The Sharks are Circling

[ROSEBASKETS]

How many emails have you had today offering to take on your Gills cruise booking (even if you've not got a booking with them)?

 

I'm up to 3 already, with statements like "We have offical information from ABTA that they have withdrawn Gills Cruise membership, and they are being treated as a financial failure" and "All our cruises are financially protected"

 

Not to mention the cheeky git on here who left his phone number :mad:

 

Just for the record P&O admin have / are in the process of contacting everyone who has a booking with Gills to reassure them their booking is safe and will be carried out "in house". On this occasion P&O should be congratulated for taking such prompt action in such circumstances :)

 

I wish all those people who have booked with Gills a trouble free transfer direct to the cruise companies they are due to sail with and those who work for Gills the best of luck in finding new employment.

[Catherine Janaway]

How many emails have you had today offering to take on your Gills cruise booking (even if you've not got a booking with them)?

 

I'm up to 3 already, with statements like "We have offical information from ABTA that they have withdrawn Gills Cruise membership, and they are being treated as a financial failure" and "All our cruises are financially protected"

 

Not to mention the cheeky git on here who left his phone number :mad:

 

Just for the record P&O admin have / are in the process of contacting everyone who has a booking with Gills to reassure them their booking is safe and will be carried out "in house". On this occasion P&O should be congratulated for taking such prompt action in such circumstances :)

 

I wish all those people who have booked with Gills a trouble free transfer direct to the cruise companies they are due to sail with and those who work for Gills the best of luck in finding new employment.

 

I totally agree, well done P & O!

 

While I appreciate that times are difficult for all companies, I also agree that the blatant mention of what happened to Gills in these contacts from other agencies does appear vulture like in their approach.

 

It certainly wouldn't make me want to book with them.

 

I feel sorry for any company that are in financial difficulty, my understanding is that Gills is a family business that has been going for over 30 years.

 

I also live in Wales and have more sympathy in the fact that it is yet another employer who is closing with a loss of jobs in an area that already has a large unemployment figure.

 

I've never seen anything quite like to be honest and it's not the sort of world I'd like to live in!

[LibraLass41]

I agree. The TA who advertised himself on the Gills thread was reported by me,and remember if you see anything like that again, press the right triangle alert button on the Offending post on the thread.

 

It certainly seems a cut throat world out there now in cruise TA land. I wonder if this is the first of many Cruise TA's to go under now P&O have reduced their discounts, surely if the prices are the same now people will book direct and TA's like Gills will crash which is a shame as their wealth of cruising experience was useful to the booking customer.

[daiB]

I agree. The TA who advertised himself on the Gills thread was reported by me,and remember if you see anything like that again, press the right triangle alert button on the Offending post on the thread.

 

It certainly seems a cut throat world out there now in cruise TA land. I wonder if this is the first of many Cruise TA's to go under now P&O have reduced their discounts, surely if the prices are the same now people will book direct and TA's like Gills will crash which is a shame as their wealth of cruising experience was useful to the booking customer.

 

 

People are linking the drop in discount to TA's from P&O to Gills demise when their problems started before this happened.

 

Remember the TA's get the same amount of commission now as they did before ie. 5%. Those who do not like this are perhaps those who did not pass on all the discount:mad:.

 

As we know if you go on the high street as ask to book a cruise you will not get the best deal, unless to have done some research and have a price in mind.

 

This demise is the fault of Gills and not Carnival?P&O.

 

 

And of course the "new" system does not start until April 2012

 

 

 

:):)Happy Cruising:):)

 

 

 

:cool:

 

 

Dai

[RJChatsworth]

It certainly seems a cut throat world out there now in cruise TA land. I wonder if this is the first of many Cruise TA's to go under now P&O have reduced their discounts, surely if the prices are the same now people will book direct and TA's like Gills will crash which is a shame as their wealth of cruising experience was useful to the booking customer.

 

I have written something on the Cunard Message Board about this but your question about booking direct rather than through an agent is interesting. With the introduction of Complete Cruise Solutions by Carnival covering sales etc for all lines it will be a developing story about CCS's relationships with agents. I did have a recent case whereby my agent was offering a better deal on a Cunard Voyage than that I had discussed directly with Cunard sales. Perhaps CCS believe they need high street regional agents all operating under similar conditions. This might turn your question on the size of the sales departments of Cunard, P&O, Costa, Holland America etc etc with the advent of CCS.

 

The other interesting point is have the Presidents of each of the Carnival lines lost some of their control because CCS has taken over their sales, with CCS being answerable direct to Carnival in the USA?

[kevinyork]

I have written something on the Cunard Message Board about this but your question about booking direct rather than through an agent is interesting. With the introduction of Complete Cruise Solutions by Carnival covering sales etc for all lines it will be a developing story about CCS's relationships with agents. I did have a recent case whereby my agent was offering a better deal on a Cunard Voyage than that I had discussed directly with Cunard sales. Perhaps CCS believe they need high street regional agents all operating under similar conditions. This might turn your question on the size of the sales departments of Cunard, P&O, Costa, Holland America etc etc with the advent of CCS.

 

The other interesting point is have the Presidents of each of the Carnival lines lost some of their control because CCS has taken over their sales, with CCS being answerable direct to Carnival in the USA?

 

I must be pretty dim but this has lost me completely and I have read it three times.

[the english lady]

one of the sharks has brought them-actually Asda has

 

http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/Articles/2011/07/15/37669/gills+cruise+centre+assets+bought+by+stevenage+group.html

 

never posted a link before so I hope it works

[MattyBarlow]

one of the sharks has brought them-actually Asda has

 

http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/Articles/2011/07/15/37669/gills+cruise+centre+assets+bought+by+stevenage+group.html

 

never posted a link before so I hope it works

 

As I've posted in the other thread, P&p have bought their assets, not Asda.

[the english lady]

Yes sorry you are correct, they supply holidays for Asda..is that correct.?

We have 2 cruises booked with Fred via Gills one in 2 weeks and one in January. Just hope the latter has the price honoured.

[NSWP]

Correct me if I am wrong, but I have been on CC a while and was always under the impression we could not mention Cruise Agents/TA's on this site?

 

Feel free to incarcerate me in ye olde Tower of London if I am wrong.

[Aussie One]

We have sharks in Australia the big whites are ok its the ones in the

Armini suites that are the problems have a g/day Aussie

[Elaine0138]

As this Gills are no more no problem mentioning it