New Travel agent quoted an incorrect price.

Hi, so I wanted peoples opinion on this:

My friend asked for a quote on pricing for a group cruise and spoke to the only travel agent that was available at the time. He told her that he would try to help as much as he could, because he had only been there for 2 weeks and did not know everything yet. She said that is fine and asked him to get a quote for 30 cabins some with 2 people in it, some with 3, and some with 4 people in it. She wanted to book a cruise through ncl and wanted the tour conductor credits. She asked him to include the free ubp and free gratuities as our free perks. She had previously booked a refundable deposit with another travel agent but I wanted to shop around before I went with the price she got . He comes back and gives her prices that are almost $1,000 less than the other travel agency we booked with. We was super suspicious right then and their, but asked him more questions about the price. At this point he must have realized he made an error because responded that he needed to check with his supervisor about the prices though. Apparently his supervisor was on vacation so he had a tough time getting a hold of him. She also asked him additional questions regarding the tour conductor credits and he responded that he was not sure of an answer to this and that he would pass on my reservation to a supervisor once he returned. So fast forward 2 weeks I still have not gotten a reply from his supervisor. He tells me the supervisor will be back on the 12 and will call me once he is in his office. So may 12th rolls around and the supervisor states that there was an error and that the original price quoted was incorrect. I never put a deposit down on the room so she never locked in the price. Should she still be entitled to what we were quoted. I feel really bad because this could have easily been an honest mistake especially considering how new he was. I wish I did not have to wait so long to get the actual price but if he was the only one there cause they were all on vacation than I guess nothing could really be done. Just wanted everyone's opinion on this. Should we try and get them to honor the price?

Unless a deposit was put down, the price would not be guaranteed.

Nope.

You have no issue. He was new, which he did not hide, he made an error initially and knew he had to correct it. You did not lose anything. If you are now uncomfortable with that particular agency then simply move on elsewhere.

No. If you had booked the room(s) and put down deposits, you might have a case.

No way are you entitled to the incorrect price quoted.

First, it wasn’t an official quote and you knew it was probably wrong to begin with.

Personally, I can’t even believe this question is being asked. Character is a two way street and shouldn’t be sold so cheaply.

You have a form of what is called a 'fat finger' price. Namely that someone goofed. Taking it further will get you:

Lots of wasted time

Stress and ill feelings

No satisfaction

The internet is full of 'fat finger' mistakes. Most companies have taken a hard stand against honoring them.

To the OP - are you the "her", "I" or "she".

Regardless, why did you wait 2 weeks or more before taking additional actions. You have only yourself to blame. You are owed nothing.

DON

You have no issue. He was new, which he did not hide, he made an error initially and knew he had to correct it. You did not lose anything. If you are now uncomfortable with that particular agency then simply move on elsewhere.

We did lose our time spent on this ( I get he made a mistake) but this whole process took 3 weeks which is unacceptable.

You have no issue. He was new, which he did not hide, he made an error initially and knew he had to correct it. You did not lose anything. If you are now uncomfortable with that particular agency then simply move on elsewhere.

That seems wrong that they are basically allowed to lie about prices and then not honor them after they were quoted. I get it was a mistake, but still.

If you understand that it was a mistake, then you need to move on. There was no contract, no agreement nor a deposit placed to hold a room(s). He didn't lie, he made a quote in error, he was new and this was a complicated booking. You make me feel sorry for the guy.

I like what another posted said. Character goes both ways.

That seems wrong that they are basically allowed to lie about prices and then not honor them after they were quoted. I get it was a mistake, but still.

That seems wrong that they are basically allowed to lie about prices and then not honor them after they were quoted. I get it was a mistake, but still.

It seems the TA didn't "lie". He said he was new, and he'd have to do some research. When he completed the research, he came up with a quote. But he then realized that the quote probably wasn't correct (and said so). He said he had to check with the manager. That's what took up the extra time. the manager wasn't available as quickly as hoped, and by the time the manager got involved 3 weeks had passed.

Yes, it's a time investment, but there's no reason to believe that an (incorrect) quote would/should be honored. Especially since the person asking for the quote was aware it may be incorrect.

OP trusted a person who had been with a TA two weeks to book 30 cabins, and asked for a perk that include service charge that has to be added, but only for some people in a cabin and is complaining when the TA said that everything had to be cleared with a supervisor before anything could be booked.

Pursuing this is a waste of time because nothing was ever actually agreed to, and since the TA said he had to check with a supervisor there was not even an offer for the OP to book at that price.

BTW as I read the original post the difference was only about $15 per person, so it is quiet possible that the price that the TA gave the OP was correct.

We did lose our time spent on this ( I get he made a mistake) but this whole process took 3 weeks which is unacceptable.

I repeat my question - why did you wait 2 weeks before checking on the status of the problem? I would have been on the phone to any supervisor at the agency on day 2 or 3.

DON

First, by your own admission it was a mistake, not a lie, made by an inexperienced representative who acknowledged their inexperience with you up front.

Second, during the two weeks that past you had ample time to confirm the price through NCL directly as they have representatives responsible for group bookings who do know the correct pricing.

Lastly, no offense, but you are now wasting even more or your time chasing an issue that is really a non-issue as it was an honest mistake with no legitimate favorable benefit to you in terms of money.

You've asked for our opinions on this. Mine is you are not entitled to anything from the TA - just let it go......

You asked for an opinion, and my opinion was that with all of the TAs out there it was absurd to continue to pursue such a complicated booking with a new agent who told you he was new and told you he didn't have more experienced back-up. Calling his mistake a lie is equally absurd. I have a hard time even believing this scenario because of the absurdity of it all.

First, by your own admission it was a mistake, not a lie, made by an inexperienced representative who acknowledged their inexperience with you up front.

 

Second, during the two weeks that past you had ample time to confirm the price through NCL directly as they have representatives responsible for group bookings who do know the correct pricing.

 

Lastly, no offense, but you are now wasting even more or your time chasing an issue that is really a non-issue as it was an honest mistake with no legitimate favorable benefit to you in terms of money.

 

You've asked for our opinions on this. Mine is you are not entitled to anything from the TA - just let it go......

I don’t know NCL. I do know that with Royal, Celebrity, etc you can book directly with the cruise line and then transfer the booking to a TA for possible additional benefits. Did you even think of this option? Rather than stewing for 2-3 weeks about a new agent who doesn’t (yet) know how to handle a very strange booking? I can understand why you would be upset. Upset with yourself for not doing something positive early in the situation. I think you should let it go and start looking ahead to all the fun with your 90 or so companions.

Your friend asked for a quote. Can't hold any one to a quote, prices for cabins change by the hour.

I don't think the OP's friend has a reasonable complaint. If I called a travel agency and talked with someone who admitted he was new to the job and did not know a lot, I would have thanked him and called another agency, especially for a complicated booking involving 30 cabins.

I tend to agree with others that this was a plain old mistake. However, I would not be happy with a travel agent that operates like the one you describe and would look for a new more reliable one.

I don't think the OP's friend has a reasonable complaint. If I called a travel agency and talked with someone who admitted he was new to the job and did not know a lot, I would have thanked him and called another agency, especially for a complicated booking involving 30 cabins.

I Agree 100%

OK, here's my completely different view on this one as well.....

:cool: All experienced cruisers are aware that prices can change weekly, daily or even hourly which means no price is guaranteed until you put a deposit down and receive a receipt and confirmation number.

:cool: Obviously, the person seeking this information originally was somewhat of an experienced cruiser since they knew about asking for certain perks and tour credits. Therefore meaning that they were truly taking on this group for purely personal benefits/perks/profit.

:eek: Upon finding out that the person they are speaking with is not very knowledgable or experienced for something like this any clear thinking person would have opted to either A) wait for a supervisor or experienced sales agent to help them or B) say thank you and hang up to call a different agency

:cool: I can be pretty darn sure that if it were me, there is no way that I would even consider undertaking something like this because even if it were a free cruise, I do not think it would be worth the grief involved to deal with PLUS, if I were to go with this many friends, I would be more likely to say that whatever savings there are (tour credits,etc) should be split evenly amongst my self and my friends (but that is only how I treat friends).

:eek: I have also learned that there is a large population out there just waiting and looking for anything to complain about so that they can try to get something for nothing.

One last point: a few years ago while on a cruise we went to the future cruise sales office one day to get a price for the following year. Got the info, took it with us to think about it and when we went back 3 days later to book this, the price was $300 per person higher. Nothing we could do about it because we did not leave a deposit. Obviously, we did not book that cruise on board however, a while after returning home the price went back down and we booked the cruise then.

Please realize, this is only my opinion for what it is worth.