I have just spent a good hour and a half with a client who’s booked once before and was an absolute nightmare.
This interaction is going the same way and I’m so busy I’m keen to get it over with asap.
A cruise is selected and it’s decided that an outside cabin will do but if I can tell the cruise company it’s her 30th wedding anniversary then she ‘expects’ they will upgrade her to a balcony.
I tell her I will, of course, advise them of the wonderful news that her husband’s put up with her for 30 years. I word it to her slightly differently but you get my drift .
She then announces a three-night stopover in a five-star hotel after the cruise. This throws me slightly as it’s obvious it’s just popped into her mind, but I don’t flinch and continue the quote.
Hotel stay added and the usual ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ lead me to believe she’s either taken a funny turn or she’s impressed.
I’m just about to print the itinerary for her and she asks: “It is adult–only, isn’t it?”
“No, did you want adult-only?” I ask.
“Well, we don’t mind, but we would prefer it,” she says.
New five-star hotel with no kids added to the itinerary and the printout is presented.
It’s exactly what she’s looking for (her words not mine) and she will be back in later that day to book and pay.
Half an hour later the phone rings and it’s her. She was showing her husband the details and came across an online booking company who she decided to call just to compare and they have offered her the same itinerary at £300 per person cheaper but, as she would always rather book with me, can I match it? Without taking a breath, the answer’s “No.”
I’m informed it’s such a difference in price that she really can’t turn it down and to get rid of her I agree and wish her well. A quick look at the OTA and the reviews are atrocious.
I hope it works out for her, but then, secretly deep down, I hope it doesn’t .
Read more Secret Agent anecdotes here.
The post Tales from the Secret Agent: Shopping around appeared first on Travel Gossip.
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This interaction is going the same way and I’m so busy I’m keen to get it over with asap.
A cruise is selected and it’s decided that an outside cabin will do but if I can tell the cruise company it’s her 30th wedding anniversary then she ‘expects’ they will upgrade her to a balcony.
I tell her I will, of course, advise them of the wonderful news that her husband’s put up with her for 30 years. I word it to her slightly differently but you get my drift .
She then announces a three-night stopover in a five-star hotel after the cruise. This throws me slightly as it’s obvious it’s just popped into her mind, but I don’t flinch and continue the quote.
Hotel stay added and the usual ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ lead me to believe she’s either taken a funny turn or she’s impressed.
I’m just about to print the itinerary for her and she asks: “It is adult–only, isn’t it?”
“No, did you want adult-only?” I ask.
“Well, we don’t mind, but we would prefer it,” she says.
New five-star hotel with no kids added to the itinerary and the printout is presented.
It’s exactly what she’s looking for (her words not mine) and she will be back in later that day to book and pay.
Half an hour later the phone rings and it’s her. She was showing her husband the details and came across an online booking company who she decided to call just to compare and they have offered her the same itinerary at £300 per person cheaper but, as she would always rather book with me, can I match it? Without taking a breath, the answer’s “No.”
I’m informed it’s such a difference in price that she really can’t turn it down and to get rid of her I agree and wish her well. A quick look at the OTA and the reviews are atrocious.
I hope it works out for her, but then, secretly deep down, I hope it doesn’t .
Read more Secret Agent anecdotes here.
The post Tales from the Secret Agent: Shopping around appeared first on Travel Gossip.
Continue reading...
