Non Disney Travel Agent Issue

[CynBeth]

I just wanted some opinions on something as we do not usually use a travel agent but this summer we will be going on a 2 week London and Paris trip including a day and a half in Disney so my DM who is traveling with DH and I wanted to use one. We got a name of someone in our area from a friend and the way she works is we do not pay her she uses certain hotels where we get discounted rates from a third party and she gets comped by those hotels, etc and she tells us when she needs our cc to pay for certain things such as the plane. She has another TA who helps. Our issue is things are not getting booked as we feel they should and are concerned but don’t know if our expectations are wrong or not as it has been years since we used one and that person operated differently. We are traveling mid June to the beginning of July and met with her in mid August where we gave our travel dates and preferred flights going and returning plus a list of attractions and our hotels and plane were not booked until mid November. The Eurostar booking schedule came out end of Dec/beginning of January and as far as we know that has not been booked yet and neither are attractions that can be booked online and tend to fill up fast. My DM has called once in January and once in February because she wants to pay off what we will owe a little at a time and we are nervous about things not being booked but when she speaks to one of them she is told basically that the 3rd party will let them know when it is time to book and she is made to feel like her calling to question what is going on is not welcome. We are just about 3 months before the trip and before she calls again wanted to see if this is the norm with the way this type of TA operates where 3rd party vendors are involved or if something is wrong and things should be reserved already. Thanks!

 

[ronandannette]

Honestly, what you describe could be exactly the way TA's work now. I haven't used one since pre-internet days and if I recall correctly, we had to pay for everything we wanted in one lump-sum (price quoted by the TA) and a few weeks before our departure date we met with them and picked up a folder of our printed itinerary, our airline tickets and verification of our reservations. We had very little communication in the interim and absolutely no play-by-play on when things were getting booked. We just trusted the arrangements were getting made, and they were.

Maybe you're expecting too much in terms of information. Relinquishing control to a process you neither fully understand or trust seems difficult. Not sure why you thought you needed to use a TA - it sounds like your mother would have been better having you book everything so that you all knew all the time what was happening. Regardless, I hope you have a great trip.

 

[tvguy]

Honestly, what you describe could be exactly the way TA's work now. I haven't used one since pre-internet days and if I recall correctly, we had to pay for everything we wanted in one lump-sum (price quoted by the TA) and a few weeks before our departure date we met with them and picked up a folder of our printed itinerary, our airline tickets and verification of our reservations. We had very little communication in the interim and absolutely no play-by-play on when things were getting booked. We just trusted the arrangements were getting made, and they were.

Maybe you're expecting too much in terms of information. Relinquishing control to a process you neither fully understand or trust seems difficult. Not sure why you thought you needed to use a TA - it sounds like your mother would have been better having you book everything so that you all knew all the time what was happening. Regardless, I hope you have a great trip.

Sounds like you used a lousy travel agent. My major trips are booked through a travel agency. Never ever had to pay all at once, there were payment deadlines, and they always touched base in advance to remind us when a payment was due. Usually everything is set pretty much in stone at booking, and we get our printed itinerary and verification of reservations immediately. Airline tickets usually come later because airlines frequently change flight numbers or departure times because on major trips we often book a year to 18 months in advance. When that happened then we get a revised itinerary.
I also disagree, OP is NOT expecting too much in terms of information. A good travel agency likely provide that information without asking, and gladly answer any questions you have. That's what travel agents do.

 

[hereyago]

The TA does work for you, without you, she wouldn't get comped.

I'd call and say you would like an update.

 

[ronandannette]

Sounds like you used a lousy travel agent. My major trips are booked through a travel agency. Never ever had to pay all at once, there were payment deadlines, and they always touched base in advance to remind us when a payment was due. Usually everything is set pretty much in stone at booking, and we get our printed itinerary and verification of reservations immediately. Airline tickets usually come later because airlines frequently change flight numbers or departure times because on major trips we often book a year to 18 months in advance. When that happened then we get a revised itinerary.
I also disagree, OP is NOT expecting too much in terms of information. A good travel agency likely provide that information without asking, and gladly answer any questions you have. That's what travel agents do.

Meh - it was 25 year ago - a simpler time and expectations were different. One thing I do remember is it worked out just fine, so all's well that ends well - right? Personally, I'd never use a travel agent now and I stand by my comment that the OP would have been happier not using one either since either a) their TA is not providing adequate service; or b) the service being provided doesn't meet the customer's expectations, even though there's noting wrong with it.

 

[tvguy]

Meh - it was 25 year ago - a simpler time and expectations were different. One thing I do remember is it worked out just fine, so all's well that ends well - right? Personally, I'd never use a travel agent now and I stand by my comment that the OP would have been happier not using one either since either a) their TA is not providing adequate service; or b) the service being provided doesn't meet the customer's expectations, even though there's noting wrong with it.

Mine saved me a HUGE hassle on a trip to Canada that included just air fare and a rental car. Travelocity's system showed me great routing and a great price on flights going through Salt Lake City. For some reason I decided to have my travel agent book it, with me providing all the info i got. HER system flagged my routing as an illegal connection through Salt Lake City, that would have left me stranded there. Some sort of customs/immigration issue. Given that getting a pro to book trips is free, why would you chance it?

 

[ronandannette]

Mine saved me a HUGE hassle on a trip to Canada that included just air fare and a rental car. Travelocity's system showed me great routing and a great price on flights going through Salt Lake City.For some reason I decided to have my travel agent book it, with me providing all the info i got. HER system flagged my routing as an illegal connection through Salt Lake City, that would have left me stranded there. Some sort of customs/immigration issue. Given that getting a pro to book trips is free, why would you chance it?

Honestly I can't even think of what to say about my skepticism on this, but hey - it was your experience, not mine. Glad everything worked out. I can confidently say I have no need for a TA at this point and no plans for ever using one.

 

[tvguy]

Honestly I can't even think of what to say about my skepticism on this, but hey - it was your experience, not mine. Glad everything worked out. I can confidently say I have no need for a TA at this point and no plans for ever using one.

Yeah, I also put value on the time I am not spending booking a trip.

 

[_19disnA]

I would also look for a different Travel Agent. Someone who is apparently a friend of a friend and uses 3rd parties sounds like there will be a lot of fingering pointing about who to blame when something goes wrong. Airline tickets usually are best to purchase 6-12 months in advance. The cheapest seats tend to sell out first and once those are gone, the fare jumps to the next higher pricing category. If you are traveling internationally in only 3 months, that is already too late to just be starting this process. Honestly, unless this person is somehow able to offer discounts not available to the general public, they probably just use the same websites all of use can also access.

 

[ronandannette]

Yeah, I also put value on the time I am not spending booking a trip.

I'm not the only one here that would tell you travel planning is actually very enjoyable - a big part of the fun of a vacation. It's certainly no chore and the internet has turned it into a legit hobby. I spend countless hours researching trips; even those I never actually end up taking.

 

[CynBeth]

I would also look for a different Travel Agent. Someone who is apparently a friend of a friend and uses 3rd parties sounds like there will be a lot of fingering pointing about who to blame when something goes wrong. Airline tickets usually are best to purchase 6-12 months in advance. The cheapest seats tend to sell out first and once those are gone, the fare jumps to the next higher pricing category. If you are traveling internationally in only 3 months, that is already too late to just be starting this process. Honestly, unless this person is somehow able to offer discounts not available to the general public, they probably just use the same websites all of use can also access.

Thanks to everyone who responded. I apologize for any confusion. The plane and hotels were finally booked in mid Nov after we met with her in mid August. We did get a lower price for airfare than if we had booked on our own. Don’t know about how much we might save for the other stuff yet. My concern now is that the Eurostar and attractions as far as we know are not booked yet. I was trying to find out if anyone has used a TA that deals with 3rd party vendors to see if their experience is the same or similar to what we are going through and that is just how it is when you go this route or if people feel the issue is with our TA and we finally need to stop being nice and say something to get her to contact the 3rd party and have everything done soon except for things that have to wait until much closer.

 

[gotomu212]

It’s not unusual for attractions to not be available for booking or not discounted 3 months out. There is also a period on Eurostar when the discounts become available and you may not be into that period until 60 days out. (For what it’s worth 8-9 months out for airlines and hotels isn’t unheard of depending on the brand they’re booking so I don’t think they’re overly slow).

Travel agents aren’t making much on attraction bookings so I doubt there’s any big rush for them either. Honestly if it were me, unless she could say that you were saving a huge amount I’d go ahead and tell her you’d book the attractions yourself.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Honestly I can't even think of what to say about my skepticism on this, but hey - it was your experience, not mine. Glad everything worked out. I can confidently say I have no need for a TA at this point and no plans for ever using one.

Illegal connection means not enough time is being given to make the connection (not that there's a law being broken or anything!)

but the OP really needs to contact the TA with concerns.

 

[ronandannette]

Illegal connection means not enough time is being given to make the connection (not that there's a law being broken or anything!)

but the OP really needs to contact the TA with concerns.

The poster who mentioned it said it was a customs & immigration thing, which is what prompted my comment.

 

[rwdavis2]

I would also look for a different Travel Agent. Someone who is apparently a friend of a friend and uses 3rd parties sounds like there will be a lot of fingering pointing about who to blame when something goes wrong. Airline tickets usually are best to purchase 6-12 months in advance. The cheapest seats tend to sell out first and once those are gone, the fare jumps to the next higher pricing category. If you are traveling internationally in only 3 months, that is already too late to just be starting this process. Honestly, unless this person is somehow able to offer discounts not available to the general public, they probably just use the same websites all of use can also access.

THIS