Paid versus free travel agents?

Knottie1430106330

I am trying to plan an all inclusive destination wedding and have spoken to a couple of travel agents/wedding planners. Both sound very reputable however while one is charging nothing (instead gaining revenue from vendors, etc), the other is charging a decent sum. I was wondering if anyone has any info on this price discrepancy, if you really do get what you pay for, or if paying a lot is not worth it. I appreciate any opinions. 

Maggie0829

Does the one you have to pay work for an agency/company or are they a private travel agent?Typically if a travel agent works for an agency/company they get paid through the vendors/hotels/etc.  I have never heard of someone paying a travel agent unless it is a private agent who doesn't make a commission but rather charges a fee which is based on the trip being planned.

Jells2dot0

Is the agent charging the fee applying it to the trip total or is it a fee just to use them? Some of the more upscale and specialist agent may charge a fee just to use their services. You are paying for their knowledge or network connections. You can often times get upgrades through them or they may be able to plan activities that normally are hard to do because of availability or accessibility. So, it really depends on who this agent is and what they claim is their specialty. 

One main question to ask is if both agents have been to the location/resort where you are planning to go? How may bookings do they have to that location/resort? A question to ask yourself is "Do I plan on doing anything unique while I'm gone that requires extra planning or extra research?" If you plan on just hanging out, and both agents have similar experience, there is no need to pay the fee. If the agent charging the fee has been to your location the most or you plan on doing a lot with their help, it might be worth it to pay the fee.

CMGragain

Do the two agents offer the same service?