| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 05/06/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 13 |
| Copyright: Other |
As an operator, Sunvil has a duty to look after its clients. But why should we take the blame for things that go wrong which are the fault of another party?
Noel Josephides
An operator can only give a good service if he is in control of all aspects of the package.In theory, therefore, the vertically integrated companies should give the best serviceof all.
In practice, of course, they come way down the league because they are big and unwieldy and one hand never knows what the other is doing.
We have different problems at Sunvil’s size. We suffer from the fact that travel agents want to sell their own car hire and insurance because, understandably, they want to earn more commission.
Very often the agent does not tell us that the car has been booked with Holiday Autos or Hertz or Avis from the airport. So, the client arrives and we think transfers are to be provided. Nothing of the sort.
The client informs our representative that his agent has booked him a car – more often than not more expensive than the one we provide – and that he will drive to the accommodation.
Does the client know how to get there? Of course not because we, not knowing what the agent has arranged, have not provided directions. Then the client wants help as to where to collect the car and so on and so forth.
Really, why should we help when we don’t earn anything from the arrangement?
Sometimes these clients want to follow the transfer to a particular resort. We have to wait for them to sort out their car and all our other clients end up being delayed.
Even funnier is the case when the client has arranged for the car to be delivered to particular accommodation. The car-hire company just doesn’t have a clue where to deliver the vehicle. We pick up all the problems but none of the revenue.
Can anyone tell me what benefit the client derives from all this confusion? The car-hire company and the agent have benefited while the client and the tour operator have suffered.
When it comes to insurance, the situation gets even more confusing. At Sunvil, our flight delay policy cuts in after 6hrs. Most other policies start after 12hrs. Some policies only cover for delay on the outbound journey and not the return. So, we get clients comparing notes and shouting at our representatives. While all this is happening, agents dream on blissfully unaware of the aggravation that has been created.
I’m not saying that the tour operators’ policies are the best. But being designed for their own tours, they know how to cope when it comes to claims and what is or is not covered.
As a tour operator we have a duty to the client when they are in our care. Very often we have to work with our hands tied behind our backs. When I look at the complaints that come in, I see that only a tiny proportion are the result of Sunvil’s incompetence.
Most of our problems are created by those with whom we work.
Unfortunately, the law is structured so that we are blamed for everything that goes wrong.
There is enormous frustration among tour operators at the system in which they have been trapped. The trouble is that no-one is listening and operators are too frightened to speak out.
“When Ilook at thecomplaints that come in,I see thatonly a tinyproportion are the result of Sunvil’sincompetence”