My fiance and I are going to Maui next month, and I just logged in to the Fodor's site for the first time in a while to see the latest posts about Maui...and I was particularly looking forward to seeing Heidi's informative posts. Instead, I was greeted by some sort of paranoid loser(s) who somehow imagines that if somebody mentions something positive about a place on Maui, then they must be an EVIL TRAVEL AGENT AND MUST BE STOPPED!!!!

I'm sorry, but wading through some of those dunder-headed conspiracy posts is far worse than any perceived travel agent slight. I was just re-reading some of Heidi's responses and I honestly don't see the problem. Was it proven that she was being dishonest and steering people to particular places for profit? Or is she just a Maui booster who is trying to provide a helpful service?

In any case, I'm looking forward to Maui. Hopefully I won't run into some of the rock-dwellers that have been posting here.

Speaking of dunderheads, I meant to post this in the Maui forum. Sorry....

Hi MG
I heartily agree,I visited Maui last Sept. for a couple of weeks and as always did my home work before going and knew pretty much what I wanted to see and do around the island.Shortly after I returned Heidi's posts started and I,for one enjoyed reading them and found them to be quite accurate.Having fallen in love with Maui I corresponded with Heidi a number of times,in fact I was able to give her some info that she wasn't aware of,and I found her to be genuinely interested in helping folks in any way to prepare for a great trip.I for one am sorry that the Fodor vigilantes had her canned and I'm disappointed in Fodor's as well.Hope you have a great trip to Maui.ALOHA !!!!!!!

Just A question???
Does anyone know how to get in
contact with Heidi.
I really would like to ask her some
questions about Maui.

Thanks Katy

Oh boy, let's start a Heidi fan club!

Heidi can be reached at her e-mail
[email protected]


JDP

Here we go again, more advertising and promotion by and for Heidi and her travel agency! If you did indeed read all those posts then you would know that she posts on every independent travel site on the web, and there is no need to continue "searching' for her here. Heidi and your co-workers, give it up! You were eighty-sixed from this site and no one except you is weeping any tears over it. Pay for a host, set up your own site, and stay the h*ll off this one . Fodor's has already demonstrated what they think of you.

Thanks, but no thanks, for proving my point. Boy, you are REALLY wrapped around the axle about his aren't you? Perhaps a new hobby is in order....

Still looking forward to the Maui trip (less than two weeks from now). I'll be sure not to post anything positive about my experience, because if I do than that must mean that I'm AN EXPLOITIVE, EVIL TRAVEL AGENT----AUUGGGHHH! I'm really an accountant, but I'm sure that conspiracy-nut will assume that I'm either lying, or that I'm the accountant for EVIL TRAVEL AGENTS!!!!

-MG

I had read some of Heidi's posts before I went on my first trip to Maui last month. This is the first time I've checked back and learned that she got canned. I used quite a bit of her suggestions, but not all of them.
Aside from the issue of free advertising (and now I understand why she was always offering to help book excursions and luaus, I thought this was just extraordinary kindness, silly me), as long as the information was helpful and free (and it was) what does it matter if she is a travel agent, or just an experienced Mauian?

It matters because this is not a forum to provide free advertising to anyone. Once that is allowed, this entire forum will become filled with advertising. Don't you get spam junk marketing email? Well, imagine a whole forum of that -- if you've ever used Usenet, that's what it consists of. Furthermore, travel agents' opinions are obviously biased. Advertising has no place on forums like this. I have never read Heidi's posts but obviously she was advertising her services and trying to drum up business from taking advantage of someone else's business (ie, Fodors) for free or no one would have known she was a travel agent, now would they? Any travel agent can post helpful advice without mention of their business if they are so interested in helping others out of the goodness of their hearts and are so interested in discussing travel (ha, ha). I think people like that who try to get business from other company's WEBsites are clearly lazy, unethical and sleazy.

Hi Kathy
What you say may be true,however you also say that you didn't read her posts.There's still one kicking around so why not read it with an open mind and let me know if you think it's commericalized.

KathyS, Charlie is a staunch Heidi defender, possibly even a co-worker, so take his posts with a grain of salt.

The one post he WON'T mention, and one of several that was deleted by Fodor's, was the post in which Heidi announced that she would be using Fodor's to post a "monthly column" of her so-called travel tips (i.e. supplier pitches). Talk about brass b*lls.

For anyone who wants the "opinions" of travel agents, go spend your time on Frommer's site. When you're sick of all the slick promos from agents, and that's ALL there is over there, you can come back here and really appreciate the fact that Fodor's does not allow THEIR board to disintegrate into that.

KathyS

You say that this is not a web site to provide free advertising to anyone.

That is very contradicting, because everyone on here by mentioning a trip, hotel, cruise or whatever is giving free advertising to whatever company they are talking about.

Before you know it no one will be able to mention anything by name because it is free advertising.

If someone says they liked Vegas, they must be from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Bureau.

If someone recommends going to Disney, they must work there.

If the Beverly Hills Hotel is awesome, your husband must own it.

Whenever I read any posts I always keep in mind that the authors taste may not be the same as mine, and I have my own opinion, therefore I never take their opinion to book my whole trip.
I would never book a tour or hotel with anyone I met over the internet, I am capable of going to my travel agent and letting her know what I want. Same thing goes at the travel agency, I will ask for their opinion or if they have had any feedback, but this will not solely determine where I go.

I have a mind of my own and can make my own choices.

Well ME, how many posters here besides travel agents or travel business owners are seeing any PROFIT by mentioning places or things here? Advertising is promotion of a business for profit, just like Heidi's little travel agency business, and YOURS as well, no doubt.

The only die-hard defenders of travel agents on an INDEPENDENT travel site like Fodor's are the travel agents themselves. If real Fodorites wanted to use an agent, they would call one instead of coming here for advice from fellow travelers. That just goes completely over your head, doesn't it?

Again with this anti advertising song.

How is anyone suppose to give advise,
recommendations,or information on places to stay,eat or things to do
without mentioning hotels or restaurants or activities by there names ?
If someone has good tips, good advice,
then I say let me know about it as specifically as you can, I for one
want to know where to spend my money
and where not to spend my money.
What people do here is not advertising
unless they are personnaly getting
paid to sell one thing over another
and I don't think that is whats going on.
Stop trashing people that want to share
there experience and knowledge..
It is not advertising...it is
sharing...

Joan at Maui.net? Another travel agent, defending slimy their slimy tactics. If you wanted information from one (but why, because you ARE one) then you would contact one via the telephone or internet instead of coming to an independent travler board. Plenty of agents have reared their ugly heads here lately in defense of their industry and their steering tactics on this board, and again, no one except other agents are applauding it.

Posters come to this board because they don't need or want agents, and agents are scrambling to recapture lost customers, even if it means posting incognito to steer people towards their preferred suppliers.

Agents, you are neither needed nor wanted on this board, so get lost.

I am not a travel agent.
I work for ABC Discount Stores and
I live in Kihei.
Not everyone who disagrees with you is
in the travel business. I really
think you should get a life and let
people give and take advice without
your censorship attitude getting in
the way.

Joan

Yes, WE have read and analyzed her writings, and we KNOW she is one of us!

Get a life like yours, Joan? Surfing around looking for posts to criticize (when they interfere with your business) then complaining when others do the same to you? Why don't explain your fabulous life for us, Joan? Glued to the internet and checking on your posts every five minutes....how exciting! Won't you PLEASE give us some tips on how you manage it all?

Go back to pushing hotels and tours on the other travel forums.

Maybe it's time for Fodor's to clean up this forum by telling travel agents and their ilk they can't post here (though they should be able to share HONEST experiences like any other traveler--but have you ever met an HONEST travel agent?).