Recently I walked passed a well known travel agent in my home town (Monday morning 16th) I noticed in one of the travel agents a cruise.
The basics were 10 night cruise on the Independence of the sea, flying from Edinburgh to the Carribean, 1st Nov 09, indicating the price reduced from 1600 to 774. I contemplated walking in, booking it and then surprising my partner.
Three days later, we both walked past the shop and once again the same trip was being advertised in the shop window, i pointed it out to the better half and she grinned and began walking in the door of the agency.
A young female sitting at the desk greeted us, enquiring if she could help. We told her that we wished to book the holiday in the window on offer for 10 nights cruise on the IOS. She went to her desk, pulled out a large book and went to two lines, one quoting a price of 899 for 10 nights and the other 799 for 7 nights. I informed her that it was the one in the window we wanted and told her the price saying we want to put down the standard deposit and if it was still available she replied in the affirmative.
She went outside and looked at the display, came back in and contacted RCCL. They responded by quoting 991.19 for 10 night in canaries. We once again said we wanted the one on offer, as it fitted in with our end of year holiday.
She left us sitting at the desk and approached another female in the office, whom then left the room and went outside looking at the display. She then came back in went into the back office and returned shortly with a pile of leaflets. Glancing at each one seperately then at the window !!! Alarm bells started ringing.
Both females then left us sitting and went into the back room for 5 mins before returning, the young girl said that they couldnt sell it for that price as there would be no profit and that it had been put up wrong. I pointed out that this had been displayed for 3 days to my notice and it advertised a cruise that I was interested in and that even though it was their mistake they should honour their display. They refused and so I left the shop, the girl following to immediatley remove the relevant item from the display window.
Should the Travel agent have honoured their price offer, I applied for it in good faith and from that point on was led on a merry dance !!! They are a well known UK British travel company beginning with 'T' but not ending with K !!....Dont you just love trivia questions lol.....
Unfortunately they are not obliged to sell it to you at the price advertised. That price is "an invitation to treat" and no contract is entered into until such time as they agree to sell it at that price and money exchanges hands.
luci
luci
This is a common ploy in my opinion. I've seen many displays over the years quote one price but when you go to book that particular deal it doesn't exist. They hope that the price will get your attention and once you're interested and in the shop they can entice you with an alternative deal that is available. Not saying all travel agents do this before we get anyone kicking up a fuss but it does go on!
It certainly does. We saw a great price for a holiday and the price advertised was "per couple". When we went in for more details it was actually for 6 sharing so the "per couple" was misleading to say the least.
luci
luci
The other sharp practice they do and I believe this probably the case they advertise the base price and ignore supplements, like taxes and room supplements, travels have been taken to court over the practice and the law says the window advert must include all charges. Anybody want to book a holiday with a travel agent advertising on a card in the window should take a picture of the advertised offer, quite easily done with most people having a camera phone and if the price is different ask for a complete breakdown print out, if shows the holiday is at the the price staed in the window but supplements have been added warn them you will be reporting them to trading standards and they are breaking the law.
I agree with the above post, take some photos, especially if you go by the shop three or four days running as that shows they are consistently offering a non-existant deal, then if they dont honour it when you go in, send it to your local Trading Standards office. Might help the price if you tell the TO you are going to do this.
if shows the holiday is at the the price staed in the window but supplements have been added warn them you will be reporting them to trading standards and they are breaking the law.
Unless the card in the window states that this is the total price then they are probably not breaking the law. Any such card is simply an 'invitation to treat' - it has no contractual status. Shops (not just travel agents )are not obliged to actually sell you anything - whatever the price. Even if the price is accurate they don't have to sell it to you. For Trading Standards to take action, they have to prove an intent to deceive, that the goods have never been sold at that price (just one holiday, washing machine sold at that price will let them off the hook) and consistent malpractice and not just a one off mistake.
We might find that the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) is a better route to take if we want to try and stamp out this practice. After all, it was the ASA that eventually got through to the likes of Ryanair that advertsied fares had to include all compulsory charges such as taxes. But just as all of us soon learned to take advertised Ryanair prices with a pinch of salt and accepted that the supplementary charges would start to add up for the 'optional' privilege of checking in in person at the airport, actually wanting to take more that hand luggage with us etc so surely very few people actually believe that the top line price quoted by TA/TO is the one we'll actually pay? The enticing price on a postcard is no different from the large print price in the brochure that soon escalates once you add in the under occupancy rates for a SC apartment, the flight supplements for travelling at a civilised hour from our local airport etc.
In the end it's our choice - book a package with a TO/TA or be in complete control by going DIY.
SM
I can only assume that you people hve got nothing better to do than monitor the prices in a shop window,listen to yourselves, take a photo of the price for crying out loud are you that desperate there are far more important things in life than trying to get one over on a travel agent, most of whom you people have succesfully bankrupted over the last few years. To be honest I am not going to come on this forum any more, its full of small minded people with more time on thier hands than they are safe having.
I assume this will be edited by the mods so I will leave you very sad people to your own little world where nothing matters but you and prices!
Goodbye and good riddance to you!
I assume this will be edited by the mods so I will leave you very sad people to your own little world where nothing matters but you and prices!
Goodbye and good riddance to you!
The card in the window would be seen as misleading in terms of the sale good act. As I said before trading standards have prosecuted travel agents for the practice, or maybe they had nothing else better to do.
Get taking those picture's and keep checking the cards, we all have nothing better to do.
Get taking those picture's and keep checking the cards, we all have nothing better to do.
peakta wrote:I can only assume that you people hve got nothing better to do than monitor the prices in a shop window,listen to yourselves, take a photo of the price for crying out loud are you that desperate there are far more important things in life than trying to get one over on a travel agent, most of whom you people have succesfully bankrupted over the last few years. To be honest I am not going to come on this forum any more, its full of small minded people with more time on thier hands than they are safe having.
I assume this will be edited by the mods so I will leave you very sad people to your own little world where nothing matters but you and prices!
Goodbye and good riddance to you!
But surely you wouldn't want dodgy practices that go on in a small sector your own profession to bring the whole profession in to disripute ?
It's quite possible that a person can walk by the same travel agents window every morning on the way to work and see the same holiday advertised an a card in a window for a fortnight, then go in to book on the weekend, only to find it has been a completely ficticious and misleading offer just to get a potential customers foot through the door.
Surely by anybodys standards this is sharp practice and unethical ?
Most travel agents are empty 90 % of the time, if you walk in during weekdays three people all stand up to great you simultaneously. They must have a fair bit of times on their hands.
The least that could be done is to make sure the cards offer something accurate and available.
Goodbye peakta 
Another one bites the dust!
I can only assume that you people hve got nothing better to do than monitor the prices in a shop window,listen to yourselves, take a photo of the price for crying out loud are you that desperate there are far more important things in life than trying to get one over on a travel agent, most of whom you people have succesfully bankrupted over the last few years. To be honest I am not going to come on this forum any more, its full of small minded people with more time on thier hands than they are safe having.
I assume this will be edited by the mods so I will leave you very sad people to your own little world where nothing matters but you and prices!
Goodbye and good riddance to you!
What a totaly uncalled for outburst. People are mearly discussing the underhand tactics of travel agents, as this is a holiday forum we all rely on travel agents in one form or another, otherwise we couldnt book holidays. People need to be made aware of things, as I have just been ripped of by a certain online travel agent.
Steve
I think the offers in the window depends on the agent.If the offer is sold out the card should be removed.
I have seen quite a few offers in 2 branches of Thomas Cook today and yesterday for May holidays.There were some really good deals to Turkey.
My last holiday was featured in the window of Thomas Cook and I paid what was in the card,which was cheaper than the web price.
It had been in the window for a week as my friend had seen it the week before I booked.
I have seen quite a few offers in 2 branches of Thomas Cook today and yesterday for May holidays.There were some really good deals to Turkey.
My last holiday was featured in the window of Thomas Cook and I paid what was in the card,which was cheaper than the web price.
It had been in the window for a week as my friend had seen it the week before I booked.
It's abit like when you book on line with on the beach. The price you are quoted and paid a deposit on is not really the price you are going to pay as they phone you up and add more to your hol and say either accept or loose your deposit. Then they also dont offer baggage upgrades untill after you've booked then charge you 30 quid admin fees extras. Travel agents shouldnt be allowed to get away with it.
Steve
Steve
They certainly shouldn't. If a tv is advertised in the window for £550 then you should pay £550. You shouldn't be allowed to add on charges willy nilly. I was going to ask if anyone needed help picking up the toys that were thrown out of the pram, but I suppose I shouldn't 
I thought it was against the law to not advertise the total price?
Jay trip it is against the law to not show the total price. On the beach wouldn't get away a sharp practice with me, would be down the small claims court before could say on the beach. When they accept your money you have made a binding contract and if say they haven't then in that case they can refund you.
I avoid companies like OTB as many people have complained that after they have made a reservation they conveniently put the price up!
I mainly stick with Thomson and Thomas Cook associated companies who usually show the total price on the window adverts or their teletext pages.
I have just received my CC bill today and they didnt charge for using the card.
I booked with Portland by phone,paid the money to Thomson and the company on the bill is Lincoln Direct who I didnt think were still in business?
I mainly stick with Thomson and Thomas Cook associated companies who usually show the total price on the window adverts or their teletext pages.
I have just received my CC bill today and they didnt charge for using the card.
I booked with Portland by phone,paid the money to Thomson and the company on the bill is Lincoln Direct who I didnt think were still in business?
I booked with Portland by phone,paid the money to Thomson and the company on the bill is Lincoln Direct who I didnt think were still in business?
Lincoln direct are one of many trading titles still used by tui [thomson uk] when i booked through the call center last year my receipt was from Lincoln on Thomson hedded paper and the two holidays [including next month] also came through as lincoln
wiz
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