Why are online TAs so dishonest and incompetent

[SheilaNC]

OK, folks...please remember that you are not following community guidelines when you name TAs or TA Web sites. If the practice continues....the thread will end and since there is good info posted by other members, I'd like it to remain. Thanks :)

[forensic]

I have cruised 3 or 4 times a year for the past 15 years. For the most part I have used online TAs because they get best price. Lately I have used a service that allows many TAs to submit competing bids so that I can really get a competitve price.

What I have found is that these online TAs are uniformly incompetent and often downright dishonest. They will sometimes fail to disclose upfront a cancellation fee quite separate from the cruiseline cancellation fees. It may be described as an administrative fee, but it is never mentioned as part of the original price offer. They will sometimes submit an invoice with the cancellation fee prominantly mentioned and then have a waiver of it in small print - which I perceive as an attempt to mislead customers into not cancelling for fear of suffering an agency cancellation fee.

Quite apart from this hidden cancellation/admin fee ruse it is practically impossible to get a reasonably prompt reply to questions that arise during the life of the booking. I suspect profit margins are so thin that these TAs hire young, inexperienced phone order takers who never stick around long enough to get business experience or who are just unequipped to provide a reasonable standard of service. Whatever the cause, getting decent service is invariably unattainable.

And the TAs out there who are offended by this can go pound sand as far as I am concerned. My experience has been deep and bad. I continue to use the compete method to get best pricing, but now I am forewarned and thus forearmed for the shenanigans, delays, and bad service. Maybe the TAs who take offense can tell me what recourse wronged customers have - other than a complaint board on an industry association? The latter is akin to having the fox guard the hen house. The TA industry is woefully unregulated aside from some consumer protection statutes found on a state by state basis. Most people don't know what, if anything, they can do to right wrongs.

The internet is a wonderful business tool, but it gives rise to a whole new set of issues in the travel industry.

 

I resent that statement - I am an online TA and I am 100% honest! YOU can ask up front for EVERYTHING in writing to be mailed or faxed to you. There are some VERY honest bid sites on the web and they are very stict about who they let bid. I would complain to the Web site. I would ask the agent if he/she has a host agency or a master agency that they work for. No one likes to be ripped off or mislead but please do not blame the entire industry. I bid on 1 of those web sites and I never charge a service fee or a cancellation fee.

Ask the agent for their CLIA number ALWAYS and then call CLIA (they are on the internet) if you have a problem. If they do not have a personal CLIA number or are not working for an agency or host agency that has a CLIA number I (personally) would not book a cruise with them. IMHO.

 

I am very sorry for your problem - please do not paint all of us with the same brush. I cannot tell you how to contact me or I would try to prove to you how honest I am.

[julieanne]

I resent that statement - I am an online TA and I am 100% honest! YOU can ask up front for EVERYTHING in writing to be mailed or faxed to you. There are some VERY honest bid sites on the web and they are very stict about who they let bid. I would complain to the Web site. I would ask the agent if he/she has a host agency or a master agency that they work for. No one likes to be ripped off or mislead but please do not blame the entire industry. I bid on 1 of those web sites and I never charge a service fee or a cancellation fee.

Ask the agent for their CLIA number ALWAYS and then call CLIA (they are on the internet) if you have a problem. If they do not have a personal CLIA number or are not working for an agency or host agency that has a CLIA number I (personally) would not book a cruise with them. IMHO.

 

I am very sorry for your problem - please do not paint all of us with the same brush. I cannot tell you how to contact me or I would try to prove to you how honest I am.

I agree with you forensic. There are good and bad travel agents whether online or down the street. Makes me wonder why people just assume everybody is honest. If you do your homework for the cruise, why don't you do your homework on your travel agent? The BBB is free ;) !

[DrJohn]

I agree with you forensic. There are good and bad travel agents whether online or down the street. Makes me wonder why people just assume everybody is honest. If you do your homework for the cruise, why don't you do your homework on your travel agent? The BBB is free ;) !

 

People tend to see others based on their own personal values and beliefs. If we all have to go through life thinking everyone else in the world is dishonest it probably wouldn't be a pleasant experience! The old maxim of trust but verify applies, as well as buyer beware! And based on the discussion on this topic here there is a definite need to be extremely careful when dealing with people you don't know. Might be best to have your lawyer by your side when booking online...

 

While the BBB is "free" they have a very limited source of data. There were some customer service guidelines about consumer feedback that went something like 1 out of 10 people with a bad experience might tell the seller but 9 out of 10 would tell their friends and associates. I don't know the BBB statistics but I know I'm about the only one in my circle of friends and associates that will take the time and put out the effort to try to help others from having a bad experience by reporting mine to the BBB. You might find out more by googling...

[julieanne]

The BBB is not limited. I also always take the time to post my negatives with them. They have been lifesavers when we have had issues in the past with some horrible companies. I always take people at face value and tend to believe they are honest and sincere until otherwise shown. But, I am not going to be giving some online website $900 deposit money and not take the time to check them out!

[owl61]

"I resent that statement - I am an online TA and I am 100% honest!"

 

forensic,

Gee, this thread has sprouted legs long after I thought it was kaput. I don't think I said all online TAs were dishonest. I said they were " uniformly incompetent and often downright dishonest" and that has been my experience. Not that it adds to my credibility ( in fact, it will probably undermine my arguments with many ) , but for quite a few years I was a litigation lawyer for a financial institution. Precision in expression was of utmost importance. I say what I mean and I mean what I say and I keep voluminous email files whenever I book a cruise.

To repeat, I think fierce competition and slim profit margins have given rise to widespread incompetence among online TAs. If you are an exception as to both honesty and competence, then fine, my hat is off to you. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean I'll do business with you if you can't match the competition's low price... or come close enough that your efficiency compensates for a small price disparity. Sorry, but I didn't create the system. I'm just using it to best advantage. Some TAs have good prices on some cruises some of the time , but not all of the time. I have yet to discover the TA who consistently has the best price. Accordingly, I will opt for best price and just try to eliminate the need for any service other than getting documents mailed to me. I select where and when I want to cruise and don't expect any service other than clarity and straightfowardness in our communications. This has proven very difficult lately and only gets worse if I should happen to ask for advice, e.g., about visas ( not our job - consult the embassy), ports ( I was never there) ships ( I have never sailed on her) etc.

When TA dishonesty or culpability causes me or others financial loss, it is difficult to get relief. The industry is seriously underregulated. The various BBBs have no enforcement power, local district attorneys have higher priorities and if you think the CLIA or any other travel industry association is going to police their constituents/members adequately I have a bridge I want to sell you. So you TAs out there, please stop advising wronged clients to contact such entities. The far better approach is to be on your guard to prevent a TA's bad conduct , intentional or otherwise , from causing you harm in the first place.

But like Diogenes, I keep searching ...

[mediator]

I agree with you forensic. There are good and bad travel agents whether online or down the street. Makes me wonder why people just assume everybody is honest. If you do your homework for the cruise, why don't you do your homework on your travel agent? The BBB is free ;) !

 

I have used the "compete" and found two very good T/A's from that site. After reading through the comments, it's interesting to see the comment "after" I received my invoice there was a chage, and it was dishonest. Accept some responsibility. I have a list of questions that I ask via email and I have the question and answer in writing. If you don't have time for a list of questions, heres is one that I use to help me make a decision if I am going to use a T/A.

"Are there any additional fees "hidden" fees that you charge that are not charged by the cruise line?" In other words, if there is a cancellation fee, it is imposed by the cruise line? if there is a name change, it is charged by the cruise line? Do they charge to mail documents? I don't pay for any thing additional... only the charges that are from the cruise line. If they charge you to book .... MOVE ON.