Gave booking to TA, what a mistake!

[Tiger926]

I did all of the work for our cruise, even paid deposit and then I felt loyal to our TA, so I gave the booking over to her. I should have listened to my DH who told me not to do this, but being the kind person that I am, I did so anyway. Asked her to match DU, she said no, then asked her to release booking back to DCL as I discovered a cheaper price for cruise through a major travel agency (think major warehouse that starts with a "C"). She finally got back to me and said she's waiting to hear if they could release my booking - at this point it doesn't look good and I'm quite irritated as is DH.

Before anyone starts lecturing me, I would like to tell you that I pretty much do all of my TA's work (I greatly enjoy planning & researching), and she gets the commission for it. This time, I literally handed her the booking number, and she didn't have to do a thing. She took awhile to get back to me and so I can't cancel and rebook because this category is sold out for our date.

I am so frustrated! My DH wants to cancel the booking with her, and pay an extra $300.00 to upgrade to the category above, but I don't think that's necessary.

What should we do? Tiger

 

[wide awake]

You don't want to cut off your nose to spite your face, but if your DH would be happier with the upgraded room...I am also wondering how bright your TA is ? It is not as if travel professional is a growing field... In her shoes I'd be doing everything possible to provide great service to my clients in the hope of keeping my career afloat.

 

[Luckymommyx2]

Personally I would cancel the entire reservation with her and call the other agency (that starts with a C ) immediately. They can keep an eye on the reservation and try to the stateroom as soon as it's released. Worst case senario you will have to upgrade but even if that happens there are always cancellations, especially around the 60 day mark. Don't believe everything she says, as awful as it sounds. Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[Rock'n Robin]

If you are getting nowhere with your TA I would pay the $300 for the upgrade. Perhaps the cost will even come down closer to your cruise--and it sounds like your TA wouldn't even check.
Robin M.

 

[Ginnna]

I don't know how good a deal you have, but the agency I decided on had good pricing and a cabin credit. I booked today, and got a great deal on the Navigator Verandah that the wonderful folks here advised as a good option.

Their link is www.yourmagicaljourneys.com and are running a sale for the next week.

 

[KathyTX]

Just gotta add here that I've NEVER had a problem like this with Dreams Unlimited...

They keep an eye on the pricing and are quick to get back to me anytime I have a question.

Does your TA specialize in Disney cruises? I have had the best luck when using TA's that specialize in whatever it is I'm booking. I have a regular "cruise specialist" TA, and Dreams Unlimited for DCL or Disney Resorts.

My biggest concern now would be not the pricing issue, but how your TA will be able to handle any "issues" that come up with your reservation. You won't be able to communicate with DCL directly since you've turned your reservation over to her, so you're dependent upon her to really be looking out for your best interests...

Hope you get it all worked out!

Kathy

 

[Hygiene99]

Well u said that u found a lower price At Costco.
how much lower ? That lower price subtracted from the $300.00 is the actual price u will pay for the upgrade.... if the next cat up is also less than what u would have paid

I would Cancel it just to show that TA....

have other Agency watch for the lower Catagory to become avaliable then u could down grade and have money for Konk coolers...

U may be able to get the room u just canceled...

or check back yourself to see if one is avaliable......

 

[whytcrystal]

Tiger926-


I can relate. I have been through the same thing with our TA. My first cruise I booked myself. This one we booked with a TA because she was a 'friend' of someone we are traveling with. It didn't help. I am actually chasing down documents for her. She never sent the excursion paperwork out when she first got it. When I called her she said she was going to send it with the final documents! (I did get her to send them before the 60 day mark though). Now that I have the final docs none of my Insurance paperwork came. I called DCL myself and they said they sent it to her in March of 2003! I called her on Thursday morning as to their where abouts and still have not heard from her. I will never deal with Liberty Travel in Manchester or Nashua NH ever again!

 

[dianthus]

Originally posted by wide awake
You don't want to cut off your nose to spite your face, but if your DH would be happier with the upgraded room...I am also wondering how bright your TA is ? It is not as if travel professional is a growing field... In her shoes I'd be doing everything possible to provide great service to my clients in the hope of keeping my career afloat.

Well said wide awake!

Sounds like this TA doesn't know the meaning of a gift horse, or nurturing a long term relationship. You owe her nothing. The travel business has become cut throat & she sounds like she's ungrateful, or just plain dumb...

KathyTX ( Hi Kathy! )I whole heartedly agree with you. DU does a great job of getting discounts when prices goes down- Costco does not do that. We booked with DU for our 4/2002 cruise in 1/2001. They said the price would never go down. Sure enough, 6 mo. before - the price fell close to $1000! Our friends booked with Costco for the same cruise around the same time. I told them about the price decrease. She had to fight Costco to call DCL & get them the cheaper price. They were originally $300 cheaper on the Cat 6 we both had. By telling them about what DU did for us, they saved another $700 bucks. Worked out to be the same price in the end & they had to fight for it- we got it from DU, a service they provide. It's something to keep in mind....

I would also be concerned about their servicability should issues arise. To me, that is a cause for concern based on their inaction thus far...

Good Luck! Let us know what you decided to do!

~ Linda

 

[yourtravelpro]

Hi Tiger!!

Just read your post. I am so sorry to hear of what's happening with your booking. I will PM you right now to let you know what I am going to try to do for you.

 

[gscott8075]

As much as I appreciate DUL, Costco is the way to go if you do your homework.

They split the commission with you so you take 7% off the cruise price. Use the Costco AMEX and you get another 1.5% back.

We book DCL direct with Disney and then move it. We've done it many times and they are great to work with. We had a price drop and it was taken care of in a phone call. We had to postpone - they re-booked.

If you do not mind doing a little homework, it can be a significant break.

Cheers!

 

[yourtravelpro]

Originally posted by dianthus
Well said wide awake!

Sounds like this TA doesn't know the meaning of a gift horse, or nurturing a long term relationship. You owe her nothing. The travel business has become cut throat & she sounds like she's ungrateful, or just plain dumb...

KathyTX ( Hi Kathy! )I whole heartedly agree with you. DU does a great job of getting discounts when prices goes down- Costco does not do that. We booked with DU for our 4/2002 cruise in 1/2001. They said the price would never go down. Sure enough, 6 mo. before - the price fell close to $1000! Our friends booked with Costco for the same cruise around the same time. I told them about the price decrease. She had to fight Costco to call DCL & get them the cheaper price. They were originally $300 cheaper on the Cat 6 we both had. By telling them about what DU did for us, they saved another $700 bucks. Worked out to be the same price in the end & they had to fight for it- we got it from DU, a service they provide. It's something to keep in mind....

I would also be concerned about their servicability should issues arise. To me, that is a cause for concern based on their inaction thus far...

Good Luck! Let us know what you decided to do!

~ Linda

Costco will call Disney to have the price adjusted, however they just can't monitor each booking to check for price decreases. If you notice that the price went down, all you have to do is call them. If you had a hard time, believe me, it was just from the individual agent and not from Costco in general.

 

[dianthus]

Originally posted by yourtravelpro
Costco will call Disney to have the price adjusted, however they just can't monitor each booking to check for price decreases. If you notice that the price went down, all you have to do is call them. If you had a hard time, believe me, it was just from the individual agent and not from Costco in general.

yourtravelpro- I didn't have the problem. I booked with DU. They check automatically for me. My friend who booked with Costco did. DU alerted me to the savings they obtained for me. I, in turn alerted my friend. If I had not notified her, she would not have known about it & wouldn't have known to call Costco. They were not thrilled about calling DCL about a price decrease. She had speak to a Sup. to get it done, with a great deal of aggravation. She had booked with Costco because she was savings $300 over what I paid initially with DU. In the end she would have paid far more, if I hadn't used DU & was informed about the price reduction, which is a service they provide without asking.... She has used Dreams since because of this, even if they are a bit more expensive.

I'm not attacking or bashing Costco, as they are good. I have used them in the past. But they do not do some of the things that full service travel agents do, based on sheer volume. That's what you sometimes sacrifice for price, as my friend found out in this instance. I agree with your statement about the individual agent being part of the problem. That's why she requested a supervisor. I realize you work for them & you are probably exceptional with your clients. You probably book a great deal more trips than most because of the Costco membership & it's established name too. You cannot possibly check each individual booking you have going for your clients for price decreases, upgrades, at all. That's why you may pay a bit more for smaller specialists who can do this, no matter who they are- DU, Allseas, etc...

That was the point of the post. The OP is concerned about this TA & her booking. She is not getting the service she expects after handing her a booking. I agreed with the comments Kathy made, as Dreams among others are full service TAs that specialize in Disney. They provide service that you may not be able to provide at Costco or other places unless the client requests it.

This OP is entitled to good service regardless of who she uses...

~ Linda

 

[Tiger926]

Thanks to all for comments, and especially to yourtravelpro for all of your help!

Just a little more info for you - our TA works for one, if not the biggest travel agency in Canada, so basically we understand why they wouldn't want to release the booking because they'd lose out on the commission. But at this point, my DH says they are going to lose anyway, because he's pretty irritated at them, and wants to cancel the whole booking.

The problem is that the price difference between both categories (10 & 11) is $342.00 USD, and that's a lot in my opinion just to prove a point as we also have to add the exchange rate on top of that. Basically my TA knows that our category is sold out (she couldn't return my call for several days, but she checked on Costco's price!), and I don't believe she thinks that we are going to cancel the booking with her. She told me she'd call me in a few days to tell me what is going to happen, but at this point, my DH and I don't think that they are going to release the booking. We could be pleasantly surprised, but considering what she's told me so far, we have a pretty good idea of what is going to transpire.

You all have had some great opinions. I will keep you all posted on this.

Have a great day, Tiger aka Piglet's Momma

 

[Mjasp]

Originally posted by whytcrystal
Tiger926-


I will never deal with Liberty Travel in Manchester or Nashua NH ever again!

And I will NEVER deal with Liberty Travel either.
They released my booking back to DCL after I wrote to their corporate offices.

Why don't you try writing to their corporate offices. If they are a big TA they will release it to maybe get other travel plans of yours or your friends, and to avoid negative comments to others.

 

[Tiger926]

Thanks to all for your opinions and words of encouragement - all worked out. I called TA today because I've been waiting several days to hear an update, and she told me that she had faxed Disney to release our booking! This is a relief to my DH and I because now we can book through Costco and get our member discount! I've also promised my DH that I will do all of my own bookings from now on, especially Disney stuff!

As well, a super huge thanks to yourtravelpro, for helping us! You are a kind and very helpful person - you helped us more than our TA did!

Tiger

 

[yourtravelpro]

I am happy everything worked out for you, Tiger!

I was so very happy to help!