Location: Ormskirk and Skelmersdale, Lancashire
Shopping for: a group cultural and beach holiday to Mexico
The agencies
Co-op Travel
9 Moorgate, Ormskirk
Score: 88%
I browsed the brochures before being asked if I needed any help. I told the assistant what I was looking for and she asked several questions about the type of holiday we wanted.
She looked through the First Choice Tropical brochure and offered a three-day Yucatan Explorer tour staying in a small hotel.
She told me there was availability for the dates I had requested and quoted a price, including flights out of Manchester and a three-day tour. She offered me the brochure and said if I had any more questions I could call her on the number she gave me.
Overall I received good service, but I was not impressed when the employee interrupted my consultation to speak with another customer for several minutes.
Thomson
15-15a Aughton Street, Ormskirk
Score: 90%
An assistant saw me looking at brochures and asked if I needed assistance. I explained the kind of holiday I was after and she asked more questions to get a more specific idea of what I wanted.
She told me she had just sorted out a very similar type of holiday for another customer. She checked availability at the Riviera Maya (Eldoraro Suites Hotel) and said that it was going to be about £800 to £1,000 each for a seven-night holiday with flights out of Manchester.
She offered me the First Choice Tropical brochure and she would call me when she had more details. She said I could then come back to the shop and she would be able to present the entire package to me.
Her attitude was very good and I would recommend the store.
Co-op Travel
59a The Concourse, Skelmersdale
Score: 97%
An assistant greeted me and offered help almost immediately. After explaining what I wanted she took my contact details before asking more questions to find out exactly what I was looking for.
She suggested a two-star and a four-star hotel, both located on the Yucatan Peninsula. She told me there was plenty of availability for the dates I had requested and that it was going to be about £750 to £900 each for a 10-night all-inclusive holiday with flights out of Manchester.
She gave me three printouts of the holidays she had found and said I could take the brochure away with me. She added if I had any more questions I should feel free
to call her.
Overall, the consultant provided excellent service.
The winning agency
Thomas Cook
43 The Concourse, Skelmersdale
Score: 99%
As I walked past a desk I was asked by an assistant if I needed any help. I told her what I was looking for and she asked several basic questions about the type of holiday I wanted.
She got a Thomas Cook Tropical Shores brochure and began to look through it for likely holidays. She initially suggested the Yucatan Peninsula as well as a city break to Mexico City.
She then found a holiday to Puerto Aventuras staying at the Catalonia Riviera Maya resort hotel. She explained that there were several ‘mini’ excursion options that we could add to the holiday.
The assistant was particularly helpful when she told me me she had actually been to the area she was suggesting, and gave me quite a bit of information that was not in the brochures.
The prize
Congratulations, Thomas Cook, Skelmersdale. One of your agents will be staying at Grand Pineapple Beach, Antigua, courtesy of Elite Island Resorts, after coming top in this week’s Mystery Shopper.
Every week for the next year the travel consultant who gets the highest Mystery Shopper score will win a seven-night stay for two people at an Elite Island Resorts property. Flights are not included.
And the agent who scores the highest mark each quarter will receive a bonus prize. There will also be a grand prize for the agent declared the overall winner in June 2008.
Mexico holidays: sales tips
Tip 1: Baja California, often known as ‘Baja’, is famed for its marine diversity – especially in the Sea of Cortez. The region has a great surfing spot at Todos Santos, whale watching from December to March and fabulous international cuisine.
Tip 2: Chiapas is home to the Mayan site of Palenque which has pyramids, temples and towers. Bonampak also merits exploration for its murals. Other archaeological sites here are Yaxchilan, Chinkultic and Tonina.
Tip 3: Mexico City is a good place to start a cultural trip as most international flights arrive here. The only direct flights from the UK are offered by British Airways. The city has more museums and galleries than any other in the world.
Tip 4: Many of the top cultural attractions are near the coast. Hailed as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, Chichen Itza is only 100 miles from Cancun, making it a popular day trip.
Tip 5: Consider tailor-making a trip that takes in culture and the beach with an operator such as Sunvil, Journey Latin America, Travel 4.