Poorservice - LeGrow's Travel Village Mall

I've been doing a lot of research online in preparation for booking a vacation this spring. I think I've read every review of every hotel in every destination that I'm interested in, and I've been combing the discount travel and airline sites, signing up for their incentive programs and newsletters so I don't miss any opportunity to save a few $ in the process. I've narrowed it down to a few places but figured I'd go out and talk to a travel agent before booking anything, since I had to go to the Village Mall after work yesterday anyhow.

When you look in the door of LeGrow's as you walk past, it looks exactly like you think a travel agency should look like, right down to the lighted palm tree cutouts. The customer service I received there, however, was not what I was expecting.

I waited about five minutes for the agent to finish up with a client on the telephone and then she called me over to sit at her desk. She was friendly and seemed eager to help at first, but as I told her about the vacation I was looking for, she received a phonecall. I was a little annoyed when she answered the call, but she immediately said, "I'm with someone right now, can I call you back?" I thought that was acceptable enough and continued. She gave me a book from Air Canada Vacations (who you might remember from this post) and pointed out a couple of resorts that she thought I might be interested in, quoting me a price between $1500 and $2500 per person. Considering the high cost compared to what I'd been seeing online, this would have been a significant purchase for me and a significant sale for her. So, when the phone rang again with this potential $5K sale on the table, I figured she would let it ring out or at least tell this caller the same thing she told the last.

Not the case. She answered it, and in spite of saying that she was with a customer at her desk, continued on the phone call. I was left sitting at her desk with a brochure for a bunch of (overpriced) vacations that I had already seen online. I gave her the benefit of the doubt and sat politely for a minute or two, but then she actually stood up and left her desk and started digging through filing cabinets, going into the back office, all the way chatting with this telephone customer who was obviously also a personal friend or extremely familiar client. I tried to signal to her but gave up after about five minutes and walked out the door. Needless to say, I won't be booking with LeGrow's and I also likely won't be giving Air Canada Vacations an opportunity to redeem themselves in my eyes, if this is the kind of service you get from their affiliates. Back to the internets, I guess.