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Gift of Time in 2013 is a "HALF GIFT" compared to 2012
I was dissappointed to find out the change in policy when I received the new brochure.
The Gift of Time is only ONE day, either pre or post stay, for 2013 tours with early booking for past guests.
In prior years, it was TWO days, either pre or post stay, of the Tauck tour.
I found the two days a good addition to the tour, as it allowed time to get over jet lag and have some free unstructured time. During a tour, the schedule can be busy -- or well choreographed.
As past guests, let guest/customer relations know that you would like TWO DAYS for the GIFT OF TIME restored.
Tauck wants the feedback from its prior clients.
The Gift of Time is only ONE day, either pre or post stay, for 2013 tours with early booking for past guests.
In prior years, it was TWO days, either pre or post stay, of the Tauck tour.
I found the two days a good addition to the tour, as it allowed time to get over jet lag and have some free unstructured time. During a tour, the schedule can be busy -- or well choreographed.
As past guests, let guest/customer relations know that you would like TWO DAYS for the GIFT OF TIME restored.
Tauck wants the feedback from its prior clients.
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Comments
Cheers,
Jan
Hello RR,
Thank you for your feedback. I will share it with our Executive Team.
Thanks,
Emily
Hi Jan,
The 2013 Exotics brochure was just released with four new tours:
The Best of China
Northern India and Nepal
Botswana, South Africa & Zambia
Kenya: A Safari Adventure
Hopefully the new brochure will make their way to you very soon!
Best,
Emily
Drat!
Cheers,
Jan
Steve
Hi Emily,
It certainly would be appreciated and welcome to receive a response from Tauck's Executive Team.
This Tauck Forum is comprised of a relatively small community of loyal Tauck guests. I would imagine the majority of Tauck past/new guests to be very substantial in numbers and don't frequent this forum on a regular basis or at all. With that said, their "voices" and disappointment will not be stated here but surely felt upon learning that a very good Tauck past guest reward for loyalty has been cut in half.
As I stated, previously, as others have stated as well, loyalty should be rewarded and we hope Tauck will reconsider their decision. Hoping the Executive Team does the right thing for all of us who believe in the Tauck product.
On the occasion of the trips I took last year, it was the first time I was made aware of this promotion. As I understood the offer, it was a graded offer in that some travellers were offered 1 night and others 2, dependant on how many Tauck trips they had taken in past years. It was also predicated on those qualifying trips being booked before the end of the previous year ... i.e. ... for tips in 2011, they had to be booked and a deposit paid before the end of 2010. (I'm not positive of the exact date, but November comes to mind.) I know this because last year I took 4 trips, all spaced within a few days of each other. But, I decided on the 4th trip later than the first 3, so did not qualify for the promotion for that trip to Glacier National Park.
For this year, 2012, I was also offered the promotion, provide I booked and paid the deposits before the end of 2011 and given that details for the trips I was interested in weren't available before November 2011, I had to make some pretty swift decisions and make some hasty flight choices for trips in September 2012. That's 9 months in advance.
I understood this promotion as a "discount" for an early bird booking. Because I had only been offered the "discount" for the first time for 2011 travel, I also assumed that either a) this was an entirely new initiative or b) it had not previously been offered to foreign travellers. Either scenario was entirely fine with me. A discount is great. It's a welcome bonus, but I didn't think of it as a right. I regarded it as a nod to the fact that Tauck had my money many months in advance of travel. I envisioned a cyber handshake on an amicable business deal.
I was, of course, always made aware that Tauck could book additional room nights, at the Tauck rate, should I wish to do that. In the past, depending on my travel plans I have taken extra nights at the Tauck rate and other times I've chosen to make my own arrangements, sometimes at the same hotel or at another hotel.
To be absolutely honest, I was amazed at Tauck's generosity with this offer. As an Australian and a regular visitor to the United States, I have been very well aware of the economic situation faced by US employers and citizens over the past recent years. I have no idea how Tauck runs its business or what kinds of hedging is involved. I'm just grateful they do what they do in such a professional manner.
If all you travellers in the States have been getting this discount for years, I say good luck to you! I very much enjoyed it last year and look forward to it in September. Either way, we all do pay for what we get. I'm sure Tauck would be happy to adjust their rates to extend all their trips by 2 days and call it .... gosh .... whatever the marketers dream up. Pre-tour free days, perhaps?
Cheers,
Jan
Hello Nyfeds,
We originally started the Gift of Time offer as a way to express our appreciation to our past guests. We were able to work with our hotel partners to secure room nights for their properties during the recent economic downturn. Now that both the global economy and tourism have recovered, our suppliers have not been able to offer us the same availability of rooms as we’ve enjoyed in the recent past. That is why, this year our offering was more modest than the previous years.
I have posted an official statement from the Executive Team as well on the Travel Forums here:
http://www.tauck.com/yaf/default.aspx?g=posts&m=5001#post5001
Hope this helps,
Emily
I hope this helps,
Emily
I thank you, Emily/Tauck Administration, for your kind response.
I have worked in the hotel industry for some time and have an understanding of supply and demand occupancy dictating availability and driving rate, as well as structuring group negotiated rates. I would hope that those properties Tauck has negotiated group rates and room blocks with continue to provide their services to accommodate Tauck groups. Hotel properties are always competitive to garner and retain groups each and every year and often times will go way above and beyond to retain such business.
Tauck's Gift of Time was indeed a gift to those who were lucky enough to receive it - my husband and I included. I do hope that Tauck will consider and offer past guest incentives in the future. Thank you.
Thank you, Tauck. We have been tremendously pleased with the tours we have previously taken with you and look forward to our tour through Northern Italy with you this September. And, we are now planning the British Isles with Tauck for 2013!
Really that was sad. you know it's just bad luck & you should not be worried. Hopefully on your next trip you can gain some thing better.
Karen J. Bergquist
CruiseDeals2U
Yes, the gift of time, whether one day or two, is a nice thing to receive, but I do not feel that it is an entitlement. I could always travel with someone else, however Tauck is the company that I will select first over others, with or without the gift of time. Thank you for your excellent service!
I agree with all you have stated in your post. We are also going on our 18th Tauck tour in August and have only received the "gift of time" three times. We looked at it as a great perk for the trip it was given. We have always been happy with all our Tauck tours and the quality has always been there. The program, the service, the Tour Directors and everyone at Tauck's Customer Service department have always been wonderful to deal with. We made a big mistake last year in booking another company because Tauck wasn't doing that tour. We paid more than a Tauck tour and were very unhappy about all the lies the company had in their brochure and what we were told by Customer Service when we called. We had a good time because we kept laughing with new friends we met. The laughs were all about our "big mistake". If those people want another free night at a "Tauck hotel", they can use American Express or other company points to stay at the five star hotel for free. We do this a lot. We have our free reservation at the W Hotel in Barcelona later this year because we didn't want to pay the asking price for an extra day there.
Sheila
As others have stated so well, there are several options for pre (and post) stays. Redeeming hotel points, booking extensions through Tauck, as well as checking out specials offered on 3rd party sites (Priceline, Hotwire, SkyAuction, etc.), and looking for specials offered directly on hotel websites, can offer additional nights pretty cost-effectively.
Yes, the Gift of Time has been tremendously welcome. But to not book with Tauck soley because the Gift of Time has expired for this year seems to really deny yourselves of an absolutely marvelous Tauck experience. I do hope those who have expressed looking elsewhere, soley because they will not receive this year's Gift of Time will reconsider.