Price drop and a TA

[Colo Cruiser]

Then shame on the TA.

[Calgon1]

Not a C.L.I.A. certified TA is she?

 

Bummer . . .

 

http://www.cruising.org/vacation/why-plan-your-cruise-vacation-clia-travel-agent

 

[Bimmie Girl]

I have discovered 2 things. first of all the web site that my TA works for prices right now, higher than the Princess web site. I have sent her an eamil to give her a chance at trying to come up with something.

 

the second thing I found out that is that, when I called Princess to inquire about swithing my TA there is a procedure to follow and the first is to establish a history, which I set in motion by making the call to Princess. then I have to FAX Princess a letter releasing TA and all her information to the ONE SOURCE DEPt. along with my information saying I want to handle the booking on my own. Then I have to call Princess 2 days later to make sure my booking is not frozen and the booking transferred. Princess told me that if they have another sale, then they would honor any other price reductions. the promo. with Princess is good until Aug. 19th.

 

I will wait to see if the TA can get me something better than $175 reduction, and if not I will follow through with the other steps.

[Colo Cruiser]

I have discovered 2 things. first of all the web site that my TA works for prices right now, higher than the Princess web site. I have sent her an eamil to give her a chance at trying to come up with something.

 

the second thing I found out that is that, when I called Princess to inquire about swithing my TA there is a procedure to follow and the first is to establish a history, which I set in motion by making the call to Princess. then I have to FAX Princess a letter releasing TA and all her information to the ONE SOURCE DEPt. along with my information saying I want to handle the booking on my own. Then I have to call Princess 2 days later to make sure my booking is not frozen and the booking transferred. Princess told me that if they have another sale, then they would honor any other price reductions. the promo. with Princess is good until Aug. 19th.

 

I will wait to see if the TA can get me something better than $175 reduction, and if not I will follow through with the other steps.

 

I hope your TA wont charge you an agency cancelation fee when you try and take the booking away from them.

Would not surprise me if they are charging more then Princess, they sound pretty greedy. :mad:

[SoCal Cruiser78]

Post deleted.

Edited July 29, 2014 by Ryndam2002

[Thrak]

I have discovered 2 things. first of all the web site that my TA works for prices right now, higher than the Princess web site. I have sent her an eamil to give her a chance at trying to come up with something.

 

the second thing I found out that is that, when I called Princess to inquire about swithing my TA there is a procedure to follow and the first is to establish a history, which I set in motion by making the call to Princess. then I have to FAX Princess a letter releasing TA and all her information to the ONE SOURCE DEPt. along with my information saying I want to handle the booking on my own. Then I have to call Princess 2 days later to make sure my booking is not frozen and the booking transferred. Princess told me that if they have another sale, then they would honor any other price reductions. the promo. with Princess is good until Aug. 19th.

 

I will wait to see if the TA can get me something better than $175 reduction, and if not I will follow through with the other steps.

 

Actually I really hope your TA doesn't offer you a better deal. I would hate to think that you would stay with this TA for any reason.

[icat2000]

I wouldn't be bothering with this TA or waiting around for them to match the pricing. I would be asking them to cancel the cruise and booking it directly with Princess. Because what happens if a few weeks later there another price drop and you have to go through this same saga with this TA.

[billco]

the second thing I found out that is that, when I called Princess to inquire about swithing my TA there is a procedure to follow and the first is to establish a history, which I set in motion by making the call to Princess. then I have to FAX Princess a letter releasing TA and all her information to the ONE SOURCE DEPt. along with my information saying I want to handle the booking on my own. Then I have to call Princess 2 days later to make sure my booking is not frozen and the booking transferred. Princess told me that if they have another sale, then they would honor any other price reductions. the promo. with Princess is good until Aug. 19th.

I think I followed that procedure several years ago. More recently, I have just given the new TA the booking # and they have done all the work. When the transfer is complete, I will get an invoice from the new TA and the TA info shows up in my cruise personalizer within a day or so. I seldom call Princess about such matters, because I am always going to be talking to a different person, often with different answers. One reason I use a TA is for the personal touch. Edited July 29, 2014 by billco

[LovesCruising]

This is a bad TA - If there is no cancellation penalty with her (and if there Is Id never use her again for sure) Id tell her she either needs to give you the $400 price drop you are seeking and deal with her reduced commission or you are cancelling and going elsewhere.

 

She is not giving you the full price drop you are entitled to because she doesn't want to loose the commission she had before the price drop. So - she is only discounting your res the amount she is stating in order to keep her original commission in tact.

 

I understand her pulling the OBC.

 

Gives us TA's a bad name!

[Bimmie Girl]

This is a bad TA - If there is no cancellation penalty with her (and if there Is Id never use her again for sure) Id tell her she either needs to give you the $400 price drop you are seeking and deal with her reduced commission or you are cancelling and going elsewhere.

 

She is not giving you the full price drop you are entitled to because she doesn't want to loose the commission she had before the price drop. So - she is only discounting your res the amount she is stating in order to keep her original commission in tact.

 

I understand her pulling the OBC.

 

Gives us TA's a bad name!

 

TA called me last night and said either way, she will lose money with me, which I do feel bad. She talked to her sups and they agreed to give us and the other couple the $400 off on our cabin and we just had to give up the $100 OBC, which is fine. I thanked her.

 

I think my problem is, I have more time during my day to keep up with investigating pricing. She agreed that most of her clients allow her to do her job and appreciate her time and arent looking to save/pinch, every penny they can. I felt bad for her. She said she would of lost money if she lost both our cabins switching, and she lost money because of the price drop, she got less commision, and told me that is not my problem so don't worry about it. $400 is alot of money.........it will pay for our hotel the night before the cruise, pay for the parking at the cruise terminal, and pay for our meals the day before and our gas to and from, I could not let it go.

 

Thanks everyone for your help!!!!! I LEARNED ALOT!!!!!

[Justprettynpink]

She agreed that most of her clients allow her to do her job and appreciate her time and arent looking to save/pinch, every penny they can.

 

 

I think you should find another TA for your next cruise who will appreciate your business. I would attend your meet & greet and ask fellow cruisers who they use...

 

Happy you saved 40,000 pennies! :)

[LovesCruising]

TA called me last night and said either way, she will lose money with me, which I do feel bad. She talked to her sups and they agreed to give us and the other couple the $400 off on our cabin and we just had to give up the $100 OBC, which is fine. I thanked her.

 

I think my problem is, I have more time during my day to keep up with investigating pricing. She agreed that most of her clients allow her to do her job and appreciate her time and arent looking to save/pinch, every penny they can. I felt bad for her. She said she would of lost money if she lost both our cabins switching, and she lost money because of the price drop, she got less commision, and told me that is not my problem so don't worry about it. $400 is alot of money.........it will pay for our hotel the night before the cruise, pay for the parking at the cruise terminal, and pay for our meals the day before and our gas to and from, I could not let it go.

 

Thanks everyone for your help!!!!! I LEARNED ALOT!!!!!

 

Sure - with a price drop she is loosing money - her commission is reduced - but that's the cost of doing business. Id rather loose a few dollars and have a happy customer who will come back to me for future bookings than do what she is doing.

 

She also told you right from the beginning she would honor price drops. You were nothing but honest with her in advising you would be watching for them.

 

Im glad she did the right thing in the end. Dont' feel bad for one minute. I am surprised she would make the "let her do her job" statement - that's awful. A good travel agent will monitor their bookings and find the price drop before you do - I have and its always appreciated by loyal clients.

 

You have to do whats best for you. She didn't loose that much money - depending on her % of commission with Princess it may have amounted to a little over $100 with the 2 bookings - and she pulled the OBC so she is fine. Don't stress over it.

 

Wonder what will happen if you find another price drop - cause she sure isn't going to find it for you. Congratulations on getting what you wanted.

Edited July 30, 2014 by LovesCruising

[Nan_Sea]

Hard to believe a business woman would give you a guilt trip for doing what is a logical move for you. Very unprofessional IMO. Find another agent is still my advise.

[Bimmie Girl]

I think you should find another TA for your next cruise who will appreciate your business. I would attend your meet & greet and ask fellow cruisers who they use...

 

Happy you saved 40,000 pennies! :)

 

THAT IS A GREAT IDEA!!! I wondered how you find out about TA's when we can't exchange names here, but a Meet and Greet is a great way to find a good one, thanks for that advice.;)

[cruzsnooze]

I almost never use a middle man so I can control my own booking. You learned a lesson and can now decide if you want to continue using TA'S in the future or make your own reservation. It's really advantageous to be able to call Princess and they will help you instead of being told to call your middleman.

[Tweedy]

.... She agreed that most of her clients allow her to do her job and appreciate her time and arent looking to save/pinch, every penny they can. I felt bad for her. She said she would of lost money if she lost both our cabins switching, and she lost money because of the price drop, she got less commision, and told me that is not my problem so don't worry about it....

 

You are the client and should be given the best deal possible and not made to feel guilty for doing so. She shouldn't be griping to you about you trying to save yourself money and her losing out on commission. That is not professional at all.

 

Any future sailings you do, either book directly with Princess or find a different agency to deal with.

[FKGirl]

You are the client and should be given the best deal possible and not made to feel guilty for doing so. She shouldn't be griping to you about you trying to save yourself money and her losing out on commission. That is not professional at all.

 

.

 

Agree 100%

 

First of all, your TA is not doing her job, which is to get you the best deal. Find someone you can trust. You hour always be able to get a lower price until final payment. Period. (Yes, you may lose an onboard credit or other amenity, but again, the TA should be able to point you n the right direction as to what the better deal is.

Edited July 30, 2014 by FKGirl

[geoherb]

A really great travel agent would have notified you of the price drop, not try to make you feel guilty. The money they'd lose in commission on one cruise is more than made up for having a happy customer who will book more cruises with them and recommend them to others. As I said before, when I've noticed a price drop on the Princess website before the final payment date, my agent has always been able to get me that price or better.

[as19111]

When I connected with my TA yesterday, she had the reduced fare in 5 minutes, no questions asked.

 

Any travel agent that considers $400 penny pinching, is only looking out for their own commission. I'd take my business elsewhere.

[Bimmie Girl]

I almost never use a middle man so I can control my own booking. You learned a lesson and can now decide if you want to continue using TA'S in the future or make your own reservation. It's really advantageous to be able to call Princess and they will help you instead of being told to call your middleman.

 

I agree!!

[LovesCruising]

I almost never use a middle man so I can control my own booking. You learned a lesson and can now decide if you want to continue using TA'S in the future or make your own reservation. It's really advantageous to be able to call Princess and they will help you instead of being told to call your middleman.

 

While th3 OP Is agreeing with this - I find from reading these boards most people use a TA to obtain those EXTRA perks they may be able to afford.

 

If you want control - your not going to get anything beyond what the cruise line is offering - and that is fine.

 

However, a TA can and should give you the personal attention you deserve.

[janetz]

You don't sail until Feb? I would cancel and book with Princess or another TA. Does your TA charge a cancellation fee? I would also let her know exactly why she is losing your booking and any future bookings. No way I would stick with her. :)

[Bimmie Girl]

While th3 OP Is agreeing with this - I find from reading these boards most people use a TA to obtain those EXTRA perks they may be able to afford.

 

If you want control - your not going to get anything beyond what the cruise line is offering - and that is fine.

 

However, a TA can and should give you the personal attention you deserve.

 

This is so true............right now as it stands, we are not getting anything from our TA that I would not be getting from booking directly through Princess............I am waiting to see what else, if anything, we get from them/TA, by the time we sail. If nothing, then I will be looking to book on my own in the future or finding another TA. I feel I have recieved some great advice on these boards and will use ALL this information to make wiser choices next go round.

[dorisis]

TA called me last night and said either way, she will lose money with me, which I do feel bad. She talked to her sups and they agreed to give us and the other couple the $400 off on our cabin and we just had to give up the $100 OBC, which is fine. I thanked her.

 

I think my problem is, I have more time during my day to keep up with investigating pricing. She agreed that most of her clients allow her to do her job and appreciate her time and arent looking to save/pinch, every penny they can. I felt bad for her. She said she would of lost money if she lost both our cabins switching, and she lost money because of the price drop, she got less commision, and told me that is not my problem so don't worry about it. $400 is alot of money.........it will pay for our hotel the night before the cruise, pay for the parking at the cruise terminal, and pay for our meals the day before and our gas to and from, I could not let it go.

 

Thanks everyone for your help!!!!! I LEARNED ALOT!!!!!

We have an agent who tracks prices on our cruises and ses to it that we get the best price possible. it is not always easy to figure all the ins, outs, up, and down that cruise lines use. he is much more knowledgable than I. He would also rather keep his good customers than make a few dollars in commission. It has paid off for him because he has gained quite a few customers from our recomendations.

[peety3]

The price of our cabin dropped $400 total this weekend, so I called. She said that the $100 OBC she gave us upon booking would be disqualified, which I told her fine, because paying $400 less would more than make up the cost. She then informed me that, not only do I lose the $100 OBC but she can only discount our room a total of $175.98. I asked, per person right? she said no, total for the room, she has to get commision and I would be cutting into her commision. so we lose the $100, but got the room discounted $175 even though the cabin is now $400 less than what we paid? I am confused. It now means that we only saved $75.98????

 

If this is true and typical, I will never use a TA again and just book through the cruise line. DH said live and learn. What are you all experiences with TA and price drops? just curious:confused:

Are you near or beyond the final payment date? If you're beyond that date, you're locked into the price and there's nothing your TA can do. Further, if you would have booked direct with Princess, you'd be locked in as well, and there's nothing that Princess can do to lower your price.

 

When we booked our last cruise (via TA), she called us the next week to offer us a nice Princess promotion, and so we jumped on it. Then when it was time for final payment, she called Princess and got the best price she could, so our price went down a little further (we did end up sacrificing some promotional benefits, such as a free specialty dinner on the night of Princess' choosing, but netted out better in the end). However, I knew as soon as I handed over the CC, we were locked in.

 

Do tell us how the timing factors in for your example.