Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

I'm so cross only mumsnet understand me! Holidays .....

44 replies

stressedout29 · 25/01/2011 15:29

In December I booked 2 weeks holiday for early May in the new Holiday village in Tunisia. I have become quite concerned about travelling to the country with a 3 year old by the unrest in the country and the lack of help and advice offered by our travel company. My son is 3 ½ and although I did manage to keep him from seeing the riots on TV while at home he saw a clip on the news while we were out and no longer wants to go.

I called first choice about my concerns
I have contacted first choice who have at first said they will give us 1 week?s notice if they decide our holiday will be going ahead at all or cancelled. I wasn?t happy with this response (jet2 have cancelled all summer flights to Tunisia) as even if I still wanted to go ahead with it I need to arrange time off work for myself and my husband and if the cancel it at a week?s notice we will have used up most of our leave. So they gave me the 08448 number to make a complaint but they have said I cannot make a complaint or give feedback on their ?FEEDBACK? number. My choice it appears that I can either lose the whole deposit for pay £105 admin fee to change my holiday. This seems to me like they are trying to profit out of the problems in Tunisia as I am sure their admin cost would be much less than this £30 seems reasonable especially if they have availability elsewhere to not charge/profit from this situation?

I have been told to email but as I emailed them in December with a general query about the room I and I have yet to receive a response I?m not holding out much hope of a response now.

I could book a holiday elsewhere today with another company if FC would refund my deposit and would could at the moment could still get a free child place but they have refused.

Also if in they decide in the month or week before we are due to travel to offer a free destination change I have been advised by the ?feedback number ?that they will no longer be offering free child places so we would have to pay much extra anyway.

We booked first choice as we were told it was good with families ? it would seem not when there is a problem.

Please join this thread if you agree this is wrong or even if you disagree with me? if enough join they may look at this for everyone again as I?m sure I?m not the only one.

Thanks Angry

OP posts:
WorkInProgress · 25/01/2011 15:38

That is shit. I'd be back on the phone to them and give them an earful. How could you book something else at 1 weeks notice. Terrible customer service, but all the travel companies are the same...

stressedout29 · 25/01/2011 15:42

Thank you thats what I have been saying!

The customer service just say thats all they will offer though. Its blinking shocking - they were very quick to take our deposit though - no delay there - and they want the other 1300 in march even though they can't tell us if we have got a holiday or not.

OP posts:
twilight3 · 25/01/2011 15:44

One word: WATCHDOG

LIZS · 25/01/2011 15:45

Can you ask them to amend your booking to another destination. There will be plenty of space still for May atm. Check your t and c's to see if they would normally apply an admin charge then ask if they will waiver it.

stressedout29 · 25/01/2011 15:47

I think they are covered by their terms and conditions although you never read the 4+ pages at the back at the brocher.

Just because they are legally right though doesn't mean they should do ther minimum they are legaly required to do.

OP posts:
bubblewrapped · 25/01/2011 15:50

I am still amazed at a 3 yr old who saw a clip on a news programme and realised it was where he would be going on holiday!

friedtoacrisp · 25/01/2011 15:52

I was wondering that bubble! I do hope there's a sensible answer forthcoming.

stressedout29 · 25/01/2011 15:55

It is his 1st so we have been looking forward to it and making a big thing of it for him- he knows please and thank you in arabic - and we have shown him where it is on the map - he heard the word "Tunisia" while we were out and looked round and saw the images on the news. We have tried to play it down but it does concern us the things he might see there and the hit and miss atitude of the holiday company.

OP posts:
twilight3 · 25/01/2011 15:56

it's not difficult bubble, he knows they're going to Tunisia, sees all the trouble, obviously the journos have picked the worst shots as this si what sells.

"where's this mummy?". "oh, this is Tunisia". Poor kid was probably like "you're effing kidding me, right?". He probably thinks that what tunisia is.

When dd was 2 1/2 we took a trip top Italy. We arrived there, took a car and on the way to the hotel we stoped (hungry, exhausted and lost) in a smelly, dark, cold parking lot of a mcD's to change nappies and grab a bite. She woke up and asked "when are we going to be in Italy?". To which DH replied "we ARE in Italy". She started screaming "noooo, this is not Italy, noooo.". She obviously thought that this was what she was stuck in a plane for three hours for! Took some time to calm her down and explain it all.

So, yeah, perfectly possible IMO

twilight3 · 25/01/2011 15:57

Xposted stressed

stressedout29 · 25/01/2011 15:58

Spot on twilight3 x
Thank you

OP posts:
mumbar · 25/01/2011 16:00

It is bad.

I've PM'd you stressed out.

Deliaskis · 25/01/2011 16:01

The thing is though, May is ages away for this kind of thing. At the moment the FCO is still advising against non-essential travel to Tunisia, but the situation is already calmer than it was, and as I understand it, the likelihood is there will be an election mid-March and then things will settle down.

I do understand that you may not fancy it anymore, but May is ages off from a travel company's point of view. If travel there is still not advised by the FCO come May, then First Choice will have to offer you an alternative (for that week, so no problem with time booked off work), it's just too early for them to do that, for a situation that is highly likely to be completely resolved in a matter of weeks. If travel there is no longer 'not advised' by the FCO, then there's really no reason why you can't go, apart from just not feeling like it, which whilst I can understand, it is also not First Choice's responsibility.

I also don't understand how a 3yr old knew that the news clip was where he was going on holiday. I also think in many cases, travelling to a holiday resort is a world apart from staying in a big city, so the simple answer to that would be 'that's a long way from where we're going darling'.

D

Deliaskis · 25/01/2011 16:04

OK, x-posted re how the 3yr old knew about it, but I do still think May is ages away for this kind of thing - it's highly likely to all be fine by mid-March, so try not to worry until you know there is actually something to worry about, IYKWIM.

First Choice are probably seeming a bit hit and miss as they will be busy trying to sort out the people who are due to go there in the next 2-3 weeks.

D

LittleMissHissyFit · 25/01/2011 16:06

I lived in Egypt for pretty much 3 years... Even I am not aware of the word for PLEASE.... AFAIK, it's not used.....

As you were....

Fimboloveshaggis · 25/01/2011 16:13

\link{http://customer-community.thomascook.com/thomascook/topics/can_we_cancel_our_tunisia_holiday\Look here} scroll through the pages, there seems to be someone answering from TC. I think Thomas Cook & First Choice are one and the same company nowadays. It may help to post on it.

mumbar · 25/01/2011 16:17
  1. If we cancel your booking

We aim to provide your holiday as booked. But if, for example, there are not enough people booked on your holiday or you do not pay the balance of the holiday price on time, we may cancel it. We reserve the right to cancel your holiday in any circumstances but if we cancel your holiday you can either have a refund or accept a replacement holiday from us of equivalent or closely similar standard and price (if one is available). This can include the choice of a replacement holiday from another TUI Travel Group company. Should you choose this option the terms and conditions of your holiday will not change and these conditions will still apply to your booking. In either case, we will pay you compensation, using the scale shown (unless we cancel your holiday because you do not pay us the balance of the holiday price or because of one of the events listed in the ?Important note ? events beyond our control?) and we will always refund the difference in price if the replacement holiday is of a lower standard and price. We will not cancel your holiday less than eight weeks before you go, unless this is the result of one of the events in the ?Important note ? events beyond our control?.

  1. If we change your booking details

We hope that we will not have to make any change to your holiday but, because our holidays are planned many months in advance, we sometimes do need to make changes. We reserve the right to do this at any time. We will let you or your travel agent know about any important changes when you book. If you have already booked, we will let you know as soon as we can, if there is time before your departure. Flight timings shown by us are for guidance only and may change. Your Confirmation Invoice will show the latest planned timings. Your actual flight timings will be shown on your ticket (including any e ticket itinerary), which you should check carefully as soon as you receive it.

Major changes to your holiday
Occasionally, we have to make major changes to the flight or accommodation making up your holiday with us. If we tell you about any of these changes after we have confirmed your holiday booking, you may either:

  • accept the new arrangements offered by us; or
  • accept a replacement holiday from us of equivalent or closely similar standard and price, if one is available; this can include the choice of a replacement holiday from another TUI Travel Group company. Should you choose this option the terms and conditions of your holiday will not change and these conditions will still apply to your booking.or
  • cancel your holiday with us and receive a full refund of all monies paid.

Either way, we will pay you compensation, using the Compensation table shown, unless the change is for reasons beyond our control (see the ?Important note ? events beyond our control?) and we will always refund the difference in price if the replacement holiday is of a lower standard and price.

Major changes to your holiday for which we will pay compensation unless the change is for reasons beyond our control (see 'Important note - events beyond our control'), using the scale shown, may include the following changes: a significant change of destination; a change in accommodation to that of a lower category, a change in the time of your departure or return flight by more than 12 hours, a change of UK departure airport (excluding changes between London airports, London, Ebbsfleet and Ashford stations and between Dover/Folkestone ports). These changes are only examples and there may be other significant changes which constitute major changes. This standard payment will not affect your statutory or other legal rights. We will only make one payment for each full-fare-paying adult in the holiday booking. Any children not paying the full adult fare will receive 50% of these amounts. Children using a free child place will not receive any standard payment.

Compensation
Any compensation payable will be on these scales, based on how many days before your booked holiday departure we tell you of a major change.

Period before departure when a major change is notified Compensation payable per person
More than 56 days £0
55-29 days £10
28-15 days £20
14-8 days £30
7-0 days £40

If the change is not acceptable to you
If any major change indicated above is not acceptable to you, you can cancel your holiday booking. In this case, we will refund all the money you have paid us and will pay you compensation, as shown above, depending on how many days before your holiday we tell you about this change unless the change is for reasons beyond our control (see 'Important note - events beyond our control'). This standard payment will not affect your statutory or other legal rights.

Important note - events beyond our control
Events beyond our control include: war, threat of war, riots, civil disturbances, terrorist activity and its consequences, industrial disputes, natural and nuclear disasters, fire, epidemics, health risks and pandemics, unavoidable and unforeseeable technical problems with transport for reasons beyond our control or that of our suppliers; closed or congested airports or ports, hurricanes and other actual or potential severe weather conditions, and any other similar events
.

Basically from this they will not compensate due to it being crcumstances beyond their control. I would imagine that as its May they are waiting to see how the situation pans out. I would look at the option of changing your holiday now if your concerned. You may have to pay a price for amendment (usually £30, but there are still many on offer with free child places. AFAIK the holiday villages all offer first child free. You should be able to change the holiday at the angency you booked through. It is just a change of destination though, you can't use the possibility of riots as an excuse.

I agree a week before is short notice and would personally be looking to get a secure booking now - except be aware something could happen at that destination too.

stressedout29 · 25/01/2011 16:20

I was not aware that was not used?

Thanks Hissyfit

OP posts:
laughalot · 25/01/2011 16:23

When these things happen in foreign countries the tour operators have to take each week at a time and sort out the people who are travelling the soonest. If the foreign office advise it isnt safe to go as you get closer to your date you will be offered a choice to ammend the holiday or possibly a refund.

These situations change ever such alot and im pretty sure within a few weeks we shall see holidays travelling to tunisia again. As you have probably guessed I am a travel agent and I do think it is a bit unfair to say that your travel firm are not offering much advice the truth is we dont get to know anything different really to what is on the news we are as much in the dark as everyone else.

I understand it is a real pain but if you really dont want to go why dont you try and ammend it to something else pay the admin fee charge and then write to them and complain and see if they will waiver the charges ? If you have booked through a agent they will send the letter to them and it will be all setteled as per the ABTA guidelines.

What query do you have wih the room I can have a little look on thursday and try and find the answer for you.

laughalot · 25/01/2011 16:24

thomas cook and first choice are two different holiday firms.

Fimboloveshaggis · 25/01/2011 16:30

No they are not [bgrin]

Fimboloveshaggis · 25/01/2011 16:32

They are \link{http://www.thomascook.com/brands/partner-brands-first-choice/\partners}

laughalot · 25/01/2011 16:34

thomson - first choice are

thomas cook - airtours - sunset are a family Grin

laughalot · 25/01/2011 16:36

they do use first choice flights from time to time but not often.

Fimboloveshaggis · 25/01/2011 16:38

Ha ha ha, I have just read the bit that you are a travel agent and I quite simply am a numpty [bgrin]

Swipe left for the next trending thread