leper -you make a very good point about the reaction of the manager when a salesgirl says the price will come down -don't book now.
This is why travel agencies are closing -because people often don't trust them and because ,frankly, many of the staff are very young inexperienced kids who know far less than the average client who is now an experienced traveller with internet access.
I suppose it depends on the locality of the travel agency. If ,like me ,you are situated in a working-class suburb in West Dublin where everyone seems to know one another, where money is short and when ,if they have a crappy holiday they tend to use a more traditional approach to getting satisfaction than composing a complaints letter (especially from our esteemed clients who dwell in wheeled accommodation), - then it's essential to get a reputation for truth and honesty (God, what a cliche!).
If we tell Mrs O'Brien that the price in the Costa del Slum for her and her five kids and three partners is 6 grand and we know that the price will go down but don't tell her-and next week her neighbour gets it for half -price, then in the parlance of the area we're "f....... dead meat". Or ,less dramatically, we lose Mrs O'Briens custom in the future. And those of whom she talks(shouts) to.
Now, if we were in a big shopping centre or in the city centre where agents tend not to know their clients then, yes, agents think they can afford to be less forthright.
They're wrong of course because in the long run they only create more lepers.
The problem is worse with those agencies owned by the tour operator such as you mentioned. Their raison d'etre is to act as outlets for their own product -whilst being able to sell ther companies products as well.
So you are quite right about the reaction of Budget boss if a Budget counter clerk - (sorry, that should read "travel consultant") honestly tells the client
"Look, Mr Leper you are quite right that 3.000 -3.500 is a rip-off but I know from the sales stats that the tour operators are in deep **** and that they'll decrease in price by anything from 20-50%. You may not get exactly what you want but we'll sell you in an equally drab property in a tower-block for half the price overlooking an overcrowded beach by a polluted sea"
the boss would be furious -and ,funny you mention it, all staff in Budget shops have already on three-day weeks so mention of the P 45 is very germane.
(the boss would also be annoyed if the girl offered a competitors holiday which was cheaper).
To get back to the origianl quote -no, I can't find anything under 2.8k with a tour op -nor can I find anything under 2.2k D.I.Y -which is I admit cheaper than 2.8k but I know that i will.
One caveat -if a very large tour op goes bust next month then all holidays will increase in price -as well,suddenly, the fares of cheap airlines.
Now, I suppose I should go off and sell some rip-off holidays....