When FREE is not free
When FREE is not Free
We are travel consultants and part of our job is to educate our clients when FREE is not free. We recently had a situation where we spent a great deal of time interviewing our new to cruising clients to determine what would be the cruise experience that was perfect for them. We made a recommendation and asked them for the sale. They needed to talk to another couple with whom they were traveling.
We received a call a day later saying they liked our recommendation, but that their traveling companions had been looking online for information about the ship and discovered that one online travel agent was offering “FREE” onboard gratuities with every booking. I advised that I would not be able to match that offer, but if they told me who it was through I would be happy to do some research into it for them.
It turns out that this online agency was in fact offering “FREE” onboard gratuities with a booking on this particular sailing. The way agencies are able to do this is they are rebating some of the commission they receive from a particular cruise line. How many online agencies make a profit when they give up some of their commission is by dealing in volume. However, something they cannot offer is excellent customer service. Usually the only contact is my email or maybe an 800 number call in. You rarely speak to the same agent twice and what you are really dealing with is an order taker and not travel consultants.
In this particular situation, they were selling this particular cruise at the “rack” rate. There was no ability for our clients to look for discounts based on if someone was a senior citizen or if they were residents of a particular state. There were discounts on this sailing worth about $200 per stateroom. The value of the “Free” gratuities was about $175 per stateroom. In effect, these clients would have paid $25 more for their “FREE” gratuities. In addition, there was no ability to pick staterooms right next to or close to one another. New to cruising couples wanted to be close to each other. The agency offered a stateroom Deck Plan which only showed the deck where the available staterooms were located. They did not show what was below or more importantly above them. By getting so locked into something being offered for “FREE” these particular clients could have in effect paid more for their cruise not only in terms of dollars but in enjoyment of the cruise. They would not have been located near each other and they would have found their ability to sleep in interrupted by the sound of scraping deck chairs and pool activity on the deck above. We were also able to make sure both reservations were linked so that these two couples would be seated together when they had dinner.
We refuse to get into the who has the better offer game or we do not try to compete on price. We believe our service stands far and above our competition. We have the wants and needs of our clients topmost in our mind when booking their cruise experience. We are not beholden to any cruise line in particular as we know not every cruise line is right for ever single person. We work very hard for our clients before during and after their cruise. Because there is so much variety in the cruise world, we can absolutely find a cruise experience that is right for you. Some people are comfortable making travel arrangements on their own. Others want to use the services of a travel professional and have someone with knowledge of both the suppliers and destinations to make sure their vacation meets their needs. For our professional service we charge a nominal fee. When you want to learn more about when free is not free, please give us a call.
Chuck and Laura Flagg own The Flagg Agency in Canton, GA
We are fee-based cruise consultants and our specialty is the selecting,
planning, marketing and administering cruises for groups of all sizes.
We help people find a cruise experience that matches both their wants AND their needs.
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