Problems on a Thomson package holiday

ali2010

We recently went to Mexico for 2 weeks, booked a package deal through Thomson. Unfortunately it was not quite the paradise we had hoped for!! I now want to make a complaint to Thomson but wonder how it is best to go about it, I really do feel that we derserve some compensation for the holiday, heres what we were not happy about:

- the food and hygene standards at the hotel (Riu Tequila) were terrrible, in particular both my husband and I were very ill with sickness and diarrhea whilst on holiday, we were ill at different times in the holiday so this ruined about 5 days. We both went to the doctor and were told that it was a bacterial infection from bacteria on the food and it was non contagious. The Thomson reps told us that the doctor was wrong and that there was a norovirus outbreak at the hotel. I'm not sure who was right but Thomson spoke to the doctor and the doctor then backtracked and said although the illness was a bacterial infection it was not caused by the food (the doctor worked for the hotel).
- I complained to Thomson whilst I was on the holiday about the food quality, in particular all the restaraunts had a horrible smell like gone-off cooking oil, the food was generally horrible - some thing looked congealed, others seemed undercooked (especially the chicken), other things completely overcooked, the meat was tough and the fish smelled very strong (didn't dare to eat it)
- I also complained as although there was alcohol hand rub at the entrance to eat restaraunt no-one was asked to use it - after my complaint the hotel did ask people to use it but only at the evening meal!!
- there were supposed to be 3 a la carte restaraunts we could use but you had to book them on a first come first served basis and unless you got up at 7am you could never get in them - so we ended up eating the buffet "slop" instead
- the pool area was covered in ants
- to top it off we had a 31 hour delay (I have checked my insurance and as Thomson kept us in our hotel we cannot claim for anything under the insurance)

I really feel that we should be compensated for this disasterous holiday but am not sure how best do go about this - can anyone help? Thanks

Bob_the_Saver

Why the heck eat there then, even if you had paid.

LutonGirl

First off, visit the Thomson website and follow the complaints procedure as follows;

I wish to make a complaint about my Thomson holiday. How do I do this?

We're sorry to hear that you have not enjoyed every aspect of your holiday. We hope that we are able to resolve this.

If you have a complaint whilst on holiday with us, please ensure you inform your Thomson representative, the accommodation management or airline staff immediately. If we cannot resolve the problem at the resort or during your flight, you must notify us of your claim within 28 days of your return from holiday.

To make a complaint, you can contact us by post or via our online form. Please provide as much information as possible, including your booking reference and holiday dates where applicable.

You can write to us at:
After Travel Customer Support,
Thomson Holidays,
Wigmore House,
Wigmore Lane,
Luton,
LU2 9TN

To speak to one of our After Travel support team about your flight only, please call 0844 871 0882 (Calls cost 5p per minute plus network extras). Contact centre opening hours Mon-Fri 09.00-18.30, Sat 09.00-17.30, Sun - Closed

Did you take the names of the Thomson reps you spoke to on your holiday? You say you holidayed "recently" - I'd get my complaint letter in quick if I were you.

ali2010

Bob_the_Saver wrote: »

Why the heck eat there then, even if you had paid.

We had no choice but to eat there some of the time - there wasn't cafe's or suchlike nearby where you could go for breakfast or lunch. We did eat out a few nights but bear in mind we had paid £2400 for this holiday so it was a case of "making do"

Justicia

ali2010 wrote: »

We had no choice but to eat there some of the time - there wasn't cafe's or suchlike nearby where you could go for breakfast or lunch. We did eat out a few nights but bear in mind we had paid £2400 for this holiday so it was a case of "making do"

Did you read the response from LutonGirl above?

It would appear that time may be of the essence...

jaytar

Having been to the Riu Tequila 3 times myself I am very surprised that you had a problem with the food. I am quite picky and never had any issues with the tremendous choice of food provided. Some friends have also just returned from there and they too were amazed at how good the food was.

99% of the reviews on Tripadvisor say the same. Are you sure you were at the Tequila?

mick_vandick

99% of the reviews on Tripadvisor say the same. Are you sure you were at the Tequila?

There are actually reviews from people who stayed Dec and Jan who are also complaining about getting ill....

kazmeister

Hi

I am interested in your stay and illnesses as my husband and I have been back from the Riu Tequila for a week, stayed 14th - 24th Jan. My husband has been ill ever since we came home and is currently on antibiotics, antiemetics and antacids and has to go back to the docs on Monday for results of blood tests as the nurse practitioner thought his liver may be enlarged.

We didnt feel there were any problems with the food as there was always plenty of variety and looked fresh, but thinking back he did go off his food a few days before returning. We didnt experience the smells from the restaurant that you noticed and we ate at both the Asian (twice) and the steakhouse with no problems. At no point did we smell or taste any food that we thought might have been off', He did also swallow some sea water when we went snorkelling so that could have been a cause. I was fine apart from a slight stomach upset mid holiday but I think it was because I had eaten too much fruit and salad and rectified it naturally but cutting that out for a couple of days.

If you were there at the same time we would be interested in how your health improved as hubby is no better and its actually quite worrying now.

We didnt have any issues with Thomsons reps (had no delays either in or out) or any of the hotel staff and I think they all worked incredibly hard.

mcc100

I thought package holidays were a thing of the past and were popular in the 80's and 90's .....

Archergirl

mcc100, what a silly thing to say, a bit condesending as well.

jhe

mcc100 wrote: »

I thought package holidays were a thing of the past and were popular in the 80's and 90's .....

why do you think that?