We welcomed Glenna Gillan (happily, another Rotarian), who gave us a lively presentation on travel agents and why they continue to thrive. A common conception among many of the human herd is that it is nowadays advantageous to spend large quantities of time on trolling all sorts of internet sites for barely measurable economic benefits, all without the need for human advice or intervention. (This is a common misconception of ‘benefits’ to which most people seem immune; it is an old saw that time is the only thing of which we never have enough, but actually have all that there is to have.) Glenna was trained ‘from the ground up’, as it were, by Air Canada, a tuition that created in her the desire to do what is best for the client. However, she pointed out that there were, in her view, certain inalienable truths.
The first of these is plainly that there are certain entities with whom it is generally preferable to deal. Examples that she quoted were in the Cruising business: in the general market, she recommends Holland America, and in the upper end of the market, Oceana (ignore the fact, of course, that the general market comprises only half a dozen or so of true corporate entities, very large groups seeking to embrace every possible cruise preference). But central to these facts is that an agent can assist when the situation gets sticky or even out of control: she stated that agents not infrequently face irate people who botch up their on-line choices and then expect agents (presumably for free) to rectify their errors. This, she stated, is not a practical expectation, the two markets (and regulations) being entirely separate and independent. As samples, Glenna provided us with two examples (too detailed to reproduce here) where she was able to rectify issues faced by couples who had been badly let down in difficult circumstances: in one case she was profusely thanked by the unfortunate travellers, but in the other was completely ignored (“part of the business” she sighed).
There was considerable discussion on errors induced by internet users confusing US with Canadian dollars, medical coverage (which many ignore, a few with catastrophic results) and a mixture of cancellation policies (an issue for which she especially commended Holland America). Glenna closed with a description of one of her dream trips, this to Phuket (apparently she wished to emulate James Bond, a stretch, and I am sorry if I think it a fantasy too far, that took one beyond mere dreaming). Her parting thought was a useful one: do some initial research on the internet if you must, but in the final event, utilize the services of an expert.
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