Switching travel agents?

[krewzin]

We've got an Alaskan cruise booked for the summer on HAL and have yet to make final payment (not due for another 8 weeks). A friend of ours just booked and got a great deal in the same category cabin (SA).

 

Well, she gave me the travel agency name, I went to their site and plugged in our cruise date & ship...and I too got a great price.

 

It was a savings of $824 on one of the 2 cabins we have booked!

 

Since it's such a huge difference, I've contacted my TA by email and given them this info in hopes that this (lower) price can be matched. If not, can I contact this new TA...give them my current booking info and transfer the booking without losing the cabin #'s we've reserved?

 

I don't wanna be a jerk about this...is this proper cruise booking etiquette?

 

Thanks!

[Acrusa]

If you have used this TA for several past bookings,I would call them back and see if they can arrange a credit either A ship board credit or a discount on the price you are paying.Mind you it probbly wont be that amount but if theres a good faith effort i would take it.If you could switch just make sure the insurance you bought can change with you.

[kryos]

Since it's such a huge difference, I've contacted my TA by email and given them this info in hopes that this (lower) price can be matched. If not, can I contact this new TA...give them my current booking info and transfer the booking without losing the cabin #'s we've reserved?

I certainly don't have the experience with this sort of thing that others on this board probably do, but I would assume that if you wanted to switch travel agents, your original booking with the first agent would have to be cancelled and a new one made with the new agent. Whether that would result in losing the cabins, I don't know. Theoretically, I would guess that someone else could snag them before your new agent once they became available again.

 

But ... you may have no choice but to cancel the original booking. The "deal" you might be seeing on the website of the new TA may only be available for brand new bookings.

 

I know if you book with the cruise line directly you can then easily transfer the existing booking to a TA of your choice. But I don't think you can just transfer between TA's without having to actually cancel the one booking and make another. Be aware that this could also result in a "cancellation penalty" being assessed by the original TA. Read the fine print in the invoice they sent you. Many TA's are now charging an approximate $100 fee for a cancelled booking. This is in addition to any possible penalty assessed by the cruise line in the event that you are outside of your cancellation period.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[gizmo]

Yes, you can transfer from TA to TA without cancelling the booking, I have done this. The original TA must agree to it. Keep in mind the original TA might not be too happy about loosing the booking and may refuse to do the transfer. In that case you must cancel and rebook. You do take the chance of loosing your cabin.

 

No, you cannot have the new TA do the transfer without the orginal TA agreeing. There is paper work involved. If the original TA agrees you will have to fax her a document stating that you want this done.

 

Which ever way it goes, you will probably have a cancellation fee or some kind of transfer charge.

 

Is there any insurance involved? If so, make sure you are not going to loose any money if you cancel and rebook. If you manage to transferring the insurance will be ok.

 

Good Luck. :)

[infopaul]

krewzin,

 

It is the responcibility of your agent to find and match the lower price so not to lose you as a client. Tell the agent to call HAL because it is a policy to keep you as a customer. Info that might help is, was it a promo or group booking or a 3 day flash sale, these things need to be asked to compare apples to apples. Your agent will be able to get this info. Don't assume that what you saw is what your agent has booked. Call (not email) your TA and tell them what you did and go from there.

 

It's not about proper etiquette, you agent is being paid for service and there are issues and consequences if they are not working up to their responcibility. HAL call's it a lower pice guarantee (not internet purchased) but with a TA. Maybe your agent didn't tell you in lieu of the higher commission or maybe the category and sailing date hasn't been lowered by HAL. Your refund policy is less than 75-46 days before travel, an amount equal to the deposit requirement per person cancellation fee. This does not include TA or agency fees which can be additional...Paul:)

 

P.S. Your payment in full date is about to come up, so don't delay. Good Luck...Paul:)

[ocngypz]

Since your friends just booked, they may have booked under what HAL calls a SWAT rate. It is for new bookings only. Prior bookings cannot be re-fared.

 

You would have to cancel and rebook if this is the case.

 

Call your agent!!

[kryos]

Since your friends just booked, they may have booked under what HAL calls a SWAT rate. It is for new bookings only. Prior bookings cannot be re-fared.

 

You would have to cancel and rebook if this is the case.

 

Call your agent!!

That's what I'm thinking too. This could be a cruise that is not selling as well as expected, and HAL is offering a good deal just to fill up the bulk of the unsold cabins. If so, your current agent is not gonna be able to get you that rate without you having to cancel and then completely rebook. And, even then ... special promos can be pulled at any time. You still may not necessarily get the rate your friends did.

 

Sometimes the early bird does not necessarily get the worm. Booking early is not always a good thing.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[krewzin]

Well, my agent has contacted me and stated that the other TA is doing a no-no and cutting their commission, something looked down upon in the industry. That if found out by HAL, they can lose their ability to sell HAL cruises?

 

Is this true?

 

These (new) prices are about 11% below those of the other agent...I thought TA commissions were only 3%? How can they be cutting their commission, if their commission doesn't amount to that to begin with?

 

*I'll hear soon about whether they will match this discounted lower fare.

[jhannah]

I believe it was NCL that made "no discounting" a formal policy issued to all travel agents and agencies. I'm not sure HAL has done this yet.

[Tricia724]

Well, my agent has contacted me and stated that the other TA is doing a no-no and cutting their commission, something looked down upon in the industry. That if found out by HAL, they can lose their ability to sell HAL cruises?

 

I'm not sure that's true. RCI has established a no-discounting policy, so theoretically all Royal Caribbean and Celebrity cruises cannot be discounted by the travel agent....only by the cruiselines.) Generally you will find that the rates published by the travel agents are the same rates listed on the cruiselines' websites. Sometimes when bookings are low, the cruiseline will allow some agents to sell at a discount. In this case if an agent advertises a lower rate than the authorized cruiseline price, they could be in trouble with the cruiseline. (Many agents have found ways around this rule.)

 

I am not aware that HAL has established that same rule. We currently have two cruises booked on HAL, and we have found several different rates published for each of those cruises. Since they are lower than the rates on HAL's website, I have to assume the agents are cutting their commission. Every travel agent doesn't necessarily receive the same commission from the cruiselines. High volume agents receive a higher commission which allows more room for negotiation. If you are seeing a published rate available to all cruisers for those accommodations without restriction, it should be legitimate. Your TA may well not be able to match the price of a discount cruise agency, but I don't really believe the other agency is doing anything unethical.

[ocngypz]

Well, my agent has contacted me and stated that the other TA is doing a no-no and cutting their commission, something looked down upon in the industry. That if found out by HAL, they can lose their ability to sell HAL cruises?

 

Is this true?

 

These (new) prices are about 11% below those of the other agent...I thought TA commissions were only 3%? How can they be cutting their commission, if their commission doesn't amount to that to begin with?

 

*I'll hear soon about whether they will match this discounted lower fare.

 

A TA can rebate any and all of their commission earned from HAL if they want to. There is no "NO REBATING" policy with HAL. The lines which forbid rebating of commission are Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Silversea, and Crystal.

 

No, the answer to your question, is NO. It is not true.

[serendipity1499]

Yes, you can transfer from TA to TA without cancelling the booking, I have done this. The original TA must agree to it. Keep in mind the original TA might not be too happy about loosing the booking and may refuse to do the transfer. In that case you must cancel and rebook. You do take the chance of loosing your cabin.

 

No, you cannot have the new TA do the transfer without the orginal TA agreeing. There is paper work involved. If the original TA agrees you will have to fax her a document stating that you want this done.

 

Which ever way it goes, you will probably have a cancellation fee or some kind of transfer charge.

 

Is there any insurance involved? If so, make sure you are not going to loose any money if you cancel and rebook. If you manage to transferring the insurance will be ok.

 

Good Luck. :)

 

The on-line Travel Agent that we are using will no longer take bookings from another agent..You have to be very careful & read the rules of the new agent before trying to transfer the booking..Good luck

[krewzin]

Thanks for the replies.... my TA has contacted me and stated that they will in fact, match the price of the other agency which was a very nice surprise...that's a substantial savings.

 

That they stepped up to the plate has restored my confidence in them.

[serendipity1499]

That's great..Enjoy your cruise!