I’ll start by saying that I don’t think this is the ideal place to start your research. The members on this forum are accustomed to arranging their travel plans alone and take advantage of many travel hacks discussed on this forum. Understandably the fact that they can at times take advantage of the services offered by travel agencies would be hard to fathom. As with any service across the industry, there are as many incompetent sales agents as there are superior ones. I do understand that the general sentiment expressed here is an assesment of those on the receiving end of the not such good service. However, just as extensive are the sentiments expressed by those who benefit from the amazing agents out there.
Yes, there are countless times a travel agent can be imperative or shall I say even as far as a necessity. In the world I live in, people work for a living. Saving money is always of utmost importance however time is also of great value. TA’s can be knowlegedable, pleasant, honest etc. { I use the word can for a reason. I will elaborate further.} There is also the world of business/corporate travel. And I can almost guarantee that not one person in that category will use Dans Deals as a basis to save money on their travel. They need to get to places at specific times, with specific carriers and many times needing to circumvent rules such as minimum stay, advance purchase etc. I would love to see how other ddfer’s would comment if there would be a post from a business traveler using a TA.
Agents are human. Yes I write that because unfortunately, technology has caused people to forget what that word means. So what to love/hate about agents? Humans are not phones or computers or whatever BFF’s the human race has as their technological devices. They cannot be yelled at, banged around put on silent/vibrate or powered off. So some may say using a website to book/arrange their travel is much simpler than speaking to a live agent. However unlike a device, we give back. And that all depends on what you give us. We are not 411. We are not another credit card scam where the more you yell the more points you’re compensated with. We are there to help and save our clients money. We are there to give the knowledge we have to better their experiences, their vacations, their travel for whatever reason. We have deals that far surpass many found online. We give so much of our time, so many times without even creating a booking for the caller. We are honest{we do not circumvent the rules an airline sets as to us that is geneiva}, we are kind {whilst sometimes biting our teeth at the caller's audacity} and we are competent beyond your expectations. All you have to do is find a good agent. There are so many out there. If you want to badmouth the TA’s, there is room to knock down every other idustry out there. There is plenty of dishonesty, arrogance, and simply put -horrible people out there. But on the flipside, there is just as much honesty, kindness and special people who’s actions would astound you.
There is always room to grow in what agents can offer. The more an agent learns, the more he/she wants to know, the more they can offer. The personal service they provide is something you cannot get on any website and no one can disagree with this. It’s a FACT.
Re the VIP services , it’s unclear if you are referring to those offered in Ben Gurion airport. If you are, it is a widely debated topic and I think it is more of a personal opinion for each traveler themselves as it’s an extra/a comfort. Therefore I will leave this unanswered.
Re the commission topic; I will only brush the surface of this as unlike the general understanding of the layman, I feel this topic is way too deep and complex than anyone on this thread assumes. Firstly, just to set some misconceptions straight, commissions on most tickets are far from lucrative. Included in the commission is the endless time and patience an agent provides, as well as the knowledge they offer. Additionally there is a lot of other backoffice work but suffice it to say that after a ticket is purchased, the work does not end there. Would you ever walk into a supermarket and ask the cashier how dare he make 50 cents on the bottle of milk you are purchasing? The layman’s mind does not assess the amount of money it took to bring that bottle into his hand at the register, yet if we would all be stupid enough to think it’s from cow to mouth, we would all have a cow in our backyard. Fortunately we are wiser than that. Likewise, a surcharge at a travel agency may sometimes be neccasary to cover expenses to give you that ticket. We are not here to rip you off. We are competive and honest. We are also offering you convenience. Let us say we would set the pendulum to count the minutes involved in a sale. Firstly, it would move faster than the eye can see, and a penny for every swing would rack up way more than any fairly charged fee.
My post is not here to try to convice any of the benefits/disadvantages of using a TA versus online systems. Travelers using TA’s know very well why they won’t leave and I have no need to convice them- they are convinced themselves and proof of this is their return again and again. Our clients are proud to belong to our family- and we treat them as such. The real point I am even logging this post is to possibly bring to the attention of so many out there that there is a side to TA’s that apparantely most of you are ignorant about. The big deal is to find a keeper, as once you do you’ll finally understand my post. /rant
