How far would you go with a complaint

[MissDiznee66]

about your travel agent? Yes the trip turned out good, but as me and my friends discussed, not due to the agent. She would not return phone calls. The ONE time she did end up calling back she left a message in such a tone where you knew she didnt want to be doing that. Discounts? When I found the code for them she kept telling me that she could not give me a discount on top of another, so finally I had to ask her to remove their discount and apply the Disney discount and after going back and forth to give me that amount that Disney was giving, yes we FINALLY got it. I would have outright cancelled with her but she told me that her company charges a cancellation fee which I know AAA does not if you are within the 45 days of travel. All I had put down was the $200 downpayment! And even with tips, all she said when we went to pick up our travel documents (approximately 2 wks before our trip) was did you make your dining reservations? Now this is 2 weeks before and she is just asking that! Yes I had made them but no thanks to her. Anyway, I wrote a complaint letter sent it to whomever over her Supe (since I had requested the supe call me about the canx fee/pp and she never did) but I sent the letter about 2 weeks ago and havent heard anything? Would you pursue with anyone else? What would you do? :brick: Thanks.

 

[BRER STITCH]

The best way to make your feelings known is to find a new travel agent.

They are not obligated to do anything for you and it doesn't sound like they are the type of agancy that would offer anything more to you after the fact.

There are good Travel Agents and bad ones, and unfortunately it sounds like you identified a bad one. The best thing you can do is to tell everyone you know about your experience, and hopefully prevent the same thing from happening to your family and friends in the future.

Glad everything worked out for you in the end!

:wave:

 

[sbkline]

I'm not 100% sure, but I think I remember hearing once that travel agents don't get paid by the clients that they help. This led me to wonder just how in the heck they make a living, then, and why they are there if they don't get paid. I think the answer was that they get paid by the vacation place, like in this case, WDW. In other words, if I understand the whole process correctly (which I very well may not), you don't pay them for their services. Instead, they get paid by Walt Disney World for directing some business that direction. So if that is true, it may explain the apparent attitude that pleasing the customer isn't important, since the customer, in this case, doesn't "pay their paycheck".

So, to make a long story short, the only people to complain to, from what limited knowledge and understanding I have, would be the people in charge of wherever you vacationed. In this case, Disney World. Perhaps if they find that the travel agents who are directing customers their way are honking off said customers, then they may notify that travel agent that their services are no longer required and they will sever their business relationship with that travel agent. In theory anyway. In reality, not a thing will probably get done and if you try to pursue it, you're just wasting your time.

 

[MissDiznee66]

I thought that she would at least be obligated to answer my questions when I called her leaving messages. :veryconfu She certainly did let me know that she was not interested in doing my air since they get no commission off of that! I never looked at it that Disney itself may need to know about this, who knows. As stated nothing will probably come of it. I'm certainly not looking for someone to lose their job, but was just looking for an acknowledgement of my concerns. :brick:

 

[Master Yoda]

If this travel agent is connected to a larger company it would be best to contact them. If they are not you can file complaints with the Better Business bureau as well as seeking out some on-line travel agent review and opinion sites and venting there. Try searching for that particular agent or agency and see what comes up. If you find any negative reports add to them and their business will suffer.

Ultimately your best choice is to not use them again. For Disney trips I would highly recommend Kingdom Konsultants. I have used them in the past and they are top notch.

 

[maelstrom]

For your next Disney trip, there are several Disney-specific travel agents known around the message boards that can help you out, including Mouseketrips, Kingdom Konsultants, and Magical Journeys.

I would take your complaint as far as you can. Behaviour like that is just not acceptable. If they don't like being a travel agent, maybe they should find a new line of work.

 

[MissDiznee66]

I would take your complaint as far as you can. Behaviour like that is just not acceptable. If they don't like being a travel agent, maybe they should find a new line of work.

I certainly already decided I will not be using that company again, but that's what I'm wondering, too. So, I havent heard back from the district manager, who next. Or is there to be a next.

 

[Kingdom Konsultant]

I would call the district managers office to see if they recieved your letter. I am so sorry that you had this type of experince.

I am just speaking for Kingdom Konsultants, but we do offer free itinerary planning for out clients whether it's a room only reservation or a package and that does include making their dining arrangements for them. All our clients have to do is let us know where they want to eat and when. Some of our clients do prefer to make their own arrangement though. We do tell them if they want us to do it for them just to let us know.

And as far as discounts go, if they drop a discount we will do our best to get it for our clients as long as their hotel has availabilty with the discounted rate. There are instances where we try everything and can't get it. And Disney generally doesn't discount during the holidays.

I know that TA's do not really make anything with the airlines. We actually stopped doing air only because the airline industry is so fickle with the bankruptcies and cancellations of flights that we will only do air in a package now.

If you want to give it a try with us, we will make sure that your trip goes off without a hitch.

Pam

 

[MissDiznee66]

I would call the district managers office to see if they recieved your letter. I am so sorry that you had this type of experince.


If you want to give it a try with us, we will make sure that your trip goes off without a hitch.

Pam

Thank you very much. And I will keep your company in mind for our next trip to Disney.

 

[Kingdom Konsultant]

You're welcome.

Pam

 

[crazydaveh]

Do what everyone else has stated, but I would tell her she's number one with the wrong finger everytime you drive by her office. Do this in your car, with it moving though!

 

[wannabeBelle]

Hi there and I am glad my Boss, Pam of KK Has posted something on here. Not all businesses are the same as the one you dealt with. I would do as Master Yoda suggests and file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau personally. Also word of mouth is incredibly powerful especially if it is a local agency with no great national ties such as Liberty Travel . If it is a larger chain as Pam suggested I would write the the General Manager as I Am sure that a regional manager would be MOST interested to hear of this non responsive behavior!!! I Am glad to hear your trip went off well despite everything though!! Belle

 

[Iakona]

My suggestion: Photo copy your "receipts" (black out your confidential info) and send them to the GM with a note saying they lost this commission because of their poor customer service. Also, let them know that you have told everyone you know how bad they were.

Also, I highly recommend Kingdom Konsultants. I used them for 5 trips to Disney over 2 years and they were outsatnding. As soon as the wife graduates and goes back to work a HUGE WDW trip is being booked with Pam!!!

 

[tink81]

MissDiznee, I am truly sorry to hear that you had a bad expereince with a travel agent (especially sorry that it was at you local AAA club, as I worl for AAA). I would call your club and as k to speak with the GM or VP of Travel and let him/her know about your experience. AAAs are run kind of like franchises, each club has a territory and operates independently from all other clubs. That said, this agent may be saleried, live on commissions alone or, as our club does, a combination of base salery plus commissions. Any way you slice it, there is no reason why this agent didn't give you the attention you deserve as the commission from your trip would eventually have found its way into her pocket. I hope you have success filing your complaint and if you need anything else, PM me.

 

[New2WDW]

Sorry to hear of your experience and I would definitely change travel agents! I have used Kingdom Konsultants two years now and they have done everything for me and my family except walk us thru the parks by hand!:lol: They are terrific and have answered all my questions over and over and over... Good luck with your situation!

New2

 

[frankd1962]

I've used "Mom and Pop" travel agents who really do care about you and your trip. I will go in and look at the brochures that they display. If the Disney ones are from the Walt Disney Travel Company and they are a member then I use them.

 

[DisneyWood]

Sorry to hear about your inadequate service. When you hire a travel agent, you want someone that will RETURN calls, b/c you are typically spending a lot of money & want the trip to be fantastic. I didn't use travel agents in the past due to this problem, however, I got tired of tracking down discount codes, tricks of the trade, etc.

I decided to use Pam @ Kingdom Konsultants for the first time for my past trip. I have never been anymore satisfied. She did things w/o me ever communicating w/ her. Reminded me to make reservations for dining, shows, etc. I have referred her to several friends & clients over the past month for their upcoming trips.

If I was in your situation, I would just drop it, b/c it takes so much time & energy to voice your complaint. When it is finally heard, the odds are nothing will even be done that will warrant all of your precious time that has been spent. The best way to voice your disapproval is to use another travel agent. Hit their pocketbook, that is where it matters.