I APPLAUD Thomson for differentiating between brochured and late-deal holidays. As an agent, we haven’t had any problems at all in selling these deals, despite the extra charge on transfers.
Most customers are adding them on and those who are not are told very clearly that they can make their own arrangements. We can offer car hire as a flexible option to add on. From our point of view it is all down to how positive and clear the agent is about the deal – customers don’t complain about things they are fully aware of at the booking stage, especially when they have chosen their option.
If customers are really unhappy about these charges they can pay a bit extra for a named holiday with all the extras included. Customers have to be realistic – they can’t expect five-star deluxe for ú99. Aú10transfer is very little to ask when they are probably paying ú129 for two weeks – as we’ve seen this week.
If you know your product and are a good salesperson, being honest from the start and explaining how deals work, you shouldn’t lose a sale, but make one. You’ll also have a happy customer who has got an excellent holiday at a bargain price!Name and address withheld