To use a Travel Agent or not?

[suzybear6]

Hi Everyone,

I was just wondering what your thoughts were on using a travel agent..pros/cons?

I'm wanting to book our October WDW holiday and was doing it DIY, but thought I'd get a travel agent to check out what they could get the same holiday for. Doesn't look as if they can do much better than me...maybe £40 cheaper (but not rechecked flight prices this morning).

So I know that with going through a travel agent I will only have to pay a deposit now and the rest later, unlike booking direct with VA and Disney, but is it actually safer to book via a travel agent or riskier? What if the travel agent goes out of business? Would my booking with VA and Disney still stand or would I have to rebook everything (and not get the same prices?).

Any thoughts?

Luv Suzy

 

[Sid74]

I booked a flydrive with VH through the co op travel agent for our last trip, and I won't be doing it again.
They weren't bad, as such, but we got fobbed off a lot and passed around from one person to another, when we asked simple questions.

The main problem I found with using a travel agent was the fact that I couldn't ring up directly, and ask the provider simple questions.
Everything had to go through the travel agent, which took twice as long, and more often than not, they got the question wrong anyway, so we had plenty of occasions where we went round and round without getting any answers.

I will book the next trip myself, so if I have any problems I can sort them out quickly and easily.

Did you know that if you book with Disney directly you can just pay a deposit?

 

[jtlover]

We book DIY as it is so much cheaper.

We have booked the hotel with disneyworld.co.uk and paid deposit of £50 per person and booked the flights with Virgin atlantic. I have obviously had to pay the flights up front, but it worked out about £1,400 cheaper for the same holiday to do it ourselves.

Also if you are looking at next year and stay on site you can get free dining still.

I dont see any benefit going through a travel agent.

 

[Clare D]

I was playing around with booking all DIY or with Virgin Holidays direct and the DIY option was so much cheaper.
I always book DIY the only difference I find is that you need to be organised with having everything booked and paid for on time.

 

[wicket2005]

I would go with whatever was cheaper. TA should be in ABTA so will be covered the same as VA. I tend to price them up but currently as we need 2 rooms tend to book through a holiday company as it is cheaper for us.

 

[suzybear6]

I booked a flydrive with VH through the co op travel agent for our last trip, and I won't be doing it again.
They weren't bad, as such, but we got fobbed off a lot and passed around from one person to another, when we asked simple questions.

The main problem I found with using a travel agent was the fact that I couldn't ring up directly, and ask the provider simple questions.
Everything had to go through the travel agent, which took twice as long, and more often than not, they got the question wrong anyway, so we had plenty of occasions where we went round and round without getting any answers.

I will book the next trip myself, so if I have any problems I can sort them out quickly and easily.

Did you know that if you book with Disney directly you can just pay a deposit?

Thanks Sid, these are the sorts of pros & cons I was wondering about TBH the deposit thing isn't really an issue so not going to push me one way or another.

I've spent many hours pricing it all up DIY and it's an independant travel agent that says they can get exactly what I have priced up for about £40 cheaper than I can. Apparently they get some sort of discount

Ah well, I'll do a bit more and think about it

Luv Suzy

 

[wicket2005]

I know travel companies can get rooms cheaper because Virgin worked out cheaper for us for two rooms, as booking two rooms through any other source was more expensive.

I think in this day and age I would be extremely careful when booking through a travel agent, though your money should be covered, you don't want to have to rearrange everything if the company goes bust. I think I would only book with big travel agents and hope for the best rather than a smaller one who may be strugglying more, but then that reasoning may be totally wrong.

 

[suzybear6]

I think in this day and age I would be extremely careful when booking through a travel agent, though your money should be covered, you don't want to have to rearrange everything if the company goes bust. I think I would only book with big travel agents and hope for the best rather than a smaller one who may be strugglying more, but then that reasoning may be totally wrong.

That's the sort of thing I was worrying about too to be honest. My gut feeling is that it's safer to deal direct with VA and Disney and that paying £40 more on a holiday that's costing thousands isn't such a big deal if it means we don't have the hasssle of having to rebook everything at a later date if he travel agent goes out of business

Luv Suzy

 

[Constant]

Hi there

We do a mix of both, we usually look at our dates and then price it up separately. There isn't much you need to do direct and generally all requests once booked can be dealt with directly but if you are anything like me I never get what I request whichever way done but usually works out anyway.

On the protection side for DIY don't assume you are covered! Have a look at the 'DIY Dangers' page of the ATOL website ABTA has some good info also.

If in doubt always try to pay with a credit card which will provide some insurance, and always safe to assume that if anything goes wrong you will be on your own trying to get home or recover your money. A package operator or ABTA take the responsibility to get you home or in a hotel.

Check out the ABTA checklist I never used to ask these questions but now consider them even if going direct. We stay offsite sometimes in Villa's direct and get this covered on a credit card even if it costs a little more, also make sure we get a good invoice / receipt as well.

It's a maze though. With a package you have bought an end to end service and should they fail to b able to provide any of it due to a link in the chain failing they have to provide an alternative. e.g. two families one DIY and one through a TA on identical trips flights, hotel etc. Assuming the DIY has no cover they may find that their return flight is no longer there....(not unlikely these days I know several people caught by flyglobesban / TCD / Silverjet etc.). The package family should be put up in a hotel albeit not of their choice until booked on an alternative flight and just wait to be told when to go to the airport by the rep. If their TA went bust when away provided they followed the checklist their return flight should be safe as money should be with the airline.

The other family will need to ring around and find somewhere to stay maybe a night or two which they will pay for, also compete with everyone else (bearing in mind that those on packages may be been block booked on alternatives already), find a flight home and PAY for it! AGAIN

Now I have never used a reps services but in this instance I would view it as an extension to my holiday, a little stressful but with a roof over our heads and a promise of a flight back...soon...I would be fine. If I had just found out I had lost my money and had to pay again and find somewhere to stay, maybe near the airport if on standby? lets just say not so happy.

But if the cost is compelling I would go DIY. Fingers crossed for VA August! Things are really bad if VA gets hit.
Steve