This week Mystery Shopper was one half of a couple looking for a trip to Canada in spring 2010. It is their first visit to Canada and they would like a self-drive tour with all accommodation booked.
They definitely want to see the Rockies and wildlife, and one of the big cities, but don’t know Canada well so want advice on a good route.
The scores were low this week, with all agents relying on brochures or operators for knowledge. Mystery Shopper spent a lot of time either waiting to be served or waiting for agents to get information from operators.
Holidaze
Holidaze1,434 Wimborne Road, Kinson
Score: 33%
I was not acknowledged until 13 minutes after I entered the agency, making me feel very unwelcome. Then, when the consultant had finished serving the previous customer, she looked at me without a smile and asked how she could help.
After explaining the request, the agent said she didn’t book many of these types of holidays and brought me a brochure to look at and take away.
She said she would have to work out a route for me and would get in touch again a few days later once she had had a chance to sort out the details and took my number. She said that Canada was a big country and it would be difficult to work out the best trip without doing some research.
This experience was very poor. I didn’t feel I was treated as a valued customer and the agent lacked enthusiasm and friendliness.
Thomson
Thomson361 Wimborne Road, Winton
Score: 36%
It was almost 10 minutes until I was acknowledged and then on her way to pick up a brochure for a client she was with, one of the agents apologised for the delay. Shortly after, another agent appeared and asked to help.
She seemed to want to know a lot of my requirements in detail before inviting me to sit down. In the end, I asked her if I could take a seat. She showed me several brochures, but I didn’t feel she had any real knowledge of the area or tours. Every time I asked a question she referred to the brochure.
I was given a Signature Canada brochure to take away with me. It has a 13-day self-drive Splendours of the Rockies tour priced at £819 per person, room only in three-star accommodation, excluding UK flights.
This wasn’t worth the journey into town to speak to a professional travel consultant. It was hard to see what added value I was getting from her rather than looking for the holiday online.
Thomas Cook
Thomas Cook574 Christchurch Road, Boscombe
Score: 51%
When I first looked inside, all I saw was an empty box and an empty shelf. I thought perhaps that it had gone out of business, but in fact, it was just a badly presented shop window and the premises inside were clean and tidy and in full operation.
There was only one consultant on duty who was on the phone, but she soon finished and greeted me. I was given a photocopied page from a Kuoni brochure, detailing the nine-day Rocky Mountains Highlights package for £1,599, with the optional add-on of £940 for a seven-day Vancouver Island whale-watching experience, all in three star hotels but excluding airfares.
Prices were for 2009, as I was told 2010 prices weren’t available yet. I couldn’t take the brochure as the agent said it was their own shop copy.
The agent here was more professional, but there was little research done, other than perusing the available brochures. The brochures available were not as many or varied as in Bath Travel.
Bath Travel
Bath Travel4 Albert Road
Score: 57%
After explaining my request, the agent collected several brochures for me to look at. She said she had never been to Canada, but was obviously keen to find out as much as possible.
She suggested the Vancouver and the Rockies tour from 1st Class Holidays, costing £1,439 at 2009 prices, which included travel by floatplane and scenic railway. She tried to call the operator but was kept on hold for more than 20 minutes, which was an uncomfortably long time to be sitting around with nothing to do.
In the end, I said I would have to leave, so she gave me her contact details and offered to stay on the line to get a price for me.
She made a solid attempt to fit the holiday to my requirements and was friendly and enthusiastic, but it was frustrating to wait such a long time for up-to-date prices and then come away without them.
Talking point
Talking pointThomas Cook lost ten points for its messy shop window – points which cost it this week’s winning spot. Community editor Emily Ashwell breaks down how our reviewer marked the Bouremouth agencies….
Tips
1. Wildlife abounds in Western Canada, especially from May to October – black bears, grizzly bears, moose etc can easily be spotted. Whale watching can be done from Vancouver or British Columbia’s (BC) capital Victoria. Orca, grey, minke and humpbacks are common. Vancouver Island and the coast of BC are also great locations for whale watching.
2. A typical flydrive itinerary in Western Canada usually includes Calgary, Banff/Lake Louise, Jasper, BC interior, Whistler, Vancouver Island and Vancouver. Roads in Canada are wide and easy to drive, with little traffic outside the major cities. Petrol is cheaper than in the UK, approximately 60p per litre. You can easily combine car and train such as the Rocky Mountaineer or Via Rail for part of your journey.
3. Several airlines offer direct services to Western Canada including Air Canada, British Airways, Air Transat, KLM (via Amsterdam) and Globespan. Check with each airline as some departures are seasonal.
4. Campervans are also common and can be a great way to experience Canada’s Great Outdoors. A three star hotel room is comparable to the UK, but room sizes are generally much bigger.
5. Agents can contact Roger Harris, the Canadian Tourism Commission’s dedicated trade enquiry contact, on 0870 161 5151 or by email at visit.canada@dial.pipex.com for information and additional advice. To get more product knowledge about Canada visit Gazetteers.com. The site also contains photos of resorts and hotel reviews from fellow travel agents.