Travel agent/operator changed hotel!

Bri1

We have booked & paid in full for a holiday in Italy in August with Thomas cook tour operator, we have just had a call from the Thomas Cook shop stating that our hotel has been overbooked (they are blaming the Hotel manager for this) & they have booked us into another hotel, the one they have booked us in to is one we purposely avoided due to it poor reviews, facilities & location in the resort, obviously others thought the same as it's the only accommodation available in the resort we chose, they claim.

We have told them we are not happy, do not want the hotel they have re-booked us in to & want the hotel we booked & paid for, we are going in to see them tomorrow when they say they will look for other hotels, but this was the only one available in the resort we chose.

What rights do we have, I am inclined to insist that we want our original booking as I think that, they may well then others they are trying it on with who may accept the alternative with no fuss?

What do you think?

jhe

is the hotel available to book elsewhere or directly with the hotel?
if not the only thing you can do is look which other hotels are available and acceptable to yourself of equal standard
if not thomas cook should offer you a full refund
just to add if thomas cook try to charge extra for an alternative hotel dont accept this, you have a contract with them, it is up to them to provide you with a hotel of at least equal standard acceptable to you.

Bri1

According to many reviews the alternative hotel is the worst in the area, that's why it's available, unlike the nice one we booked!

jhe

refuse it point blank, if they cant offer you something acceptable to you, tell them you are entitled to find your own and send them the bill. stand your ground and be firm. i had a problem with thomsons a few year back and until i contacted trading standards to find out my rights i was getting nowhere fast.