Target (Travel Agents Reform Group Engaged Together) said some members had expressed concerns about the way some operators were not paying commission to agents on deposits and for cancelled holidays where clients were still charged.
The group’s co-founder Graeme Brett, from Westoe Travel, said: “We have been contacted by travel agents telling us of their frustration at receiving no commission payment from a small number of tour operators for deposits and bookings cancelled where a charge is made to the customer.
“If a customer is due a full refund, we fully accept that travel agents will not receive any commission.”
Target is calling for operators to agree to its Fair Share Code which would see them commit to pay the agent’s commission on deposits from customers “instantly”.
The code also states operators should pay the “relevant” commission rate to agents when a booking is cancelled and the customer loses their deposit or a percentage of the booking value. This commission would be based on the amount not refunded to the customer for the cancelled holiday.
Target said they had been told of a situation where a customer cancelling a holiday had lost part of their payment but the operator had kept all this money and taken back the commission from the agent.
Fellow Target co-founder Jill Waite, of Pole Travel, added: “We are asking all tour operators to sign up to our Fair Share Code. We will produce a list of those tour operators who have signed up for our members to refer to.
“Many tour operators already comply with the Fair Share Code and we thank them. We are asking the remaining tour operators to agree to follow the code to help travel agents improve their cash flow.
“We are sure that tour operators will see the benefit in supporting the Fair Share Code as travel agents will be more inclined to support tour operators that are supporting them.”
