Has Tauck Admin misplaced their Reply button?
Over the years I've enjoyed a long distance relationship with the people at Tauck by getting all the information I could need by email. For some reason this appears to have stopped. This year whilst I've had no problems communicating when it comes to giving them money they have not replied to three emails I've sent them making general inquires. The first early this year was to the IT people about a problem I was having on the Australian site and because it appeared widespread I was not concerned that they didn't reply. The second a couple of months back was about our upcoming tour and by chance I found the information on the forum but I'm still waiting for a reply to my email. On the 16th April I sent another question to Tauck and once again I'm still waiting for someone to find the reply button and send me an answer.
I suppose what annoys me the most is that I have to come to social media and this board to generate enough noise and dummy spitting to get someone from the front office to take the time to find my email and respond to it. Since 2010 I've been a strong advocate of Taucks on many travel boards telling anyone who would listen about their superior product and great service. I was even accused on the Cruise Critic River Cruise board of being a Tauck Shill (whatever that is). So to make it clear I have no problem with the Tauck product just their inability to reply by an email to a customer who has spent many tens of thousands of dollars on two Tauck trips back to back this year in celebration of our anniversary. I don't want an apology or an excuse just a simple answer to my simple question. I look forward to that email tomorrow.
I suppose what annoys me the most is that I have to come to social media and this board to generate enough noise and dummy spitting to get someone from the front office to take the time to find my email and respond to it. Since 2010 I've been a strong advocate of Taucks on many travel boards telling anyone who would listen about their superior product and great service. I was even accused on the Cruise Critic River Cruise board of being a Tauck Shill (whatever that is). So to make it clear I have no problem with the Tauck product just their inability to reply by an email to a customer who has spent many tens of thousands of dollars on two Tauck trips back to back this year in celebration of our anniversary. I don't want an apology or an excuse just a simple answer to my simple question. I look forward to that email tomorrow.
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As an aside … sort of … your issue concentrated my mind on my own forthcoming trip. Sometimes I do everything by phone and other times I follow the same Tauckres email trail I started at the point of first inquiry for a trip. And that's the trail I usually follow when the time comes to provide my arrival information, usually many, many months further down the time line. I was wondering which communication avenue you were following when you hit the rocks? Mostly for the selfish reason of trying to avoid any similar issues myself…. I am aware that the Australian free phone service has changed the access times and for all the well-known reasons I do not want my call diverted to Sydney. That would truly be a fate worse than death!
Cheers,
Jan
After our debacle with that Sydney agent in 2011 we decided that we'd go through Tauck reservations in the U.S.A to book our holiday this year. I could never trust that any number I called would not be diverted to Sydney so email it was going to be. We started the process around this time last year as I wanted to find out dates that were suitable for back to back tours/cruise and that's when I found my Tauck guardian Angel Emily. She helped me initially and when I couldn't get an answer to a booking issue she was always on the spot to solve the problem. She even gave me her email address but like all stubborn males I didn't want to be seen to be running back to Emily every time I couldn't understand something in the booking process. At times I've had no responses from all of their email addresses but most times there was a plausible explanation. The one that gave me heartburn this time was their guest@tauck.com address. I'm pretty sure that because they have so many email addresses available for the public to contact them on, that emails, like mine, simply fall into an Admin crack.
I'm not sure what avenue you should pursue other than their reservation email address which, because it involves the customer paying dollars, always answers promptly. This year I'm providing my arrival and departure information both on the website and by email and yes I'll copy it to Emily this time.
I'm a big fan of Tauck and I tell anyone who'll listen that they should include Tauck in their initial planning before making a decision but I also believe that in this day and age of information distribution that you shouldn't have to stamp your feet, cry and spit the dummy just to get some attention but sadly you do as this incident showed.
All the best for your next trip Jan.
Rod
I know Tauck HQ has put a lot of effort into the Australian connection in the past year, going so far as to embed one of their staff into that unmentionable Sydney connection for 6 weeks or so. I can only assume that international agency agreements are very mysterious and that they last a long time! I can't imagine anyone who's had any dealings with those who shan't be named would ever do so, knowingly and willingly, again. Of course, it works both ways. Tauck are dealing with many more in-bound tourists than they used to and I'm sure it must be very helpful to have a local agent to co-ordinate the American bubble that provides a very fleeting peek at Australia. And further, if local knowledge can encourage Tauck to take pictures of naive foreigners manhandling marsupials out of their brochures, I'm all for it. I would much rather they cuddle a Sarcophilus harrisii. But that's another story and evolution takes time.
Like you, I've seen the ads on SBS for that other travel company who deal in European river boat trips. I gave up checking them out when I couldn't find the cost of a single occupancy cabin, commensurate with a Tauck cabin on a similar trip. All too hard to find a bottom line price when you have to add deck surcharge after this & that surcharge and still not find that illusive single, all inclusive price. Could I find the details of land accommodation? Hotel supplements? Of course I couldn't. Not even the promise of unlimited grog can dispel the vision of a boatload of ageing kontiki frequent flyers. I know. I'm being unnecessarily harsh. But the other tour crowd just can't match Tauck's value for money. Or frankly, their class.
It was much easier to make phone contact with Tauck on the free phone number when you just had to get up early or stay up late to coincide with NY time. Of course, you have to contend the States being behind us, so that bright, weekend idea, and Monday morning call from Australia to the States will go on deaf ears … because it's still Sunday. Still, I guess I'll stick with the Tauckres addy I have and/or the phone. If I make myself a little hamper, maybe I can get up early enough to make the call!
Have fun on your trips. And let me know if you find out what a Tauck shrill is. Maybe that's something a bogan would know about?
Cheers,
Jan
Hi Rod,
Once again, we apologize for the untimely response to your emails. We try to respond to all of our guests' emails within 24 hours. We have identified the problem and have spent the day making sure it gets rectified.
Thanks,
Tim
We take great care in selecting partners who share our values and our commitment to guest satisfaction. Anytime a guest has a concern with the service or performance of one of our partners, we take it very seriously, as if that failure were our own. I spoke with our Vice President of Global Sales, and he wanted to invite you to reach out to him personally with any comments or concerns you have with our agency partner in Australia. He would like to assure you we will work to address your concerns immediately, so that you may book travel with Tauck in the most convenient way possible.
If you would like to contact him directly, please let me know, and I will put you in contact with him.
Thanks,
Tim
Ouch! Maybe if one of those toothy little buggers was tranquilized first.
In addition to that guy, you folks down under have all sorts of "safe, cuddly critters"!! - Dingo, Wombat, Cassowary, Crocks, blue-ringed octopus, Pfeffer's flamboyant cuttlefish, etc. C'mon, if it weren't for Pandas and Koalas, animal loving Tauck travelers wouldn't have many animals they could hold. Though the Meerkats will sit on your head, I doubt they'll let you hold them. Maybe we can talk Tauck into adding Madagascar to one of the Africa trips so we can hold a Ring-tailed Lemur. Blame it on Disney movies, cartoons, stuffed animal, and National Boards of Tourism! According to the Australia Koala Foundation, the Koala is worth $1.1 billion & 9000 jobs. I'd like my Koala diapered first.
After we returned home in October 2011 I wrote a long and detailed letter addressed to your CEO and Mr. Arthur Tauck about my concerns with your Australian Agent. As a result of that one of you senior people a Ms Angela (Caes) rang me in Australia to discuss the matter. I realised then as I do now that nothing I said would make any difference to the way your agent down here does business. I consider them to be lower than charlatans and that doesn't leave them much further to fall. Under no circumstances would I ever use them again. That is why this time I did everything via email with your head office. Thank you for the offer to talk with your VP but as I've had no contact with your Australian agent since 2011 I could add nothing to the conversation that wasn't already outlined in my letter at that time. You may give him my details Tim and if he wishes he may contact me.
And congratulations, Alan, for using that word in a delightfully appropriate manner. Well done. I'm glad we've learned you something.
Cheers,
Jan
I haven't used them since calling Tauck HQ in desperation and they rescued a nearly "fatally" compromised trip to California in 2007. And I didn't even realise they were the problem because I had used a travel agent. I didn't know then that all Australian travel agent bookings go via the general agent. I discovered that while talking to a couple from Sydney on the rescued Highway 1 trip … who'd had their own tale of woe to tell. Since then I have dealt directly and exclusively with HQ, so I don't have any recent or relevant comments to add, either. I just add a warning to any Aussies I meet on Tauck tours. Considering how we are such great travellers, I haven't met many others in the past few years. Which is odd, really. I've certainly never come across any repeat Aussie customers, which is far more telling.
Cheers,
Jan