A Cautionary Tale to Trini Wanderlusts

 

Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/jet-cloud-landing-aircraft-46148/

I am not writing this review with any mal intent but to evoke any self-reflection on the part of the owner of Mood Images Events & Travel. At no point will I advise you not to book with this agency, however, my documented experience should serve as a cautionary tale. I am also of the view that you should accept the part you play in your own suffering so, of course, I know that I did not hold the owner accountable on several occasions because all I wanted was a good trip. With that being said, let’s begin.

I really wanted to go on my first solo trip this year and this motivated me to continue accepting questionable service from this organization. I booked a 4 days-3 nights' trip to St. Lucia.

What motivated me to go with this travel agency?

•  I’m a Digital Content Manager – I create, curate & manage content for several local and international companies - so naturally content is what got me. The owner produces a lot of YouTube vlogs which illustrates her experiences at some of the hotels and countries that her customers have or will experience. I was sold because basically, no other agency I researched was doing that.
• The packages were reasonably affordable. Per the norm, single occupancy rates were a bit higher than double & triple occupancy but it was still reasonable.
• Reviews. The page’s Facebook reviews were generally good with one or two bad reviews here and there. I chalked it up to ‘you can’t please everyone’. At the time of posting, the 'Reviews' tab on the page's Facebook account was not available to me.

What actually happened?

•        I paid 100% up front for my trip. Although she offers payment plans, I was ready to go, so 100% it was. After sending the bank receipt and filling out a form provided by the agency which asks for the trip’s details, I was asked “what package did you pay for?”. This was my first red flag which I ignored because I was ready to go! I was told I would get a receipt for my payment, however, due to her having a busy week, she was unable to send. Eventually, I got it. Strike one. 
  
  
  
•         A couple weeks before my intended date of travel, I asked for itinerary so that I may present it to the bank to acquire US. Note, that I always initiated communication, never the other way around. I was told that I will receive it shortly. Didn’t receive it shortly. I got it eventually. The itinerary included names, birth dates and passport numbers of other customers who booked the trip with the organization - a major privacy violation - but, I was ready to go so again, I brushed it off. Strike two.
•            Back to the itinerary. Upon doing my research, I knew that Caribbean Airlines goes to St. Lucia every Friday morning to the George F.L. Charles airport which is in close proximity to the hotel. I assumed that this is the flight I would experience, but my assumption was incorrect. My flight was on British Airways, at night & it was going to Hewanorra International Airport which is 1.5 hours away from the hotel. No strike here because I should’ve inquired.
•            Hotel. My intended hotel was Bel Jou Hotel in St. Lucia, so I booked a private transfer from the airport to Bel Jou. When I inquired one more time about my trip – which at this point I felt like I was bothering the travel agent – I was told “well I didn’t get through with them (Bel Jou) so I upgraded you to Soco House Hotel”. The travel agent did this without my knowledge or permission. I said ok. I was trying to stay calm during this experience because I wanted my monies' worth. But this is strike three.
•       I persistently inquired about what I needed to state at the hotel when I arrived. I was told to give them my name and my passport number and so I thought, ‘hey, let me pre-book some activities at the hotel’. I emailed the hotel who informed me both 4 & 3 days before my flight that there was no record of a reservation for a ‘Paula Joseph’ for my intended dates. I reached out to the agency who then eventually sent me a booking confirmation number from ‘booking.com’. I double-checked with the hotel and they said they received the booking. Note well, they said ‘BOOKING’ and the site it was booked from.
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  
•       When I arrived at the hotel which was close to 11 PM, I gave them my credit card to pay the $6US per night tax – this was not included in the package and I was informed of such beforehand. The Hotel Clerk then asks, “are you paying for your entire stay one time?”. I was baffled but I said “no, this was paid for already”. According to their records, it was not. I asked them if I could pay for one night’s stay and come back down in the morning to catch my bearings. They told me to go ahead and stay and wait until the next day to see if it will be sorted by then. The hotel was very accommodating aside from some minor abrasiveness I experienced. This I chalked up to I was a non-paying customer. I got in touch with the travel agent who sent me a receipt from Expedia.com (note, not booking.com) stating that the stay was paid for. I returned to the desk that night to present the receipt and they reassured me that it was not paid for. Strike four.
•            Remember the other names on the itinerary? They pulled up. They were also informed that their trip was not paid for by the same agency. Strike five.

 

Cut to the next day:

I went down to reception the next morning who still confirmed that the trip was not paid for. I could not enjoy myself this way so I was willing to use my credit card and all of my spending money to pay for my accommodation and meals because although St. Lucia is comparable to Trinidad, it is still not home and to top it all of it was my FIRST SOLO TRIP outside of Trinidad & Tobago. Long story short – because it’s already long – at 11.48 am the travel agent Whatsapped me to let me know it was sorted. I went back to the front desk and they confirmed the same. Various credible sources stated that this is a tactic some agencies use to get the best rates and retain the most profit. I asked the travel agent what was the problem and I was told ‘Expedia’ was the problem.

 

I maintained communication with the travel agent because I was still processing all of this but upon reflection, this is some next level type drama I either watch on Netflix or reality TV. Now because of this experience, I am no longer interested in using the services of Travel Agents/Agencies anymore since I am quite capable to book my trips on my own. Ultimately, aside from the drama, I enjoyed my stay. Lesson learned.

 

A note to travel agents/agencies:

Please think about your Customer Journey & Customer Experience from the first point of interaction with your brand. You never know who you are interacting with but, at the very least you should always want the best content about your brand online or anywhere for that matter.

 

Safe Travels Y’all,

Paula