Abbey Travel Charging for Consultations/Advice

Totally agree with the OP. As a sales person myself who often drives many miles to see potential clients it is rediculous in the extreme to expect people to pay in advance for advice on any service that they "may" require. Even shop assisants are highly trained in sales techniques these days and have daily targets to hit. I have used abbey travel myself in the past and was happy with them. There is no way I will be using them going forward with this policy in place. OP, thats 37 who believe you are right! ;-)
 
This seems to be one of those debates where the people on each side already have a fixed view on issues of this type, and are not going to be persuaded by the arguments of the other side. I find myself leaning toward supporting Abbey. Many of those who do not have made the point, in one form or another, that

"It's a departure from accepted practice to charge potential customers to look at your products."

The point I wish to make in response is this: 'accepted practice' is a moveable feast in a market which has changed as much as the travel\tourism market. The flights, the hotels, the guided tours etc. are not Abbey's 'products'. Abbey's 'products' are advice, planning and booking of such products, which are sold by third parties. The old business model is that Abbey would get a fat commission from the providers of the products. Internet sales are gradually destroying that model.

These days, Abbey are like a 'personal shopper' or a wedding planner. They help you to find a product which is right for you.

It seems that Abbey get a lot of window shopper\tire kicker prospects in the door. This might be simply due to having a location with a lot of footfall. Alternatively, it might be because Abbey have a strong reputation (I really have no idea - I don't do much foreign travel).

Abbey want to change the mix coming through their door more toward committed purchasers\strong prospects, or at least that is the logic implicit in their up front charge.

I would not be at all surpised to see more travel agents moving all the way to a fee based model in the future. Time will tell.
 
This post has been hidden, because it contravenes our in some way. However, the author can easily re-write it so that it doesn't break the rules, so let's hope they do just that.

If I could remember what the comment was....apologies!
 
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Re: Abbey Travel charging for itinerary consultations


Flights to London cost IR£300 before the low cost carriers came along. A bag isn't €50...golf clubs are, so quoting that figure isn't relevant.
One other query for the OP, this happened recently yet you've already been on the holiday? Plus, as other posters have pointed out you were looking for quotes yet spent seven grand in what was essentially the first place you went into?
There are aspects of this tale which don't quite add up.
Having read over everyone's contributions again I still have sympathy for Abbey and feel this charge is an appropriate anti-spoofer/tyre kicker device.
I'm sure their hearts are broken with people pretending to b ook holidays when all they're doing is fishing for free information so they can book it themselves online.
 
Fair play to Abbey Travel. I am sure they are fed up with time-wasters picking their brains for an hour or more and then walking out the door never to be seen again...only to book on the internet or whatever. Its like people going in to shops, letting their kids pull everything apart, asking the assistant a thousand and one questions, staying 2 hours picking holes in everything and asking this and that, and then walk out without buying anything. It happens! Some people try on items for size in shops, get the shops advice on features and quality etc, + then buy online from lower tax countries.
 
Whilst I totally respect everyone's right to have their own point of view, I can't help feeling that threads like this show just why consumers so often pay over the odds here.
If a few are wasting time, sure why shouldn't we all pay for it? Sorry, but to me that just isn't fair and isn't on. My sense of fair play doesn't extend to paying to try on a jacket - the inevitable conclusion of this trend-setting charge.
Let one company get away with it and others will surely follow.

Is the seller doing his very best to be fair to you, or is he trying to get the best deal he can for his business?
Consumers are also entitled to seek the best deal they can for themselves.
 
It has to be about competition. If you provide a service and give advice on buying a holiday product and don't get the sale for whatever reason, you look at your current offering, improve it's appeal to the customer and try again.

Competition works like that. A few dodgy people who always look for the angle cannot dictate a pricing policy for the whole company. I doubt Aey are in financial dire straights because of this. It is just an excuse to try and monetise the information they are giving.
 
This is an interesting topic and debate.

In general most shops, car garages etc. would have their margin high enough to take account of the time wasters or tyre kickers.

I guess the same would apply to a travel agent. However, with the internet I would imagine it's increasingly difficult to convert enquiries to sales as the margins on the internet are so much lower.

The only reason I can see that Abbey Travel would do this is if their profits were being squeezed due to a drop in sales converstions.

From a consumer perspective I don't see much wrong with the principal of it. There is enough competition in the travel agent market where you could just go else where as the OP did. The only criticism I have is that it's a per person rather than a per enquiry charge. I can't see too many people being willing to fork over €140 for a standard 2+2 family holiday enquiry. The tacky signs would suggest this is being trialled through and may be adjusted based on Abbey's experience. Who knows.

The rep in the place did seem rude but that could be due to the OP's reaction and indignation.
 
I can't see too many people being willing to fork over €140 for a standard 2+2 family holiday enquiry.
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Then Abbey will either change their policy or go out of business, if people stop going there that is. Can't see where all the rage is coming from to be honest. Don't like the prices? Don't shop there then.
 
shanegl said:
Then Abbey will either change their policy or go out of business, if people stop going there that is. Can't see where all the rage is coming from to be honest. Don't like the prices? Don't shop there then.
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Yes, I agree. I thought I kind of covered that in the next sentance.

The tacky signs would suggest this is being trialled through and may be adjusted based on Abbey's experience.
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Re: Abbey Travel charging for itinerary consultations

KalEl said:
I'm sure their hearts are broken with people pretending to book holidays when all they're doing is fishing for free information so they can book it themselves online.
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I see KalEl and rabbit's points however my sympathy does not lie with abbey travel and I would not pay 35 euro for that service.

Abbey travel and all travel agencies are suffering from the internet age and people doing exactly what KalEl says above. However so are many other industries suffering the same fate, a really big one (hit just as seriously as travel agencies) are music stores. Anyone can now go and download (legally) a tune and stick it on their iPOD they dont need to go to HMV to buy the CD. Do HMV charge 35 euro a consultation? No. Do HMV continue to sell CDs and other services to attract in lost customers? Yes. There are many examples and there are going to be more, a big one coming up is television, what with youtube and TiVo the future of television stations and even televisions themselves is in some doubt - they are suffering the same fate as travel agencies with people downloading "Lost" rather than tuning into RTE 1.

What Abbey Travel need to do is identify a differentiator so that someone will book with them rather than the internet. They have done this but its a negative differentiator (35 euro worse off), to survive theyll need to identify with a positive differentiator (probably something in the area of the "human touch"). Trailfinders have done this to a certain extent, appealing predominantly to the young-year-out-traveller and helping them plan their round-the-world-trip. Im sure theyve still lost business to the internet after consulting with a client but Im also sure theyve succeeded in closing the deal with this approach.

So yes, I feel sorry for Abbey travel, but its business and its life (the internet is not going away). Shanegl's point is excellent, dont like the prices, dont shop there. Abbey are feeling the pinch of the internet but they are expediating the loss of business by incurring this extra charge. They need to move with the times and identify a positive differentiator if they wish to stay in business.
 
kkelliher said:
Problem is you cant get the prices without paying the fee......
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This is not true so why are you saying it?
It has been established they do not charge for quotes...that's why the title of the thread was changed.
 
KalEl said:
This is not true so why are you saying it?
It has been established they do not charge for quotes....
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I started the thread detailing what happened in my case. In my case I did have to pay for a quote. I could not have gotten a quote for my holiday without sitting down with the agent. had never been there before, knew nothing about it and didnt even know where to start.

Kalel I understand your point but as I keep saying your points do not refer to me as I had never an intention of booking on the internet or wasting anyones time but I will not be forced to be tied to a company without even having a discussion with them to see what they have to offer.
 
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