What travel agents don't want you to know

[Fifa]

http://www.news.com.au/travel/news/...want-you-to-know/story-e6frfq80-1225826275544

Just received this email link from news.com.au - makes interesting reading :shock:

 

[Must...Fly!]

And the honest TA's of this world suffer due to the scum, lowlife acts of a select few taking advantage of people.

:evil:

 

[harvyk]

It's sensationalist tripe written by "journalists" at nonews, sorry I mean news.com.au.
There are certainly some bad agents out there, the same as there are some bad car dealers, some bad real estate agents and some bad "insert name of other commission based salesman here". But for the most part I have found TA's to be generally very knowledgable, able to make bookings that I can't (eg multiple airlines on one PNR) and when ..it has hit the fan they have actually been able to help.

This article is designed to get people living in the western parts of Sydney (and others) to be shocked, outraged, and ultimately buy more newspapers so that news limited can sell more advertising space, nothing more nothing less.

 

[tuppaware]

I'm sorry to say, but TA can just be sales staff. Like anything you have to bargain to get the best price. No different then getting a good price on a large tv.

For example I went to China with uni in 2008, we booked as a group through a mob in sydney (we were in bris) and I was late to book.

I got told the fare quoted ($1800) had gone upto $2200 - although checking the flight numbers on that airline's website quoted me $1800. In the end I booked my own way because they were trying to rip me off.

 

[Fifa]

And there's no doubt that travel insurance is much cheaper to purchase on-line!

 

[Travel Guru]

What makes for even funnier reading is the follow up article entitled 'travel agents fight back' where she quotes those who replied to her first rubbish story as her sources for the second one in order to justify comments such as "Industry insiders confirmed that the tricks used by the agents interviewed were commonplace." but of course who were these reliable sources? Ken and Barry, both of QLD one of whom worked for a wholesaler 'years ago' and the other worked as a TA back in the 90's...wow, talk about industry insiders...NOT!

My 7yo niece could write something with more substance than this (not sure what to call her, wouldnt call her a writer, and a piece of paper from a university hardly makes her a journalist, especially with the lack of journalistic skills used in these 2 pieces) persons sensationalistic rubbish.

As the early posters have said, those lacking ethics aren't limited to any one industry and a couple of bad eggs like these 2 morons (if they exist at all and I do have serious doubts based on a couple of things she's said) hardly makes unethical behaviour commonplace.

Thankfully most of my clientele wouldn't be caught dead reading the sort of rubbish that no-news chooses to publish, but I do feel sorry for the honest, hard working and passionate TA's running agencies targeting the sort of people who would read it and then lead them to question the integrity of someone who strives every day to do the right thing by their clients and act ethically.

As they say, just because one unethical "journalist" chooses to tell a lie and 50,000 people believe it doesn't make it the truth.

TG

 

[drron]

This story is a sad reflection on the state of journalism in Australia.
Rating-Fail,find another job.

 

[Travel Guru]

I'm sorry to say, but TA can just be sales staff. Like anything you have to bargain to get the best price. No different then getting a good price on a large tv.

For example I went to China with uni in 2008, we booked as a group through a mob in sydney (we were in bris) and I was late to book.

I got told the fare quoted ($1800) had gone upto $2200 - although checking the flight numbers on that airline's website quoted me $1800. In the end I booked my own way because they were trying to rip me off.

I think you'll find they weren't trying to rip you off, the challenge with group travel is that group airfares are almost always more expensive than the standard discounted fares you see advertised, but along with that higher price comes benefits such as flexibility with names and payment you just dont get on a discounted fare.

You really need to organise a group to appreciate the complexities they bring and why its better to use a group fare even though it may be one or two hundred more than the cheapest available fare.

The other issue (and the reason I suggest they werent attempting to rip you off) is that even if you do choose to use the cheaper nett fares when organising a group booking, its almost impossible to get enough seats on the cheaper fares to get everyone booked on at that rate...sure you can book yourself and question why you could get it yourself for $1800, but I guarantee theres no way they could have got everyone on at that rate, hence why they didnt use it and opted for a group fare.

Unfortunately without understanding some of the complexities and restrictions you face day to day as a TA its easy to sit back and question whether a TA might be trying to "rip you off" etc, but i'd suggest alot of the time there's other reasons behind it rather than simply a lack of ethics.

TG

 

[straitman]

I think you'll find they weren't trying to rip you off, the challenge with group travel is that group airfares are almost always more expensive than the standard discounted fares you see advertised, but along with that higher price comes benefits such as flexibility with names and payment you just dont get on a discounted fare.

You really need to organise a group to appreciate the complexities they bring and why its better to use a group fare even though it may be one or two hundred more than the cheapest available fare.

The other issue (and the reason I suggest they werent attempting to rip you off) is that even if you do choose to use the cheaper nett fares when organising a group booking, its almost impossible to get enough seats on the cheaper fares to get everyone booked on at that rate...sure you can book yourself and question why you could get it yourself for $1800, but I guarantee theres no way they could have got everyone on at that rate, hence why they didnt use it and opted for a group fare.

Unfortunately without understanding some of the complexities and restrictions you face day to day as a TA its easy to sit back and question whether a TA might be trying to "rip you off" etc, but i'd suggest alot of the time there's other reasons behind it rather than simply a lack of ethics.

TG

TG,

Thank you.

A truly interesting and informative post IMHO.

 

[auriga]

Interesting, thanks!

 

[ChrisBNE]

Agree with TG, as always.

People get ripped off in any retail environment, just most industries arent as transparent.

 

[tuppaware]

I think you'll find they weren't trying to rip you off, the challenge with group travel is that group airfares are almost always more expensive than the standard discounted fares you see advertised, but along with that higher price comes benefits such as flexibility with names and payment you just dont get on a discounted fare.

You really need to organise a group to appreciate the complexities they bring and why its better to use a group fare even though it may be one or two hundred more than the cheapest available fare.

The other issue (and the reason I suggest they werent attempting to rip you off) is that even if you do choose to use the cheaper nett fares when organising a group booking, its almost impossible to get enough seats on the cheaper fares to get everyone booked on at that rate...sure you can book yourself and question why you could get it yourself for $1800, but I guarantee theres no way they could have got everyone on at that rate, hence why they didnt use it and opted for a group fare.

Unfortunately without understanding some of the complexities and restrictions you face day to day as a TA its easy to sit back and question whether a TA might be trying to "rip you off" etc, but i'd suggest alot of the time there's other reasons behind it rather than simply a lack of ethics.

TG

I dont disagree with your post Travel Guru , but talking to the guys at this place I knew they didn't have my best interests at heart. We booked with them as they were 'friends' of one of the teachers... as part of deal- my teacher got travel discount on his own fare!

When I questioned them on the difference of price I then got told in so many words 'stiff scheiße' .. When I spoke to manager of the travel agent (who was the father of the first agent) he agreed that he would give me the lower price, but " I wouldn't get this price anywhere else" .

After dealing with ego and bad communication I cancelled the booking and went booked it myself. No issues

I respect the place your coming from, and I'm sure working with groups of fussy people would be taxing at the best of times. And that its always the one percent of people who screw it up for everyone else.

I didn't convey it in my first post but I had issues with bad communication and my perceived understanding that they were charging me extra because I was planning the travel late. I still think that like anything you treat travel as a negotiation with travel agents. Doesn't mean I'm disrespectful though.

 

[markis10]

Saw the article online last Friday, after reading it decided it was not even worth posting here, to be frank if it appeared in print they should be sued for ink and paper wastage.

Its pretty obvious a new round of cadets have started and they have certainly been let loose while the real journalists take leave or attend a conference.

Wonder what the TA's think who look after the news corporate account....."Sorry Kate, all we can get you on is the midnight flight for the rest of the year and catering is not assured"

 

[Travel Guru]

I can totally appreciate where you're coming from, it's not fair no matter which way you look at it that your flights are basically subsidising someone elses in exchange for a referral, it's something I wouldn't stand for...there's nothing wrong with paying for a referral, but it should never come at someone elses expense, it should always be treated as a marketing cost and be born by the agent from any potential profit they would normally make on the booking.

TG

 

[dajop]

I still think that like anything you treat travel as a negotiation with travel agents.

For good instruction on how not to negotiate with a travel agent, it is worth listening to Arjib on Matt Tilley's most recent and last Gotcha call CD. Amusing.

 

[Travel Guru]

Saw the article online last Friday, after reading it decided it was not even worth posting here, to be frank if it appeared in print they should be sued for ink and paper wastage.

Its pretty obvious a new round of cadets have started and they have certainly been let loose while the real journalists take leave or attend a conference.

Wonder what the TA's think who look after the news corporate account....."Sorry Kate, all we can get you on is the midnight flight for the rest of the year and catering is not assured"

I too saw it but didn't think it worthy of posting, mainly because it was full of inaccuracies.

If you read her replies to tweets on Twitter (Kate Schneider (SchneiderK) on Twitter), she's living in denial if she thinks what she was doing was a favour to the general public and that her pieces had any merit whatsoever.

The fact that she never fact checked at all, nor did she take a balanced view, and the fact her follow up story "Travel Agents Hit Back" http://www.news.com.au/travel/news/travel-agents-hit-back/story-e6frfq80-1225827192093 posted a few hours later used comments posted online really shows a lack of journalistic integrity and a real lack of maturity in her willingness to hurt anyone as long as it means getting something sensationalistic out there among the masses.

The thing she's so naively forgotten is that its not rupert murdoch who pays her wages, it travel agents, by advertising in her newspaper...talk about biting the hand that feeds you!

TG

 

[Alanslegal]

Saw the article online last Friday, after reading it decided it was not even worth posting here, to be frank if it appeared in print they should be sued for ink and paper wastage.

+1, Exactly my thoughts last week.

 

[Mal]

Speaking about the same journalist...
Compare these two articles:

Shah Rukh Khan's body scanner image was not printed, says Heathrow Airport | Mail Online

Shah Rukh Khan's 'naked scanner' claims denied | News.com.au

The Daily Mail says:

But BAA has hit back at the claims saying they were "completely factually incorrect" and "simply could not be true".

Kate Schneider says:

However British Airways has hit back at the claims, saying they are “completely factually incorrect” and “simply could not be true”.

What's a missing letter when it comes to journalism... (I suggest that BAA is the correct source of the quote. )

Hmmm, somehow I think that quote should be changed to:
Readers of Kate Schneider's random garbage have investigated her stories,
saying they are “completely factually incorrect” and “simply could not be true”.

 

[Travel Guru]

Classic Mal!



TG

 

[Fifa]

Even when flights, packages etc are a little dearer you are ultimately paying for the travel agent's experience and knowledge (most of the time).

I rarely use a travel agent preferring the challenge and excitement of booking everything myself and knowing I got the best deal possible. However, I spend hours and hours researching and am happy to do so. My holiday always commences months out when I make my first booking!

Each to their own.