Best bonus you've got booking with a TA

[cs]

In the old days before the Wallmart crowd began clamoring all over the gangplanks, cruising was an expensive proposition.

I'm not even sure how to respond to that. That's insulting on so many levels...

[starfamily]

NOTHING! we've used the same TA for 3 cruises now.. this one, i'm booking directly with RCI.

Why? Just curious- what is the benifit with booking direct vs a TA?

[Autumnrose]

Why? Just curious- what is the benifit with booking direct vs a TA?

 

 

Nothing.

[Ivanova]

Okay, here are a couple of scenarios about booking with a TA versus booking direct with the cruise line....

 

A family booked a 7 night Carnival cruise with me. The day after penalties started they needed to postpone their cruise one week. Carnival policy was that they'd lose $250pp deposit as penalty to cancel the current cruise. Because I book through an agency that does millions of dollars in sales every year with Carnival, we were able to call in the big guns. After some intense negotiations Carnival agreed to apply the $1000 cancellation fee to the new booking as nonrefundable (so if the client cancelled that cruise before penalties started, the $1,000 would not be refunded). Had they booked direct with the cruise line there is nowhere they could have turned, no one to fight for them, no one to care (losing one customer is nothing to a cruise line ... losing an agency that books millions in sales is another story).

 

I had a group booked on a recent Alaska cruise; booked in May 2007 for a June 2008 sailing. In May 2008 a fare sale was announced ... not applicable to groups, and only applicable to new bookings. I had to be up at 5:30AM to book the new reservations for everyone in the group, cancel the group, move monies from the group to the individual reservations, and reinstate their prepaid gratuities, transfers and prepaid excursions. I took a $705 hit on that commission because of the lower fare through the sale, not to mention putting in hours of extra work, all in the name of getting the clients the sale fare before it sold out (first thing in the morning). Had the clients booked direct with the cruise line they (1) would not have been forewarned about the fare sale, and (2) if they had known there's no guarantee they could've secured the lower fares, and (3) many clients don't have the time (from work, school, etc.) to spend hours rebooking, cancelling, having monies moved, etc.

 

So what does booking with a TA get you versus booking direct? A lot of service and personal attention you wouldn't otherwise get....

[honeydog714]

I'm not even sure how to respond to that. That's insulting on so many levels...

 

Hey what's wrong with walmart? Well besides the fact they put most of our local shops out of business and could care less if I shopped with them or not. (especially since they have removed all my other options LOL)

[CruiseKeeper]

Gosh, I must have missed the memo. When did it become de riguer to assume you are entitled to a gift for giving someone your business? Did you get a trip to China the last time you did Chinese take out? What about when you buy a new pair of shoes--do you ask the salesperson to toss in a few dozen socks? When you buy china, do you insist on the flatware to go with it?

 

What is with all the bottom feeding here? I don't get it. Because you come into the Chevy dealer knowing what model you want, are you entitled to gifts galore? TO be hones you all should be ashamed of yourself.

 

Are people no longer allowed to earn a living? Fine if a TA wants to rebate a commission to earn the business that is his decision. But you are not getting it any cheaper going directly. And why would you not support someone in your own hometown that is paying taxes to enable your kids to go to schools and to provise the service you demand?

 

This is bullcrap and I am likely to get banned but, someone needs to speak up. I know probably a thousand PROFESSIONAL travel agents and to be honest, with attitudes like most on this thread--they don;t want your business just as bad as you want the freebies!

 

 

Yes, you are greedy. Is not having someone work on your behalf for a small commission worth anything? Maybe ask her for a feww scooter--gas prices are out of control.

 

 

Pinnocchio---stop it, your nose will get caught in the Grand Atrium elevator door!

 

 

TA's make anywhere from 10% to maybe 17% as a commission. This is not on the TICKET price. Take your ticket price, subtract the taxes, port charges and this new fangaled thing called Non-Commissionable Fees and your $999 cruise is commissionable at 15% on $699. So they are making $104 on that booking and you are saying they are giving you 9% of the $999? Hey for the lousy $14 I say good riddence to you.

 

I had a bunnch of replies to many of these posts...but I realized that it has turned into a penis envy conversation. Oh, well mine is bigger than yours.

 

Well, I just booked a $299 per person special on the Fantasy. I found a coupon on the floor at Wallmart and insisted my agent use it (which she did) and then because I made the effort to drive to her office, she reimbursed me for gas and paid for my lunch. But since she is obviously making so much money off of me, I asked for a discount. She could not do it, but offered me a $200 shipboard credit. And imagine my surprise when I got on board and there were robes, a case of wine, 10 complimentary shore excursions, first class plane tickets for the return trip to Podunk, AND when I got home, there was a chauffer driven Rolls Royce waiting for me. After he took me home, he hopped on his bike and handed me a note that simply read, "Thanks for your business, I hope you enjoyed the gifts I arranged for you. Please accept the Rolls as a small token of my appreciation. I hope you will consider booking with me in the future." --Your TA

 

There you go---beat that!

 

It's called capitalism and I like it. :)

[Toddcan]

If a trip is particularly profitable, I can see it MAYBE. But the cruise lines have cut the pricing to the bone and the commission to go with it as well. So there is very little to work with.

 

One rule of thumb was that a gift for a client was 10% of the commission. So, if the agency earns $300 commission, $30 does not even buy a half bottle of wine on board!

 

In the old days before the Wallmart crowd began clamoring all over the gangplanks, cruising was an expensive proposition. People dressed for dinne and even to FLY to the port. No one would come to the dining room in a wife-beater tank top like they do now.

 

Back then, a cruise for a week may have set someone back $7000 to $10,000. With the agency earning maybe 15% to even 20% of the TOTAL SALE. Now, if someone comes in and I work with them and am looking to earn $2000 in commission, sure I might give them an OBC or gift. BUt now, it is the $299 special Breakfast at Denny's mentality that has taken over!

 

 

•

I'm not even sure how to respond to that. That's insulting on so many levels...

 

cs, don't let jfrenaye's ill-chosen delivery method mask the fact that he has a very valid point (with which I happen to agree).

 

We all feel we are entitled to "stick it to the man" because of course people are getting filthy rich off of us. I'm not saying we don't negotiate. But, to go to extremes and demand unreasonable rewards from a TA; it's inconsiderate at a minimum.

[CASkippr]

 

Pinnocchio---stop it, your nose will get caught in the Grand Atrium elevator door!

 

 

 

Oh - my bad. I just went and added it up again and it is $1550 for the entire cabin, not the $1650 I quoted earlier. Is that better? In case you want to add it up for yourself, here are the numbers. $725 pp for the first two passengers and $50 pp for the second two.

[honeydog714]

Why? Just curious- what is the benifit with booking direct vs a TA?

I mentioned it breifly before but here is the whole scenerio- we live in California and were cruising out of Florida on a Sunday, we flew in to Florida on Saturday. When we got to the pre cruise hotel I wanted to go for a swim and asked my husband to grab my suit from the bag. He looked around our pile of luggage and asked me, "which one is it in?" At that moment I realized our big bag was not with us! At first I thought we must not have grabbed it at luggage claims and grabbed our claim checks to call the airlines, that is when I noticed there were only four bags checked. (yes I do way over pack) anyhow we finally deduced that it must have been left on the shuttle we took from the car park place to the airport back in California. It was now about five or six pm florida time and we were due to cruise the next morning. My gown and my husband's tux were in that bag along with most of our clothes and bathing suits. IF I had booked direct I would be totally out of luck BUT I booked with a TA who was kind enough to supply me with her home phone "in case of emergencies" I called her in tears and within an hour she had the situation all under control. She had the car park place bring the suitcase to the airport and have it over night fed-ex'd to florida, we picked it up on the way to the port in the morning and everything was fine. Not only that but she wrote the valet service a long letter saying their driver should have counted the bags (really my husband should have) and got them to refund my CC the 70.00 fed ex charge. THAT is the difference of booking with a TA!

[Ivanova]

Oh - my bad. I just went and added it up again and it is $1550 for the entire cabin, not the $1650 I quoted earlier. Is that better? In case you want to add it up for yourself, here are the numbers. $725 pp for the first two passengers and $50 pp for the second two.

 

considering most cruise lines forbid commission rebating (which it sounds like what you got), I can only imagine one of these days your TA will be put out of business.

[cs]

•

 

 

cs, don't let jfrenaye's ill-chosen delivery method mask the fact that he has a very valid point (with which I happen to agree).

 

We all feel we are entitled to "stick it to the man" because of course people are getting filthy rich off of us. I'm not saying we don't negotiate. But, to go to extremes and demand unreasonable rewards from a TA; it's inconsiderate at a minimum.

 

No one's talking about demanding things. It's about shopping the competition. Why not ask your travel agent if they can match somebody else's perks?

 

If one agency can afford to give perks then the other agency should be able to also - unless they are poor business people. Nobody should feel obligated to overlook the perks that other TAs are offering just because their TA isn't a good business person.

 

I should also add that I really do know the difference between the two types of agencies. I've been with the high perks, low service agencies already. But that's fine with me. I really don't need much in the way of service so I'm content doing most of the work myself in exchange for the perks.

[CASkippr]

considering most cruise lines forbid commission rebating (which it sounds like what you got), I can only imagine one of these days your TA will be put out of business.

 

OBC is rebating? Isn't that what everyone else here is getting as well? :confused:

[Ivanova]

No one's talking about demanding things. It's about shopping the competition. Why not ask your travel agent if they can match somebody else's perks?

 

If one agency can afford to give perks then the other agency should be able to also - unless they are poor business people. Nobody should feel obligated to overlook the perks that other TAs are offering just because their TA isn't a good business person.

 

I should also add that I really do know the difference between the two types of agencies. I've been with the high perks, low service agencies already. But that's fine with me. I really don't need much in the way of service so I'm content doing most of the work myself in exchange for the perks.

 

Except when one agency is abiding by cruise line rules (no rebating) and another is blatantly breaking the rules.

 

Yeah, I know, capitalism at its finest. And if the rebating agency goes out of business because the cruise lines come down on them for rebating, what do you care? You got your perks, who care that someone squandered their livelihood trying to get your business?

[Ivanova]

OBC is rebating? Isn't that what everyone else here is getting as well? :confused:

 

most cruise lines consider it rebating.

[CASkippr]

most cruise lines consider it rebating.

 

I see. You were directing your post to every TA on this thread that offers an OBC, not just the one that I deal with.

[Ivanova]

I see. You were directing your post to every TA on this thread that offers an OBC, not just the one that I deal with.

 

TAs in general that rebate (in the eyes of the cruise line), on this thread or not. It's a dicey business to try and skirt the cruise line rules and policies. It's true one might not get caught, but if they did the ramifications could be steep. As a result many TAs don't want to take the chance ... yes they will give clients gifts, especially with delivery of their travel documents (like gift baskets, a bottle of wine, photo albums, etc.) but to give a client cash or a cash equivalent (i.e. OBC or an after cruise debit card) is a whole different can of worms.

[love2crz]

my TA is my sister and if she goes away with me........I get 14% off the price, I get it at her cost, I guess I am just bragging..........sorry LOL :D

[cs]

Except when one agency is abiding by cruise line rules (no rebating) and another is blatantly breaking the rules.

 

Yeah, I know, capitalism at its finest. And if the rebating agency goes out of business because the cruise lines come down on them for rebating, what do you care? You got your perks, who care that someone squandered their livelihood trying to get your business?

 

That's a bit extreme. I don't think that an agency is going to go out of business because they offer incentives. If they couldn't afford to do it, I'm sure they wouldn't.

 

Once again, I'm sorry to the people who can't afford to compete. But you can't be mad at your customers for wanting a good deal. I am one who does shop around. I don't pay the highest prices and I do look for a good deal. Shame on me for that? Hey, if you pay full price for everything and never take a perk, then that's great for you!

[honeydog714]

What is different if my TA buys me a 25.00 obc or a 30.00 bottle of wine? Both are a gift?

I thought rebating is like the companies that are giving out huge credits- or cash back after your cruise. She pays for my credit with from her own money before we even sail so how could she be rebating what she isn't even collected yet?

Anyhow,heck if it would get her in trouble I would just tell her to keep her money and still use her services. She has been in business for a long time though so I can't imagine what she does is wrong.

[mencik]

If your TA is paid hourly then transferring them over to her would get her nothing. She is paid if she is on the phone or not. I think, if she gets nothing then keep things the way they are

 

Of course, the vast majority of TA's work only for commission, especially independent TAs. Their hourly rate is $0.00.

[cruzinnluvinit]

That is completely not true. If she is paid hourly believe me she will have a goal and if she does not meet that goal she will be fired. So she does get something...a job. Nobody becomes a travel agent to get rich we do it because we love it.

As usual, I didn't know the facts. I keep saying I should just sit back until I know the facts but I keep forgetting.

 

What happens if you book through a TA and then transfer to the cruise line? Does the TA lose all pay?

 

BTW I only use TAs so I am not pro cruise line for purchasing.

 

Linda

[lvtotrvl1]

As usual, I didn't know the facts. I keep saying I should just sit back until I know the facts but I keep forgetting.

 

What happens if you book through a TA and then transfer to the cruise line? Does the TA lose all pay?

 

BTW I only use TAs so I am not pro cruise line for purchasing.

 

Linda

If you transfer from TA to cruiseline all commission is lost.

[ozzy1210]

Anyhow,heck if it would get her in trouble I would just tell her to keep her money and still use her services. She has been in business for a long time though so I can't imagine what she does is wrong.

 

Yes, it is. Especially to Royal Caribbean. Funny how this thread just happens to fall into their forum.

[honeydog714]

;) well then I will tell her to give me wine instead, either way her gift ends up in my liver LOL-

[cs]

Yes, it is. Especially to Royal Caribbean. Funny how this thread just happens to fall into their forum.

 

Lol - I'm the OP & trust me, I don't work for RCCL!