I love the columns written by Richard Turen and Charlie Funk because they focus on the mostly negative changes that are affecting our industry. Several of their pertinent columns are on my office bulletin board.
I agree 100% that the cruise lines need to reveal what noncommissionable fees are used for, and furthermore these fees need to be properly regulated. My guess is that they add a nice plus to the bottom line. I also wish there was some way to penalize them for "stealing" our clients.
I have been a cruise specialist for more than 20 years, and I used to do a booming business with Holland America and Princess, etc., but since they were acquired, I rarely book them and only at the request of the guest, as the amount of work required -- online registration, online changes, e-docs, paper luggage tags, etc. -- is not worth the revenue generated, to put it mildly. Focusing on the luxury all-inclusive lines and some of the upper premium lines, along with river cruises and tours, is the only way to continue to make a living in this industry.
This past week I had another upsetting experience. I booked two reservations for a gross sale of just over $8,000 at a very upscale resort which offered the Virtuoso amenity of an included breakfast. I am proficient at math, and lo and behold, the commission quoted was $75 less than the advertised 10% rate.
When I questioned this, the answer was that the cost of the breakfasts were noncommissionable. I voiced my displeasure, and the next day the charming reservationist called to tell me that the hotel would honor the full 10%. Agents need to be diligent about calculating commission on every sale. In this case, I would have been shorted a decent amount of money.
The same day, I received a commission recall by Disney Cruise Line for $37 for a cruise booked summer of 2008! Rather timely, wouldn't you say?
Name and affiliation withheld at the letter-writer's request
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