Thomson Package Holiday Compensation Query

kezzaoc

Hi,
I hope someone can please help! I booked a holiday for my family to Bulgaria (on recommendation from the travel representative with Thomson) who used a sub company called Olympic Holidays. The holiday was purchased on a 3* star basis which is clearly stated in the brochure and the accommodation was booked as a 'garden view' apartment which was also stated on our policy documentation.

Long story short this was a holiday from hell from the start! :mad:
As soon as we arrived back from the holiday I wrote a complaints letter detailing all the issues we had experienced enclosing photographic evidence, a copy of our travel documents and the brochure page advertising the hotel and it's features. Today I received a letter from Olympic Holidays (a week after the 28 day notice period) which has basically tried to fob me off not addressing the issues I raised or the supporting photographs I had enclosed. They even added insult to injury with this final sentence "We do hope that your stay overall was worthwhile and enjoyable."

Erm if it had been would I have taken the time to write a COMPLAINTS letter??? I am now in the process of writing another letter to them requesting compensation for the holiday. The total cost of the holiday was £1700, I will again have to pay for more photographs to be developed to resend to them as miraculously the original photographs I sent were not returned or even discussed in their letter.

Would anyone know how much I should ask in regards to compensation for the holiday also including the cost of the photographs I have had to do please?

pelirocco

so what were the issues?

btw stars dont mean a lot , they are award for pretty random stuff ie having a lift

kezzaoc

We paid for 3* and a garden view all of which were in writing on our policy documentation. We were put in a 2* apartment backing onto a fire escape and another building.

The first week we was kept awake every night with partying teenagers playing 'knock door run' on our hotel door until 5am, I have a 7 year old son and although this wasn't the travel companies fault they provided no representative at the hotel for us to discuss our concerns. We were the only holidaymakers English speaking or otherwise that had no information, no contact, no welcome meeting, nothing!

Our apartment was on the third floor with no lift, I was heavily pregnant and the hotel had been notified of this prior to our arrival, the bathroom had severe mould on the shower curtain and tiles, the metal curtain rail fell off and hit my son on the head whilst he was showering, the patio door had a massive crack from the bottom of the glass all the way up to the top, there were cigarette burns all over the carpet, 'clean' towels given to us with bloodstains on them to name but a few!

None of this was shown in the brochure when we purchased our holiday!! :mad:

Caz3121

did you try and contact someone when you were there to give them the opportunity to resolve matters.
Was there a rep or did you have a telephone number rather than wait until your return?

Star ratings are very different by country and often are linked to the facilities offered rather than levels of luxury
eg 3* in Bulgaria can indeed be very basic accommodation that may be classed as 2* in other countries

gayleanne

Did you complain to a travel rep whilst you were in the hotel. If you did not, why not.

The star ratings mean very little, if the hotel had a plaque with the stars on it in the foyer or outside the hotel, that is all that is needed.

kezzaoc

Olympic Holidays provided no rep at the hotel we stayed at. I even sent photographic evidence to them clearly showing all the rep boards in the hotel foyer with every tour company on there except ours. There was only one English speaking tour company on there and that was with Balkan Holidays and they couldn't help us.

I am quite happy to have a basic holiday with basic facilities but not pay for a holiday that consists of mould and dirt which was harmful to my son and unborn child and is unclean. Even the air con unit was thick with grime and the consumer unit was stuffed with cotton wool, my partner is an electrician and knows how dangerous this is. Other people we spoke to had sockets hanging off their walls and broken toilet seats etc, I think that's above and beyond basic facilities.

We had no one to turn to for advice or help. I've backpacked in my younger days and not once did I endure such grotesque conditions like this.

ThumbRemote

You're almost certainly going to have to take this to court to get anything back from them - if you're not prepared to do that, then give up now.

First of all, the fact that you didn't complain while there is going to count against you, unless there really was no way to contact anyone at all. Many cheaper companies don't have a rep in resort, they provide a phone number to call. If Thomson/Olympic can show that you were given details of this, that will be a defence for them. Also you're going to need to show that you spoke to the hotel reception and asked to move rooms or have it cleaned. If you can't do this, you aren't going to get far.

You then need to price up what you got versus what you paid for. Was it genuinely a 2* hotel, and if so what is the price difference for that compared to an average 3*. This would be a sensible amount to claim.

Next, what was the cost of phone calls etc to the UK to try and sort it out. Add that to the claim.

Finally, a sum for 'loss of enjoyment'. This is where your photos come in, versus the brochure photos. This is very subjective, but try to come up with a realistic figure. You are unlikely to get it all back, so assume a middle ground.

Good luck.

jacques_chirac

gayleanne wrote: »

Did you complain to a travel rep whilst you were in the hotel. If you did not, why not.

The star ratings mean very little, if the hotel had a plaque with the stars on it in the foyer or outside the hotel, that is all that is needed.

Even the official rating does not matter, Thomson have their own ratings.

OP, which hotel was it?

kezzaoc

Thanks for the info. I find it awful that these days you seem to get ripped off everywhere. Your money is swiftly taken but as soon as a problem occurs your on your own!

I will write to Abta after this second letter and hope I get help from them. Surely if you purchase an item from a shop and it is not as described you get a refund back which is in this case the same difference?

The hotel was recommended to us from the Thomson Rep, The Continental Park Hotel. It looked ok in the brochure. The reality of this hotel only dawned on us when we looked on tripadvisor after we had paid and then visited it!

Caz3121

kezzaoc wrote: »

Surely if you purchase an item from a shop and it is not as described you get a refund back which is in this case the same difference?

To use that scenario, you buy something that is not as described you take it back fully unused and you get a refund
The situation would be different if you bought something not as described then chose to use it for a period of time and then try and send it back for refund
Did you not have any contact numbers to phone someone whilst you were away and demand to be moved somewhere else? if they did nothing you would have a better case. They may view it that it could not have been that bad if you made no attempt to contact them whilst you were there

joee_91

kezzaoc wrote: »

. We were the only holidaymakers English speaking or otherwise that had no information, no contact, no welcome meeting, nothing!

kezzaoc wrote: »

Other people we spoke to had sockets hanging off their walls and broken toilet seats etc, I think that's above and beyond basic facilities.

So, call me cynical, but if you were the only English speaking holidaymakers, then how on earth did you manage to speak to other people to see that they had problems too?!!