PICTURES: ISTOCK
MYSTERY SHOPPER
The target
Maidstone, Kent
Wanted
A late week-long
summer holiday
to Bodrum for
a couple
This week Mystery
Shopper wanted a trip to
Bodrum and had a budget
of about £750. What a
disappointing search.
Apart from Thomson,
she received, at best, an
odd consultation, and
at worst, appalling. The
bright agent at Thomas
Cook managed to salvage
the situation, but from
Mystery Shopper’s
experience, Air Travel
Consultants and First
Choice need to go right
back to the basics of
customer service.
❯ See Destinations,
pages 31-38, for more
on Bodrum
If you’re manning the
Bureau de Change,
what’s your priority –
that or the customers?
Log on to www.
travelweekly.co.uk/
blogs/communityeditor-blog
26 | Travel Weekly | July 3 2009
First Choice
201 Water Lane
28%
A nice looking
agency, but it had a
grubby carpet. All
the agents were on the phone and I
was eventually served by the bureau
de change consultant, who made it
obvious she didn’t want to serve me
by constantly referring to being in
the bureau. She said ‘doubt there will
be anything available at that price’
when I told her the budget. There were
long silences while she searched her
5TOP
TIPS
Tip 1
Air Travel
119 Week Street
21%
The agents were right to
warn Mystery Shopper
about Bodrum’s lively
nightlife, but it does have
a diff erent side. The resort
is crammed with classical
ruins, including the
Mausoleum of Mausolos,
one of the Seven Wonders
of the Ancient World.
The interior of this
agency had an
amateur feel, with
cluttered desks and a mishmash of
destination pictures on the walls.
All agents were on the phone and
didn’t acknowledge me. When I was
served, the consultant searched her
computer for about 10 minutes, during
which she took a phone call and
chatted to her colleague. She quoted
£858 for the two-star Duygulu Hotel
computer. She quoted the four-star
Parkim Ayaz Gumbet for £770 with
Thomas Cook Holidays. She didn’t
save the details, and spent another
10 minutes fi nding it when I asked for
a print out. She said she couldn’t print
out the details because I hadn’t wanted
to give her my phone number, and her
tone was fairly argumentative. I left
with a suitable option, but wouldn’t
visit the agency again because of poor
and unfriendly service.
Thomas Cook
249 Water Lane
82%
Although the
agents were busy,
I was immediately
acknowledged by the agent from
the bureau de change. There were
two customers ahead of me but after
fi ve minutes an agent approached
me. I was surprised when she said
she wasn’t serving customers, but
informed me another agent would
be with me shortly. I was escorted to
another agent who said she was in the
Tip 2
Mystery Shopper wanted
to experience some real
Turkey, and Bodrum
is part of a peninsula with
plenty to explore, for
example, the villages
of Torba or Yalikavak.
Tip 3
Pegasus Airlines and
easyJet have launched
direct fl ights from London,
so while it’s cheap to get
there, there is also luxury to
be found in and around
Bodrum, for example the
Bodrum Princess Deluxe
resort in Golturkbuku.
but didn’t know much about
Bodrum. She was only enthusiastic
when trying to switch-sell to Cairo or
Tunisia. I was given a print out with
poor quality photos.
The service didn’t impress me.
The consultant showed little interest
and didn’t establish a rapport.
The agent said the company off ered
the best prices, but all the other
agencies gave cheaper off ers at
more appealing hotels.
middle of something and waiting for
a call back, but the fi rst agent ignored
her. The second agent was friendly,
and was honest about the resort,
saying the nightlife might be lively.
She quoted £660 for the two-star
Istankoy Hotel with Thomas Cook.
It was bizarre to be greeted by an
agent who wasn’t serving, but
the second agent made a suitable
recommendation, was helpful and
established a good rapport.
Tip 4
Suggest clients get out and
explore the area – they can
either rent a car or suggest
a gulet cruise along the
coast’s hidden coves.
Tip 5
For more product
knowledge about Turkey
visit Gazetteers.com . The
site also contains photos
of resorts and hotel reviews
from fellow travel agents.
www.travelweekly.co.uk
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