23 June 2008

Holidaymakers dissatisfied with web bookings, says survey

An increasing number of people are dissatisfied when they book holidays on the internet, with 30% paying more than they had expected, according to new research.

Some five per cent of internet bookers said their holiday had cost Ã&#pound;300 more than initially anticipated, revealed research company Specialist News, after a phone poll of 1,001 adults in April.

The research was carried out on behalf of Advantage Travel Centres, which is keen to highlight the expertise of travel agents with a campaign entitled Ã¢â¬ËœAre You Ready?Ã¢â¬â¢

The campaign asks holidaymakers whether they are properly prepared for their trip and encourages them to consult an independent retailer.

The study found that over half of travellers (54%) were buying their holidays online, but Advantage chief executive John McEwan said many of them would actually be booking with a travel agent that had an online presence.

Nearly a third, 31% of people, are crying out for more help about where to go, what to see and what to do on holiday.

The research also revealed that 80% of UK holidaymakers say booking with a travel agent is the best way to ensure a trouble-free trip.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœTraditional travel agents have seen increasing numbers of people turn to the web to book their holidays, but itÃ¢â¬â¢s not the holy grail of bargains,Ã¢â¬~ said McEwan.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœGood independent travel agents have access to a far wider variety of holiday products than youÃ¢â¬â¢ll ever be offered in a typical web search. And added to that, you are dealing with experts who are trained to answer any query you might have to make sure your trip goes without a hitch.Ã¢â¬~

McEwan added that much of the business lost to the web were simple transactions, such as point-to-point flight sales with no-frills carriers, where the travel agent could add little value.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœWe are seeing people come back to agents for price, because of the complexity of a booking and for holidays of a special nature, such as weddings,Ã¢â¬~ he said.

In addition, the survey revealed that 22% of those aged 16-19, the age group most likely to book online, have fallen foul of airlinesÃ¢â¬â¢ excess baggage rules, compared to 12% across the general population.

*See linked Advantage stories.

by Jeremy Skidmore

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Your Comments (6)

Never forget prejudice

People never like to have their choices questioned since this reflects on their competence to choose the right thing. So, when people get bad service from an agent, they will happily criticise the agent since the agent's lack of competence does not reflect on their judgement. "It was that idiot agent's fault - she didn't even know where Banda Seri Begawan was!". But when a person makes a mistake with an online booking, then he or she has nobody else to blame. Any direct bookers who have messed up their travel arrangements through their own incompetence are going to keep quiet about it - you can be sure of that! I have no idea how much this phenomenon will affect people's answers when they respond to surveys - but I am convinced it is a significant factor.

By Richard English, Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Online Booking: The Trouble Is Useability

Much of confusion in using web sites is that either the publisher minimises certain aspects - such as special conditions - or the user doesn't pay attention to such information. There was the well publicised incident where a couple wanted to book flights to Sydney, Australia and ended up in Sydney, Cape Breton (Nova Scotia), Canada. This begs the question of just how much information should be supplied. Travel chain member agents also are often limited to sourcing travel products but they fail to advise potential clients, either in person or on web sites, other choices are available. This is dishonest and one the regulatory authorities should address. As for 'surprise' totals is easily eliminated by showing the total, all in, bottom line price on a separate 'summary' page that precedes the billing function.

By Jon Hewson, Tuesday, June 24, 2008
You have to laugh.

Where do you get this tosh from.? Oh I remember. 1,001 over the phone. Must have been phoning CARE HOMES is all I can think of.! 1, Most travel agents I've spoken to have only ever been abroad a couple of times in their life, so how can they possibly compete with the combined knowledge of the holidaymakers on the holiday review sites.? 2, You do a great disservice to the British holidaymaker, when you assume they don't know the ins and outs of the net when it comes to researching and booking their holidays.

By gary hewitt, Monday, June 23, 2008
Experts!!!

My experience of booking holidays is generally good. The only times i have had problems were with bookings made through 'good' independent agents. The reality was when things went wrong they could not offer any solutions - i'm not suggesting that if i'd booked online through a web site it would be any different. As for experts, a travel agent branch manager once suggested that to save money on my trip to the USA i could take a one way car hire to get to my second destination rather than using expensive internal airlines. She unfortunately had no concept of how far apart San Francisco and Orlando are!

By darryl skelton, Monday, June 23, 2008
where's the facts?

The title is headed 'Holidaymakers dissatisfied with web bookings, says survey', with the first para starting with 'An increasing number of people are dissatisfied', but then goes on the quote stats that are not directly related. What percentage are dissatisfied, and how has that worsened over time? Our web agency gives every client who books the opportunity to rate their satisfaction and that has remained steady at over 97% with no significant change over a number of years - this just sounds like spin to me.

By andrews doug, Monday, June 23, 2008
Data or dada

To preserve some kind of credibility, could the Mole please quote the sampling size and method of "the study"? Especially given the convenient findings for travel agents of a travel agent's survey!

By Michael Hooper, Monday, June 23, 2008