BAN ALL AGENTS
Dec 1st, 2007, 02:55 PM
#3
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I personally don't need any agent here to give me advice.Their advice is anyway just geared towards ''paying'' for a free trip earlier.
Back to the good old days..Ban all the agents!!!
Back to the good old days..Ban all the agents!!!
Dec 1st, 2007, 03:04 PM
#4
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I don't have the time to permanently scan hundreds of operator websites to learn about the latest developments in a dozen African countries, and I don't know any single professional TA or source who is able to provide all this information. In this regard I appreciate the info that some TAs are offering here, all of them experts in their special fields.
Dec 1st, 2007, 03:07 PM
#5
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I do not want to ban agents, they have very useful information. However, I would like to see all agents identify themselves as such in all of their postings. And I can find no excuse nor reason for them not doing it. Would an agent care to tell us why they should not do this?
regards - tom
regards - tom
Dec 1st, 2007, 03:10 PM
#6
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From the Fodors FAQ:
Q: Can I promote my business or organization on your forums?
A: No, absolutely not. Fodors.com is one of the few major sites where travelers can come for unbiased, independent information about travel. Since our travel writers can't be everywhere at once, it's important that travelers be able to use our forums to get fresh-from-the-field updates and advice from other travelers. Please respect the integrity of Fodors.com and our forums, and find another way to advertise your business or organization.
Q: Can I promote my business or organization on your forums?
A: No, absolutely not. Fodors.com is one of the few major sites where travelers can come for unbiased, independent information about travel. Since our travel writers can't be everywhere at once, it's important that travelers be able to use our forums to get fresh-from-the-field updates and advice from other travelers. Please respect the integrity of Fodors.com and our forums, and find another way to advertise your business or organization.
Dec 1st, 2007, 03:15 PM
#8
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Nyama-are you the old Bwana mitch??-who said you will not post here again a year or so ago???Why the name change??
I really cant keep up with the Fodors soap opera!
Good point Tom,and also if they could mention which lodges gave them a ''freebie''so that their ''expert'' advice can be digested in context.
I really cant keep up with the Fodors soap opera!
Good point Tom,and also if they could mention which lodges gave them a ''freebie''so that their ''expert'' advice can be digested in context.
Dec 1st, 2007, 03:29 PM
#10
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Hi! I'm no where near as expert as you are, but FWIW I've found the occasional tidbits of "inside" information from the agents very useful. I've booked my trip with a friend of my sister's and got a good rate but she is not an Africa specialist so I basically put the itinerary together based on what I learned here. The trip reports and camp updates from both agents and non agents were really helpful. I also read Trip Advisor and some other forums but this one seemed to have the most up to date information.
FWIW I did a search for the company names of some of the agents who post here (Eyes on Africa, Africa Serendipity, Taga Safaris, Timeless Africa and Destiny Africa) going back to 2005 (I couldn't bear to go further back then that...waaay too many posts). Eyes on Africa, Africa Serendipity, and Timeless Africa have never mentioned their company name in their own posts, though there are plenty of references to them from other Fodorites.
Tom, I don't know the rules as well as you do, but could an agent identify themselves as an agent without advertising?
Moira
FWIW I did a search for the company names of some of the agents who post here (Eyes on Africa, Africa Serendipity, Taga Safaris, Timeless Africa and Destiny Africa) going back to 2005 (I couldn't bear to go further back then that...waaay too many posts). Eyes on Africa, Africa Serendipity, and Timeless Africa have never mentioned their company name in their own posts, though there are plenty of references to them from other Fodorites.
Tom, I don't know the rules as well as you do, but could an agent identify themselves as an agent without advertising?
Moira
Dec 1st, 2007, 03:54 PM
#11
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Moira
It is true that they give alot of information but.....
We want unfiltered information here,the kind you give after paying $2400 US dollars a night and then telling us whether it was worth it or not.
I remember Rocco shooting down Sabi Sabi as a safari destination(he never would go there as a paying client based on his research).After becoming an agent and getting a ''free'' trip,he couldn't stop singing their praises-do we really need this kind of advice here? or is this ''advice'' ''payback''to the lodge?????
And then there is the beauty of the internet...where you can say anything with a passion and some idiots will believe you..He can follow up this post by saying that he paid for his own expenses and there will be people believing him.
You cant win either way-full disclosure + all recent ''freebies'' or BAN THEM ALL!!!
It is true that they give alot of information but.....
We want unfiltered information here,the kind you give after paying $2400 US dollars a night and then telling us whether it was worth it or not.
I remember Rocco shooting down Sabi Sabi as a safari destination(he never would go there as a paying client based on his research).After becoming an agent and getting a ''free'' trip,he couldn't stop singing their praises-do we really need this kind of advice here? or is this ''advice'' ''payback''to the lodge?????
And then there is the beauty of the internet...where you can say anything with a passion and some idiots will believe you..He can follow up this post by saying that he paid for his own expenses and there will be people believing him.
You cant win either way-full disclosure + all recent ''freebies'' or BAN THEM ALL!!!
Dec 1st, 2007, 04:10 PM
#12
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Hi Safarinut!
I have an idea...maybe the screen names of agents should have an "-A" after them or something. So if I was an agent I'd be "MoiraS-A". No one would know the name of my company or anything but they'd know I was an agent, and could take my posts with a grain of salt.
What do you think?
Moira
I have an idea...maybe the screen names of agents should have an "-A" after them or something. So if I was an agent I'd be "MoiraS-A". No one would know the name of my company or anything but they'd know I was an agent, and could take my posts with a grain of salt.
What do you think?
Moira
Dec 1st, 2007, 04:12 PM
#13
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And it would be nice if we could have profiles and sigs like on other forums...then the agents could put something in there about their freebies and whatever for people to refer to whenever they wanted to.
Moira
Moira
Dec 1st, 2007, 04:27 PM
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Hi Nyama! I'm a bit confused...do you mean that the sigs and profiles could be seen as advertising?
Safarinut, I emailed the editors with the ideas...maybe if more of us do this then they will listen.
Moira
Safarinut, I emailed the editors with the ideas...maybe if more of us do this then they will listen.
Moira
Dec 1st, 2007, 05:02 PM
#17
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Indeed, the recent Rocco brouhaha is fascinating as proof of how the Internet is both a boon and a boondoggle. There's tons of info, but it's hidden behind anonymity and hidden agendas. It's almost impossible to suss out what's true without knowing the source. On the other hand, truth has a way of eventually creeping out, and the users have a way of self-policing to keep the bad guys out.
The issue of having TAs ID themselves has been discussed many times. But who will police this, and how? Guys like Rocco will fast-talk and claim he's not really a TA, but only doing it as a hobby. And I doubt if most agents would tell which camps gave them freebies.
But I agree with Moira that it's worth a try. Those who don't out themselves will eventually be discovered.
And Nyama, your reply to the question as to whether you're really Bwana Mitch (a TA), in the days of Watergate, we used to call a "non-denial denial."
Leslie
The issue of having TAs ID themselves has been discussed many times. But who will police this, and how? Guys like Rocco will fast-talk and claim he's not really a TA, but only doing it as a hobby. And I doubt if most agents would tell which camps gave them freebies.
But I agree with Moira that it's worth a try. Those who don't out themselves will eventually be discovered.
And Nyama, your reply to the question as to whether you're really Bwana Mitch (a TA), in the days of Watergate, we used to call a "non-denial denial."
Leslie
Dec 1st, 2007, 05:05 PM
#18
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Is that the reason then that an agent can not identify themselves? If they do, even if they do not give the name of their business, Fodors will ban them? If so, seems to me that Fodors is not helping us but only causing deception amongst posters. I'm not an expert on the rules around here, only trying to find a way to bring clarity and truth to the cesspool.
regards - tom
regards - tom
Dec 1st, 2007, 05:17 PM
#19
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LAleslie -- I know Bwana Mitch quite well, but a TA? He's working in the software industry, and also doesn't make any hobby TA activities. Maybe you should check your sources before making such statements.
Dec 1st, 2007, 05:26 PM
#20
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I was just reading Predator Biologist's great trip report, and learned that he is also an agent or something similar.
I didn't know this before, and Safarinut you are right...it does make me look at things differently.
Moira
I didn't know this before, and Safarinut you are right...it does make me look at things differently.
Moira
