UK travel agents

[nerysj]

Ok..........have paid deposit with UK TA for Grand Princess cruise, July 2010. Paid deposit of £700 Aug 09. Prices have since then come down - now balcony £200 less pp than what we paid back in Aug 09. We did get $400 per cabin OBC. Should I pursue for more discount?.... as it seems now that if I booked as of today directly with Princess I would be no worse off financially, and the 'so called' great deal that I had back in 09 was not quite the fantastic deal I thought?

 

Other TAs are offering good 2 cabin upgrade deals at the moment too - which rival our TAs offering. Can you swith TAs when you've paid deposit? Has the deposit been passed on to Princess???

 

Slighly confused!!

 

Thanks:)

[Dorset Cruiser]

From experience you won't get much from them. We booked a balcony on Sea Princess a couple of years ago and the day after we booked and paid for it in full, the price plummeted for the same category of cabin. We tried to get the reduced price either by a refund or by OBC but they were adamant that we were not entitled to it. After lengthy complaints all they offered us was an upgrade to the most expensive category of balcony but it only amounted to a few pounds each.

 

You can certainly try though as I have heard of someone from the UK getting the reduced price after they had booked.

 

You cannot even cancel and lose your deposit and then rebook because you would be out of pocket. Now if you had booked in the US it is a different story as they get the price drops and they can cancel without losing their deposit.

[The Dragon]

Hi,

 

I got the price drop about three weeks ago and am in the UK. I had a right old rant on the phone to my TA and he actually managed to get me more off than the new price I'd seen (I was looking for £150 price-match but he got me a £215 drop, excellent). I also kept my OBC.

 

I think I was lucky and I also did my homework finding out the best deal I could get if I booked it now. You need to stick to your guns and when they say things like "if you bought something in a shop and then found it cheaper later on you'd be stuck with it" you need to be ready to counter it - I said that any decent company would take back an unused product and offer me store credit at the very least. I also was very clear that the shop in question would NEVER get my business ever again if it behaved in any other way.

 

When he called me back to tell me he'd got the discount he told me that to get it he'd told Princess I'd given him a real earache!!

 

good luck and stick to your guns, you've nothing to lose!

 

Hannah

[caber]

You won`t have any luck changing travel agents. I asked this question last year when we were receiving bad service from ours. Your original one has to agree to the transfer, which they are not likely to do.

 

Unfortunately we in the UK don`t have the same rules as the US. There would have to be a considerable difference in the deal to make it worthwhile to cancel and rebook, remembering that we lose the deposit.

 

It`s a lottery when you book a cruise. We booked Grand Princess in August two weeks ago and yesterday the price had fallen a bit, and there is still the OBC and free car park or coach travel on offer.

 

The secret is to book at a price you are happy with then forget it.:(

 

And remember, although it is very annoying, you did have a good choice of cabins back then.

[nerysj]

Hi,

 

I got the price drop about three weeks ago and am in the UK. I had a right old rant on the phone to my TA and he actually managed to get me more off than the new price I'd seen (I was looking for £150 price-match but he got me a £215 drop, excellent). I also kept my OBC.

 

I think I was lucky and I also did my homework finding out the best deal I could get if I booked it now. You need to stick to your guns and when they say things like "if you bought something in a shop and then found it cheaper later on you'd be stuck with it" you need to be ready to counter it - I said that any decent company would take back an unused product and offer me store credit at the very least. I also was very clear that the shop in question would NEVER get my business ever again if it behaved in any other way.

 

When he called me back to tell me he'd got the discount he told me that to get it he'd told Princess I'd given him a real earache!!

 

good luck and stick to your guns, you've nothing to lose!

 

Hannah

 

Can you phone my TA?!!!!!!!!:D:D:D

 

I just emailed and got a curt reply back saying that Princess would only honour the price drop on new bookings. I have now asked for more OBC or better cabins (we have 2) one outside for 2 teenagers and a balcony nxt door on Emerald deck. E208 and E210. They are not in the best position, but the best configuration at the time for the price. pparently we will love them or hate them, as they overlook the promenade below. I'm sure I would be happy with their location...........even better so if their price dropped:D

 

Thanks for your input.

[warringtonian]

We had the same problem with Fred Olsen cruises. Twice. The first time Fred Olsen reduced the price but the second time they refused. We cancelled and lost our deposit of £600 but then booked with Royal Caribbean and got a better cabin cheaper. After that the TA went bust and we have never sailed with Fred Olsen again so I think that we got our revenge.

[The Dragon]

Can you phone my TA?!!!!!!!!:D:D:D

 

I just emailed and got a curt reply back saying that Princess would only honour the price drop on new bookings. I have now asked for more OBC or better cabins (we have 2) one outside for 2 teenagers and a balcony nxt door on Emerald deck. E208 and E210. They are not in the best position, but the best configuration at the time for the price. pparently we will love them or hate them, as they overlook the promenade below. I'm sure I would be happy with their location...........even better so if their price dropped:D

 

Thanks for your input.

 

I hope you get something. If not be very clear that you'll be using a different TA next time who doesn't quote company policy at you but actually fights for you to have an unjustifiable policy waived.

 

good luck

 

Hannah

[Sauvignon]

Anything, absolutely anything is only worth as much as someone is prepared to pay for it.

 

The OP was prepared to pay the asking price at the time. End of story.

 

If you buy early at a price you are prepared to pay, an element of that price is buying the security of getting exactly what you want.

 

Princess as any other company is a business not a charity.

[nerysj]

Anything, absolutely anything is only worth as much as someone is prepared to pay for it.

 

The OP was prepared to pay the asking price at the time. End of story.

 

If you buy early at a price you are prepared to pay, an element of that price is buying the security of getting exactly what you want.

 

Princess as any other company is a business not a charity.

 

So, US TAs can drop the price and still be in business (and not a charity) BUT UK TAs cant? Hhhhhmmm! There's an anomaly here.

[Sauvignon]

So, US TAs can drop the price and still be in business (and not a charity) BUT UK TAs cant? Hhhhhmmm! There's an anomaly here.

 

 

Different markets.

 

And besides - and more significantly, all that suffers in the end is the quality of the product and there are enough threads on these boards about that.

[nerysj]

Different markets.

 

And besides - and more significantly, all that suffers in the end is the quality of the product and there are enough threads on these boards about that.

 

Exactly the same product!! whether bought in $ or £

 

It was a perfectly valid question...no need to digress.

[Sauvignon]

Exactly the same product!! whether bought in $ or £

 

It was a perfectly valid question...no need to digress.

 

 

Same product, yes. But a different market where living costs are different and so what the market is able to sustain is different. Best not mention exchange rate fluctuations!.

 

The comment about quality suffering I believe is entirely valid as it is related to the aspirations of the target market.

[nerysj]

Hi,

 

I got the price drop about three weeks ago and am in the UK. I had a right old rant on the phone to my TA and he actually managed to get me more off than the new price I'd seen (I was looking for £150 price-match but he got me a £215 drop, excellent). I also kept my OBC.

 

I think I was lucky and I also did my homework finding out the best deal I could get if I booked it now. You need to stick to your guns and when they say things like "if you bought something in a shop and then found it cheaper later on you'd be stuck with it" you need to be ready to counter it - I said that any decent company would take back an unused product and offer me store credit at the very least. I also was very clear that the shop in question would NEVER get my business ever again if it behaved in any other way.

 

When he called me back to tell me he'd got the discount he told me that to get it he'd told Princess I'd given him a real earache!!

 

good luck and stick to your guns, you've nothing to lose!

 

Hannah

 

One quick question - was this with Princess or another company?

 

Thanks!