What to do?

[desertcruizer]

I have just returned from a delightful cruise (made with agency A) and am trying to make final payment for my upcoming cruise (with agency B who was about $600 cheaper than A). I have had nothing but problems with agency B. The one time I tried to contact them, it took 4 phone calls and never did contact my TA - was finally routed to someone else to pass along a simple request to the cruise line. Now, again I've left email messages for 2 days with no contact and finally was told the TA would be unavailable until Saturday (the day the final payment is due). When I asked if anyone else could take my money, was told that no one else could access the TA's files (sounds like poor business practice to me). Finally ended up leaving a VM for the boss - which I have done before and never received a call back. Long winded beginning but my question is this - is there anyway at this stage I can transfer my booking to another agency and keep the same price? What can be done and what would you do? :confused:

[localady]

If I were you, and unless you need a substantial change, I would make the final payment, pray the trip documents arrive, and vow to never use the agency again.:o I had that problem and called HAL directly, pleaded my case, and the agent at HAL reluctantly took my request without my absent TA and it was fulfilled.

I have switched agencies for the same reason. Hope this helps!:cool:

[jhannah]

I agree. At this stage of the game there is too much potential for mishaps to switch travel agents. $600 is truly substantial ... but sometimes money isn't everything. Aggrivation has a price, too. Travel agent A just possibly could have matched that price eventually. I've had that happen before. My TA was $350 PP higher than an online fare I found for a cruise. She called HAL who said "no way," but then she asked me to give her some time to see what she could do. A month later she came back with a price that was $800 PP cheaper than the online price I'd originally seen.