By Marjorie Sanchez
Most travelers, when looking for that perfect get-a-way, want the absolute best deal when booking travel. This is why Easy Escapes offers price matching and in most cases, price beating! But what is a price match/beat really?
Price matching is a wonderful customer service feature we offer where we “match” a competitor’s price for the same package.
How does is work?
There are standards in price matching, like Commandments –and they are:
- IT must be apples to apples-
o It only makes sense to match a package with an exact one. Make sure the type of accommodations, transfers, meals (if any), taxes and fuel surcharges & fees are all included. If an agent offers you a package at the Iberostar Paraiso Lindo in Riviera Maya and you ask to price match a package you saw online for the Iberostar Paraiso Del
- May I see the price match please-
o Be ready to show your agent the package. It needs to be a confirmed and current quote. If airfare is involved then all aspects of the flight are to be visible. Make sure to clear your cookies, empty your cache for the most update pricing.
§ It happened to me In the past, before I became a professional travel consultant, getting ready to pay for a trip only to get to the very end and realize the flight is no longer available, seats in the price class were sold out, room availability changed and/or the package went up in price.
- Be ethical about it-
o Yes… Please… We as agents, as well as travelers, understand the need and the want to obtain the best rate. Altering a quote from another agency for price matching purposes is wrong and it will bite you in the end. The travel industry is large, however reputable folks all know each other.
§ It happened to me I had a client who wanted a specific hotel and she waited over a week from my original quote date to try and book it. Of course the air went up drastically and the room upgrade offer had expired. She forward me a quote from another agent that was very similar to my previous quote, asking me to price match the price and the promotional room upgrade. It seemed impossible and it was. I contacted my supplier and they did indeed confirm the current quote was correct. I went ahead and contacted the other agent (agents will do that) and asked about her pricing. It turned out that quote was not only an old one from over a week ago, the rates were less than what was actually quoted and the upgrade offer had expired. Though my original quote was the better rate, as was the current one- the client was busted-
- Have your credit/debit card handy-
o When a price match is done, it usually needs to be paid in full- just like you would do with an OTA. Since we have to snag the sale that instantly it will need to be paid for just as quickly. If this is not a viable option for you (or your travel companion/s) then consider paying a handful of dollars more for the convenience of a payment plan.
Easy Escapes Travel can confidently state that our agency can meet and/or beat any confirmed rates. This means we provide not just amazing service but the best prices around. Already have a quote? No problem- send it over!
Do you have any questions or comments on price matching? If so, comment below or email me at Marjorie@EasyEscapesTravel.com
No comments:
Post a Comment