What rights do you have with travel agents?

Cyrus

Cyrus

Winger
We are booked up to go to New York times square over new years eve for 4 nights. We booked through a local travel agent.
Yesterday they rang to say that they booked the trip through a company and that this company doesn't use the hotel we booked anymore. They offered us a hotel near the empire state building. They also said we could have a hotel on times square but we would have to pay the difference! They also said we could have a full refund which is no good as we want to go.
I've checked online and there are loads of hotel rooms available for the dates we booked in times Square.
In my mind they made an agreement with us for the trip to times square and it's upto them to put it right and foot the bill, as that's why you pay extra to go with a travel agent and not just book it yourself.
So before I go in this morning ...... Where do I stand legally and any advice what to say?
 


I think legally they have offered suitable alternatives so are covered, take some suggested hotels and see if they can sort for you.
 
Oh, and you’ll have to pay the difference. Their T&Cs will probably say similar. Not ideal but don’t let it spoil your trip.
 
I don't recall Times Square being anything special so, personally, that wouldn't bother me. My mate did the whole Times Square thing at New Year (actually being there at midnight) and said it was rotten. He had to be there hours in advance; no toilet facilities so if you needed a piss you had to leave and then they wouldn't let you back in. He managed to stick it out but said it was a bit of a waste of time and he wouldn't recommend it.

Good luck getting it sorted but don't become embittered if you can't or it might actually spoil your holiday.
 
Patch said:
I don't recall Times Square being anything special so, personally, that wouldn't bother me. My mate did the whole Times Square thing at New Year (actually being there at midnight) and said it was rotten. He had to be there hours in advance; no toilet facilities so if you needed a piss you had to leave and then they wouldn't let you back in. He managed to stick it out but said it was a bit of a waste of time and he wouldn't recommend it.

Good luck getting it sorted but don't become embittered if you can't or it might actually spoil your holiday.
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We are not doing the ball drop thing as you say it's an ordeal. We just wanted to be close to the shows, rooftop party and other things we booked.
 
Patch said:
I don't recall Times Square being anything special so, personally, that wouldn't bother me. My mate did the whole Times Square thing at New Year (actually being there at midnight) and said it was rotten. He had to be there hours in advance; no toilet facilities so if you needed a piss you had to leave and then they wouldn't let you back in. He managed to stick it out but said it was a bit of a waste of time and he wouldn't recommend it.

Good luck getting it sorted but don't become embittered if you can't or it might actually spoil your holiday.
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It’s ok, I think you’ve just succeeded in spoiling it for him. 😂
 
After the harsh pandemic trading conditions you would think they would move heaven & earth to deliver an excellent customer experience...🗣️

Let us know how you get on, in my experience a cool rationale is a better tonic than acting a bull.
 
Helvellyn said:
After the harsh pandemic trading conditions you would think they would move heaven & earth to deliver an excellent customer experience...🗣️

Let us know how you get on, in my experience a cool rationale is a better tonic than acting a bull.
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Nee good if they’re going to lose money by upgrading him though.
 
Cyrus said:
We are booked up to go to New York times square over new years eve for 4 nights. We booked through a local travel agent.
Yesterday they rang to say that they booked the trip through a company and that this company doesn't use the hotel we booked anymore. They offered us a hotel near the empire state building. They also said we could have a hotel on times square but we would have to pay the difference! They also said we could have a full refund which is no good as we want to go.
I've checked online and there are loads of hotel rooms available for the dates we booked in times Square.
In my mind they made an agreement with us for the trip to times square and it's upto them to put it right and foot the bill, as that's why you pay extra to go with a travel agent and not just book it yourself.
So before I go in this morning ...... Where do I stand legally and any advice what to say?
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id take the refund and book it myself and probably save a packet. Then you get the hotel you want. Wouldn’t rely on said agent for anything.
 
Goat Eyes said:
Nee good if they’re going to lose money by upgrading him though.
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Not sure, if it's a marginal loss of say £100-300 on the booking but the OP comes away waxing lyrical about the service then that can go along way when it's compounded by others. It won't work in isolation for the business but going the extra mile as standard will reap rewards
 
Helvellyn said:
Not sure, if it's a marginal loss of say £100-300 on the booking but the OP comes away waxing lyrical about the service then that can go along way when it's compounded by others. It won't work in isolation for the business but going the extra mile as standard will reap rewards
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Yep I always say customer service is easy when everything goes right. It's how you act when things go wrong that matters.
The hotel was canceled because the agent they booked the trip with no longer uses it.
RestlessNatives said:
This was my initial thoughts. You don't need to be staying on Times Square. Empire State Building is near enough. Unless you were actually planning on watching the celebrations from your bedroom window, I doubt it matters.
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We are not watching the ball drop. Just wanted to go to an open bar party in a hotel or bar. What the area like around the ESB ?
 
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Cyrus said:
We are booked up to go to New York times square over new years eve for 4 nights. We booked through a local travel agent.
Yesterday they rang to say that they booked the trip through a company and that this company doesn't use the hotel we booked anymore. They offered us a hotel near the empire state building. They also said we could have a hotel on times square but we would have to pay the difference! They also said we could have a full refund which is no good as we want to go.
I've checked online and there are loads of hotel rooms available for the dates we booked in times Square.
In my mind they made an agreement with us for the trip to times square and it's upto them to put it right and foot the bill, as that's why you pay extra to go with a travel agent and not just book it yourself.
So before I go in this morning ...... Where do I stand legally and any advice what to say?
Click to expand...
The best you can do is politely whinge like f*ck

Get your best negotiating head and politely make a nuisance of yourself.

Speak to the manager not the staff.
 
Helvellyn said:
Not sure, if it's a marginal loss of say £100-300 on the booking but the OP comes away waxing lyrical about the service then that can go along way when it's compounded by others. It won't work in isolation for the business but going the extra mile as standard will reap rewards
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Agree in principle but No business should be expected to either take a hit or make a loss because of a change outside of their control. They offer suitable alternatives, that’s all I’d expect.
 
Doesnt sound like theyre being too unreasonable.
Margins will be minute.
How do the other hotels score v original?

Have you looked at just sorting direct if you fancy hotel as much mate?
 
It's a 13 minutes walk from Times Square to the Empire State building, so you are still pretty close? If the new hotel is of a reasonable standard, just take it. Check out the TripAdvisor reviews, and be aware that many NY city hotel rooms are smaller than you might expect.
 

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