TRAVEL MATTERS
Andrea James pictured with Victor and Anthony Goord
Top marks for the Peter Goord team Staff at Peter Goord Travel in Plymouth are celebrating after scoring highly in a 'Mystery Shopper' feature in one of the industry's leading trade magazines. Travel Weekly's Mystery Shopper visited three travel agents in Plymouth in August asking for help and advice on an allinclusive family holiday during next year's summer holidays, with a budget of £4,250. The visit to Peter Goord Travel resulted in a score of 97% one of the highest scores by any travel agent this year. The Travel Weekly Mystery Shopper was served by Andrea James, who has worked for Peter Goord Travel for 13 years. She specialises in long-haul and tailor-made bookings and also books a lot of honeymoons. The Mystery Shopper's report on Andrea's customer service was as follows: "I was acknowledged and greeted straight away by a friendly and helpful agent. "She was enthusiastic about my trip and seemed eager to find me the best holiday. I was asked lots of questions and the agent seemed to know the destination well. "I was given good advice, backed up with brochures to take away. The agent gave me four quotes, ranging from £4,072 for the Sentido Pearl Beach to £4,690 for the Stella Palace. The agent didn’t try to close the deal, but instead encouraged me to return after speaking to my family. "I couldn’t think of anything that would have improved my visit to this agency." Travel Weekly commented: "Our Mystery Shopper uses
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The Plymouth Magazine October 2016
a rigorous scoring system, rating everything from the appearance of the shop and its staff, to customer service, knowledge of the destination and its hotels, and the quality of the holiday recommendation offered. "It's a tough test for any agency and taking the top spot is a coveted prize within the UK travel industry, reflecting the hard work and dedication of a strong sales team which clearly puts its customers firsts." Andrea said: "I really can't remember who the mystery shopper was - we always endeavour to give every customer the very best service and information to help them find the best holiday solution. "I have visited Crete on a couple of occasions and was confident about the holiday options which I offered," she added. "Because they wanted an all-inclusive holiday I concentrated on finding the hotels which offered the best quality in terms of accommodation, food and facilities." Anthony Goord said: "Andrea is a very experienced member of staff and although she was the one singled out for special praise, the exceptionally high score achieved reflects the quality, knowledge and professionalism of the whole team here at Peter Goord Travel." Three years ago Peter Goord Travel also top scored with a 95% rating by the Travel Weekly Mystery Shopper.
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For more information call 01752 364186 or visit www.petergoordtravel.co.uk