JEDDAH, 31 January 2006 — People who plan to travel or study abroad tend to get the advice from travel agencies, but when the travel agency is not well qualified what can they do?
“I did not have enough time to book my flight, hotel or tours so I signed up with a travel agency for the first time in my life, and it was a disaster,” said Abdulmajeed Salmi, 34.
He said that due to the shortage of time and lack of knowledge about the destination, he thought using a travel agent would be a perfect solution. Salmi’s first surprise came when he checked in at the airport and realized his ticket wasn’t confirmed, even though he had paid for the trip at the travel agency. This mistake caused him to miss his flight, and after a few phone calls he was re-scheduled after paying additional fees at the check-in counter.
A woman who works in a travel agency and preferred not to mention her name explained that sometimes mistakes are made when agents fail to call hotels to confirm the availability of rooms or packages.
“I used to check and double check with the hotel itself and with the customers after every booking because when mistakes are made, the cost is deducted from our salaries,” she said.
However not all travel agents do that in the rush to book as many packages in order to receive higher commissions.
One of the problems these travel agencies face is counting the nights of stay.
She said that sometimes people arrive at the booked hotel late at night and discover the agency had booked them from the day that follows, thus leaving them stranded. “Timing is very important, everyone must know from what time to what time the room is booked, from check-in to check-out,” she said.
Booking tours at destinations can also lead to problems for Saudi travelers who make plans in advance.
After going through tour booklets and getting advices from a travel agent, Seham Ahmadi and her 18-year-old daughter booked a tour in a German city. The agent, however, did not mention the possibility that the tour might be cancelled due to the weather.
When they arrived at their destination they discovered most of the tours were cancelled due to the blizzard conditions.
“We wasted the time which is supposed to be spent by having fun on booking and reserving,” said Ahmadi.
Ghina Alkhatib, a female employee at Elaf Travel, advised that people who book must consult qualified agencies.
She said that her agency sends its employee every two or three months to places around the world so they can provide accurate information about the destinations. She added that a good agency isn’t necessarily the cheapest one, and a good agent is a knowledgeable on one that can be reached at any time.
