Pros and Cons in Booking through an Agent?

[JVilleGal]

Wow - certainly some interesting views and stories on Travel Agents (TA) here

 

 

 

First - I am not a travel agent or associate with one (except to use one)

 

 

 

I always use a TA to make my bookings for the following reasons:

 

 

 

• 
   
  
• The price they charge is exactly the same as I can buy it from the cruise line
   
  
• They know the tips and tricks of cruising
   
  
• They maintain a good relationship with my favourite cruise line and other lines which helps with upgrades and other benefits
   
  
• They provide me with a healthy amount of On Board Credit (OBC)
   
  
• They don't charge any fee for a credit card transaction
   
  
• They don't charge a fee for changes or cancellations
   
  
• The payments are actually made directly to the cruise line using my credit card by the agent so they never hold my money
   
  
• They provide me with options for added benefits through a referral programme
   
  
• They are very responsive and always reply within a couple of hours
   
  

 

 

 

They're a US based TA - although they are also licenced in Australia and when I ring a Sydney phone number (or one in Hong Kong or Russia for that matter) they answer

 

 

 

Why wouldn't I use an agent with those benefits?

 

 

Agree completely, last trip I booked thru my fabulous TA got me an $1800 reduction (Avalon River Cruise). Generally because of volume the agency does, I get 10% reduction in price. On less expensive trips a very healthy OBC.

 

And BTW most Cruiselines you can still do everything you want going thru your Online Account, reservations, excursions etc. If any thing is wrong she clears it up and does the hard work. And yes my Credit Card is always charged by the Cruiseline and never the agency.

 

I have never had trouble actually calling the Cruiseline and getting generic info and they usually bring my Acct up as they are talking to me. I trust my agent and she has my back!

 

As with any business there are good TA's and bad ones. They also don't all provide benefits you need to shop around and get recommendations from fellow cruisers. Sadly on CC we are not allowed to name TA's.

 

Happy Trails!

[cruisine21]

[quote name=JudyA01;49154409

 

I wonder though' date=' if you don't go ahead with the booking, would you lose your deposit?

 

 

 

 

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From date of booking until 106 days before departure possible loss of deposit. Plus airfares were non refundable which is understandable.

[mr walker]

This time is RCI, I can't find anything to say they charge a fee if you book direct but that might just mean I'm not looking hard enough. :D

 

No credit card fees in booking direct on-line with RC. Last 2 cruises with them paid deposits, final payments & extras, all in $A and no cc fees.

 

Oh, and received email confirmations showing payments (and updated balance, as applicable) within maybe 24 hours.

Edited February 21, 2016 by mr walker

[Hailzmick]

My travel agent is AWESOME! She finds me the best deals & even tells me to book later that week or the next week, depending on when the next deal is. The OBC is pretty good, but the best thing is being able to call her whenever I need.

& they're ALWAYS so much cheaper than going thru RCCI!

[GurlzCruisinRTW]

JudyA01

 

You need to book in the way you feel comfortable and capable with too - there is a bit of internet research involved with DIY but also there are many options on the screen that pop up you may not be aware of or that could result in choosing another trip or destination

 

Good luck with your booking.:cool:

[The_Big_M]

Hi Stingau,

 

To answer your question, I would think you would conyact the TV sales, but Iam not sure if that's 100% correct.

 

Last year, we had our kitchen canopy rangehood replaced which didn't function well. The installer told me it's nothing to do with him but for me to call the manufacturer.

 

When I informed the person we bought it from, she actually took the issue with the manufactuter by herself, who then contacted me.

 

So I guess in cruising, it all depends if the TA is honest enough or if the TA would do the 'extra mile' for the client.

 

Judy

 

 

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You're quite right - you're meant to go through the retailer (agent). That is who your contract is with.

 

Some retailers have actually been prosecuted as they try to fob the customer off to the manufacturer, when the issue sits with them.

[JudyA01]

Thank you The Big M.

 

 

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[stingau]

You're quite right - you're meant to go through the retailer (agent). That is who your contract is with.

 

Some retailers have actually been prosecuted as they try to fob the customer off to the manufacturer, when the issue sits with them.

 

Damm I've been getting mislead, have always been pushed to contact the manufacter as they are the ones who give the warranty. I need to change my electrical retailer

[windsor26]

I have booked both direct and through a TA. The only issue I have with a TA is that if you plan on paying with a credit card some agents will charge you a % fee to pay that way and whilst it's not a huge amount in the whole grand scheme of things it could equal a days worth of drinks or a shore excursion.

 

My excellent TA advised me that there are some credit card companies that will allow you to use their card through BPay with no % charger and I have done this as my bank says yes! However the next TA actually let me pay that way BUT charged me 1% anyway it would have been 2% just using credit card!!!!!

 

Credit card give me travel insurance so I write it off that way

[isabeltravel]

Cassamanda,

 

I am 100% certain that booking directly with a cruise line would ALWAYS provide travelers with all published specials which are authorized by the cruise line, and internal sales agents are NEVER allowed to deviate from the book. A GOOD travel agent will NEVER charge you ANY fees on top of what cruise line is charging (why should your agent make money if you are not going on your holiday? That would be plain wrong). A GOOD travel agent will ALWAYS provide you with ALL benefits provided by the cruise line's internal agents, and will ALWAYS provide you with either a 8%-10% price reduction, or a healthy OBC from their commissions when cruise lines (like Crystal) does not allow for a cash rebate. Some agencies are indeed trying to own their clients by showing their clients only the agency's invoice, and not cruise line's invoice (guess who keeps extra profits if cruise line decreases the price and client is never shown the updated cruise line's invoice) - walk away from these agencies, and do not look back. A GOOD agent will always show you cruise line's invoice, which clearly shows all cancellation dates and charges, and all price decreases which come along (price should NEVER go up once you have paid the deposit, but only go down in case of price decreases). NEVER pay a credit card surcharge, unless you see it on cruise line's invoice (possible in Australia with HAL, for example, and totally illegal to add any CC surcharges in USA).

Also, some small volume agencies only get only 10% commissions, so their ability to spoil their clients is limited by the incoming revenue (even if they are very nice people), while larger volume agencies are receiving volume commissions overrides (up to 15%-18% total commissions, even for a small agency with a large volume), which allows them to offer their clients 8%-10% discounts and still be happy with their profits.

Another word of advice - try to select an agent who has traveled extensively on the cruise lines which you plan to select, and to the cities which you are planning to visit, as no guide book beats that personal touch, nor can it replace personal insider knowledge of a GOOD travel agent.

 

You contractual obligations to the cruise line should NEVER be exceeded by ANY obligations to the travel agent. You loyalty should be earned, and should NEVER be taken for granted. If you see anything to the contrary just walk away.

 

Isabel

[The_Big_M]

Damm I've been getting mislead, have always been pushed to contact the manufacter as they are the ones who give the warranty. I need to change my electrical retailer

 

If it works for you to contact the manufacturer direct, and there's no problem from their side, then it's fine for you to go direct. If they are the ones repairing it for example, it will probably be quicker.

 

But if you have any difficulty or e.g. the manufacturer says you have to post at your cost registered to say Singapore for repair (e.g. some hard drives) then officially it lies with your retailer. You're quite entitled to work through them. If it came down to a dispute with neither side wanting to help, officially the retailer is the one who you would raise the dispute with through Fair Trading. Also for example if you wanted a refund straight away due to failure you would get it through the retailer rather than the manufacturer, who only do the repair.

[cruisine21]

NEVER pay a credit card surcharge, unless you see it on cruise line's invoice

Isabel

 

Unfortunately most of the online travel agencys charge a credit card fee. The bricks and mortar agents also charge a fee. My niece is a travel agent and she even charged me a fee.

Edited February 22, 2016 by cruisine21

[Kylie7954]

I chose to use an agent as I could pay off over time. Booking directly there was no pay off option to get the deal that was running.

[Brisbane41]

Hi everyone,

 

What are the pros and cons in booking through an agent?

 

Is it much better for us her in Aus to book directly to the cruise company?

 

Thanks in advance,

Judy

 

 

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I can tell you why I don't ever use a travel agent.

 

Ten years ago I was working so much I allowed a travel agency to handle my world cruise booking. The benefit was I got Qantas Frequent Flyer points from this agency.

 

The travel agent failed to pass on my immigration details and passport details to the cruise line after full payment. The cruise line kept sending the travel agent requests for this information that fell on deaf ears. As a result my tickets were never issued. I had a new years flight and it was close to the Christmas/New Year shut down. After failing to reach the travel agent I then contacted the cruise line and was informed of the above and that they had no idea I was coming. I was totally shocked. I contacted the travel agency to sort it out and nothing happened.

 

I ended up having to fire the travel agent and filled in the necessary paperwork to personally take control of my booking and make a special trip to Sydney to pick up tickets.

 

I complained and the agency that handles the Qantas frequent flyer points made note that I would not use their agency ever again and did not apologise. To date I have never used that agency again and have advised everyone I know not to use that agency. Upon investigation follow up after the cruise it turned out the travel agent in charge of my booking was going through a divorce and as a result her work suffered.

 

Morale of the story is never trust anyone else to do something you are capable of doing better yourself.

[JudyA01]

 

 

 

Morale of the story is never trust anyone else to do something you are capable of doing better yourself.

 

 

Hi Brisbane41,

 

Thank you for sharing your experience.

 

I totally agree with the "morale of your story".

 

Judy

 

 

 

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[isabeltravel]

It looks like moral of the story would be - use USA based agents as they never add credit card fees, and are not as greedy as Australian agents. Charging your own aunt extra fees steps over all boundaries of morality. Also, Australian agents receive lower commissions, so they are not able to rebate as much.

Although RCCL does not charge any CC fees, but you shall find that some banks, like ANZ, will charge you Foreign Transaction fee even though RCCL charges in A$. These banks claim that RCCL accounting office is in USA, hence the fee. Totally absurd. Some banks do not charge this fee. Check with your CC company before you pay.

[Sugarlift]

I'm probably biased on this but I will always use a TA for these types of bookings... well, one in particular. My TA is also my best friend since childhood (hence being biased) and she is wonderful. She's one of the good ones out there. I've booked my cruises and an overseas trip to the USA through her and wouldn't do it any other way.

[Tara Jane]

Lucky you Sugarlift

[Sugarlift]

Lucky you Sugarlift

 

Lol, yep!:):D

 

I'm more than happy to share her with other people who are interested in a first class TA! She's based in Adelaide but everything can be done over email/phone these days so location wouldn't really matter. I'm prime example- I now live in VIC but still use her for all my travel needs.

Edited February 23, 2016 by Sugarlift

[rkmw]

Lol, yep!:):D

 

I'm more than happy to share her with other people who are interested in a first class TA! She's based in Adelaide but everything can be done over email/phone these days so location wouldn't really matter. I'm prime example- I now live in VIC but still use her for all my travel needs.

 

one thing on CC we are not allowed to mention TA's or offer to email their names or websites....its a big no no

[JudyA01]

Hi rkmw,

 

Is it allowed here in CC for the TA's details to be emailed when solicited? (Ie when the poster was asked directly?

 

Regards,

Judy

 

 

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[Bodogbodog]

Basically keep it off Cruise Critic - that way you wont get into trouble...of course CC can't control what happens in private emails that members might have outside the forums

 

Here's the specific Cruise Critic rules:

 

Advertising Is Not Allowed

 

There shall be no third-party recommendation (whether positive or negative in tone) of travel agencies on any forums within Cruise Critic. General discussions regarding the TYPE of AGENCY to be used to purchase a cruise will be allowed, as long as no recommendations for any source of purchase are posted.

 

Touting of your personal cruise agent or cruise line "personal cruise consultant" (or any other venue by which you purchase a cruise) is not allowed on our message boards. Postings that contain "tell them John sent you" will be removed without notice.

 

This means you should not ask about someone's travel agent, nor should you respond in kind. Offering to email someone your travel agent's name or info is also not allowed, nor is asking members to email you for the information.

 

It also means you cannot post links to travel agencies, no matter what the specific reason.

 

Cruise Critic will remove violations of the "third-party recommendation" guideline without warning. Additional posts will result in permanent suspension of your posting privileges.

 

and

 

Travel Agent Recommendations

 

There shall be no third-party recommendation (whether positive or negative in content) of travel agencies on any forums within Cruise Critic. General discussions regarding the TYPE of AGENCY to be used to purchase a cruise will be allowed, as long as no recommendations for any source of purchase are posted.

 

Touting of your personal cruise agent or cruise line "personal cruise consultant" (or any other venue by which you purchase a cruise) is not allowed on our message boards. Postings that contain "tell them John sent you" will be removed without notice.

 

This means you should not ask about someone's travel agent, nor should you respond in kind. Offering to email someone your travel agent's name or info is also not allowed, nor is asking members to email you for the information.

 

Cruise Critic will remove violations of the "third-party recommendation" guideline without warning. Additional posts may result in permanent suspension of your posting privileges.

 

Source

Edited February 23, 2016 by Bodogbodog

[JudyA01]

Thanks bodogbodog

 

 

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[Cabansail]

I booked through my TA. Have been a customer of hers for over twenty years and there is a group of people who follow her to whatever company she works.

 

Anyways when we were interested in trying a cruise she managed to get us an excellent price. We had the choice of an inside cabin or a suite. We went for the suite. When on board I met a lady I used to work with many years ago. She was traveling in a Junior Suite, like us. She picked up a discount fare for her and her daughter for a shade under AU$9500 for the 16 day cruise. We got it for almost half that with gratuities included.

 

I book through my TA for any major trips. Book myself for just domestic flights.

[JudyA01]

Lucky you, Cabansail.

 

 

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