General Holiday Enquiries, Hints and Tips

General Holiday Enquiries? Got General Hints & Tips? Post Them Here.
Re: Price and customer service.
35 Posts
andy66
2013-06-16 22:33:32
But the other 4 didn't really state that customer service was most important as conclusively as , shrimper , madasharley and myself ? Well that's how I read it ? I think that by booking DIY it's assumed to be cheaper and that people who book DIY are doing so just because of price , I book DIY most of the time , booking my flights and then sourcing the accommodation through a reputable agent I use frequently or direct with the hotel , and customer service is still more important to me than the price , I want a premium product and am willing to pay a fair price , I'm not going to book with the cheapest supplier who has a reputation for making changes or has a reputation for poor service and leaves me having to sort out a plan b or a compromise that is not what I first booked , if I wanted that sort of product I would book AOA and hope for the best

I agree with Fiona's quote , you can pay a lot for DIY too , and just by paying a lot it doesn't necessarily mean you will get good service , and I agree with your point about the holidays you book to Cuba , it's a specialist supplier that you use and your willing to pay a bit more because you get a great service that you're happy with .

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SMa wrote:


But the big flaw in your reasoning is that the majority of posters who replied to your query would appear from their posts elsewhere on HT to be booking for and to go on holiday as part of a mixed sex couple. So as far as I can tell, with the exception of Miss Pink and I, for everyone of the posters there is a partner of the opposite sex who presumably thinks the same as them? Or at least doesn't feel strongly enough about it to say 'You are not booking that because....'

SM


Believe me my missus doesn't think the same as me ;) Being honest and straight here , I book all the holiday stuff , she leaves it to me , but I know the things that make her happy ( just like every good husband ) :rofl and I'm willing to pay a bit more for things if it makes her happy , because 1. I'm a nice person and 2. I can't be putting up with her moaning and whinging if something's not right !! It spoils my holiday .
So perhaps shrimper and madasharley might be on the same wavelength like me ??

I think the divide is really more whether you are motivated by price and book with suppliers ( DIY or package ) who might have mixed reviews / reputations with customer service and you take a chance or you will probably pay more and go with a supplier who has a better/ good or excellent reputation for customer service because you want a bit more peace of mind or don't want to be potentially dealing with problems or the unknown .
We all have our own reasons for why we choose what suits us personally , it's interesting to hear people's thoughts and reasons , there's no right or wrong answer !
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SMa
2013-06-17 06:54:31
Re: Price and customer service.
andy66 wrote:
I think the divide is really more whether you are motivated by price and book with suppliers ( DIY or package ) who might have mixed reviews / reputations with customer service and you take a chance or you will probably pay more and go with a supplier who has a better/ good or excellent reputation for customer service because you want a bit more peace of mind or don't want to be potentially dealing with problems or the unknown. We all have our own reasons for why we choose what suits us personally , it's interesting to hear people's thoughts and reasons , there's no right or wrong answer !


But Glynis, Fiona, and Helen have all also said that while price is a very important consideration that it doesn't mean that they will go with the lowest price regardless, that reputation is also important to them too and that there are agents etc that they won't book with because they don't trust them to provide the service. I've gone into it detail elsewhere so didn't see the need to repeat myself but, for example, Ryanair couldn't even pay me to fly with them because of the appalling service and the way they've treated my disabled mother in the past. Since the last debacle, we've always paid more for her to travel with companies that treat her with respect, even though I don't think we should have to.

SM
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Glynis HT Admin
2013-06-17 10:50:34
Re: Price and customer service.
I do DIY mainly because I can put together exactly what I want (or near as damn it). Plus I sometimes prefer private accommodation as you get more home comforts. I'm so used to doing DIY that I rarely look on TO sites anymore. I know Thomas Cook use the hotel I'm going to shortly so will do a price check and let you know the outcome.

I do also go away during the year with my friends on short breaks I'm not that fussy on where we stay in those instances as its a different type of break than the one with hubby. He works away all week throughout the year so I like our holiday to be more special.
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Glynis HT Admin
2013-06-17 10:54:12
Re: Price and customer service.
I was told TC went to my hotel but they don't seem to after all so I can't do a comparison. A search only brings up booking sites.
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shrimper
2013-06-17 11:45:51
Re: Price and customer service.
I was all DIY for years but in the last 2 years have done about 50/50 as the hotels and plane prices seem to have made DIY more expensive and cheaper with the TO, so from that price has a big factor in where I buy but it would still be from somebody that I could trust there customer service if I needed it.
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SMa
2013-06-17 12:06:25
Re: Price and customer service.
My reasons for doing DIY are pretty the same as yours Glynis, and in particular I like the flexibility and generally higher standard of the accommodation that goes with booking private SC apartments and villas compared to what's on offer from the main TOs. Big complexes aren't for me and these days I rarely stay in hotels, even for short breaks, unless there really isn't an alternative.

SM
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Glynis HT Admin
2013-06-17 13:39:38
Re: Price and customer service.
Me too SM, but I'm getting really picky in my old age as I've seen myself dismiss even private apartments if I don't like the type of suite on show :rofl if I say those boxey wooden ones with square removable cushions I think you'll probably know the type :rofl
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Judith
2013-06-17 14:22:30
Re: Price and customer service.
I almost always do DIY though not always from the financial angle but because I can rarely find a TO that offers me the holiday I want. Even on a simple flight and hotel holiday I rarely find TO's going to destinations/hotels that interest me.

But a few years ago I was on my own in Bangkok when protestors closed the airport the day before I was due to fly home. I was on a DIY holiday and had to pay for extra days in my hotel before finally getting a flight home from Phuket It was pretty difficult finding out any info as to what to do or what was happening.
I struck up a conversation with a british couple who were on a Kuoni holiday, Kuoni was paying for the extra nights in the hotel and there was staff there looking after them and keeping them informed.
On this holiday I wished I had the back up of a tour company.
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Aslemma
2013-06-17 14:33:15
Re: Price and customer service.
Sorry but I come down on the side of 'price first' but that's not the only reason I book independently rather than using one of the main TOs. As I mainly go to Tunisia these days, and have been doing so for years, I know where the various hotels are so can book one which suits my needs rather than from the limited selection offered by TC etc. I usually contact the hotel prior to my arrival to ensure they have the booking,which they always have. I also know I have a Plan B if things go wrong. Disabled friends booked a holiday with a main TO and, despite telling them of their requirements, found their hotel was up a steep hill.

Regarding Ryanair, a disabled friend from Denmark has had to use them recently for her regular flights back to the UK as they were the only airline which served her nearest airport after Stirling Air went bust. She has found them superb and has nothing but praise for the way she has been looked after.
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Helen T
2013-06-17 14:52:22
Re: Price and customer service.
I come down on the side of price, as we like to get away as much as possible throughout the year. Most of my main Summer holidays have been booked with one of the main TO's, but not all of them. As our main holiday has to be during school holidays, the "cheap airlines" are not so cheap. 90% of our other breaks are booked independently. Our October break has the flight booked with E Jet, and the room directly with the hotel. Next Easter's flight is also with E Jet, but 2 hotels have been booked through different agents, both of whom I've used succesfully in the past.
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SMa
2013-06-17 15:19:28
Re: Price and customer service.
Aslemma, it's good to know that Ryanair might be getting their act together about this but it will take a lot to persuade my mother to use them again after we got told off very loudly by a member of cabin crew for still sitting on the plane when she want to embark the new passengers. Telling her that we wouldn't move until the assistance arrived and which was delayed because they had forgotten to phone through for it (despite us giving her the required chitty when we boarded) cut no ice with her!

But perhaps it makes a difference where you are beginning your journey from? I wonder if she is dealing with a different call centre because this recent post on the Ryanair tread suggests that they haven't completely changed their spots yet?

http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/forum/ryanair-please-post-here-t4288-1800.html

SM
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Aslemma
2013-06-17 17:29:27
Re: Price and customer service.
But perhaps it makes a difference where you are beginning your journey from?

My friend books from Denmark and as her husband is Danish there is no problem with the language. She said last time one of the stewardesses was trying to get people boarded when the steward looking after her said that nobody was getting on until he had his lady settled. I travelled back with her once and saw the gentle way they carried her wheelchair down the steps. She too had heard the horror stories of Ryanair but now she has nothing but praise for them, which is just as well as it's the most straightforward way for her to get from Billund to the UK.
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andy66
2013-06-17 20:37:51
Re: Price and customer service.
SMa wrote:


But Glynis, Fiona, and Helen have all also said that while price is a very important consideration that it doesn't mean that they will go with the lowest price regardless, that reputation is also important to them too and that there are agents etc that they won't book with because they don't trust them to provide the service.

SM


I understand that , but while I consider customer service as more important it doesn't mean I don't care about price , I'm not just going to pay top whack , it's just that for me I rate customer service more highly on my list than price , and from their replies I read that they thought price was more important , ....but ......

It's only an observation I made from the replies above about a male/female difference and their stated preference . I agree perhaps my reasoning is flawed ???

It's interesting to see how we build trust in suppliers and companies , if we have a good experience we then tend to stick with them and that trust becomes greater and we will then more than likely use them most of the time , while if we have a bad experience , we don't just have a negative view , we seem to have a even stronger view that we would never use them again , so really customer service does need to be a top priority for companies and suppliers if they want our repeat custom , are they really making enough effort ? Do they really care ? Do they think it doesn't really matter too much ? Do they think there are more important things than customer service ?
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Helen T
2013-06-17 20:53:02
Re: Price and customer service.
Andy - As I said price is the priority for me, but perhaps I didn't make it plain, that this was the lowest price among reputable companies. Hubby has no part in the research or booking procedure. He can't be doing with all the jumping around countries, and trusts my judgement :rofl If I had to leave a booking to him, he'd go to the closest shop and take whatever they offered him :que
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Glynis HT Admin
2013-06-18 15:10:30
Re: Price and customer service.
Aslemma wrote:
But perhaps it makes a difference where you are beginning your journey from?

My friend books from Denmark and as her husband is Danish there is no problem with the language. She said last time one of the stewardesses was trying to get people boarded when the steward looking after her said that nobody was getting on until he had his lady settled. I travelled back with her once and saw the gentle way they carried her wheelchair down the steps. She too had heard the horror stories of Ryanair but now she has nothing but praise for them, which is just as well as it's the most straightforward way for her to get from Billund to the UK.


My friend who needs assistance recently flew with Ryanair to Benidorm. I flew out separately but flew home with them. On the return flight she was boarded after the rest of the passengers and brought from the plane after we'd disembarked :think
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