Am I asking too much from my travel agent?

[Boatdrill]

4 hours ago, CafeBruno said:

Literally took 5 minutes, and then she's done and collects her commission.  

Not quite.

The booking belongs to the agent, so any changes or payments still have to made by him/her only. And you will have to contact him/her for that .    

He/she will have paperwork to do for your booking, and often will not collect the commission for months after she/he completes your booking.  It depends on the sail date: book a cruise today for next April, and the commission from HAL will come in February. But the agency is paid first, and after they take their share, the agent is paid. So he/she will have waited nearly a year to receive the commission on your booking. Travel agents are the first to be solicited for business by cruise lines, hotels, etc., and the last to be paid. 

 

If you cancel your reservation, the agent gets nothing from you, unless he/she charged you a non-refundable planning fee, which many do to protect themselves. If the agent has been paid the commission, and you have to cancel, the cruise line recalls the commission and takes it back from the agent.

 

I can understand why you've been through so many agents. If you just want an order taker, consider joining an agency as an independent contractor, book your own cruises, and earn your own commission.     

 

   

Edited April 24 by Boatdrill

[crystalspin]

4 hours ago, Mary229 said:

Your agent should have access to software that tracks changes and that software is more robust than what consumers have available.

Seems like that would qualify as "full-service" that OP doesn't want.

[CafeBruno]

8 minutes ago, Boatdrill said:

Not quite.

The booking belongs to the agent, so any changes or payments still have to made by him/her only. And you will have to contact him/her for that .    

He/she will have paperwork to do for your booking, and often will not collect the commission for months after she/he completes your booking.  It depends on the sail date: book a cruise today for next April, and the commission from HAL will probably come in February. The agency is paid first, and after they take their share, the agent is paid. Travel agents are the first to be solicited for business by cruise lines, hotels, etc., and the last to be paid. 

 

If you cancel your reservation, the agent gets nothing from you, unless he/she charged you a non-refundable planning fee, which many do to protect themselves. If the agent has been paid the commission, and you have to cancel, the cruise line recalls the commission and takes it back from the agent.

 

I can understand why you've been through so many agents. If you just want an order taker, consider joining an agency as an independent contractor, book your own cruises, and earn your own commission.     

 

   

Ouch!!

 

Just to clarify, since the cruise is less than a month out, I paid in full, non refundable. So after our 5 minute phone call, she really is finished and won't have to wait long to get paid.

 

Secondly, I'm on my 2nd agent in the last 12 cruises, not sure where you got the idea that I'm cycling through a bunch of them. 

 

Really, is it too much to ask to have an agent send me a booking confirmation faster than 10 days after I paid for it?   

[Boatdrill]

1 minute ago, CafeBruno said:

Really, is it too much to ask to have an agent send me a booking confirmation faster than 10 days after I paid for it?   

Absolutely not. After your reservation is deposited or paid in full, HAL's confirmation comes to the agent within an hour or two, max. 

[Toofarfromthesea]

6 hours ago, SusieKIslandGirl said:

@dockmanI'm not sure I understand your question. It seems the main point is getting a faster reply, so how does that reduce the agent's commission?

 

 

Because the NEXT booking takes priority over your existing booking.

[Toofarfromthesea]

6 hours ago, Torquer said:

@CafeBruno I think what you are looking for is very reasonable.  We are in a similar situation, that when we book a cruise we know exactly what we want and the only reason we use a TA is for the discount/rebate we get from them.  We always book the top suites on our cruises, so the TA gets a much bigger commission from the cruise line than someone who books an inside cabin for no more work than their booking, so we think we should get a large discount/rebate.  Like you, we have had trouble finding ones that meet all three of your criteria and we have changed TAs several times and now use a couple different TAs based on the best discount they can give us for that specific cruise.  The only point I would quibble about is your expectation of a 10% discount.  We have looked around a lot and have not found that recently.  8% or so used to be pretty common and one time we got a 9+% discount, but post-covid the best we can find is a 6-7% discount.

 

Sounds like you want it both ways.  You claim that you only want the best deal, but the next minute you seem to want 'drop everything to take of me' service.

[Sea42]

5 hours ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

 

Sounds like you want it both ways.  You claim that you only want the best deal, but the next minute you seem to want 'drop everything to take of me' service.

But 10 days for a confirmation isn't really a drop everything situation or an unreasonable expectation.

[Mary229]

Not all agencies provide the HAL confirmation letter.  They simply provide their invoice 

[shippmates]

I am not sure how many are confused how agents make their commission.  They are paid a percentage on the cruise fare and travel insurance if purchased through the cruise line.  They do not make commission on port charges, taxes, shore excursions, drink packages or any added charges.  So if your cruise has an all inclusive price of $2500, it is possible the cruise fare is only $2000.  It is possible the agent would make $200 before the agency they work for takes there share.  An agency could end up with $150.00 for that one booking.  

I agree 10 days is too long to get your booking confirmation, as they are received with in an hour of booking.

[SeaMatesNYC]

1 hour ago, Mary229 said:

Not all agencies provide the HAL confirmation letter.  They simply provide their invoice 

Agreed. But the ones who want to make their business rise and fall on volume, and are highly discounted as a result, must find a way to simply import that cruise line confirm into a template for the agency with little to no TA or staff data entry other than to “adjust the price” for the discount. My TA shows the price from HAL and a line item for their discount. They really change little else that I can see. Even the “discount” line is likely just a figure created by a “percentage off” table that management controls. 

[SeaMatesNYC]

9 hours ago, CafeBruno said:

If anyone has a different experience, and figured out how to transfer a booking from HAL to a TA, and then having the TA reduce the fare somehow, instead of just giving extra OBC, I'd love to hear how that works.

My TA will still give the discount in cash off on transferred bookings. Yours is just being rigid when they say “no, only OBC.” They likely have to “buy” the OBC anyways, so they may be getting a discount when they “buy” it, and want to use that transaction to beef up their revenue.
 

It works just the same on the transfer as when you book up front with the TA. They are in both cases obligated to the cruise line for the non-discounted fare amount, but only collect the lower amount from you and have to make up the difference from the commission amount.

[Mary229]

1 hour ago, shippmates said:

I am not sure how many are confused how agents make their commission.  They are paid a percentage on the cruise fare and travel insurance if purchased through the cruise line.  They do not make commission on port charges, taxes, shore excursions, drink packages or any added charges.  So if your cruise has an all inclusive price of $2500, it is possible the cruise fare is only $2000.  It is possible the agent would make $200 before the agency they work for takes there share.  An agency could end up with $150.00 for that one booking.  

I agree 10 days is too long to get your booking confirmation, as they are received with in an hour of booking.

Agreed.  People are thinking their agents are making a fortune.  It really isn’t that much.  I always tackle it from perks.  It costs the cruise line nothing to give you a dinner at the Pinnacle Grill but it costs money to get discounts.  

[ExArkie]

2 hours ago, SeaMatesNYC said:

My TA will still give the discount in cash off on transferred bookings. Yours is just being rigid when they say “no, only OBC.” They likely have to “buy” the OBC anyways, so they may be getting a discount when they “buy” it, and want to use that transaction to beef up their revenue.
 

It works just the same on the transfer as when you book up front with the TA. They are in both cases obligated to the cruise line for the non-discounted fare amount, but only collect the lower amount from you and have to make up the difference from the commission amount.

The agent we use is not penalized by offering OBC. That is purchased by the travel agency (large agency, many bookings per line) as part of their arrangements. If she offers a discount, that would come out of her commission so I would never ask for one. 

[SeaMatesNYC]

45 minutes ago, ExArkie said:

The agent we use is not penalized by offering OBC. That is purchased by the travel agency (large agency, many bookings per line) as part of their arrangements. If she offers a discount, that would come out of her commission so I would never ask for one. 

What exactly do you believe “their arrangements” to be?  Is the agency buying it, but in no way taking it into consideration when your TA gives it to you?  If it does not impact your TA’s commission then the agency is absorbing the financial effect. Either way, it’s a reduction in the total profitability of the enterprise.
 

You of course are well within your rights to not ask for a discount. Leaves more for the rest of us, I suppose. And the discounts I am receiving are unsolicited, and I assume are available to anyone willing to create an account and become a “member” of this travel agency.
 

The one I use shows a cash discount, another provides the same amount in OBC, and the “big box” gives store credit.  But with HIA plus, I don’t have a use for thousands more OBC, even for a longer cruise and I don’t shop that much at the big box.
 

I am amused by the moral tone taken by a number of posters herein who seem to believe seeking a discount is somehow dirty or ethically unseemly. To each his/her own. 

[chill6x6]

In my experience, best price rarely if ever equal best service.  At this stage of my life I'll take best service over best price every day of the week and twice on Sunday.  My TA almost alway contacts me WELL within an hour after my initial contact.  Usually within minutes.  We have a good time talking.  I don't take up much of her time because I know she has others too.  I get OBC and sometimes a bottle of something. She's great and I am very happy with her! Invoice/booking conformations are sent to me at the latest the same day.

[Toofarfromthesea]

11 hours ago, Sea42 said:

But 10 days for a confirmation isn't really a drop everything situation or an unreasonable expectation.

 

I was talking about this: "Like you, we have had trouble finding ones that meet all three of your criteria"

 

The 3 criteria encompassed more than getting a confirmation in less than 10 days.

[SeaMatesNYC]

1 hour ago, chill6x6 said:

and sometimes a bottle of something

Yeah, we had one too our last trip with the agency I wrote about above. Nice gesture. $8.95 I don’t drink alcohol so let my other half try it. One sip and used the rest to unclog the sink. Memories of Welcome Aboard Pol Acker on Cunard. 

[ChinaShrek]

I thought I was the only one with invoice issues with my TA! I often book HAL and Carnival cruises on the website and then transfer to my TA for either OBC or a reduction in price. The percentage I receive seems to vary based on a number of unknown factors. Recently, I booked a $2200 Carnival cruise and received $200 off the price. Cool. Then I booked a HAL cruise for $2180 and he said he could only give me $150 in OBC. These are both 2025 cruises. Okay, fine. Now I am not complaining about the incentive but I reserved these cruises weeks ago and I have only received one of the invoices, I will have to chase down the other invoice by email, which I am prepared to do. It seems that my TA has his assistant do this work and she does them in batches. So, I wait. What's my point? I guess I have two. The cash back percentage seems to vary and TAs seem in no rush to get invoices out. 

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, ChinaShrek said:

I thought I was the only one with invoice issues with my TA! I often book HAL and Carnival cruises on the website and then transfer to my TA for either OBC or a reduction in price. The percentage I receive seems to vary based on a number of unknown factors. Recently, I booked a $2200 Carnival cruise and received $200 off the price. Cool. Then I booked a HAL cruise for $2180 and he said he could only give me $150 in OBC. These are both 2025 cruises. Okay, fine. Now I am not complaining about the incentive but I reserved these cruises weeks ago and I have only received one of the invoices, I will have to chase down the other invoice by email, which I am prepared to do. It seems that my TA has his assistant do this work and she does them in batches. So, I wait. What's my point? I guess I have two. The cash back percentage seems to vary and TAs seem in no rush to get invoices out. 

Maybe the slightly less expensive cruise had more non-commissionable items. The percentage that the TA rebated you might not really be different.

[DaveOKC]

Almost always a tradeoff of price and service.  I book through a HAL PCC and get very good service, many times "over and above".  Have gotten some great deals due to her "making a call".

 

Good example, in Dec I was wanting to upsell to a Neptune from a Signature, but Neptunes sold out (6 weeks prior to sailing).  My PCC called the upsell department and informed them that I would like an upsell if one opened up.  The day prior to sailing (at 5 pm) I get a call from the upsell department offering an upsell to a Neptune (someone had cancelled that day).  My cost was a REFUND of $1 (long story why).  Try this with most TAs or big box reps.

 

DO I get the lowest price on my cruises?  Probably not, but by working with a good PCC the overall deal for me is often better.  Many times my PCC has gotten me refunds or perks that I never thought she would be able to.  Further, I seem to be able to get upsells to a Neptune on 80-90% of our cruises, at a great price by the way.

 

So, I guess that my answer to this question is that how to book a HAL cruise depends on how involved you are and if you can find a good PCC.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

1 minute ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

 

By the way, discounts or rebates often come from the agency, not from the agent's salary. Depends on the agency. 

Sorry this is totally NOT correct, some agencies might split the cost while others if agent is 100% paid by commission it comes from their commission. The only time the agency is covering it all is when they have a group and that is actually coming from the cruise line.

[oaktreerb]

On 4/23/2024 at 9:03 PM, CafeBruno said:

Ouch!!

 

Just to clarify, since the cruise is less than a month out, I paid in full, non refundable. So after our 5 minute phone call, she really is finished and won't have to wait long to get paid.

 

Secondly, I'm on my 2nd agent in the last 12 cruises, not sure where you got the idea that I'm cycling through a bunch of them. 

 

Really, is it too much to ask to have an agent send me a booking confirmation faster than 10 days after I paid for it?   

Just ask the TA for the HAL Booking Confirmation.