Beyond frustrated with our TA and Viking

[picklellp]

We booked our first river cruise for this July through a local travel agent. We are paid in full and very excited for the upcoming trip to celebrate my mom and my aunt's 70th birthdays. However, now that our TA has her money, she is completely nonresponsive to any contact from us. She received the air information email from Viking almost a month ago and JUST forwarded it to us yesterday. We had additional questions about possibly upgrading to Air Plus because we're not 100% happy with the flights chosen. I have emailed our TA and left multiple voicemails with zero response. Our TA now has an out of office message stating she will be out of the office the remainder of the week (and the message was changed after I left other voicemails, so it's clear she's not concerned with getting back to me). She does not work weekends, so we're looking at next Monday as her earliest call back to us.

 

I called Viking today to see if I could get more information about the Air Plus, how it works, and possibly upgrade myself and my 3 travel companions. I was told by the rep that there's nothing she can do for me because it went through a TA. I explained our TA is nonresponsive and will now be out of office until next week which will put us past the 60 day cutoff to upgrade. The rep (Ellen) basically told me to just cross my fingers and hope it doesn't get ticketed before our TA gets back with us. I understand there is a contract between Viking and the TA, but if the TA is completely failing at helping then surely Viking has some protocol for assisting.

 

The Viking rep spoke with her supervisor who gave the same answer and she refused to let me speak with the supervisor directly.

 

This is our first river cruise, but these interactions are leaving a very bad taste in my mouth when it comes to Viking as a company. Obviously we will never use this TA again either.

 

Anyone have a similar experience and get any sort of resolution from Viking directly?

 

Lindsey

[Donray]

How did you select a TA? Was it someone offering the best price?

 

You should have booked with Viking directly. What did you want from Viking? It is your TA that is the problem and not Viking.

 

Is it a one person TA?

[jacksonnh]

Does your TA have a boss? If so, give he or she a call and explain your frustration with your TA and the situation and see if someone will help you

[picklellp]

How did you select a TA? Was it someone offering the best price?

 

You should have booked with Viking directly. What did you want from Viking? It is your TA that is the problem and not Viking.

 

Is it a one person TA?

 

This is a TA that advertised specializing in river cruising, had good reviews, etc. And yes, I believe she is a one person TA. This is also our first time (and possible last) using a TA instead of booking directly with the cruise line.

 

And I agree that the main problem is with my TA, but this can't possibly be the first time something like this has happened with Viking. Their complete lack of customer service is unacceptable. I'm not even sure if we WANT to upgrade at this point - I wanted some general questions about the Air Plus program answered and to see how Viking could assist with our TA basically being MIA. The continued canned response from Viking of referring me back to my TA was not helpful in the least. If Viking has a contract with this TA, they need to enforce whatever is in that contract. I'm fairly certain there should be something in there about timely communication with the customer.

[ExCapt]

We booked our first river cruise for this July through a local travel agent. We are paid in full and very excited for the upcoming trip to celebrate my mom and my aunt's 70th birthdays. However, now that our TA has her money, she is completely nonresponsive to any contact from us. She received the air information email from Viking almost a month ago and JUST forwarded it to us yesterday. We had additional questions about possibly upgrading to Air Plus because we're not 100% happy with the flights chosen. I have emailed our TA and left multiple voicemails with zero response. Our TA now has an out of office message stating she will be out of the office the remainder of the week (and the message was changed after I left other voicemails, so it's clear she's not concerned with getting back to me). She does not work weekends, so we're looking at next Monday as her earliest call back to us.

 

I called Viking today to see if I could get more information about the Air Plus, how it works, and possibly upgrade myself and my 3 travel companions. I was told by the rep that there's nothing she can do for me because it went through a TA. I explained our TA is nonresponsive and will now be out of office until next week which will put us past the 60 day cutoff to upgrade. The rep (Ellen) basically told me to just cross my fingers and hope it doesn't get ticketed before our TA gets back with us. I understand there is a contract between Viking and the TA, but if the TA is completely failing at helping then surely Viking has some protocol for assisting.

 

The Viking rep spoke with her supervisor who gave the same answer and she refused to let me speak with the supervisor directly.

 

This is our first river cruise, but these interactions are leaving a very bad taste in my mouth when it comes to Viking as a company. Obviously we will never use this TA again either.

 

Anyone have a similar experience and get any sort of resolution from Viking directly?

 

Lindsey

 

 

My goodness. Another one that wants to jump on the bandwagon of "lets blame Viking even though this has nothing to do with them"

 

This is no different to booking a trip without insurance and then something going wrong. You won't get your money back! You chose to bypass Viking and use a TA (and there's nothing wrong with that) so cry to the TA now that things are not right and stop blaming Viking!

 

I'll be the first one to jump on them if they did something wrong but they have ZERO responsibility in this!!:mad:

[Kamloops50]

Talk to the office manger , if that doesn't work. Contact the owner and get the reservation released or given to another agent. If a big online agent , there is always someone who can even a supervisor.

[gregdude]

All cruise lines would give you the same response. If you use a TA the line will never talk to you directly only talk to the TA. This is a part of the contract the cruise line has with travel agents. It is also one reason I don't use agents.

[picklellp]

My goodness. Another one that wants to jump on the bandwagon of "lets blame Viking even though this has nothing to do with them"

 

This is no different to booking a trip without insurance and then something going wrong. You won't get your money back! You chose to bypass Viking and use a TA (and there's nothing wrong with that) so cry to the TA now that things are not right and stop blaming Viking!

 

I'll be the first one to jump on them if they did something wrong but they have ZERO responsibility in this!!:mad:

 

Uh, nobody mentioned anything about getting money back...? And you'll also see that I did note we've tried to resolve directly with the TA - multiple times and multiple ways.

 

My main complaint with Viking today was their refusal to answer any questions when I contacted them directly. The reps refusal to look into the matter further or offer any sort of resolution coupled with her continued canned response of "follow-up with your TA" got us absolutely nowhere. I'm not blaming Viking for my TA's actions (or lack thereof). My issue was the lack of customer service on the call earlier - bordering on rudeness once I asked to speak with a supervisor and was told no.

[picklellp]

Talk to the office manger , if that doesn't work. Contact the owner and get the reservation released or given to another agent. If a big online agent , there is always someone who can even a supervisor.

 

It looks like she's a one-woman show, but I'm continuing to email, call, and post on her Facebook until I get a response (yn)

[picklellp]

All cruise lines would give you the same response. If you use a TA the line will never talk to you directly only talk to the TA. This is a part of the contract the cruise line has with travel agents. It is also one reason I don't use agents.

 

Good to know - this has definitely been a learning experience. Back to booking directly in the future :cool:

[Eboracum_d]

I'm a little dubious about Viking's claim that their contract is with the TA and not with you. An agent acts on behalf of his or, in this case her, principal and woukd not usually be one of the contracting parties.

 

 

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[Kamloops50]

I'm a little dubious about Viking's claim that their contract is with the TA and not with you. An agent acts on behalf of his or, in this case her, principal and woukd not usually be one of the contracting parties.

 

 

 

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YES the TA has a contract to represent you with Viking . She is also your authorized agent to the cruise line.

[Eboracum_d]

As a general rule, at least in English Law, an Agent is NOT a party to a contract which he negotiates on your behalf . That contact is between you and the Company from whom YOU, not the Agent is buying the product.

 

There may ( almost certainly is) a separate contract between you and the Agent by which you authorise the Agent to act on your behalf. That may set out the terms on which you can withdraw such authorisation but the Agent's own actions or inaction) may result in that contract being void.

 

 

 

 

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[Mark_T]

This is one of the occasions where I'd strongly suggest a quick email to TellUs@vikingcruises.com

 

By the strict protocol of these things the Viking reps you spoke to are entirely correct, but also there are occasions, and this may be one of them, where it may be necessary to work around the formalities to prevent a bigger problem.

 

Try an email and see what happens ...

[gnome12]

When you deal with a travel agent they get paid a commission. The cruise company does this in exchange for the TA dealing with you. This limits the interactions with the cruise company. Your TA is supposed to act as a go-between. Unfortunately, the TA isn't doing her job.

[picklellp]

This is one of the occasions where I'd strongly suggest a quick email to TellUs@vikingcruises.com

 

By the strict protocol of these things the Viking reps you spoke to are entirely correct, but also there are occasions, and this may be one of them, where it may be necessary to work around the formalities to prevent a bigger problem.

 

Try an email and see what happens ...

 

I had planned to send a message through the website later, but this email is even better. Thank you for the suggestion!!

[pflorio994]

Viking charges $50.00 pp for Air Plus Services. They also charge for any upgrade (economy to business or first class); as well as any deviation in flight (extra days, etc) . Have you tried to call the Air Plus Department directly 877-523-0580. You will need your reservation number before they answer any questions. Also I would suggest that you know what flights you want. I have dealt with Viking directly for my 8 cruises with them. Good luck.

[picklellp]

Viking charges $50.00 pp for Air Plus Services. They also charge for any upgrade (economy to business or first class); as well as any deviation in flight (extra days, etc) . Have you tried to call the Air Plus Department directly 877-523-0580. You will need your reservation number before they answer any questions. Also I would suggest that you know what flights you want. I have dealt with Viking directly for my 8 cruises with them. Good luck.

 

I did speak with the Air Plus department directly and they are the ones who continue to refer me back to my TA. I was able to get some good information about Air Plus from these forums to answer some of my general questions.

[vamartha]

I specifically don't use a TA for any travels. I am my own TA and that way I have complete control over what happens and if I run into an issue, I have no one to blame but me. So far, it has worked out very well for me in my travels by land, sea or air!

[mhb1757]

When you email Viking tell them you wish to terminate your relationship with the agent because of poor service and the fact that she has in essence disappeared, and you would like them to assume control of the reservation. Since you are past the final payment date I am not sure if that will be possible (not sure when the TA is paid by Viking) but it's worth a try. No point in the TA getting paid for doing nothing.

We have moved reservations from one TA to another agency in the past because of similar issues. I'm not sure how close to sail date that can occur however. The new agency (in your case, Viking) just has to have something in writing from you to authorize the reservation transfer.

[picklellp]

I spoke with a supervisor this evening and she was able to answer all of my questions and also will be assisting with the issues with my TA. I'm very pleased with the customer service I received this evening in regards to a situation that is apparently not that uncommon ;) Thanks to all who offered helpful suggestions earlier!

[Carnevale]

This is one of the occasions where I'd strongly suggest a quick email to TellUs@vikingcruises.com

 

By the strict protocol of these things the Viking reps you spoke to are entirely correct, but also there are occasions, and this may be one of them, where it may be necessary to work around the formalities to prevent a bigger problem.

 

Try an email and see what happens ...

 

So glad things are working out for the OP. If they hadn't then Mark_T's suggestion is a very good one. I was having a significant problem with our Viking air arrangements and while I know our TA was working hard on our behalf, she was hitting the wall. When I emailed tellus@vikingcruises.com our problem was resolved. It took a while to sort it all out but the Viking person who responded to my email stayed with it until we had a solution. This email option is absolutely worth a try when problems crop up.

[shadowlover]

Sounds like it will work out for you- I'm so glad. Using a travel agent is smart for many reasons especially to save money! Usually they do a reasonably good job. I do most of my own planning but if I can save money then I go with the TA. To suggest that the op made a mistake hiring a TA is silly- it's just that this particular TA was not a good one. I have a TA for my upcoming Viking cruise however any time I call Viking directly to ask a few questions I have had wonderful customer service. It's been impressive and makes me look forward to my cruise even more. OP please keep us informed of how it works out and if you changed your flights.

[Solent Richard]

Good to know - this has definitely been a learning experience. Back to booking directly in the future :cool:

 

Frankly I'd name and shame the agent.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Frankly I'd name and shame the agent.

 

But not on Cruise Critic, of course [rules violation]