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Australian client exclusions: A question for the moderator
Hi Guys,
The last time I posed a question of specific interest to Australian clients I was told that the website (that would be the Australian website) was still under construction. Apart from that ... nada.
Well, since then (early February) lots more trips have been listed and particularly a new selection of small ship cruises.
I know from experience that these early listings (particularly the cruises) fill fast and some are already listed as "limited availability".
Because of the "unfinished" website, there is nothing listed re the Gift of Time feature for early reservations. The website hasn't change since early February ... apart from the new tour content. Although being assured in February by a Tauck staffer (I don't want to get anyone into trouble) that this feature would definitely still be offered in 2017, this is not apparent to Australian clients. The Australian website has some distinct differences to the home site.
Please, either complete the work on the website or tell your Australian clients that this feature is no longer available to us. Surely, that's only fair.
While my travel plans are not dependent on 1 "free" night from Tauck, I would like to know ... how things are going to be. Surely, that's only fair, too.
Jan
The last time I posed a question of specific interest to Australian clients I was told that the website (that would be the Australian website) was still under construction. Apart from that ... nada.
Well, since then (early February) lots more trips have been listed and particularly a new selection of small ship cruises.
I know from experience that these early listings (particularly the cruises) fill fast and some are already listed as "limited availability".
Because of the "unfinished" website, there is nothing listed re the Gift of Time feature for early reservations. The website hasn't change since early February ... apart from the new tour content. Although being assured in February by a Tauck staffer (I don't want to get anyone into trouble) that this feature would definitely still be offered in 2017, this is not apparent to Australian clients. The Australian website has some distinct differences to the home site.
Please, either complete the work on the website or tell your Australian clients that this feature is no longer available to us. Surely, that's only fair.
While my travel plans are not dependent on 1 "free" night from Tauck, I would like to know ... how things are going to be. Surely, that's only fair, too.
Jan
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I know the big difference is the fluctuation in currency between the two countries, though I do not understand why that should make a difference, I f they would price it in US dollars, when you paid it might cost you more or less depending on that day, but the amount in dollars for them should be the same. If I am figuring all this wrongly and this kind of thing is the problem, would paying the total cost up front make any difference? These days you would barely be losing any interest in your capital by doing so. If you look at the Viking Cruise model, don't they ask for the money up front to get their dishonest 'Half price' deal?
I notice that the Moderators appear to be far less active on the website than in the past, the only thing I have seen recently from a moderator was a response to a question to someone who was obviously a spammer. There is an email address where you can email Tauck directly, info@tauck.com, I think let me look and tell you.
Other than the obvious differences (Cruising Down Under- no Uluru Rock, 9 nights aboard L'Austral, more stops in NZ, and higher cost), what is your take comparing Grand Australia & New Zealand:
vs Cruising Down Under – Eastbound/Westbound. Tauck took some serious hits in the reviews of this one
I think I answered a very similar question over on the Australian forum, but here is a quick answer.
If I were you, and didn't get motion sickness, I'd take the cruise heading west. It's a very good itinerary for the South Island of NZ in particular. It's not a very good itinerary for Australia, however. I'd arrive a week early and take some time to do a side trip north from Auckland to the Bay of Islands. Then I'd take the Spotlight on Australia. British is right. You need to see Uluru ... one way or another. But you do need to get to the Reef soon, because the way we are treating the Great Barrier Reef, there won't be much left for anyone to see very, very soon, thanks to coral bleaching and the current penchant for denying peer-reviewed science.
Alternatively, do what Mr. & Mrs. B did and take the trips separately. Make sure you arrive a week early and stay on at the end. You need to see more than the basic tourist attractions Tauck includes. It's like telling someone that Disneyland is all you need to see in the States. (Remarkable though it is within the history of Orange County, television and animated film and US social history, it does not represent current American society or the country at large.)
Visit soon. Visit often.
Cheers,
Jan
Cheers,
Jan
Well, this is interesting. Within minutes of sending my message, this has bounced back:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THANK YOU FOR CONTACTING TAUCK - THIS IS AN AUTOMATIC REPLY
Thank you for contacting us today; we are privileged to be able to
service all of your travel needs.
We know that you are anxiously awaiting a response to your inquiry, so
our goal is to reply to each email received in a timely manner.
Sometimes this is not possible so we ask for your patience. Please know
that we are answering all of the emails received as quickly as we can.
Thank you and have a great day.
If you are holding a reservation and are inquiring about clothing,
weather, luggage, walking, etc., you will find this information in the
'Need to Know' section of your itinerary on our tauck.com website.
If you have an emergency and need immediate assistance, please call our
reservations department at 1-800-468-2825.
In the interim we invite you to visit www.tauck.com to gain access to
all of our journeys and exciting destinations. By visiting our website,
you may find answers to myriad questions in the "Need to Know" sections
of all journeys---such as tour availability, weather, what to wear,
packing tips, walking/physical demands of a journey, and so much more.
Did you know that now you can also make a payment 24 hours a day! If
you want to engage with like-minded travelers, our Travel Forums are
also a great way to engage with past and future travelers.
Thanks again for your message!
The Tauck Service Team
THANK YOU FOR CONTACTING TAUCK - THIS IS AN AUTOMATIC REPLY
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Catch 22, much? I wonder what I should advise myself? Any suggestions? Only nice ones will be entertained.
Hi British,
The main reason I have continued to use Tauck for so long is that they are professional, reliable and trustworthy. There is no question of dodgy dealings with mythical or untraceable fx rate conversions. No hidden costs. No vagaries in the dates due for final payments. As I said, Tauck always behave in a professional manner. FX should not necessarily present more of a problem that simply getting your head around the "funny money". It might be a pain to discover that different countries have different currencies! What a cheek! But that was back in primary school and we have grown up and know lots more stuff now that we are big people. We expect FX matters to be handled ethically. My financial dealings with Tauck, directly, have always been absolutely ethical.
I booked my first trips through a Melbourne travel agent. I was absolutely horrified at the cost. I was naive about group travel having always been an avid independent traveller. But since I was visiting the US, after 9/11, and because I was, and still am, very well informed about life in the States, I did not want to travel there alone. I reasoned that an American company should know their territory better than anyone else. Back then, I was not aware enough to actually query the difference between the quoted cost in US$ and the amount I was charged in A$. That was at a particularly low point in the A$/US$ relationship, but still.
That first trip to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons showed me what was possible for a group tour. Long story short, I became aware after talking to other Australian Tauck travellers, that no, I wasn't imagining things. There were some real issues for Australians travelling with Tauck. I was unaware then that all Australian bookings went via a general agent in Sydney. At that point I had decided never to travel with Tauck again. It was just too much trouble and too fraught with adjacent travel stuff ups. Flights that no longer matched the trip because it suddenly was no longer "available". Standard Tauck inclusions not provided. (You had to know the Tauck answer before you asked for it in Australia ... then be prepared to fight for it.) Just what you need in an overseas trip. Not. No, I wouldn't be dealing with them again. That was in 2008. The last day of that trip I discovered that I could deal directly with Tauck HQ. This year I will clock up my 21st trip ... I think. I've run out of fingers and toes. I realise I am very small fry in the Tauck numbers game, but by heck I've had to be determined to get to that number.
Every Australian Tauck traveller I have spoken to says the trip was wonderful but the process was "difficult". They generally admit that they wouldn't choose Tauck again principally because the "process" was, in one way or another, unsatisfactory. I have always advised them to deal directly with HQ, and raved about that experience. But unpleasant memories linger. Next time, and there is always a next time for Australian travellers, they use another travel product ... anything other than Tauck. There might be some buried euphemisms in there, but that's not what we are talking about.
I can't be accused of libel if I don't malign, defame or slander an entity. So I can't really address most of the quite logical points you raise, British. I can only "tell" you what I'm not telling you. Once an impression is formed in the mind of a consumer it's generally there for good. That's generally because the supplier doesn't care what the consumer thinks. The notion of rehabilitating their reputation doesn't exist because they are, naturally, above all that. Strangely, I prefer to do business with like-minded people ... professional and ethical. So, call me crazy!
We can't get an answer from Tauck. Amongst us all, we have certainly tried. The bottom line appears to be that we don't count because our business doesn't amount to a hill of beans. Our information is being "tailored" and we are being syphoned off. I would love to know, in three year's time, how many repeat Australian clients Tauck have picked up via the new arrangements. You can't stop people from talking and comparing notes. Travellers get around and meet up in hotels, planes, (occasionally) ships and airline lounges all over the place. Lots of people indulge in social media, however I don't.
But I still want an answer to my question from .... anyone in authority at Tauck.
Perhaps I had better check what the availability is now on my forthcoming trip. I might have even more opportunities to test my very poor French language skills than I thought. What fun!
Cheers,
Jan
Apologies for the delay in response, we are trying to get an answer for you as regarding when the website will be completed as well questions regarding booking policies.
This is a new area for us moderators as well, and we want to make sure we provide you with accurate information. I believe you still have my personal contact, please feel free to reach out in private as well.
We will share with you any and all details, once we have them.
Thank you for your continued patronage and your honest feedback.
-Emily
Thank you so much for your patience and understanding as we (the moderators) sought to procure the thought process regarding how Tauck does business in Australia. Below is the response we received from our Manager of International Sales, Josie, who in charge of our business in Australia. She has also included the contact information for Tauck's Business Manager Nick. Hope the details she outlined below will help provide more insight.
Thank you again and please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any additional questions or concerns.
- Emily
To All of Tauck’s Valued Australian Guests,
Our moderators for our social media site has brought your comments to me – I the Manager of International Sales at Tauck – and Australia is my top priority. I do want you to know that we absolutely appreciate and value customers from Australia. I see that some of you have had some issues in the past – we have heard about such incidents from past guests and travel agents. This is why Tauck has decided to make a strong investment in the Australian market, to show our commitment to in creating the same extraordinary travel experience with a focus on what the needs are in your marketplace. Here are some of the changes we have made over the last two years:
• We are now selling our 2017 tours and cruises in Australian dollars – the rate is set and stable. What is quoted as the price of one of our journeys at the beginning of your booking, will be the price by the time full payment comes along. Setting the rate will also keep our pricing stable in the Australian marketplace year after year. Due to selling in Australian dollar, all bookings can be made either by your personal Australian Travel Agent or you can call the Tauck office in Australia, which is in partnership with Travel the World in Sydney, at 1300-732-300.
• Our brochures are versioned specifically for the Australian market and a reflection on the type and length of Holidays that have been requested in the past year.
• Our website reflects these changes as well. I saw a comment saying that our website is unfinished – that is not correct. We have updated our website and it is available to all our Australian guests at www.tauck.com.au.
• We have hired a National Sales Manager in Australia, Nick Coward. Nick is a Tauck employee, who worked as a cruise director on our river cruises before taking this position. He is there to make sure both guests and agents are receiving the true “Tauck” experience and assisting you with anything you need. His contact email is ncoward@tauck.com. He will be available at the end of June, as he is going through some extensive training at the moment.
• We have placed our Tauck reservation system and Tauck certified reservationists to make bookings – these dedicated reservationist are trained on the system and then trained weekly on product along with monthly training by our National Sales Manager of Australia.
• Travel the World is still Tauck’s partner in Australia, but there have been many changes in leadership roles throughout the company, and all who are handling Tauck’s bookings are either Tauck employees or certified by Tauck, which means they have had extensive training, the same as our reservationists in the US.
• These changes are to benefit our agency partners and guests with the ability to make a booking in “real time” without the delay caused by the difference in time. Plus more updates, additions and benefits will be put in place as we fully transition as Tauck Australia.
• Time On Tauck – Time on Tauck is an offer of a free pre or post night hotel with every booking for 2016 and 2017 trips. This offer is only available to both new and past guests in the international marketplace. It is advertised in all of our brochures. To receive your Time on Tauck offer, you must book through our reservationists at Travel the World in Australia – this same offer is not available in North America.
I will continue to manage the Australian transition, working with an amazing, cross-departmental team in the US and Australia. We are all excited about being an integral part of the community and we will make every effort to assure the same professional customer service experience in your own marketplace, as you have had with your past experience with the US.
Thank you,
Josie Bielmeier
Manager/International Sales
Moving on to "the reply" to our concerns from Taucks Manager of International Sales Josie. Your statement was a true example of a good sales pitch. Shower the client with loads of information even if if much of it is just like icing on a cake, sweet but lacking substance. I'm sorry Josie but to me your reply had many holes in it. I wrote a detailed letter in October of 2011 outlining my concerns with Travel the World yet your changes have only been implemented over the last two years? I read and re-read your statement and every time it appeared to me that the "gift of Time" was now only available to Australian customers. I'm sure that would disappoint your major market in Nth America and there were many more.
Josie, perhaps you should check closely the T&C's of Travel the World - the very fine print where they are still charging clients nonrefundable fees and charges just for the privilege of booking your trip of a lifetime with them something that never occurred when I booked direct with Tauck via email.
I appreciate that finally you've put a bomb under the staff at Travel the World but in my case it was way too late. After the treatment I received in 2011 I would never use their services again if they were the last Travel Agent in Australia and it appears from your statement that the only way I can book with you again is to go through those charlatans. I'm sorry but that's never going to happen.
I've started my preliminary plans for my "Final Fling Adventure" for 2017 but again I'm sorry to report using Travel the World is not a part of the plan.
Rod