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

[stressedout29]

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

lol its fine I just dont want the op reading thomas cook's booking conditions when it should be first choices. To be honest in years to come they will all be one big tour operator im sure. Bloody holiday firms, bloody civil unrest you have got to love it.

It has been reported to Watchdog apparently as TC seem to be taking the same line as FC so maybe there may be an outcome from it all. Fingers crossed for the op.

Hopefully they will sort it, tunisia is such a nice place aswell lets hope things improve soon.

Laughalot: The query was if just if they have bed guards or if I need to bring my own.

I will probaly just end up paying the admin charge to be on the safe side but I can't see why it costs them £105 to change now - especialy as they have availability elsewhere.

My main question though is it fair that if they cancel the holiday and offer us a different destination at (at a weeks notice only) they will not honor the free child place we have now.

As I said before if they gave me a refund now I could book with a different company but they want the further 1700 in March.

I don't see where they would charge you more if they rearrange at short notice ie for a child you aren't currently paying for.

Because they say the have run out of free child places to other destinations :-(

I would ring again, ask to speak to a supervisor adn explain that you want to alter the booking due to the unrest what could they offer you for same amount? They should have access to the range of brands within the company including those with free child places. If they rearrange it I don't think they can charge you extra for the equivalent standard of accommodation.

I can pretty much answer the question now and im 100% sure they wont have bed guards never heard of any hotel having them.

Unfortunatly when you sign the booking form you are signing for the booking conditions in the back of the brochure however nobody ever reads these including me. I would do what has been suggested ring the agents explain that you dont want to go because of the unrest and what can they offer you something for he same money ? Your holiday balance is always due any time from 12/14 weeks before you fly hence why the money is due soon.

If you need me to check any holiday for you on thursday around the same price what you have paid just pm me the details and I can have a look for you. I wont be able to book anything with your holiday being elsewhere but I can at least try and fiond you something to swap to.

Meant to also say that if they change you to a alternative holiday no extra cost will be incurred by you they will have to settle it but it means accepting what they offer.

I feel for you.

I went into Thompson to book one of the holiday Villages as we went to one last year and it really was great for the dc's. The day I went in was the day the trouble broke out on the news, and when I was in there I said I wanted to go to the new one in Tunisia. They said nothing, and I would expect travel agancy staff to be made aware if there were politiacl problems in one of their destinations.

Thankfully for us, I decided the dates they could give us to Tunisia were out of our budget, and we booked the Cyprus one instead. But I was a bit miffed when I got home and realised what was going on in Tunisia and the sales girl would happily have let me book a holiday there and pay £200 deposit.

I can also sympathyse with the admin fee, simelar happened to us last year before our holiday with them. At the time of booking, I hadn't changed my passport into my married name, but then I lost it about 6 months before the holiday and applied for a new one in my married name. But the holiday had been booked in my maiden name, and they charged me £50 just to change the name on a ticket that hadn't even been issued yet.

We are also booked to Tunisia in May. Not too bothered about the current unrest - we won't be allowed to go if there is still trouble and if it's over I think the Tunisians will be going out of their way to give holidaymakers a great holiday so they spread the word when they get back

I am more worried about getting cancelled or amended! We booked to go the same dates & hotel as my sister & family and my Dad, although we fly from different airports. We would have to hope that they offer us all the same alternatives.

As my sister has 4 children and managed to get 2 free chid places she can't afford to pay the admin fee let alone a higher cost holiday.

Poogles get the travel agency to link all your booking references so they know you are going as a big party. Even if you have booked all at seperate places you can do this.

Thanks laughalot. Will do this. We booked online so do I need to do this online or can I go into a store 9don't want to be waiting weeks like OP, especially as they are likely to be busy with all the Tunisia queries!

Laughalot - will get back to you with those details - thanks for all your help.

I am also happy to go if the holiday companys says it is safe. Like Poogles It's the attitude of a weeks notice and the free child places which will be taken at a later date which has annoyed me.

The "pre travel helpline" just say that there is nothing they can do - although they have some availability elsewhere now by May it will be gone.

With the unrest in Egypt now they may be even more demand for other destinations.

Hope your three year old didn't watch the Channel 5 documentary on the Sharm shark attacks or that will be the Egyptian Holiday Village struck off the list too .

poggles just get all your booking references together and ring them or email them over and just say you aretravelling as a party and can they link your reference numbers.

Part of the response from fc for anyone with the same problems. So it seems likely we will have to pay for a child place when we had booked early so we could get one.

From: [email protected]
Subject: RE: Tunisia

In situations of this type, Thomson and First Choice trust the advice of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). The FCO are yet to provide a longer term plan regarding travel advice to Tunisia. Therefore, at present, no decision has been taken with regards to cancelling flights beyond Wednesday 16 February. As a number of days have passed and we are still yet to receive further guidance, we have taken the decision to offer free amendments to holidays departing up to 27 February 2011. For holidays departing after this date normal booking conditions will apply.

We are continuously monitoring the situation and as soon as more guidance is received from the FCO, we will review our decision regarding flights after this date. It was with this in mind that we advised that you may only receive short notice that your holiday was to be changed. Whilst I realise that this may not always be practical, I would point out that the nature of events such as this can often mean that situations can change very quickly and we have to be able to adapt to new events.

I am sorry if it appears that we are seeking to profit from the situation in Tunisia, however, I can confirm that the charges outlined are those you agreed to when you made your booking. I can also confirm that any change in holiday cost would need to be paid by you.

Thank you for choosing to travel with First Choice and I hope that despite this pre travel disappointment, you go on to have a lovely holiday.

Kind regards

Alison Birch

Pre Travel Communications

Tel: 0844 561 5995

stressedout that doesn't sound like you will miss out on a child place if the situation is still problematic a few weeks before you are due to travel. They have said they are offering free amendments to holidays up to 27 of Feb, so it sounds to me like if by around a month before your holiday the situation is still causing concern, you still will be offered free amendments, so I don't think you would have to pay for the child place.

If you choose at this stage not to go, or to change your holiday, when there may be no reason to do so, then yes I would expect to be charged.

D

I wish

"I can also confirm that any change in holiday cost would need to be paid by you" is regarding the child place - I called them and they have said they will amend myself and my husband for free but as they have very few free child places now we will be paying extra for my 3 year old.

We can get our money back nearer the time if the holiday is cancelled but they want the balance next month.