Travel Agency Insider
Tells Of Illegal Drugs, Espionage Consumer Fraud
January 21, 2007
MS, his real name known to us, but withheld to protect his identity, is afraid of industry retaliation for coming forward. He has offered Cruise Bruise a look into the industry that books cruises for all the major and minor cruise lines.
His Story
My name is MS and I am a previous travel agent specializing in cruises. I have been in the online travel agency industry for quite some time, and I would like to inform everyone of a hidden truth.
Cruise lines are similar to auto manufacturers as travel agencies are to auto dealerships. We are all aware of the tricks, false advertising, and absolute nonsense that goes on in car dealerships, and the same applies to these powerhouse online agencies advertising "last-minute deals".
The cruise lines have a long path in front of them to improve their service and quality, and the moment they stop focusing only on the bottom line, and focus on customer service, the industry could get worse.
Many of my previous customers have stated that alot of these supposed "5-star cruise lines" have moved down 2 notches. They say that the luxury remains on board, but the service at many fast-food restaurants are better than the service of the ships.
Stories of crew members working 16 hour days, seven days a week, is an absolute exploitation of a human being, and this must stop. Crew members forced to meet a quota of selling a product or face termination is one of the many reasons that quality has gone down, and will continue to do so.
Crew members are told to look the other way and forget incidents is now common-place as cruise lines will do anything to protect their image. This must stop. How many disappearances will it take, how many criminal incidents must accumulate in numbers before the authorities take note. The strange truth behind all of this is that it can change, and immediately, if we as consumers take charge. Remember, the cruise lines serve us, not the other way around.
Cruise Passengers Threatened For Reporting Crimes
I read stories on several websites including cruisebruise and could not believe what I read. Out of the blue, one of my customers called and mentioned a story that made me realize the reality of what is happening. Imagine, 4 elderly ladies, in Cozumel Mexico, detained by the local police, robbed and one unfortunate soul raped. When they were released, they went back to their ship and reported the matter. One of the crew members had the nerve to tell them "calm down, or we will force you off the ship." I still hear her voice 2 years after that conversation.
I feel that the cruiselines are about to get a massive wake-up call, and some of them will change their ways. The others will fold.
The other subject that I would like to mention is the absolute arrogancy of many online cruise agencies. I have worked in two major agencies and witnessed behavior that is similar to a boiler room. Drugs being dealt in the restrooms, employees terminated for voicing their opinion (after upper-management asked everyone to give their opinion for quality improvement).
Travel Agency Consumer Fraud
There were illegal manipulations of accounting figures for reservations, and these were being planned in detail by employees in the parking lot. It was common for cancellation requests not being honored until the following month so paychecks would not be affected due to commission recall.
I personally stopped a former employee from committing suicide after she was terminated for no given reason (Texas is an employer-friendly state, and an employer can terminate you for any reason, and they are not obligated to inform you of their reasons).
Travel Agency Industry Espionage
Employees were "fed" with bonus prospective customer inquiries if they spied on competitor trael agents. Admist all of this insanity, customer surveys and sales quotas were a tool of paranoia that were programmed into an agent's mind.
Employees Terminated Without Just Cause
A customer that recently returned from a cruise was sent an automated email asking how they would rate the cruise itself and the agent. Most people are satisfied with the service and give a "met expectation" survey. This was considered unacceptable by the employer and honest agents were terminated for this, or that rating card was always held against them. I was terminated for suggesting cruisebruise as recommended reading. Make sense?
We as consumers need to begin to educate ourselves in not only the product (cruise) but the manner in how it is presented and sold. Are you going to walk into a car dealership, listen to the salesman for a few minutes and the next thing you know, you are signing the finance papers. No, most people learn the in's and out's of a product, arrive at the dealership ready to kick some tires, and play psychological games with the salesman.
So the next time you call an online agency and you feel the pressure, the shipboard credit, the free bottle of wine, ask yourself "Is it worth it?" Am I going to purchase a product just because the salesman is coating it with alot of sugar? Why does the travel agent have such a voice of urgency on the phone, ready to give away the house if I book now? The next time, pick up a book, read an online article, "kick some tires" before you make that reservation. With this in mind, online agencies will conform, and cruise lines will return to the policy of "customer-first". Remember, cruise lines are watching how sales are made, at what speed, and will be forced to re-assess their product, presentation, and delivery.
Consumers make or break a product. Let's take back that power, and make the agencies and cruise lines serve us! "
