Agent diary: Unusual enquiries keep us entertained but we’re hoping for a busy autumn

Let’s hope we can all have a break from tradition and enjoy lots of busy days at this time of year, says Hays Travel, Gateshead’s Colin Burns

 

Did I tell you I’ve got a new ‘book’ out? It’s called The Secret Diary of Colin Burns, Aged 61 and a 1/4.

Wednesday, September 3: “Wow, what a day! So busy with customers in the shop and Facebook has been bonkers too. Target smashed. Woohoo!” 

Thursday, September 4: “Where is everyone? Been so quiet today. We even managed to find time to pick our Secret Santa – or, as I like to call it, our ‘Everyone knows who’s got who Santa’.”

September continued where August left off, with no pattern to how our business was coming in. Some days we were rushed off our feet and the next was really quiet. 

 

Amusing queries

We have had some brilliant requests from customers lately that have kept us entertained. One asked: “Ere, have you got any bargains to the Canaries, you know, like Ibiza, ‘cos that’s where the Bermuda Triangle is and I’ve always wanted to go there?” 

Another good one: “I want to go anywhere that doesn’t use the euro, it must be a four-hour flight at most but can’t be Bulgaria, Turkey, Tunisia or Morocco, and it has to be warm and beachy.” When we suggested a Mediterranean cruise, where most of their spend would be in pounds or US dollars, the customer replied: “No way, I get seasick on the boating lake!” 

But the best one was a phone call that Kirsty took. “I’ve just got back from Bulgaria so have you got anything cheap to go back there in the next few days?” the customer asked, to which Kirsty replied: “Ah well, you must have really enjoyed it then?” To Katie’s surprise, the customer said: “No, I got beat up and nearly died so I want to go back and find the bloke who did it!” 

We’ve also had a couple of complaints that have left us a bit baffled. One customer called us from the resort to say they had food poisoning and was wondering what we were going to do about it and how much compensation they would get from the supplier. After checking their booking, we found they were on a self-catering holiday, so we weren’t sure how that was the supplier’s fault. 

One of their first questions was: “How much will I get back?” 

I can’t be the only one who finds this a bit sad – that in the middle of a crisis that involves illness and injury, one of the first things people want to know is how much compensation they will get. Obviously, if there has been any negligence or failing on the part of a supplier, this question must be addressed, but I know it wouldn’t be my first priority. 

 

Marching on

So, we march on into October, heading towards what would traditionally be the quieter months. Let’s hope we can all have a break from this tradition and enjoy lots of busy days. I’d love for my secret diary to read something like this.

Friday, October 31: “Dear diary, I’m so sorry that I have not been in touch with you this month, but I have been so busy every day booking loads of holidays. Thankfully I’ve not had to deal with any weird and wonderful enquiries, and no one has asked me for compensation. Happy days!” 

 

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Good to see the old gang

 

We had a great shop night out on Saturday where we were reunited with our former colleagues Beth and Sophie, who both now work at our sister Hays Travel branch up the road in Newcastle. It was brilliant to see them both and to get the old gang back together. We all enjoyed a Bottomless Brunch with plenty of cocktails and beer flowing – and a bit of food thrown in for good measure!

 

It was a reminder of the importance of having a great team and the Newcastle duo were in top form as we heard all about their current news and filled them in on ours. As is often the case, it was one of those nights where we know we laughed a lot but now can’t remember what we laughed about…