disabled passengers searching for seats. Again, staff did nothing.
“MSC and Cruise About have since sent me letters and emails with empty apologies, some of those letters blaming me for not reading the fine print,” she said.
MSC also sent her a voucher for 10% off their next cruise.
“Trust me, we will never use an MSC cruise ship again, there are other companies.”
I asked Kim Taylor, Flight Centre’s travel group director of customer service, about the cruise being misrepresented. She denied the agent was at fault.
She said: “Unfortunately, there were no disabled cabins available on the selected cruise, which was relayed to the client and accepted at the time of booking. The customer also noted they understood that there would be an element of having to carry their child around. We genuinely believe that information supplied to the client by the travel agent was in line with the product information available.”
MSC, too, doesn’t believe it was in the wrong, asking why, if the customer was so unhappy, she never complained on board and only did so afterwards.
That’s a fair point, but Moonsamy’s already noted the rudeness of staff, which is likely to have turned her off from complaining.
“Had we been aware while they were on board, we could have addressed their concerns immediately. Customer satisfaction is a key focus for us and we are always committed to go above and beyond for our guests and offer them a great holiday,” MSC said.
The company said all MSC Cruises’ ships met international accessibility standards and were certified to welcome people with reduced mobility, so guests could inform them of any special requirements beforehand.
“If a person in need of special assistance is planning a cruise, our main concern is always to make sure this is as feasible as possible while providing the highest level of comfort and safety for the respective guest, their travel companions, co-passengers and staff.”
MSC said Cruise About’s travel agent “unfortunately made an incorrect assessment about the feasibility of this family to travel in a non-disabled cabin”.
MSC Cruises’ MD, Ross Volk, said: “We have taken immediate action to prevent such misevaluation from occurring and will proactively raise awareness about this matter with our partners. This will include even clearer guidelines about cabin bookings for guests with special mobility needs who wish to book a cruise.”
But he didn’t believe the disabled deck area was unregulated by staff, saying the area was clearly demarcated and staff were trained to be aware of passengers with special needs.
He denied there was a smoking problem on the ship.
Volk said he was surprised by the comments about the food because they were not in line with the feedback the company receives.
“On this particular cruise, no complaints were made about the food. We have a very wide choice of food onboard.”
He said MSC kept a detailed track record of complaints and consistently evaluated staff.
“Please note we have not received similar feedback from other guests on board MSC Musica. Had we known about this while the family was on board, our hotel director could have addressed their concerns.”
Moonsamy was unimpressed: “As per usual they are victim-blaming. I’m fed up of them.”
The lesson here is: do your homework. Don’t assume a travel agent speaks from experience when they sell you a product. Large cruiseliners tend to be crowded, busy and noisy: expect queues and waits for service.
And if you have a complaint, don’t hesitate: raise it as soon as possible.
* Georgina Crouth is a consumer watchdog with serious bite. Write to her at [email protected], tweet her @georginacrouth and follow her on Facebook.
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