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I got screwed over by a Travel Agent
Mr_Wang
Posts: 1,302 Forumite
Travel agents are dishonest and I can almost guarantee you, that if you have booked a holiday through one; You have been more than likely been ripped off.
It is NEVER cheaper to book a flight through a TA UNLESS it is a charter airline. That rules out every major EU airline, every US airline every Middle Eastern Airline, and every major Asian airline and every budget airline on earth.
Look on flythomascook before committing to anything with Thomas Cook.
Transfers - Some offer free transfers, for those that don't you should check the price of public transport or taxis. For example, fly into Dalaman in Turkey and pay up to £25 each for transfers. The public bus is about 50 pence.
Visa Scams - Most TA's will offer a visa service where you will be ripped off. Other than places where you need an invitation (Russia, Vietnam for VOA) they can't get the visa any cheaper or quicker than you can.
Sitting together - Airlines are obliged to sit small children with adults. If you aren't, simply ask a stewardess to move you. If your teens aren't sat with you - Bonus.
READ just how many people get ripped off by travel agents on here, going bust, changing accommodation, it not being what expected etc etc etc etc the list is endless.
Increased price - TA's can increase the price at any point after the sale. This is woven into the Terms and you can't do anything about it. Before the sale they can raise it as much, or for whatever reason they like as before a contract there is simply an invitation to treat. Kings of this are Teletext Holidays who I am told has never once sold a holiday at the price it was at.
So what are the alternatives?
Search Skyscanner, kayak and ITA Matrix for flights.
Book accommodation through Booking.com or Agoda in Asia.
ALWAYS check the price direct with the airline.
Now, if people that have been ripped off would post the link to their issue in this thread we might get a bit of momentum and the TA's that continue to pray on the naive might actually get called out.
*Note* There are rare occasions where TA's offer the best price, usually the holidays are long haul last minute. i.e Cancun, Florida etc.
It is NEVER cheaper to book a flight through a TA UNLESS it is a charter airline. That rules out every major EU airline, every US airline every Middle Eastern Airline, and every major Asian airline and every budget airline on earth.
Look on flythomascook before committing to anything with Thomas Cook.
Transfers - Some offer free transfers, for those that don't you should check the price of public transport or taxis. For example, fly into Dalaman in Turkey and pay up to £25 each for transfers. The public bus is about 50 pence.
Visa Scams - Most TA's will offer a visa service where you will be ripped off. Other than places where you need an invitation (Russia, Vietnam for VOA) they can't get the visa any cheaper or quicker than you can.
Sitting together - Airlines are obliged to sit small children with adults. If you aren't, simply ask a stewardess to move you. If your teens aren't sat with you - Bonus.
READ just how many people get ripped off by travel agents on here, going bust, changing accommodation, it not being what expected etc etc etc etc the list is endless.
Increased price - TA's can increase the price at any point after the sale. This is woven into the Terms and you can't do anything about it. Before the sale they can raise it as much, or for whatever reason they like as before a contract there is simply an invitation to treat. Kings of this are Teletext Holidays who I am told has never once sold a holiday at the price it was at.
So what are the alternatives?
Search Skyscanner, kayak and ITA Matrix for flights.
Book accommodation through Booking.com or Agoda in Asia.
ALWAYS check the price direct with the airline.
Now, if people that have been ripped off would post the link to their issue in this thread we might get a bit of momentum and the TA's that continue to pray on the naive might actually get called out.
*Note* There are rare occasions where TA's offer the best price, usually the holidays are long haul last minute. i.e Cancun, Florida etc.
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Comments
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Hi OP,
Please don't compare transfers with a public bus - they aren't comparable. One is organised solely for the benefit of holiday makers, the other is for anyone.
Not sure what else you're trying to get across - there's most of this in stickies.0 -
Travel agents are dishonest and I can almost guarantee you, that if you have booked a holiday through one; You have been more than likely been ripped off.
It is NEVER cheaper to book a flight through a TA UNLESS it is a charter airline. That rules out every major EU airline, every US airline every Middle Eastern Airline, and every major Asian airline and every budget airline on earth.
Look on flythomascook before committing to anything with Thomas Cook.
Transfers - Some offer free transfers, for those that don't you should check the price of public transport or taxis. For example, fly into Dalaman in Turkey and pay up to £25 each for transfers. The public bus is about 50 pence.
Visa Scams - Most TA's will offer a visa service where you will be ripped off. Other than places where you need an invitation (Russia, Vietnam for VOA) they can't get the visa any cheaper or quicker than you can.
Sitting together - Airlines are obliged to sit small children with adults. If you aren't, simply ask a stewardess to move you. If your teens aren't sat with you - Bonus.
READ just how many people get ripped off by travel agents on here, going bust, changing accommodation, it not being what expected etc etc etc etc the list is endless.
Increased price - TA's can increase the price at any point after the sale. This is woven into the Terms and you can't do anything about it. Before the sale they can raise it as much, or for whatever reason they like as before a contract there is simply an invitation to treat. Kings of this are Teletext Holidays who I am told has never once sold a holiday at the price it was at.
So what are the alternatives?
Search Skyscanner, kayak and ITA Matrix for flights.
Book accommodation through Booking.com or Agoda in Asia.
ALWAYS check the price direct with the airline.
Now, if people that have been ripped off would post the link to their issue in this thread we might get a bit of momentum and the TA's that continue to pray on the naive might actually get called out.
*Note* There are rare occasions where TA's offer the best price, usually the holidays are long haul last minute. i.e Cancun, Florida etc.
You make some valid points, most of which are already knwon to regular MSErs but there are still many high street travel agents offering an excellent service to those people who are not as internet-savvy as most of the people who would use MSE.
I also don't believe all travel agents are dishonest. Many operate in small towns where they know their customers or cannot avoid direct confrontation with disgruntled returning holidaymakers so it's really not in their interests to rip people off.
The internet has been around for yonks and travel agents are still confounding predictions of their demise which suggests to me there's plenty of room in the market for TA and DIY.
Plus you don't say how you were screwed by a travel agent or were you just being deliberately provocative ?
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are we tarring online TAs with the same brush as high-street store TAs?
I do my research online, haven't been in a TA to book a holiday for about 15 years, but depending on your dates of travel, destination, size of party etc, a package with an online TA can be cheaper than building the same components yourself. For that reason, I always do the comparison between true DIY and package (usually using holidayhypermarket as a starting-off point), before I make my mind up (I never use the TA transfers though, if the option is there to remove it from the price I do so, then sort out my own).0 -
Transfers - Some offer free transfers, for those that don't you should check the price of public transport or taxis. For example, fly into Dalaman in Turkey and pay up to £25 each for transfers. The public bus is about 50 pence.
Don't think I'd fancy catching a public bus from Dalaman to Marmaris or Icmeler. It's over 100 kms! A2B, ResortHoppa (owned by A2B), Transfers4U, or similar are much better vfm than transfer offered by TC/Thomson that are included in the price. For a private transfer from Dalaman these are v.good...
http://www.qxygene.net/Search Skyscanner, kayak and ITA Matrix for flights.
And once you've narrowed your choice down, book the flight direct with the airline as you'll be able to manage your booking much better.Book accommodation through Booking.com or Agoda in Asia.
If you're travelling round SE Asia, then as well as booking cheap flights with Air Asia, you can great great flight/hotel inclusive deals on...
https://www.airasiago.com/en-gb/
And as well as Booking.com, Agoda, Sawadee etc, also contact your chosen hotel direct. The hotel might match or better the on-line price, or offer a better room. And it's much easier to sort out any special requirements you have if you set up a direct link with the hotel.0 -
I am so disappointed with this thread after reading the title - or was that just me.
Same old same old that most of us on here already know along with a fair amount of personal invective added in. Not really adding much to the debate or even being very informative. Please try better next time. Tom TGS has it about right.0 -
So there is one dodgy travel agent and you have tainted them all with the same brush.
Also Teletext Holidays is not even a travel agent, its a internet search facility just like Kayak are but you like them! I dont think you know the difference between a search facility/comparison website, travel agent or tour operator.
You have no idea what you are on about.0 -
So there is one dodgy travel agent and you have tainted them all with the same brush.
Also Teletext Holidays is not even a travel agent, its a internet search facility just like Kayak are but you like them! I dont think you know the difference between a search facility/comparison website, travel agent or tour operator.
You have no idea what you are on about.
One dodgy travel agent?
Do you not read this forum?
For those saying "most of us know anyway" that may be true though there are a great number that don't. You are assuming that because you know something every one does.
Not being informative? The whole post is information based on questions that crop up all the time.0
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