Carol, not sure why the TA rate was a rack rate. I'm a TA and we get a pretty good discount on Disney hotel rooms and some Disney cruises. Far from rack rate. They will also periodically send you specials, sometimes up to 60% off! Ticekts are another story, no great discount there.
Maybe he was one of the agents caught by the TA reverting back up to rack without warning. That can happen periodically and does. 2006 staff changes apparently affected more than a few agents. I know three who deposited WDW TA rates in Dec 2005, only to have it revert back up a few months later after the calendar year changed b/c the TA had reserved in 2006 with a 2005 card.
Never had that happen before, but I lost two rooms at the Poly for just that reason. once the rate reverted up, there was no availability left at TA code to re-instate it when 2006 card was faxed.
In 20+ years I hadn't seen anything like it happen and assume it was due to personnel changes that were announced around that that time.
If I wasn't so obsessive about looking at every email/fax I could have missed the notification and checked in months later to discover that I was now paying rack rate.
At ASM that wouldn't be SO awful, but at the Poly, talk about sticker shock...
Thankfully I haven't heard from anyone who's had an issue with it recently but I do know there's a lot less availabilty at TA rates these days than ever before. I've paid rack, or close to it, to get the rooms/dates I needed more than once lately b/c TA rates were not available occassionally.
One thing that really shocks me though was the severe change to US/IOA TA ticket policies in the past two or three years.
It used to be that you could just show an iatan or CLIA card and they'd print you a one day pass at the gate each day of your stay. I admit it was very generous but it also inspired loyalty. Agents I know stayed longer on Universal property and consequently sold their hotels more.
Now, US TA tix are only available once to those who complete their online course. Last summer, I actually got much better UA/IOA ticket prices using discounts available to the general public than the current TA program would have provided at the time even if I had qualified.
Cruise lines have really cut down on promos for TAs as well. Not too many years ago, my fax machine hummed all day spitting out FAMS & such for cruises and resort destinations, now I hardly see them - and we're a CLIA agency with more cruise bookings than land packages.
If you're considering becoming a TA solely for the discounts, thinking you'll book a friend here and a family member there, you definitely don't want to have to invest any money to do it as the discounts are dwindling rapidly - not only for Disney venues but all over.
These days making real money as a TA really can be a job. LOL, not that it can't be fun - just now I know why they call it work too...
