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[MSE Jenny]

Please report your Holiday Haggling
Sucesses here

Not done it yet? Read the full Holiday Haggling Guide.

How to report your success:

1. Click reply to enter you story.
2. Report your story in the following format:

• Holiday destination: ????
• Type of accommodation: (e.g. five star hotel)
• How much was your first quote and when was it from: ????
• How much were the 2nd/3rd etc & final quotes: ????
• And then write your holiday haggling tale

This thread is a continuation of the original holiday haggling success thread.

[Ascot_Ed]

I've gone for the Sandals 2 for 1 deal but through Virgin Holidays. Worth remembering that cashback is available through Quidco (and others?) of 4% and you also get Virgin flyer miles. Cashback tracked and validated at QC in under 12 hours
So you get the package deal plus cashback plus some loyalty points. You can do similar deals with many of the package company deals including Thomas Cook group and Keycamp/Eurocamp by going through a cashback site.

[sweetstevie2000]

Right: Turkey, Kusadassi, all inclusive 5star, one week, 5 adults, two apartments,september 09

Started out at going places £2756 (no inflight meals included, or extra baggage allowance) 2studio appartments, 2 single beds 1 pull out chair.
next thompson £2678 (no inflight meals included, or extra baggage allowance)2studio appartments, 2 single beds 1 pull out chair.

Thomas cook £2300, special offer on Turkey that weekend, still no inflight meals and extra baggage allowance.........2studio appartments, 2 single beds 1 pull out chair.

Rang Thomas cook online Told them I had shopped around and was looking for a better deal, finally agreed on £2024, with inflight meals, extra baggage allowance, and also 1 studio flat for the couple and a family appartment for me and my hubby and daughter, with interconnecting door, so we all have some privacy.......
Thanks Martin....you saved me a grand total of £732.00 and all it cost me was about 2 hours and a few phone calls........will certainly be doing that again for next year.
Don't be shy, be polite, stay calm .......bingo, had them fighting for my money lolHappy holidays

[Paxton]

Destination - Florida
Departing 21st May 2009
Flying:london To Miami Virgin - Return Flight From Orlando To London
Staying 3 Nights Naples - Hotel Or Villa
Staying 3 Nights For Myers Or Port Charlotte - Otel Or Villa
Staying 5 Nights St Pete Beach - Hotel Sandpiper Or Tradewinds
Staying 7 Nights Orlando - Villa
4 Adults And 1 Child Age 11.
Car Hire Needed. Best Price So Far £4900.00.

[Paxton]

[quote=Paxton;19350271]Destination - Florida
Departing 21st May 2009
Flying:london To Miami Virgin - Return Flight From Orlando To London
Staying 3 Nights Naples - Hotel Or Villa
Staying 3 Nights For Myers Or Port Charlotte - Hotel Or Villa
Staying 5 Nights St Pete Beach - Hotel Sandpiper Or Tradewinds
Staying 7 Nights Orlando - Villa
4 Adults And 1 Child Age 11.
Car Hire Needed.
Best Price So Far £4900.00. Really want to book in next couple of weeks but want to get best deal.

[crank]

i've just rang an internet based company and asked them to beat my quote, they rang back and the price they gave was £50 more than their own internet price! they said baggage was extra and there was a booking fee too

is this normal?

[delwynsholidaydeals]

Hello

It is normal yeah its because some internet sites will not included the airline baggage costs, then of course they would add CC fee

What was the holiday that you had found?

Thanks
Del

Originally Posted by crank

i've just rang an internet based company and asked them to beat my quote, they rang back and the price they gave was £50 more than their own internet price! they said baggage was extra and there was a booking fee too

is this normal?

[leos nanny]

We only go on european coach holidays ,but cant seem to find any deals ? anyone know where to look ?

[sloppychops]

Originally Posted by leos nanny

We only go on european coach holidays ,but cant seem to find any deals ? anyone know where to look ?

www.Travelsphere.co.uk
http://www.coachholidays.com/

[Charlie Alty]

Skiathos one week holiday end June 09, flying from Manchester. Hotel Astoria B&B. Thomson online package price £1,100 for two sharing!

Tried flight-only and direct booking options. Got cost of same down to £748, flying Monarch and using gta hotels site.

Then tried Thomsons again but booking flight and hotel separately. Booked flight at £313 for us both and same hotel for £287. All for a grand total of £600. That's a £500 saving (45%) and the difference is we pay for our airport transfers! It's the same operator and the same flights and hotel!

[egyptiangirl]

• Holiday destination: Thomson Cruise 14days Baltic Capitals F/B
• How much was your first quote and when was it from: Thomson online £1433 each
• 2nd quote: Thomas cook by phone £1355 each SAVING £78 each
• 3rd/4th/5th quote: Various cruise companies ranging £1379-1476
• Final quote: Thomson by phone £1350 each
• Total saving from first quote: £166
• And then write your holiday haggling tale Didn't really follow Martin's guidelines but very happy with discount from first online quote by phoning around.

[possom46]

• Palaces & Pyramids Cruise April 2010
• Ocean Village Cruises
• 1st quote direct from Ocean Village 2 adults 2 children £2356
• 2nd quote www.cruisedirect.co.uk £2250, then rang www.cruise.co.uk and price was £2169.
• Basically rang places and asked if they could do it any cheaper. Ocean Village want payment 11 weeks before departure, the 2nd guys want it 12 weeks before and the last place (and cheapest) want it 14 weeks beforehand. I argued that I can't book unless they change it to 11 weeks and after speaking to supervisor's this has been agreed. Going to try a few more places today though to see if I can get even more money off!!!
  

[Harrys gran]

Booked an all-inclusive holiday to Rhodes yesterday and saved £500 on the on-line price but £730 on the price from another travel agent.

Original price quoted (on-line) £3270 for holiday - 4 adults and 2 children.

Followed MSE tips and called a couple of travel agents. First one wanted £3500 for the same trip. Second agent brought holiday down to £2770.

Just shows it pays to follow MSE !!

[Sumal_k]

Can anyone help- when he says use the location lists on teletext to find agents- what does he mean? I can't see this on teletext holidays? I have found my holiday on Thomson and want to beat it

[C.E.M]

Booked a self catering holiday to halkidiki, Greece for two adults and one child, leaving 20th August 2009 for two weeks original quote £1698 without any extras like insurance. all travel agents swore I would not get any cheaper, just paid £1010 including car parking at manchester airport and travel insurance. That a saving of £788. Dont give up the deals are there NO MATTER WHAT THE TRAVEL AGENTS SAY!!!!! Just beware when you go to pick up travel docs they will be snotty (just jealous!!)

[eslick]

when booking villas try ones where you deal with the owners such as vrbo.com, you can then haggle down the price, we have done it a few times and you end up with either a cheaper place or something that you wouldnt normally go for as it was out of your price range

[foxy-roxy]

Me and my boyfriend paid 2900 for Domnican Republic -2 weeks, 5 star all inclusive, junior suite, everything included for july / august next year. the original quote was 3500 but i simply said to the TA that i have a budget of 3000 so she dropped it, i would of paid it as well cos i wanted that hotel due to being rated number one on trip advisor

[mastermum]

we are a family of 4 kids age 12 and 9 and are hoping to go to florida 2010 but the prices we have been quoted 6500 -7500 cause we are flying from glasgow cane anyone help or advise what to do we need to go july/aug 2010 due to kids holidays and i don't want to fly from london please help me with ideas

[cuando]

I tryed to book a last minute deal, it is now 10 days to go on holidays, and I dont know how people get deal, because all holidays company want to rip off me. I saw many ad I try to book bad they said all time is gone or price gone up and offer me different dial ( they even ask if I want to change every thing they advertise).
However the funniest thing ever is that, I managed to get something after wasting so much time trying to get a holidays that...
Today I call 118travel, after checking on internet, the guy over the phone said this holidays is alright, you must carry on through the web site.
After a few hours, and thinking I get a holidays. They replay me that:

I am sorry to inform you your booking (spdsdmkmkd) unfortunately failed.
I have launched an investigation to why this may have happened and the results show that the flights which are with Flythomas Cook are no longer available at the promotion price and are now more expensive. The system cannot always keep up to date with the availability and prices therefore, sometimes there is a delay in the changing on our website.

The price now per person is £547.00

So I have to contact then to tell if I going or no. But if I call then to cancel they problably rip me off.

If anyone could help me, please it is really stressfull, because it is the 3 time, first last minute holiday and last one. next time a book 3 months early

[piccybabes]

Holiday destination: Siblu Le Bois Dormant, staying in an Elegance Mobile Home in August 2010 - 10 days - ferry from Plymouth with outside cabin
How much was your first quote and when was it from: Siblu direct £1888
2nd quote: Travel Agent 1 by phone £1789
3rd/4th/5th quote: Back and forth between two other agents
Final quote: £1689
Total saving from first quote: £199 (10%)
And then write your holiday haggling tale Siblu not availabe on Teletext so couldn't really do the teletext thing, but very happy with discount and only £25 deposit until June next year .