Travel agent sold me holiday that is £600 more than quoted online

stephb34

If im reading your xxxxx correctly then you mean direct travel which yes it is part of thomas cook but its the "direct " version hence the name you can only book with them via the internet or phone and def not in TCook shops. This is very much a big bug bear for any Tcook workers in their shops as Tcook will match their internet prices 9 times out of 10 if you take the print out in BEFORE booking but they just cant match direct prices as the shops dont make that much commision to be able to justify the price match.But TC are happy to match an airtours, TCook, manos, sunset price etc if you take the print off in and you've done all the hard work for them and just want to book in a shop instead of on the net. But seriously you've taken 3hrs of the poor girls/boys time they found you exactly what you were happy with at the time and you couldnt really be bothered to look for yourself on the internet and now you want £600 off your taking the pxxx.
Its only like buying a computer from argos its cheap as chips but go to an independent shop and they'll have the shirt off your back, thats how businesses work.

endemoniada_2

I have no answer to some of the posts in here,

The assumptions made are incredulous.

Get a life rather than living in a forum

niceday999

£600 is a lot of money. I would be totally p***ed off.
I would contact consumerline for such a large amount....The replies on here are a disgrace and as for polish guy, he's pathetic if you have nothing contstructive to say.......Get off your high horse.
let us know how you get on and ignore the IGNORANT idiots on here.

PolishBigSpender

I notice the original poster still hasn't told us if she would hand Thomas Cook 600 pounds if the price was more expensive online than in the shop for the exact same holiday...

budgetflyer

Id def pursue a price match. Surely they can do something considering the difference?
However, having been there 10 yrs b4 hand, thats why I wrote "half price holidays forever"

99% of packaged holidays can be done much much cheaper by self packaging.
Pick your days, pick your flights, pick your accom, pick your transfers- its really that easy.

kai666

Did the internet price have the word 'from' anywhere near it? Just wondered if you put the actual dates in the computer, or it was an advert?

stephb34

budgetflyer wrote: »

Id def pursue a price match. Surely they can do something considering the difference?
However, having been there 10 yrs b4 hand, thats why I wrote "half price holidays forever"

99% of packaged holidays can be done much much cheaper by self packaging.
Pick your days, pick your flights, pick your accom, pick your transfers- its really that easy.

You do have a valid point but not everyone has the time to spare doing it themselves and its not quite as reliable ie when XL went bust, look at all the stranded people abroad, what about all those poor people who've booked flights with Easyjet from EMA airport for next summer and those flights probably arent going to happen now but they wont know for ages yet so what do they do, they're stuck with accommodation abroad and dont know how they're getting there because do you book flights with BMI etc just incase or do you wait and the prices have gone up or no availability, and what if you cant go and need to make a claim off your insurance a package is just 1 claim how many excesses do you have to pay for all the separate components?

tizhimi

Tell me if I'm being daft but did you go through the whole booking procedure, I'm just trying to work out if it included airport taxes/ fuel duty etc because the internet is very clever and often doesn't add on these expensive details until the very last second.

endemoniada_2

tizhimi- yes, I went through all the details
kai666- no I put in the actual dates- the flights were exactly the same
niceday999- thanks for putting me on to consumerline- i'll try that today.

I went to book a holiday in Gran Canaria armed with the info from the internet, I wanted to give the travel agent business as i do belive in supporting local business ( not with a £600 premium) . She dispelled the prices I quoted from the net as being impossible as the flights were more expensive. i.e flights to GC were £455 in her system, yet, teletext hols were quoting £235 for deal. I said i would go op to £500 for the right holiday . She recommended this specific holiday in Tunisia due to the nicer flight times - I truly believed that this was the going rate.

Also, having researched the hotel, it has had many complaints and is not as luxurious as I was told by the TA.

I had no prior knowledge of Tunisia, and did question the TA about it's culture/religion etc. She told me it was highly cosmopolitan and was safe to walk anywhere, the people were very westernised. I have read conflicting reports on this though. I'm looking at this objectively

Polish big guy or whatever- no, i wouldn't, i'd be pleased i had got a bargain as I would if i was buying a washing machine or a laptop. The travel agent knew I was prepared to go home and buy online as I had researched this before I went in. I am after all, the consumer, it is in my best interest it find the most reasonable price She said the prices online were not accurate and were rarely available- discrediting teletext holidays in particular saying it wasn't a live system and that her company's was. Yet, similairly low prices were seen on their system later.

It is my fault, should not have agreed to pay x money for a holiday I hadn't researched first. I did not however expect to be so obviously deceived about the differences between online and in store buying by the travel agent. Ethics again

Moonchild

I'm incredulous at some of the responses here. A hell of a lot of presumptions - such as the TA would knowingly rip-off the consumer to the extent of an extra £300 per person. For one their systems wouldn't allow it. Consumer direct? Legal action? :rolleyes:

I'm sceptical that it's either like for like, or that an identical holiday was £300 cheaper.

Can we wait until endemoniada advises the response from the TA first? Some of you turn into rabid foamy mouthed ignoramus keyboard warriors that has neither helped the original poster or provided balance. There is one side of the argument posted here, let's wait until we've heard both sides, and then hopefully provide reasoned supportive help for endemoniada as there maybe something everyone is missing.