No travel agent wants to think about a client or vendor relationship that's gone awry. They hope that when they start a relationship with either, it's a successful and productive one.
Unfortunately, that's not always the case.
Sometimes, an agent has to kick a client or a vendor to the curb.
"I dropped a client once after he was rude and disrespectful to one of my tour operators," said Jenifour Jones, the president of Go Get It Events & Travel in Los Angeles, California.
"The tour operator had gone out of his way to speak to my client on a call and then put together several rounds of packages for their trip. The client's email to the tour operator was ungrateful and demanding. I dropped him quickly and apologized to my vendor on behalf of my client."
Stefany Di Manno Ceccato, DMC Travel Tailor in Charleston, South Carolina, drops a client when he or she does not value her time.
"When they are looking to book something on their own and only want to see the options I provide them with and/or do not wish to pay a fee for me to start research and planning their trip. For me, this sets the tone of how the relationship will be and one that I do not want or that is not worth my time."
Stacey Hartmann will drop a supplier when they are not responsive, do not appear to value her time or her client or they simply are not competitive consistently.
"Sometimes that's a hard decision as you've had a long-term relationship with a supplier," said Hartmann, travel planner in Waunakee, Wisconsin. "However, the industry is changing and, if we are not client-centric, then why are we here?"
Hartmann cites a recent example of a tour operator known for Europe packages who outsourced their support to another country: "They simply have not been as responsive or as knowledgeable as they were in the past, and I will not work with them until those issues are resolved if ever."
Peter Lombard said his company's goal is to create an excellent travel experience, but he declines to work with clients when their focus is more on price or something else, not on the overall experience.
"We've also had to let go of clients when they don't uphold the terms of our agreement," said Lombard of Insouciance Abroad. "This is most often the case where they request 15 spots on the trip and only show up with 11 people."
He says he's even pickier when it comes to his vendors: "If they don't uphold our goal of making travel simple, or if they make our lives difficult or, potentially, the client's trip less ideal, we'll move on."
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He explained that this happens most often if the vendor becomes unresponsive or tries and change pricing/terms on us: "It's not that they're impossible to deal with, but if we select them we want to be sure they represent us to our client and provide a seemingly effortless experience."
Communication is key for most travel agents.
"I would drop a vendor if I were unable to get the vendor to communicate with me regarding a client's reservation," said Ronda Zeneri, Cruise Planners in Massillon, Ohio. "I have only had to do this once because my host agency provides a list of preferred vendors that they have approved. These vendors are very reliable."
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As far as clients go, Zeneri believes in the Golden Rule.
"I treat all of my clients with kindness and respect, and I expect the same treatment in return. In 17 years of business, I can honestly say that I have only had two clients who were rude to me. They are no longer my clients."
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