Last week I received a very flattering call from an agent — travel variety — who commended my column on “How to Choose an Agent”. I've not been that popular with travel agents for a long ume, mainly becuase | don’t like hard sell, many tour packages and the general lack of honest information available to the average Canadian. I hate adjectives like “breathtaking” or “spellbinding” when applied to a hotel or tour that con- centrates on features such as cockroaches. It makes me sick when the agent doesn't tell the customer that he'd better get a dose of malana medicine just because it might cost the agent a lucrative sale. So, by request, reprinting that Hope you enjoy it. we are column. USING A TRAVEL AGENT “Hey. Barbara! Tell me the name of a good travel agent.” “Nope.” “Why not? know lots.” “I know lots of doctors, too. With my kind of luck. I'd recommend my favorite surgeon and hed amputate your mght leg when the left one had gangrene.” It’s true that I know lots of agents, some excellent and others so imcompetent that | wouldn't send the Ayatollah to them for a one-way Uucket on the last boat to hell. Luckily, the incompetents don't last long. Besides. | must be com- pletely objective. If I started handing oul agents’ names. readers would begin to wonder what rake-off I was taking out of the transaction! You must trayel- wise by Barbara McCreadie 1. Choose an agency that s “Appointed by IATA" — in other words can write airline tickets for you direct- ly. 2. Your agency should be government registered. 3. If your business has a company account, you'll get better holiday service from that agency as commercial accounts are valuable. They'll give you extra TLC if they value the company. 4. It is sensible to choose an agent that is nearby. 5. Agencies differ in their fields of expertise. Some cater to special tours while others deal pnmanily with certain areas of the world. 6. Large offices are often a good bet if you are travelling to some off-beat place. A large staff means that somebody may have per- sonal expenmence with the place which can be a big help 7 The tetters “CTA” in- dicate thal an agent has been in the business at least four years and has wnitten a stiff exam. 8. It is less risky to take your business to an establish- ed agency than to one that is brand-new. Oh, | know that everyone has (to start somewhere but I’m glad that my doctor had been pratis- ing on a lot of others before he got around to me. Choosing an agent is a very tricky thing = and, although experience and competence have a lot to do with a valid choice, per- sonality comes into the deal. One agency manager confid- ed to me that she'd be willing to take on a rank amateur if she felt that her clients would find the person char- ming. The manager would then work like hell training the new employee, hoping all the while that the “R.A.” wouldn't send anyone to Iran instead of Italy. Buying a travel experience is something like buying a used car. I can't be bothered spending time with someone whose personality jars me. He may be able to offer me the best deal in town but if he’s got bad breath, dan- druff, talks “down” to me or interrupts our meeting four tumes for outside calls — he's lost a sale. Assuming that all agents are well-groomed, patent and charming, what else should you look for? 1. How long did the agent keep you waiting when you walked in the door? Did vou stand around for 10 minutes while everyone ignored you” 2. When you asked for 1n- formation, were 9 you shuffled-off to a pamphict display or did someone give you personal attention” 3. When you) asked specific questions, was the agent able to answer you (us ing his references with ease) or did he fumble around’ Did he have to consult his superior repeatedly” 4 Did the agent listen pa tiently to your plans. asking pertinent questions while you explained” It is a lot tess ‘349 WAIKIKI Att Only work for an agent to ship you off on some pre-booked tour than it is to start from scrat- ch. A good agent is willing to do either, but with two ma- jor qualifications: — Some areas are posted as being “fully booked” by the travel wholesalers. This, of course, is not the case BUT an individual travel agent cannot spend a fortune in long distance calls to find you a booking. You'd be nuts to expect him to. — Many small hotels will not pay agent commission on bookings. — An agent simply cannot spend the time and money involved with finding you a spot in some tiny pensione. 5. Did the agent tell you all the alternative airline fares? Now, let’s hear it from the agent’s point of view. If you want to get the best service from your agent, it pays to: 1. Do your homework first. Don't ask some poor guy to send you on a world cruise for $2000! He'd have to buy you a canoe. 2.Tell him exactly how much money you've got to spend, how much time you can Spare and what sort of activities you enjoy. Of course there’s no excuse for an agent sending a guy with two broken arms to a tennis resort but it’s hard to guess that you're keen on nude sunbathing when you appear in the office in a winter coat. 3. Don't try to do too much. If you want to cover eight countnes in two weeks, vou'll come home exhausted — blaming the agent. 4. Have your mind generally “made-up” before vou arrive but be flexible C9 - Sunday News, December 21, 1980 How to choose your travel agent Reprinted by popular request An agent can lose his sani- ty when a client calls him every day for two weeks demanding changes in the original itinerary. 5. Book in plenty of time. If you must book late (or decide on a_ spur-of-the- moment trip), expect limited options and paymeat up- front. Late bookings often result in higher costs because you can’t take ad- vantage of special rates and charters. 6. Pay on the date re- quired. An agent cannot hold bookings for late pay- ment. 7. Lf you must cancel, tell you agent immediately. It’s unfair to have him scrambl- ing around making bookings that you cannot use. 8. Don’t blame your agent for the awful people you met on your cruise or tour, unless they were all his relatives. passport ph otos while you wait North Shore Darkroom 1527 Lonsdale’ 988-9813 1560 Marine Dr: 926-0421 2 WEEK PACKAGES WAIKIKI $599 (based on double occupancy) 14 NIGHTS, AIR & HOTEL 9. Be fair when it comes to criticizing an agent about an individual hotel. I've praised one hotel in Italy while my husband considers it just one step above the city jail. 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