Feel guilty for ditching my old travel agent...

[DisneyLovingMama]

On my last cruise, I worked with an awesome travel agent. You could only get her by e-mail (not DU), but she always promptly returned my many questions and changed my reservations numerous times. She was great. Her prices however, weren't. So, this time around, I asked her to look into cruises for me.

A) She couldn't get me on the cruise I wanted and B) Her price for another cruise was much higher that other quotes I got for the same time period.

So, I've now booked with All Seasons. Their prices couldn't be touched and they were the only ones that could get me on the cruise and in the category I wanted.

I don't know why I feel guilty, I just do. My former agent seemed to work so hard for me. I feel like I owe her.

 

[missmulan]

don't feel bad...i really have no loyalty to anyone except my family budget....money talks BS walks. the bottom line is now you'll have extra money to buy something extra!

 

[prymsu]

well, it doesn't mean you couldn't check with her in the future for other things. However, if you can get the price lower somewhere else, then you have to take advantage of that.

 

[Amberle3]

Just a tip - if you have a regular travel agent that you're happy with, and find a lower price elsewhere, then be sure to let them know and ask about price matching. If you can, provide a printout of the page or something like that for them. Many vendors will work with us on price matching competitors. Sometimes we can't because the other company will have something like group space or a consortium special or something that's just not available to everyone, but most times we can.

Even if we can't, it's helpful for an agent to know exactly why you've booked somewhere else. If it's a price issue then that enables us to go to vendors and say "listen, we're losing clients and we need to have more flexibility here". If it's a service issue then, well, we can't fix what we don't know is broken.

 

[jrabbit]

Over the past 20+ years we've worked with numerous TA's. Many were helpfull but they were mostly looking out for themselves and usually made at least 1 MAJOR screwup. Others were downright awful!!! But we were lucky and found a wonderful TA that we worked with for many years. As it turned out we were his last "pleasure" customers - he had been working stictly commercial accounts for a long time before he finally retired. So now I've become our offical TA - and you know it's not an easy job!!!

 

[LuvThatMouse]

On my last cruise, I worked with an awesome travel agent. You could only get her by e-mail (not DU), but she always promptly returned my many questions and changed my reservations numerous times. She was great. Her prices however, weren't. So, this time around, I asked her to look into cruises for me.

A) She couldn't get me on the cruise I wanted and B) Her price for another cruise was much higher that other quotes I got for the same time period.

So, I've now booked with All Seasons. Their prices couldn't be touched and they were the only ones that could get me on the cruise and in the category I wanted.

I don't know why I feel guilty, I just do. My former agent seemed to work so hard for me. I feel like I owe her.

As a former travel agent, I can tell you that, in my opinion, someone who is only available via email is not what I would consider a "great" travel agent. Her rates weren't that great either so I'm not sure what your guilt is based on. Sounds as though the thing that she was good at was making you think she was a great agent.

 

[DisneyLovingMama]

I was just such a cruise neophyte last time around (didn't know about these boards) and e-mailed her almost every day with questions and changed my reservations multiple times. This time around, I had her look up every Disney travel combination possible, reserve a few rates and then ditched them all.

But you're right, once our reservation was finally booked and paid for, there wasn't much that she did and suddenly became much more distant.

 

[minniemouse1]

I have too felt guilt over the TA issue. I wanted to book our last cruise and went to a local TA (we live in a very small town, one highschool etc.). She couldn't get the cat I wanted so I started to look elsewhere. Well I found numerous internet sites that could guarantee me the cat and were also cheaper. Not a whole lot but $100. I was pleased with the internet lady I was working with, they had a direct phone number for her and if I had to leave a message she always returned my calls the same day. Well anyway I booked with cruise .com and my old TA was fuming mad. She said a few choice words to my husband and that I should of just called her and she would of lowered her price. We I had no idea that prices of these things could be haggled with like a car. Heck if I would of known I would of argued about the price of our honeymoon! So our "former" TA no longer even says hello to us and I am now the travel agent. Its a tough job but I think we save more and learn most about our vacation ahead of time.

 

[Amberle3]

Just a few points of clarification:
1) As a travel agent, I am available primarily through email. I also own a tour company, and I'm on the road 90% of the time. I do have a phone number folks are welcome to call, but that doesn't do them much good when I'm in another country. So much of everything is booked through software these days that as long as I have my laptop with me, I have my office with me.
2) As far as having some flexibility in the price: Several points
- It USED to be that travel agents received a percentage (say 10%) and had a lot of freedom on what they did with that. Out of that came all the discounters, who automatically rebate a portion of the tour cost. Now you'll notice there are a whole bunch of added fees on a lower cruise fare - those fees aren't commissionable, only the actual fare is. So we have much less of an amount to work with.
- Many cruise lines are now cracking down on discounters, and are not allowing any discounting at all. If they see a travel agent advertising discounted fares, in theory they'll bar the agent from booking.
- For those vendors that still allow discounting, many of them will work with travel agents on price matching. But the agent can't match a price they don't know about, or don't have any proof of.

Remember the commission paid is the salary that travel agents make. There are some clients that know exactly what they want, and are a snap to book. And there are others that require many, many hours of work either in narrowing down exactly what the client wants or in research. When a travel agent discounts a price, they're giving up part of their salary to you, the client.

There aren't a whole lot of industries where you can ask the salesperson to give up part of their salary to make your purchase price lower.

Now I'm not saying you shouldn't ask about price matching or lower prices - not at all! After all that's the basis of a competitive industry. Just have a realistic expectation about it. There are some things we have some flexibility on, and some things we just don't.

 

[smchan]

Just a few points of clarification:
1) As a travel agent, I am available primarily through email. I also own a tour company, and I'm on the road 90% of the time. I do have a phone number folks are welcome to call, but that doesn't do them much good when I'm in another country. So much of everything is booked through software these days that as long as I have my laptop with me, I have my office with me.

It's difficult for me to imagine how one could be a TA and not be generally accessible. When I travel on business, my itinerary is fluid and when I need changes, I want my TA on the phone right then to help me. Leisurely emails won't cut it.

Let's say I book a cruise and airfare through you. Thanks to a storm, my flight gets re-routed so there I am with nothing but a cell phone and several thousand other people trying to reach their destination. Would you expect me to work it out myself at the airport (contending with everyone else there), or can I get you on the line right away to help me out?

If I have to resort to self-service to resolve issues, then what's the point of a TA?

Sam

 

[Amberle3]

It's difficult for me to imagine how one could be a TA and not be generally accessible. When I travel on business, my itinerary is fluid and when I need changes, I want my TA on the phone right then to help me. Leisurely emails won't cut it.

Let's say I book a cruise and airfare through you. Thanks to a storm, my flight gets re-routed so there I am with nothing but a cell phone and several thousand other people trying to reach their destination. Would you expect me to work it out myself at the airport (contending with everyone else there), or can I get you on the line right away to help me out?

If I have to resort to self-service to resolve issues, then what's the point of a TA?

Sam

For me, personally, the only time I'm not aware of what's happening with my clients flights etc is if I'm actively on a plane. I know when my clients are flying, and I keep track of those flights and things that impact them. If I know there's a weather problem, then I try to head off the rush of people and have alternate arrangements made for you before you even land.

All my clients get my office number, my home phone number, and some of them get my cell phone number as well. If there's any kind of emergency they know how to get a hold of me.

For general questions, price quotes etc - email is best. For one thing you have a written record of what the client requested, you don't need to rely on the connection when you're writing down if their son is 8 or 18. Quotes provided to client are easy for them to refer to or print out when they need them. I can cut & paste responses from vendors directly into emails to clients.

I still find email to be much, much more effective for the general business end of travel.

ETA: I just wanted to add one thing: When I worked in standard, store-front brick & mortar agency not one of the agents provided any contact means to their clients except for the business phone number. If you had a problem and called after hours or on the weekend, no one would be there to answer the call. No one called in for messages, no one picked up their emails outside of work hours. Now that I'm in business for myself, even with being out of town often, I'm still more accessible than any of the agents in that office are.

 

[ivanova]

ETA: I just wanted to add one thing: When I worked in standard, store-front brick & mortar agency not one of the agents provided any contact means to their clients except for the business phone number. If you had a problem and called after hours or on the weekend, no one would be there to answer the call. No one called in for messages, no one picked up their emails outside of work hours. Now that I'm in business for myself, even with being out of town often, I'm still more accessible than any of the agents in that office are.

I am actually in the process of becoming a TA myself (love people, love to travel, love planning ... seems like a good fit) and this is what has turned me off about a lot of big name store front type travel agencies ... you can't reach them outside of their 9am to 5pm Monday through Friday business hours ... if you are stranded in Timbuktu and need help NOW, who do you call??? At least if you work with an agent like you Amberle, there's a way of reaching a TA outside of "normal" hours. And that is the type of TA I am striving to become....

 

[smchan]

When I worked in standard, store-front brick & mortar agency not one of the agents provided any contact means to their clients except for the business phone number. If you had a problem and called after hours or on the weekend, no one would be there to answer the call. No one called in for messages, no one picked up their emails outside of work hours. Now that I'm in business for myself, even with being out of town often, I'm still more accessible than any of the agents in that office are.

That's too bad. A TA like that would never get my business unless I decided I was going to manage my own issues and they were cut-throat on their pricing.

As for my current TA, they provide 24x7 service and a number that I can call collect from anywhere in the world.

Sam

 

[Amberle3]

I am actually in the process of becoming a TA myself (love people, love to travel, love planning ... seems like a good fit) and this is what has turned me off about a lot of big name store front type travel agencies ... you can't reach them outside of their 9am to 5pm Monday through Friday business hours ... if you are stranded in Timbuktu and need help NOW, who do you call??? At least if you work with an agent like you Amberle, there's a way of reaching a TA outside of "normal" hours. And that is the type of TA I am striving to become....

As another avenue of support:

I alway recommend the purchase of travel insurance. That way if there is an emergency, well for one thing the costs of the new arrangements are covered. The insurance company I use also has 24/7 help/support and can make the necessary travel arrangements should I not be available.

There are going to be times with any travel agent when they're not able to meet a price. It's rare, but it happens. I hate losing a client to a lower price, but I don't begrudge them wanting to save money. I do appreciate when they let me know why they're booking elsewhere though.

 

[tvguy]

I expect my travel agent to try to get me what I want for the best price, make sure the air/ground/ship/hotel accomadations all work together, answer any questions I have and offer educated advice.
That is what they are getting paid for.
I do NOT expect them to deal with weather delays, airline breakdowns, etc, that's what the AIRLINES are getting paid for. Yes, sometimes there can be lines at the airport, but why go thru a third party...your travel agent.....if you have a cell phone and call the airline 800 number if the line is too long.
HOWEVER, in most cases, not matter whether you, the travel agent or the airport agent helps you, you still have to wait in that long line to get your new tickets or boarding passes.

I had a travel problem in August due to mechanical problems on an America West flight. America West rebooked us on Southwest thru Southwest's 800 number (America West and Southwest do not have a cooperative agreement)........wrote a check made out to Southwest for $1200 for the new tickets for our next flight in another city, and gave us the check to give to Southwest in the next city. My travel agent could not have done that.

 

[smchan]

I do NOT expect them to deal with weather delays, airline breakdowns, etc, that's what the AIRLINES are getting paid for. Yes, sometimes there can be lines at the airport, but why go thru a third party...your travel agent.....if you have a cell phone and call the airline 800 number if the line is too long.

You've probably never been stuck in a 2nd or 3rd world country on business where virtually no one speaks English, the airport is an hour away, and you need to make changes for a customer meeting NOW.

Airlines are not paid to find me a rental car when delays are going to strand you, travel agents are. The airline, for its part, will tell you "good luck" or - if they're feeling generous - give you a meal voucher if the delays aren't their fault.

Sam