Help Needed!!! I need to know my rights.

mrshurt86

I'm having a bit of trouble and just wondered if anyone could offer some advice.

Early last month i booked a holiday to the Dominican Republic through the On the Beach website, when i booked with them i thought that they would have the best price as they offer a triple money back promise if you find the holiday cheaper anywhere else.

So after booking i decided to look at a few more websites, (triple money back is like a challenge to me) i found the exact same holiday over £400 cheaper!!! on the Thomas Cook website.

As per the terms and conditions of the offer i sent over all the information they required on the exact same day. Their terms stated that they would contact me within 7 working days to let me know the outcome.

7 Working days later and i hadnt received a reply, so i resent my email with another screen shot and link for the holiday on the thomas cook website.

I received an email back a few days later advising they were looking into it and would respond shortly. A week later i chased up again and received another email advising they are still looking into it.

What can i do if i get no joy from this company, do i have any rights?

Incapuppy

I can't see any mention of a 'triple money back promise' on their website?

OTB are renowned for poor customer service btw.

Incapuppy

Sorry, have found it now:


TRIPLE Price Match Guarantee
Whenever you book with On the Beach through our website we want to make sure you get the very best deal possible. To make sure of this, we now offer a TRIPLE Price Match which is your guarantee that you never pay too much for any holidays sold on our website.
The TRIPLE Price Match is simple. We are so confident we offer the lowest prices available online that we will refund THREE TIMES the difference if you find a lower price on any other UK website on the same day as you made your purchase with us.
Terms and Conditions
The TRIPLE Price Match applies only to internet sites that have the identical product immediately available and the service is priced accurately. TRIPLE Price Match requests are for bookings made online only, must not be submitted to us without having confirmed an order through our site and must be submitted to us on the same day of your purchase on our website. You must have taken reasonable care to book on our site at the best available price.
In the case of holiday products TRIPLE Price Match covers holidays with the same tour operator as you have chosen for your holiday. Any TRIPLE price match holiday must be available to book live and must include any handling charges, booking fees, credit card fees and such like. We cannot match the price of any holidays purchased including money off coupons, promotional vouchers or offers or bulk-buy discounts. The TRIPLE Price Match guarantee does not include On The Beach matching our own offers which may change subject to availability or holidays sold through internet auction sites.
Please note that we will not price match elements of a holiday where you have chosen to book the flight and hotel with us - we will only TRIPLE price match a better overall price. For example if you have booked a holiday including a flight and a hotel on our site, we will not reduce our price where you find a lower price for the flight or the hotel separately and where we offer to TRIPLE price match a holiday, both elements of the holiday must be available on a single website, bookable as a unit, at a lower overall price. The price must be in pounds sterling. We are unable to match prices for hotel only or flight only bookings or bookings that contain flights operated by low cost or no frills flight providers and these are displayed on site with a NO FRILLS logo as part of the flight display.
To request a TRIPLE Price Match, email [EMAIL="customerservices@otbeach.com"]customerservices@otbeach.com[/EMAIL] and remember to include: your On the Beach order reference number, the URL of the page displaying the cheaper price and be sure to include a screen shot of the final booking page displaying all the prices and elements of the booking you are asking us to price match. Please do not send the URL of the homepage. Please note we cannot accept responsibility were you have failed to send us the information requested in the format requested or where a URL from the site you are asking us to price match is no longer active. Should this mean that we are unable to view a TRIPLE price match request from you on the day of purchase we will not be obliged to match the price for a booking if you later send a working URL or complete screen shot. We will review the details of your TRIPLE Price Match request and reply to you via email within 7 working days. Refunds will be recredited to the original card used to make your online purchase within 14 days.




A quick read through looks as if there could well be a myriad of ways of wriggling out of this. Are you absolutely 100% sure you have complied with the price promise terms?

PS: this sounds so vague - I can well imagine them using this argument to their advantage!!!

'You must have taken reasonable care to book on our site at the best available price.'

You have already admitted to having booked without checking prices elsewhere.

Good luck - I think you are going to need it!

In future remember to compare prices before booking!

delwynshd

yeah as Incapuppy says the holiday has to be indentical

So im guessing that this is seperate elements ie flights and accomodation seperately

The holiday that Thomas Cook will be offering is a package so they will argue its different so im afraid you wont be able to get anything off them, fingers crossed for you but OTB are rubbish

Del

mrshurt86

Hi Guys,

I sent all the information over that they requested i checked it and double checked it to make sure that i complied 100% with it.

With Thomas Cook i made sure that the flight on the holiday was exactly the same flight and the hotel room was the exact same one.

They havent said no yet but i'm guessing that they are trying to come up with a reason to say no and that's what is taking so long.

I wondered wether i would have a chance because it was them that didnt stick to the T's&C's and not me.

delwynshd

the holiday booked with OTB is a DIY holiday

So they will state its not an identical holiday

If lets say you priced the holiday with Travel Republic or UlookUbook and it was cheaper then yeah maybe have an argument but because its a package holiday you have priced its not the same

Thanks
Del

mrshurt86

The holiday was also cheaper through Travel Republic and i sent the details through for that one too.

At the end of the day only they know what they are going to decide, just wondered if i had a case to take it further if they do say no.

I am going to see what they say and if i dont get what i want i'll just cancel only paid a small deposit and it would still be cheaper for me to cancel lose the deposit and then re-book with Thomas Cook

Thanks for all your help guys.

Incapuppy

mrshurt86 wrote: »

I am going to see what they say and if i dont get what i want i'll just cancel only paid a small deposit and it would still be cheaper for me to cancel lose the deposit and then re-book with Thomas Cook

Make sure you read these T&C's first, it could well be that you have paid a 'low' deposit, in which case a full deposit will be payable on cancellation, also OTB reserve the right to pass on supplier's fees and they will charge their own fee on top!

• Cancellations more than 3 months from departure date will result in a loss of deposit, any charges over this amount levied by the suppliers and our service fees of £30pp, unless you have chosen to book a holiday at a lower cost by paying in full at your time of booking in which case you will lose all monies paid. From time to time as a special offer the deposit on a reservation may be lower than the standard amount of £100 to £150 per person or the full cost of your no frills or scheduled flights where selected(see deposit payments section). If such bookings are cancelled before the standard deposit amount has been paid you will still be liable for the difference between the standard deposit amount and the amount you have paid.
• Cancellations within 3 months of the departure date will result in the loss of all monies paid.

mrshurt86

Isn't it funny, we have to stick to their terms and conditions but they cant keep to their own.

delwynshd

what were the holiday details out of curiosity to see how much I can see it for?

Del

mrshurt86

It was for 2 Adults flying from Manchester to Puerto Plato on 26th March 2011 for 2 Weeks stopping at the Blue Bay Villa's in Playa Dorado All Inclusive.

Price through OTB £2248.64.

Price through Thomas Cook £1752.12.