Woman's Day Backlash: Travel Agents, Cruise Lines Respond Jul 17th 2013, 15:56
Reactions to the Woman’s Day article “9 Things Travel Agents Won’t Tell You” from travel agent organizations are still flooding in, with letters to the editor coming from travel agent groups and comments from cruise lines.
“Travel agents would never want to do anything to jeopardize the enormous faith and trust their clients place in them,” wrote Roger Block, president of Travel Leaders Franchise Group. “It’s not only about the booking process, but the personal relationships they have forged with their clients in pinpointing the right experience at the best value.”
He singled out two points in the Woman’s Day article: “There’s not much advantage to booking a package with a travel agent over booking online” and “A travel agent won’t necessarily find the best price,” calling them incorrect. “On the first point, when you book online, you are on your own,” he wrote. “If a problem arises, good luck getting a response from sending a request through the ‘Contact Us’ online form or email address, or getting someone on the phone who has a vested interest in helping correct the situation,” he added, noting that travel agents are “unbiased advocates for their clients” and referring to them as a “safety net.”
Moreover, he wrote, travel wholesalers provide “excellent packages” and offer many of them exclusively to agents at prices that are significantly lower than if what consumers might be able to book on their own.
“Many times, travel agents can and do find better prices than individuals can find on their own," said Werner. "But make no mistake, the lowest price doesn’t always equal the best value.” He also commented that agents have access to amenities that aren’t available to the general public, including free room upgrades and shipboard credits.
John Werner, CTC, president and COO of MAST Travel Network, wrote that the Woman’s Day article is “full of errors, inaccurate and misleading information and false statements” and offered a point-by-point correction of those statements. Werner said in his response that customers often tell agents that they are worth the service fees they charge and are surprised that they don’t charge more. “I know of no travel agent that is not able to book any airline. If an airline's inventory is not available in traditional booking sources, there are numerous other sources for a travel agent to serve their customer,” he wrote.
“Customer trust is an absolute in any travel agency and the foundation of every relationship,” he added. “A pro does not ‘fib’ just to close a sale. Refund policies available online are the same at travel agencies.”
Werner pointed out that travel insurance can cover many mishaps that a client’s personal insurance policy does not cover. “For a travel agent not to bring this to the attention of a customer would be negligent and could cost the customer thousands or tens of thousands of dollars in losses because they didn't know it was available," he said.
And, referring to the expertise of agents, who spend a great deal of time in continuing education and in developing relationships with suppliers, he wrote, “Researching and booking your own travel online does not make a person a travel agent anymore than filing your own tax return makes you a tax accountant.”
Several cruise lines leapt to the defense of travel agents, as well. Sister companies Azamara Club Cruises, Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean International issued a joint statement, saying they “strongly value the travel agent community. We sincerely appreciate travel agents for the important role that they play in creating memorable experiences and the greater value they bring to vacationers through their training, expertise, and in-depth knowledge of the travel industry.”
Vicki Freed, senior vice president-sales and trade support and service for Royal Caribbean, posted a letter on Facebook and in the comments section under the story on the magazine's website:
“It was with extreme dismay and disbelief that I read the Woman’s Day article “9 Things Travel Agents Won’t Tell You.” As part of the leadership team at Royal Caribbean International, a cruise vacation company that continually advocates for agents as a booking channel, I found every one of your points to be highly misinformed. Plain and simple, this is irresponsible ‘journalism.’ Your quick and easy fluff piece is filled with damaging allegations about a highly dedicated group of individuals.”
How the story was sourced and researched remains unclear. Woman’s Day Editor-in-Chief Susan Spencer referred questions to Meredith Bodgas, senior web editor, who didn’t respond to questions by press time. The author of the story, Anne Roderique-Jones, formerly “worked for an online travel business that was one of the first to utilize social media initiatives,” according to one of her online biographies. She also positions herself as an expert on food, drink, fashion and beauty products, and has a degree in fashion merchandising. Roderique-Jones closed off her Twitter account to “only confirmed followers” and also did not respond to an email asking for more information.
Follow the author on Twitter @mimikmet2 and participate in the conversation @travelpulse.
Theresa Masek, @cruiseapalooza, also contributed to this article.
Scott Foresman Science
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