Travel agency warns off customers with no intention of booking

A travel agency has resorted to posting a message on Facebook to warn off customers who want free advice on travel before booking elsewhere.

Richard Slater, managing director of Henbury Travel in Macclesfield, decided to put up a post on the company’s Facebook page after a rise in the number of people contacting the agency as an information service but with no intention of booking a holiday.

In the post, he lists the services the agency offers for free, from finding the perfect holiday to emergency help in a crisis, checking validity of passports, airport parking, assisting with booking amendments and cancellation claims.

But the post goes on to say: “Sadly though if you do book online, we are sorry but we won’t be able to help you with your booking as you have a commitment directly with the holiday company.

“Therefore if you can get through to your operator on the phone (expect a big wait, if you can find a number at all) they will be your contact for questions and queries.”

The post adds: “Having worked in the industry for a long time, my team can quickly spot people who have booked online and then call in and ask for our help, so please don’t feel offended if they cannot help you.”

Slater is hopeful the post will reduce the number of calls, but admitted: “It’s one of those things; people are just really cheeky these days and it’s getting worse.”

He said the agency was being asked for free travel information at least three to five times a week, and customers often became agitated or rude when told they needed to make a booking to receive information of this kind.

He said: “People think of us as a free service. It’s picked up again since Covid.

“People can get a bit verbal with us. We get people who want us to check their passport details to know the validity dates because they want to book with someone else.

“One lady came in and asked us what Jet2’s pregnancy policy was and was particularly rude when we would not confirm it [without a booking].”

Slater said there was an also an increase in consumers seeking help when they had already booked elsewhere.

“We are getting more and more people coming in to ask our help when a booking has gone pear-shaped or they cannot get hold of their tour operator,” he added.

The problem became a bone of contention during the Covid pandemic for agents, when many consumers who had booked online sought their help because they could not get through to  their holiday company.