John F, As for flight changes and delays–not too much of an issue because of the US service to BDA f

Jerry Ginnis arkansas travel and tourism says his first mistake was asking a travel agent for a quote on a Bermuda vacation. He d already found a terrific price online a week at a luxury resort for $2,800, about 40 percent off the normal rate but a friend suggested he call, anyway.
Why is this an issue? Because when Ginnis checked into his hotel, he was asked for a voucher arkansas travel and tourism from his agent. He didn t have one. Although that matter was eventually cleared up, a subsequent call to the agent only made the situation worse. The agent, he says, was defiant, claiming that it was better to be working with an agent, arkansas travel and tourism in case something went wrong.
I contacted US Airways on Ginnis behalf, mostly out of curiosity. An airline representative called the agent s behavior deceptive but not illegal. US Airways policy is to give travel agents a commission when they call with a booking number.
US Airways won t strip the agent of her commission, but it is investigating the matter and is considering changing its policy. We may start contacting clients to verify they re working with an agent, a spokeswoman told me.
So who is the agent? I have asked for her side of the story, but she hasn t responded yet. I can say that she works for a large travel agency in the Philadelphia area. I can also say that Ginnis is filing an ethics complaint with the American Society of Travel Agents and complaining to the local Better Business Bureau about her behavior.
Since the agent changed the reservation to indicate she was the contact , there could have been a disaster in the making if there had been any flight time changes. Ginnis might have never received any notification. He is very lucky that all went according to plan.
BTW, I have had agents insist they found the bset deal for me, when with subsequent searches, I found better on line myself. One was a cruise, at less than half the quoted price, the other was a rather complicated airline routing to India. There are wonderful agents out there, but there are also some real sleezeballs. One has to depend on one s own intuition to figure out with which one is speaking.
For example the agent s claim is that they sold Jerry on the package that he booked. Jerry had no idea that this package existed until they talked to the agent. The agent told Jerry what she was going to do (service the booking) and it didn t impact Jerry at all. In that case, it might be ok.
Example 2. USAir assumed when the agent called to enquire why someone found a lower price than what was in the res system that the agent was responsible for the booking and USAir moved the booking arkansas travel and tourism without a request. Commissions normally come after travel so the agent might not even know that it was moved.
But here s the thing: How do you find a good agent? One that will actually save you money/hassles? I know these rogue agents are the exception, not the rule, but how do I find someone that justifies paying a bit extra? I guess, for now, I will stick to finding Travelocity arkansas travel and tourism bids and dealing with any fall-out on my own.
I agree it was snarky; but you do need the agent s side of the tale. From an agent s perspective, arkansas travel and tourism it is frustrating when you do work on behalf of a client/prospective client and the client then books somewhere else without conferring with the agent. That is just plain rude.
Most suppliers will not move any booking from the original source unless it is requested by the client. I have not had the opportunity to do this with USAV but I have not run across ANY supplier that will do it on the word of the acquiring agent.
One thing Chris s article points out is that the customer found a deal online but was (for whatever reason) reluctant to push the button. He is referred to an agent by a friend and the agent then validates for the customer arkansas travel and tourism that it is, in fact, a good deal only she betters the price. She probably advised him on his hotel choice, things to see and do, restaurants to try, whether or not to take the hotel s meal plan, etc etc. And she clearly wanted the sale because she called him the next morning to see about finalizing arkansas travel and tourism plans.
1st off if the agent made a booking with usairways and the client made the booking as well this is called a Double booking WHICH by airline policy is NOT allowed. if the agent booking was 1st then the airline will cancel the @nd booking by choice.
3rd The agent earned the commission on the price therefore, arkansas travel and tourism the client did not pay any fee or pay more then they would have. the commission was paid by the airline and i will assume it was as a result of the double booking.
John and John F: Ginnis ALREADY had his plans before he contacted the agent. She had a slightly arkansas travel and tourism better rate on what he already found. He went back and substantially bettered that price. I don t see that the agent provieded any benefit to Ginnis.
John F, As for flight changes and delays–not too much of an issue because of the US service to BDA from PHL That s easy to say from home but just try being there when US Airways melts down in PHL. I was there in a minor meltdown about a week before their big Christams melt down and I would not wish US Airways arkansas travel and tourism or PHL on my worst enemy. I have never met such rude and vulgar employees on any airline in the world. Passengers were cattle and luggage just debris to throw around. PHL to BOS is an easy connection, there were four available but they wanted me to get on any plane with a seat and throw my luggage on any plane with space and hope it would all get sorted arkansas travel and tourism out in Boston sometime later. When I asked if I could just wait it out and go later I was cursed arkansas travel and tourism out for snarling their plans and this was after their flight from Paris was 8 hours late. Eight hours that could have been used to plan an orderly transition. So I ALWAYS want to be the one notified if there is a flight arkansas travel and tourism time or change so I can take any action I may be able to ameliorate the situtation. Even if it is just to make sure I have a book to sit quietly and wait for the dust to settle.
From an agent's perspective, arkansas travel and tourism it is frustrating when you do work on behalf of a client/prospective client and the client then books somewhere else without conferring with the agent. That is just plain rude.
Indeed. One catch is the prospect (which arkansas travel and tourism I think is a more accurate arkansas travel and tourism word than customer) hasn t seemingly said they ll pay the agent for that held reservation, unless there was maybe an explicit agreement to do so?
Seriously, that s one reality travel agents ought to consider by now: unless arkansas travel and tourism the prospect, client, whatever promised to pay for that held reservation, don t expect all of them to pay. People are always on the lookout for bargains, some of which can be better than what travel agents are willing to offer.
I see what is probably a few travel agents making comments I don t have anything against travel agents either. But until you guys figure out a way to cull the bad ones from the good, you re going to get a lot of this. I figure my chances of finding a decent travel agent, based upon my experiences when I walk into an agency are somewhere around 10%. Although I ve not done a formal survey, the 10% is generous in my personal experiences over the past serveral decades. I cannot think of a single industry/service where I ve had such a low success rate.
The list goes on. However, my experiences with the travel agents I ve dealt with, is in a word, pathetic. And the worst one, bar none, was an agency that worked for Amex Platinum card services. When I complained, Amex confessed to having a lot of problems with them. This was about 10 years ago.
@ Bill: I think your post is right on the spot. The truth is, with the internet, what once required travel agents to do can now easily arkansas travel and tourism be done by the traveller (consumer). The successful travel agents are the ones that have carved out their niche (ie complex itineraries, customers where money is no object, or contract out to corporate services). The agents that depend on selling to the average consumer are dinosaurs and will be extinct. As a former business traveller and an experienced traveller, I fail to see the need for a travel agent on 99% of my travels.
The last time I used a travel agent was a corporate travel agent that I was required to use for business arkansas travel and tourism travel. In my opinion they were worthless (they booked what was easier to book without arkansas travel and tourism regards to anything else). I fail to see the need to pay twice as much for a ticket when a minor booking change could save $$$. (Yes, its company money, but it still comes out of my travel allowance) In the end, I would go online, find the flights, obtain arkansas travel and tourism the booking codes and tell the agents exactly what to book.
Travel agents arkansas travel and tourism have been historically full service arkansas travel and tourism providers (ie you told them what you want, they take care of ALL the details, from booking flights, coordinating between providers, taking care of you if problems arise, etc.) The notion that a travel agent will act as your advocate in times of trouble is a joke. No travel agent gets compensated enough on $200 coast-to-coast tickets to go through the hassels of arguing with the airline. In my travels, I found that I am the biggest advocate. Have I always gotten what I ve needed or wanted? no, but more times than not, I have managed arkansas travel and tourism to stay out of trouble (being elite helps). The trouble I have with a lot of the comments on this forum is that many are from seasoned travel pros. Anyone who seeks Chris for help is likely someone arkansas travel and tourism who doesn t know the ropes.
A decent travel agent to me is someone who is proactive and knows the tricks of the trade (like never booking a 50 minute connecting flight through arkansas travel and tourism DTW, IAD, EWR, CLE, etc) without being reminded and prompted. But, if I require the services arkansas travel and tourism of a decent travel agent, I fully expect to pay them a fair rate ($50/hr, etc), as it isn t coming from commissions anymore. For most of my travels, its simply not worth it!
What I look for in an agent may be different than others. I generally am not looking for the cheapest trip for a vacation, though I won t say no to discounts. For me, an agent s most