The story started a few weeks ago when I was contacted via email to help plan a trip for 4, two weeks total where they would be traveling Ireland and Scotland. Easy, I've done both and most people know I can talk about travel for hours on end whether it's on the phone or through email.
The questions were generic at first and I quickly answered each subsequent email quickly, thoroughly and honestly including how travel agents get paid, surcharges (none!) and costs.
Clue #1
Then things took a turn and I started to get worried about the time I had invested in this client... a member of the group received and email for a special and they wanted to see if I would offer them the same deal. This is typically a sign that clients are using us for planning their trip and have no intention of using our services but I stayed calm and asked that they forward the special along and I would try to match it if it was valid... after all I really do try to get my clients the best deal there is.
The deal was a 6-night Blarney Golf Resort Package for $599 per person, clearly not what they had explained to me about their trip via email. 5-nights at Blarney and a final night in Adare Manor is quite different than 14-nights traveling around Ireland, staying in different locations and exploring on your own. I explained this and they agreed that it was not what they wanted and I made sure they knew I had the same special listed on my website -- so yes, they could get if if they wanted to stay in the same location for 5 nights.
Clue #2
After not hearing from this potential small group, an email came through which detailed a verbose itinerary with lots of questions but not the outline of locations as I had previously requested. Unfortunately I find it easier to see a list of dates and locations to make suggestions, determine if they are spending too much time in one area or an area that I wouldn't suggest and I made the mistake of asking for this and stating that I have to be careful of how much information I divulge for free because potential clients have devoured my advice and then walked into a travel agency and booked the package to save $25.
The potential client was extremely agitated which was evident from the following email:
I'm getting a bit frustrated. I think i've done an awful lot of work here & i'm waiting for you to do some. At this point I could practically book it myself. As our flights are already booked we are hardly going to pull out.
In the last email I stated B&Bs, castles, cottages - locations & dates. What more do you want please?
Yes, this was the response to me asking for an outline of the verbose email and questions so I could at least get a price quote for the client to make sure we were in the right ballpark as far as rates.
Apparently my detailed emails about her itinerary, suggestions and information did not constitute work on my end. Apparently I had done nothing at all but wait, the verbose email didn't tell me anything about the types of accommodations they wanted -- B&Bs, hotels, etc. So I did need just a bit more... and I went through her email in detail, creating an outline of dates and locations, assuming B&Bs for accommodations and sent it back to show what I was looking for. I even asked that she call me on my 800 # so we could talk as email was losing something that we typically need to establish a relationship -- voice inflection and personal detail. These items get lost in email.
Final Straw
After talking on the phone for 90 minutes (my call to Canada of course), I did talk about the reasons why I said I needed to watch how much information I dispensed and discussed the clues above... having been proven over the past 10 years or so. She made no apologies on her end and we walked through her itinerary in detail, changing her from staying in Limerick to elsewhere, suggesting a more economical castle than a 5-star property, recommending a wonderful hotel in Doolin rather than trying to find a B&B, dropping the car off when in Dublin to save $$ and even the hidden costs in a cottage rental for a short period. The conversation had gone real well I though we were on the same page with tuning her itinerary and removed any doubt about the value of my services.
I worked up a quote quickly form our final email and sent it over... it "looked good" and she would discuss it with her group.
A new email came shortly after that my quote was $1200 more than what they had worked up but the note was so sweet:
:) And $1200+ for a 90 min phone call and some advice seems a little much. :)
I asked for a copy of the quote they had to make sure they were comparing apples-to-apples which is typically not the case. Someone has an economy car instead of a full-size or they chose automatic when I quoted a manual... and even better, they asked me for a B&B but booked a hotel.
What I received was an email back listing the charges they had worked up for each individual property, including my recommended hotel in Doolin but these rates are unsubstantiated -- anyone can make up an invoice and put numbers in order for me to go back to my suppliers to get better rates I need invoices and not a typed email.
I could see this coming and it's typically because someone can save $25 - $50 but $1200 is considerable -- but I cannot just take these numbers as true unless I see invoices.
In the end this person worked me, making me feel as though I wasn't helping her and that opened the door for me to divulge everything and make their trip perfect while they go elsewhere with my information.
It's one of those things where people want to book with Travelocity or Orbitz but they know they won't get the personal advice so they find someone experienced and pretend they're going to book with them... but all of a sudden then send the email... "Something came up and we can't make the trip this year" which means they've taken your work and gone elsewhere. Happens all the time.
