Anyone else, had frustrating situations with their Travel Agent??

[Lilly08]

I posted in the Resort section yesterday and got wonderful advice.
I called Disney to see if I could put in my Hotel request.
Well, I have to go into my local travel agent. I used a local travel agent to book my family’s Christmas Disney World trip.
I have had nothing but total nightmare situations with this travel agent. Every time they have had to fix a mistake on my account it has caused even more issues on (My Disney Experience) APP. Examples, deleted park tickets, deleted special event tickets, which effected my abilities to do dinner reservations, purchasing advanced event tickets, booking special tours.
My memory maker was deleted twice. My last issue with the memory maker. It just left me speechless. Short version, I was told at 11am, not log into (My Disney Experience) till Travel Agent got word back from Disney internet help desk. Because it could cause more issues on it. She said It would be fixed by 3pm and she would call me as soon it was up. Well, I waited till 5pm and tried calling her for news. Office had closed early... I had to wait 45mins to speak with Disney for a confirmation everything was ok and I could log into (My Disney Experience)! I still haven’t received that call from her...
Misspelled names on flight tickets, twice! This happening with photo copies of everyone’s birth certificates in front of travel agent doing the fix’s!
Every time it has happened. I’ve had to wait for the travel agent office to open...
Then they will throw the blame on Disney.
I’ve spent over 48hrs on the phone with Disney internet help desk. Which in the end I’ve had to call travel agent to resolve it..
Disney World can NOT see my Disney Package. They can not add or subtract things from it. They can’t even just add notes onto it..
I’m sick to my stomach, of just having to call them to add my hotel room request this morning.. Just another bump in my road, being a mommy to 6 beautiful girls!

 

[Debbie]

honestly, it's fun! when i don't have a trip planned for myself, i get to help others and getting those coveted dining reservations or fastpasses is so exciting! but it's usually not luck or coincidence--it's because we are constantly watching and checking for our clients. i know using a TA isn't for everyone, and that's totally okay! [/QUOTE]

I am constantly asked for Disney trip planning advice by friends and always give them the number to Kingdom Konsultants. I love talking about Disney and learning about past trips, experiences, etc so that part of being an agent is a bonus if I can't travel with the party myself. In the end, they usually want to book it themselves because a friend told them not to use a travel agency, blah blah blah. Me, I tell Pam what days I would like, where to stay, and give her the pertinent info to book, and then fix a cocktail and let her handle it

 

[Nick Pappagiorgio]

I worked with a TA for the first time ever this past year. I chose to try the agency because it was one that I was told had special rates. I think if you new to Disney they can be very helpful and answer questions. But if you have been several times and know what you are doing it really can be a pain. First you have to fill out a quote form and wait. Then you get an email from the agent who tells you what your rates are for the parameters you put in. If you have any questions or want to see other rates you have to send another email and wait. When you decide to book you then have to call in with your credit card number and talk to the agent. Then you need to link the reservation to your account and change the address so your magic bands don't go to the agency office. I have nothing against agents, but from my perspective it was more work than what I could have done on my own, and the savings were not massive. That being said, I would tell a first timer to at least get a quote.

 

[WDW_Emily]

My friend decided last minute she wanted to run princess with us once it was sold out, so for the first time ever we are booked through a travel agency for February. It’s been rough to say the least. Apparently since i have an app and everyone else in my group doesn’t, i have to pay for ticket still because it’s “part of the package.” They have not asked for anything such as flight info or sent reminders. It’s basically me planning my trip but booking through them so now i can’t contact Disney about anything because it’s locked.

Never Again. Friends need to sign up for RunDisney races on time.

 

[Pixieish]

My friend decided last minute she wanted to run princess with us once it was sold out, so for the first time ever we are booked through a travel agency for February. It’s been rough to say the least. Apparently since i have an app and everyone else in my group doesn’t, i have to pay for ticket still because it’s “part of the package.” They have not asked for anything such as flight info or sent reminders. It’s basically me planning my trip but booking through them so now i can’t contact Disney about anything because it’s locked.

Never Again. Friends need to sign up for RunDisney races on time.

It really depends on the agent you use - some are very hands-off, some are very involved, and others are in the middle. I'm sorry you're having a bad experience right out of the gate.

 

[jaklgreen]

Working with a travel agent, at least those in my agency and others I know, is a joint planning effort, a consulting and advising one. It is extremely rare that we are a stranger and do all of the planning for a client without any input from them, that isn't our role.

Usually when something goes wrong and they complain is when we've discussed and given advice on how best to do something and the client hasn't read it or did read and just ignored it.

That is my point. You can tell people how it is all day long, but if they choose to ignore it and have a bad trip then I can imagine some of those will "blame" the travel agent. And with the social media now, those type of people like to go on rants.

 

[Master Yoda]

That is my point. You can tell people how it is all day long, but if they choose to ignore it and have a bad trip then I can imagine some of those will "blame" the travel agent. And with the social media now, those type of people like to go on rants.

That they do. I can count the number of people that will admit they are wrong on one hand. Most go just on three page "this sucked, that was wrong, they never told me" tirades. (KATIEBUG101 anyone?)

 

[DisneyJoe]

That is my point. You can tell people how it is all day long, but if they choose to ignore it and have a bad trip then I can imagine some of those will "blame" the travel agent. And with the social media now, those type of people like to go on rants.

Most actually blame Disney. We get perhaps 1 or 2 a year that blame the agent.

 

[Kingdom Konsultant]

I can honestly say that every one of my agents stays on top of their clients as to when something is due, when to make their dining reservations and fastpasses. You have the choice as a client to do that part of the planning on your own or to have one of us do it for you. There's no fee involved. We are literally up in the middle of the night watching for discounts. And are online at 12:01am to book cruise excursions. Are there times when we can't get a discount.. yup... do we try everything we can to get it and even tell the client about other resorts or room types that are available..yup.

I've been selling travel for years and have had the agency since 2005. And yes I still sell and many of those clients come from WDWMagic. I've even hired some of my clients to work as agents! @wannabeBelle is just one of many!
I hate hearing stories about anyone that has had a less than magical experience with a travel agent. It gives one a tainted opinion of all agents.
I can speak for my own agents and tell you that they are some of the hardest working travel agents in the industry. How do I know? I get the emails constantly from their clients telling me.

And yes, when an agent spends hours working with a client only to have them book on their own it's a horrible feeling. You don't get paid unless they book with you and actually travel.
And here's a newsflash...travel agents don't make a whole lot of money. Which is why many agents work either a full or part time job to pay the bills. Most of the agents that I know do it for the love of travel and they specialize in Disney for the love of it. Not for how much they make. Most of my agents sell every destination and cruise line so they are well informed.

And for the record, we can't do anything with DVC points so that is an unfair assessment of an agent not getting you the best deal.
Agencies like mine do everything they can to try to save our clients money. We give on-board credits to our clients. Where do you think that money comes from? Not Disney, it comes out of our commission so we are making less so that our clients get something for free...
We have giveaways, we offer deals where we give gift cards to our clients. I've even given away AP's and a trip to WDW!
We do all of this for our clients. Do you know why? Because it's good customer service. Not many places give that these days.

Pam

 

[Kingdom Konsultant]

Thank you!!!!

Pam

 

[wannabeBelle]

I have traveled a lot for business and vacations. I consider myself to be a very seasoned traveler and know how to research destinations. That experience has also taught me how to recognize when I need the expertise of a TA. I cannot stress enough the importance of selecting a TA that specializes in your travel destination. I've also had poor experiences with TAs that don't specialize.

As a client of Kingdom Konsultants, I can attest to how much time was spent helping me. They are amazing in their knowledge and the services offered. I know a lot from being on these forums and others for many years, but I still learned more about the planning from Marie than I had expected. Because of that experience, I have chosen to use them again for two more trips. Yes, for simple airline tickets I can usually do fine on my own. But, for a more complex vacation like WDW, I value the services of a good TA like Pam has on her team.

Thank you so much!!! The compliment is very much appreciated!! Marie

 

[Hcalvert]

To be honest, I have never considered a TA for my next Disney trip. One of the teachers I work with is a Disney TA, and to me, it seemed more of a hassle than doing it myself...and I would have been a hassle for them. This year, I pieced my trip together by booking a DVC with someone else's points, bought discounted park tickets on Cyber Monday, and booked my flights myself. I even bought loads of discounted Target gift cards and then turned around the next day and bought Disney gift cards with them to pay for the dining plan. Overall, I saved myself over $500 doing it myself (not including the room savings, which in comparison to Disney's rate would be an additional $3000 saved). I am wondering if a TA would be able to book my trip (4 adults & 1 child going) under the price I ended up paying. Sure it is time-consuming, but it was worth it to save money!

 

[The Mom]

I can honestly say that every one of my agents stays on top of their clients as to when something is due, when to make their dining reservations and fastpasses. You have the choice as a client to do that part of the planning on your own or to have one of us do it for you. There's no fee involved. We are literally up in the middle of the night watching for discounts. And are online at 12:01am to book cruise excursions. Are there times when we can't get a discount.. yup... do we try everything we can to get it and even tell the client about other resorts or room types that are available..yup.

I've been selling travel for years and have had the agency since 2005. And yes I still sell and many of those clients come from WDWMagic. I've even hired some of my clients to work as agents! @wannabeBelle is just one of many!
I hate hearing stories about anyone that has had a less than magical experience with a travel agent. It gives one a tainted opinion of all agents.
I can speak for my own agents and tell you that they are some of the hardest working travel agents in the industry. How do I know? I get the emails constantly from their clients telling me.

And yes, when an agent spends hours working with a client only to have them book on their own it's a horrible feeling. You don't get paid unless they book with you and actually travel.
And here's a newsflash...travel agents don't make a whole lot of money. Which is why many agents work either a full or part time job to pay the bills. Most of the agents that I know do it for the love of travel and they specialize in Disney for the love of it. Not for how much they make. Most of my agents sell every destination and cruise line so they are well informed.

And for the record, we can't do anything with DVC points so that is an unfair assessment of an agent not getting you the best deal.
Agencies like mine do everything they can to try to save our clients money. We give on-board credits to our clients. Where do you think that money comes from? Not Disney, it comes out of our commission so we are making less so that our clients get something for free...
We have giveaways, we offer deals where we give gift cards to our clients. I've even given away AP's and a trip to WDW!
We do all of this for our clients. Do you know why? Because it's good customer service. Not many places give that these days.

Pam

I have used Pam's services for both Disney trips, and overseas trips. There are many companies that prefer to deal with travel agents, and Pam has been my intermediary with them. I know that it's not for everyone, but I can tell you that Pam has gotten me some good deals on WDW hotel rooms - rooms I couldn't find on my own.
It's so easy to just contact her, and tell her when I want to go somewhere - she already knows what sort of room, flights, etc I like, so we don't have to talk very much.

 

[DfromATX]

I hope everything works out. Think of it as a learning experience. Assuming this is your first trip, you should be able to book future trips yourself. We had a TA for our first trip, but thankfully no issues. We just didn't know what to expect, so we had all the "extras" like park hoppers, dining plan, deluxe hotel... stuff we don't do now that we know better.

 

[Jamie77]

I stopped using travel agents with the invention of the internet. Plus I like to be in control of my vacations and hate the whole back and forth you have to deal with when using an agent. It used to be a good thing to use an agency because they did their jobs well and there were special advantages by booking with one. But that is long gone now. I hope your issues get resolved. Nobody should stress about a vacation.

Ditto. Plus, I love listening to Disney music while I'm on hold.

 

[DznyGrlSD]

I never used to use a TA but I started to a few years ago...as a former Disney CM I still use a TA. It's less BS for me to deal with the initial booking but I still make my own dining and FP+ reservations. I've never had an issue.

 

[Horizons '83]

While I am biased I think it really comes down to the character of the TA. If you feel like your not a priority or if communication isn't up to what you would expect or you are getting constantly sold into things you don't need/want, I would seek a different agency/agent.

 

[Dave B]

I am just curious what it costs to go to a TA and have them plan your trip?

Is there like a 10% fee or 20% of the cost of the trip? The TA have to be generating income from this?

Thx

 

[wannabeBelle]

I cant speak for all agencies but Kingdom Konsultant Travel does NOT ever charge a fee to book a trip to our clients. Our commission is paid by the destination that you select, be it Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Lines, Universal, any other Cruise line or any other major vacation destination. Marie

 

[DisneyJoe]

I am just curious what it costs to go to a TA and have them plan your trip?

Is there like a 10% fee or 20% of the cost of the trip? The TA have to be generating income from this?

Thx

In most cases, the cost is identical to booking directly through Disney. Disney then pays the agency a commission, which the agency then splits with the agent.

For things such as airfare or more detailed itinerary planning or some other things that don't generate a commission, many agencies will charge a fee. It depends on the item and the business model.

 

[Kingdom Konsultant]

Kingdom Konsultant Travel charges no fees if you book a room/package with us. However we do charge a planning fee if it is just help with dining/fastpasses,etc

Pam