U.S. Travel agent question

[Welsh_Dragon]

I have booked our July 2020 WDW stay through a U.S. TA. I have an excellent relationship with her and she has done a fantastic job of booking our rooms, getting the best price, looking for AP discounts, booking Bounceback for us while we were at the parks etc. She also went ‘above and beyond’ by finding a WDW room for my daughter when she found herself at MCO a day early because of Dorian last year.
I have everything crossed that our 19 day stay beginning 1 July will go ahead but I recognise that there are a lot of hurdles. So, if the trip is cancelled, am I correct in thinking that the TA would earn nothing for all her efforts? If this is correct, is there any way that I could compensate her and how much/what should that compensation be? (In the U.K. we just don’t have this type of TA anymore).
I am toying with the idea of letting any cancellation stand, rather than postponing/rebooking at a later date.
It just doesn’t sit comfortably with me, that someone works hard and doesn’t receive any reward.
Thank you.

 

[mousefan73]

I believe Disney Cruise line had agent commissions protected (paid) for all cruises that were canceled by them. Good question. Following this one.

 

[nkereina]

am I correct in thinking that the TA would earn nothing for all her efforts?

In normal circumstances, TAs are paid their commission after the travel they have booked is completed. Their commission is based on a percentage of the total cost of the travel that actually takes place. So, its very likely your TA will not receive commission from most/all of the vendors your trip is through if its cancelled. That said, these are unprecedented times, so there may be some vendors who are choosing to pay all or a portion of commission to TAs if a trip has to be cancelled due to the pandemic. I can't imagine this is sustainable for most vendors, so I would guess these cases are few and far between.

is there any way that I could compensate her and how much/what should that compensation be?

That's very subjective and totally up to you. TAs know the risks of their profession. Many have lived through travel lulls like 9/11. I'm sure the TA would be very appreciative if you did this. You could also commit to re-booking everything through her if you re-schedule your trip, which would be a good alternative.

FWIW, perhaps as a baseline, I used to work at a travel agency that imposed services fees on people who only booked airline reservations with us. This is because airlines do not pay commission, so TAs were not earning money when only flights were booked. However, service fees were waived for airline bookings if it was part of a vacation package. The service fee for booking an airline reservation alone was $30 per person.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

That’s helpful. Thank you. If I gift her something, would she have to share it with the other agents? I don’t know if the US has anything like our Bribery Act, which places a limit on gifts etc.
Would a Disney gift card be a ridiculous gift for a TA?

 

[mjkacmom]

That’s helpful. Thank you. If I gift her something, would she have to share it with the other agents? I don’t know if the US has anything like our Bribery Act, which places a limit on gifts etc.
Would a Disney gift card be a ridiculous gift for a TA?

Not everyone enjoys Disney.

 

[Welsh_Dragon]

Not everyone enjoys Disney.

I presumed that a Disney TA would be a Disney fan.

 

[sonnyjane]

I presumed that a Disney TA would be a Disney fan.

I’d stick with something like an Amazon or Target gift card, or even a Visa gift card. It could be a while before they are able to use a Disney gift card so honestly, it might actually rub salt in the wound to get that as a gift, but that’s just me.

 

[mommasita]

That’s helpful. Thank you. If I gift her something, would she have to share it with the other agents? I don’t know if the US has anything like our Bribery Act, which places a limit on gifts etc.
Would a Disney gift card be a ridiculous gift for a TA?

I just wanted to say your post, your thoughtfulness made me smile
What a kind and thoughtful thing for you to do !

With so much going on in the world, I like seeing this, good on you.