Can anyone offer advice? Fare is down TA won't help

[DONDON55]

I am all for getting the lowest fare possible......however, as an ex-travel agent I have to side with the TA on this issue.

The TA has invested time and effort to book your vacation. They get paid a commission from the cruise line, and it is not that much, now you are asking them to do more work and give up some of thier commission.........is that fair????

 

There have been enough postings about this issue on this board that if you are going to go after a reduction in the fare after you have booked it then you should have booked with Carnival direct.

 

dondon55

foxboro ma

[CruiznWithHubby]

I am all for getting the lowest fare possible......however, as an ex-travel agent I have to side with the TA on this issue.

The TA has invested time and effort to book your vacation. They get paid a commission from the cruise line, and it is not that much, now you are asking them to do more work and give up some of thier commission.........is that fair????

 

There have been enough postings about this issue on this board that if you are going to go after a reduction in the fare after you have booked it then you should have booked with Carnival direct.

 

dondon55

foxboro ma

 

Heck yes it's fair,,,,

 

If they had waited to book you would have gotten the lesser commission to begin with,,,,

 

and I always wanted REPEAT business,,,,

 

I agree with the travelagent who said she coldn't imagine not giving the client the lower rate,,,,Neither could I,,,,

 

Holly

[Ken076]

DonDon55 - Not to be mean, but your previous agency would probably be on the rocks in today's environment with all the informed cruisers via CC and such, who expect price adjustments (and more) from their TA's, else they will simply go to another TA or go directly to Carnival as you suggest.

BTW - It also takes a huge amount of eresources in Carnival to handle all those price adjustment requests and I'm wondering if they will continue this practice, which they already seem to be tightening up on???

ken

[Ken076]

toyisland8 - sounds like you're looking at $1200 or so total drop- that's worth pursuing!!!

a TA can get you a so-called group rate by adding you to one of their existing "groups" (this is different than booking direct with Carnival with 8 cabin requirement) - if you ask your TA if this was a group rate, then it's true that OBC and price reductions don't apply, since you got a lower than normal rate.

If when you booked you did not have Cabin assignments (they were TBA on your booking confirmation) and received them later, then you surely booked "Guranteed" cabins. If so, once you received your cabin assignments then you'd have to give them up (and return to the unassigned TBA pool) to get OBC for the price drop.

Knowing all this, you should really personally talk to the TA and ask these questions and see what the real situation is - it's sounding like the TA is probably correct.

Ken

[DONDON55]

KEN076.........no meanness taken......

 

I guess I did not express myself clearly, when I first became a travel agent there were no internet websites to book your own trips. Travel agents worked solely on commissions that were very lucrative. If someone came to us and found a lower price, yes we would make the adjustments.........as internet became popular and the commissions reduced a lot of agencies (including ours) went out of business. When you previously were getting paid 10 to 15% commission on airline tickets, hotels, and cruises then cut to 3-5% yet the rent and expenses of operating a business did not go down but went up.......it became harder and harder to stay in business.

 

My previous comment is based on you went to a travel agent, they did the work for you, now you want them to do more work for less pay.

That is what is not fair............

 

dondon55

Foxboro ma

[travel411]

KEN076.........no meanness taken......

 

I guess I did not express myself clearly, when I first became a travel agent there were no internet websites to book your own trips. Travel agents worked solely on commissions that were very lucrative. If someone came to us and found a lower price, yes we would make the adjustments.........as internet became popular and the commissions reduced a lot of agencies (including ours) went out of business. When you previously were getting paid 10 to 15% commission on airline tickets, hotels, and cruises then cut to 3-5% yet the rent and expenses of operating a business did not go down but went up.......it became harder and harder to stay in business.

 

My previous comment is based on you went to a travel agent, they did the work for you, now you want them to do more work for less pay.

That is what is not fair............

 

dondon55

Foxboro ma

Thanks, dondon55. I am a travel agent and work very hard for my clients. Once the booking is in penalty, as in this case, any adjustment would be assessed a change fee directly from the cruise line. So if the travel agent were to cancel and rebook, as he or she would have to, you may not end up any better than where you are now. And as the TA said, the cabins would not necessarily be the same. If you are happy with the cabins assigned as they are, I would leave it alone. I agree with the advice given by the TA.