Mystery Shopper called on agents in Banstead to check out the situation with regards to a holiday in Croatia. She told retailers that her parents planned to travel in June but were now concerned given the conflict in Serbia.
With the exception of a couple of individuals, all were aware of the difficulties but only the Lunn Poly consultant came up with an alternative holiday destination.
*****
Each week, Mystery Shopper will be calling on agents in different areas. Stars are awarded to agents which score for:
* Agency appearance
* Product knowledge
* Staff attitude
* Brochure racking
* Sales technique
The top-scoring agency each week receives a Travel Weekly certificate of commendation.
Please note that no additional information will be given about Mystery Shopper’s visits.
Lunn Poly, 56 High Street, Banstead
***** Winner
There were three consultants on duty in this clean, bright agency which had well stocked brochure racks.
I went to a third consultant who was free but was told to take a seat and wait until the others were free because she was only training. I was served after a short wait. The consultant immediately clicked into the Foreign Office pages on her system and brought up the advice on Croatia on screen. She swivelled the screen around towards me and quickly read through it, pointing out that the Croatian government had closed its air space to civil aviation, so all flights had been cancelled.
The consultant picked up on the fact that my parents had planned to travel there and asked what sort of holidays they liked so she could recommend an alternative. She picked out the Thomson Breakaway Lakes and Mountains brochure and highlighted Slovenia as an alternative.
* Agency appearance
* Product knowledge
* Staff attitude
* Brochure racking
* Sales technique
Co-op Travel, 62 High Street, Banstead
***
This medium-sized agency looked colourful, bright and neatly laid out. The brochure racks were well-stocked.
There were three consultants on duty and I was served immediately. The consultant wrongly said that the Foreign Office were not advising against travel there, but he knew there was an update.
Unfortunately he could not get into the system so he suggested I call back and he would also give me relevant brochures. I called back 20mins later and he had printed out the Foreign Office warning that there were no flights there, but also, and rather inexplicably, gave me a Thomson brochure featuring Croatia
* Agency appearance
* Staff attitude
* Brochure racking
Ashtead Travel Centre, 67 High Street, Banstead
**
There were two consultants in very smart uniforms on duty in this tidy and attractive looking agency which had a wide selection of brochures on the racks.
There were no customers in the agency so I was served immediately.
The consultant was obviously familiar with the developing situation there and said that as far as she knew, all flights had been stopped for the near future.
She asked when my parents planned to travel and said the situation may have resolved in June but it was not possible to say.
She left the enquiry there and did not follow up with any alternative suggestions.
* Agency appearance
* Brochure racking
Thomas Cook, 77 High Street, Banstead
*
The inside of the agency was rather gloomy looking with empty-looking brochure racks.
There were three consultants on duty and I was served immediately by a consultant who looked completely blank on hearing the enquiry.
She asked me when my parents wanted to travel there and then consulted a colleague. She was obviously aware this was a difficult area at present and commented that it was somewhere that they were “not actively” selling at present.
She checked if my parents had booked a holiday there and when I said they had not booked yet, she said it was better to go somewhere else but did not suggest an alternative.
* Staff attitude
Top Tips for Agents
Tip 1: If asked for the official advice on a destination, it is best to quote the Foreign Office rather than give your personal view.
Tip 2: If there is a problem with a particular destination, remember to consider offering the client an alternative destination.
Tip 3: Try to be sensible with handling enquiries – just because a client asked for a particular brochure, don’t give one if it turns out the destination is not being sold.