Any advice for a newby who has been a bit of a twit?

SwiftyFrisco

hello
Long time lurker looking for advice please.
I've done a fair bit of independent travel but have always booked flights and accom myself so a bit clueless about the wiles of travel agencies.
I booked a holiday earlier this month advertised on Icelolly but actual travel agency is Imperial Travel (yes I know now)!
Holiday is one week in Corfu, flights (Easyjet), transfers and b&b in a lovely hotel. So far I have just paid the deposit (£150). Straight after booking I checked reviews for Imperial Travel and my heart sank. I feel like a total mug as I ALWAYS check reviews on everything beforehand but for some reason failed to this time. Lesson learnt.
Anyway I have now received an email from Imperial saying lovely hotel not available and the alternative I have been allocated is of a much lower standard and does not include breakfasts so £25 offered as compensation.
What I am trying to find out is whether I can negotiate a reduction on overall holiday cost as I can see that rooms in new apartments (not a proper hotel) are far cheaper per night. Also if I reject the new accommodation what would my options be? I can't check the terms and conditions as have not received any (just an email with breakdown of costs). It appears the Easyjet flights have been paid in full from the deposit so if I cancel the holiday are the flights automatically cancelled too? Could I retain flights and find another hotel myself?
Obviously I have emailed Imperial but if anyone has any advice I would be very grateful. Needless to say I will go back to booking travel arrangements myself from now on!
Cheers! SF

Voyager2002

You should be able to reject the apartments that they are offering and arrange alternatives yourself. However, you are almost certainly committed to the flights, which will count as a separate purchase.

It would be worth contacting the "lovely B and B" to see whether they actually have space: perhaps they have simply stopped doing business with that agency?

leylandsunaddict

You can say no to the change of accommodation and cancel that element, but you are still tied into the other elements. All the elements you've bought will have separate, unrelated contracts so there is no overall holiday to negotiate a reduction on.

SwiftyFrisco

Thank you for these replies - very helpful. I'm wondering now if I can reject the cheaper accommodation (at current quoted price), re-book it myself at the lower rate offered online, keep the transfers I have to 'posh' hotel and just walk down the road! Would that work or am I over complicating things?
I will also check availability of 'posh' place but I did email the directly after booking before and had no reply. Thanks again SF

leylandsunaddict

SwiftyFrisco wrote: »

Thank you for these replies - very helpful. I'm wondering now if I can reject the cheaper accommodation (at current quoted price), re-book it myself at the lower rate offered online, keep the transfers I have to 'posh' hotel and just walk down the road! Would that work or am I over complicating things?
I will also check availability of 'posh' place but I did email the directly after booking before and had no reply. Thanks again SF

Do you mean rebook them at the cheaper price but still though Imperial Travel? If so, then that price won't be live so they may contact you, again saying the price has altered.

SwiftyFrisco

Hi Leylandsunaddict, no I meant try and rebook myself independently. Not sure if this will be possible but wondered if it might work. I don't mind having the less glamorous apartment as accommodation but not happy about paying the price we were quoted for the original hotel. I think I might be clutching at straws though...cheers again

leylandsunaddict

SwiftyFrisco wrote: »

Hi Leylandsunaddict, no I meant try and rebook myself independently. Not sure if this will be possible but wondered if it might work. I don't mind having the less glamorous apartment as accommodation but not happy about paying the price we were quoted for the original hotel. I think I might be clutching at straws though...cheers again

No problem in doing that. You're free to book with whoever you want, but I'd wait until you've had confirmation from Imperial that the accommodation element has been cancelled.

SwiftyFrisco

Well Imperial have come back to me confirming that they will only drop £25 off the booking price due to no breakfast. They have said we can look at other accommodation but if more expensive we would have to pay the extra cost. Still not really clear if they still expect me to book other accommodation through them. I have had a look around to see what I could book independently but it is tricky as it seems many places are linked with other agencies. I have also emailed original hotel as suggested but waiting for a reply. Like I said I don't mind moving to cheaper accommodation but it really sticks in my craw that we will be paying what works out as £52 p/n for a not very nice room and no breakfast. I think I might just have to chalk this up to experience and be more careful next time. Thank you for your replies I really do appreciate it. SF

SwiftyFrisco

hello sorry me again.
So I have had an email from the original 'nice' hotel to say they are not actually open on my travel dates.

I have also noticed that Imperial Travel use Lowcostbeds to book their accommodation. Having read the (appalling) reviews for this company I am now even more concerned as it seems some people have arrived at their destination to find there is no record of any reservation at all and they have had to pay again for rooms on arrival. I have checked my insurance and I would not be covered for these expenses. Really wondering if I should just cancel the entire holiday!

If anyone can put my mind at rest about all this please do!
thanks SF

leylandsunaddict

SwiftyFrisco wrote: »

hello sorry me again.
So I have had an email from the original 'nice' hotel to say they are not actually open on my travel dates.

I have also noticed that Imperial Travel use Lowcostbeds to book their accommodation. Having read the (appalling) reviews for this company I am now even more concerned as it seems some people have arrived at their destination to find there is no record of any reservation at all and they have had to pay again for rooms on arrival. I have checked my insurance and I would not be covered for these expenses. Really wondering if I should just cancel the entire holiday!

If anyone can put my mind at rest about all this please do!
thanks SF

If you cancel your flights you will forfeit the money, but you can claim the taxes back.

Lowcostbeds is a trade only bedbank. Usually when people have no room when they arrive it's because the hotel have double booked. If they get a direct booker willing to pay rack rates they double book a room and hope for cancellations. If they don't get any they have to bump someone, and it's always the bedbank customers that pay cheap rates. The same thing happens irrelevant of which bedbank is used. They aren't going to give anything other than the room type booked to a customer of someone that literally pays them a pittance. No one knows what payment agreement LCB has with hoteliers. It may be in advance, or it may equally be monthly on statement or by direct debit. Hotels do not admit to the guest that they are at fault, so blame the bedbank.

There are plenty of complaints about Travel Republic etc customers who have experienced this. Hotels overbooking is normal practice, just like airlines do.

littlereddevil

Keep the flights and book accom yourself, you will find something. They can't hold you to a non existent hotel booking no matter what they say