Dealing with / advising family and amateurs :/

[juddles]

Hi all,

just a late night thread posted in defeat.

many of us try to help others (I am talking here about family / friends - not AFF'ers) with travel matters. Because we have learnt many lessons and want to really help. But such attempts to help the ignorant almost invariably end up as a loss.

My sister has to travel to Colombia next month to attend a wedding. She has traveled overseas a couple of times, but that was a while ago so is effectively a novice. I get that, I understand that travel is not a usual beast for most people. And so I tried to help. I have what could be said to be a "solid" level of experience in this travel destination. (for those that do not know me I have done sth america a zillion times)

She needs to get from Brisbane to Medellin, Colombia. I gave her endless advice and support. I instantly halved her travel costs by suggesting such things as getting a ticket to Bogota, and a second ticket to hop from there to Medellin, rather than the extreme pricing that a single ticket all the way would get. . I told her online airfares are a complex thing, and that they often defy logic. I explained how in the modern era it was as cheap now on this route to book via the actual airline as via third parties, and that this was much safer if things went awry. I spent hours looking (as any decent AFF person does ) and handed her the best way to do this - book direct with QF to get to BOG, and get a separate ticket within Colombia for the BOG-MDE.

She was all set up to do this, but I had to disappear for a few days. When I got back online, I saw an email from her. She has decided to book through Flight Centre.

AAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGGGGHHHHH

I hope her flights are without drama, but on that route there are a million pitfalls. Maybe she will be lucky. I hope so. But OI swear that is the last time I try to help someone.

Flying is a complex game. We have all learnt much - through personal travel or from the great knowledge base here. But infrequent travelers just simply do not get it. Not their fault, but IMHO it is a very perilous thing to attempt to help these people.

She booked through Flight Centre!! AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

 

[Sprucegoose]

let it go Juddles we all learn by falling over

 

[juddles]

let it go Juddles we all learn by falling over

True, but it is so hard not to help. Even if you know through experience that it will not work.

 

[Sprucegoose]

Totally agree. There was a time when I knew everything as well !!

 

[Rugby]

Yep, that’s a bad beat Juddles.

 

[serfty]

Some people just want it to be strait forward and believe that a TA or places like Flight Centre will do that.

Aunty Murl: "Flight Centre? I booked my Brisbane trip through them, they were fine. South America should be a doddle. Here, let me give you my contact".

Using such services generally comes at an upfront cost and it's only when thing go wrong that the real penalties appear. Then they cough and moan.

For example, if an airline make a significant schedule change to an itinerary booked by Flight Centre, Flight Centre will see this as an opportunity to charge $100's to fix whereas the airline would do it at no charge if booked directly.

 

[LadyC]

You know the saying, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink! I too am surprised when friends/colleagues end up booking even the most simple things through Flight Centre (eg return trip to USA).

 

[luxury-lizard]

Well - I also have advised a number of my friends on all things air travel - even got several of them on the "buy" FF miles bandwagon (back in the hey day of US Air (RIP), then AA and LifeMiles) and spent hours assisting them with securing award seats in the pointy end. HOWEVER, these same people still use Flight Center when buying paid fares and are totally happy with the result(s). I stay out of it in these cases. Go figure.

 

[amaroo]

If I don’t book it for them - I just give them the madrooster’s phone number.

 

[Deleted member]

I have found that for my mum, I say, give me the fare you would have paid for your Y trip (usually a TT affair) and Mrs ALH works her magic with points in J !
I did accompany mum once and we did it in (EK) F she was mystified how we managed to make it happen.
A few years back we travelled to UK with MIL ad her sister. In spite of offering to we’ve her magic and get them there in J (return). They insisted on Y (we were in F) need;ess to,as. We won’t be doing that again

 

[n7of9]

What's worse: those who don't know any better and book with FC; or those who know never to book with FC because they've heard you all these years but when it comes down to it "I used my aunty's TA, she was really great".

Average (non AFF) people honestly believe that TA's have secret deals and prices that you can't get without them, and that if 'anything goes wrong' they will totally go out if their way to help you.

 

[maccaisking]

Juddles I feel your pain. I have managed to convert my mum into a believer in the FF game and she now calls me for suggestions on any trips.

My father in law is a different story though. He came to visit us in China last year, with a few days stop in Singapore on the way over and in HK on the way home. Normally a Y flyer, he decided he would like ‘a little luxury’ on the trip. I estimated flight portion for his 3 sectors at around $2500 (by using my points) to fly business, and filled in his visa application with him, ready to post to the consulate.

The next update I heard was that he had booked through Flight Centre, paying just under $4k for Premium Eocmony (booked as one way flights rather than open jaw with a connecting flight in the middle) and they kindly offered to handle his visa application for just a smidge over double what it was going to cost if he posted. He also booked all of his accommodation, transfers, tours, etc through them. I shed a little tear just thinking about it.

HOWEVER, he gained happiness via reduced stress in doing this, as he felt more secure going through what he considers a reputable business instead of having the bookings made directly with each vendor. Whilst my happiness comes through getting the best return for the smallest outlay, we each, and in particular the older generations, have different stressors in life, and for him overseas travel to countries where he will struggle to communicate are high on the list. He also had one of his transfers no show, meaning he needed to use a cab, and Flight Centre organized a refund for him, so I guess he got some of the cost difference back!

As I said though, personally, I feel your pain

 

[Ausbt]

My parents: purchased SQ business class fares to Europe ...yes, through Flight Centre. I saw the cost and thought "looks pretty full-freight" to me, but you know, could have been worse. Anyway, I sort them out with Velocity and family pooling and hey presto Dad earns sufficient SCs for SG. So far so good, just need to get those sectors on VA done now. Next flight they take? Tiger domestic He doesn't make the sectors. Thankfully, I earned enough SCs that year to gift him SG anyway.

 

[muppet]

Totally feel your pain Juddles.

Family and friends are always keen when they discover I've been flying around F and J but really unwilling to follow the very simple instructions on how to make it happen.

My parents wanted to fly F to the USA, so I said just don't book anything in, Qantas will probably release seats as I'm WP but unlikely to be the exact dates you want. A few months later when they finally settled on the timing they had decided to have friends come along and they all agreed the dates, tours and other inflexible plans.... sigh ... needless to say they flew home W not F.

Then this year they planned to fly paying fare Y to Rome, they always over pay so i said just let me have a look. I found $1k return fares on QF and LH - both good full services airlines. They didn't book them, instead paid $1.8k each to fly QF codeshares on EK .... so they could use their Qantas Club.... at $400 a visit per person. Plus my mum has my supplementary plat amex priority pass so they can access about half the planet's lounges anyway!

So after those two instances my folks are officially cut from advice...

I think what we forget is for those that travel once or twice a year, it doesn't really cost them much to massively stuff it up. For us paying double for every flight would lead to financial ruin!

 

[Daver6]

I too feel this same pain when it comes to my folks.

 

[harvyk]

I seldom give advice these days. At best people don't follow it anyway, and at worst it becomes your fault if anything doesn't run 100% smoothly.

 

[Hvr]

Family, it's just let me do the booking.

Friends, let me show you how, and here's what to do to so you can do it yourself next time. Oh and here's where you go to get more information.

 

[JohnM]

@juddles, mate you really are a master at starting new threads - and turning established ones - late at night .

 

[DC3]

…. She booked through Flight Centre!! AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

Flight Centre. AAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGGGGHHHHH

 

[daft009]

We all make mistakes. I'm sure most have made similar ones here...

Using fight centre or any chain agent
Paying ATO via EFT
Redeeming points for gift cards

Hopefully we all don't keep making them