Stay away from this travel agency

I called up Avoya Travel & inquired about a few cruises. They transferred me to an agent named Jay Ravede. I spoke to him throughout the day regarding a couple different cruises on Fri. Oct. 5, 2012. I decided on the one cruise, Carnival Splendor, & he gave me a price of $2, 100 to include everything (ins. for two-my husband & myself, taxes, & port charges) & that it would be a $200 deposit. I asked him to see if he could hold it till Sun. Oct. 7, 2012 because I wanted to show the specific cabin to my husband. He stated he would hold it. I asked him if he is not available & we have an emergency is there someone we would contact (a backup)? He stated yes I have an associate and didn t tell me the associate s name. I asked him to e-mail me some information regarding cruises in 2014 & he mentioned he would. He also mentioned he would call me on Saturday and touch base, & he never called me. I left him a message on Sun. & I needed to go over the possibility of a different cabin w/ the same category because according to him the hold was set to expire on Sun. I waited a few hours & still no call from Jay. So, I called the 800# & asked if he was there, & if he wasn t could I talk to his associate. They gave me a lady named, Ms. Cesario. I tried to explain the situation to her & she stated she would try to call & e-mail Jay. She e-mailed me stating she couldn t reach him & would let me know when she did. I then called her & she mentioned there was nothing on hold with Carnival. I asked could you match what he promised & she stated no. I then spoke to a manager who was able to connect me to Jay. I explained to Jay I left him a message & I was trying to reach him & he didn t call back. I also told him I never received the e-mail that he stated he was going to send me. I asked him for a confirmation number, & his response was I just woke up & did you ask for another agent because I don t see your information-your lead is not here. I explained no I didn t ask to switch agents, I asked to speak to your associate & they connected me to Ms. Cesario. He stated she is not my associate. He stated he will find out what is happening & get back to me. He never called me back. I got 2 other e-mails from someone else, his name was Alex. He mentioned I heard you were working with Jay & gave me his phone number. I later spoke to another manager who tried to connect me with a lady named Matty. I explained the situation to her & she said that cabin is $2, 234.88 & what Jay did by offering it to you at $2, 100 was illegal. I explained I did not know that. But, the price you are quoting me is exactly the same price as Carnival so why would I go with you & she stated because you could reach me at 7:50 pm on a Sunday night. I explained that Carnival is 24 hrs. a day. So, I won t be going with her. I also asked who I could report what Jay did to & she stated she would report it.

I am an Avoya Travel Agent and have worked with this company for 25 years. Sure, you can sometimes get an agent that you have difficulty working with, not all personalities are going to click. With the hundreds of agents afflliated with Avoya Travel, you can be reassigned to someone that is more to your liking. When you start your process in working with a travel agent, don't be afraid to ask questions regarding their professional background. How long have they been an agent and do they have specialties. Perhaps your particular form of travel isn't their forte. You can also request an agent in your time zone so you don't have to worry about that issue.