ThomasCook From United Kingdom (England), joined Aug 2004, 557 posts, RR: 13 Reply 2, posted (5 years 1 week 6 days 13 hours ago) and read 1754 times:
Hi,
Thanks for that!
We where promised 3T HOTEL accommodation and instead received a flooded apartment which was freezing cold, not helped by a lack of winter blankets, broken air conditioning and radiators. Also we where forced to walk through freezing cold flood water and over planks of wood to reach the room!
To add to this, there was drug users who had traveled with Thomson using drugs at the hotel and the reps where rude to customers with complaints.
I will be avoiding Thomson and TUI for that matter in the future!
ThomasCook From United Kingdom (England), joined Aug 2004, 557 posts, RR: 13 Reply 9, posted (5 years 1 week 6 days 10 hours ago) and read 1705 times:
Hi,
Thomson do seem to take a special and peculiar interest in places such as Palma Nova and Benidorm! Two places that I despise! They really do seem to dedicate themselves to the bucket and spade routes that people are long since losing interest in!
Airtours on the other hand have always been on the forefront of new destinations like the Caribbean and suchlike.
Thomson have sure lost my family as customers!
I can't wait for my next holiday in May in Santorini with MyTravel's Greek arm - Manos.
FLYtoEGCC From United Kingdom, joined Feb 2004, 947 posts, RR: 4 Reply 10, posted (5 years 1 week 6 days 9 hours ago) and read 1693 times:
Regardless of whether TUI/Thomson use dodgy resorts or not (I've seen from the brochures they do some beautiful ones as well), we've never used them because their prices are extortionate.
One you should consider, and a company we've been with lots of times and only once had a problem with (which wasn't directly their fault) was Eclipse Direct, the lower-price arm of First Choice. Quite a few of the holidays they sell are identical to the equivalent in the full price First Choice brochures, and you can save thousands on a family holiday if you look around carefully and compare prices. As a member of a family of satisfied customers, I'd suggest anyone looking for a package holiday looks at them.
Catatonic From United Kingdom (Wales), joined Mar 2004, 1155 posts, RR: 6 Reply 12, posted (5 years 1 week 6 days 8 hours ago) and read 1688 times:
Whenever I have had a Thomsons holiday I have been unimpressed, this is just my personal opinion. I would definitely not recommend going AOA with them. My last holiday with Thomsons was suppose to be a minimum of 2* hotel rating. I ended up in a 1* Hostel which was mainly for 18-30's, and it was so run down I would not put a dog in there. This was to Ibiza staying at the hostel horizonte if you want to look this shack up. The other was staying at the hotel ereso and that according to my mother (I was too young to remember)was like a prison camp, metal beds and roaches the size of mice. As for brochures, any hotel can be made too look nice in then, and how small are those pictures anyway?!?! Recently (since moving up north) I have started traveling more with My Travel, you cant beat them for value and quality. The only redeeming quality about booking a thomsons holiday is being able to fly Britannia, and now that's more or less out the window too!
ThomasCook From United Kingdom (England), joined Aug 2004, 557 posts, RR: 13 Reply 13, posted (5 years 1 week 5 days 11 hours ago) and read 1666 times:
Hi,
Catatonic
I totally agree with you about Thomson. They will never see our money again and the BY flights where also awful or should I say Thomsonfly.com?
In future all are holidays will take place with MyTravel Group as they are flawless and we have never had any problems with them previously.
Saintsman From United Kingdom (England), joined Mar 2002, 2065 posts, RR: 3 Reply 14, posted (5 years 1 week 5 days ago) and read 1648 times:
If you are paying to stay in a 1 or 2 star hotel / apartment that is what you will get. Too many people pay next to nothing but expect 4 star conditions. That is not to say the cheaper places should not be comfortable and clean of course but the sort of people who frequent these places are the ones who just want a place to sleep after they have been partying all night. If you only pay £100 for a holiday inc flights what do you really expect?
Also anyone who books just by looking at the brochure deserves all they get these days. There is so much information on the net about hotels and resorts there is no excuse for booking a bad place.
Diesel1 From United Kingdom (Wales), joined Mar 2001, 1567 posts, RR: 17 Reply 15, posted (5 years 1 week 4 days 16 hours ago) and read 1631 times:
Thomas Cook
If the accomodation was as you described, then it was clearly not acceptable.
Have you checked the terms and conditions you agreed to when booking the holiday - some companies will not accept complaints unless they were raised at the point you were on holiday.
You should also make sure that you forward them photos etc. of the unacceptable accomodation.
When writing to them be polite, and explain the distress that you were caused.
Hysterical or rude letters will get a poor response
Also when writing to them make very clear what kind of response you expect from them in terms of how they make things better for you - otherwise you'll end up with a few credit vouchers for a holiday company you really don't fancy using again.
Finally - of the large tour operators, I have found Thomson as good as any of them get - the poorest operator was MyTravel (or Airtours as they were then) - I guess it all depends where you travel to.
One last thing... I'm sure you'll love Santorini - are you staying in Kamari? If so then enjoy the aircraft and make sure you walk along the beach to the airport.
Banco From United Kingdom (England), joined Oct 2001, 14752 posts, RR: 62 Reply 16, posted (5 years 1 week 4 days 16 hours ago) and read 1629 times:
The reason why you have to raise the complaint whilst you are on holiday is because if you don't, then you've failed to give them the opportunity to put the problem right there and then.
It weakens your case substantially, because they can say that had they known they would have rectified it.
She's as nervous as a very small nun at a penguin shoot.
Bananaboy From United Kingdom, joined Oct 2004, 1206 posts, RR: 41 Reply 17, posted (5 years 1 week 4 days 9 hours ago) and read 1612 times:
If you don't state that there is a problem in resort, then how can the holiday company solve the problem for you? Why wait until you get home and have a bad time? If there is a problem, at least allow the company to put it right. I hate to say it ThomasCook but I doubt you will get anywhere with your complaint. Not only does it state in the back of the brochure to contact resort staff if there is a problem, I believe it is with the late deal leaflets and within the ticket wallets. Not only that, you have the 24 hour line in every resort, so there really was every opportunity to raise the issue with the operator and at least allow them the chance to help you.
Would also like to point out that Thomson have less than 1% of customers complain, substantially lower than their competition.
Catatonic
All their resorts are rubbish? You are speaking utter garbage.
As for the Ereso, can't speak for the hotel then, but now, several years on, standards in general across the Med seem to have risen...
I agree that ThomasCook has had cause for complaint.. you should have clean and safe accommodation whatever standard of accommodation you chose.
With regard to brochures and hotel descriptions, you should be aware that there is a solid legal case for tour operators providing 100% accurate information regarding your holiday. If not, you have a legal case. Not only is there a legal case, you also would have ABTA come down on them like a ton of bricks.
(this is a bit garbled - my apologies. MAJOR jetlag kicking in...)
ThomasCook
Thomson do seem to take a special and peculiar interest in places such as Palma Nova and Benidorm! Two places that I despise! They really do seem to dedicate themselves to the bucket and spade routes that people are long since losing interest in!
Airtours on the other hand have always been on the forefront of new destinations like the Caribbean and suchlike.
Ok....
Thomson have been in Croatia for a few years, whereas Airtours are only just expanding there. With regards to them focusing on "budget" resorts, I can't agree with you on that... Santorini, Skiathos, Sharm, Sicily (and lots more beginning with "S" )
They have started major expansion other new areas like Bulgaria, and Cuba as well as those mentioned above.
Airtours do have "unique" destinations, such as Rimini (Italy's answer to Benidorm though) as well as Las Vegas. I would disagree though that their bias toward bucket and spade routes is more than Airtours or First Choice or any other major.
Mark
All my life, I've been kissing, your top lip 'cause your bottom one's missing
Catatonic From United Kingdom (Wales), joined Mar 2004, 1155 posts, RR: 6 Reply 20, posted (5 years 1 week 4 days 9 hours ago) and read 1607 times:
So if this thread was about My Travel selling crappy holidays you would have just as sweepingly come to their defence? It says on your profile that your a sales manager for a cruise company, are you familiar with the Thomsons cruise ship that recently featured on cruises from hell on ITV? On that cruise ship even though it was proven that there was a food poisoning outbreak they still dismissed it. My point is, when things go wrong with thomsons they really don't want to know. They arent prepared to admit anything is wrong and arent willing to do anything about it if they did. OK I admit that it was a sweeping generalisation to say that all their resorts are dumps, but from past experiences, and I went with thomsons a lot (they use to operate a lot from CWL) the places I've stayed are shacks and over priced ones at that! I'm suprised after the crap they gave to you about your user name that you would still have good words about them.
Bananaboy From United Kingdom, joined Oct 2004, 1206 posts, RR: 41 Reply 21, posted (5 years 1 week 4 days 9 hours ago) and read 1602 times:
I believe in the product, despite the fact that they were utter turds towards me about the username.
I just don't agree with you. Yes, I have a preference for Thomson, but there wasn't one thing I stated there that wasn't a fact.
I have heard vaguely about the cruise on Holidays From Hell, which I believe was the Topaz. This was years ago and they still keep showing it. But yes, it was an utter cock up. As for the program, I refuse to watch it. Tabloid TV. Not good. The program has been discredited several times on the accuracy of its reporting.
Airtours have their strengths, but My point is, when things go wrong with thomsons they really don't want to know. They arent prepared to admit anything is wrong and arent willing to do anything about it if they did.
Maybe I seem to have a bias, but that is because I know more about what they do do behind the scenes having worked for them in resort - Yes I DID have to wear the yellow trousers - and also in the UK as Lunn Poly staff, having sold the full range of holidays. I felt that there was either a disproportionately high %age of complaints from Airtours, and unfortunately, Cosmos, when compared to Thomson, when the overall number of passenger booked through the shop was taken into account. Not scientific I know, just anecdotal. So either Thomson had less complaints than the others, or they were better at handling and resolving issues in resort. Either way, it was good news for the customer.
Anyways Mr Catatonic, I am off to zzz's
ThomasCook
Enjoy Santorini. I think its kinda hard not too! hehe
Mark
All my life, I've been kissing, your top lip 'cause your bottom one's missing
Catatonic From United Kingdom (Wales), joined Mar 2004, 1155 posts, RR: 6 Reply 23, posted (5 years 1 week 4 days 5 hours ago) and read 1595 times:
Diesel1: i know they still operate a lot from CWL. By saying that what I meant was in the late 80's early 90's BY was practically the main operator from CWL. If you wanted a holiday flying from CWL then the most likely option would be Thomsons and BY. There wasn't really much choice. Nowadays they have probably scaled down flights from CWL due to competition.
Diesel1 From United Kingdom (Wales), joined Mar 2001, 1567 posts, RR: 17 Reply 24, posted (5 years 1 week 3 days 20 hours ago) and read 1587 times:
Catatonic
The choice of holidays from Cardiff has probably broadened, but the late 80s / early 90s saw a different balance of tour operators from CWL.
As well as Thomson / Britannia there was Intasun / Air Europe and Aspro / Inter European AW.
As Intasun failed, Airtours increased their operations, further strengthened by their acquisition of Aspro.
CWL also saw the arrival and departure of Air World/Flying Colours/JMC.
In more recent years, First Choice / Air2000 have arrived.
In the early 90s Airtours had two based aircraft in the summer and one based through the winter - there is no longer a unit based during the winter and the summer has reduced to a unit based all week, and one based part of the week - not sure what next year will bring...
In comparison Thomson / Britannia have expanded from a single 737-200, to a 757-200, with a proportion of the summer's flying now being operated by a 767-200 - all of this doesn't feel like a scale down of operations - quite the opposite in fact.
ThomasCook From United Kingdom (England), joined Aug 2004, 557 posts, RR: 13 Reply 25, posted (5 years 1 week 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 1580 times:
Hi,
This has gone completely of topic but anyhow I did complain in resort to it was to no resolution. In regards to providing evidence, why should I? I am not a detective, the Thomson reps should have inspected the accommodation before hand, not me!
Regards
ThomasCook
A380 & B747 Crew
26 Bananaboy: ThomasCook Why would you have to provide evidence? Am I missing something? Mark
27 ThomasCook: Hi, I am insinuating that I should not have too! I'm on holiday, I not gathering evidence! This is Thomson's fault, not mine, ABTA stand by me and fee
28 MYT332: My own story is, went with Thomson to Halkidiki in 1994. They had overbooked the hotel so we ended up staying in a spare apartment over a supermarket
29 Bananaboy: ThomasCook I think I am agreeing with you.... I don't think you should have to provide evidence. But you should have given someone the opportunity go
30 ThomasCook: Hi, We did complain to the representative in resort but they just weren't interested. I am glad we agree Bananaboy! Regards ThomasCook
31 Diesel1: The reason you need to collect evidence is that if they are unable or unwilling to resolve the issue at the resort then you can provide the proof of t
32 ThomasCook: Hi, Diesel1 The fact is, I shouldn't need to collect information or 'evidence' regarding the problems! It is Thomson's job to ensure the property is s
33 Diesel1: Thomas Cook I'm pleased you appreciate my advice... You are right - you shouldn't have to collect evidence of the problem as you should have had satis
34 ThomasCook: Hi, Sorry, I was refering to you with the justification point I fully understand what you are saying and thanks! Regards ThomasCook
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