I've had the pleasure of knowing, and frequently interviewing, Claire Schoeder, an Atlanta-based luxury agent with Travel Edge for upwards of 15 years. During that time, Claire, who is also a columnist for AGENTatHOME, has educated me on what makes a good agent-something that all travelers should be asking themselves before they commit to booking with any advisor.
Vetting an agent does not have to be a difficult process. "Simply ask questions that you know the answer to and that a good agent will also be able to answer quickly," Claire recommends. "Questions with easy answers - passport validity, cancellation policies of major hotel chains, adaptor vs. converter for foreign travel - are a great way to start."
She also suggests asking about agents' experiences and why they chose careers in travel. "I know several people that just one day said they had become agents," she said, adding that these individuals had little travel experience and were simply there for free or reduced-cost trips. "A qualified agent will discuss her/his career with you. There will be a lot more the conversation than, 'I just like to travel.'"
Many successful agents came into the business from other careers-Claire was a teacher prior to being an agent. Ask about their past professional lives and what brought them to the travel industry. "Some of my colleagues were teachers, but also former doctors, lawyers, engineers and retired military," she said. "All talk about their former career paths and what brought them to travel. If an agent will not discuss why and how they became an agent, then a consumer should look elsewhere."
And if an agent has years of experience in the travel business, ask why they left past positions. "A good agent will answer the question with an answer that makes sense - a move, agency closed, better opportunity (pay) at a different agency."
She added, "I once had a client ask me when I got my first passport and do I know how many I have had through the years to determine if I was well-traveled. Another asked me for my worst travel experience, as he said that any well-traveled agent would have a personal horror story to tell."
Do not neglect to find out about agents' travel experiences. "You do not want to book a five-star trip with an agent whose travel experience is a three-day party cruise once a year," Claire noted.
Beware of agents that add fees after providing quotes on a trip. "All fees should be included in the quote and identified as such," Claire said. "An agent adding a fee after a consumer selects a trip should be avoided."
Another red flag agents who want clients to pay only cash via money transfers. "This is a huge red flag often indicating fraud," she said.
Honesty, of course, is very important. "If an agent doesn't know something, they should acknowledge that and let the client know they conduct research and get back to them with the information," Claire said. "We simply do not know it all, but we can find the information from someone that does know."
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