How to avoid direct supplier booking problems as a travel agent?
Hey! I am a 25 male here and I’ve been working as a travel agent for a year and a half now and it seems as though I am still facing issues that are making my job hard but I really love my job so I’m trying to find solutions to my problems. I had a situation where I was helping a couple plan an anniversary trip for two weeks. We'd gone back and forth a few times, talked through different options and I was waiting for them to confirm their dates as a last step. Then I got an email saying they'd booked directly with the resort because it seemed quicker. Well, fair enough it's their trip.
A few lines later they asked if I could help fix their booking because the dates were wrong and their airport transfer wasn't included and now I was like What?
They booked directly so I don't actually have access to the reservation or any control over it. But I couldn’t just ignore them after all that planning. It made me realize this probably isn't the last time it'll happen.
So I'm wondering how you all handle this before it gets to that point. Do you charge a planning fee or set clear boundaries from the start?
Any good way of avoiding situations like this would be very helpful.