When Clients Violate Conduct Codes, Bookings Get Lost
byDori Saltzman/What happens when you mix too much alcohol, a belligerent cruiser and a cruise line code of ethics?
If that cruiser is one of your clients, you lose any future bookings that person may have had with the cruise line.
这就是happened to one Florida-based agency just a few weeks ago.
It started out okay. A long-time client and Carnival devotee departed on their cruise. All was going smoothly. Until it wasn’t.
While Carnival only reveals its exact reasoning to the guest in question, the owner of the agency told Travel Market Report the client admitted to having too much to drink and getting “very mouthy.” Beyond that, the guest claims not to remember the rest of the night.
What the agency owner does know for sure is that Carnival imposed a $500 fine – a relatively new addition to its code of conduct. And, three weeks later, the line cancelled the client’s nine future cruises. Needless to say, the agency’s commission on those cruises was not protected, leaving the client out of nine future vacations and the agency out nine commission checks.
Though there’s not much advisors can do to prevent such incidents from happening, the agency owner told TMR the experience highlighted just how important it is to point out to clients that cruise lines have a code of conduct. Whether they choose to read the full code of conduct or follow it, though, is ultimately up to them.