When entrepreneur David North booked his flight
from the United States to Milan and Bologna, Italy, through the online
agency Orbitz, he didn't anticipate any problems making a change if
necessary. After that, he was flying business class and understood the
itinerary could be altered, albeit at a price.
Before he departed, he learned he also had to go to
Greece while in Europe. That's when the problems began. North couldn't
make the change online. So he called the agency's customer service. After
spending 10 to 15 minutes "trying to actually talk to a real living
person,' he learned it would cost him more to reroute to Greece than he
had already paid for the trans-Atlantic flight to Italy. Not a good
option.
So he called a travel agency. "I sat down with them
and they got a waiver to change the return date of the ticket," he said.
The final cost for adding a separate side trip to Greece: $500, plus an
overnight stay in Bologna and a lot of en-route aggravation. But without
the agent's help, he believes he never would have gotten this done.
North's experience illustrates a dilemma frequently
faced by the Internet Age traveler; Is it better to turn to a travel
agent, who often has the expertise and the connections to resolve problems
and book complicated itineraries? Or to save the agent's fee and book
online, where customer service may be the weak link?
"If all you want is the cheapest
rate, do it yourself. Using an agent when an agent can do better, when
specialized knowledge is really needed."
If you want to buy an air ticket from San Francisco
to New York, for example, it's a simple thing to do online, and you won't
be paying the agent his service fee, usually $25 or more. The same
go for booking a chain motel, a last-minute travel package where you're
not picky about the hotel or a basic car rental.
If you're looking for experience, convenience and
personal service, use an agent. A well-connected, well-in-formed
professional can prevent disappointment -- by steering clients to good
hotels and away from bad ones, routing them efficiently, getting them
perks and creating complicated itineraries. Using a specialist is
particularly important with off-the-path locales, such as Africa, and
niches such as tours and cruises.
Travel agents, like anyone else in business, charge
for their time. Though booking a standard tour or cruise is often free --
agents earn a commission from the operator or cruise line ---- agents now
charge for other services. Arranging a domestic airline ticket may cost
$15 to $30; planning a customized trip costs $100 or more.
Use a travel agent or use the Web? What it boils
down to is this: Online, it's cheaper, but it's buyer beware. With an
agent, you've got somebody on your side.
It's your call. Figure out what you want from your
trip, how you want to travel and how much you want to spend, and take it
from there.
- Jay Clarke, SJ Mercury News
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(408) 262-2304