NEARLY two weeks ago one of our most loyal clients asked about a late booking and theconsultant at our agency gave out a Cadogan Holidays brochure. A couple of days later, the client returned with an enquiry on the weather in Morocco as he was leaving that afternoon.
As we are fed up with seeing an ever-increasing amount of business being poached from us, we asked the client why after all the years of booking with Expert Travel, he had made his booking elsewhere?
He explained that by connecting to the Cadogan Holidays Web site, and by clicking on the bargain icon, on the home page, a link was made to another retailer offering a discount of 12%. What wasannoying, was the link straight from Cadogan’s page without the need for any other searching by the client to look for a discount on the holiday.
I brought this up with the agency sales department of Cadogan who initially suggested that I could open a Web site offering the same discount as Island Sun, the travel agent Cadogan suggested clients connect to for a discount. I explained that the opportunity to sell a full-price holiday was lost and that the client had no reason to return to this agency in the future. I requested that Gary David call me, but 10 days later I am still waiting.
Does Mr David and TIPTO really expect support from independent agencies if clients are going to be encouraged and directed to other retailers through their own Web site?
Simon Israel, managing director, Expert Travel, London
n Travel Weekly would welcome a response from Cadogan