| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 28/08/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 79 |
| Copyright: Other |
Clients’ claim that insect bites are my fault is really bugging me
Having some control over a holiday is one thing but having a say on the local wildlife is quite another matter altogether…
Pills, thrills and ear achesI have often claimed that clients have high expectations of their travel agents, demanding they offer advice on financial, legal and even medical questions.
This became abundantly clear to us this week when Nigel received a call from the mother of a client we’d booked to Turkey.
Travelling with his girlfriend, the client had flown out at eight o’clock that morning. By mid-afternoon, his mother was on the phone to Nigel to ask where in Turkey the couple might be able to get hold of the morning after pill.
In the stunned silence with which Nigel initially met her request, the mother filled in with some apologetic detail about the circumstances of the failure of her son’s preferred method of contraception. ‘More information that one needed to know’, is the phrase that springs immediately to mind.
Gathering his composure, Nigel said he wasno expert on these matters but suggested the couple seek out local pharmacies in the first instance, though he was doubtful that Turkey, though officially secular, would be quite as liberal about such matters aswe British.
Once that particular avenue was exhausted, he suggested the couple approach their rep in resort just in case she might have one hidden in the corner of a handbag.
The mother sounded rather defeated as she rang off but who knows, being a granny might just cheer her up.
And if you were thinking we were dealing with a couple of teenagers here, you’d be mistaken. The chap is in his thirties and his girlfriend her late twenties, which just goes to show it can happen even to those who are prepared!
A spot of alfresco dining
If we needed any more evidence that love is in the air in Turkey, we got it from another source. In this case, however, it was a complaint that love bites.
I took a call from an operator who told me that some clients weren’t happy with the last-minuteholiday at the traditional rustic villa they had booked with me.
In spite of the fact I had advised them of the lack of air conditioning at the time of booking, they now claimed they didn’t realise what an effect it would have and that because the villa became so hot over the course of the day and evening, they had been forced to sleep outside it.
At first this had seemed like a romantic and adventurous thing to do but it quickly became apparent that the local mosquitoes were inviting themselves, their friends and families to feast on the holidaymakers as they snoozed under the Turkish skies.
The clients complained to the operator that I had told them there were no mosquitoes in the country, so the bites were all my fault.
I was tempted to say that yes, that’s what we agents do, isn’t it – we tell the clients that there are no insects, creepy crawlies, snakes, rats or cats in the country they’re visiting. Instead, we tell them they’ve all been caught and caged for the two weeks the client will be on holiday there, just to secure the booking!
I suggest the clients look on the bright side, after all, there are some folk who would be grateful for some unwanted attention and a little ear nibbling!
It’s not child’s play
For most families, the school holidays are a period of fun and relaxation with the odd fight thrown in but for those whose children have behavioural problems, the six weeks can seem endless.
Such was the lot of a mother who came into the shop ostensibly to discuss last-minute deals.
Because her husband worked night shifts and needed his sleep during the day, she had to entertain her young son away from the family home each day. Given that he is unruly and disruptive, this is a Herculean task. Her idea today was to bring the child into our shop to pass the time.
When she started to tell me about the many ways in which the child had alienated the family from the rest of the neighbourhood through his anti-social behaviour, I realised I was dealing with the neighbour from hell.
The conversation turned to the possible benefits of therapeutic drugs and I could feel myself being drawn deeper into the role of counsellor while the possibility of her booking anything grew ever more remote.
Deciding silently she was not going to make my life hell, I suggested she and her son took a print-out and brochures home to study and she should call back when her husband’s shift patterns had changed. Therapeutic drugs? Has anyone got any?
Costing an arm and a leg
I mentioned earlier that clients expect us to have the knowledge to deal with all sorts of things outside the realm of travel itself and I can now foresee a time in the not-too-distant future when we may need to employ a qualified medical practitioner in a consultant capacity for clients seeking to exploit the niche medical package market.
It would seem that while some folk are happy enough with the traditional benefits to health that a relaxing holiday in the sun brings, others want more drastic treatment in the form of cheap surgery.
Unbelievably, countries such as India are popular in this field but the leader is South Africa where it is cheaper to purchase medical treatment in excellent private hospitals.
For example, a knee construction operation plus air fares and guest-house accommodation for the duration of the patient’s stay could cost from as little as £2,300 given the strength of the pound against the rand, while the same operation in the UK would start from £6,500.
The only fly in the ointment is the patient has to be referred by his GP, thus turning the GP into a travel agent.
There is talk of introducing commission for the GP as an incentive. Where will it stop! Hasn’t the NHS got enough on its plate?