I'm glad you brought this up. You are right in that when call to service an exisiting reservation, the agen may not sound "thrilled". If it's simply adding a hotel or car rental ot's no big deal. If you are doing something like changing a complicated air itinerary, most agents are not very enthusiastic. It can be cumbersome, and simply not fun. It's our job,so we do it.
Back to poor service regarding returning phonecalls. This has been a big problem latelty. Here's the reason. When ever we are not available to take inbound phone calls, it counts against our productivity. We have very rigid stats that we have to meet. It's sad, but many agents have been forced to become liars. If somebody asks you to call them back, many agents will say yes and give a time frame in case they're monitored. Unless it's a big sale, the reality is that most agents will not call back. Also, we are now discouraged from giving out our extensions. Have you ever asked someone for their extension, and they said they don't have one? It's a lie. We are forced into that position. When calling PTS, it is best if you can do it when you have time to stay on the phone. Of course certain types of travel plans require research and followup, but for routine things try to stay on the phone. Please don't take none of this the wrong way. I am just giving honest insight as to what goes on, and I certainly don't condone the above behaviors.