Back to the future
We may have more technical knowledge now than ever before, but why do I feel as though we’re stepping back in time? Five years ago overbooking problems made front page news in the tabloids; today overbooking continues to make life difficult for both agents and clients alike but seems to go unreported. However, trouble in the office today proved the story hasn’t run its course yet.
We received a phone call from Thomson regarding a client of ours. In June of last year, he and his wife booked an A La Carte Thomson holiday to the Hotel Timanfaya Palace in Playa Blanca, Lanzarote to travel in January 1999; now, four days before departure, we were told that the hotel had been overbooked.
My colleague Nicky spoke to Simon in Thomson’s customer relations department who offered the Hotel La Geria in Playa de los Pocillos as an alternative. Nicky asked Simon in which Thomson brochure this hotel was featured so as to be ready to show the client when she broke the unpleasant news.
Poor A la Carte selection
When Simon told her that the hotel did not appear in any Thomson brochure Nicky was stunned to say the least. What our client was being offered was featured instead in a Portland brochure. From my point of view, things do not bode well for Thomson managing director Richard Bowden-Doyle who I’d witnessed emphasise Thomson would not steal clients from agents at the 1998 ABTAconvention – how else does an A la Carte Thomson client get offered a Portland holiday?
The faxed copy of the relevant page from the Portland brochure duly arrived in the office. We were not impressed and did not think our clients would be either. Nicky expressed her fears about the unsuitability of this alternative to Simon.
Before we had time to present the situation to them, our clients rang us as they had been told of the overbooking problem by friends with whom they had been intending to travel, although the other couple had booked through a different agent. They quite rightly wanted to know why the Thomson rep in Lanzarote was not aware of the overbooking earlier?
A further call to Thomson produced an explanation from Sandra in yield management to the effect that the unfortunate situation had arisen wholly as a result of the hotelier breaking his contract. How naive of me to think those days were over…
Sandra went out of her way to apologise and assure us that Thomson was not deliberately trying to steal clients; as a further demonstration of her loyalty she agreed to fax for a more expensive hotel and to pay the difference. Thus the problem was resolved by a dedicated professional who managed to keep our client smiling. I’m only sorry Thomson can’t make agents happy too by reimbursing us for the endless phone calls which eat into our commission!
Hanging on the telephone
It appears the travelling public have more sauce than Sainsbury’s these days! Jody in Travelworld in Essex thought she had seen and heard it all but was dumbfounded to hear of the encounter endured by a junior in the Hornchurch branch.
The young clerk had been approached by a woman who asked her to book a Virgin holiday she had seen advertised. The clerk rang Virgin and eventually got through to reservations only to be told that the holiday was a special offer and only available if booked direct.
Still clutching the telephone, the clerk relayed this news to the client who promptly snatched it from her and proceeded to book her holiday direct! Thankfully a rapid response from the manager ensured the woman was left in no doubt as to the inappropriateness of her actions.
My former colleague Mandy rang me to tell me of another direct booking episode. She had accessed the Eurostar screen for a client and read a two-for-one offer that was attractive to the client. She rang Ben at Eurostar when she was unable to book it. He explained the offer was only for clients booking direct.
“So why is it on my screen?”asked Mandy.
“It’s so you know what’s about,” came the reply.
Knowing what’s about can be hazardous to your health.
Bad reception on the TV
I wonder if other agents felt as I did, that an opportunity had been well and truly missed on Channel Four’s The Real Holiday Show.
A travel agent from Ealing was describing his trip to Jordan; his spot followed that of a chap from the north who had extolled the virtues of booking at the last-minute via Teletext.
The presenter asked James, the travel agent how he would woo the teletext client into an agency to book with a travel agent. My mouth hit the floor as I heard him say Teletext was a good way to book. It’s time we all stood up to be counted!
What the papers say
I was still pondering on those direct booking incidents when a smartly dressed lady made her way towards me. Her body language suggested she was in a hurry and that I was a rather irritating hitch in a busy schedule.
“Have you got a brochure featuring the Best Western Hotel in Florida?”she asked.
I stood up and walked to the brochure racks. “When are you thinking of going?” I asked.
“Oh, I’m going next week with Virgin. It’s one of those special offers with the Sun newspaper”she smirked.
“And neither the Sun nor Virgin supplied you with a brochure?” I returned.
“I know the hotel’s in the Thomson brochure, so if you’ll just give me that…” she continued.
“I’m afraid we don’t have any,” I replied, but before Ihad time to add that agents can book other companies just as cheaply she had turned on her heels and left.
n Maureen Hill is temporarily working at John Perry Travel, Blandford Forum