Holiday Compliant

buba2006

Hi

I went on holiday recently it was awful, the hotel was advertised as a 3+ star but you'd be lucky to give it 2. food awful, outrangeous queues for the resturants.

I sent an email to the travel operator advising of the compliants and they have said everything is down to personal taste and no one else complaining.

What do i do next?

it definately wasnt a relaxing holiday

Alan_Bowen

It is not a question of what star rating you would give, if they said it was three star, it must be registered as three star, if it is, and you should be able to check on line, then that part of the complaint fails. However, that appears to only leave the food issue, I assume it was buffet meals for which there are likely to be queues, worse still if it is all inclusive and people go back to eat more because they feel they have paid for it.

Food is subjective, one man's meat is another man's poison, did you complain while you were on holiday to the Rep. or the hotel, did you see others complaining and perhaps equally important, have you ever stayed in a three star hotel in the same country before against which you could compare this hotel? If you tell is where is was, we might be able to help you more but it seems writing back to the company may be a waste of time and you need to consider other options.

leylandsunaddict

Tour operators give their properties their own ratings and not usually the official ratings. You very rarely see one rated with 'stars'. There's something in their brochures that cover the ratings.

Food is subjective, as is borne out by hotel reviews made by people who stayed at the same time, where one loved the food and another hated it.

Did you fill a complaints form in whilst in resort? If not you're probably on sticky ground, as most tour ops complaints procedures clearly state that you have to have filled a form in whilst in resort, and given them the opportunity to rectify the problem.

interstellaflyer

The star rating on this type of hotel doesn't refer to the degree of luxury, it refers to the facilities the hotel complex has top offer, often 3 and 4 star ratted hotels have fairly basic rooms etc.. Queueing is often a problem with buffet type restaurants, if you book HB,FB or AI then you would expect this at most hotels of this type, some do allocate guests specific sittings for meals, this helps a little, however you still end up queueing to some degree, especially at busy times like this time of year. As for food, as mentioned, it's subjective, we stay at a hotel in Salou once a year, the reviews are mixed, some people love the food, some people think it's disgusting, who's right and who's wrong? Personally I think the food is ok for buffet type food, not fantastic, however not that bad.

photome

Are you seriously complaing about queues.

I am guessing it was a buffet. I use buffets a lot in the USA and some of the best and more expensive ones at around $50 a head have the longest queues

AlexMac

Your question is; "What do i do next?".

Given that you have already complained and been rejected, the honest answer is, forget it, move on and put it down to experience. Next time, look at independent reviews of the accommodation on TripAdvisor rather than trusting the operator's star grading (I open two windows on my laptop and paste hotel names into TA's efficient search bar as I scan offers)


You're unlikely to be able to succeed in a complaint in that you probably didn't do the dozen or more things that the 'Which ' website recommends; which is, (http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/wales/consumer_w/travel_leisure_and_food_e/consumer_holidays_e/complaining_about_a_holiday_company_e/complaining_about_your_holiday_accommodation.htm)
-to complain at the time saying what remedy you expect,
-compile a dossier of evidence with photos, diary, receipts for consequent added spending, other holidaymakers' statements...
- complain in writing on return with similar detailed evidence and suggested compensation, with notes on how you claculate this sum,
-if that fails, complain to the trade body (eg ABTA),
- or to your credit card Co (if you used it to buy the holiday) on the grounds that you didn't get the holiday you paid for
- and ultimately to sue in the courts...

If it makes you feel better you could also avoid that operator in future, and also post a stinking review on Tripadvisor; but don't sound cranky- I tend to ignore very bad, or very good reviews on TA assuming they've been written by enemies or mates of the management

Happy next hols- it must have been disappointing so don't let that put you off!

opinions4u

Did you complain at the time, or wait until you got back?

If you're persistent you may end up with a small goodwill gesture. If you really want to push it there's the small claims route. I'd want to be sure of my ground before doing that though.