How Would You Respond To This Email From Travel Agent?

I saw what you emailed her, and I do find her response a bit harsh. If I were you, I would go book on my own.

Yeah. Thanks but no thanks. OG Gretchen and Boudreau to be said it well. All contact should have been directly to you.

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" Hey ___,Are these prices per person or together? Also, we had discussed leaving on Tuesday/Wednesday not Monday. Our wedding is Saturday and we leave Sunday for VA. Are these prices only for 5 nights? The front end and back end will be travel days, so I'm not sure that leaves us with much time. Again, I know you said this all could be discussed after we decided on a destination, but I didn't know if that would change anything. We had been looking on cheapcarribean.com and saw some really good deals for 7 nights. Wasn't sure if a longer stay would reduce the price. I'm just trying to find the best deal and longest duration. We took off three weeks so length doesn't matter. Thank You! "

I'm a bit jaded because the one and only time I used a travel agent, she did a lousy job and I know we could have booked everything ourselves. When our flight got cancelled due to weather she didn't do anything to assist and we had to make our own arrangements. Regardless, I understand working on commission - I did it for years. But that's just part of the deal. Real Estate agents, car salesmen, or any other salesperson deals with the same thing - that's why they make such a big commission on the deals they do close. This woman was rude in her email and I doubt her business will grow based on her new policy. A simple, "we've decided to move forward on our own", will suffice.

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Okay, I said we found a cheaper alternative on a website for 7 days because all the options she had given us were not for the destination of our choice and were for shorter durations. I said basically that maybe the reason the pricing was so high was because she was only giving us 5 days. Like I said, sometimes the longer you stay at a place the cheaper the rate is per day. And even if I was pointing that out, her job is to find us the best deal like she had stated in the email. Her reaction wasn't warranted. But okay, I guess you can "defend" her I don't know what else to say to prove elsewise.

I honestly agree with her. She put it in very blunt terms, but at this point she's working for you for free. She should be compensated for her time. I don't blame her for getting upset. Sounds like she's been doing quite a bit of research for you and is getting nothing in return. I would be frustrated too and although she wasn't the most professional about stating it, she has a valid point.

View Quoted Comment Did you want honest opinions or validation? Next time ask for validation and I won’t comment. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, even if it’s not the same as yours.

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Yeah, I get that. I'm well aware of the common saying. Thanks .

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See, I get that she was working for free but I feel like she could have told me her feelings of being "used" without threatening to have to start charging me. My intention wasn't to use her at all. And again, it comes with the territory of her job. Deals don't pull through 100% of the time.

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100% agree. You said you could be overreacting, the majority of people agreed that it's wasn't that bad and yeah, perhaps your overreacting and your response is to fight that she's wrong and your right.

I don't get the point. If you wanna be offended, be offended. You don't need us to validate that.

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Yeah, you completely figured me out . Thanks

Her response could have been worded differently to make it sound a little more professional. But, your email could have also been worded differently to make her more aware of what you were asking of her. You did not specifically ask about a certain destination or resort for her to look into. You also did not give her a price to try to match. And you did not ask her if staying longer would change the per day price.
" We had been looking on cheapcarribean.com and saw some really good deals for 7 nights. Wasn't sure if a longer stay would reduce the price. I'm just trying to find the best deal and longest duration." To me, this sounds like you are telling her that you have been looking at other options for booking and at the same time are asking her to continue to spend her time looking into your trip. For free. You could have said "I was browsing some resorts online and found a great deal at (whatever resort) for (whatever price) for ( number of days). Have you worked with this resort before? Do you have any reviews or additional info on that resort? Would you be able to get us a similar deal there? Would it change the per day price if we increased the number of day that we are at the resort? We have taken 3 weeks off so we are able to do a longer trip if it would make more sense financially. We do really like the location of the resort so if this one doesn't work out, we would like to look for something in the same area." Then she would know that you are planning to still book with her and that all of her efforts weren't being wasted.
I contacted Apple Vacations when we were planning our destination wedding last year. They also charged a fee before looking into resorts. So, I don't think her new policy is a crazy practice. It ensures that her clients are serious about booking their trip with her and that her time isn't being wasted. I totally understand it.
You admitted yourself that you are overly sensitive. If you know that, you might want to reflect on your own words before pressing "send." Think about how they were intended and how they sound while written and how the recipient will interpret them. It could change the response you get in return and prevent your own frustration and hurt feelings. That is not meant as a criticism. Just some advice from someone who is also working on improving the way I communicate in different situations.

You have in your original post that you know you are overly sensitive. We are agreeing.

Let it go and book your trip on the other website.

As a former travel agent, I would have thrown myself on her mercy and begged for her considerable knowledge for the paultry $50.

I think that is extreaaaamly rude. Lots of people work on commission but can you imaging if every time they worked with sometime they would say up front if your not buying from me don’t waste my time?? To me that’s the same as wedding dress shopping with a consultant working on commission, how many times do brides try on dresses and not buy anything, that would be like the sales girl telling you that your wasting her time. No. You put in the work and hope to make money but you can’t be mad at a client for changing their mind.

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I'd say Nicole hit the nail on the head.

I'm not sure what kind of response you're looking for. If you want to book through cheap caribbean then go for it. You really don't need a travel agent for a trip like this. I think you're a little more upset about this than need be but you already said that was likely to begin with.

As someone who was urging you to use a travel agent in your other post, I still agree with that route, Travel agents put in a lot of time, and I have seen them save trips for a lot of people. It's part of the industry these days with how easy it is to do it on your own - that people will talk to an agent for ideas and then book themselves. I get that she's trying to protect herself by telling you about the fee, but she's telling you in a very unprofessional way. My response to her would be, "Thank you for your time and energy. Good luck with your business in this new year."

Travel agents are the same as realtors to me - they all get commission from their final sale, but everything leading up to that is a part of their job. They're sales people who make your trip work or to find the house you're looking for. The best ones are the ones who truly look out for your well being, I know most people think of sales people as a little smarmy, but that's why you have to do your research, read reviews, talk to people who have worked with them to know that agent will give you the best deal.

With this woman though, I'd let the email and her, go. And as far as your honeymoon goes, either book yourself, or find someone else who is willing to work on your budget. Good luck OP!

I think her response was appropriate - we are working with a travel agent who required a $350 deposit before sending us any trip itinerary...the amount of time and research that goes into planning trips is exhausting, as we all probably know from first hand experience. They’ve got to make a living, too!

I think she was fair in her response to be honest. It sounds like she’s worked a lot for you and she’s being honest. If she’s giving up a lot of her time to work with you and she never gets paid it’s a waste of her time. Yes, her job is to help you, but she works on commission and like all of us, she needs money. I would be understanding. If you think you need her help then paying her for her time would be the right thing to do.