potential dispute with tour operator- any advice?

[saladodger]

I've posted this in the legal section too. Can anyone please advise?

Basically we booked a holiday over the phone with Ola Holidays (ABTA protected). They quoted extra to have a room with balcony and sea view and we paid in full over the phone. The invoice came through with no mention of the sea view or balcony. We contacted them again, after some delay the invoice was amended to say the view and balcony was requested. Contacted them again, asking that they confirm this was what we were getting (and had paid extra for) and not a mere request. Despite several emails they have not got back to us. We have called them on two occasions (waiting 30 mins+ on their premium charge phoneline) in order to be put through to surly individuals who will not acknowledge that it was ever anything but a request and if we have any complaint we need to email (which we've done but no-one gets back to us). I emailed the hotel directly who confirm that only a standard room (without balcony or sea view has been booked).
Where do we stand with bookings made over the telephone? It seems that it's only our word against theirs that they charged us extra for something they haven't delivered. If they don't reply by tomorrow we will be paying a visit to their HQ.

Thanks for any advice.

What extra did you pay? What extra were you quoted above the standard room (which has no seaview) for the Sea View room which you thought you'd booked.

Room request for balcony, higher floor rooms are only requests and should not incur an extra charge, BUT can not be guaranteed by the hotel or booking agent. However if a balcony room is a room upgrade and has a different room spec ie more superior facilities like a larger ensuite or has a coffee maker, or a sea view etc where the standard rooms do not it is normally given a different room catergory name ie Superior Room etc. Do you have both quotes, one for the standard room and one for the seaview room? Are they different?

Does your invoice indicate that you have paid for something you haven't got?

Did you get a screen grab or the quote or did you get the persons name who gave you the quote.

TBH it sounds like they charged you for a Seaciew room, but didn't book it. Don't go down route about the balcony as they will say that is a request. Instead concentrate that you were quoted extra for a Seaview room and paid extra to book a Seaview room.

Leave the balcony bit out. I expect you can ask at reception when you check in if they have any available.

Message withdrawn

'They can charge you for a request if they like' again pathetic, crap business practice, scumbags only do this. Do not pay extra to 'request' anything because it is not guaranteed, by the accommodation provider or the airlines. Pay only for things that can guaranteed and exist and are on your confirmation invoice.

Have you actually been on the trip yet ? If you ahve an inovice for the extras then you shodul insist on it if that is not what is allocated , assuming you have a resort rep to handle it. You can't know whether they are going to fulfil the contract until you get there. Often it says in the small print that requests will be considered but are not guaranteed but if you have paid extra and had it confirmed they should do so or refund the supplements. Requests based on availability of particular rooms - perhaps not the to's usual allocation - may be dealt with locally at the last minute.

ABTA complaints policy is that complaints should in the first instance be made to the tour operator in writing by post if not resolved in resort. Details here

Sorry for tardy reply, have been doing long days at work.
Thanks all for the advice. Basically DH booked it, teletext job. Quoted >£100 extra for frontal sea view room compared with standard room, basically all sea view rooms come with balcony. Kept quotations and name of person who quoted. The same person's name was on the confirmation invoice, without mention of sea view, etc.
I emailed the hotel manager, who confirmed we had been booked standard room without view.
After more wasted phone calls to Ola Holidays DH went down to the HQ and after a bit of a sit-in the customer service manager agreed to see him. Tried to give a load of flannel / fob off but I think we had too much paper trail 'evidence'. He has promised to correct this in a new document to us by Monday. We have his business card, direct line, etc and he phoned DH later the same day as promised. So we'll wait and see, if nothing they will be getting another visit.
I'll let you know the outcome, it's the last time I book anything not in person.