It was innocently shot in one take and uploaded to Facebook as a joke among Travel Agent friends. Western Australia’s David van der Meer never meant for the video to go viral but that’s exactly what happened.
Within hours of hitting the web, Van der Meer’s very honest response to travellers who book online was watched thousands of times and the count has only continued to climb since.
Today, less than a week after being published, the one-minute skit of the Helloworld South Perth consultant reminding a ‘caller’ (there was nobody on the other end of the phone) how vital Agent are, has been viewed some 120,000 times, received 1,194 shares AND the comments are in the hundreds.
Van der Meer says he’s been overwhelmed by the attention, saying it was one of many whimsical videos he’s made for friends.
He continued, saying the only thing he regrets is mentioning brand names such as David Jones, which “totally loves’.
The response from other Agents and even a few consumers has mostly been welcoming, with many admitting they wish they could be that honest in real life.
Others offered a little feedback and even brainstormed money making ideas in situations where holidaymakers seek out last minute assistance from consultants.
KarryOn scrolled through the hundreds of comments to see how Agents and even a few consumer felt about the clip. Here’s a little snippet of what we found:
There were the ones that could relate
Some that ‘died’
And those that saw a little of themselves in David
Some shared other comparisons
Some hailed David as a hero
And dubbed him ‘Travel Agent of the Year’
There were those that came up with creative ways to make money from these types of situations
And there were a few that shared similar experiences
A few consumers joined the conversation
As did people from other trades
But at the end of the day, everyone heard the overall message – without a Travel Agent, you’re on your own
Check out the video below:
