TA problem

[ProfessorandtheGeek]

I know that discussing TA's are frowned on, but my question is general. Have you ever had a TA give you a difficult time about keeping an eye on price drops? Also, have you ever had a TA want to charge you a ridiculous fee for calling the cruise line to get you the price drops?

 

Thank you in advance.

[cb at sea]

I haven't had that problem, but many do. You really have to find a TA that works for YOU...they are not all the same!

[paul929207]

Each TA is different. Some are very helpful others are not. You seem to have found one in the latter category

[zqvol]

I know that discussing TA's are frowned on, but my question is general. Have you ever had a TA give you a difficult time about keeping an eye on price drops? Also, have you ever had a TA want to charge you a ridiculous fee for calling the cruise line to get you the price drops?

 

Thank you in advance.

 

It happens all the time, and to be honest I don't blame them. Every time they have to deal a price reduction or anything else it costs them time. The only way they can sell is their time. Every price reduction costs them part of their commission, so in addition to taking time that they could use on another sale, they also lose money on your sale.

 

Would you want to do extra work and have to give your boss some of your wages back?

[Guest maddycat]

I know that discussing TA's are frowned on, but my question is general. Have you ever had a TA give you a difficult time about keeping an eye on price drops? Also, have you ever had a TA want to charge you a ridiculous fee for calling the cruise line to get you the price drops?

 

Thank you in advance.

 

When I used a TA, I would look for price drops and then call my TA to contact the cruise line. He never charged a fee. However, sometimes I felt like he felt put out when I requested that he check on a price drop. I now book all of my cruises directly with the cruise line. I feel much better not having to work with a TA.

[Scrapnana]

I don't expect my TA to watch for price drops for me. I check for myself (and there are also websites that will monitor for price drops and then notify you) and then let my TA know. I have not had any problems with my TA and would not keep using her if she wanted to charge me for changes.

[Hlitner]

My answer to the OP is to never, ever, use that TA again. And make sure the manager of that agency knows your feeling, that you will never use or recommend them, and why. Over the years and many bookings (about 100) we have used many agencies and eventually developed our own "short list" of favored agencies. These days, once we decide what cruise and cabin category we want, we simply shop around among our short list agencies and usually check out one or 2 more based on suggestions from other cruises. This process takes us no more then an hour (usually a lot less) and reaps some very nice financial awards. If an agency ever gives us any difficulty they immediately fall off our list.

 

As to price drops, none of our favored agencies watches for us on a regular basis. We do that ourselves on a routine basis. If we do detect a price drop it is always a matter of a quick e-mail or phone call to our agency and then we expect results (the same day). None of the agencies we use charge any extra fees to "reprice and rebook" and its just part of business. A few of our favored agencies actually have a separate staff just to handle these type requests and we often get results while we are still on the phone (when we call). Anything less means its time to find a different cruise agency.

 

By the way, our most interesting price change was on the last years 38 day Oosterdam cruise. We had originally booked this for about $23,000 which included a drink package. By the time of our final payment we had gone through 2 price drops and our final price was about $12,000 but we lost the drink package. When our agency mentioned that HAL would take away the drinks my comment that it would be hard to drink $11,000 worth of booze :).

 

Hank

Edited June 8, 2015 by Hlitner

[sail7seas]

It is not the TA's responsibility to watch for price reductions. That is for the cruiser to do. When you choose to book through a TA, you should confirm all terms of their representation of you in advance. Ask if there is a cancellation fee; ask if you will be charged to request a price reduction if you learn about one; ask how long you should expect a return telephone call or e-mail. The more you settle these issues in advance, the less disappointment or displeasure later.

[Flatbush Flyer]

I keep an eye on price drops AND special "partner" sales (I.e., our preferred cruise line and one of any several of its top-producing TAs all whose mailing list we're on). When I see anything significant, I call our guy and he'll act quickly to try and get us that same deal if it's better than our current arrangement.

Most recently I e-mailed him about someone else's partner sale and he had me stay on the phone while he called the cruise line and got the "same limited time offer" for me - ended up with a $400 credit toward final payment.

[Putterdude]

We always book in our TA's groups and very seldom does the price of a cruise below what we are booked at. However, we watch fares and if they do drop he certainly gets them for us. I suppose there is a trade off here....a small volume TA may watch for fare drops but likely doesn't have access to "group" fares; whereas a high volume TA's has "group" fares but doesn't have the time or frankly the incentive to watch for price drops for all the clients he or she may have.

[SadieN]

When you ask for a price reduction, it lowers their commission. That's the reasoning for the change fee.

[Putterdude]

When you ask for a price reduction, it lowers their commission. That's the reasoning for the change fee.

 

Some do charge and some don't. That is why it is very important to ask the TA right up front if they charge for changes, re-pricing or cancelations. If they, yes, I would be inclined to move on to the next TA. Ours doesn't.

[marco]

I guess it depends on your TA and your relation with him/her. We are leaving on a cruise next week which we booked several months ago. Twice, our TA called to tell us "I'm sending you a new invoice and you'll note final payment is less they the original, as price has gone down".

[Krazy Kruizers]

Our TA, whom we have used for over 25 years, does not have the time to keep checking for price drops. She has far too many customers for that.

I keep checking prices. Then I call her and she calls the cruise line. She does not charge to do that.

It is too late for you to change TA's now as your TA also will probably charge you a fee for that as well.

[Jane2357]

Your main concern needs to be a new TA if you chose to continue to use one. We were using a very good TA from a mega chain - they treated us great and gave us some OBC but never to the degree that I heard others getting. I've found that for me - I prefer to "control" my own booking and it is not worth giving up control for OBC. Regardless I would NEVER use an agent that would charge you for calling to get a price reduction although I would never think it was their job to watch for one.

[BDRebel]

My TA stated that it was my responsibility to spot the price drops, and he would file them. That said, I had a respectable OBC added to my account that matches an earlier price drop that I didn't call about. He seems to be taking good care of me as a customer.

[donaldsc]

There are lots of sites on the internet that let you monitor price drops. There are even sites that will automatically e-mail you if the price drops. There is no need to be constantly bothering your TA to check for price drops.

 

Now, if you do find a price drop, your TA should be responsive and try to get you the lower price although you often will find that restrictions on the drop mean that you are not eligible for it. That said, I would not bother my TA for a minimal drop. Not worth my or his time.

 

DON

[Putterdude]

My TA stated that it was my responsibility to spot the price drops, and he would file them. That said, I had a respectable OBC added to my account that matches an earlier price drop that I didn't call about. He seems to be taking good care of me as a customer.

 

That is not unusual, very often when booked in a TA "group" if you take group fare, deduct the value of the group OBCs and any other perks you will find that the price is still lower than the cruise lines' reduced fare less any OBCs they are offering in their promotion. You always have to do the math.