Emailing your way out of business
Discussion
I want the collective PH advice on if I should kiss this travel agent in Ethiopia bye-bye and get someone else.
Bear in mind this is Ethiopia so English is not their native language and also contacting new travel agents there is a bit of a ball ache.
I want to rent a 4WD+driver for about 8 days at a cost of around US$1,600 for a drive around the North of Ethiopia.
We have exchanged 5 x emails each so far. Their emails have been helpful but wouldn't have taken them much time to prepare. They have given me an itinerary, but it is mostly a cut and paste job out of a standard tour with dates edited to suit me.
Anyway, the last email contained this sentence as a sign off from the tour manager (who has not emailed me on the previous 4 emails):
"By the way we only give as much information for those who buy package tour but not have time to write many e-mails for those who only rent car from us, since we are so busy."
So, bye-bye this agent or no? Would you think things are likely to go wrong?
Bear in mind this is Ethiopia so English is not their native language and also contacting new travel agents there is a bit of a ball ache.
I want to rent a 4WD+driver for about 8 days at a cost of around US$1,600 for a drive around the North of Ethiopia.
We have exchanged 5 x emails each so far. Their emails have been helpful but wouldn't have taken them much time to prepare. They have given me an itinerary, but it is mostly a cut and paste job out of a standard tour with dates edited to suit me.
Anyway, the last email contained this sentence as a sign off from the tour manager (who has not emailed me on the previous 4 emails):
"By the way we only give as much information for those who buy package tour but not have time to write many e-mails for those who only rent car from us, since we are so busy."
So, bye-bye this agent or no? Would you think things are likely to go wrong?
I would say that you are not their core business, but in fact you are seeking their expertise to go your own way and hence almost competing with them - depending on what you're asking them of course. They are selling tours based on experience and knowledge of the area and would rather you pay for that. They are right to be defensive.
I assume you have looked at this? https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/ethiopia
I assume you have looked at this? https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/ethiopia
Yes I know about the travel advice and am not planning on going to the areas which are not recommended.
I wouldn't say I'm competing with the travel agent - car and driver hire is prominently displayed as a service on their website so I'd be using a car and driver hired off them to complete an almost standard itinerary available of any Ethiopian travel agent (well Ethiopian travel agents who actually answer the phone, which isn't that many).....
I wouldn't say I'm competing with the travel agent - car and driver hire is prominently displayed as a service on their website so I'd be using a car and driver hired off them to complete an almost standard itinerary available of any Ethiopian travel agent (well Ethiopian travel agents who actually answer the phone, which isn't that many).....
creampuff said:
Yes I know about the travel advice and am not planning on going to the areas which are not recommended.
I wouldn't say I'm competing with the travel agent - car and driver hire is prominently displayed as a service on their website so I'd be using a car and driver hired off them to complete an almost standard itinerary available of any Ethiopian travel agent (well Ethiopian travel agents who actually answer the phone, which isn't that many).....
From the info in your posts, it sounds like.I wouldn't say I'm competing with the travel agent - car and driver hire is prominently displayed as a service on their website so I'd be using a car and driver hired off them to complete an almost standard itinerary available of any Ethiopian travel agent (well Ethiopian travel agents who actually answer the phone, which isn't that many).....
You're getting free information that other people normally pay them for. They're an african company working on tiny margins and they think you're taking the pi$$.
You're just paying for the car. Why do you expect a free itinerary from them?
el stovey said:
Why do you expect a free itinerary from them?
Unless Ethiopia is different to other developing countries, if you hire a car and driver you end up staying in hotels who pay commission to either the tour company, the driver or both. They are also unlikely to rent me a car+driver unless they know where I'm going. 
It's US$200/day for a 4WD inclusive of driver, fuel, drivers accommodation. A bit expensive for a developing country and I've certainly done cheaper, but not ridiculously expensive. Perhaps not even expensive since fuel is included. You could easily burn up $50 worth of fuel a day.
Obvs the $200 excludes the hidden commission paid to them from staying in their recommended hotels.
It's quite hard to organise stuff in Ethiopia. Phones don't work, places don't have websites, when phones do work you spent your time saying HELLO! CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?
Obvs the $200 excludes the hidden commission paid to them from staying in their recommended hotels.
It's quite hard to organise stuff in Ethiopia. Phones don't work, places don't have websites, when phones do work you spent your time saying HELLO! CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?
The only experience I have of anything similar is in India. The hotels have accommodation that is provided free for the drivers and is very basic. The cost of that is already factored into the cost of the room.
The phone system sounds like India too, although the mobile system works much better
The phone system sounds like India too, although the mobile system works much better
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