Agents help avoid pitfalls of online booking

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Imagine your dream vacation. You've juggled everyone's work and school schedules, and you now must choose from among countless tour packages, sightseeing excursions and resorts. |ret||ret||tab|

Is your hotel in a nice part of town? How will you get to Disney World from the airport? Is there a flight with fewer stopovers? Are there any travel advisories where you're going? What if little Johnny gets a stomach virus and you have to postpone? Are you forgetting anything? Did you overplan or underplan? To whom can you turn if something goes wrong?|ret||ret||tab|

With so many choices and questions, anyone who's ever tried booking a vacation getaway knows how exhausting it can be. Now imagine you have no one to answer questions. It's just you and a computer screen, and your only option is to plug in numbers and dates. Planning a vacation would be quite a nerve-wracking task. But with the help of a travel agent, travel planning can be the exciting activity it was meant to be.|ret||ret||tab|

There's no denying the Internet's im-pact on the travel industry. It's clear that the World Wide Web will continue to redefine the role of both travel agents and consumers. |ret||ret||tab|

Contrary to Chicken-Little predictions that these sites would be the demise of the travel agency community, agents are actually embracing the Internet as a research tool and incorporating it into their marketing plans. Studies show that while consumers use the Internet as a source for travel information, when it comes to purchasing travel products, they turn to their travel agent.|ret||ret||tab|

In a virtual world saturated with purchasing options and promises of great bargains, consumers are confused and overwhelmed. How do they know a "can't miss" offer is really legitimate? Where can they go for honest information and expert travel advice?|ret||ret||tab|

It turns out even the most computer savvy travelers are loyal travel agent users, for the simple fact that they want to deal with an actual human being. They know that agents' personal touch and expertise cannot be replicated by a computer. With a computer, you're often on your own once you've typed in your credit card number.|ret||ret||tab|

The American Society of Travel Agents recently conducted a survey of its members about the 10 most common complaints their clients have when "go-ing it alone." The most common problems were:|ret||ret||tab|

Booking the wrong date or time |ret||ret||tab|

Credit card denied but customer not notified|ret||ret||tab|

No assistance with changes or refunds|ret||ret||tab|

Unable to get the advertised fare of the quoted price|ret||ret||tab|

Don't understand rules and restrictions|ret||ret||tab|

Concern about the reputation of the company|ret||ret||tab|

Paying more than necessary|ret||ret||tab|

No provision for special requests|ret||ret||tab|

Price quoted did not include taxes|ret||ret||tab|

Time-consuming and confusing|ret||ret||tab|

Agents can give travelers the peace of mind that comes with knowing they're getting the trip they want for the lowest price. Agents provide a complete packet of information that is unbiased, while also saving the consumer time and money. |ret||ret||tab|

Agents represent the customer, not travel suppliers, so they screen products and offers before making recommendations. Agents can be your best protection against scams and help ensure that you'll get the trip you expect.|ret||ret||tab|

(Linda Strait is president of House of Travel Inc., a full-service travel agency in Springfield.)[[In-content Ad]]