Call centre agency Ideal Cruising has hit back at claims its new cruising community website is simply a vehicle to promote its own products.
The company says Inside Cruise is the first website in the UK where users can post independent reviews of cruises and talk to fellow enthusiasts on dedicated forums.
Some agents complained about their offers appearing on a ‘top ten deals’ section of the site without their permission. One demanded his entry be taken down after he realised it was owned by a rival.
Project manager Carla Prosser said: “The site is totally separate to Ideal Cruising. We were just testing the website, so rather than charging for advertising we recommended the best deals on other sites.
“The website is going to consist of user-generated content, so it can only be unbiased. Pushing our own products would be the opposite of what we are trying to achieve.
“This is a great opportunity for agents and cruise operators to advertise to a niche market and there’s no reason for them to be concerned.”
Cruisingcoast2coast.com general manager for sales Tony Robinson said he saw no problem with his agency’s deals appearing on the site. He said: “There are different cruises with varying prices in the top ten, and Ideal Cruising doesn’t even figure. It’s good for customers to have a source of impartial opinions.”