Originally Posted by smartflyerrob

I have read all eight pages of this thread and clearly there were some issues with the advisor discussed and I am not here to excuse or comment on him. I have spent several hours trying to decide if I should reply at all but as the thread has extended beyond the one agent to the greater SmartFlyer agency I feel compelled to speak up.

For those that don't know SmartFlyer well I can attest to the fact it has a sterling reputation in the industry dating back over 25 years. Its 150+ advisors are skilled and trained, and many have been recognized by Virtuoso and other major publications, hotel brands and industry leaders as among the best in the travel industry. Look at Conde Nast or Travel and Leisure and you will see many current and former agents on its lists highlighting the best of the best. Our advisors are consistently honored by the major luxury hotels for the work we do, and often serve on the advisory boards of some of the best hotels and hotel brands around the world.

Like many agencies SmartFlyer is comprised of house agents who work in the main office and independent contractors scattered throughout not only the continental United States but around the world. While the main office keeps track of what we do they simply cannot know about every booking every agent does every day. However, Michael Holtz is a hands-on owner who works closely with advisors to make sure we are doing our job and representing SmartFlyer to the best of our ability. Despite this, like many companies, occasionally there is an employee who does not represent the values and professionalism expected. And unfortunately it occasionally takes an event to make us aware of a problem. In this situation as soon as SmartFlyer was alerted to the problems decisive action was taken.

As the longest-serving IC with SmartFlyer I can tell you SmartFlyer takes the time to select, train and support its advisors. I have seen over the past 10 years that when problems arise SmartFlyer advisors generally handle issues professionally and immediately. And the New York based home office steps in at all hours when they are alerted of issues.

From personal experience I cannot tell you the number of times over the past decade that I have called or emailed Michael Holtz (SmartFlyer's CEO who has no idea that I am writing this) to step in and help fix an issue. I have been on the phone with our air department at 2:00 a.m. rerouting clients caught in an earthquake in New Zealand. I have worked overnight to fly a client home in the face of an unexpected death, and then worked beyond that to get refunds on the trip that was cancelled. And I am not unique or special - at any given time dozens of our advisors are on our internal site offering advice and helping one another help our clients.

In fact, the 150 or so agents scattered about often step in to assist one another when asked to ensure a seamless client experience. It is unfortunate that in this particular situation that did not occur but I can assure you that for anyone who reads this, for anyone with an issue, there are over 100 of us here who are willing to help you fix your current problems immediately.

What I can tell everyone on this forum who had an issue is that what occurred is an anomaly and certainly not representative of my experiences (or 99% of SmartFlyer's client experiences) over almost a decade with the company. I can attest that the actions of one advisor do not accurately represent the reputation (both personally and for the larger SmartFlyer brand) so many of us have worked hard to achieve. And I can assure you that SmartFlyer is handling the issues at hand.

While many of you may not choose to trust or work with the SmartFlyer brand in the future, and are free to look elsewhere for assistance, I would hope that those of you who are true professionals, who have traveled and experienced the world, who have seen more than most would be the first to understand one independent advisor does not and should not represent an entire brand.

To put it another way, in a manner I feel many on this forum can relate to, I am sure each of us has stayed at a Four Seasons or Ritz Carlton or another hotel that simply did not live up to our expectations afterward we swore we would never go back. But then we decided to try the brand again. And when we did things were great.

I have learned that choosing an advisor you can trust is imperative. You give us your hard-earned money and expect a level of service that one person did not deliver. But please do not judge an entire company of hard-working professionals by the actions of one advisor.

If anyone on this forum needs help fixing an issue feel free to reach out and I will work with you to ensure problems are fixed and the SmartFlyer brand lives up to both its name and reputation.