Thomas Cook travel vouchers

frazzbo

Hi all. I bought some travel vouchers from Thomas Cook yesterday as a gift. I tried to pay by card (it was a debit card, although the girl didn't actually look at it) and was told that I could only pay by card if I had my drivers license or passport with me due to data protection. So I came back with some cash and bought the vouchers, and was then asked for my name and address for their records.

I don't understand why they were able to take my name and address but wouldn't let me pay by card! How is this data protection??

stephb34

Its not data protection they require ID because what you were buying is classed as cash and if someone had stolen your bank card and used it, you'd be extremely cross if the girl had sold them hundreds of pounds worth and the money had been taken out of your account. ID is also required for when the Thomas Cook auditors come round and check their files. You may actually have had a money saving experience because who is your card provider if its one of those that charges for cash advances then you could have been charged about 3% for the privelege of using your card. The reason she needs your name, address etc is so a receipt can be issued as proof of purchase and also money laundering.

frazzbo

Thanks for the explanation - the girl did use the exact words of 'data protection' though, which is what i couldn't understand. It was only £40 so not vast sums of money, but I do take your point that it could have been a lot more.

Out of curiosity, if I was to buy a gift voucher from another shop they wouldn't ask me for ID before buying it, so why do Thomas Cook do this?

HXDave

frazzbo, it will probably work in the same way that it worked with me when i worked for GP (perhaps stephb could confirm this).

a travel office is much different from a normal high street shop such as M&S, or Boots. We work with front office systems which has all customer details on, holiday details, payment details, audit trails etc. after all, you dont go into boots to buy something, then just pay for part of it then, and then come back 2/3/6 months later to pay the remainder. Holidays you do, so that is why we have the systems in place.

The systems usually work on a set format, even though different people have different services from a travel agent. some people might want a flight only, some want just a hotel, others want a full tailor made package, and others want a gift voucher. whatever they want, a customer file has to be created in order the service provided can be logged, and then appropriate payment made and shown on the booking.

Hope this clears things up for you a little. Just as a bit more of an example (if it's the same as it was when i was there), the same travel agency may have a foreign exchange desk. now that system is again a different system, and all that does is sell money in and out, so there is no need for all address details, telephone numbers etc etc on a lot of transactions (mainly cash sales).

stephb34

I take your point about other shops not asking for ID, i think it must just be Thomas Cooks auditing system, or the fact that the vouchers are sold out of the Foreign exchange desk and thats why ID is required because they dont differentiate between currency and vouchers. Also its alot to do with money laundering but i can't go into the ins n outs of that now. Dave things may have changed a bit since GP but names and addresses are definitely needed now in the foreign exchange and a lot of that is data protection. Out of interest frazzbo who is your bank card with.

frazzbo

Thanks both.

Steph, my bank is santander - it was a debit card that I'd wanted to use.

dzug1

HXDave wrote: »

Hope this clears things up for you a little. Just as a bit more of an example (if it's the same as it was when i was there), the same travel agency may have a foreign exchange desk. now that system is again a different system, and all that does is sell money in and out, so there is no need for all address details, telephone numbers etc etc on a lot of transactions (mainly cash sales).

Well I bought some currency at a travel agent the other day - they did want name, address, etc, regardless, but wouldn't let me pay by card as I had no ID. They helpfully said there was a free ATM outside - so problem solved.

And it wasn't a large transaction - about £100

HXDave

Steph / Dzug,

i agree things may have changed recently, after all it was nearly 5 years since i worked at GP, and the FX system they had, you only needed names & address if it was either:

Travellers cheques / prepaid card
were paying by any form of card.

But, like i say, things change over time...........

stephb34

frazzbo wrote: »

Thanks both.

Steph, my bank is santander - it was a debit card that I'd wanted to use.

Hi Santander isn't a bank im familiar with so i've just checked martins info and Santander are a bank that charge for currency transactions even in this country so you made a saving by getting the cash between 2.5 to 3% and that includes debit cards not just credit cards, its surprising how many people don't know about it till they get stung. I think the most complaints we get at the moment are from Natwest customers who used to have maestro cards and they're now Visa, maestro was free and visa isnt.