Learn the Pro’s and Con’s of Online Booking
Is it worth the trouble? This is the question bugging consumers lately. True, the convenience of online booking like travel to south african safari holidays or safari holidays is luring a lot of people to use this method to make their travel transactions. However, reports of credit card double billings and disputes have not escaped the hearing of consumers and cause great apprehension for some. Read on and decide for yourself if online booking is your field.
PRO: Online booking is much faster compared to getting the services of a travel agency. You get your e-tickets and hotel confirmation immediately after paying with your credit card. Booking online also saves you from waiting for airline and hotel rates. Travel agencies sometimes need to check for rates before getting back to customers.
CON: Internet sites and servers become prone to system failures and errors when there is a high volume of users trying to get promotional rates. This is one of the main reasons why customers would rather not book online. They feel its takes too much effort to wake up early to avoid the peak hours. Also, when the server lags and you click the refresh button, it can actually lead to multiple bookings and billings in your credit card, which can be difficult to reverse and is quite a tedious process.
PRO: Exclusive promotions such as those with discounted fares are often times available only to online customers. They are also priced much lower compared to travel agency rates. Price is actually the major come-on for online bookings.
CON: Promotional deals are usually based on inflexible policies. This includes non-refundable, non-rebookable, and non-transferrable. Should something come up you wont be able to change you travel dates. Travel agency issued tickets have more flexibility in the policies.
PRO: A very obvious advantage of online travel bookings is you are able to save up on gas because you don’t need to go anywhere and brave the traffic just to get your tickets and vouchers.
CON: If you encounter any problems with tickets bought online, it is much more difficult to get customer service as compared to having a travel agent you can immediately contact for any problem. The so-called hotlines are not at all helpful during these times. It would help if you remember important details such as weight limits for carry-on and check-in luggage, and tax inclusions; and for hotels, the exact location and access to public transport and tourist attractions, when booking online.
PRO: Online booking provides an extensive array of options that you can instantly gain access to. The options are easily navigable and simple to understand. Airlines present fares and schedules up to a week to help you decide which flight to get depending on your preferred fare and schedule. Hotel websites also show all the available dates, prices and options. These details are not immediately made known to you when booking is done through a travel agency or over the phone.
CON: Website experts use this interest of online users to direct them to another website to promote and sell a different product they might be interested in. These redirections abound in the internet and can be incredibly annoying.
PRO: Online booking is much faster compared to getting the services of a travel agency. You get your e-tickets and hotel confirmation immediately after paying with your credit card. Booking online also saves you from waiting for airline and hotel rates. Travel agencies sometimes need to check for rates before getting back to customers.
CON: Internet sites and servers become prone to system failures and errors when there is a high volume of users trying to get promotional rates. This is one of the main reasons why customers would rather not book online. They feel its takes too much effort to wake up early to avoid the peak hours. Also, when the server lags and you click the refresh button, it can actually lead to multiple bookings and billings in your credit card, which can be difficult to reverse and is quite a tedious process.
PRO: Exclusive promotions such as those with discounted fares are often times available only to online customers. They are also priced much lower compared to travel agency rates. Price is actually the major come-on for online bookings.
CON: Promotional deals are usually based on inflexible policies. This includes non-refundable, non-rebookable, and non-transferrable. Should something come up you wont be able to change you travel dates. Travel agency issued tickets have more flexibility in the policies.
PRO: A very obvious advantage of online travel bookings is you are able to save up on gas because you don’t need to go anywhere and brave the traffic just to get your tickets and vouchers.
CON: If you encounter any problems with tickets bought online, it is much more difficult to get customer service as compared to having a travel agent you can immediately contact for any problem. The so-called hotlines are not at all helpful during these times. It would help if you remember important details such as weight limits for carry-on and check-in luggage, and tax inclusions; and for hotels, the exact location and access to public transport and tourist attractions, when booking online.
PRO: Online booking provides an extensive array of options that you can instantly gain access to. The options are easily navigable and simple to understand. Airlines present fares and schedules up to a week to help you decide which flight to get depending on your preferred fare and schedule. Hotel websites also show all the available dates, prices and options. These details are not immediately made known to you when booking is done through a travel agency or over the phone.
CON: Website experts use this interest of online users to direct them to another website to promote and sell a different product they might be interested in. These redirections abound in the internet and can be incredibly annoying.
