Anyone work for Thomas Cook?

tinkertaylor05

Or is anyone able to advise? I want to find out what the policy is on getting a payment extension. To cut a long story short booked a trip at the start of the year and in my head budgeted to pay 12 weeks before travel, which is what I have always done. When I went in to pay some money off I was advised my balance was due on Monday 14 weeks before travel ...eeeek!

I checked my orignal paperwork and it does state the 8th so it's my fault, I asked the branch manager for a 2 week extension and she refused .... unless I applied for a Thomas Cook credit card to, in her words 'show I was trying to make the payment' which is a total of £250 outstanding. I explained I really wasn't willing to do that and she said that was the only possible way she could give me an extension?!?

Does anyone know what the actual position on this would be and if I don't pay the balance on the date what would happen?

Any advice appreciated.

xenonive

Maybe due to the amount owed and only for 2 weeks you could ask your bank for overdraft ? the interest charge for 2 weeks will be very small and reasonable maybe 1%. Would save hassle of waiting for a credit card to be sorted. Just an idea...

whitts

Try applying for the card, it is done in store and if you get accepted the card number is used to clear the payment, then cut it up when it comes,however if you get a referral you should get the extention. Good luck.

stephb34

Each manager is different and im not sure on the legallity of your holiday being cancelled by the manager without you putting it in writing. Our manager is great as long as you keep her informed as to whats happening as most package holidays dont go into canx charges until 10 weeks before departure and is only loss of deposit until then, after 10 weeks its normally 50% loss, so if you didnt pay the shop wouldnt actually lose anything until 10 weeks so at 12 weeks you'd still be fine. I'd probably ring her monday or pop in and say i really couldnt get the money and hope she would be more sympathetic than last week.

miamoo

Could you just borrow it off a mate/parents its only for a couple of weeks (quite a few people have a bit put on one side this time of year for xmas.)

tinkertaylor05

Thanks for the responses, there's nobody I can borrow off it's just me and dd, parent's both retired and not in a position to lend money. I'm not applying for a credit card, only just started to rebuild my file after a messy seperation and some hideous messes that dd's father did to our joint finances!

I guess I'll just have to see what Monday brings, speak to them again and see if they can give me the 2 weeks. I've travelled with them before, bought all my travel money previously and referred lots of friends there. The thing I really don't like is the pushing of a credit card and saying that if I get refused they can use their discretion to give me the extension when surely they could just do that now without trying to sell some bad credit option. Ho hum.

stephb34

I would tell them that your credit rating isnt very good due to your ex and if you apply for a credit card it will make it worse, surely they can see you are a loyal customer and perhaps say as a gesture of goodwill please let me pay on the 22nd november im sure they'll let you, it would be much more hassle if they canx the booking for the sake of 2 weeks, i think they're just trying it.

tinkertaylor05

Thanks for the reply Stephb34, I am hoping with everything that they will agree this is a special trip for dd's birthday.

Do you know what would happen if Monday I don't pay, do they have to contact me as a reminder or do they just go ahead and cancel my trip?

stephb34

Which tour operator is the holiday provided by is it a Thomas cook holiday or some other ie Thomsons, cresta, first choice etc. If its a TCook holiday it shouldnt go into canx charges until 10 weeks before up until then it is only loss of deposit, i dont think they would canx without speaking to you but i dont know where they or you stand legally as i say our manager doesnt canx anyones without it in writing unless it would actually cost the shop anything. Don't not contact them monday just contact them and say i havent got the money but i will pay in 2 weeks when i get paid, be nice when asking if you have attitude it will wind them up and they're less likey to be obliging, could you offer them any of the balance ie £50.

rilou81

Yes they can 100 % do this, they did it for us!!

We booked our honeymoon with them although it was a thomsons holiday-done ask they messed up and id never use TC again anyway (watch wtchdog last night???) Anyway they extended our final payment as we got vouchers for our wedding. They have a final date the money come our from their banks so until then YES they came extend it but if they say no thats just their choice. Think it was about 3 weeks for us. Although after we married and went on our minimoon they contuniually rang us stating that we owed them money and threatening us we'd loose our holiday!! Even though they had agreed it.
A very rude cal from my mother in law soon sorted that out though ha ha! x

stephb34

Hi just wondered how you went on yesterday.