Dear Tammy: What do you do when one of your clients blames you for things that are out of your control? One of my clients recently contacted me because one of the tours they signed up for was canceled due to bad weather. How do I reply?
Tammy: Great question! It's important for you to understand how to deal with all types of clients, which is not an easy task. When your client blames you for things that are out of your control, it can definitely be difficult to know how to respond. You need to address their complaint in a way that makes them feel heard, which can be really difficult to do when they're blaming you for something that's not your fault.
I recently heard about a client who booked a trip to Paris. He had some issues traveling to Disneyland in Paris because the train that was supposed to stop right by Disneyland was not in service due to some riots that have been going on in Paris.
The travel agent was unaware, of course, because how much can they possibly know about what's taking place in every part of the world? Since the clients were not able to go near the station by Disneyland and instead had to take an Uber every day, they were not happy.
I have to say that I'm always surprised when I hear stories about clients who blame their travel agents when problems happen. It's just simply amazing how we, as travel agents, are found to be at fault for everything that happens, even in other countries. If the clients would have booked their trip online, they would have had the same experience, so at the end of the day, there's really no one to blame.
So the question is-are clients responsible when it comes to knowing what's happening in the places where they're choosing to travel to? Whose responsibility is it to know whether or not a trip is indeed safe for travelers, for families?
It's not fair that travel agents get blamed when things go wrong during one's travels. Are the shootings in Chicago our fault? Are the people who have recently died in the Dominican our fault, too? What about the airline strikes and delays, is that our fault? It's virtually impossible to be aware of everything that goes on in our world all the time, so what to do?
Stay calm. Listen well. Apologize (even though it's not your fault). Offer a solution or ask them what they want you to do to improve the situation.
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