Rs70 commission for train reservation thru agent?

i have been in contact with a local travel agent in india (navneet of vinstring tours). he says he can make train reservations for me, with a commission of Rs70 per person per journey. is this reasonable?

The above quote is their only reference to Indian Railways.

I get the impression they don't want their customers using trains.

'Rail Travel Service Agents' are supposed to charge Rs15 for 2nd class and Sleeper class, and Rs25 for other classes. (per person)

But some can charge 1% of the total fare.

During rail travel in April and May... even Indians pay upto rs 300 "tout fee" for a lousy three tier sleeper class berth. The entire population in India travels during this time [summer vacation] and for most of them there is no other way. In fact the illiterate ones pay upto rs 200 "tout fee" for an unreserved seat (NOT berth) in which you can't even go for a crap unless you have warned your neighbour to mind your place for you.

Outside the summer months its not that bad. My travel agent charges rs 30 to rs 50 and i have the advantage of home delivery and booking on telephone. Rs 70 is a bit more but not some rip-off. If you are getting home delivery you have to count those charges as well. NO travel agent that i know of charges rs 15 and renders satisfactory service. But i am in Mumbai where costs are very high. Ditto for Delhi. Some rural places have agents who charge less... but nowadays rs 15 fellas are rare.... The Railways have set a very unrealistic limit. rs 15 is not adequate. The travel agents are actually doing business as they can make up for lost earnings during summer by the unofficial fees. If not for this, they would not be in business.

Hi

Only 70 rp. no standing for hours yes good value

R70 is a very tiny amount of money in most places in the world. I know nothing of your part of the world and its economics, but would expect that, unless you are going to stay in 5* hotels, you will find most things in India very cheap.

But if you are going to spend your trip trying to shave a few rupees off everything and wondering if everybody is ripping you off then maybe you'd have more fun staying at home.

thanks for all the useful information. i forgot to mention that i was talking about a delhi agent, so AvidTrekker's comparison with mumbai was helpful.

Nick-H, you have a good point about keeping in mind the relatively low cost of things in india. thanks for the reminder.

70 is totally reasonable. He also is paying a commission so don't think it is all profit for him.

Luyanjing: it's just that if you come here determined to cut the cost of everything and treating everyone as if they are overcharging you then I think you'll go home convinced that people in India did try to rip you off and you won't have a happy trip.

I think bargaining is a cultural thing: in many cultures it is part of life and it certainly is here. Being a Brit I didn't grow up with it. The price of a carrot in a British market is just that! So I'm not very good at it here. On the other hand my Malaysian ex-GF used to take it personally if she couldn't get a few pennies off, and would refuse to buy something she really wanted.

I thnk the guide books paint a picture of India in which the asking price is always twice what is expected. This is not necessarily true. Many shops and services are fixed price. I've paid asking price for small things in markets and been told by local friends, "yes: that is correct price to pay". Taxis are fixed price: autos, most decidedly, are not!

But when it comes to things like travel agents you have to ask yourself if you would do it for less.

My message is... Relax! It won't cost you that much

The comission is very nominal, as it will ensure you of hassel free travelling