Awkward travel agent question

We have taken numerous cruises on Regent with the same TA. We truly like her and she has done a great job. However, we get no 10% rebate like I’ve read many times on this forum. Before we talk to her about this, we are wondering if all TA get same % commission or if there are differences in % amount based on number of regent cruises they sell. That could make a big difference in what they can offer back to client.

I hope this made sense. Please, this is a honest factual question...

I can only tell you that in our experience we were referred to a travel agent (not local) who we have booked two future cruises with and she has offered us pretty close to a 10% rebate, sent to us in cash a few weeks before the trip. It is my understanding that the agency books many luxury cruises, on Regent and the other comparable lines.

I am pretty sure they all get the same commission.

I am pretty sure they all get the same commission.

Not true. It depends on the annual production of the specific agency....higher sailed revenue = higher commission percentage earned. And yes, it is EARNED.

I can only tell you that in our experience we were referred to a travel agent (not local) who we have booked two future cruises with and she has offered us pretty close to a 10% rebate, sent to us in cash a few weeks before the trip. It is my understanding that the agency books many luxury cruises, on Regent and the other comparable lines.

Close to 10% is about right for a high producing agency with some luxury lines. Anything is better than nothing and some offer other amenities. You have to do your own research on this or ask friends or cruise mates.

I am pretty sure they all get the same commission.

Unfortunately that is not true, some get more with other luxury lines depending on sales volume. It will definitely vary.

I know that we cannot discuss specific agents...but if my agent company gets less from Regent than some others...I cannot expect the same rebate from them. Then it would be a question if we want to change to stranger or not for this rebate since she does a good personal job. Trouble is...I don’t know how TA commissions work. I do know that in many businesses the higher your sales, your % take increases so motivation to sell more of that product.

There's more than just the rebate, does your agent make sure you catch every fare reduction, get all the cruise credit and have contacts with Regent to get your problems resolved quickly? Mine does.

Just to say that I find this thread very interesting. Well worth inquiring about, rcandkc.

Echo Poss, interesting topic, thanks for asking rcandkc.

Believe Regent TA's (not going to comment on Regent TA's who are members

of the Seven Seas Council Members) get between 15-17% commission from Regent.

So, you can determine for yourselves, how generous (or not) your TA is w/regards

to rebates/discounts. chuckw has good points to consider in his post above as well.

There's more than just the rebate, does your agent make sure you catch every fare reduction, get all the cruise credit and have contacts with Regent to get your problems resolved quickly? Mine does.

[emoji106]

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What is the Seven Seas Council? Probably part of the equation. And yes, my agent goes to bat for us. Does she check fares continually...not sure.

But this is not about our agent. I’m pleased with her. It is for information so I can determine if I need a conversation or not with her and for others to be more informed too.

I do not think that posting the amount of commission a TA receives is right but it is what it is. And, there are very few TA's that rebate more than the 5% that Regent allows to be advertised.

While our TA does not rebate 10%, they do exactly what ChuckW has indicated. Additionally, they are a top seller for Regent and often times have 50 - 125 of their clients onboard a Regent cruise at the same time. They do not miss an increase or a decrease and have some strange ability (due to contracts with Regent) to keep the some fares the same despite increases.

All TA's are definitely not created equal.

I do not think that posting the amount of commission a TA receives is right but it is what it is. And, there are very few TA's that rebate more than the 5% that Regent allows to be advertised.

 

While our TA does not rebate 10%, they do exactly what ChuckW has indicated. Additionally, they are a top seller for Regent and often times have 50 - 125 of their clients onboard a Regent cruise at the same time. They do not miss an increase or a decrease and have some strange ability (due to contracts with Regent) to keep the some fares the same despite increases.

 

All TA's are definitely not created equal.

I posted 10% because so many of you have....I get none. I’m trying to be informed of the industry so I know if I need to have a conversation or not. Once again, I’m happy with our T A except for this issue that so many on this board have brought up. I wouldn’t have even known otherwise. ....including your posts.

I posted 10% because so many of you have....I get none. I’m trying to be informed of the industry so I know if I need to have a conversation or not. Once again, I’m happy with our T A except for this issue that so many on this board have brought up. I wouldn’t have even known otherwise. ....including your posts.

I had no idea that you were not receiving a rebate from your TA. The first few years that we sailed with Regent we used a consortium and they gave us a free excursion (better than Regent excursions) and a cocktail party (before alcohol was included). While we liked the TA, she had never sailed on Regent or a luxury cruise line. It is the reason that I am always strongly suggesting that they book with a TA that gives rebates and is experienced with Regent.

Hope that you either have a conversation with your TA and they decide to give you a rebate or perhaps you should change TA's.

I had no idea that you were not receiving a rebate from your TA. The first few years that we sailed with Regent we used a consortium and they gave us a free excursion (better than Regent excursions) and a cocktail party (before alcohol was included). While we liked the TA, she had never sailed on Regent or a luxury cruise line. It is the reason that I am always strongly suggesting that they book with a TA that gives rebates and is experienced with Regent.

 

Hope that you either have a conversation with your TA and they decide to give you a rebate or perhaps you should change TA's.

I’m trying to get factual information to decide if I’m willing to have this awkward conversation with someone I like and feel comfortable with and gives us personal attention. If they get less from Regent I don’t expect a rebate because all deserve to make a profit. So, trying to figure out the system. .

I’m trying to get factual information to decide if I’m willing to have this awkward conversation with someone I like and feel comfortable with and gives us personal attention.

But I believe at the moment you get nothing in terms of a rebate from your TA - so given others have said they receive up to 10% from their agents and it’s a fair assumption your agent is receiving a reasonable level of commission from Regent (maybe not the maximum) you are leaving money on the table and your TA is retaining that as margin - either at the agent or the agency level

Now whether you value your relationship with the TA enough to that extent to forgo the rebate only you can answer. But I’d be very surprised if your agent isn’t giving some degree of rebate to other customers so you are indeed missing out

I wouldn’t feel awkward asking them what’s possible - what have you got to lose?

I’m trying to get factual information to decide if I’m willing to have this awkward conversation with someone I like and feel comfortable with and gives us personal attention. If they get less from Regent I don’t expect a rebate because all deserve to make a profit. So, trying to figure out the system. .

I would have that conversation, you lose nothing-but have everything to gain. I believe a good TA needs to make a profit, but most of us pick our cruises, what suite we want---giving the TA the booking is an easy profit for them. Once your TA knows your booking your cruise's with them, they are going to work with you. We changed years ago for this very reason. We haven't looked back, however we're getting the rebate, extras and most important service.

Rick

My TA sends me both the TA invoice and the guest invoice that they receive from Regent. The TA invoice shows the commissionable fare and the commission rate. The commissionable fare is usually about 10% less than the total fare due to noncommissionable items such as government fees and taxes. Our TA receives 17% of the commissionable fare and rebates 10% of the commissionable fare (works out to about 9% of the total fare) to all those who I recommend to them.

I believe the 5% mentioned is the most TAs are allowed to advertise as a discount but has no effect on what an agent can give as a rebate.

Hope this helps.

And I receive excellent service from the TA.

We also get a copy of the TA invoice that our agent receives from Regent showing the commissionable fare and the commission rate. Our TA receives 17% of the commissionable fare also.

A few things about commissions.

First, as mentioned often those who sell large volumes with a specific cruise line may get a higher commission. It is often known as a override.

Two. This varies by cruise line.

Three. Cruise lines do adjust their commissions and overrides and overtime some have adjusted them downward so the amount that can be rebated can change.

Four. This does vary by agent for additional reasons such as the percentage that the agency retains for the agency. This can also vary by agency because agencies might be associated with one of the large consortiums and the consortium gets a percentage and how much that is varies by consortium.

Five. Volume of the customer and the amount they are spending for a specific booking and how long they have booked with a travel agent can all play into this.

Six. Some of this "can" vary depending on what country their agent is located in.

Seven this can vary based on the rules of the cruise line.

I remember on our first several cruises including first one on a luxury line we had no idea there were monetary amenities that could be provided to clients. We learned about this while on our second luxury sailing.

I would let your TA know that you understand from others that amenities are provided and use in the discussion percentages that are quoted but again I would realize that not all agents can provide this for reasons I and others have listed.

I also have a belief that I would rather have a strong agent who provides a lower amenity than a weak agent who provides a higher amenity. Sometime that strong agent can save you money in other areas, by optimizing your booking, helping you avoid costly mistakes and getting discounts in other areas including airfare and hotels.

Keith

Just a suggestion for how to approach this discussion with your TA. Years ago I was in your position. I read a TA thread similar to this. I emailed a link of the thread to my TA and asked her what she thought about it. I never heard from her again. She was a member of my church (however we had moved). I have always done my own research and the booking was more a gift than anything. I found out about rebates just before a 69 night cruise!

I am in a similar situation to the thread starter, but for me it is even more awkward as my TA, who does not give me any rebate, is also a personal friend. So I have to weigh not only the value of my TA relationship, I also have to consider the discomfort that will ensue in our personal relationship should I cease being a client. And like others have mentioned, I pretty much do my own research, select the cruise that I want, the stateroom category, etc.

Several months ago, I was ready to book a cruise on the Splendor. I sent my agent/friend a message, saying that although I greatly value our professional and personal relationships, that I have found out the substantial amount of money that I can get with other agencies. I detailed how much I have spent in luxury cruising over the past 10 years, and that I plan, assuming good health, to do as much, hopefully more over the next 10. She sent me a very nice note back, thanking me for my question, but basically the answer was no, that she did not think that she could provide the level of service that she does with a discounted or rebated commission. I was not going to argue the point with her, but did contact another agency that I knew did offer rebates. The rebate was substantial. I booked the cruise with that agent.

I have been putting off having the discussion with my present (former?) agent, but finally did last week. I called her and informed her that I booked a cruise with another agency, and told her how much I was getting back. I explained that I respect her position and policies, but that I could just not leave that kind of money on the table, and will not be able to do so going forward. I did not tell her that I would stay with her if she offered me comparable rebates, as my original question was asked and answered.

We did not have time to have a lengthy discussion about this, as she clearly needed to compose her thoughts )I think I took her by surprise), and I was getting to leave on vacation the next day. So the ball is now in her court, if she calls me and offers to do better by me, perhaps I will remain her client, otherwise, I will be doing my bookings with my new agency.

Bob

When you book through a cruise line directly, the official price is typically the same as when you book through a TA, not lower. So I take it that means the cruise line just keeps the percent they would otherwise pay as commission to a particular TA?

cwn: Are you actually able to use OBC's as a "cash source" and also get your OBC's put back on your credit card?? We often have an "excess" of OBC's, and I feel so wasteful spending them on way over-priced items in the boutique or in the spa.

I wonder: Do others of you also have the option of receiving credit back, or receiving cash?