Sites such as Expedia, Orbitz, and
Travelocity claim to offer the best
price - sometimes even guaranteed. They may even claim to offer the
best rates on a luxury world
cruise, a trip that travel
wholesalers publicly prefer to be sold by agents. Others offer to beat
any price or to match it.
The emergence of online travel sites have put
many agencies out of business, and claim to have conquered the consumer
base by offering quality product at a lower cost.
The volume done by
these sites is said to make up for their marginal profit. But these are
no more than half-truth cover stories. Let us debunk these myths one at
a time.
What
it the Product Difference?
When you
call your local travel agency and ask for a price quote on an air and
hotel luxury
travel vacation package,
most consumers will check against one of the more popular travel
websites to see what prices better. True, two thirds of the time, you
will find that the Internet will beat the travel agent price by about
$150. So what is the difference? The travel website will assure you
that it is the same package. They will even give you the exact same
flights. But when you book with Orbitz or Expedia, they often do not
take the seats off of the availability list immediately like travel
agents do. This makes it easier for your flight to be over sold. And
because your seats were the last tickets to be issued, you will be the
first travelers to be bumped on an overbooked flight. In addition, your
hotel room will be in a "less requested area." This means that while
your room will be the category promised, you might have the ocean view
room next to the ice machine or the ocean view above the resort
nightclub. You may find your room in the only wing that did not receive
renovations. And the worst part is, once you arrive and discover your
room to be lacking, the help desk with the Internet travel sight can do
nothing to help you, if you even get through in the first place. The
resorts and hotels are aware that you are going to be in the most
unfavorable rooms, in fact, that is why they sold them to the Internet
travel site at a discounted rate in the first place.
How
do These Sites REALLY Make Money?
Travel service sites
proudly proclaim that they are able to further
save customers money by selling large volumes of travel and collecting
a smaller fee. There is some truth to this. Orbitz and Travelocity do
have a large volume of travel reservations made, but what little they
make in commission they make back in changed or canceled reservations.
When you book your package, the price may not cover a number of other
fees, such as a daily resort fee, an out of state car fee or some other
taxes and fees that are asked to be paid at the airport, resort or
cruise ship. Agencies will include this in their pricing. And heaven
help you if you have a change in plans. Depending on which site you
book with, small changes to your itinerary can cost you between $50 to
$100. Most travel agencies offer a travel insurance that covers you and
your travel companions if you should have to cancel for a medical or
personal emergency.
American Express
Travel
offers a cancel for any reason insurance that even covers your airline
tickets. These Internet booking engines are now beginning to offer
"insurance", but it rarely covers cancellations in full. Should you
have to cancel your Internet trip, you might get less than half of the
total cost of your vacation, or none at all.
So buyer
beware!
The Internet is a beautiful thing, but for travel arrangements, it is
not always as good as it seems. Your local travel agent is there to
offer the customer care you need back at home while you're traveling
abroad. When it comes to planning luxury travel vacation, you
are truly better off using a travel agent. You will be guaranteed your
place on a plane. If you don't like your room, your travel agent can
have it fixed in a matter of moments. And should there be a problem or
if you should need to cancel, your travel agent will fight the battle
to reschedule your plans at the lowest cost possible. Travel agents are
not focused on quantity, but quality. In this day in age, travel
agencies stay afloat with their repeat clients, who swear by them. So
travel safe, not sorry, and call a travel agent to hear more benefits
that each agency offers their clients.
