Someone explain about TA's and fees please?

[Christina1003]

This is (obviously) our first cruise. ;)

 

When I needed to know the final balance for our cruise in January, our TA was in FL for a month on vacation. So I contacted RCCL directly and they told me the final balance.

 

Thursday when I made my final payment, I noticed the TA charged me almost $300 over what RCCL said I owed. (It's mostly my fault I'm sure, since I didn't clarify with her what she was charging to my card since I already 'knew' the balance remaining)

 

Is there a fee involved when using a TA? (I have never used one before this, so I don't know). If so, is it a percentage or a flat fee?

 

The TA didn't disclose one at the time of booking, so I don't have any idea if there is one.

 

(Before anyone grills me about contacting the TA directly, I do plan on doing that as soon as possible but with the snow we're getting, she won't be in until Wednesday. :p )

 

Thanks for any help you can give...

[Sheffie]

My TAs have never charged anything for a cruise. Airfare does have a charge now since the airlines don't pay the TAs. Good luck!

[superjerryw]

There should not be any hidden fees as they travel agency will get its commission from the cruise line. If the agent wants $300 more than the cruise line says you owe there is something seriously wrong.

[Christina1003]

Bumped up this thread -

 

I called RCCL directly and they said they could not disclose the final price of the cruise, even after I explained my situation. However, they assured me that my travel agent 'took care of me' and that the $300 was not 'any type of fees' and was something extra for us :confused:

 

I'm going to call my TA and question what the $300 difference was, from what RCCL quoted I owed and what I was charged.

 

Anyone have any suggestions on how to do this without sounding like I'm accusing her of taking extra money or ripping me off? I've used her for years, so I know that's not the case.

 

I still want to know where the extra $300 came from however.

[signman]

Didn't the TA send you an invoice with the price of the cruise shown, port charges, if not included in the price of the cruise, taxes and other fees? Perhaps they have added for transfers somewhere along the line or insurance. Why would you pay without having an itemized invoice. At the very least you should have an invoice which shows the total cost less your deposit.

[newmexicoNita]

You should have gotten an invoice as soon as you made your deposit. On rare occassions some agencies are now charging a few dollars, like $25 for processing, but $300? That alot of processing!!!! I am not about to question the TA but I certainly would want an explanation asap!!!! NMnita

[Christina1003]

Didn't the TA send you an invoice with the price of the cruise shown, port charges, if not included in the price of the cruise, taxes and other fees? Perhaps they have added for transfers somewhere along the line or insurance. Why would you pay without having an itemized invoice. At the very least you should have an invoice which shows the total cost less your deposit.

 

No, I don't have an itemized invoice. All the charges were broken down in detail a year and a half ago when I first booked the cruise, but I have since lost it (yes, it was stupid of me).

 

But as I said, I've been dealing with this TA for many years and booked countless number of trips with her without any issue, hence the reason I paid.

 

Did you have any suggestions as to how I could ask her directly???

[dc-snoopy]

Although it's already Wednesday and your TA may be back in the office again, here's a note for anyone else having similar problems.

 

If you have a problem, you should call your TA and leave a message as soon as you have the problem. You should also think about sending an e-mail. There are several reasons. First, you should document that there is a problem as soon as possible. If there is some time deadline for reporting problems, you always want to make sure you report it before that deadline. If you report something before the deadline and the TA doesn't do anything about it...they are still responsible for rectifying the problem. If you report it after their deadline, then you may be SOL.

 

Second, if you call and leave a message, most good TA's will check their voicemail and e-mail if they are stranded at home. Many can still work from home if they have the right software at home and may be able to answer your questions. It doesn't hurt to call and leave a message, she might get it and call you back. Make sure the delay is on their side and not on your side.

 

Regarding your invoice, you should be able to call her and tell her that you lost the invoice and that you would like to get a duplicate copy for your records. Since it should all be computerized, she should be able to print another copy and send it to you. Make sure that you check the date on the new invoice. Although it might have a newer print date, the effective date should be the date from when you confirmed the reservation and put down the down-payment.

[mheinrich]

All TA's earn commission on cruise bookings. When you called Royal Caribbean yourself to get the amount owed, unfortunately she gave you the actual amount owed by the travel agency (minus the commission earned). The travel agent did not charge YOU, she was paid by Royal Caribbean. If you booked the cruise directly through Royal Caribbean, chances are you would've paid the same rate, but Royal Caribbean would've kept the entire amount vs. paying the TA her commission. Hope this helps!

[Kwaj girl]

...that RCCL would even TALK to the passenger directly for a travel agency booking! They've always re-directed the caller to his/her agent to handle all details, questions, etc since that's what RCCL is essentially "paying" the agent to do when paying commissions. It's a lot more efficient for their reservations people to work with the agent than the traveler since we, as agents, spend the time with the passengers to work out details, discuss options, etc and can quickly do the booking phone with the res agent and let them get on to their next caller. es, it DOES sound like they told you the "net" amount due rather than the "amount to collect from passenger". Did RCCL perhaps think for some reason that YOU were the Travel Agent when you called (though there are some safeguards in place to help prevent that)? Anyway, your TA should be able to provide you with a copy of your original deposit invoice whoich should also show the final payment amount due. If not, or he/she WILL not...it's time to find a new TA!

[Christina1003]

...that RCCL would even TALK to the passenger directly for a travel agency booking! They've always re-directed the caller to his/her agent to handle all details, questions, etc since that's what RCCL is essentially "paying" the agent to do when paying commissions. It's a lot more efficient for their reservations people to work with the agent than the traveler since we, as agents, spend the time with the passengers to work out details, discuss options, etc and can quickly do the booking phone with the res agent and let them get on to their next caller. es, it DOES sound like they told you the "net" amount due rather than the "amount to collect from passenger". Did RCCL perhaps think for some reason that YOU were the Travel Agent when you called (though there are some safeguards in place to help prevent that)? Anyway, your TA should be able to provide you with a copy of your original deposit invoice whoich should also show the final payment amount due. If not, or he/she WILL not...it's time to find a new TA!

 

Thanks everyone! It looks like that may be it. They may have given me the amount before the commission, not after.

[cruiseco]

You might want to check with your spouse / traveling companion before raising too big of a stink. It could be innocent.

 

Years ago we had a couple going on a very nice cruise for their 50th anniversary. The wife was basically making all of the arrangements.

 

As a surprise for his wife, the husband secretly added a bunch of extras like spa packages, etc. We were to charge it all out at the time of final payment without mentioning it to the wife.

 

As it turns out, the wife paid the credit card bills and was all over us trying to find out why we charged almost $500 more than her original invoice showed. She was steamed. We finally had to get the husband on the phone who explained to her that he had authorized the additional charges but would not tell her what it was for.

 

When he cruise line said that the TA "had taken good care of you" it sure sounds like it might be a similar situation.

[JudyOh]

I would certainly check with your TA, the cruiselines quote the whole amount, not an amount minus the TA's commission. If it is a service fee, I certainly would look for a new TA. We always send out invoices about 3 to 4 weeks before final payment is due, I thought this was common practice.

[carbon]

Our TA made $300/per cabin and we still got a better price from him than what was quoted through RCCL. That is how they stay in business.

[Mikeerin]

This is (obviously) our first cruise. ;)

 

Is there a fee involved when using a TA? (I have never used one before this, so I don't know). If so, is it a percentage or a flat fee?

 

The TA didn't disclose one at the time of booking, so I don't have any idea if there is one.

 

...

 

I guess I am somewhat confused because in the first post you said you have never used a TA before, but went on to say that you have book several trips and have been using the same TA for a long time...did you just mean this is your first cruise with a TA?

[Wennfred]

Lessons learned:

 

Travel agents is a thing of the past, the Internet pretty much cut them out of the loop, start doing research online, even you can do a Group Cruise yourself, Almost 10 years ago I booked a trip to Puerto Rico with a nationwide TA thats no longer in business, and they over charged me 400.00 also for no reason but probably commission.

 

Im my own TA now. take care and good luck with that.

[Kwaj girl]

Your point is well-taken...HOWEVER...savvy travelers today will do their research on-line to narrow down their choices and then go to a local face-to-face/in-person Travel Agency to do the booking and handle the details. I could tell you many stories of clients that went on-line to do bookings, had problems/questions/wanted to change their date/add a traveler/had problems with incorrect credit card billing, etc.....they they would call ME to try to "fix" their problem. Unfortunately there was nothing I could do since they could only work with the "dot-com'er" they made the original booking through.....but next time they came back to do their bookings at our agency with the "it ain't worth the hassle" of DIY travel. Not to say that ALL dot-com'ers are like that, but once you're burned, well, that's IT. Could also say that about brick-and-mortar TA's, too.....there are some bad ones out there. Point is, stick with whoever/whatever gives you the best service. If saving a few bucks is your main concern, try calling some travel agencies as some have contract/group rates that ARE NOT available if you were to just book on-line directly with a cruiseline, for example. Our agency is affiliated with a travel agency consortium that has a couple of HUNDRED of these such deals. NO, I'M NOT HERE TO SOLICIT ANYONE'S BUSINESS, just here to provide another point of view.....no flames, please.

[mheinrich]

Nice post Kwaj!! Doesn't it seem like us TA's get bashed on these boards just as much as chair hogs and people in jeans in the dining rooms!

 

Get stranded at an airport with hundreds of other people in mile long lines with no TA to call for help and THEN decide how much we're worth!!

[babs275]

Lessons learned:

 

Travel agents is a thing of the past, the Internet pretty much cut them out of the loop, start doing research online, even you can do a Group Cruise yourself, Almost 10 years ago I booked a trip to Puerto Rico with a nationwide TA thats no longer in business, and they over charged me 400.00 also for no reason but probably commission.

 

Im my own TA now. take care and good luck with that.

 

Unless you book directly with the cruise line - you are not your own TA - your online dot com is.

[Wennfred]

Yep thats what I should of mentioned, I always book directly with my Cruiseline that way I am 100% covered and get the best Rates as a Pass Guest cruiser, and yes a Travel agent is a good thing if you dont have a Computer and the Internet to assist you or not too travel wise but again, do your research and you will see how much easier it is and quicker then dealing with a Travel agent, currently I purshased the Carnival Vacation Club, with the deals they have you cant go wrong.

Each cruiseline has a Group specialist, call them first then call a Travel agent and compare.

 

Good luck