Booking errors made by travel agencies

[Archibald]

If you used a travel agency to book your vacation, and if it involved multiple hotels, did you encounter any booking errors? ... for instance, errors on the number of nights, or the arrival date?

I have had some of these, and they are disconcerting. What I don't know is if they are common.

 

[West Coast Birder]

I don't think I have booked through a travel agent in ages. I have used Expedia several times and have never had a problem. Other times, I have booked directly through a guide, primarily for birding trips in India and Jamaica.

 

[Joeseph]

We once transited thru Cairo to Jordan for a week and then back to Cairo for a tour & the travel agent got the Cairo tour date wrong... they managed to get us back on the correct tour on arrival but we had to arrange transport from the airport to a hotel at around 11pm. It was then we found that taxi's in Cairo don't use their lights at night-time to save fuel, but compensated by driving at warp speed...

 

[Archibald]

I have used a couple of agencies for tours in Central America. Last year the itinerary used four lodges. One of those had me incorrectly for 3 nights instead of 4.

This year in Belize, the agency booked five properties. In one, they had me for 1 night instead of 4, and were unable to accommodate me for the 3 nights because they were full. In another one, they expected me a day after I arrived. They had space, so it was OK.

That is 3 errors in 9 bookings, a rate of 33%, which IMO is very high. I don't know if this is typical or whether I'm just real unlucky. Hence the reason for the thread.

 

[West Coast Birder]

I have used a couple of agencies for tours in Central America. Last year the itinerary used four lodges. One of those had me incorrectly for 3 nights instead of 4.

This year in Belize, the agency booked five properties. In one, they had me for 1 night instead of 4, and were unable to accommodate me for the 3 nights because they were full. In another one, they expected me a day after I arrived. They had space, so it was OK.

That is 3 errors in 9 bookings, a rate of 33%, which IMO is very high. I don't know if this is typical or whether I'm just real unlucky. Hence the reason for the thread.

Definitely seems like a string of bad luck. That’s terrible.

 

[Capn Jack]

I use a travel agent for work travel- no issues yet, but I need to set the check-in/check-out dates so if there is a mistake, it is on me. For personal travel, I use the hotel app and set the days myself- again, any errors are on me. Is it one agency, or several of them that you use? If this is all the same agency, I'd think about using another one.

 

[Archibald]

I use a travel agent for work travel- no issues yet, but I need to set the check-in/check-out dates so if there is a mistake, it is on me. For personal travel, I use the hotel app and set the days myself- again, any errors are on me. Is it one agency, or several of them that you use? If this is all the same agency, I'd think about using another one.

These were two different agencies. Both are well-known and highly-recommended agencies.

In one of the cases last month, this is what I was told: the agency submitted the booking info for 4 nights to the hotel. This was back in July. They were told it was 6 months out and the hotel's booking system could only book 1 of the nights; they would book the remaining three nights when it was possible. But those 3 nights never got booked. That's the story, not sure if it is factual.

I don't know the reasons for the other errors.

I believe a sub-agency was used for these bookings. Thus my agency sent the request to a local agency which then made the actual bookings. There is a middleman.

What is needed is a confirmation loop from the hotel back to the originating agency. Maybe next time I could ask if that could be done for my bookings.

 

[RhodyPhotos]

Usually once the bookings all happen, my wife calls each of the individual hotels to make sure everything matches up But that was when we used to have travel agencies. lately we do our bookings ourselves either on the hotel websites or directly via email.

 

[Archibald]

Usually once the bookings all happen, my wife calls each of the individual hotels to make sure everything matches up But that was when we used to have travel agencies. lately we do our bookings ourselves either on the hotel websites or directly via email.

Maybe that is what I need to do - a confirmation loop back to me.

 

[joayne]

We once transited thru Cairo to Jordan for a week and then back to Cairo for a tour & the travel agent got the Cairo tour date wrong... they managed to get us back on the correct tour on arrival but we had to arrange transport from the airport to a hotel at around 11pm. It was then we found that taxi's in Cairo don't use their lights at night-time to save fuel, but compensated by driving at warp speed...

So true.. I arrived in Cairo at night and during Ramadan.. Our driver had not yet eaten, didn't use headlights and well, scared the Beegessus out of all the passengers!
Luggage was overturned, as were the people in the van!!

 

[Capn Jack]

Maybe that is what I need to do - a confirmation loop back to me.

That is best! Also print out any confirmation emails or write down the confirmation numbers. This is good advice for any travel- tours, airline tickets, hotels, transfers, anything for which i don't have an app. I have a folder where I keep this stuff and discard whatever has expired as I go through the trip. Some travel is through an app, and the details are stored there. I print details on paper because it sometimes takes a little time for the cell phone to connect to the local service (rebooting sometimes needed). Last year, landing in Hong Kong and staying at a hotel near the crossing confused my phone- having printouts made everything easier.

 

[RhodyPhotos]

That is best! Also print out any confirmation emails or write down the confirmation numbers. This is good advice for any travel- tours, airline tickets, hotels, transfers, anything for which i don't have an app. I have a folder where I keep this stuff and discard whatever has expired as I go through the trip. Some travel is through an app, and the details are stored there. I print details on paper because it sometimes takes a little time for the cell phone to connect to the local service (rebooting sometimes needed). Last year, landing in Hong Kong and staying at a hotel near the crossing confused my phone- having printouts made everything easier.

I usually take screen-shots on my phone or photos of all the docs, so that I have emails and phone numbers handy. And always carry fully charged external battery packs. I avoid printing anything that is not absolutely necessary.

 

[Archibald]

In the Belize case, I had the confirmation document from the agency, but the hotel didn't care.

My vacation was a package deal with a single amount owing. It didn't indicate who was paid and for what, so I had no way of knowing if the hotel had been paid for 1 night or 4 - and I still don't know that. (I think the agency paid for 4 nights - no idea where the money for the denied 3 nights went.)

So when I was there at check-in, I wasn't able to argue that they had been paid for 4 nights, so they better give me 4 nights.

I've been in contact with the agency since then, talking about the errors. We are both being nice about it. The agency is not volunteering any more info on what caused the errors.