WITH the rise of the
increasingly savvy
consumer, travel
agents are at greater risk of
being blamed for travel plans
gone wrong, making it more
important than ever for travel
professionals to cover their
backs, industry experts say.
Agents should indemnify
themselves at all times, says
Stuart Goodall, ITC of
Travel 15. “If there’s no proof
of what you advised, clients
can say it never happened.”
There are a number of key
areas where indemnity is
particularly important.
Travel insurence
When it comes to travel
insurance, agents should
cover themselves by
gathering proof that they
have advised travellers to
purchase insurance.
Michelle Minnaar,
manager of Harvey World
Travel Plettenberg Bay, says
agents should be bold
about speaking to their
clients about taking travel
insurance, even though they
can’t offer them advice.
“Cheap tickets are often
non-refundable and, in many
cases, unless clients take
out insurance within 48
hours of having purchased
the tickets they won’t qualify
for some of the stipulated
reasons to cancel.”
What’s more, she says
many clients still believe
that credit card insurance
is adequate. Michelle says
this makes it important
for agents who have
clients who refuse to
take out insurance, to
sign a document stating
they believe their current
insurance is adequate.
Non-refundable items
The need for agents to
reduce risk is not exclusive
to travel insurance, says
Stuart. When it comes to
any documents that have a
non-refundable clause, you
should get your clients to
acknowledge that you
warned them about
forfeiting their cash if they
choose not to travel, he
says. Stuart says this can
be a problem, particularly
with specials where clients
are eager to take advantage
of a good deal before the
validity expires, but don’t
yet have a visa.
Health requirements
Health requirements are
another important aspect
of travel to keep in mind.
Stuart says agents should
ask clients to confirm
they have been advised
to go for the requisite
inoculations. “If a client
needs a yellow fever shot,
you can’t go and get it
done for them. This makes
it important for you to
prove you upheld your end
of the responsibility.”
Nonsensical itineraries
Stuart says that even if a
client chooses an itinerary
that doesn’t make sense
to him, he makes sure he
advises the client that it is
a bad idea. He says while
agents wouldn’t necessarily
indemnify themselves
against this, they should
retain proof on email.
Record everything
It’s important for agents
to leave a paper trail
of absolutely all their
dealings with clients, says
Carey Milne, senior travel
professional for CLM travel
and event services. She
says clients are increasingly
likely to take a chance
in blaming their service
providers, especially in SA.
“For this reason, all my
correspondence is done by
email.”
