Why I might say 'no' occasionally.
In this day and age, it is rare for one of my clients to take a seat at my desk and tell me they have done absolutely no research into their holiday whatsoever. In fact, I would say 99% of my clients have spent at least some time on the internet googling information about their destination, hotel, tour, transport etc before they come to see me. To be perfectly honest I actually don’t mind this at all as it helps people to have an understanding about the costs and options associated with their dream holiday and helps to avoid any price shock (no, you can’t get a flight to Europe in summer for $400 return. If you could I would be sitting on a beach in Mykonos sipping on a cocktail right now).
However, don’t be surprised if I refuse to match or book that super cheap airline, hotel or tour that you found online, and here is why:
Your first assumption might be that I have said no to booking your request because I would make no money off of it. While this may be true in some cases (and you can’t blame me for not wanting to work for free) it is never the entire reason why. In fact, the real reason why I might say no is actually because I can’t guarantee your safety or wellbeing. I have a duty of care to my clients to ensure that what I am booking for them is safe and compliant, and most of all, a real thing. Online fraud is a massive problem and one that is only going to continue to grow as we become more reliant on the internet. Inexperienced and older travellers are the two main targets for online fraud as they are less aware of the dangers.
I also have to make sure that my suppliers have adequate insurance coverage should anything happen to my client on their trip, or should the company become insolvent suddenly. Here at MTA Travel we have a list of MTA ‘Zero Flight Risk’ Suppliers (see my earlier blog post for all the info) that are approved by us so that if they were to become insolvent prior to the travel arrangements taking place, instead of losing their hard earned money, our clients would be reimbursed for their pre-paid arrangements by MTA Travel.
So there you have it, next time your travel professional says no to booking something you found online, it’s not because they’re worried about making a dollar, it’s because they are worried about you. Remember travel is one of the biggest investments you will make in your lifetime and there is a big difference between ‘cheap’ and ‘great value’ when it comes to travel so make sure you are getting the most out of your investment by working with the best professionals in the industry who have your best interests at heart.
A x