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Original poster

What a complete rip off!!!

23 replies

Joley · 29/12/2005 23:13

I've just booked a holiday with Thomson and can't believe how close I came to being ripped off to some tune!

We're going to Majorca for two weeks leaving on the 28th May, self catering.

I priced up the holiday for 2 adults and 2 children (6 & 3), the price was £1870.00

I then priced up the same holiday for 4 adults and the price was £1354.00

A difference of £516.00

I phoned them to check this was right and they said - oh yes it often works out that way because of the underoccupancy supplements, I can book it for 4 adults for you if you like and that way it'll be cheaper.

I tried pricing a few different holidays then and it works out cheaper for 4 adults everytime.......how unfair is that!

OP posts:

Skribble · 29/12/2005 23:58

I had this before when i thought I would take advantage of the free kids offers. They still charge underuccupancy so defeats the purpose of free kids as they don't count towards occupancy.

BadHair · 30/12/2005 00:36

Well done you, but watch out for things like unsafe balconies, child un-friendly stuff in the room, and being put in the middle of party central.
Friend went to Toremolinos last year with dp and 2 children aged 5 and 9. They found out about the price discrepency so booked for 4 adults, but the hotel put them in the block with all the party animals. She asked to be moved, citing their 2 children, but was told that as they were expecting 4 adults they were unable to accomodate them in quieter, child-friendly rooms. So they had to put up with 2 weeks of banging house music from 7-10pm and 4-6am, plus the shouting and vomit that went with it.
Just make sure that you've booked a quiet hotel!

bobbybobbobbingalong · 30/12/2005 05:07

Yes I found this constantly for fiji, norfolk island, the gold coast - the list goes on. But I wouldn't have been allowed to book for 3 adults even though it was cheaper because from the airline ticket they knew Bob was a child.

I was really cross, and we ended up holidaying in NZ, and happily not paying for an extra person in our railway carriage because he was a preschooler!

MaryBS · 30/12/2005 16:45

I've just done a similar exercise with Thomson - and the difference was about £500. I've just phoned them up and asked about doing that way - and they said we would be unlikely to be able to use the kids clubs.....

LIZS · 30/12/2005 17:36

We had this with Thomas Cook on our holiday to Majorca in October. Couldn't believe our eyes when we tried to book it online but even their travel agent couldn't explain it fully and suggested we booked the kids as adults?!. 2nd child price was actually coming out higher than an adult anyway. It became much cheaper to book the accommodation direct whatever permutation we tried. In the end we still flew with them but hired car(from Avis) and booked accommodation (through this company ) separately.

Original poster

Joley · 30/12/2005 17:59

Thanks for advise, I made sure over the phone that the rep put on the booking thet we are travelling with children and that we would have full access to all facilities. As it's a Thomson Superfamily Hotel, should be ok but thought I'd make sure anyway.

OP posts:

LIZS · 30/12/2005 18:03

You can still often book their hotels direct -the are often exclusive to the parent company, TUI group, not just Thomson so offer more than one kids club.

MaryBS · 30/12/2005 19:03

Thats interesting what you say Joley about having access to full facilities. I tried both a Thomson shop and the Thomson 0870 phoneline and they BOTH told me that we wouldn't get access to kids club. If I could guarantee the kids club I would definitely book them as adults....

Can you get them to put it in writing so that when you go they can't back out of it?

Which hotel will you be staying at in Majorca BTW because we were looking at the Coma Gran, going on 22 May

LIZS · 30/12/2005 19:44

I suppose the risk of booking children as adults is that the specialist staffing ratios for the kids' clubs may be determined by the number of child bookings so yours may not be taken into consideration in these figures and therefore excluded. Probably greater risk of this in low season when the staffing would be running at a minimum level, assuming they offer the clubs at all then.

Original poster

Joley · 31/12/2005 16:43

MaryBs, that's the same hotel. The rep said she would put the children's ages on the booking so that it would be clear in resort that we were with two children so we won't have a problem. I'll see if it's confirmed in writing when we receive the invoice.

OP posts:

Original poster

Joley · 05/01/2006 20:42

Just received invoice and it clearly states two adults, one 6 year old and one 3 year old so everything should be ok.

OP posts:

MaryBS · 09/01/2006 21:18

I do hope so - I went into a Thomson shop today and they told me that if I booked for 4 adults, then my children DEFINITELY couldn't be in the kids club......
I've now booked a week in Travelodges in the UK for £86 instead!

Skribble · 09/01/2006 22:57

I priced a holiday at £974 for 2+2 and the same was £676 for 4 adults. ???????????

MaryBS · 11/01/2006 17:44

If any of you are Which? members, I should complain, like I have....

gemmamay · 11/01/2006 22:40

This is outrageous!! I have only just joined the 'pay for kids club' and am interested to read this - i can't believe the difference in price!

willow2 · 06/03/2006 16:20

Just resurrecting this thread - out of curiosity, those of you who found it was cheaper for 4 adults than 2 adults and 2 kids, where were you trying to book? The journo in me thinks this is outrageous and wants to investigate more...

MaryBS · 06/03/2006 17:12

I emailed mine to Which? who were interested, but not enough to follow it up, so I have all the details here. This is what I checked out on 30 December:

"With 2 adults 2 children, it costs nearly £1800, as 4 adults it costs nearly £1300, a £500 difference. When I phoned Thomson they were indifferent about it, said that was the way it worked sometimes. Only trouble is, if we go as adults, and they said we CAN book as adults, then the children may have trouble using the kids clubs.....

Details of the holiday are as follows:

Leaving Stansted 28/5/06, 17:15 for 14 nights in the Coma Gran hotel, Sa Coma, Majorca, returning 11/06/06 21:40, self catering 1 bed apt. on www.thomson.co.uk

4 adults details:

Basic Adult Price (x4) £1,656.00
£-392.00 Savings on Adult Price (x4)

£0.00 Board basis charges (x4)

£48.00 Pre-book seats (x4)

£0.00 Transfers (x4)

£80.00 Fuel Supplement (x4)

£1,392.00 Total

£-120.00 On-line Booking Discount (x4)

£1,272.00 "

willow2 · 06/03/2006 17:16

I've been having a play around on several sites - Thomson, Thomas Cook and First Choice - and it is the same everywhere, regardless of whether a kids' club is involved. For instance, 4 adults in a 2 bed villa in Crete works out £150 cheaper than 2 adults and 2 kids - so much for kids' discounts. So out of order.

MaryBS · 06/03/2006 17:19

I tried out Portland Direct, and found their prices didn't vary much whether it was 2+2 or 4

omygawd · 12/03/2009 16:20

Don't be tight pay the money have a ball. If you decieve the operator you only have yourself to blame. you gets wot yer pays for I would hate to have booked an adult holiday to find myself surrounded by rugrats and no I would not compromise my behaviour for them.

seb1 · 12/03/2009 16:33

I tried to book 2 adults and 2 kids on thomas cook website and it kept pricing it as 3 adults and 1 child even though it asked the kids ages at the start.

Fimbo · 12/03/2009 16:44

My friend has just booked 2 weeks in Ibiza, citing her ds as an adult, she saved a fortune but has been told he will not be able to use the kids club - she is not bothered though.

Kiwinyc · 12/03/2009 20:16

Well done for figuring this out, I noticed this when I priced up some Thomson Superfamily Holidays last yr. The same thing happens on First Choice and Cosmos - they all offer 'Free child places' then they nail you for more on underoccupancy charges!

I was so incensed I drafted an email to a journalist at The Telegraph who wrote an article about this for the Travel Section at some point but I never sent it because the differences I found were only in around £30-80. £500 is sheer daylight robbery!

I also noticed major differences in prices if you picked flight times that weren't completely heinous. I think more should be done to publicise this rip off!

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