TA Rebates

[blue whale]

Your comments are interesting.

 

For your information, I am still having trouble with the agency that owes me the promised rebate from the SA cruise; remember that was what my post was about. I never had problems when my travel consultant of many years was at that agency—only after he/she left. Now the agency owes me even more money. Although I do not believe it is ethical to switch future bookings to my original travel consultant that he/she made at the old agency, I am getting more and more frustrated. The last trick the agency tried to pull was really beyond belief. I may just cancel my future booking and rebook even if I get charged a cancellation fee. I've lost enough through this agency!!!

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I would expect them to rebate back most of the 17% commission or I wouldn't deal with them...just like I dumped that organization in Mississauga right around the corner from you ages ago because they got too high and mighty and would refuse to budge on rebating back or matching a quote.:rolleyes::eek::rolleyes:

 

That's exactly what they do, and so my earlier comment referred to this:

 

"...How about booking a hotel when coming in early or staying extra days after your cruise. Booking transportation to and from the hotel, airport, ship, etc. Also those private tours we take with a driver and guide. ... "

 

I don't expect my agent to do these things.

[ridolphi]

Blue Whale - I don't know if your current agency charges their own cancellation fee or not and if they do, as you said you may just have to pay it and move on to a less frustrating situation.

But, as long as your current booking is more than 120 days out from final payment (unless its a cruise over 25 days) Regent will only charge an admin fee of $100 per person and that is available to you for a year to apply as a future credit on any cruise booked within a year no matter where you book it, just fyi.

Sorry to hear you are having such an issue and good luck. I'm sure you will find the perfect situation as there are many good, reliable, honest Agencies out there that will also give you some nice benefits.

[Suite Travels]

I would expect them to rebate back most of the 17% commission or I wouldn't deal with them...just like I dumped that organization in Mississauga right around the corner from you ages ago because they got too high and mighty and would refuse to budge on rebating back or matching a quote.:rolleyes::eek::rolleyes:

 

We use this agency and have never had a problem with them with rebates or fare matching. I think you may have violated the CC TOS by mentioning the city/town.:rolleyes:

[Seabourntraveller]

We use this agency and have never had a problem with them with rebates or fare matching. I think you may have violated the CC TOS by mentioning the city/town.:rolleyes:

 

No I have not!!!!...put down your poms poms as a cheerleader for that agency please.:rolleyes::eek::rolleyes:

[Suite Travels]

No pom poms. Just stating our experience as you did as well.

[mariners]

blue whale, I hope you continue to pursue your rebate. Is the travel agency registered with the Better Business Bureau? If they are, you could enlist their help. Does your state/province have a travel agency regulatory body where you could forward a complaint?

Is the agency listed as an agency through the Regent website? If so, Regent could be contacted and informed of your complaint. (Years ago, a Regent area sales representative helped me get the rebate owed to us through an agency.)

I don't know if names are allowed to be given, but there is an individual you can find online who is a consumer advocate. He has a blog and he might be willing to assist you. Good luck!

[sherilyn70]

It would just seem to make so much more sense to me for Regent to discount the cruise to the direct-booking customer by the amount of the rebate and quit pussyfooting around moving money between three parties and allowing one party to profit without performing any real service to either the customer or to the cruise line.

 

While that seems logical.... You ned to remember that a certain percentage will not know there are benefits to using a third party versus booking directly. I myself was one of those until I found cruise critic. Why would they willingly give up that (throwing out a random number) extra 25% in money than can get from those not as educated in how things work? It is financially in their best interest to get the most they can on each booking.

 

 

 

Sent from my Droid Charge using Tapatalk

[tallship]

The issue of rebates, TAs and upgrades has been a source of interesting discussion onboard the cruise I am currently on.

 

- many who booked directly with Regent received no OBC

- many first timers (non-GTY) received upgrades up to 3 categories directly from their TA

- others at the Gold, PLT, Titanium party mentioned never receiving upgrades nor offers but their family members booked in categories G and H received or were offered upgrades

-the amount of OBC varies significantly from TA to TA

[poss]

Are all these upgrades complimentary, or are some discounted upgrades of one sort or another?

 

The variety of personal experiences is indeed interesting. E.g. I wonder if it's the case that with the same TA, some do get upgrades, others not?

 

We're happy campers in the standard suites (a pretty high "standard"!), but I do find the different reports intriguing.

[HanaleiSailor]

While that seems logical.... You need to remember that a certain percentage will not know there are benefits to using a third party versus booking directly. I myself was one of those until I found cruise critic. Why would they willingly give up that (throwing out a random number) extra 25% in money than can get from those not as educated in how things work? It is financially in their best interest to get the most they can on each booking

 

Sent from my Droid Charge using Tapatalk

 

I certainly understand why guests would book with a TA: to get the 10+% Rebate and/or the OBC; my question above was how can this be a good deal/ good business model for Regent?, especially when the customer does the booking directly and then transfers the booking to the TA. It still seems to me that Regent is paying commission to the TA even though the TA did not do anything to generate the sale.

 

Again, I am not an experienced cruiser, and I did book my upcoming Regent cruise through an agency; however, as a small business person, I am always interested in the ways that systems work, and this one puzzles me!

 

Aloha,

 

Mark

[tallship]

Hanalei Sailor- in our onboard discussions, some thought that Regent continues to provide these high commissions to TAs as not everyone books online or independently and travel agents play a role in steering customers to a particular line. Although that is not the case for repeat business so the whole business model baffles me.

 

Poss- it really is a mixed bag with different "deals" across the board

[kvisf]

Based on my own experience working in a business that distributes both direct to the customer and through commissioned agents, I can think of several reasons why the business model makes sense for Regent. Agents may give Regent access to markets (for example group business, regional and affinity channels) that Regent can't tap directly at comparable cost. Agents may provide efficiencies in customer service and customer experience that Regent can't replicate (witness all the comments here about the virtues of a good TA versus relying on Regent's sometimes erratic customer service). In all cases, the agent only gets paid if Regent makes a sale.

 

In my line of work, 20% of the agents generate 80% of all the agency-produced revenue, and I suspect that it's not much different for Regent. To me, the recent policy shift prohibiting transferring bookings to a different agent after 30 days looks like a maneuver to protect the 20% of agents that are really valuable to Regent from depradation by price-cutters.

 

The overall bottom line is that the business model makes sense because Regent needs the agents to fill the ships, because a berth that sails empty is revenue lost forever. How to balance the need to fill the ship with the necessity to maintain the pricing discipline of a luxury product, is a challenge, and agency marketing, including agency-level rebating, is a mechanism to manage that challenge.

[beaniele]

I do not understand about rebates?. I have used the same TA with no rebates? What does a rebate mean and how does it work?

[sherilyn70]

I certainly understand why guests would book with a TA: to get the 10+% Rebate and/or the OBC; my question above was how can this be a good deal/ good business model for Regent?, especially when the customer does the booking directly and then transfers the booking to the TA. It still seems to me that Regent is paying commission to the TA even though the TA did not do anything to generate the sale.

 

As I said... it's a numbers game. The number that will book and transfer is not 100%. So that percentage that stay with them and receive nothing is worth the effort. The more people selling their cruises for them the more money the generate.

[Seabourntraveller]

I do not understand about rebates?. I have used the same TA with no rebates? What does a rebate mean and how does it work?

 

You never got rebate? Please don't tell us that you have been paying full price?

[Suite Travels]

This is the most intelligent post I have read here in years.

[Suite Travels]

Based on my own experience working in a business that distributes both direct to the customer and through commissioned agents, I can think of several reasons why the business model makes sense for Regent. Agents may give Regent access to markets (for example group business, regional and affinity channels) that Regent can't tap directly at comparable cost. Agents may provide efficiencies in customer service and customer experience that Regent can't replicate (witness all the comments here about the virtues of a good TA versus relying on Regent's sometimes erratic customer service). In all cases, the agent only gets paid if Regent makes a sale.

 

This is the most intelligent post I have seen here in years. Thank you for posting and informing.

[beaniele]

No I have not paid full price.

[Seabourntraveller]

No I have not paid full price.

 

Oh thank god!:eek::eek:

[Suite Travels]

I can't fathom not using a good luxury cruise agent. Our agent handles everything for us. I don't have the time to deal will suppliers for discounts my agent handles all the details for us and saves us $$$$. The buying power that your agency has will determine your rebates and perks and how much you spend or do business with your agency.

 

For those of you who book direct you are the losers. A good agent will provide you with many benefits. If you need them during your travels you should be able to contact them and they take over the task of resolving issues. A strong agent will be able to confirm hotel upgrades i.e Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton and the finer hotels and resorts with amenities. A $300.00 AMEX credit is nothing to us. Try a few thousand dollars instead.

 

Shop around and find a good agent and you will not regret it.

[MillieMeter]

You never got rebate? Please don't tell us that you have been paying full price?

 

Same here for me. Last year an online agency and this year a hometown Virtuosos agency and the only rebate/OBC I received was handled by me as a first time cruiser on SB and this year referring someone who was first timer--only way I even knew about this was from reading CC!

So when I start looking at either Regency or Silversea for this spring I guess I will be in the hunt for still another TA.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[grapejuice]

Hello Wes, Tc2. Rallydave - just wondering is it possible for Australians to use US travel agents - I feel they have the best knowledge of Regent - I am yet to find an Aussie TA that is adequately informed. How do I find a USA agent if that is possible?

[WesW]

Hi Grapejuice, pls see post #16 in the thread below...she is an Aussie who always uses a US TA.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1641851&highlight=using+us+travel+agents

[Lovesatq]

I want to thank everyone for their input here. I've been using the same TA since we started cruising. I never heard of rebates back to the customer after final payment. We usually receive an OBC but nothing near the amounts mentioned. This thread has got me thinking since my DH is retiring soon and we see a lot of cruising in our future. I'm going to discuss with my current TA and then start shopping around.