Author Topic: Re: Sears Travel (Read 7003 times)

Milli · « **on:** August 16, 2005, 10:59:00 AM »

I was just on the Sears Travel site and see that their prices are higher than those on other Travel Sites I have been watching. I was wondering if anyone has booked through Sears in the past and for what possible advantages besides the accumulation of Sears Points.

Shine · « **Reply #1 on:** August 16, 2005, 11:32:00 AM »

I have.
Originally started looking as all my other cards were maxxed and my Sears card wasn't and I wanted to go away ! The Club points help too !

Yes they are more expensive and admit it and use the excuse that they are a full travel agent with all the benefits ... which I disagree with, I knew more about my trip than the two different Sears agents I was using.

I told HER about the seat sale that I wanted to book, it was on the site, but she didn't know about it !

We booked Air Only and for that it wasn't that much more expensive and I got to put it on my card, but I don't think I'd ever book with them when there's so many less expensive places to book through.

JMHO

Bulldog · « **Reply #2 on:** August 16, 2005, 12:22:00 PM »

I know people that have used Sears Travel and got no extra service and IMO got ripped off !

Bulldog :s:

lunagirl · « **Reply #3 on:** August 16, 2005, 02:10:00 PM »

We've used them twice for AI vacs. First time we paid catalogue price and we are still sure we were not given the correct early booking bonus.

2nd time I had checked internet pricing and Sears charged $20 each more. Thought it was worth it to get the points and pick up tickets before we left.

Have also used them for air fares. Probably could have done better on the net but we were buying tickets for someone to come to Canada and trusted Sears more to have them at the other end for pick up.

We have also used Sun Holidays and were pleased with them.

Not sure what service TA can provide when you are buying from a catalogue. Since we got to where we wanted etc. I have no complaints.

P.

Tuss · « **Reply #4 on:** August 16, 2005, 05:52:00 PM »

If you know where you want to go then there is no reason to go to a travel agency that has all the bells and whistles. Go to an online site, or a discount site. If you don't know where you want to go, or it's your first trip, then an experienced travel agent can help you decide where to go. They are also good if you are planning a wedding, class trip or some other event where you have to coordinate plans for a big group of people.

After my first trip i started using Sunholidays.ca and have booked online with no difficulties after doing my own research. They are routinely 200-300$ cheaper for the exact same package when compared to the glossy agencies.

Milli · « **Reply #5 on:** August 16, 2005, 09:37:00 PM »

:) Thanks for the input. Collecting SearsPoints or using existing ones for the trip or even the 12 monthly payments are all worth considering. Just another thing to be thinking about ;)

Bulldog · « **Reply #6 on:** August 16, 2005, 10:34:00 PM »

Tuss, I agree 100% with you ;)

Bulldog :s:

mister · « **Reply #7 on:** August 17, 2005, 01:15:00 AM »

Only ever used them once. 12 equal monthly payments...no interest...pay after you get back...Sears Club points. Oh yea...forgot to mention that I didn't have a computer, nor had I ever heard of last minute sites/online agencies. Save the money and book online. I have udes itravel2000.com for my last 4 vacations and have absolutely no complaints whatsoever. JMHO :cool:

Milli · « **Reply #8 on:** August 17, 2005, 08:56:00 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by mister:
Save the money and book online. JMHO :cool:

Yes, well I guess I am doing this all backwards because I booked through Escapes (online) for our first trip. I have yet to talk to a tour operator except to ask for the catalogues. I was also perfectly satisfied. Searstravel is also online and I was wondering how they compete online with their noticably higher prices.

MCB · « **Reply #9 on:** August 20, 2005, 07:59:00 PM »

We book with a Sears travel agent on an ongoing basis.As others have said..yes, they can be a bit more expensive than doing the online discount route but:
We get Sears points (just cashed in $600 worth) that we apply to our future trips.
We also take advantage of their deferred vacation payment plan..paying a month or two after we get home (make certain to pay on time as their interest rates are "deadly").
The big plus for us ..is that we have gotten to know a travel agent..who is very well versed ..as to what we want.Hasn't let us down yet..so we'll continue this "relaxed fashion of booking our holidays" with him.
I do enjoy dealing with one person every year.

flopnfly · « **Reply #10 on:** August 20, 2005, 09:20:00 PM »

If you find a travel agent that you can trust to back you up if something goes wrong, or if they can make your vacation planning seamless then I say go with them.

I have never used Sears Travel, but I always check them out. I find them more expensive than some of the others.

The last couple of trips we've used Flight Centre but after this last fiasco I won't be going back. She had us booked on a non existant flight leaving at 12:15 when in fact our flight actually left at 7 am. If I had not been computer and travel savvy I would never have doubted her and just showed up at the airport for the 12 pm flight. :OMG:

Even if you trust your travel agent, I still advise you to do your research. After all it is your vacation, and you will be the one to benefit from your research.

mojitomiss_cuba · « **Reply #11 on:** August 21, 2005, 11:57:00 AM »

Heather, I would seriously like to know if any other Flight Centre users who were booked on this flight missed it.
Was the plane full?
Could not even begin to imagine showing up at the airport 3 hours early (9 am) only to be told that your flight left 2 hours ago.

I wonder if Flight Centre woke up after YOU corrected them on the flight times and advised all of the other passengers of the change in flight times.
Very, very poor service on this one

flopnfly · « **Reply #12 on:** August 21, 2005, 12:12:00 PM »

I'm not sure if anybody missed their flight or not.

The only reason I got confirmation of the correct flight times was because I called Sunwing directly. They took care of it from their end. Flight Center still does not claim any responsibiltiy for this, they said that Sunwing must have changed the flight times. Sunwing says that the times have never changed. Crazy stuff.

It all worked out well in the end, but I hate to think of those poor people that didn't know any better.

All the time that we spend on these boards is well worth it. We are more educated and we are sending out important messages to people that might be new to travel and really don't know what to do.

That's my justification for spending so much time on here. :D

LindaBT · « **Reply #13 on:** August 21, 2005, 12:32:00 PM »

We used Sears Travel for our trip in February. I had done my homework, wanted to book last minute, had narrowed down our search to three resorts, but had never booked online. I thought I would feel more comfortable with a real person.

Positive points: club points, you can pay in twelve monthly payments no interest.

Negative points: I spoke with two travel agents who did not seem to know much about the resorts I was interested in. The resort we finally booked was a 3.5 stars and they kept insisting that this was a very basic resort. We had been to a 4 star resort before, therefore we had some idea of what to expect. They probably wanted to sell us something fancier and more expensive.

They (as well as Nolitours/World of Vacations) were not up to date with things at the resort. When we returned (we had a lovely time) I went to the agency just to let them know so they could better inform other customers. The internet had not been working for at least 6 weeks. The mopeds and bicycles had all been removed for repair three months before. There was only one à la carte restaurant which was seafood and you had to pay to eat there. They were clueless.

But what surprised me the most was that although the price listed online was 703$ per person plus taxes, they wanted to charge us 865$ per person plus taxes. I insisted that we pay what was listed online, they argued that booking at the agency was more expensive because of the service. I insisted that I had done my homework and would only pay their online price. After some "checking", they booked the trip at the lower price. Because we insisted, we saved over 300$.

I can't speak for all personnel at Sears Travel offices, but these two could have been more knowledgeable. Also, when I went to pick up our tickets, I spoke with a third agent (the first two were not there) and had a question. She checked with Nolitours to make sure (question about the à la carte)and assured me there was no charge which turned out to be totally false.

Since I have discovered travel forums, I think they are the best way to find out recent information about a resort. By reading the resort reviews, you find out about the resort and get a good idea of what to expect. People who have visited these resorts can better inform you than the travel agent sitting behind a desk.
I'm sure some agents are more savvy but they are the exception.

Maybe I will feel confident enough next time to book online.

MCB · « **Reply #14 on:** August 21, 2005, 09:36:00 PM »

Hello LindaBT,

Have to agree with your opinion on various travel agent's lack of knowledge about our destinations.We have gone through countless agents in the past twenty years and I can count two who were exceptional in the sense that our bookings were prompt, our tickets arrived on time,any changes were brought to our attention immediately...
Before we go to book a vacation..we do a lot of research on our own and yes, we have brought some price discrepencies to Sear's attention who in turn corrected our billing.
Guess buying a travel package is like buying any other product..shop and compare.