p38-39 MS jun26 23/6/09 16:29 Page 39
ttglive.com
mystery shopper knowledge
This week’s contenders: high street v internet
Ilkeston Co-op Travel Thomas Cook Portland Holidays Travel Republic
294 High Street 4 Cornhill Pavement Portlandholidays.co.uk Travelrepublic.co.uk
The store was The store was The site was I did not find
empty and the quiet and the easy to navigate this website
consultant agents were and prices very user-
was quick and standing were clear. The friendly. It was
efficient. They around search function quite slow at uploading
established the basic require- chatting as I entered. I was was basic and did not request pages and crashed on several
ments of my holiday but with not impressed when they lots of detail. However, it occasions. I felt that the
minimal discussion, so it continued to chat loudly about found a suitable option within selection of the hotels was
would have been nice if they non-work-related matters as I budget which was the cheapest poor and the quality of the
had indulged in more conver- was being served. However, I of all the tested channels. The property images were not up
sation. I was offered extras, was asked for lots of details site also offered an additional to scratch. I did manage to
such as foreign currency, about my requirements, web discount and the package find a half-board holiday
airport parking and insurance. including my budget. The was all-inclusive. Travel within budget but the
The agent then promptly agent then quickly found an insurance was offered as an standard did not look as
found a good all-inclusive affordable all-inclusive option. extra. I enjoyed this relaxing high as the others I had been
option, as a half-board basis I was not pushed to book that method of booking as there offered elsewhere. I was not
was not available. This was day, but extras such as insur- was less pressure to do so prompted to buy extras but
easily within budget and I was ance, currency and airport compared with the face-to-face there were links for insurance,
encouraged to book that day. parking were suggested. scenarios. transfers and parking.
✔First impressions ✘ First impressions ✔First impressions ✘ First impressions
✔Sales process ✔Sales process ✔Sales process ✘ Sales process
✔Product match ✔Product match ✔Product match ✔Product match
✔Incentive to book ✔Incentive to book ✔Incentive to book ✘ Incentive to book
This week’s winner: Portland Holidays
I was not impressed by Thomas Cook staff who chatted among themselves
next
and ignored customers. Travelrepublic.co.uk was too cumbersome to use.
week
It was a close call between Portlandholidays.co.uk and Ilkeston Co-op
Travel. Ilkeston’s service was good but the holiday was more expensive
than the website’s, and they requested a larger deposit and credit card fee.
Mystery Shopper
Portlandholidays.co.uk
offered a price that
I would have opted for the Portland site: it had the best price, and the site
goes to the east
beat the other options
was easy to use. I was offered seven nights’ all-inclusive at the Club Hotel
Riu Karamboa, flying from Manchester on December 14, for £1,230.
26.06.2009 39
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