Feeling neglected by my travel agent

[BruinEd03]

I've never used DU, but I agree with John. Mistakes will always happen in anything you do or use. It's the ability for them to rectify it and/or fix it that should get you to come back. That's not saying that's always the case, but you will soon be unable to find anybody or anything to use in the future if you expect everyone to not make mistakes.

Again, similar to what John is saying, part of the reason my wife and I love Disney is because of what they try to do when they make a mistake or things go wrong. However, not even Disney can fix what they don't know is wrong (part of the reason they have the survey questions). If you don't want to use DU, that's fine, but sooner or later, some other travel agent will make a mistake, or you will make a mistake.

I completely understand what you're saying and respect your opinion.

I would like to present a scenario to you. What if one day you were fired from your job. No reason given, no explanation, no notice. Then a few months later you find out from a co-worker you were fired because you weren't doing what was expected of you even though you thought you were doing a great job. Wouldn't you expect at least a 'warning' that something wasn't right so you could correct it? Wouldn't you have liked an opportunity to improve?

By not telling someone when you are unhappy with the service provided by a TA (or any company) and not using them going forward you are basically firing them without warning or a chance to improve.

Travel Agents earn their money on the commission paid after you travel. If you are not happy with their service and just not rebook with them you are 'firing' them from future work.

When there is an issue or a problem on a Disney Cruise Line Ship people will go to guest services and/or ask to speak to a manager. The expectation is once a problem or issue is presented then it can be corrected and improved upon.

All I'm saying is that if there is a problem or an issue the travel agent (or company) should be given the opportunity to try to correct it. If the problem persists or no correction is made to your satisfaction then it makes sense not to use them again.

Based on the feedback and the number of repeat clients we have I, as the business owner, think that all of my agents are doing an great job. However if there are any clients that aren't happy with our service I want to improve.

 

[SeaSpray]

Let me start by apologizing if anyone feels that they are getting anything less than stellar service from their Dreams Unlimited Travel agent.

Whoever you have as an agent, whatever the circumstances, the buck stops with me as one of the owners and I am truly sorry for anyone feeling this way. That is not the mission of our company at all.

Please write to me at John@DreamsUnlimitedTravel.com and I will be happy to try to rectify the situation.

Many times I post on the boards when there is a problem and ask people to contact me but I never get an email. I'm not sure if it's because people don't want to get their agent in trouble, or what the reason is, but if you don't fill me in on the specific issues I can't work to fix them.

Again - please send me an email and I will do my best to personally correct any issues and make sure you have a great cruise planning experience going forward - John@DreamsUnlimitedTravel.com

I haven't read this entire thread yet, but I wanted to comment in regards to how helpful John is when it comes to clarifying any issues or resolving any problems, with any of the DU agents.

I can say, this because a few years ago I had an issue and didn't feel that it was being handled in the way that I thought appropriate by our DU agent.

First of all, to claim that you don't want to get a TA into trouble by emailing John just doesn't make sense. It makes more sense to speak to one of the business owners to find out if something can be done, rather than walk away without satisfaction. I shared my emails from my TA and let John see for himself whether something should or could be done. John was awesome and never once indicated that the TA would get "in trouble". If someone isn't handling their clients to the standards that DU wants them to, then he will correct the TA, and whatever your issue is.

Other than the issue that I referenced above (which turned out to be a misunderstanding mostly), I've had excellent from service from all of the DU agents that I've worked with. For our last few Disney cruises our TA has been, and is currently, Beth Czada. I love her, she's awesome, and I always request her. She makes sure to send out an email in advance if she is going to be away from her computer AND she provides you with another TA who will handle any emergencies that may come up.

She sends out emails every once in a while, usually with a lot of information about general DCL info, but I just got an email from her the other day with ship specific dining info, which I really appreciate since the Magic has gone through major changes since last time we sailed on her.

As with any company, if you don't reach out to an owner or manager to complain at the time it's happening, about service or whatever, then why chime in now?? Just sayin'..........

 

[Googelibear]

I use a small TA, out of Louisianna, who is a Disney specialist. She constantly asks me questions about what I am interested in and gives me suggestions as a first-time cruiser. I don't know what I want, never having been on a cruise. She is contacting me weekly and answers any questions that I have immediately. I am very happy. No OBC but a lot of love

 

[Googelibear]

For all the people out there that are worried about "getting someone in trouble" by reporting a performance issue. As a business person, this misconception frustrates me. As a person who reports to a boss this also frustrates me. If my performance was perceived as lackluster, I would want to know!

Without your feedback, the person who is not doing their job adequately cannot get the valuable feedback that they NEED to be able to improve. Many employees are oblivious to how the things they are doing (or not doing) are impacting you as a customer or their overall performance. It's actually a disservice to them not to raise concerns. After investing in recruitment and training most companies are not looking to fire employees just because they need coaching.

Very true. I own a little resort and make dang sure that I surpass expectations. However, once in a blue moon, something goes wrong. If I don't know about it, I cannot resolve it and make the guest as happy as they should be. Making someone look bad out on the world wide interweb is unfair if they haven't tried to resolve the problem where it started.

 

[NCConch]

I think I am too much of a control-freak to use a TA. For our first cruise we used a Disney-specific TA (not DU) that a family member had used and suggested. We needed an HA cabin and wanted a veranda. They got that for us. They called us and gave us a few suggestions (nothing compared to the info here) but were often out of the office doing "research"/going on vacation. I had found that a HA concierge cabin came available for not much more than what we were paying. It was gone again before their "research" trip was over.

We have always sailed around Christmas/New Years. The TA had our cruise docs coming to them so they could bundle them with some gifts. We almost did not get them. We were sailing after Christmas, but spending Christmas in Fla with my family. Winter weather was bad that year and the gifts the ordered were delayed. I was stressing.

I now do the research and then call DCL to book. One cruise we rebooked on board, but we sail during blackout periods (holidays) so there is not much use.

 

[squirk]

I have not read all six pages top to bottom, so I apologize if this is redundant. Maybe the point bears repeating anyway:

To be fair - and I am not referring to anyone in this thread - I have seen some people post on the DIS who have wildly unrealistic expectations of their TA and just seem impossible to please.

I understand and appreciate that most TAs in this market are working part-time, and many are stay-at-home parents who can really use the flexibility this job affords. I also know they aren't getting rich off these bookings.

So, speaking just for myself, I don't need someone to proactively reach out to me and send me tips. I also am not going to be mad if you don't turn around an email the same day (if it's a critical issue, I wouldn't use email anyway; I would call you). Odds are, you are running a household, which is a full-time job in and of itself, and I am not going to hold it against you if you're too wiped one evening to reply to my email about what types of draft beer are served in O'Gill's.

I am not looking for a buddy or someone to fawn over me and send me an email just to send me an email. What I need is someone who will usually reply to inquiries within a reasonable time (and I know that "reasonable" is a totally subjective term that is different for everyone, but let's say 48 hours), someone who will follow up in the time-frame promised, someone who will get me the best fare for what I need and look out for future discounts and promotions for me.

Basically, just be there when I need you for something important, or have a back-up agent covering for you if you're out of pocket. I don't need to have my hand held, and frankly, I don't think DCL is paying you all enough to do much hand-holding anyway.

 

[DahliaRW]

I had a very similar experience with DU with my first cruise, OP. She even entered one of our names wrong. The nail in the coffin of ever using them again was when I emailed her asking for a quote for a European cruise and never heard back. I figure if she can't be bothered to even look into a new vacation, then DU is undeserving of my business. I ended up booking through a local warehouse club, who I could call on the phone whenever they were open, and got more money back than I would have with OBC.

 

[su_A_ve]

I used to use AAA for WDW vacations simply to get whatever offer they had at a time (typically a GC). The first cruise, I obviously booked them thru them, even though the excellent TA I had before, had moved to management and no longer a TA. The new one, ugh. It started by booking us on the wrong cruise. I caught it a few weeks later by accident. At document pickup time, she wanted to deny our promised GC (good thing I had it on writing).

Anyway, I gave DU a chance afterwards. It started rocky, but with the help of John it did got a lot better. I'm am the total in control type of person, so the only reason I use DU is because of the OBC. It does makes my TA's time a little bit easier.

Finally, I have to put a plug. If you have questions, go to the Disney Parks Moms Panel - www.disneyparksmomspanel.com

 

[shanethesaint88]

I have never used a TA before until I went to my WDW vacation this year. I went with DU because I listen to the podcast and I figured it could not hurt to support those guys. I have to say my TA has been outstanding. I was booked within a few hours. She always replied to my emails in a timely manner and gave me a ton of information.
I then decided to book a first time disney cruise and she was nothing but extraordinary in helping me cancel wdw and book that. So thats just my limited take on the subject of DU.

 

[pixiehallow]

Our previous agent was not with DU. He was with The Magic for Less. My experience with him was much like each of you have been complaining about. The only reason we had continued to use him was for the on board spending perk.
Then for our last cruise, my son used a different agent. She was from DU. Her service was excellent. If he asked a question, she answered right away. Even if to say 'Let me look into that for you'. And then would have an answer with in an hour or so. She sent reminders, tips, and updates regularly. My son raved so highly of her, we switched agents when we did our on board booking to his DU agent. And I have to agree with his praises. She has been there each step of the way. She even goes back and double checks emails that we sent her and follows up with us a few days later to see if the previous answer she provided help, and asks if there is anything else she can do.

On a side note, my family and friends have been encouraging me to become a travel agent because of my love and enthusiasm for travel.
As I pondered this new potential path, what has truly driven me in the direction of wanting to do it is the lack of over the top, outstanding travel agents. I am driven to want to be everything that I have expected from previous travel agents, but have not received. Much like a person is driven to pursue a path that leads them to the medical field because they want to help people. I want to take the road that will lead me to being a travel agent, because I want to be a part of peoples magical vacation memories. I want to be the pixie dust that sets the stage for an awesome trip. As for other agents, I believe that the agent pool is over populated by people who only got into it for the perks.

 

[cruisnfamily]

I have had similar problems to what many of you have had:
(1)Not responding promptly enough
(2)Answering 1 but not all of my questions in an email
(3)Not fully answering my questions and me having to write back again and again for clarification
(4)Not seeming to care about my questions or my business or being made to feel that I am a bother or a pest

It is not about needing hand holding. It is about taking care of my reservation and all that goes with it.

I will not contact John because there is nothing specific that he can fix here. It is the feeling you get when you have to work too hard at something and you feel like you are being treated like an idiot or a pest.

 

[adevlin235]

I always book our travel to the parks myself. I am a control freak about dining reservations, etc. However, I have found that with the cruise using a travel agent has gotten me better rates than I could find myself. I am not an experienced cruiser to maybe that is why. We used Small World and this is the 2nd time using them. Honestly, I've been completely underwhelmed both times so I will not use them again. I am very familiar with the parks but my kids are quite a bit older this time around and I have questions about activities, etc. and she really just always tells me she doesn't know. I asked her to book my adult dining reservation at Palo because we were traveling during the time we paid our balance and I wanted to make sure we got the reservation in early. She acted like she had never done it before and had to jump through a ton of hoops to do it for me. Just simply asking what the cost was and what the cancellation policy for the Palo dining seemed to stump her. Since we don't know which days we would have the Pirate party or certain stage shows I was contemplating booking more than one night and cancelling the one we did not need. Anyway, she is not customer service oriented so I would pass next time. Just my experience.