Dual Pricing for cruise to Greek Islands? (one price (low) for Greeks and another (high) for tourists)
njoracle
FYI, she was born in Greece but is a US naturalized citizen with a US
passport.
While in Athens, a travel agency was advertising a 3-day weekend cruise
to the islands for 374 euros. When she made arrangements to buy a
ticket, the travel agency asked for her passport. When they determined
that she had a US passport, the price jumped to 1224 euros.
Is this common in Greece (and/or other countries)?
She is eligible to get a Greek passport in addition to her US passport
so that should take care of it in the future but what a PITA getting the
Greek passport will be!!
Ray Goldenberg
>While in Athens, a travel agency was advertising a 3-day weekend cruise
>to the islands for 374 euros. When she made arrangements to buy a
>ticket, the travel agency asked for her passport. When they determined
>that she had a US passport, the price jumped to 1224 euros.
>
>Is this common in Greece (and/or other countries)?
Hi,
Many cruise lines have various rates based on residency. It is not
uncommon.
Best regards,
Ray
LIGHTHOUSE TRAVEL
800-719-9917 or 805-566-3905
http://www.lighthousetravel.com
--
njoracle
> The message <6O17h.66761$Fi1....@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net>
> from njoracle <njor...@att.net> contains these words:
>
>> While in Athens, a travel agency was advertising a 3-day weekend cruise
>> to the islands for 374 euros. When she made arrangements to buy a
>> ticket, the travel agency asked for her passport. When they determined
>> that she had a US passport, the price jumped to 1224 euros.
>
>> Is this common in Greece (and/or other countries)?
>
> countries of residence*. However this does seem a rather large price
> difference and I'm wondering if in error a flight from the US was
> included?
She was dealing a local travel agency in Athens in Greek so there was no
discussion of a flight from the US as she was already there.
Did your wife ask for a breakdown? I think I would probably
> have just fled the office with such a difference though:)
She was in somewhat of a shock but did ask why and they just said that's
the way it is. So she is in the process of writing a letter to the
Minister of Tourism to find out why such a large discrepancy.
>
> * eg I as a UK resident will pay more for the same Princess or Cunard
> cruise than a US resident. This is usually a couple of hundred dollars
> plus, but not 800.
>
She would have paid a smaill premium without question.
F.
Rik Brown
> It is quite usual for lines to have various rates for different
> countries of residence*. However this does seem a rather large price
> difference and I'm wondering if in error a flight from the US was
> have just fled the office with such a difference though:)
>
> cruise than a US resident. This is usually a couple of hundred dollars
I was unaware such a discriminatory practice would exist in the UK. I
don't believe Princess or Cunard could do that if you purchased your
cruise in the USA as we are unable to discriminate here based on
national origin.
Its been my experience that multi-tiered prices for foreigners often
occur in third world countries -- especially where one doesn't speak
the language. I would hope that Greece doesn't fall into that category
and its something like an error such as you mentioned.
-- Rik
--
Rik Brown
I love to travel. You can PM me at http://www.TRAVEL.com.
Ray Goldenberg
<Rik.Brow...@no-mx.forums.travel.com> wrote:
>I was unaware such a discriminatory practice would exist in the UK. I
>don't believe Princess or Cunard could do that if you purchased your
>cruise in the USA as we are unable to discriminate here based on
>national origin.
Hi Rik,
Princess/Cunard has charged a different rate to clients of travel
agents in the UK versus US for many years.
Frank F. Matthews
Rik Brown wrote:
It would be interesting to see if it fit within the EU rules. Perhaps
since she wasn't from the EU it's OK. It would be fun to bug the
Washington trade negotiation office. Write your Congress trash.
Frank F. Matthews
Ray Goldenberg wrote:
The issue is not the agent. She was using the agent advertising the price.
Ray Goldenberg
<frankfm...@houston.rr.com> wrote:
>The issue is not the agent. She was using the agent advertising the price.
Hi Frank,
The variables that SOME cruise lines use is the agency location,
agency status, residency of the client. These can be used
individually or in any combination. Sometimes there are other
factors. The original OP sounds like a residency difference. IOW,
they charged her a higher rate because of her residency in another
country.
sgall...@rogers.com
> On Thu, 16 Nov 2006 18:08:02 GMT, njoracle <njor...@att.net> wrote:
>
> >While in Athens, a travel agency was advertising a 3-day weekend cruise
> >to the islands for 374 euros. When she made arrangements to buy a
> >ticket, the travel agency asked for her passport. When they determined
> >that she had a US passport, the price jumped to 1224 euros.
> >
> >Is this common in Greece (and/or other countries)?
>
> Hi,
>
> Many cruise lines have various rates based on residency. It is not
> uncommon.
>
set the price of that product in each country at the point where it
maximizes their profit. Due to differences in cultural preference,
average wages, saving and spending habits, etc) this can mean the same
product has a different price in each country. Companies also have to
deal with currency fluctuations between the time that the price is
negotiated and when they receive the payment and convert it into the
company's operating currency.
For example, the cost to download a song from Apple Computer's iTunes
music store is 99 US cents. The same song downloaded from Canadian
iTunes Store is 99 Canadian cents (86 US cents), while the Greek iTunes
store charges 99 Euro cents (US$1.27). The UK iTunes store charges 79
British pence (US$1.50). That's four different prices for the same
product, all based on where the purchaser lives. Apple is able to
enforce the separate prices by using the country of the purchaser's
credit card. To download from the US iTunes store you must have a
credit card issued by a US bank, while you need a Canadian bank's
credit card with a Canadian billing address to use the Canadian iTunes
store.
So, charging a different price depending on where the user comes from
is not an uncommon business tactic.
In the case of the original poster, they used her US passport as the
determining factor that she would not be able to pay the "local" price.
Charles
<sgall...@rogers.com> wrote:
> That's four different prices for the same
> product, all based on where the purchaser lives. Apple is able to
> enforce the separate prices by using the country of the purchaser's
> credit card.
However your analogy in this case is not that good because for each
country the price and rights to the music sold in the iTunes store had
to be negotiated separately with the owners of the rights in that
country. That is why the other countries got the iTunes after the USA.
There can not be an international iTunes store because of different
owners to the rights and licenses in each country. Apple has to
negotiate licenses and prices in every country. In some countries songs
are not available that are available in the US because the owners of
the rights in that country won't sign on and the price in every country
is set by negotiation with the rights owners in that country.
--
Charles
Jean O'Boyle
"njoracle" <njor...@att.net> wrote in message
news:6O17h.66761$Fi1....@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
This was not for a cruise itself, but when we were in Katakolon on an
excursion of our own, a few years ago, the admission to the Olympia was in
euros and at the ticket booth, they asked where we were from and charged us
double because we were not from a EU nation...The couple we were with were
from Italy but living in England royally chastised the ticket agent and he
shrugged and sold us the ticket at the EU price instead!...So who knows what
the policy is? <vbg>
We got to see what remained of the Temple of Zeus and Hera and to run on the
race track...well about 50-75 ft. anyway! Just to say that we did it!
--Jean
sgall...@rogers.com
three of those markets is also based on keeping below the psychological
barrier, and that if they added even one more cent to the price, while
they'd make more per song, they'd bring in less money overall.
But there are other examples. Another travel related one would be that
residents of Florida and Southern California pay lower admission prices
to Disney World and Disneyland, because Disney knows that with lower
prices, the local residents are more likely to make multiple trips
there in the same time period than the people who must fly to these
destinations. (Discounts like this can also be a concession made with
governmental agencies, in exchange for certain actions by that agency.)