Abbey Travel Charging for Consultations/Advice

Re: Abbey Travel charging for quotes


You're entitled to your opinion...as am I.
I find "customers" who are in fact dreamers/spoofers completely abhorrent and believe knowingly wasting someone elses time is disgraceful.
With reference to travel agents specifically, in my experience brochures and the internet are for information gathering...those seats at the desk are for booking.
I don't think I've more money than sense...I just don't believe in knowingly wasting other people's time while maintaining the illusion of being a "customer".
 
Re: Abbey Travel charging for quotes

There is no way, not a chance in hell, I would pay Abbey Travel this fee. €35 to get a quote??? What if their quote is a couple of hundred euro more than the travel agent down the road? You have to pay for the privilage to find that out?

I would always shop around when buying a service and would never expect to have to pay for a quotation in an open market. You are doing them a favour by giving them a chance to sell their service, not the other way around for Gods sake.

I'd fear for the future of Abbey Travel if this is their attitude. BTW, I have used Abbey Travel loads of times in the past for many years and have found them excellent to deal with. Sometimes I have booked a holiday with them and sometimes I haven't. I wouldn't darken their door again if they continue this policy.
 
Re: Abbey Travel charging for quotes

Abbey Travel are well within their rights to operate any business model they want as long as they are upfront about it. People have a choice - they can deal with Abbey Travel or not.

KK - what is the actual wording of the notice in the shop? It's not anywhere on their website as far as I can see.

In general, travel agents are finding it difficult to compete. If some become travel advisors and charge a fee instead of commission, that must be a good thing for consumers.

Brendan
 
Re: Abbey Travel charging for quotes


In fairness to the travel agent you were in their shop for some time and freely admit that had signs up advising of their charge that you hadn't noticed.

If you had noticed them would you have still waited to argue the point with the saleperson or would you have turned on your heels?

The Travel Agent is well entitled to charge for the quote and you are well entitled to go elsewhere as you did.

Market share will decide if this is right for the company or not.
 
Re: Abbey Travel charging for quotes

ClubMan said:
Thery're charging for a service. Big deal. If you don't like it then go elsewhere.

Any chance you could spell check your posts to make them intelligible?
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Practice what you preach
 
Re: Abbey Travel charging for quotes

Do you mean "practise"?

I hope aam is not using the American spell checker.

Brendan
 
Re: Abbey Travel charging for quotes

they have signs up at each counter did see them fron the waiting area and cant remember exactly what they say. They were typed up and printed in word not exactly professional ones
 
Re: Abbey Travel charging for quotes

kkelliher said:
they have signs up at each counter did see them fron the waiting area and cant remember exactly what they say. They were typed up and printed in word not exactly professional ones
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So you did see the signs before you sat down...then why did you sit down and cause such a fuss? I fail to see the problem with what they're doing...they have implemented a policy which only affects timewasters and make customers aware of this.
 
Re: Abbey Travel charging for quotes

I don't see why people are pointing out that Abbey are free to run whatever business model they choose. Nobody would argue against that. What people are saying is that the model makes no sense and is not consumer friendly. It ties the consumer into Abbey Travel from the moment they sit in the chair unless they are willing to lose €35 per person. Its no different to calling into your local bank and asking for advice on a financial product that you are thinking of investing in only to be told that there will be a charge for discussing it if you don't go ahead with the investment. People are right about one thing. The consumer will decide. I did mention it to friends of mine going to Australia and they laughed at the concept. Trailfinders will do well!
 
Re: Abbey Travel charging for quotes

Sunny said:
What people are saying is that the model makes no sense and is not consumer friendly.
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I'm not sure everyone here would agree with that.

Sunny said:
Its no different to calling into your local bank and asking for advice on a financial product that you are thinking of investing in only to be told that there will be a charge for discussing it if you don't go ahead with the investment.
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Its bizarre that you choose the example of financial services to illustrate your point. Its strange to see someone arguing that banks who offer "free advice" and who then rake in big commissions on sales of financial products to customers offer inherently better value than advisors who charge fixed fees for consultations and don't take commission from the customer's policy or fund.
 
Re: Abbey Travel charging for quotes

I totally agree with the original poster on this.

He wasnt a timewaster - he went into the travel agent with money in his pocket, with the intention of finding and booking a holiday suitable for him.

Of course he didnt want to pay 35E x 2 just for a discussion!
What happens if he doesnt like the hotels being offered by this travel agent, or their level of service, or the final quote. If he had paid the 35E* 2 he's stuck with it (or lose his 70E).
If I went into a travel agent which had this policy, I'd walk straight out the door.

Also, not everyone wants to use the net - my almost 80 year old parents, who have never turned on a computer in their lives, wouldn't know where to start with researching a holiday on the net, so travel agents are a better option for them to get information on holidays.
 
Re: Abbey Travel charging for quotes


They only "rake" in commissions after the sale just as travel agents should. And I have no problem with a bank charging me commission as long as I am free to meet BOI, AIB Ulster Bank and compare their various suggestions and make my own mind up without being charged for the privilage of hearing their sales pitch.
 
Re: Abbey Travel charging for quotes

Far be form me to defend Abbey Travel, but my wife works for a travel agent, specialises in long haul. The amount of times people come to her for advise, request quotes (which by the way isn't as simple as pushing a few buttons on a computer, this involves contacting ground handlers & hotels in the various countries, thereby incurring expenses) and then for these people to go off and book themselves on the net.
Travel agents are closing all over the country as a direct result of people booking on the net.
Imagine a situation where 5 customer meet my wife on a day and she goes through the full quote procedure & follow up calls etc. and then these people use the information to book themselves on the net. Ask yourself how long this business could continue operating.
Abbey Travel have taken the view that the service provided by them is worth €35 (and it probably is) would you expect to sit in front of a Solicitor or Accountant sounding them out before actually employing their service for hours and then walk away expecting not to pay for their time.
 
Re: Abbey Travel charging for quotes

No offence, but is 'nt our right to be able to price or get the best deal for our holiday ,

and sometimes u would go into a travel agent and have i guess a general idea of the week u are going and what city , but u might not have a clue of what area u are going, and u would go into a travel agents and check the best deals


is'nt that the whole idea to sell u a competitive package, and keep u there - and the information etc will want u to book with their agency

if i was told i'd have to pay €35 for a quote before anything - i'd feel i was under pressure to take it from them

hence why this guy went off next door and spent €7000

so their idea of trying to get rid of allegedly time wasters with this €35 cost him wiht one person alone €7000
i dont think this management idea worked -

to be honest i like going into one of the travel agents in town here in cork by the GPO and they are most helpful and i have bought alot of packages or city breaks from them and the main reason would be due to the information they have given, not neccessarily the good deal they gave

Abbey travel i'd say would need to relook at this
 
Re: Abbey Travel charging for quotes


And more will close if this crazy policy is adopted
 
Re: Abbey Travel charging for quotes

I think the salient point is that people are not just pricing holidays...they are going in and dishonestly pretending there is a chance they will book a holiday with the agent. Then using this information they are booking the holiday themselves on the internet. If you want to price a holiday you can ring any agent or look in a brochure. What's being discussed here is actually sitting down with an agent and getting information about a particular destination under false pretences.
The only people who should be scared off by this €35 charge are timewasters, spoofers or those who are trying to "shop around" which should not be done by wasting people's time.
(I have no connection with Abbey or any other travel agent)
 
Re: Abbey Travel charging for quotes

KalEl said:
The only people who should be scared off by this €35 charge are time wasters, spoofs or those who are trying to "shop around" which should not be done by wasting people's time.
(I have no connection with Abbey or any other travel agent)
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Well I was scared off and I dont fall under any of your so called categories.

When i went to book the holiday i wanted to go to south Africa plan and simple. I didn't look in any brochure and i never do. I have always gone in and said this is where i want to go now what can you do for me and every time previous i have gone away to confirm dates which always have to be moved to fit the holiday and subsequently confirm the booking with the agent.

The whole problem here is that they are trying to force you to know what you want to do where u want to go and how long you want to stay before you even come in thereby totally rendering their jobs useless........

You may be happy to book your holidays on line or via brochures but I dont. There are always extras and upgrade which are never in the brochures and then there are transfers etc etc its not a simply case of open brochure and holiday falls out.

to be honest Kalel i think you need to just agree to disagree we all know your point.... and your giving the same answer to everyone who voices their opinion.
 
Re: Abbey Travel charging for quotes

KalEl said:
I think the salient point is that people are not just pricing holidays...they are going in and dishonestly pretending there is a chance they will book a holiday with the agent.
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I have to disagree with that. I've never gone into a travel agents to make an enquiry and said hey yes I will buy off you but I dont care what it costs me. I dont care what conditions will be like or which hotel I stay in etc. I dont even care if you dont have a room in the place I want to go. That would be stupid and it would also be stupid of the travel agent to assume this to be the case.
I have always said somehting along the lines of :' I want to go to Africa next October and want to know what kind of deal you can offer me'. Thats the proper way to do things.
People are going in for a quote. They are not dishonestly pretending to be millionaires who dont care about money and neither have they entered into any contract to buy.
What I think is wrong is to put so much pressure and guilt on any passing customer who pops in for a brochure. Making an enquiry is not a contract of sale and the enquiring customer owes the shop nothing.
Any potential customer who makes an enquiry should not be made to feel guilty. I doubt any business is so busy that they cannot deal with an enquiry from a potential customer. The business has to sink these costs the same way they absorb advertising expenses. If they lose this years deal this time theres always the opportunity of the next years holiday to sell and so on. Its called a free market.
I dont think anyone disagrees with Abbey having the right to price themselves out of the market if they so wish.
 
Re: Abbey Travel charging for quotes

Posters seem to think that Abbey Travel lost a €7,000 customer by applying this policy. No one considered that the OP may have received a better deal than €7000 if he had stuck it out paid his €35.
 
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