Need help with Trafalgar problem
 

Hope someone here can steer me in the right direction.

My parents booked one of Trafalgar's fanciest tours. When they got their travel documents Friday (less than three weeks before departure, problem No. 1) they found that my mother's name was misspelled on her tour documents and plane tickets. They ran her middle name together with her last name, so that the tickets are issued to Mr. Dad Last and Mrs. Mom Middlelast. My dad is livid, understandably - he doesn't want to be anxious all across the UK about when and if my mother might be refused service.

We know the documents were right when they went to Trafalgar - the travel agent has provided us with the email. Unfortunately, she's not being much help now - I suspect my dad immediately told her he'd never book with her again - and the Trafalgar agent my father spoke to was downright obstinate.

I was hoping someone here knew the name of a higher-up in Trafalgar customer service. This would be so easy to sort out if someone would just agree to do so.

Thanks for your help!

First, this is a minor problem and cam be easily solved. But your dad sounds like he has a real short fuse. I suggest you call both your travel agent and Trafalgar and calmly explain the problem and request resolution. Bees, honey, and all that.

The honey has gone and the bees have flown. :D My dad's anger grew from the fact that the travel agent is waffling on getting anything done and Trafalger flat-out told him "no." They insisted - get this - that they had my mother's name right and could not change it.

I agree that it's minor - IF it gets fixed. If it's not, it's potentially an $18,000 vacation ruined. My dad is ticked off enough that he's going to let me handle the phone work from now on, but I would really like to know if there's anyone at Trafalgar who's proved helpful in the past.

Then go over their head. Call the airline(s) directly, direct them to the booking, and ask if the run-on name is a problem. If yes, ask them to correct it (telling them Trafalgar refuses to). If no, take the agent's name and note the time of the call.

Don't worry about the wrong name on any other documents other than the air tickets.

It sounds like Trafalgar has said that there is no provlem with the tickets with the merged names. If there is, and you lose any money, then you have a cause of action against them and/or the travel agent (who sounds singularly useless).

To be assured, you should also call the airline(s) directly, direct them to the booking, and ask if the run-on name is a problem. If yes, ask them to correct it (telling them Trafalgar refuses to). If no, take the agent's name and note the time of the call.

Don't worry about the wrong name on any other documents other than the air tickets.

It may be better for your parents to have a copy of that e-mail you mentioned with them.

I have had this problem a couple times and have had no problem. As long as your mothers name on tickets is same as on passport it doesn't matter. I just returned from a trip to London on a Virgin Atlantic pkg. My passport name is first, maiden , last and all the vouchers did not have my last name on them, just first and maiden. No problem.
The air tickets did have my whole name though.
It should not make a difference that middle and last names are run together.

On the other hand, if you get a hard nose agent at the airport or a hard nose customs/immigration agent they may very well deny boarding/entry since the names do NOT MATCH EXACTLY. I would not take the chance - get it FIXED BEFORE you depart

May I offer some advice as a Travel Agent? Ask your parents to ask their Travel Agent to go over the invoices from Trafalgar. If they show the name correct and then Trafalgar messed up on just the travel documents, they are owed new travel documents, period. If the invoices show the name was incorrect from the get go, and your Travel Agent did not spot the error, your agent shoulders the responsibility. I would also check the receipt that the agent gave your parents. How is the name spelled? The Travel Agent should have gone over the documents for typos when they were first received.