Changing Travel Agents.

[Jiminkcmo]

I am not too happy with my TA.

 

I am taking an Alaskan cruise next month and have booked a Med cruise for next summer.

 

I asked my TA, a cruise specialist, to include air in the Alaskan trip thinking that I would get decent connections, short elapsed trip time, etc.

 

Instead I got horrendously poor connections, lots of sitting in airports time, very long elapsed trip time, very early flight departure and very late flight arrival, etc.

 

Upon seeing the flight itinerary, I searched for a better set of flights and found better and cheaper.

 

I had the TA cancel the cruise line's air, which cost me a $200 cancellation fee, and I booked my own air.

 

So now, my upcoming trip will be a lot more convenient for me and isn't that the way it should be?

 

Now, I would like to move my Med cruise for next year to another TA.

 

I called the cruise line and was told I had to get the current TA to release my booking and then have the new agent rebook me.

 

In that I have selected a specific cabin, I would hate to lose that cabin between changing TA activities.

 

If there are any TA's reading, can't I just have the cruise line switch IATA numbers from the current TA to the new TA?

 

I would think that would be a doable thing for them to be able to handle.

 

What am I missing?

 

Thanks for any information.

[Jeano222]

Nope, no can do. The TA "owns" your reservation, they would have to transfer to the other TA and I can pretty much guarantee that they won't do that. You have no choice but to cancel and then re-book new with another agent, but between canceling with one and rebooking with the other, you probably won't get your original cabin..

[Keith1010]

After you have made your final payment you cannot move agents.

 

But you can for the Med cruise. I would call the agent and tell them you want to move the med cruise to another agent and you want them to release it. Now a few agencies may try to charge you a fee. If you have never received anything in writing about that you should be fine. You can transfer a cruise to another agent prior to final payment.

 

Keith

[msmayor]

I'm a little confused as to the exact reason why you are disappointed in your current TA.

 

The fact that you were unhappy with your original flight arrangements isn't really his/her fault as it sounds like you were booking your air through the cruiseline. The cruiseline is the one responsible for providing the air booking, not your TA.

 

Is there more to the story?

[Jiminkcmo]

Hi msmayor:

 

I'm not happy with my TA because he did not bother to contact me and discuss the flight arrangements and offer to try to get better or more convenient flights for me.

 

He sent me a packet of documents with the flight details included.

 

I just don't see where this TA is doing anything as I seem to be doing all the research, legwork or whatever and the TA is going to get paid for my work.

 

The TA is not a pro-active part of this entire scene.

 

My upcoming AK cruise is my second through him.

 

Both of the cruises have been researched by me in advance and the TA has booked them. Period.

 

If it wasn't for my finding this board a few months ago, I would never have known about guaranteed cabins. He never told me about them.

 

I guess I'm frustrated by the seeming lack of communications on the TA's end and I want to deal with somebody who will be a partner in this planning process.

 

I would deal directly with the cruise line if they gave me the TA commission.

 

Does all of that make any more sense and provide a better picture?

[Jiminkcmo]

Am I being too unreasonable in my expectations?

 

I just believe people in a service business should provide service and I shouldn't have to ask for it.

[firefly333]

I would deal directly with the cruise line if they gave me the TA commission.

 

Lots of people would like the commission (lower cost because of doing their own research). Im sure you know this aint going to happen as it would put TAs out of business.

 

jokingly....of course....we all WANT that :)

[Soccer Mom 96]

Expecting good service is not asking too much but your definition of good service and the agent's definition may be different. Perhaps you could have a discussion with your agent about your service expectations so that if he can't meet them, he can say so upfront. At that point, you can decide to accept the level of service he can offer or you can take your business elsewhere. Also...is it possible that his "lack of service" (or attention) was an isolated instance due to extenuating circumstances? Even if you choose to move your business, at least the discussion might provoke some thought on the agent's part about what he can do better in the future.

 

As for your current air situation, the air arrangments for your Alaska cruise weren't the fault of your TA. IMO...a good agent would have let you know when you booked (not at final payment) that they couldn't guarantee any specific flights unless you customized your air and explained that process. Just before final payment, someone (in a perfect world it would be the agent) should have looked at independent air options to see if you were still getting a good deal. Once final payment is made, any change to the air (including cancellation) is subject to a fee.

 

Let us know what you decide to do.

 

Soccer Mom

[Ivanova]

A few thoughts here....

 

The cruise lines will never give the "commission" to clients that book direct ... when not booked through a TA the commission is then allocated to cover cruise line overhead (i.e. maintaining their call center and phone reps).

 

Cruise line airfare is almost always more expensive than booking air direct ... but the cruise lines will often include the transfers automatically, and if they fly you in the day before the cruise then the price often includes the hotel as well. Always make sure that you are always comparing apples to apples. You may have found a cheaper airfare, but when you add the transfers back in, the savings may be "lost."

 

As for releasing a booking, most agents/agencies won't. You will need to cancel and rebook (as long as final payment hasn't been made). One option is to rebook with the new TA first, tell them the cabin number you want. After you tell the current TA to cancel, have the new TA keep checking to see when the room releases back into inventory (IF it is returned to inventory) so they can grab it for you.

[maldemar]

And guarantees are not always available.

[ozzy1210]

So when your TA didn't give you an air itinerary did you not ask him/her any questions? You just wrote out a check or handed over a credit card to buy something you didn't understand?

 

The cruise line did your air, not the TA. They choose the schedule unless you pay extra to select specific flights. My guess would be you would not have agreed to pay more for that option anyway even if it was offered to you.

 

Guarantee cabins are not always available which could explain why one was not offered to you.

 

Instead of writing here, I'd have a conversation with your TA. They can't read your mind. Getting good service from them requires communication on both sides.

[msmayor]

Hi msmayor:

 

I'm not happy with my TA because he did not bother to contact me and discuss the flight arrangements and offer to try to get better or more convenient flights for me.

 

He sent me a packet of documents with the flight details included.

 

I just don't see where this TA is doing anything as I seem to be doing all the research, legwork or whatever and the TA is going to get paid for my work.

 

The TA is not a pro-active part of this entire scene.

 

My upcoming AK cruise is my second through him.

 

Both of the cruises have been researched by me in advance and the TA has booked them. Period.

 

If it wasn't for my finding this board a few months ago, I would never have known about guaranteed cabins. He never told me about them.

 

I guess I'm frustrated by the seeming lack of communications on the TA's end and I want to deal with somebody who will be a partner in this planning process.

 

I would deal directly with the cruise line if they gave me the TA commission.

 

Does all of that make any more sense and provide a better picture?

 

Yes, it does provide a better picture...but it doesn't affect my personal opinion that the TA seems to be doing what he/she is supposed to be doing.

 

Considering you are upset about the flight arrangements (something that the TA has no control over, since the cruiseline took care of that) I'm surprised that you would have even considered a guarantee cabin. That means the cruiseline controls where your cabin is, not you or the TA...and if you didn't like the cabin I have to wonder how you'd handle that.

[Jiminkcmo]

I expected the TA to "look over" the flight arrangements that the airline came up with and then ask himself if he would want to be subjected to all-day trips pre and post.

 

And if he didn't want to sit in airports all day, would he think I would like that.

 

If not, I would expect a call from him to ask me my opinion and if I wasn't happy with the flight arrangements, I would expect him to try to change them.

 

Instead, he just mailed them to me. No pre-screening.

 

As to guarantees, he never even told me of their existence and the upgrade possibility.

 

I always assumed, and I hate to use that word, that a cruise customer must pick a cabin as part of the booking process.

 

This is only my third cruise and I'm learning more about cruising every day.

I just hate to be paying for this education, eg. paying penalties.

 

I guess my options are either lower the bar or head for the bar.

[Happy ks]

What you are describing is not unusual for cruise/air packages. The travel agent has no control over the air portion, I don't even think the cruiseline does. I think they just shop the best price for air travel and what you get is what the airlines give them, not the most convenient, not the most comfortable for you.

 

While I'm not saying I'd never book cruise/air again, I certainly do the homework before booking. The savings we've had in the past have more than paid for hotel rooms, meals and taxis, plus we get to choose our own airlines, flight times and airports.

 

You can pay a deviation fee for your own choice of flights, but there again, do the homework and see if you can do it for less yourself. Some cruise lines waive the fee for past customers after X amount of cruises, but it can still pay off a lot to check for yourself. The one big exception is that cruise/air is usually a better buy for one-way or open jaw tickets (different cities, not round trip).

 

I'd blame the TA for not presenting the options to you, but not for the poor flight choice. I've read on these boards how a TA can make travel easier and keep you informed and help you make the correct choices, but this is a classic example of why and how these boards can be of greater help to the average person. The answers may not always be 100% correct, but there is usually people who know a better way to steer you towards the right direction and you can read a multitude of responses. Then, you can be more informed to ask your TA the right questions. TA's can be wonderful and helpful, but they do have a bottom line, they do get extra commission for cruise/air combinations, you cannot blame them for trying to make more money.

 

So many times I read here where people think the ship will wait for them if they have a delayed flight. It's only true if the flight has numerous cruise pax and if the delay is brief. People think the cruise line will get them to the ship in the first port. Read the fine print again, they will assist you in getting to the next port, just like your travel insurance agent will do for you. Which brings us to the topic of cruise insurance...never buy that from the cruise line, either. You can save a lot of money buying from a third party.

 

We buy only the cruise from the cruise line, as a general rule. Everything else we can usually do ourselves more efficiently and for less $$ :)

[firefly333]

There have been lots of threads of horror stories by folks who booked airfare thru the cruiseline and then missed the ship. You sitting in a airport overly long isnt even close to those stories. Most have read those threads and know that booking air thru a cruiseline is iffy if you miss bad connections. Folks....assumed...that booking air thru the cruiseline would guarantee the ship would wait for them.....it didnt'.

 

Oppps I see the previous poster had the same point, that there are way worse stories you could have that we have read here on CC.

[GottaLuvCruising]

I see one possible oversight on the part of your travel agent...he or she should have advised you that you relinquish all control over your flights, flight times, airline(s) when you allow the cruise line to make those arrangements. Your TA also has no control at all.

 

Given your desire for shorter, more convenient travel times, your Travel Agent should have advised you to either book an air deviation where you control the flights arranged by the cruise line, or (probably a better choice) booking independent air.

 

At least you got out of the miserable flight itinerary for only $200...very surprising.

 

To answer your question, you can't have next summer's booking released without the TA cooperation. Why not talk with him or her regarding your concerns?

[cp556]

I agree with GottaLuvCruising.

Talk with your present TA and tell them why you're considering moving to another agency.

When I owned an agency that's just what I'd want the customer to do, instead of cancelling or asking me to transfer the booking to another agent. I'd go the extra mile to make sure the customer is satisfied.