Dreams Unlimited Travel Agent not replying

[TestingH2O]

Small world replied with the form I need to transfer to them once I book onboard. I replied back and forth, and they emailed back within a few hours - or sooner -every time.
Will use them.

That's who we use. We found them before finding Disboards. Their OBC matches DU. John, the owner of DU, always speaks highly of them as a company and we've been very happy with our service.

A quick e-mail letting you know the procedure of how to book onboard and how to transfer the reservation to her would have, I believe, sufficed, in this situation. That's an e-mail that takes about a minute of time to produce.

Or, to truly streamline it, you have a copy and paste document with that information ready to go. Heck, make it a signature option.

Dear xxx,

Change signature to "how to transfer." Add in answers to any other questions.

30 seconds later you're finished.

 

[squirk]

For my 4th Disney cruise, I wanted to hire a travel agent for the sole purpose of getting the extra onboard credit.

I never used a travel agent in the past, other than the online booking sites such as Travelocity when they offered a discount for booking through them.

I emailed Dreams Unlimited early last week.

I told her I will be cruising this April 2018 and want to book a 2019 cruise while onboard.
I said I want the 10 percent on board discount, the $100 onboard credit, and the $150 onboard credit for transferring to the TA.

She replied once with helpful information, also saying she was busy due to it being opening week.

I said I understood about it being busy. I asked her what her agent number was because I want to add it onboard.
I also have a family member (not in my household) who wants to book a placeholder using her name/number.

I'm a little irritated she has not emailed back in two days (four counting the weekend).

It seems like she does not want my business and is too busy with other things.

I'm considering using a different TA.
I want to make sure I get the gift basket, the 150 onboard credit for transferring to a TA after booking online, and that's about all I need.

My cruise will be just under $6000.

It is possible I will need to remove one person from our reservation (we are 4 now) before the PIF date, but other than that there will not be any changes.

Very frustrated about poor service. What would you do, or has anyone been in a similar situation with a non responsive TA?

I think you are being rather impatient with this. Whatever hard-driving sales model you employ in your business, it doesn’t mean a TA follows the same template.

Opening week is crazy, with loads of people making actual reservations. A crush of incoming calls and emails, loooong wait times on the phone, a lot of follow up to finalize. Some people put the res on hold, meaning the TA sometimes can’t finalize until 2-3 days later. Point being, the craziness did not stop at the end of the day on Thursday (when GP could book).

With all that in mind, you’re holding her to task because she did not reply in 48 hours, and you’re even counting the weekend days against her and thinking about switching TAs, because of this low-priority issue?

I mean, she warned you she was busy, and you stated that you understood that. Your request for her agent number, whether it was actually needed or not, is not really time-sensitive, since you are not sailing (and don’t need the information) for at least another 18 days or so. Like it or not, given what was going on last week, this isn’t tops on her priority list.

Finally, things sometimes slip through the cracks in good faith, especially during hectic times like last week. It does not mean she “doesn’t want your business”. Are you saying you’ve never missed an email, or let one sink to the bottom of your Inbox a little longer than you intended? I’m in sales, too, and have been for a long time. I think any salesperson who claims that has never happened is lying through their teeth.

I think that what the TA should have done (and should always do) is set expectations on the response time (“I’ll get back with you no later than Wednesday”), so maybe a teaching moment there.

You’re certainly entitled to take your business wherever you want, of course, but maybe instead of grousing here about this one slight delay, you could have just called her back or sent a follow-up e-mail first?

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

I think you are being rather impatient with this. Whatever hard-driving sales model you employ in your business, it doesn’t mean a TA follows the same template.

Opening week is crazy, with loads of people making actual reservations. A crush of incoming calls and emails, loooong wait times on the phone, a lot of follow up to finalize. Some people put the res on hold, meaning the TA sometimes can’t finalize until 2-3 days later. Point being, the craziness did not stop at the end of the day on Thursday (when GP could book).

With all that in mind, you’re holding her to task because she did not reply in 48 hours, and you’re even counting the weekend days against her and thinking about switching TAs, because of this low-priority issue?

I mean, she warned you she was busy, and you stated that you understood that. Your request for her agent number, whether it was actually needed or not, is not really time-sensitive, since you are not sailing (and don’t need the information) for at least another 18 days or so. Like it or not, given what was going on last week, this isn’t tops on her priority list.

Finally, things sometimes slip through the cracks in good faith, especially during hectic times like last week. It does not mean she “doesn’t want your business”. Are you saying you’ve never missed an email, or let one sink to the bottom of your Inbox a little longer than you intended? I’m in sales, too, and have been for a long time. I think any salesperson who claims that has never happened is lying through their teeth.

I think that what the TA should have done (and should always do) is set expectations on the response time (“I’ll get back with you no later than Wednesday”), so maybe a teaching moment there.

You’re certainly entitled to take your business wherever you want, of course, but maybe instead of grousing here about this one slight delay, you could have just called her back or sent a follow-up e-mail first?

This ^
We were booking opening day (Gold) with our Dreams Unlimited agent. The agents were on the phone all day long (for at least 3 days) booking cruises for Platinum, Gold and Silver. That was their focus that week. From the time Disney announced the release to public booking, it was one week. The first weekend people were emailing their agents what they want, dates, staterooms, budgets etc. I know I went back and forth with my agent that weekend about the possibilities, but again we were booking then. Then Monday it was Platinum, Tuesday Gold and Wed Silver...Dreams Unlimited was working solely on booking those opening day cruises that week, and in my opinion it was clear they would respond to everyone else after.
My DU agent had an automated email that went out that unless you are booking/transferring your cruise to one of the opening day ones - your email will be responded to in several days.
I thought that was sent out to anyone booking with Dreams Unlimited?

 

[piglet1979]

I thought that was sent out to anyone booking with Dreams Unlimited?

I am booked with DU right now and I did not get this message. I did email my agent around this time but I waited a week before i emailed her again with the question. It was not an urgent question and I knew that she was busy. After a week I assumed that my email got lost in the shuffle or since we have had issues in the past with our emails to each other going through that she didn't get it. I got a response back after a few days of the second email.

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

I am booked with DU right now and I did not get this message. I did email my agent around this time but I waited a week before i emailed her again with the question. It was not an urgent question and I knew that she was busy. After a week I assumed that my email got lost in the shuffle or since we have had issues in the past with our emails to each other going through that she didn't get it. I got a response back after a few days of the second email.

Oh ok so it's a specific agent thing.. they should really all have an email like this... to keep expectations in check.
Mind you - going back to OP, she was told they agent was busy and to give a couple of days.. and there was a weekend in there.

 

[piglet1979]

Oh ok so it's a specific agent thing.. they should really all have an email like this... to keep expectations in check.
Mind you - going back to OP, she was told they agent was busy and to give a couple of days.. and there was a weekend in there.

I agree with you. Just letting you know that it must be a specific agent thing.

 

[mousefan73]

I think you are being rather impatient with this. Whatever hard-driving sales model you employ in your business, it doesn’t mean a TA follows the same template.

Opening week is crazy, with loads of people making actual reservations. A crush of incoming calls and emails, loooong wait times on the phone, a lot of follow up to finalize. Some people put the res on hold, meaning the TA sometimes can’t finalize until 2-3 days later. Point being, the craziness did not stop at the end of the day on Thursday (when GP could book).

With all that in mind, you’re holding her to task because she did not reply in 48 hours, and you’re even counting the weekend days against her and thinking about switching TAs, because of this low-priority issue?

I mean, she warned you she was busy, and you stated that you understood that. Your request for her agent number, whether it was actually needed or not, is not really time-sensitive, since you are not sailing (and don’t need the information) for at least another 18 days or so. Like it or not, given what was going on last week, this isn’t tops on her priority list.

Finally, things sometimes slip through the cracks in good faith, especially during hectic times like last week. It does not mean she “doesn’t want your business”. Are you saying you’ve never missed an email, or let one sink to the bottom of your Inbox a little longer than you intended? I’m in sales, too, and have been for a long time. I think any salesperson who claims that has never happened is lying through their teeth.

I think that what the TA should have done (and should always do) is set expectations on the response time (“I’ll get back with you no later than Wednesday”), so maybe a teaching moment there.

You’re certainly entitled to take your business wherever you want, of course, but maybe instead of grousing here about this one slight delay, you could have just called her back or sent a follow-up e-mail first?

Agree 100%.

 

[jcarwash]

I thought if you had booked the cruise you are on with a TA anything booked on board was automatically assigned to them unless you jumped through hoops to have them not named on the new one.

I can tell you from (painful) experience that for some reason my April 2016 onboard placeholder booking was not automatically associated with my agent, whom I had used for all the previous cruises up to that point, and I blissfully didn't think about it or realize it until I wanted to use my placeholder later in the fall during an itinerary release week. My agent and I both had to work with DCL for them to make an exception and get my reservation associated at that time.

So during my onboard booking last month, I specifically asked about making sure the booking was associated with my agent, plus making sure to check with my agent right after the cruise. Didn't want to make that mistake again.

 

[WebmasterJohn]

I am very sorry if anyone is still waiting to hear from their Dreams Unlimited Travel agent.

Please write to me at John@DreamsUnlimitedTravel.com and I will be happy to look into it and make sure your emails get answered promptly.

For those that are new to these boards and/or Dreams Unlimited Travel - I am one of the owners of Dreams Unlimited Travel so if you write to me you are writing to an owner.

I appreciate the opportunity to correct any issues and make things right.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I think you are being rather impatient with this. Whatever hard-driving sales model you employ in your business, it doesn’t mean a TA follows the same template.

Opening week is crazy, with loads of people making actual reservations. A crush of incoming calls and emails, loooong wait times on the phone, a lot of follow up to finalize. Some people put the res on hold, meaning the TA sometimes can’t finalize until 2-3 days later. Point being, the craziness did not stop at the end of the day on Thursday (when GP could book).

With all that in mind, you’re holding her to task because she did not reply in 48 hours, and you’re even counting the weekend days against her and thinking about switching TAs, because of this low-priority issue?

I mean, she warned you she was busy, and you stated that you understood that. Your request for her agent number, whether it was actually needed or not, is not really time-sensitive, since you are not sailing (and don’t need the information) for at least another 18 days or so. Like it or not, given what was going on last week, this isn’t tops on her priority list.

Finally, things sometimes slip through the cracks in good faith, especially during hectic times like last week. It does not mean she “doesn’t want your business”. Are you saying you’ve never missed an email, or let one sink to the bottom of your Inbox a little longer than you intended? I’m in sales, too, and have been for a long time. I think any salesperson who claims that has never happened is lying through their teeth.

I think that what the TA should have done (and should always do) is set expectations on the response time (“I’ll get back with you no later than Wednesday”), so maybe a teaching moment there.

You’re certainly entitled to take your business wherever you want, of course, but maybe instead of grousing here about this one slight delay, you could have just called her back or sent a follow-up e-mail first?

I completely disagree. Yes, things fall through the cracks "in good faith", but there is WAY too much competition in this space to leave a person waiting for 4 days for a quick, simple response. I'm sure the Small World agents were just as busy as the DU agents last week and yet the Small World agent found 1 minute of her time to respond with the needed information. All TA's within agencies work differently. As a PP even pointed out, her DU agent had the forethought to set up an automated e-mail last week to manage response expectations. Another PP pointed out her DU agent didn't do this. There was no standard procedure throughout the agency (and, based on my own personal experience in the "biz" so to speak, there typically isn't). TA's manage their own time and their own responses. With TA's, there are some good ones, some bad ones and some great ones. And I'm not saying this particular DU agent is bad. Based on what the OP is looking for, that DU agent just was not the right fit for her. I agree with the OP that she should not have to nag someone to give them her money. I follow this motto in every aspect of my life when I'm shopping for service providers. Once I narrow down who I want to consider hiring, response time is a huge factor on whether I hire someone or not. For an upcoming overseas trip, for example, I was looking for private tour services and narrowed it down to two, highly rated companies. I reached out to both and by the time one of the companies got back to me, I had already ironed out every single detail with the other one. Guess which one I hired?!

 

[squirk]

I completely disagree. Yes, things fall through the cracks "in good faith", but there is WAY too much competition in this space to leave a person waiting for 4 days for a quick, simple response. I'm sure the Small World agents were just as busy as the DU agents last week and yet the Small World agent found 1 minute of her time to respond with the needed information. All TA's within agencies work differently. As a PP even pointed out, her DU agent had the forethought to set up an automated e-mail last week to manage response expectations. Another PP pointed out her DU agent didn't do this. There was no standard procedure throughout the agency (and, based on my own personal experience in the "biz" so to speak, there typically isn't). TA's manage their own time and their own responses. With TA's, there are some good ones, some bad ones and some great ones. And I'm not saying this particular DU agent is bad. Based on what the OP is looking for, that DU agent just was not the right fit for her. I agree with the OP that she should not have to nag someone to give them her money. I follow this motto in every aspect of my life when I'm shopping for service providers. Once I narrow down who I want to consider hiring, response time is a huge factor on whether I hire someone or not. For an upcoming overseas trip, for example, I was looking for private tour services and narrowed it down to two, highly rated companies. I reached out to both and by the time one of the companies got back to me, I had already ironed out every single detail with the other one. Guess which one I hired?!

If this one thing counts as a deal-breaker for the OP (and you), that’s fine. I just think that “firing” the TA for not replying as soon as the OP would have liked - especially when the OP knew what a crazy week last week was - is unnecessarily stringent. I mean, we’re talking two business days for a non-critical issue, when everything else is blowing up on release week.

Had the OP made a follow-up call or email that went unanswered, or if the TA had set a timeframe to reply but did not abide by it, that would be a different story.

I mean, whatever. We all have our tolerances in what we expect in a service model. And it varies from situation to situation.

I hope the OP finds a TA who can work within their expectations.

 

[condorthb]

Hate to dig up this topic, but I just e-mailed john do to lack of response from my new/temp agent.

I know its a crazy world right now, but timely (1-2 days) responses should still take place. I am sitting on day 4 of no response from DU agent.

My questions aren't complicated,.

 

[AquaDame]

Hate to dig up this topic, but I just e-mailed john do to lack of response from my new/temp agent.

I know its a crazy world right now, but timely (1-2 days) responses should still take place. I am sitting on day 4 of no response from DU agent.

My questions aren't complicated,.

I agree wholeheartedly. John usually is prompt when there is an issue with one of his agents... keep us updated please!

 

[condorthb]

I agree wholeheartedly. John usually is prompt when there is an issue with one of his agents... keep us updated please!

I did get a response within 2 hours. My original agent (who had been out on leave since sept. and came back recently) answered my questions.

My temp agent (whom I sent the questions to) never did respond.

Original agent for the save.

 

[AquaDame]

I did get a response within 2 hours. My original agent (who had been out on leave since sept. and came back recently) answered my questions.

My temp agent (whom I sent the questions to) never did respond.

Original agent for the save.

I'm sorry you had to struggle - hopefully everything is smooth sailing from here on out now that you have your original agent back!

 

[KellO]

Hate to dig up this topic, but I just e-mailed john do to lack of response from my new/temp agent.

I know its a crazy world right now, but timely (1-2 days) responses should still take place. I am sitting on day 4 of no response from DU agent.

My questions aren't complicated,.

I'm not sure how they're working over there during this crazy time. My assumption is that most are working from home as best they can, maybe even on limited numbers given how stretched travel has been this year. So, for me, I'm making allowances for this. My responses aren't urgent (they might have me dancing desperate for answers because I get excited like that, but I'm not going away until Sept 2021). As long as we ultimately get what we want for our trips, I don't think response time is too big a factor at this point.

 

[Alicefan]

I completely disagree. Yes, things fall through the cracks "in good faith", but there is WAY too much competition in this space to leave a person waiting for 4 days for a quick, simple response. I'm sure the Small World agents were just as busy as the DU agents last week and yet the Small World agent found 1 minute of her time to respond with the needed information. All TA's within agencies work differently. As a PP even pointed out, her DU agent had the forethought to set up an automated e-mail last week to manage response expectations. Another PP pointed out her DU agent didn't do this. There was no standard procedure throughout the agency (and, based on my own personal experience in the "biz" so to speak, there typically isn't). TA's manage their own time and their own responses. With TA's, there are some good ones, some bad ones and some great ones. And I'm not saying this particular DU agent is bad. Based on what the OP is looking for, that DU agent just was not the right fit for her. I agree with the OP that she should not have to nag someone to give them her money. I follow this motto in every aspect of my life when I'm shopping for service providers. Once I narrow down who I want to consider hiring, response time is a huge factor on whether I hire someone or not. For an upcoming overseas trip, for example, I was looking for private tour services and narrowed it down to two, highly rated companies. I reached out to both and by the time one of the companies got back to me, I had already ironed out every single detail with the other one. Guess which one I hired?!

I completely agree with you. If I'm giving you my business I should be a priority for you. I don't like the idea of the TA even saying, "Hey, I'm busy over here." lol Well then maybe pass me over to another TA that has the time to work with me. Everyone jumping on the OP for being impatient reminds me of so many people that think you should still tip 15 or 20% for poor service because, "the server might have been having a bad day." I grew up in a time where pretty much every job I ever had told you to "leave your problems at the door". I'm not completely unsympathetic to life, but lousy service is lousy service and constantly overlooking it because "we don't know what that person might be dealing with" only perpetuates the problem. Sometimes people need to be held accountable or else how will they learn that there is a problem with the job they're doing? Sometimes it's NOT some sad underlying story. Sometimes it's just that people don't find your business that important because they know they're going to get paid either way?