TUI 5 changes to package holiday!

MrsE1982

Advice required please.

Booked holiday back in June for 2 adults and 2 year old to Crete, leaving Thu 5th September, 2 weeks in a 2 bedroom suite. TUI email me 3 weeks later telling me flight cancelled, they can move holiday or offer me a refund. After much arguing and looking at suitable alternatives (there were none that they were prepared to offer me for same price!) we accepted a change to leave on Sunday 8th September.
Then we get notified a week later that the 2 bedroom suite is no longer available (or doesnt exist not sure which) and we were being put into a family room with sliding door....ok i say, just give me some money back. TUI say 'we can't the holiday is now more expensive'

After much more arguing and to be fair to the store who got my point. I was given £125 refund, now that I was going on a holiday on a date I didnt want to go on, in a smaller room than i had originally booked and paid for. I accepted this and made it clear that i would pursue a complaint separately (still not heard back on that one btw!)

Fast forward to this week and my e-tickets come through for next week and surprise surprise our return flight has now changed +7 hours meaning that we now land at 2am the day afterwards...meaning a full day's unpaid leave for both of us not to mention how the hell we get a 2 year old through a flight like that!

Needless to say I had a few choice words for the TUI store, who again got my point and claimed they hadnt ever seen so many changes on one holiday. Apparently its all in the Ts and Cs - yes I get it, but at what point do TUI recognise that what they sold me doesn't exist!? I have since been offered a further refund of 10% of the cost of the holiday back or option to cancel for full refund. About half of what i asked for to cover our costs, what I actually want is a guarantee that I can stay in my room the whole day - but computer says no!

Cancellation isnt really an option given we are a week away from travel and TUI are stealing what seems endless hours of my life on this issue - however i do feel that i cannot possibly trust TUI to deliver on a decent holiday now, given the amount of hassle and complete lack of ownership of the problems.

Any advice? I am going into store tomorrow to chain myself to the shutters and make as much noise as possible to warn other holiday makers off.....and either get myself arrested or achieve the refund and conditions i have requested. Or they put our original flight back on!

TELLIT01

TUI have recently been cancelling flights. Examples - Manchester flight cancelled and East Midland offered instead. Cardiff cancelled and Bristol offered instead.

There seems to be a pattern also of very late notification of change, thus making it difficult or impossible for customers to source an alternative holiday. I'm sure that can't be a deliberate policy by TUI.

bagand96

Or they put our original flight back on

Yeah this... just get them to put one their Boeing 737MAX back into service. I mean, the world’s aviation authorities have deemed them not safe, but it’ll probably ok for one flight to Crete won’t it?

ToxicWomble

Cancelling IS an option but if you won’t consider it then you have to accept the changes

MrsE1982

bagand96 wrote: »

Yeah this... just get them to put one their Boeing 737MAX back into service. I mean, the world’s aviation authorities have deemed them not safe, but it’ll probably ok for one flight to Crete won’t it?

thanks for your advice. Almost as helpful as TUI.

MrsE1982

TELLIT01 wrote: »

TUI have recently been cancelling flights. Examples - Manchester flight cancelled and East Midland offered instead. Cardiff cancelled and Bristol offered instead.

There seems to be a pattern also of very late notification of change, thus making it difficult or impossible for customers to source an alternative holiday. I'm sure that can't be a deliberate policy by TUI.

I appreciate the issues with the 737s, and we'd all rather be safe than on a plane that drops out of the sky....but it feels as if there is a 'like it or lump it' attitude from TUI, as now we are 'trapped' into accepting whatever change they put in front of you.....if the change is less than 12 hours they dont even have to offer refund option!

mattyprice4004

Just take the refund, you’re clearly not happy with the options given.
It’s rubbish but they’re not going to move a flight for one party.

I agree that asking for the room for the day is reasonable, though.

bagand96

MrsE1982 wrote: »

thanks for your advice. Almost as helpful as TUI.

No problem.

The issue is - and I’m not defending them - they will treat each change as a separate event:

1) They had to cancel your first flight (due aircraft shortage beyond their control) and you accepted an alternative - resolved.
2) They changed your room type. You weren’t particularly happy, but managed to negotiate a small refund which you accepted - resolved.
3) They have now changed the times of your flight by 7 hours. Their T&C’s allow them to do this, by up to 12 hours.

It does seem they acknowledge all of your issues as a whole though and have made you an offer of 10% or the refund. So now it’s up to you.

There is still time to book a new holiday and cancel the TUI one. Perhaps have a search to see if you could find a holiday for similar cost that would have more suitable flights and room arrangements?

Latedeals.co.uk and holidayhypernarket are quite good websites to show availability (although be warned both sites are part of the TUI group - but do sell other operators holidays.). Thomas Cook, Jet2 and Olympic would also be worth looking at.

Pollycat

mattyprice4004 wrote: »

Just take the refund, you’re clearly not happy with the options given.
It’s rubbish but they’re not going to move a flight for one party.

I agree that asking for the room for the day is reasonable, though.

I agree with the first point.
I doubt that you'll enjoy the holiday. Every little thing that's wrong will be magnified.

I can understand TUI's point about you keeping the room on.
If there is someone coming in to your room on an earlier flight, they would expect the room to be available to them on arrival.
I'm not saying that's right and fair. Just seeing it from their perspective.

photome

What’s happened isn’t great and given the way you feel I think you should take the refund.

You could ask the hotel directly if they could let you have a late check out.

Handling a 2 year old on a late flight shouldn’t be too hard. It’s a short flight and he/she will probably sleep all the way so nothing the get stressed about although it seems you are making that a problem before it arises

koalakoala

Take the refund. You will find a late deal