Am I asking too much? Updated 9/28 (pg2)

[Minnie Lor]

This is my first time using a TA. We've always stayed at SOG or a Disney resort via SOG (when SOG used to get booked they had overflow at a Disney resort at SOG $)

Anyways, I chose a well known Disney specialized TA. A year out from my trip I made my first attempt at a quote from the company. An agent emailed me a quote but then blew off any other atempts to get questions answered.

So I tried again but this time with their "star" TA. I requested a quote for a package. The new TA sent back a quote right away and I booked. I rec'd the package documents in the mail and was charged the $200. I asked a few questions (I think I asked 3 over the course of 3 months) and she was pretty quick emailing me back. I decided to change to a "room only" and buy the AP early hoping that I would get a good AP rate when they came out. So she changed me from a pkg to a room only. I thought at the time, that maybe I should've rec'd some new paperwork but figured maybe she was waiting for the AP rates to come out in 6 months. (I still think that I should've had some updated paperwork)

Fast forward to August whe the AP rate comes out. I check here on the boards and everybody is talking about how their TA emailed and such. So I emailed mine and asked if she knew that the AP rates were already out. (I'm staying at Pop and everyone was having a hard time getting AP rates to work at Pop.) She emails me that night that she is on vacation but that she's on top of it and that she will update ressies the next week.

So I patiently wait.....and wait....and wait. I waited 2 weeks and then emailed again. She said that she was trying to get caught up and would finish over the weekend but not to worry 'cause I got the AP rate for my whole stay. (I don't know how she did it when supposedly I'm during a blackout) So anyways I waited... and waited.... so another two weeks have gone by and nothing.

So I emailed her again and asked if I was supposed to get some final documents or paperwork or something? I don't even know what my final price is. I haven't heard anything.

I feel like I must be hounding her but I don't think I am. I don't email her every day or everyother or even everyother week. I think I've emailed like 6-7 times over the course of 16 months. I know my ressie is a tiny thing but .... I've booked another trip thru her for next spring. My Visa has been charged but I don't have any paperwork or reciept or anything. I'll probably cancel that one after my current trip and rebook with someone else.

So my questions are
1. Am I asking too much or expecting too much from my TA?
2. Should I be expecting some paperwork or receipt or something?
3. She worked miracles getting the AP rate applied to a Pop room-only during a blackout. Can and did other travel agencies do this?
4. I don't want to ruffle any feathers because the agency will be at Disney when I am. How do I handle this?

I'm sure I'll have a wonderful and magical trip but this just making me unraveled. Maybe I'm too much of a 'planner'.

Advice?

 

[mickeystoontown]

Heck no you're not asking too much! When you are paying your hard earned cash on a vacation (no matter how much it is), you expect to get something in return.

Your story is the exact reason why I don't book my vacations through a travel agent. I have found that I can get just about the same rate as a travel agent can by just looking around these boards and searching the www.disneyworld.com special offers.

If I were you, I'd e-mail her every day until she came up with a solid answer for you.

 

[melanie18]

I don't think you're asking too much. You are absolutely NOT hounding her with the # of phone calls you've placed.

Honestly, I don't know why people used TA's. I have found that I can get better deals myself without having to pay someone a commission.

 

[jmkrat]

I don't think you are asking too much, most of the TA's can apply those rates. You should have your questions answered. I think I would cancel ( perhaps you should check and see if there are rooms available first) for next spring. If you are having this much trouble I don't think this TA deserves a second booking.

 

[Minnie Lor]

Your story is the exact reason why I don't book my vacations through a travel agent. I have found that I can get just about the same rate as a travel agent can by just looking around these boards and searching the www.disneyworld.com special offers.

Honestly, I don't know why people used TA's. I have found that I can get better deals myself without having to pay someone a commission.

My reason originally for booking thru a TA was to help get a good deal. Then when I switched over to the whole AP thing, I saw how crazy that AP rate thing can get. She did get me that AP rate that no one else was getting even during the AP blackout dates. (but I haven't seen that in writing yet)

I don't think you are asking too much, most of the TA's can apply those rates. You should have your questions answered. I think I would cancel ( perhaps you should check and see if there are rooms available first) for next spring. If you are having this much trouble I don't think this TA deserves a second booking.

I'm starting to agree with you. I have had a couple of people PM me that they are in a similar or the same boat. It's just too bad. Customer service is such a huge part of a TA's business that it shouldn't be ignored.

I'll wait another week (call me Miss Patience) and then I may have to contact the head of the agency. I really don't want to but part of me is nervous that maybe I don't have a ressie at all.

 

[Joan1]

I would email their agency owner / manager just to make sure they are aware of this problem.

Melanie18 - you don't pay a commission to the agent / agency Disney does
Some agencies are charging fees to book with them which cuts out a lot of people just wasting their time or cancelling. Usually the fee involved is used towards the full price of the vacation but I have found that the internet based Disney specialized agencies are not charging this

 

[Tine731]

1. Am I asking too much or expecting too much from my TA?

NO!

2. Should I be expecting some paperwork or receipt or something?

Yes.

3. She worked miracles getting the AP rate applied to a Pop room-only during a blackout. Can and did other travel agencies do this?

I do not know.

4. I don't want to ruffle any feathers because I will be seeing her quite a bit when I'm at Disney 'cause her firm is co-sponsering some events but what would you do?

I would ask to speak to her boss or the owner of the agency. I would also not use her services in the future. There are other great Disney TA's out there.

 

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

You are not asking too much at all!! I would be going nuts about it if I were you. Honestly, not to freak you out even more, but if those dates were so impossible to get an AP rate for AND she seems so flighty, are you SURE that she got you the rate you hoped for?

Like the previous poster said, there are a lot of disney TAs out there. The one i use is SOOOO reliable and totally free! She gets back to me withint the hour every time I e-mail and, believe me, my last trip had many changes in the reservation and she took care of it immediately. I would not feel comfortable being asked to wait for her to get something done. If that was the case, I would just do it myself.

I hope everything works out for you and if it does or not, I would still think about booking with someone else next time. Good luck!

 

[Booknut]

That's incredible, i'd swap TA's I think. Our TA Rhonda is fantastic! I must have emailed her about 100 times before our trip last year, and not once did she act annoyed or not answer within an hour or two. I couldn't even hear her screaming from Florida!

If you want details let me know by PM and i'll send them to you. You shouldn't have to be worrying about anything to do with your reservation at all.

Good luck and let us know how you get on

 

[Minnie Lor]

You are not asking too much at all!! I would be going nuts about it if I were you. Honestly, not to freak you out even more, but if those dates were so impossible to get an AP rate for AND she seems so flighty, are you SURE that she got you the rate you hoped for?

I thought about that one all night. No, I'm not sure at all. When I originally booked the package thru the TA Disney charged my Visa $200. Then when I switched to a 'room-only' I didn't get any $ back. (that's ok - less to pay later) Then when the AP rate came out and my TA "re-did" my ressie to have the rate applied I was charged by Disney another fee equal to one nights stay at rack rate. I don't know if that's the norm to charge the rack rate or if it should've been the AP rate. (I realize that I shouldn't have two deposits for one ressie but that's ok) I told my TA on Monday morning that I would like to go ahead and pay it off but I don't even know what the final amount is.

If I end up having to pay the full rate then so be it. I haven't found anyone else here on the DIS that was able to get an AP rate for Pop during that time. It would be nice to know though.

 

[Minnie Lor]

I called Disney Travel to see if I could get some answers. I knew they couldn't check my ressie but I had questions about the whole $200 deposit PLUS a one nights room deposit. The $200 should've been refunded but as I said previously I'm ok with that. The Disney TA said that if I had got an AP rate applied to my 'room-only' then I should've been charged a deposit of the AP rate plus tax. I was charged a one night deposit at rack rate plus tax.

I know it's too late to get the AP rate added now. What a

 

[Alicnwondrln]

there are tons of great TAs out there. I would say you are getting poor service and I would calling them. Do you know the TAs #?

 

[MareSINY]

I used a Disney TA for a few trips and although I felt constant stress and felt like I was always bugging my agent with my emails and such, I just figured it was the smarter way to go. My last trip was this month and since I had the Disney Visa to book the dining early, I just went ahead and called Disney myself the day the deal was released. I had no trouble booking my trip and making my dining reservations. I received everything on a timely basis and I was IN CONTROL of my own trip! I felt so much more relaxed and didn't stress anything.

In the future I'll continue booking my own trips. I watch the boards here, look for specials and codes and such and will just do my own travel work.

Good luck with your upcoming trip! Have a great time!

 

[NCDisneyMom]

If I am reading and understanding everything you have said correctly, then this is how the money situation should have played out:

When you booked your original package, you were charged $200. That is correct.

When your TA changed you from the package to a room-only reservation (but no AP rates out yet), your $200 should have been refunded, and a new deposit of 1-night's stay including tax charged (this would have been rack rate at the time).

When AP rates came out, even if your TA had been able to change it (which still remains to be seen), the deposit of 1-night's stay including tax at rack rate, that you originally gave, would have remained on there.

If I read correctly, your card was only charged the full rate deposit AFTER you were told that you had the AP rate...that doesn't sound right to me at all. Have you seen your $200 refund?

I would definitely demand a copy of your confirmation, as well, so you can see it all in writing.

 

[Fionasmommy]

So my questions are
1. Am I asking too much or expecting too much from my TA?
2. Should I be expecting some paperwork or receipt or something?
3. She worked miracles getting the AP rate applied to a Pop room-only during a blackout. Can and did other travel agencies do this?
4. I don't want to ruffle any feathers because I will be seeing her quite a bit when I'm at Disney 'cause her firm is co-sponsering some events but what would you do?

1. No!!

2. I would expect something - either paperwork, a faxed confirmation, or a quick email to the tune of "I can fax you a confirmation now if you'd like to look it over, or I will wait and send you the final copy after the AP rate is applied. Please let me know what you'd prefer." I change my ressies waaaaay too much, but my TA always replies quickly and sends (or offers) an confirmation each time.

3. I wouldn't count on that until you see it in print! And my bet would be that if she can do it, others TA's could too. Just because it's a popular agency doesn't mean that Disney gives them preferential treatment. If any agency gets special treatment, it's AAA, because they have a contract.

4. I would pull the reservation. Honestly, back when I booked my first trip I checked here first and then contacted several of the major, popular agencies. I heard back from only one of them, and that was a "we're really busy but we'll try to respond in the next two weeks" email. No thanks! If a company cannot reply to me before they've gotten my money, I don't have much faith about how they'll treat me after they have it! I totally understand that people get busy, but in that situation the reservation needs to be passed on to someone that can handle it in a timely manner.

I ended up finding my TA here on the DIS, and I'm so happy with her that even now that I'm a home-based TA and I can book my own trips, I still use her. Great service can be hard to find!

 

[Fionasmommy]

I called Disney Travel to see if I could get some answers. I knew they couldn't check my ressie but I had questions about the whole $200 deposit PLUS a one nights room deposit. The $200 should've been refunded but as I said previously I'm ok with that. The Disney TA said that if I had got an AP rate applied to my 'room-only' then I should've been charged a deposit of the AP rate plus tax. I was charged a one night deposit at rack rate plus tax.

I know it's too late to get the AP rate added now. What a

My experience with AP rates is that they don't apply it to the ressie but make a new one. So, even though I had a WL woods view room booked last spring, I couldn't just call on the day rates were released and apply an AP code to the reservation - a woods view AP rate room had to be separately available. I called, they checked and didn't have any available, and that was it.

Also, when I changed a room-only SSR to WL, I couldn't just move the money over. I had to cancel one, get a refund and put a new deposit down for the first night.

And, they have never been able to change a R/O to a package (or vice versa) for me. I've always had to cancel and make a totally new reservation.

And speaking of packages, you can't apply the $200 from a package to a new room-only reservation. You can only apply it to a new package reservation. Packages are really the only area where you can move the money around like that.

So basically, the above poster is correct. You should've paid the $200, had that refunded completely when you booked a room-only and had a new charge for the first night plus tax. Then there should've been a refund of that when you changed to an AP rate room, with a new charge for the AP reservation. If you've only been charged the initial $200 for the now-cancelled package reservation, something is wrong.

 

[Amy&Dan]

That is so frustrating! I used to use a TA with Small World. She did fine, but was very slow with responses, got snippy with me a time or two and in spite of the fact I referred several people to her, never said a simple thanks for the referral. One night I was on disboards lamenting that AP codes were out, I hadn't heard, yada yada. Suddenly I get a call. This woman's boss was disboarding, saw my post did some research, figured out it was me, called me right then and there, and got me my AP rate that night! I had to switch from POFQ to POR becasue FQ's codes were gone. But at least I got my discount. My orginal TA never explained to me what happend, I would imagine she got in trouble over this which was her own fault. I never heard a word from her. In any case, in spite of my happiness her boss had handled this for me, I did switch TA's for the next trip. An agnecy is only as good as their agents and if I hadn't disboarded my problem, who knows if I could have gotten that deep discount code which was disappearing fast.

No comparison with my current TA. If I email Debbie (from Dreams Unlimited) I get an email back very quickly. She has always been on top of things. I would now never use anyone else.

I still believe in TA's but know they are not all created equal thats for sure. Don't give up on the concept just give up on your TA.

 

[Minnie Lor]

If I am reading and understanding everything you have said correctly, then this is how the money situation should have played out:

When you booked your original package, you were charged $200. That is correct.

When your TA changed you from the package to a room-only reservation (but no AP rates out yet), your $200 should have been refunded, and a new deposit of 1-night's stay including tax charged (this would have been rack rate at the time).

When AP rates came out, even if your TA had been able to change it (which still remains to be seen), the deposit of 1-night's stay including tax at rack rate, that you originally gave, would have remained on there.

If I read correctly, your card was only charged the full rate deposit AFTER you were told that you had the AP rate...that doesn't sound right to me at all. Have you seen your $200 refund?

I would definitely demand a copy of your confirmation, as well, so you can see it all in writing.

You got it perfectly. No $200 refund. I thought it could be rolled over to the room-only but another poster said that you can't roll deposits from pkg. to room-only.

You are all correct in that I need to call the owner. I'm so nervous. I hate conflict. Ok, gotta suck it up and deal. I'll report back.

Thanks everyone.

 

[tonyolily]

You got it perfectly. No $200 refund. I thought it could be rolled over to the room-only but another poster said that you can't roll deposits from pkg. to room-only.

You are all correct in that I need to call the owner. I'm so nervous. I hate conflict. Ok, gotta suck it up and deal. I'll report back.

Thanks everyone.

After reading this thread, I'm upset with them for you!!! What a horrible TA!

That said, I actually use a Disney TA to book our trips, and she has always been right on top of everything. I guess there are just some out there that have lost their "magic".

I wish you the best!!!

 

[tonyolily]

Any updates?

Just curious as to what happened...