14 I could see that she couldn’t disclose any other info.
one involved, it’s easy to include everyone from day one, and omit them as necessary.
This is a good reminder that what looks good on the surface, we agents still have to do our homework to
To better explain that last sentence, I will relate the
protect not only our clients, but our own liability.
following documented instance. A travel agent booked a cruise and sent a complimentary bottle of
Yes, we all know Globus, Insight, Collette, Wendy
wine to the client’s cabin. The client became inebri-
Wu, and others. Yes, we have confidence in working
ated and while walking down the corridor, he fell,
with them But when finding a company like Marco
and had some physical injury. He sued the cruise line
Polo & Company, as an example, then you have
as well as the travel agent. The reason for the agent
some homework to do. You should check out their
involved with the suit. He stated that the agent knew
affiliations, Contact the Consumer Department of
he might be unsteady while drinking, and provided
their State. Check to see if any complaints are listed.
alcohol on a moving vessel.
What insurance is offered, and does it include protection in case of supplier default. What are the pre-
The travel agent was insured and they did pay off
mium rates and compare them to your own pre-
the client. Interesting! I wonder if the agent had sent
ferred insurance provider. Is the money held in
a jar of jelly beans, and if the passenger got a
escrow?
toothache, would the agent be sued??? And we wonder why insurance premiums are so high!
You can go further and get the confirmations of the local suppliers in China, for example, to reconfirm
At the beginning I mentioned a mixed bag of emo-
directly that everything is in place before departure.
tions. This was not a malicious comment. I feel bad for the passengers, but I think the group leader/agent
If any of the above info is tainted or not forthcom-
is partially responsible. The buck stops here, literally,
ing, do not proceed until you have 100% security.
in this case. And if she helped design this package, and got the info out to her clients, the damage is
Are you, the booking agent, insured? In this case, the
twofold. Will her clients have confidence to book
group leader/agent had everyone contact a designat-
with her in the future?
ed person at the supplier. Even though she promoted it, via Facebook, internet, and supplied flyers,
Now, I wonder what the mediator can do. If the
someone from the supplier accepted the orders and
company defaulted, where is the money? Does the
payments.
mediator get a portion?
With an estimated default of over $300,000 (again
Having a problem like this is horrendous for any
this is an example) who bears the responsibility? I
agent. When I contacted a very well known China
was once told by a lawyer, that he would recom-
supplier, I was told that they had received many calls
mend that the passengers sue the group leader/trav-
about this situation. They might be able to design a
el agent as well as the supplier. He said to sue every-
similar tour. Still waiting for their quote.
April 2014