my holiday next week [a thomson one] was £450 each from thomson on line, i found the same holiday on another site for £308 each, phone the thomson shop i usualy deal with and they phoned me back with £303 each and full baggage allowance ...

moral you can talt to someone you have rapor with but not an internet site

wizard

Great and thanks for the speedy reply. I will call the shop tomorow. I would rather have a personal touch. Fingers crossed.

Travelcare,now renamed Cooperative travel are excellent at price matching.
I was told if you book after the 20th of the month the agents have usually met their targets so give you an even better price.

This year I thought I'd try my local Travel Agent Midland Co-op, I asked the lady to price me up a holiday I wanted for next year and she came back with a price a few hundred more than what was being advertised on the net with Thomas Cook.

I told her this, even showed her a holiday locator number to prove I didn't make it up and she wrangled this and that and came back with a price that was ideal for me, a bargain I thought for only a few pounds extra than the Thomas Cook internet price I got my insurance thrown in and meals on the plane for 2 adults 2 children.

So it does go to show that going into the Travel Agents armed with a price they will do their best to price match it or even beat it, they need your custom as I believe they work on a commission basis and they know that even though you won't pay their full price someone else will, so they don't lose out really.

I did speak to Thomas Cook today and they did offer to price match however I was not happy that they were both quoting the price for the sme room type so I am doing some more research before I start again. It is a pain tht not all the brochures are out. Tried Sovereign today but they are not quoting for July 2009 until July 2008!!!!

Hi Trish, I booked my holiday for 2009 at my local Thomas Cook shop yesterday and got what I think was a very good deal. I got an internet price first which was offering a free child place and a net discount. I am also in a travel/holiday club through my bank account that will offer a 7.5% discount so I got a price from them too which was only slightly cheaper than the web price. I called into the TC shop and told them these figures, they didn't ask for any proof either, and they knocked another £80 off the price. Really glad I booked it because I looked at the price again later in the afternoon (I know I shouldn't!) and I had obviously booked the last free child place as the price had gone up by nearly £300 So keep on trying ... perhaps calling in in person makes a difference and make sure they know you are looking to book there and then if it's the right price? Also if you are not already aware it's only £25 pp deposit with nothing else to pay until the balance is due which is great if like me you still have this year's holiday to pay for.

Trish, just a thought. When you phoned TC are sure it was answered at the local shop and not a call centre? This might make a difference. I suggest visiting the shop in person if you can.

Hi, thanks for the replies. I am not 100 sure that it was the branch. I will get a print out and pop in and see what they have to say.

Travel agents dont usually match the internet offers as theyre only interested in the commission they earn e.g ive just saved £279 on an aug 08 holiday to turkey online which would normally be theyre comission/wages
they always have an excuse why they can't price match too - why? when all you have to do is go online like we do.

Sorry NL32, you really really have the wrong end of the stick there.

I wish I earned all of the commission on the holidays I sell! Last year I sold in excess of £750,000 worth of holidays. Even at just 10% that's a LOT of commission!

We can't just "go online" like you do. Our booking systems are completely different. If we logged on through our ABTA numbers to tour op's sites the price is very rarely the same as the tour op offers to the direct consumer.

Think of it like this: Tour op A pays an agent 15% of gross value of a booking to an agent. The discount an agent gives has to be funded by this 15%.
The same tour Op offers 10% direct discount to internet consumer. This means the tour op actually makes more money out of you than they would do selling through an agent. But the agent, even if they match your price will deal with all your admin, paperwork, check your tix, sort your insurance, parking, answer any queries and even order your currency and if the worst comes to the worst will fight your corner in a complaint!

I have researched every holiday thoroughly each year, have checked online and then taken a print out of the best deal online to my local Thomas Cook shop. Each time the girls there have matched the printout regardless of which firm made the offer. They have never yet beaten the online price but always matched it. Last holiday the online price was with Thomson, and as they were offering 20kgs of luggage, TCs matched that too. That is why I send the girls a postcard from my hols each year to thank them and to let them know that they are doing a good job.

As I mentioned in my previous post I've just booked my holiday for 2009 through Thomas Cook shop. It's the first time I'd booked through an agent in 10 years and I have to say I was really impressed, not just because they beat the online price but also because it was so nice to deal with someone face to face rather than on the phone or a computer screen. Also, as AgentQ stated, I know that should I have any queries or problems they will deal with them for me rather than me spending hours trying to get through to understaffed departments on the phone.

I must admit on Friday when I was hanging on to the Thomas Cook customer service help line (yeah right ! ) To query a letter they sent saying that I hadn't paid my balance and my holiday would be cancelled when I had paid.

I did think it would have been nice just to wander into town and ask someone what it was all about and let them sit on the phone for 30 mins.

I suppose the old saying 'you get what you pay for' is right. Pay cheap get a cheap service.

Doe

Just to confirm, I called and faxed over the quote I had found on line and Thomas Cook said that their system was coming in at a higher price (think it was about £150 more) but they would match it so I have booked. Again agree with the above, I now have a person I can go in and see if there are any problems or if I have a question. I wish the same could be said for TC airlines. I waited on the phone for 30 mins to pre book my extra leg room seats only to be told they hadn't loaded the flights for July next year and I woud have to call back!!!!

for the last 6 years we have booked with first choice, in a shop......

when i booked this sept hols, i got price of the internet, asked the shop to match,

they said no, if we wnated to book with them, we would have to pay the higher price......

so they lost our custom..all for wanting £60 more than the internet price...and there surly attitude......

where a TA comes close to an internet price I will choose the TA. I don't know about anyone else but as I do most of my holidays DIY I can spend a lot of my time on the phone, waiting for someone to answer. DIY often involves a lot more work than just booking through a TA and the phone bills can also mount up. It is definitely worth asking a TA to match a price and lets face it, if they are a decent TA and they could make money out of it I'm sure they would. If they want to stay in business they won't turn away custom that will bring them in money. Sometimes though, they just can't match the price you have.

I'm afraid its the old adage, which some sales people do not understand or are not permitted to do....

10% profit on an £800 holiday = £80

20% profit on an £800 holiday = £160

100% profit on an £800 holiday THAT YOU DON'T SELL = SWEET F.A.

when i was in sales all our staff were told we needed to make xx% to cover cost, we would like a gross margin of YY% anything between is acceptable [but the higher the better]

I think the more you are going to spend the more worthwhile it is going to a travel agent.

If booking a family of 4 to Florida in the School Hols, buying Disney Tickets etc & looking at a 4K plus spend, go into a travel agents & see what they can do for you, you have nothing to lose.

Suddenly all sorts of things can be offered as they have much more 'profit' to play with. If something goes wrong ie the ordered Disney Tickets dont turn up, they will sort it rather than you having to call around.

If your booking a week in a cheepo self-catering apartment to Icmeler, you can probably get it cheaper yourself as long as you get a cheap flight.

Jay Trip wrote:

Travelcare,now renamed Cooperative travel are excellent at price matching.
I was told if you book after the 20th of the month the agents have usually met their targets so give you an even better price.
Travelcare,now renamed Cooperative travel are excellent at price matching.
I was told if you book after the 20th of the month the agents have usually met their targets so give you an even better price. :D

I have no idea who told you this but targets are actually done weekly in most shops not monthly.