Do you give a gift to your travel agent?

[searlie]

I was wondering if it is considered proper (or expected) to give a gift to your travel agent after she worked with you on your cruise? I sent mine a nice, heartfelt thank you note when we returned but I feel like she is being "cool" to me now (I deal with her for work) so I wonder if I slipped up by not sending a gift or flowers or something... :o

 

Thanks for the help! (I haven't been home too long so I can still make this right if I should!)

[suenruss]

Perhaps travel agents are different in the US, but there is no way that anyone I know would buy a gift for a travel agent here. I think that even a thankyou card is very nice.

[Keith1010]

Like most things this is a personal choice and there is no right or wrong to this. On a couple of long voyages we have brought back a gift for our Travel Specialist.

 

Keith

[cb at sea]

Nope--they've already gotten my business and their commission! That's really all that's required! I don't buy "gifts" for the tree-trimmer, or the painter or mechanic....

[Earthworm Jim]

Why would you buy a gift for a travel agent? Do you give a gift to everyone you buy something from?

[Sheffie]

My gift is recommending her to other folks. She has gotten probably over 100 referrals (domino effect) by having me as a client. She is fabulous!!!

[PennyAgain]

No, never!

 

 

Nor do I take gifts to neighbors or office co-workers. My company put a stop to 'gifting' several years ago and we are all grateful for that.

[paul929207]

My gift is my repeat business.

[searlie]

Thank you for all the responses! So maybe it is just in my mind that she is not acting as friendly to me since I returned -- my husband says I can be overly sensitive!

 

I've never used a travel agent before for personal travel (I've always booked online) so I wasn't sure.

 

I feel better now, thanks!! :)

[Shorex]

We have a business relationship with our travel agent. Like the best of business relationships, both sides are cordial, friendly and responsive. However, we are not friends. I expect and receive professional service or I would engage a different TA. If our TA sends us a gift, while it is a lovely gesture, it is also a deductible business expense for her, as well a sound investment that encourages us to recommend more business to her.

 

The situation is similar to the gift we received from the real estate agent who sold us our home. She sent a lovely crystal vase, a business deduction for her and a smart business decision so that we would be more inclined to give referrals.

 

So, no. We do not send gifts to our TA.

[patseacruiser]

Believe me - all we want is repeat and referral business - no other gifts.

[uppitycats]

I didn't give mine a gift, exactly..but did give her a couple of postcards that we got from the Nobel Peace Center Museum in Oslo, and a little troll.. :) She'll get my repeat business for sure, and recommendations to friends!

[Garyorient]

Perhaps travel agents are different in the US, but there is no way that anyone I know would buy a gift for a travel agent here. I think that even a thankyou card is very nice.

 

As a UK Agent I agree with you completely.

The booking is thanks enough, and I suppose sometimes it is nice to get a phone call on return giving some feedback.

 

The best "gift" an agent can have is if their client is happy and phones to ask them to quote again.

 

Simples!!

[EGG]

I've recommended my TA to friends. They would have never used this TA otherwise.

[travelntreats]

I have on many occassions been provided small tokens of appreciation from our clients.....never expected, but certainly appreciated.

 

Referrals of course are possibly the best gift of thanks, but it sure is nice when a client thinks of you and remembers something you say you like in casual conversation regarding vacations, and they surprise you with something when you least expect it !

 

Some clients will look at it as "you made your commission, why expect anything else?".

 

Point is... it is NOT EXPECTED, but certainly appreciated. :D

[firefly333]

I think the best thing you can give them besides thanks, is sending people their way.

[Putterdude]

I quite agree with the above poster, they are commissioned people and the best thing you can do is refer others to them....and a thank you note is very nice....but no gift.

[Alrana Eris]

I wouldn't gift the TA, but if you want to give a gift that's up to you. But I would at least call after I get back to say "thank you". If they did a crappy job- say thank you and don't use them again. I worked in customer service and put up with a lot of crap. I'm paid to be nice to you, but after I gave you the information a simple "thank you" will do a and the best gift and it makes my day. "thank you is not hard to say to the travel agent and I think they will appreciate that more than a silly trinket. I only buy gifts for my mom,dad and best friend. Thats it.

 

my 2 cents.

 

Alrana

[travelntreats]

I guess I just look at it differently perhaps, but I even give our mail carrier a little Thank you gift over the Holidays... they are paid well, but just to acknowledge your appreciation goes along way in my eyes !

 

It is becoming a rarity more now than ever in this day and age that people will say thanks in some fashion for a job well done instead of griping or complaining.

[Adri204]

I tip the rural mail carrier at christmas and on her birthday, Same with the newspaper lady and the garbage persons as well. Also the snow plow person who comes and does the snow plowing for us as they do a better job then I do lol.

 

Anyway that sounds like a lot of tipping but really it isent and I appreate thier services. I do recommend the garbage company as they are excellent and I do recommend the snow plow company again they rock to.

 

Adri :)

 

P.s Yes I live in a small community so I know the people who deliver my mail, deliver the paper, pick up my garbage and snow plow for me and my family lol.

[pris993]

Over 25+ years of traveling, we have given some very nice gifts to travel agents, a favorite perfume for example. As a result we have had a few travel agents that really went out of their way to help us out with OBC, upgrades to suites, making changes with out any "change" fees.

 

More recently, the travel business is a difficult business to be in -- most TAs today do not have any option to treat customers so well. Regardless, we still bring smaller gifts of chocolates, our current TAs favorite thing back.

 

We always travel with small gifts for hotel, airport personnel etc and others we meet along the way. It is just the way we are and people we meet love getting something unexpected. One time we were in a street market in Israel and young man commented about my husband's cologne - he wears a Spanish cologne -- he had a small sample size in his pocket -- he gave it to the young man. We made is his day. That's what gift giving is about -- our TA loves getting a little surprise too.

 

Obviously giving your TA something is optional but it seems to be a nice thing to do. We always send her a postcard with a message of thanks as well.