p24-25 letters July3 1/7/09 11:18 Page 24
Your letters
Homeworker feels let down
by Hays management
After reading Jill Gardner’s comment (TTG June
26), it is wonderful knowing that Hays Travel is
saving businesses and jobs in the travel industry.
Agent help when
However, I want to stress that I, as a Hays
Travel homeworker, have suffered because of this.
I rely on email and a telephone number
for my customer support team in Sunderland
and since the acquisition of Freedom Direct
Holidays I have wasted hours and money trying
chips are down
to get through to someone for some support
from head office for my customers.
I recently had an urgent problem with some I HAD a brilliant time at the Cruise like that, that’s why I came to see if
clients abroad and gave up trying to contact Convention, and especially
LET
you could help?”
Hays customer services for some help and enjoyed the fish and chips and Marvellous, isn’t it? We are
advice. I am committed and loyal to Hays Travel dancing in the street – and
OF THE
TER
known for giving a service, and
but have felt somewhat let down recently. thanks, TTG, for filming it and WEEK they know where to come when
putting it on ttglive.com for my they want it. But when the decision
Sharon Hard colleagues to take the proverbial. is being made about where to book,
personal travel consultant, Hays Travel Talking of chips, a lady walked into my the main consideration for almost everyone
office recently and showed me a $100 Holland I’ve ever met is still price.
■ Jill Gardner replies: Sharon has been an America Line casino chip. And some industry speakers at the
excellent homeworker at Hays Travel for many She said her husband had found the chip convention don’t get it. I have been selling
years now, and is right to have noticed our in his trouser pocket after they had returned cruises for 42 years and don’t have a problem
customer services team have been swamped from a HAL cruise, and she asked if I could encouraging new business, as my staff are
since the Freedom Direct acquisition in April. exchange it for them. well trained. The problem is keeping the
Regrettably, the takeover was more compli- I pointed out that they hadn’t even booked clients once they’ve been on the ships and
cated and messy than expected, putting a the cruise with me. She said: “Oh no, we always come into contact with passengers who have
strain on our customer services unit. book with a cruise club on the internet – their been given even bigger discounts.
However, added resources have been put in prices are better than yours.”
place to rectify this and we are confident our “But do they offer a chip-cashing service?” I Mike Bartram.
support service will resume its highly efficient asked. proprietor, Abbey Travel Worldchoice,
standards in the very near future. “Oh no,” she said. “They won’t do anything Selby, North Yorkshire
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