Dissappointed in Dugan's Travels
I have been disappointed in the leadership of my host agency, Dugans Travels, specifically email correspondences to me from Agency owner-Jennifer Dugan. It is common to get short, curt email responses from Jennifer in asking questions of our help desk. But most recently this week I was highly surprised by Jennifer's assumption and suggestion that I take a 1-year leave of absence in reaction to simply asking the question if there was a way to receive just mandatory emails from Dugan's vs the several times daily optional training emails. I was not stating I refused to receive the emails from Dugan's Travels, if that was my only choice. No joke, we independent agents receive 2-5 various daily emails from Dugan's + the numerous emails we receive weekly from suppliers. It's a lot as a new agent trying to just get the clients to survive and make decent money as a travel agent, and for me more specifically I'm handling a very difficult, recent death in my family, care of an incapacitated family member and intense various legal trust challenges from a family member. Which Jennifer seems to know I'm dealing with yet still suggested a full 12 month leave of absence vs asking me if that's what I want, or calling me to discuss, or anything that would have been better than a blunt 1 sentence suggestion I take a one-year leave of absence. Her statement without consideration how it would be received. It was very distressing and sad to me. I felt so abandoned I cancelled my vacation plans to join Jennifer, staff and Dugan's agents on a FAM Cruise I had planned months to attend and was to start in just 7 days from Jennifer's email.
It was very obviously to me I was not an agent someone Jennifer cared enough about to pick up the phone to talk to me, nor ask me any questions of what specifically might be going on in my life hindering my ability to receive so many daily emails, nor a suggestion that we discuss things when we meet up on the cruise the following week. I simply asked if it was possible to receive less optional emails from Dugan's. I have struggled, as many new Part Time and FT agents due in gaining and retaining new clients, especially in the first year. I have followed the couple general direction ideas from Dugan's in pursuing and marketing to possible new clients. But I've not found any efficient training, live, hands on mentoring training that works or groups of new agents, 1 year or less, that meet regularly online with staff to brainstorm ideas in specifically how to effectively gain new clients as a Dugan agent. For those of you considering coming to Dugan's as a new agent I thought you deserved understanding some of what I have experienced as a new independent agent with Dugan's. I'm sad what the future holds with Dugan's Travels for me.
Update: Well I have found out my future holds with Dugans Travels. I've been fired for posting this and 2 other honest, Not grief stricken reviews online. Instead of looking within or wanting to communicate with on how things could be improved going forward. They just fired me, but so be it. It is not only myself within Dugans who feels that they're lacking individual support of their agents, or overwhelmed by the excessive emails, very difficult to use computer software, etc. But I hope at some point they survey their agents to see how everyone feels and what is lacking within Dugan's Travels in best supporting their agents.