Trying to reclaim holiday ammendmemt charges

Matt_Davidson

Firstly, not sure if this is in the right action but ccouldn't find anywhere more appropriate :undecided

So, May 2015 we booked with Thomson to go to Sharm El Sheikh in May 2016. There are 9 of us going, 4 adults (one is disabled,) and 5 kids (including 1 infant.) The holiday cost us around £4500 and was all inclusive and beach front, which was a requirement for our disabled traveller.

After the downing if the Russian airliner we went in to Thomson to speak about our concerns about travelling to the region and whether it would affect our holiday. At that time the foreign office was advising against all travel to the region but only up until Christmas. However we did enquire what would happen if we changed the holiday and to see if there would be a suitable alternative. To cut a long story short, if we left it any longer then we would not have found another holiday so reluctantly paid the £400 fees and changed to Alykanas in Greece. Since then Thomson have decided to extend their Egypt holiday ban until September 2016 meaning we would have had to change our holiday anyway. The only difference is that there is now no charge and £30 per person compensation. I contacted Thomson to see if they would be willing to refund the charges, based on that we would have had to change it anyway, and we actually did them a favour by changing when we did, otherwise they would have ended up giving us a full refund. I have approached it from a moral point of view but they are sticking to the t&c's and not refunding any money.

Can anyone offer any advice in this situation?

Many thanks.

callum9999

Matt_Davidson wrote: »

Firstly, not sure if this is in the right action but ccouldn't find anywhere more appropriate :undecided

So, May 2015 we booked with Thomson to go to Sharm El Sheikh in May 2016. There are 9 of us going, 4 adults (one is disabled,) and 5 kids (including 1 infant.) The holiday cost us around £4500 and was all inclusive and beach front, which was a requirement for our disabled traveller.

After the downing if the Russian airliner we went in to Thomson to speak about our concerns about travelling to the region and whether it would affect our holiday. At that time the foreign office was advising against all travel to the region but only up until Christmas. However we did enquire what would happen if we changed the holiday and to see if there would be a suitable alternative. To cut a long story short, if we left it any longer then we would not have found another holiday so reluctantly paid the £400 fees and changed to Alykanas in Greece. Since then Thomson have decided to extend their Egypt holiday ban until September 2016 meaning we would have had to change our holiday anyway. The only difference is that there is now no charge and £30 per person compensation. I contacted Thomson to see if they would be willing to refund the charges, based on that we would have had to change it anyway, and we actually did them a favour by changing when we did, otherwise they would have ended up giving us a full refund. I have approached it from a moral point of view but they are sticking to the t&c's and not refunding any money.

Can anyone offer any advice in this situation?

Many thanks.

Keep complaining and see where it goes but they have zero obligation to refund you - either legal or moral. (You say you did them a favour, but we both know you were thinking solely of yourself when you decided to change (as you should)!)

safesound

As an aside, I stayed in alykanas with Thompson's last year and its stunning. Everything is in walking distance and everyone is just lovely. For a small bit of home (and decent WiFi signal) try the cosy cafe on the corner (down the lane a bit). It's owned by an expat, and the staff are British too.

richardw

Was the Greek holiday that you wanted still available on the day they extended their Sharm holiday ban to 2016?

jackieblack

It was entirely your choice to change your holiday when you did, enabling you to choose another holiday that suits you and for several months you've had the peace of mind of knowing you've secured your new choice of holiday.
You could have taken the risk of hanging on in with your original booking, living with the uncertainty of whether this would go ahead and running the risk of nothing else suitable being available once it was confirmed that it would not.

You did the right thing for you and your family, but it was entirely your choice so you are not entitled to the fee free/compensation deal that those who took the risk are.

Matt_Davidson

Thanks for the replies. That holiday to Alykanas is no longer available on the dates we can travel but I do not know when it sold out. Thomson extended the travel ban mid April to now go until near the end of the year but prior to that I cannot find any info as to when it was extended to 25th May. Like you say, we paid the money safe in the knowledge that we have another holiday booked that caters for our needs. However the point I am making with them is that if we had not have made the decision when we did, then we would have been taking over £5000 out of their company as they would have ended up having to give us a full refund. Making the decision when we did meant that they were able to find somewhere else for us that we liked, which is what I meant when I say we did them a favour. Anyway I have replied back to them asking them to reconsider the complaint. We are loyal, repeat customers and I would just like them to return the courtesy.

richardw

Proceed with the loyal customer point and see if it gets you anywhere.

callum9999

Matt_Davidson wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. That holiday to Alykanas is no longer available on the dates we can travel but I do not know when it sold out. Thomson extended the travel ban mid April to now go until near the end of the year but prior to that I cannot find any info as to when it was extended to 25th May. Like you say, we paid the money safe in the knowledge that we have another holiday booked that caters for our needs. However the point I am making with them is that if we had not have made the decision when we did, then we would have been taking over £5000 out of their company as they would have ended up having to give us a full refund. Making the decision when we did meant that they were able to find somewhere else for us that we liked, which is what I meant when I say we did them a favour. Anyway I have replied back to them asking them to reconsider the complaint. We are loyal, repeat customers and I would just like them to return the courtesy.

They aren't idiots. They know full well you didn't give the balance sheet of the company the slightest bit of thought when making the decision to change the holiday so you didn't save them £5000, a side effect of what you did saved them. The notion that you should be rewarded for that seems absurd to me and no doubt does to them!

You're entitled to precisely nothing - both legally and morally - but good luck. (I'd be doing the same thing in your boat, if you don't ask you don't get!)

duchy

safesound wrote: »

As an aside, I stayed in alykanas with Thompson's last year and its stunning. Everything is in walking distance and everyone is just lovely. For a small bit of home (and decent WiFi signal) try the cosy cafe on the corner (down the lane a bit). It's owned by an expat, and the staff are British too.

Awww it sounded such a lovely spot til I read this.......Surely the point of going on holiday is that it isn't like home LOL

(and it's Thomson not Thompson btw)