Question for those who use TA

[morecruise4me]

If I could find a good TA, they would have my business forever! Good to me means:

 

Promptly returning my calls/emails

Making changes in a timely manner

Finding me the best prices

Keeping an eye out for discounts/OBC/etc offered by the cruise line after I have booked

 

If a TA never gave me anything else, they would have my undying devotion and patronage!

[ghstudio]

If I could find a good TA, they would have my business forever! Good to me means:

 

Promptly returning my calls/emails

Making changes in a timely manner

Finding me the best prices

Keeping an eye out for discounts/OBC/etc offered by the cruise line after I have booked

 

If a TA never gave me anything else, they would have my undying devotion and patronage!

 

Finding me the best prices AND CABINS, even if in a lower category.

Documenting everything offered and agreed in writing

[anniversay/grad trip]

I do all these things and more.

 

How about having to call clients for no commission to advise them that their cruiseline will be now collecting additional fuel surcharges (even though they made final payment). Remember until the lawsuit, it was retroactive for matter no when you booked.

 

How about calling clients for no extra commission to advise them of itinerary changes. Every one of my clients rolled with the punches.

 

I just hate to see the posts that state "My TA gave me nothing". She took your order and you got the cruise you paid for. What else do you want or expect? I promise you that the majority of TAs earn more money from service charges than they do from commission. Some day soon, the business model is not going to support giving away the store to those who offer no loyalty.

 

There are exceptions to every rule, but in general the other TA's on here know I am speaking the truth.

 

Well then I must have the TA that is the exception to the rule...because (as I state in an earlier post) I have been loyal to my agent booked land and cruise vacations (minimum of one per year for a family of 5 sometimes 6) and never gotten so much as a bottle of wine in the last 12-15 bookings...she has made a small fortune off of us and only when I started reading posts in this forum did I know such a thing even existed....now I am PO'd....not even a bottle of wine for goodness sake....and now when I've sheepishly asked for something...she is indignant and pretends like she has no idea what OBC's are...

[Cruise Junky]

Well then I must have the TA that is the exception to the rule...because (as I state in an earlier post) I have been loyal to my agent booked land and cruise vacations (minimum of one per year for a family of 5 sometimes 6) and never gotten so much as a bottle of wine in the last 12-15 bookings...she has made a small fortune off of us and only when I started reading posts in this forum did I know such a thing even existed....now I am PO'd....not even a bottle of wine for goodness sake....and now when I've sheepishly asked for something...she is indignant and pretends like she has no idea what OBC's are...

 

Reminds me of friends of mine. They use a bricks and mortar TA in town, they travel a lot and are loaded. We usually book with an online agent, get great deals and OBC. They took us on a Caribbean cruise booked through this agent of theirs. The whole flight down there they were talking about how great she was and just wait to see all the goodies she was going to provide on this cruise....absolutely nothing, not even a cheap bottle of wine. Two full suites - 14 days, 4 business class airfares and NOTHING!!! I don't care about getting anything from my online TA as I know they're really discounting the price, she didn't discount anything.

[DrKoob]

My feeling is that you always find a better deal somewhere. It is service that sets any professional apart from the rest. The most OBC, or gratuities or whatever matters very little when somethings goes wrong and you need an advocate in your corner.

 

You can either have Wal-mart service or you can have Nordstrom service, which is more important to you?

 

Flagger, you hit the nail right on the head. Reminds me of my favorite business saying that most of this thread could stand to read:

The average American knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. Don't be average.

[Cruise Junky]

My feeling is that you always find a better deal somewhere. It is service that sets any professional apart from the rest. The most OBC, or gratuities or whatever matters very little when somethings goes wrong and you need an advocate in your corner.

 

You can either have Wal-mart service or you can have Nordstrom service, which is more important to you?

 

But isn't that like a really overpriced insurance policy? I'm going to give up $300 OBC on 10 cruises for the one time that something goes wrong? Whilst I really appreciate Nordstrom service, if they're selling Product X for $500 and Walmart is selling product X for $250, I'm going with Walmart. I'll fight my own battles if something goes wrong.

 

I do however, think there's a happy medium. I think if you look you'll find an agent that is willing to do some OBC or some discounting and provides a service. I have an issue with agents that aren't willing to budge on the cruiselines price. They will never get my business. When I phone an agent and tell them in one paragraph, what ship, what cabin and what dinning time just book it please, here is my VISA, I expect them to rebate some commission because I have done all the leg work. And there are agents out there that provide both.

[lipping larry]

Ask your T A if they will adjust the price of the cruise if you find a lower price on line. My T A will up until we cruise. It is up to me to find the lower price.:)