Thread: Recommended travel agents

Here is an idea nobody has mentioned yet: Make a list of good and bad travel agents so the people looking for one don't get stuck with one who does not care about the customers. I'm not going to pick one nobody endorses because I am charting new water here as I start the process of planning my first cruise. Certainly people who have had bad experiences with a travel agent would love to see a list of good and bad agents as well as people who switched cruise lines for the first time, so why not make a good guys/bad guys list?

A list of good and or bad travel agents can be very subjective. May be hard to get the right picture of a particular travel agent, as some negative reviews can be just due to personality conflicts.

Dolores

I would like to see a thread with what perks to TAs offer. I know for instance Costco discounts or they give significant OBC. Some will cover the cost of your tips, etc.

My only reason for using a TA over booking it direct with the cruiseline would be if the TA gives some free stuff.

I've always been amazed by the number of people who will spend hours and hours researching a $2000 cruise just to save $25. Yet these same people won't spend 5 minutes to drive across the street and get a second opinion on $2000 car repair. The same is true for using a lawyer, dentist, accountant, etc. And they would never ever think of asking these professionals for $25 of credit or a free bottle of wine. Yet these same people will often decide whether to do business with a travel agent not because of their knowledge, expertise or quality service, but by whether they're offering onboard credit or a bottle of wine. Go figure!

If an accountant provides good service, do people expect a gift in return? People don't spend hours searching for an accountant or even spend any time comparing prices. They don't go to any websites or blogs talking about accountants or spend hours asking questions. They also would never think of taking up an accountant's time to answer 60 minutes worth of questions for free. Both the accountant and a travel agent are professional people providing a professional service. An accountant makes money based on what they charge so their profit is built in and if they want to make more money, they can raise their fees. A travel agent has no control over the charges and no control over how much they make on each sale. So why if a travel agent provides good service, do people expect a free gift in return? Or why do they think they can spend 60 minutes asking an agent alot of questions and getting them to do the research only to book with some unknown online site because they're offering a free bottle of wine? Doesn't make much sense, huh? Name me one other profession where clients expect or demand freebies (besides a calendar) from the person providing the service?

You begin to appreciate how sometimes it can get really frustrating, especially when we get alot of people who are simply 'shopping'. We spend a great deal of time answering questions only to have the person book with someone else because they get a free bottle of wine. I know one agent who's a friend of mine and she basically tells people that she charges $50 to help them find the right cruise, which is then put towards their cruise should they decide to book with her. But if the person is just shopping around, she'll also tell them to please shop elsewhere as she can't afford to waste her time providing free information unless the person is serious about booking a cruise.

But she's been doing it for much longer than I have and she's just fed up with with people erroneously thinking travel agents make alot of money and are required to provide freebies out of their pockets while spending a great deal of time providing free information. Obviously, she's more cynical than most agents, but you can understand her sentiments.

As for how we stay in business with all this going on, it ain't easy! The misconception is that when a person books a cruise, the agent makes a commission on the total amount. This is far from correct. The advertised price for a cruise that you see everywhere is actually made up of two things; the cruise fare and the port fees. An agent only makes a commission on the cruise fare itself. This may sound like alot, but often the port fees make up most of the fare. I had a family of 4 book a cruise yesterday and the price for the 3rd and 4th person in the cabin was $129. Sounds good, but the cruise fare was only $10 and the port fees were $119. I made a commission based on the $10!! Am I now expected to provide a free gift or onboard credit to go along with this?

I have a client who books 2 to 3 cruises every year and has been with me for over 8 years. She pointed out a few weeks ago that she was only paying a little more for her next cruise than she did 8 years ago. I looked it up and she is paying $100 more per person for a cruise this year than what she paid in 2003 for a very similar cruise. Think about how much my commission actually increased - hardly anything. Yet all of our costs involved in conducting business have increased dramatically over this same time.

Up until a few years ago, the number of travel agents in the U.S. had increased steadily and those involved in the industry usually stayed for many years. But since then, we've seen a huge turnover in the numbers - people get into the field thinking it's a glamorous job with lots of benefits. After a very short period of time, they realize it's not what they expected and get out of the business because they just can't make any money at it.

While all this is going on, there has become a bigger demand for 'freebies' by those who have no idea what they're talking about. They read and hear about someone getting something from their agent, so all of a sudden everyone thinks they're entitled to something. And yes, most agents provide something to their repeat customers to show their appreciation for the loyalty, but now even first-time cruisers demand something. And even if they do get something, they'll still shop around and book with someone else instead of being a loyal customer when it comes time to book their next cruise. So where is the incentive for the agent to provide a gift if the client is only going to go somewhere else for their next cruise?

And thus enters the discount websites! Yes, there are many out there who are good and offer quality service. But there are many, like Costco, that are just in business to make money while trying not to provide any service. They are not travel agents, they are simply sellers. They promise all sorts of things from discounts, gifts, onboard credit, free insurance, free gratuities, free shore excursions, etc. They're betting on quantity not quality. Anyone can buy a website, but it takes hard work to provide the service that should go along with it. If you call Costco, you'll talk to someone who's never even seen a ship, let alone been on a cruise or to any of the ports. They have no experience and can offer no insight on the ship or itinerary. And their normal lifespan with these 'agencies' is less than 6 months. They are simply 'order takers', they are not travel agents. An agent is there to help you, answer all your questions, and insure you get the best deal for the best price. But most of all, even though they get paid by the cruise line, they represent you and are there when you need them to assist you in anyway they can. They want your business and will work hard to keep it. If you ever have a problem and need to call these 'discount' places, like Costco, they will not help you or can't help you because they are not there to provide service and they are definitely not there in your best interest. They prefer to sell more than to provide more. It's that simple.

I could give you many many stories of problems people have encountered with these discount websites only to find they can't get any help. They may have saved $50 on the cruise or gotten a free bottle of wine, but it ends up costing them hundreds of dollars or many hours of frustration.

Having been involved with travel for over 25 years before I started my own business 9 years ago and knowing what I know now, if I were not in the business and wanting to book a trip, I would never think of doing it without an agent. A good agent can be worth their weight in gold when problems arise. Ask anyone who has had problems with the cruise line and did not have a good agent - they will testify as to how frustrating it can be. And when working with an incompetent discount agency, those frustrations can be magnified immensely.

Here's an example; we had three single women going to Europe. They booked the airfare through the cruise line. Their luggage got lost. The airline was no help. They called us from Europe and we spent 3 hours on the phone locating their luggage, got it 'red tagged', and it was on the ship before it departed port. Do you honestly think someone who has never traveled working for some discount website would provide this type of service? If you believe it, I've got some lake front property in Arizona I'd like to sell you! But then again, you might be able to get a free bottle of cheap wine.

Anyway, sorry for such a long dissertation on the matter, but as you can tell, it's an interesting subject and one that needs explanation because there is a huge amount of erroneous information and misconceptions out there. There's just no other profession that I can think of that's like it.

As I said in the beginning, it just amazes me that people 'demand' or expect freebies from a travel agent, who has to pay for these items out of their own pocket, yet they don't even ask for anything from anyone else providing a service. Go figure. Quite frankly, why do people feel that travel agents should cut their income just to 'buy' a client's business?

What ever happen to people doing business with someone because of the good, honest, hardworking, quality, professional service they provide? Call me old fashion, but to me, personal service trumps gifts any day.

Personally, I don't want a client who only wants to use me or wants me to buy their business. I would much rather prefer a client who appreciates all I can offer to them than the type of gift I give them. This type of client will earn my trust and respect while I work hard to earn their trust and respect. And if they book with me again, then together we will reward each other.

Pete

Originally Posted by Smart Traveler

Here is an idea nobody has mentioned yet: Make a list of good and bad travel agents so the people looking for one don't get stuck with one who does not care about the customers. I'm not going to pick one nobody endorses because I am charting new water here as I start the process of planning my first cruise. Certainly people who have had bad experiences with a travel agent would love to see a list of good and bad agents as well as people who switched cruise lines for the first time, so why not make a good guys/bad guys list?

We certainly do not endorse any travel agents here at cruiselinefans. We do allow travel agents to participate in all the forums. That being said, it is not a good idea to make a good/bad list. My idea of bad might be your idea of all right. My idea of good might not be good enough for you.

I have personally used 3 travel agents that post on cruiselinefans. I wouldn't say anything negative about any of them. Nor would I say they are the best of the best, even if I think they are.

Cruiselinefans appreciates all of our travel agents and their participation on the forum. We will not tolerate any kind of negativity towards them.

Originally Posted by djgifford

A list of good and or bad travel agents can be very subjective. May be hard to get the right picture of a particular travel agent, as some negative reviews can be just due to personality conflicts.

At the time I wrote my OP, there was a thread about an awful TA. If you read that one, you would say the TA being discussed is not subjective, just outright bad on anybody's list. Of course that lady is not Nancy Peterson.

Pete, don't worry; I never drink wine so I would never ask anyone to buy it for me. As a first-time cruiser, I will demand nothing, only ask for personal service.

Cruiseplanner I was not talking about a $25 bottle of wine. Costco gives 10% and on a $2K cruise, thats more than $25. In defense of Costco, they do have a department to help with post cruise issues. I know they are the ones who handled my complaints about customer service during a cruise I took when Ike wiped out my car on land... they were actually quite good imo. I have nothing but praise for them.

On the thread about the B2B2B on Voyager, leaving New Orleans for 3 legs, they mentioned getting free tips for all 42 days, which at $11.65 a day X 2 people, is a large enough amount in my book Id be interested in their TA. (they mentioned a price of $2400 pp)

I take it you are upset at the question because you dont give any perks? I think its a given people also want service.

In my opinion if a TA is not giving any perks, Id rather book direct. Id had a few instances where booking direct has short cut some problems. I do all my own research and just want someone to book the cruise I tell them.

I agree, I would not use someone I had not already planned on using in order to get a bottle of wine. For instance one TA was offering $250? somehow it was misprinted, and my friend managed to get them to honor $550 OBC and it wasnt that large of a NCL booking. Someone probably took a bath on that OBC.

It would be nice to have a list of perks offered and have TAs say in public what perks they are willing to give if any without all the emotion and why each thinks they are the best. . just the facts.

I know I have had to call around and its like pulling teeth to find out if a TA is giving perks or not. What are their fees if any .. all the facts upfront so you can compare.

I think listing perks can be a difficult quest, as it really depends on the cruise, cruiseline, length etc. I personally feel having a good rapore to start the process is best. JMHO I do agree with posting ALL if any fees upfront is a must!

Originally Posted by hanna

We certainly do not endorse any travel agents here at cruiselinefans. We do allow travel agents to participate in all the forums. That being said, it is not a good idea to make a good/bad list. My idea of bad might be your idea of all right. My idea of good might not be good enough for you.

I have personally used 3 travel agents that post on cruiselinefans. I wouldn't say anything negative about any of them. Nor would I say they are the best of the best, even if I think they are.

Cruiselinefans appreciates all of our travel agents and their participation on the forum. We will not tolerate any kind of negativity towards them.

Hanna .... Thanks for posting this. I've been hoping an officer/steward would step in and make it clear that no negativity of this sort would be allowed.

Never used a travel agent and not because of free perks but because I did not know anyone that is trustworthy (obviously any agent here is trustworthy, but rather use a local shop myself). With that said, I would much rather the kind of service where phone calls and emails are answered timely. I would rather the kind of service where someone back home is fighting for me - as in the luggage case Pete spoke of above. Honestly the bottle of wine is not worth having to spend hour and hours getting your vacation plans fixed accordingly - might as well book myself.

With that said, I am going to a local agent for my next cruise and hopefully it will be the start of a long relationship.

When I was buying my house a friend told me to ask my agent about perks received after the purchase. Didn't know what to say so I deflected the answer. To be honest, I was disgusted by the suggestion. My agent is a friend and ex-coworker, and that is not the reason for using him, nor, getting a kickback of his commission in this horrible housing market. What did my agent get from me? After gas, tolls, time, and everything else, a few bucks. We actually gave him a thank you and pass his name along; because he was a great agent, no other reason.

200 dollars might be nice however - I am no business man but my best guess is they get that money back somewhere. Maybe with you, the next guy, in the store raising prices on products, somewhere. Something my dad told me that has stuck and is true with everything - the Vegas hotels are not built on winners.

Anyway, hope I am not stepping on anyone and mean no harm, just agree with Pete. A gift for a good business transaction should be earned and not expected!