TA Vent

[kal6578]

I booked our upcoming sailing several months ago and received all applicable confirmations. Jump to this week and I wanted to ask just a few final questions. After days and days of no calls/emails back, reading some particularly concerning Yelp reviews, and calling everyone I could think of, I find out that the TA I booked through no longer works for the agency. To boot, that particular franchise (of a large and well known cruise agency) is now under corporate handling due to the misconduct of several of its agents.

 

First of all, no one bothered to notify me. Secondly, other passengers are complaining they didn't get the perks (prepaid grats or onboard credit etc) they were offered at the time of booking. I am waiting on a resolution from corporate - they profess to be well-aware of the issues with this franchise and committed to making right by all customers - but this is turning out to be a nightmare.

 

I'm less concerned about our actual booking, because it is showing on the Celebrity website correctly. I am, however, concerned that a. I could have booked through Celebrity itself or a more responsible and reputable agency where I could be assured I would get what I was promised and b. that this agent has my credit card and other personal information and was clearly fired from the company due to misconduct. Ugh! Does anyone else have experience with this sort of issue? I'm so tempted to transfer my booking back to Celebrity directly but I have no idea how that really works or if it is advisable at this point.

[ehfl]

Any time you introduce additional parties to the transaction you increase complexity and risk. If using a TA, always be aware of the potential problems and finger-pointing.

[20pluscruises]

I booked our upcoming sailing several months ago and received all applicable confirmations. Jump to this week and I wanted to ask just a few final questions. After days and days of no calls/emails back, reading some particularly concerning Yelp reviews, and calling everyone I could think of, I find out that the TA I booked through no longer works for the agency. To boot, that particular franchise (of a large and well known cruise agency) is now under corporate handling due to the misconduct of several of its agents.

 

First of all, no one bothered to notify me. Secondly, other passengers are complaining they didn't get the perks (prepaid grats or onboard credit etc) they were offered at the time of booking. I am waiting on a resolution from corporate - they profess to be well-aware of the issues with this franchise and committed to making right by all customers - but this is turning out to be a nightmare.

 

I'm less concerned about our actual booking, because it is showing on the Celebrity website correctly. I am, however, concerned that a. I could have booked through Celebrity itself or a more responsible and reputable agency where I could be assured I would get what I was promised and b. that this agent has my credit card and other personal information and was clearly fired from the company due to misconduct. Ugh! Does anyone else have experience with this sort of issue? I'm so tempted to transfer my booking back to Celebrity directly but I have no idea how that really works or if it is advisable at this point.

 

YIKES!!! Another reason I always book through Celebrity...plus I found when all is said and done I save more $$$ or at the very least s equal in price even with the OBC.

 

I would keep an eye on credit charges to your card. Best of luck with this horrible situation

[kal6578]

Any time you introduce additional parties to the transaction you increase complexity and risk. If using a TA, always be aware of the potential problems and finger-pointing.

 

Thank you; this has been duly noted. I see that a ton of people on this board have positive experiences with TAs. I actually took the recommendation to go with a TA from here because so many have received great perks in addition to what Celebrity offers.

 

I had no indication throughout the transaction that this agent's behavior was at all questionable - and usually, I'm pretty shrewd. :eek:

[20pluscruises]

Thank you; this has been duly noted. I see that a ton of people on this board have positive experiences with TAs. I actually took the recommendation to go with a TA from here because so many have received great perks in addition to what Celebrity offers.

 

I had no indication throughout the transaction that this agent's behavior was at all questionable - and usually, I'm pretty shrewd. :eek:

 

FYI...google consumer affairs / cruises...There are many reviews for travel agency sites onlines

[ocngypz]

OP

 

What prompted you to use this particular agency in the first place?

[JanineM]

As long as the travel agency is reputable (and still operating) I personally wouldn't worry about an individual agent stealing my personal information. People get fired from banks all the time ... and banks have access to WAY more than a vendor who has just your credit card & address information.

 

We have successfully used two very large, very well known cruise agencies, and have also booked directly with Celebrity. It can be easier to go with X directly, but we just look for the best perks :)

[kal6578]

OP

 

What prompted you to use this particular agency in the first place?

 

I received some quotes on another online site, called around to several agents and found this one most responsive and easiest to work with. Their parent agency is large and well-known, and the particular franchise outlet had good reviews online. Everything seemed to check out. The price I paid for the cruise was the same as quoted on Celebrity's site, but some additional onboard credit was offered.

 

Again, I haven't received any indication that the larger parent company will not make my experience right as I just spoke to them this morning and forwarded all correspondence for them to check into. I will certainly reconsider booking with anyone but the cruise line directly next time, but I am jealous of those who have honest and reliable TAs.

[cruisestitch]

Give this agency a chance -- they may (and probably will) turn out to be honest and reliable and it will all come out OK. If one particular location went rogue, and the parent company is aware and has dealt with it, give them a little time to go over all your paperwork and make it right for you. When is your cruise?

[trixiegolf]

This situation is why I don't book with large, impersonal travel agencies. Used the same mom and pop agency for years. Don't really care about all of the so called perks... just take care of me when I need to get home in an emergency, and go to bat for me when there's a problem with the cruise line.

[kal6578]

xxx

Edited November 27, 2013 by kal6578

[ECCruise]

You most likely will be fine. Would advise getting everyone involved before you embark re: the OBC to verify it is there. Once you are onboard it will become a nightmare if it doesn't show.

 

But as far as booking direct, I shudder to think how much more we would have spent had we not booked every one of our 50+ cruises with a TA. My guess would be somewhere between $15k and $20k, enough for a bunch of new cruises.