BCAA travel agency services are now only available online or by phone

• All in-person travel agency services in BCAA storefront locations have been discontinued
• All BCAA offices are continuing to provide membership, insurance and North America road travel services (TripTik route planning, maps, tourbooks, passport photos, international driving permits)
• Travel medical insurance will continue to be available in all BCAA locations, as well as online and by phone

On October 26, BCAA announced that it would be discontinuing in-person travel agency services in all BCAA storefront locations effective January 15, 2010. All other BCAA products and services are unaffected. All 27 BCAA offices throughout the province will remain open to provide a wide range of insurance, membership, retail and North America road travel services – including TripTik route planning, maps, and tourbooks. BCAA's signature roadside assistance service is also unaffected by this decision.

If you currently have travel bookings made through BCAA Travel, they are safe and secure. We will ensure all existing bookings are fulfilled, and will have customer service representatives available to meet all your travel needs. If you need to inquire about a booking made prior to November 28, 2009, please call the sales centre where you originally made the booking and they will transfer you to an appropriate customer service representative.

BCAA will continue offering travel agency services by phone, via our Burnaby-based customer contact centre (1-800-564-6222), and online, via our travel booking services on bcaa.com/travel.

FAQs

1. Is BCAA closing any of its offices?
2. What travel services are still available at BCAA?
3. I booked a trip with a BCAA travel agent recently - will my reservation be affected?
4. Can I still make new travel bookings?
5. What about other parts of BCAA's business - are membership, insurance or other services affected?
6. Can I still buy travel medical insurance from BCAA?
7. Why is BCAA no longer offering storefront travel agency services?
8. Did BCAA explore other options besides discontinuing its storefront travel operations?
9. Is BCAA in financial difficulty?
10. Is BCAA considering downsizing or eliminating any other services?
11. I would like to talk to someone further about this. What are my options?

1. Is BCAA closing any of its offices?

No. All of BCAA’s 27 storefront offices around the province will remain open and will continue to provide a wide range of products and services to members and other customers. Only the travel departments within those offices are closing.

2. What travel services are still available at BCAA?

After January 15 2010, BCAA will continue to offer travel agency services by phone, via our team of fully qualified agents in our Burnaby-based customer contact centre (1-800-564-6222), and online, via our travel booking services on bcaa.com/travel. In addition, travel medical insurance will continue to be available in all BCAA locations, as will passport photos and international driving permits.All North America road travel services – TripTik route planning, maps and tourbooks – will continue to be provided in all BCAA locations.

3. I booked a trip with a BCAA travel agent recently - will my reservation be affected?

If you currently have travel bookings with BCAA you can rest assured your reservations are completely secure and will be fulfilled. BCAA will maintain staffing levels sufficient to ensure all customer needs are met through to the completion of their travel plans. In addition, you will have access to our 24 hour helpline while you are travelling. If you need to inquire about a booking made prior to November, 28, 2009, please call the sales centre [link to contact us page] where you originally made the booking and and follow the prompts.

4. Can I still make new travel bookings?

Yes, bookings can be made via BCAA's Burnaby-based customer contact centre (1-800-564-6222), and online via BCAA's online booking services on http://www.bcaa.com/travel.

5. What about other parts of BCAA's business–are membership, insurance or other services affected?

All other BCAA services are unaffected by the decision regarding travel. All membership, insurance, retail and roadside assistance services continue to be available to members at all BCAA locations throughout the province. As well, all road travel services such as TripTik route planning, maps and tourbooks continue to be available at all BCAA locations.

6. Can I still buy travel medical insurance from BCAA?

Yes. Travel medical insurance can still be purchased at all BCAA locations, online and by phone.

7. Why is BCAA no longer offering storefront travel agency services?

BCAA's decision regarding its travel business was driven by fundamental shifts in the travel business which have made it very difficult to operate an independent travel agency model profitably. BCAA's travel business has been losing money steadily for a number of years, and was predicted to lose money at an even faster rate in the future. BCAA concluded it was not in the best long-term interests of the association or its members to continue operating a travel business.

8. Did BCAA explore other options besides discontinuing its storefront travel operations?

Yes. After BCAA reached the conclusion that the status quo was unsustainable, every effort was made to sell our operations to another travel provider. Despite our best efforts, we were not able to conclude any deals that would have been in the long-term interests of our customers, our employees, BCAA and other the other parties.

9. Is BCAA in financial difficulty?

Not at all. Despite challenges in the travel business, and challenges arising from the economic downturn, BCAA remains fundamentally strong with steady insurance sales, stable membership numbers, and customer satisfaction scores to indicate that the organization is an industry leader in the provision of road assist and insurance services.

10. Is BCAA considering downsizing or eliminating any other services?

No, quite the opposite. For example, BCAA is planning an aggressive expansion of its insurance business, and is exploring a variety of options for ensuring its membership products provide good value and meet a wider variety of member needs.

11. I would like to talk to someone further about this. What are my options?

Members and customers are welcome to contact BCAA's customer care specialists through the following channels:

Email: CustomerCare@bcaa.com
Phone: (604) 205-1456 (Lower Mainland) or toll free: (877) 551-5505
Address:
BCAA Customer Care
4567 Canada Way
Burnaby, BC V5G 4T1