Mystery Shopper: King’s Lynn travel agents sell Japan

This week Mystery Shopper wanted to go to Japan, and was looking for an escorted trip with excursions – as well as some meals. She feared it would be expensive because of the exchange rate with the yen.

This was a plum booking for agents. Generally, service was good, but Mystery Shopper is a stickler for a clean shop, which wasn’t found at First Choice or Going Places.

The target: King’s Lynn, Norfolk
Wanted: An escorted tour to Japan for a couple

First Choice

78 High Street
Score: 79%

Points were immediately deducted from this agency because there was dust on the office equipment and shelving.

A consultant approached me and invited me to take a seat and asked about my request. She immediately consulted brochures from two operators – Exodus and The Adventure Company – and quoted £6,218.

This price was for travelling premium economy on a 12-day Japan Explorer tour with The Adventure Company.

The consultant checked whether I was happy travelling from Heathrow and checked departure dates. She said she could arrange insurance, car parking and currency.

She gave me her card and told me to get in contact when I was ready to book.

Going Places

17 High Street
Score: 90%

Although, overall, this was a good-looking shop, I noticed dusty workstations here as well.

A consultant asked me various questions to establish my request, but never asked about my budget. She quoted the Thomas Cook nine-day A Taste of Japan tour for £5,640, travelling premium economy.

I had to wait quite a long time while the consultant obtained a quote over the phone, and would have appreciated an apology for this.

The consultant said the operator offered a door-to-door service so we wouldn’t need to worry about getting to the airport. She was enthusiastic and gave me a personal endorsement of a trip to Japan. She gave me a brochure and thanked me for visiting.

She took time to find a holiday that suited me, and I would return to this agency. 

The Co-operative Travel

Westgate department store
Score: 96%

When I entered this agency, the consultant was friendly and enthusiastic. She considered all relevant brochures, narrowed it down to Page and Moy, and Kuoni, but chose the latter because it offered escorted tours.

She offered a four-centre Highlights of Japan tour, which cost £6,086, with premium economy flights. She didn’t ask about budget, but added insurance to the quote.

She said because the minimum number of bookings for the tour (10) had not yet been reached, the trip could be cancelled at short notice, with a refund offered. However, she said this rarely happened.

I took a business card and quote on headed paper and the consultant took my number. I would return to this agency.

Thomas Cook

102 High Street
Score: 98%

The agent in this shop scored well because she explained the trip to me, and I was able to decide after listening to her advice.

She quoted Cosmos’s 15-day Journey through Japan tour, costing £5,981, or £7,118 with premium economy flights. All excursions were included in the price, and she said meals were extra because the company liked guests to have some independence.

The consultant assured me the yen exchange rate was good. She then phoned for a price, but she was on hold for 15 minutes. She then offered to email the quote.
She sent me an email with the price and followed it up with a phone call to see if I wanted to go ahead.

Not only did this consultant find a trip that met my needs, she also tried to keep my waiting time to a minimum.

Did this week’s agents really deliver what Mystery Shopper wanted? Go to the Community Editor’s Blog or discuss it in the travelhub forums

Tips

1. Thanks to the bullet trains on long routes in Japan, travellers can cover a lot of ground in a short space of time. Therefore it is possible to see plenty in a 10- to 14-day tour. Many tours include trips on these trains.
2. If clients want to see the amazing cherry blossoms – known as Hanami – suggest they go in spring. Likewise, the changing colours of the leaves are beautiful in autumn. Summer can be hot and humid. 
3. While Japan has been expensive in the past, it has had low inflation, although exchange rates are fluctuating. Generally, travellers will find Japan comparable to the UK. A bowl of noodles and soup, for example, costs between £3.50 and £5.
4. In a country where language can be a problem, an escorted tour is ideal. Reassure customers that many signs and menus are in English or have pictures, particularly in Tokyo.
5. To get more product knowledge about Japan, including reviews from fellow travel agents, subscribe to Gazetteers.