Is It Possible To Get A Good Discount/Deal At First Choice or Thomson Travel Agents?

mew

Is it possible or how likely would it be to get a good deal on a holiday from a First Choice or Thomson travel agency store?

I have had very good deals from Thomas Cook travel agents and Co-op travel agents previously (both beating internet prices and/or including extras) but I have never had any luck with First Choice or Thomson Travel agents. Last year I was charged £20 for the 'privilege' of booking at a First Choice store (instead of booking the same holiday online)


(I need to go to First Choice/Thomson mainly because the hotels I like are First Choice exclusive holiday villages and partially because I have £100 voucher, which I can use direct with Thomson/First choice after any discounts).

surrey_jim

I have taken an online print out before and the store price matched the holiday

mcfisco

Last year we priced our Christmas - just gone - holiday up with Thomson's website at something like £4600

My daughter went to the local shop to query something on the resort/hotel and the staff there offered to try to better the deal - something about taking it apart and building it again
Anyway, she rang from the shop to say we could get exactly the same deal as on the web for ~£3800

so I'd say give it a go

redmalc

I managed to get a better deal at the shop than online for our last holiday to the carribean,they bettered the price,throwed in airport lounge and i managed to get the credit card charged waived.The holiday was for 4 of us and the bill was 9K and that was a good saving on the CC charges

mew

My partner tried our local Thomson today and their prices were hundreds of pounds more expensive than their online prices. When questioned about price matching, she was informed that they would match their website but charge a £10 fee for doing so.

I think my problems may be that I want an already reasonably priced holiday for a great price or that because I am not spending thousands of pounds like mcfisco or redmalc, They are unwilling or unable to offer any discounts.

My only other conclusion to be why they won't do anything is that the Thomson/First Choice shops are on the high street and like the TUI group itself, probably have enough customers and is making enough profits. On the other hand, I have had great deals from the Thomas Cook shop in an ex-mining village (where you could buy a house for less than some people spend on a holiday) and it's probably more than likely that that it will be closing down soon. It's just a shame they don't offer the hotels I want

jhe

mew wrote: »

My partner tried our local Thomson today and their prices were hundreds of pounds more expensive than their online prices. When questioned about price matching, she was informed that they would match their website but charge a £10 fee for doing so.

I think my problems may be that I want an already reasonably priced holiday for a great price or that because I am not spending thousands of pounds like mcfisco or redmalc, They are unwilling or unable to offer any discounts.

My only other conclusion to be why they won't do anything is that the Thomson/First Choice shops are on the high street and like the TUI group itself, probably have enough customers and is making enough profits. On the other hand, I have had great deals from the Thomas Cook shop in an ex-mining village (where you could buy a house for less than some people spend on a holiday) and it's probably more than likely that that it will be closing down soon. It's just a shame they don't offer the hotels I want

i usually book at my local thomson travel agent. as said previous i also print off internet price and take to travel agents they always match the price,its got to be the same day printout i visit travel agents though.
try ringing a different thomson travel agents or co op travel seem to give decent prices.
when i have tried this an odd time with thomas cook they wont match the price, i have had to pay around£25 extra to the online quote

KonkyWonky

I've also struggled to strike a deal in a First Choice/Thomson shop, the best they have ever offered was to match the net price.

I have however had success over the phone with First Choice, my girlfriend and I went to Cancun a few years ago. I called the number on the website and spoke to a very helpful women, I explained that we had booked with them the previous year and had a great time at the hotel etc, but the current price was just out of our budget. I offered to pay £2100 rather than the £2181 advertised price, to my surprise she agreed immediately. Not a huge saving granted, but better in my pocket than theirs.

breesey24

I agree with the KwonkyWonky - we went to Cyprus last year with First Choice. We wanted a specific room type that only showed up as being available on a Luton flight and we wanted to fly from Manchester. We phoned First Choice direct and they managed to get us the room on a Manchester flight but it was £150 more so I told them it was more than we wanted to pay. They then said they would price match the Luton flight if we booked it there and then!! :j

We always go with Thomson/First Choice and have given up booking in a shop as they are always more expensive even when taking a print out of the internet price

MichaelTA

We charge £10pp as a service fee for matching the online price. This was introduced after the ash cloud happened, as customers who booked on-line were having problems and were coming in-store wanting us to help, and this is hard as we aren't supposed to touch an online booking due to data protection, and we can't ammend a on-line booking on our systems. 'Mew' done the right thing by calling the number on-line. This diverts straight through to a store, (we have this system in my store) and we can try, what we call 'de-packaging' the holiday to get it cheaper, which is where we choose the accomodation only, add the thomson transfers then thomson flights on to make a package. This normally works out cheaper if its a self catering holiday. If not the price can be matched to the web price as your calling thomson/first choice direct. Any more help you need, just PM me at any time

DUKE

I usually use TC, FC, or Thomson TA & always go armed with a print-out of something off the internet & ask them to beat it. They usually do, if they don't you can walk away & book online.