Coop Travel bad customer service? - opinions needed

kellybleedinghearts

Hi all, I think I have suffered from some bad customer service but looking for opinions before I escalate it.

My parents, me and my boyfriend all wanted to go to Dublin to visit family and friends but at different times which overlapped so me and boyfriend weds-sun, parents fri-tues.

As my parents don't go away very much they suggested going into to coop travel.
So I went yesterday with my mum and after an hour and a half(!) looking at 2 hotels we were quoted £550 for me and £600 for my parents. I was exhausted, frustrated that it has taken the woman so long to look up something I could have done in 10 mins.

We came away and I researched a bit and although I found a few good deals online there was only £50 diff-I'm strapped for cash at the min so we went back to the coop today to see if the quotes were still similar.

I have just left after two hours(!!!). I feel ripped off. Basically we gave our quote to a new woman and said we were interested in booking this. She said certainly. Immediately starts a new query tries to get us to book with another hotel. Goes through 8 pages of hotels (???). Finally phones up about our original quote and confirms that mine has gone up by £40 and takes some details.

She then tries to confirm my parents and finds theirs has gone up £100 so I say I can find both cheaper online so we will leave it.

She then States I have made a verbal agreement with her so have to book mine and my boyfriends. I say I haven't paid a penny yet! She ignored me and it got into an argument where she clearly wasn't backing down. At this point I should have walked but decided it wasn't worth the hassle for my elderly parents who didn't realise what was happening.

Two hours later, everyone is booked, I'm never going back there. I feel like she trapped me into a deal. I think she also lied a number of time and told my parents their flight wasn't available so I quickly checked on my iPhone that it was and she got super defensive.

In today's world, surely no company can afford to fail their customers. Am I in the wrong here? Regardless, I feel stressed and am more angry at myself for not trusting my instincts and booking online!!

Grumpelstiltskin

You felt trapped? You know perfectly well that until you have handed over either cash or card there is no transaction.


You should have told her to shove the holiday and walked out.


She was after her commission if you were not happy with her behaviour you should have walked, I am afraid you have allowed yourself to be bullied.

Alan_Bowen

If you gave credit card details, then she was entitled to think you wanted to book. Why did you spend two hours(!) in a travel agency if you thought you could book cheaper on line? It seems to me you were happy to book until you found it might have been cheaper on line, and how do you expect a travel agent to get paid if you spend two hours and buy nothing?

aileth

I don't think a travel agent would've spent two hours with you unless she saw a clear intention that you were going to book. I sure as heck wouldn't have.

You are an adult though and you can say no to people, remember that.

hgotsparkle

I dealt with co-op once, never again.
They found me and my friend a good hotel, to our needs as we decided not to pre-decide a destination and go wherever looked good enough at the time. We said yes to this hotel, but the agent carried on looking at others, getting more and more expensive and on the incorrect dates we wanted so had to keep saying no, we want to book that other one, she then said she couldn't find it anymore and talked us into booking something near by but at £50pp more, and then added on £30 each for insurance without telling us! We said we wanted to decline as thats bad business but she told us that the contract had been made and we would have to pay either way. We paid, we went, it was the worst holiday I've ever been on.

hollydays

I'm sure it must be very frustrating for travel agents- you say you could have done it yourself, so why didn't you?
I mostly do my own holiday stuff but travel agents gave found me some fab deals , whilst understanding I've got high standards and only want the best deal for the money. I usually go in with quite a good idea of the standard/ price I'm looking at- I do the work first.

stephb34

kellybleedinghearts wrote: »

Hi all, I think I have suffered from some bad customer service but looking for opinions before I escalate it.

My parents, me and my boyfriend all wanted to go to Dublin to visit family and friends but at different times which overlapped so me and boyfriend weds-sun, parents fri-tues.

As my parents don't go away very much they suggested going into to coop travel.
So I went yesterday with my mum and after an hour and a half(!) looking at 2 hotels we were quoted £550 for me and £600 for my parents. I was exhausted, frustrated that it has taken the woman so long to look up something I could have done in 10 mins.

We came away and I researched a bit and although I found a few good deals online there was only £50 diff-I'm strapped for cash at the min so we went back to the coop today to see if the quotes were still similar.

I have just left after two hours(!!!). I feel ripped off. Basically we gave our quote to a new woman and said we were interested in booking this. She said certainly. Immediately starts a new query tries to get us to book with another hotel. Goes through 8 pages of hotels (???). Finally phones up about our original quote and confirms that mine has gone up by £40 and takes some details.

She then tries to confirm my parents and finds theirs has gone up £100 so I say I can find both cheaper online so we will leave it.

She then States I have made a verbal agreement with her so have to book mine and my boyfriends. I say I haven't paid a penny yet! She ignored me and it got into an argument where she clearly wasn't backing down. At this point I should have walked but decided it wasn't worth the hassle for my elderly parents who didn't realise what was happening.

Two hours later, everyone is booked, I'm never going back there. I feel like she trapped me into a deal. I think she also lied a number of time and told my parents their flight wasn't available so I quickly checked on my iPhone that it was and she got super defensive.

In today's world, surely no company can afford to fail their customers. Am I in the wrong here? Regardless, I feel stressed and am more angry at myself for not trusting my instincts and booking online!!

If you could have done it in 10 minutes yourself why didn't you, its obvious its going to take longer than that in a travel agents, it takes that long to take your details of what you want.
I presume as its Dublin you're flying with a lo cost carrier ie Aer lingus or flybe, lo cost carriers are always cheaper to book yourself because your cutting out the middle man who's wages need paying. Their prices fluctuate all the time. As you wanted different flights it would have to be 2 bookings, so the TA did yours first and you agreed on the price, it was booked but she made the mistake of not taking payment before she confirmed it. Then she came to do your parents and it had gone up, it really wasn't her fault about that. You say she said it had gone but you found it on your phone but they can still appear to be there its only when you hit the confirm button it says no.
Just realised you said she had to ring someone to book it so certainly not the TA's fault who was sat in front of you that it had gone up.

kellybleedinghearts

Yes I think we all know I should have done it myself and walked like I mentioned initially.

But hgotsparkle yours sounds alot similar so thanks for sharing that, really appreciate it.

Thanks hollydays, I did go in with all the prices/hotels/flights etc but she ignored all them. Felt like she wanted to speak to my parents more than me to be honest.

Hi Alan Bowen, I didnt give her any credit card details at that point.

I wasnt bothered by the price, I just saw an opportunity to get it cheaper online when she started mentioning verbal agreements.

Like I said I'm more annoyed at myself for not walking but when she started shouting verbal contracts at me and literally ignoring my responses, my judgement went a bit cloudy.

But thanks everyone, I see your points. Ah well, live and learn.