How to vet an overseas travel agency
I am an American planning a trip to Vietnam, and I was planning to book through a travel agency located in Vietnam. In researching the travel agency, I found a lot of reason to feel good about the company:
- They have good reviews on TripAdvisor, including a "Certificate of Excellence."
- They have a professional looking website.
- They have been responsive and professional in email communications.
- They accept credit card payments through OnePay, which seems like a secure payment method.
As I was getting ready to pull the trigger and book with this agency, a few things made me nervous about the company:
- I noticed one negative review of the company, in which a traveler felt they may have been scammed by the company.
- One of the modes of payment listed was bank transfer to the individual bank account of a manager at the company (as opposed to a bank transfer to a company bank account). It struck me as unusual to ask for payments to an employee account instead of a company account.
This has really motivated me to take more steps to vet the travel agency before booking -- I would really hate to travel all the way to Vietnam only to learn that my trip had somehow been switched or canceled.
In researching how to vet companies, a lot of the advice I've found seems difficult to apply here:
- I don't know of any authority websites (like the Better Business Bureau in the US/Canada or Companies House in the UK) that I could use to look up Vietnamese companies.
- I don't know how to check the credit report of an overseas company (or if that's even possible in this case).
- I can't physically visit the company.
How should I proceed in vetting this particular agency beyond the steps I've already taken? More generally, how should one vet an overseas travel agency?
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How do you become a global travel agent?
How to Become a Travel Agent in 2021How do I verify a travel agent?
Look to the Better Business Bureau (BBB) for complaints filed in the company's primary area of business. Consider asking for client references, and contact those references to get the opinions of past travelers. You might also ask for comments about the provider on a travel message board.Is there still a demand for travel agents?
There's pent-up demand for travel. Travelers are ready to get back on the road, and they're already booking trips. ARC reported an August 2021 Travel Agency Air Ticket Sales Increase of 328% (from 2020). But the better news is that pent-up demand also translates to a higher demand for travel advisor services.How do tour companies get clients?
Here are 7 surefire ways to attract potential clients and grow your number of travel agent leads and increase your customer base:HOW TO FIND CHEAP FLIGHTS - My Best Tips After Booking 500+ Flights
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Quang Nguyen Vinh, Quang Nguyen Vinh, DoDo PHANTHAMALY, Rachel Claire