Travel agents 'failing customers'

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A study of nearly 30 travel agents has shown they are failing holidaymakers by offering poor value for money on insurance.

Together with being uncompetitive on price, the travel agents are also selling potentially unsuitable policies to their customers, according to Which? magazine.

The researchers visited 29 agents including three branches each of First Choice, Going Places, Thomas Cook, Thomson and Co-operative Travel, and 14 independent agencies.

One travel agent quoted 80.99 pounds for insurance on a two-week trip to Spain for two people, while cover for the same holiday was available for as little as 20 pounds.

Also, the investigation found that 17 of the 29 travel agents visited could not even offer the most basic information about the insurance policies they sold.

Only 3 of the 15 chain branches of travel agents could meet the Which? standard. On the other hand, independent travel agencies performed better - with 9 out of 14 reaching the benchmark.

Rochelle Turner, head of research for Which? Holiday, said: "Not surprisingly, you expect travel agents to be experts in all aspects of booking a holiday, but our research shows that's not always the case when it comes to insurance.

"The recent disruption to flights has demonstrated just how important it is to have adequate cover. If travel agents want to sell insurance, they must train their staff properly so customers can feel confident they've bought the right policy."

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