You’ll hear me talk a lot about the lost art of the conversation, and why it’s important to talk to a human instead of doing all your travel transactions online.

Many of you use online travel agencies, or OTAs, like Orbitz and Expedia to comparison shop and book tickets. I get it, it’s expedient and it’s convenient to book travel at 3 am in your pajamas.

But when something goes wrong—like a rescheduled flight, a delay or a mistake in your booking— those OTAs can easily pass the buck to the airline or hotel.

Here’s the rub: If you booked a heavily discounted rate through a third party, like an online travel agency, you may not be at the top of the list for the airline or hotel to fix your reservation.

Now, the OTAs do have their own customer service agents. So if there is an issue, you can start with them, but email isn’t enough.

Pick up the phone and ask to speak to a manager and have THEM get on the horn with the airline or hotel with you on the line.

For more information, visit the Money, Currency & Credit archives and the Apps & Technology archives. 

Keep reading for more travel tips.