Why I will never use travel agents again

[beckntom]

Gosh, it saddens me that many of you have had bad TA experiences . . and that we can't pass on the names of excellent TAs. I totally understand the control thing, but a good TA is worth his or her weight in gold. I know mine is. My TA responds to me within an hour usually--actually, normally just minutes--so that helps the control thing. My husband and I laugh that she has her laptop glued to her hip. We get amazing discounts and some OBC, in addition to what all of you get by booking direct.

 

The money we save by going through this TA IS worth giving up the control, because she knows her business and does her job well. THAT'S the kind of TA you have to find.

[Reader0108598]

Just for fun I checked a few places to see what it cost for my cruise:

 

Just checked Big box store:

 

3,696.00 -----235.00 OBC

 

Another big travel agency is charging 3,518.00 ---- 175.00 OBC

 

I paid 3,000.68- ---- 225.00 OBC with Princess.

 

Think I made the right choice!:D

 

Reader

Edited July 27, 2016 by Reader0108598

[Thrak]

Our TA doesn't charge any sort of fees for anything. On our last cruise I got a call from the TA shortly before the cruise. He said that a couple of cabins had opened up for upsells (the cruise had been sold out for a very long time). I took one of the upsell offers. When I got the new booking info from the TA it included a check with a note saying he was covering the cost of one of our upsells. He also gifted us a nice bit of OBC and, when making the original booking, he "rounded" the figure down $50 or so and covered that as well.

 

I have called him and found that, even though he was out of the office and on the other side of the country, his voice mail went directly to his cell and he called me back and made changes for me. He is available on weekends, etc.

 

We are pretty happy with his service. :)

[icat2000]

Ive given TA's the flick. I tend to book directly with the cruiseline now. After four years of trying different ones. Princess direct gives the best service.

[Colo Cruiser]

Just for fun I checked a few places to see what it cost for my cruise:

 

Just checked Big box store:

 

3,696.00 -----235.00 OBC

 

Another big travel agency is charging 3,518.00 ---- 175.00 OBC

 

I paid 3,000.68- ---- 225.00 OBC with Princess.

 

Think I made the right choice!:D

 

Reader

 

 

If you transferred that to my TA it would be in the vicinity of $2700.

[Reader0108598]

If you transferred that to my TA it would be in the vicinity of $2700.

 

I am sure you have a wonderful TA....I unfortunately have not found that.

 

Would that be with the OBC?

Edited July 27, 2016 by Reader0108598

[AdoraBelle]

Gosh, it saddens me that many of you have had bad TA experiences . . and that we can't pass on the names of excellent TAs. I totally understand the control thing, but a good TA is worth his or her weight in gold. I know mine is. My TA responds to me within an hour usually--actually, normally just minutes--so that helps the control thing. My husband and I laugh that she has her laptop glued to her hip. We get amazing discounts and some OBC, in addition to what all of you get by booking direct.

 

The money we save by going through this TA IS worth giving up the control, because she knows her business and does her job well. THAT'S the kind of TA you have to find.

 

I don't. The rules here just mean endless frustration is caused when people brag about their TAs and their big discounts.

 

I've done many, many google runs trying to find evidence of these discounts, but without fail, the prices I can find from online TAs are identical to the dollar to what the cruiseline and the box-store is charging. When I reached out to what seemed like a well-rounded local TA with many agents and their own podcast, their prices were MORE than booking through the cruiseline.

 

Sometimes, with some of the online agencies, there might be a little bit of a difference in OBC, but that's it.

 

So the forum rules just make it into an arbitrary game of the haves and have-nots--plus I assume some people like to exaggerate their claims/discounts, because human nature.

[JimmyVWine]

If you transferred that to my TA it would be in the vicinity of $2700.

I don't know that there is any way to confirm that. It might be that your TA could lop 10% off of the price before a big sale, but not 10% of the sale price. For example, I booked our next cruise during the "Red White And Blue" sale (which I have found to be the best one of the year). During that sale, every TA I reached out to told me that they could match that price. Big deal. Had I booked with the TA a month before the RW&B sale, they could have gotten me a deal that was...wait for it...just as good as the price during the RW&B sale. So I suppose that is something. I could have gotten a lower price without waiting for the sale to kick in. But I knew that the RW&B sale was coming down the pike, so I waited. The bottom line is that once the cruise fare hit rock bottom, (it has since gone up and since few cabins remain unsold, I doubt there will be another reduction), the TA was stymied. So if Reader booked at the absolute nadir, it is entirely that even your TA would not have been able to get 10% lower than that. They might have been able to get 10% off of $3,300. But not 10% off of $3,000. I really don't think there is any way of knowing, short of trying to book through a TA during the sale period. A TA can always throw some commission back to the customer even during the lowest of the lowest sale. But commission isn't going to be 10% of the booking price.

[Loonbeam]

This is not a reason to never use a TA again. This is a reason as to why you always ask for a list of fees, etc before booking.

 

My TA charges no fees at all other than $30 for an airfare only booking, and a $5 fee for any hotel bookings under $200. No change fees, no cancellation fees etc.

 

Now, I many not get the best deals that some get, but I get great service at a fair price ($0) on every trip I ever take and she has got my back.

 

She just went to bat for me and got me a change on Carnival on a non-refundable, non cancel, no transfer fare. Didn't cost me a penny, where Carnival wanted several hundred...

 

I have an upcoming Princess cruise for march 2017. A Celebrity offer has come to light. A better offer. Better dates etc.

 

Being well over the 181 days for a penalty free cancellation I thought great lets make the switch. However I didnt realise my agent had there own set of cancelation policy ontop of Princess. We require to pay a fee for cancelation. I would understand a small fee since its extra work but I think $300 is a little excessive.

 

They also charge fees for refairing etc (so price drops are useless). Ontop of my frustration I specifically asked if a penalty free cancelation will be honoured by princess prior to booking since we weren't sure about the dates.

 

Adding to my frustration it states a change in cruise date is permitted for $50. I argued that since they are retaining the commission isnt it a change in date. They argued since it involves cancelling our cruise and booking another. No we incure the cancelation fee. The $50 is only charged within the same booking... one is not sure how you book a new departure date for the same cruise.

 

Has anyone experienced this before. I.e agent fees ontop of cruise lines?

[Reader0108598]

I don't know that there is any way to confirm that. It might be that your TA could lop 10% off of the price before a big sale, but not 10% of the sale price. For example, I booked our next cruise during the "Red White And Blue" sale (which I have found to be the best one of the year). During that sale, every TA I reached out to told me that they could match that price. Big deal. Had I booked with the TA a month before the RW&B sale, they could have gotten me a deal that was...wait for it...just as good as the price during the RW&B sale. So I suppose that is something. I could have gotten a lower price without waiting for the sale to kick in. But I knew that the RW&B sale was coming down the pike, so I waited. The bottom line is that once the cruise fare hit rock bottom, (it has since gone up and since few cabins remain unsold, I doubt there will be another reduction), the TA was stymied. So if Reader booked at the absolute nadir, it is entirely that even your TA would not have been able to get 10% lower than that. They might have been able to get 10% off of $3,300. But not 10% off of $3,000. I really don't think there is any way of knowing, short of trying to book through a TA during the sale period. A TA can always throw some commission back to the customer even during the lowest of the lowest sale. But commission isn't going to be 10% of the booking price.

 

 

 

My thinking exactly! Thank you for posting what I thought....:)

 

Reader

Edited July 27, 2016 by Reader0108598

[JimmyVWine]

-plus I assume some people like to exaggerate their claims/discounts, because human nature.

 

Or, more likely, many people here book early and pay higher prices, from which the TA can indeed get a decent discount. But after re-faring when the price is lowered, people come out the same. Example:

 

Poster 1 books cruise on the day it comes out, 2+ years in advance. Pays MSRP of $4,000 less 10% TA savings for a total of $3,600. Over the course of 2 years, various sales reduce the price down to $3,200. TA graciously does the re-booking to get the lower fare and Poster is now locked in at $3,200.

 

Poster 2 waits for the sale, has fewer cabin options, but pays the sale price of $3,200.

 

Poster 1 brags about the deal that the TA got them as well as their great customer service in watching out for lower fares. Poster 2 shrugs and says that they got the same price. Both people are technically correct.

[Colo Cruiser]

I am sure you have a wonderful TA....I unfortunately have not found that.

 

Would that be with the OBC?

 

 

When/if I transfer the obc usually rolls over with the booking to the TA.

I think if you had a great rate/obc from a TA and you transferred the booking to Princess or another TA you would lose the obc from that particular agency because its their promo/group space etc. If that makes sense.

[Reader0108598]

When/if I transfer the obc usually rolls over with the booking to the TA.

I think if you had a great rate/obc from a TA and you transferred the booking to Princess or another TA you would lose the obc from that particular agency because its their promo/group space etc. If that makes sense.

 

You are correct that OBC is from Princess..........sorry, head cold, left work early, obviously not thinking ..LOL

Edited July 27, 2016 by Reader0108598

[Grimsby]

We live in Canada, but have used an on-line T. A. out of Port St. Lucie Florida for 15 years. They always have the best price, and to date, (just for this latest cruise), we have had two price reductions. The first was no charge, and the second, and subsequent changes, are $25. each. Over the years, every time I approached them with a lower advertised fare, they have always matched the listed reduction. Now in all fairness, I am the one checking for lower fares, but as soon as it was brought to the T. A.'s attention, changes were made, usually within a day.

 

As far as credits go, I am satisfied that we have received the the same, or better on-board perks as anyone else. Any questions are usually answered the next business day.

 

So, there are still some out there that care about their customers. And that is why I keep giving them repeat business.

[shredie]

A good TA is priceless. A bad one is a nightmare.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[JimmyVWine]

A good TA is priceless. A bad one is a nightmare.

 

Pretty much sums it up. There will never be a definitive answer as to whether or not the risk of landing on "priceless" vs. "nightmare" is worth the 7%-10% spin of the wheel.

[Eagle_and_hawk]

I don't exaggerate our discounts as some may think, just beacuse they are unable to find a good TA or rates. I will show proof in the cruise we just booked last month on the Caribbean. You can go right now to the Princess WEB site and look at 12/11/16, 6-nights and book the remaining window suite F301 that is still available. This does not qualify for the current sale. The rate is $2518, exactly what it was when we booked it, with $50 OBC as we used two FCC. Nothing else included from Princess, zip, nada.

 

P1 by Cool Runnings, on Flickr

 

We booked a room down the hall, at this rate, then forwarded it to the travel agent we use. She came back with $2296, plus an additional $60 OBC. We moved it to her, and now have $110 OBC.

 

This is the remaining invoice:

 

P2 by Cool Runnings, on Flickr

 

This is with no cancellation fees from the agent. We will have to watch price drops on our own and she has always been good about working those out, or getting the current promotion added if it works out, based on Princess cancellation, etc.

 

We also have an Alaskan cruise booked 9/2017, in a full suite under Sip & Sale promotion. We have that booking also discounted about 9% from Princess WEB site, with same perks. We have always received a better price than the Princess direct booking either through discounts on fare or OBC's. If we did not, then we would probably would not move the reservations to a TA.

 

That's our experienace and always been positive with our agent.

[JimmyVWine]

I don't exaggerate our discounts as some may think, just beacuse they are unable to find a good TA or rates. I will show proof in the cruise we just booked last month on the Caribbean.

 

Perfect, because I looked at this exact cruise during the Red White and Blue sale. (Booked same cruise, but in November instead). During that sale the price of the WS was $2,418 ($100 less than it is today), and complimentary gratuities were added in. So the price comparison breaks down as follows, (FCC OBC is omitted from analysis as it is a "constant"):

 

Your price = ($2,296 + $167.40 in gratuities) = $2,463.40 with $60 OBC from TA

 

Current MSRP = ($2,518 + $167.40 in gratuities) = $2,685.40 with $0 OBC

 

RW&B Sale = ($2,418 + $0 in gratuities) = $2,418 with $0 OBC.

 

So the addition of your OBC from your TA makes you the winner...by $15.

You saved 8.3% off of the current MSRP which is consistent with the 7%-10% that many claim. But you saved less than 1% off of the RW&B sale price.

Edited July 27, 2016 by JimmyVWine

[iceleven]

We live in Canada, but have used an on-line T. A. out of Port St. Lucie Florida for 15 years. They always have the best price, and to date, (just for this latest cruise), we have had two price reductions. The first was no charge, and the second, and subsequent changes, are $25. each. Over the years, every time I approached them with a lower advertised fare, they have always matched the listed reduction. Now in all fairness, I am the one checking for lower fares, but as soon as it was brought to the T. A.'s attention, changes were made, usually within a day.

 

As far as credits go, I am satisfied that we have received the the same, or better on-board perks as anyone else. Any questions are usually answered the next business day.

 

So, there are still some out there that care about their customers. And that is why I keep giving them repeat business.

 

Because you are Canadian can you get better rates going through a U.S. agent? If that is the case, that makes sense but you are still doing all the work for your agent.

[Eagle_and_hawk]

Perfect, because I looked at this exact cruise during the Red White and Blue sale. (Booked same cruise, but in November instead). During that sale the price of the WS was $2,418 ($100 less than it is today), and complimentary gratuities were added in. So the price comparison breaks down as follows, (FCC OBC is omitted from analysis as it is a "constant"):

 

Your price = ($2,296 + $167.40 in gratuities) = $2,463.40 with $60 OBC from TA

 

Current MSRP = ($2,518 + $167.40 in gratuities) = $2,685.40 with $0 OBC

 

RW&B Sale = ($2,418 + $0 in gratuities) = $2,418 with $0 OBC.

 

 

So the addition of your OBC from your TA makes you the winner...by $15.

 

You are comparing apples to oranges. Different cruise times that did qualify for a sale.

 

Nothing extra was included wih this room, so the only way to make a fair comparison would be to have sent this exact thing to our TA to see what she came back with.

[Reader0108598]

Perfect, because I looked at this exact cruise during the Red White and Blue sale. (Booked same cruise, but in November instead). During that sale the price of the WS was $2,418 ($100 less than it is today), and complimentary gratuities were added in. So the price comparison breaks down as follows, (FCC OBC is omitted from analysis as it is a "constant"):

 

Your price = ($2,296 + $167.40 in gratuities) = $2,463.40 with $60 OBC from TA

 

Current MSRP = ($2,518 + $167.40 in gratuities) = $2,685.40 with $0 OBC

 

RW&B Sale = ($2,418 + $0 in gratuities) = $2,418 with $0 OBC.

 

So the addition of your OBC from your TA makes you the winner...by $15.

You saved 8.3% off of the current MSRP which is consistent with the 7%-10% that many claim. But you saved less than 1% off of the RW&B sale price.

 

Nice break down:)

[Eagle_and_hawk]

If we really wanted a fair comparison, then those concerned should take this exact room, on this exact sailing, not some random cruise, and report back as to the best deal they can get. I have our savings listed.

 

Can't list TA's, but compare apples to apples and then we can see what discounts some of us are or are not getting. Excluding military discounts, CCL stock owners or long time cruiser, only what someone off the street can book for.

[Reader0108598]

If we really wanted a fair comparison, then those concerned should take this exact room, on this exact sailing, not some random cruise, and report back as to the best deal they can get. I have our savings listed.

 

Can't list TA's, but compare apples to apples and then we can see what discounts some of us are or are not getting. Excluding military discounts, CCL stock owners or long time cruiser, only what someone off the street can book for.

 

 

You are right ,however do not have to book your room, (Cabin) just same cat.

You do need to look at the same cruise though.

Edited July 27, 2016 by Reader0108598

[Eagle_and_hawk]

You are right ,however do not have to book your room, (Cabin) just same cat.

 

 

Right, those window suites are S7. Not sure if any of the other suites are S7 as would have to look. I thought the suites with balconies in AFT and MID were different, as in S6 or something.

 

My thoughts was this was the only S7 left and it's about 1/2 the price of the other suites, but any cat S7 should work.

[RocketMan275]

We just cancelled a cruise on Celebrity and re- booked one on Princess thru our TA. Absolutely no charge for anything from either TA or cruiselines.

 

If you book multiple cruises on multiple lines, then there is a major advantage to using a TA. For example: I had two cruises booked on two different lines. Both were booked with the same TA. I decided to cancel both and book two other cruises on different lines. If I had booked direct, I would have to make four different calls. As it was, I made one call to one TA, made all the changes and had email confirmation in less than fifteen minutes. And, there were no cancellation or change fees.