Are TUI at it?

TamTheArab

Evening one and all!
We have a family holiday book for next summer through TUI to Tenerife with 7 of us due to fly on the 2nd July.
we have 3 rooms booked:

• Twin room 1 with extra bed shoved in for me, my wife and youngest (17)
• Twin room 2 for my parents
• twin room 3 for my oldest and his partner.

We have around £850 still to pay which is roughly the cost of 1 person in the party.
My oldest has since split for his partner and has requested they be removed from the holiday, which leaves room occupancy 3,2 and 1 so we thought, we can either upgrade to a family room, or move my youngest into the room with his older (22) brother.

We called TUI and explained the situation, and was told that they can remove the extra passenger and reshuffle the rooms for the bargain price of £1176 (to move youngest into oldests room) or £1396 (upgrade our room to family sleeping 4 and remove the "spare" room).  This apparently is accounted for by £200 fee (loss of deposit) for the cancellation, £50 pp admin fee for the reshuffle and rearrangement of occupancy.

What am I missing here?

According to my thinking (maybe wrong), we should lose the deposit (not happy, but fair enough) and if we are just moving the youngest into the other room then £50 admin fee for this change, and the cost of the removed passengers flight/stay removed from the balance, leaving us roughly £250 left to pay and certainly not adding an extra £300-500 to the overall cost of the booking.

the kicker is, if we change the name on the booking, we'd only be out of pocket £25 for this change

help please!

I have a few angry phone calls to make to try and get this sorted out.

https://www.tui.co.uk/destinations/booking/tandc?ptype=PDP

Amendment fees	29 days or more before your holiday	28–15 days before your holiday	14–0 days before your holiday
To change a name, passenger, or passenger type (you can correct a spelling error without paying a fee)	£25 per person	£25 per person	£25 per person
To upgrade a service, add on a flight extra, upgrade a room type or board basis	No fee	No fee	No fee
To change duration, the time of a TUI Airways flight or to travel on an earlier date than planned	£50 per person	£50 per person	£50 per person
To change accommodation, departure or destination airport, or to change a flight not operated by TUI Airways	£50 per person	Treated as a cancellation	Treated as a cancellation
To travel on a later date than planned	Treated as a cancellation	Treated as a cancellation	Treated as a cancellation

If You Cancel Your Holiday

To cancel your holiday you must tell us as soon as possible. If you booked using a travel agency, that agency must tell us. When your holiday has been cancelled you will receive a cancellation invoice.

You must pay a termination fee which covers our administration costs and compensates us for the risk that we do not resell your holiday. The fee is based upon how long before your holiday you tell us you want to cancel and is a percentage of the total price of your holiday.

Termination FeesHow long before your holiday you cancelPercentage Of Your Holiday Price70 days or moreLoss of deposit69 - 63 days30%62 - 49 days50%48 - 29 days70%28 - 15 days90%14 - 0 days100%

bagand96

The thing is, when they remove the girlfriend from the booking, then shuffle your son from one room to the other, they will have to reprice the holiday based on the new occupancy.  When they reprice a holiday, they will price it at today's prices, not the original prices on the day you booked.  That's where the extra cost is likely coming from.  From the T&C's you quote, the paragraph above the amendment fees:

11.5  When changing your holiday details, the price of your new travel arrangements will be based on the price that applies on the day you make the change. These prices may not be the same as when you first made your booking. Some accommodation is priced according to the number of people staying there. If your party size changes, we'll recalculate your booking cost based on the new number of people going. If fewer people share the accommodation, then the cost per person may go up. This extra cost isn't a cancellation charge, and it isn't normally covered by insurance.

 
It's explained in that paragraph.  (Point of note, the T&Cs you've linked to appear to be for third party bookings? Are they the T&Cs you have attached to your booking?  Have you booked a TUI package holiday, or non-TUI elements?  Doesn't make too much difference though, the conditions for TUI packages are the same)

TamTheArab said:

I have a few angry phone calls to make to try and get this sorted out.

A sure fire way to get the resolution you are looking for 

TamTheArab

When they reprice a holiday, they will price it at today's prices, not the original prices on the day you booked. 

Mrs checked this already, holiday would actually be cheaper to book now.

Some accommodation is priced according to the number of people staying there. If your party size changes, we'll recalculate your booking cost based on the new number of people going. If fewer people share the accommodation, then the cost per person may go up.

they are literally forcing an extra bed into a twin room (ours) for the youngest at the moment, we cant be charged for under occupancy when we were given a discount for effectively being overcrowded, happy for them to have the £70 over-occupancy discount returned.  And this wasn't paid at child prices either, all 7 paid the same full adult price. 

Point of note, the T&Cs you've linked to appear to be for third party bookings? Are they the T&Cs you have attached to your booking?  Have you booked a TUI package holiday, or non-TUI elements?  Doesn't make too much difference though, the conditions for TUI packages are the same)

Thanks, I hadnt noticed, updated to the correct T&Cs

bagand96

It would appear that TUI are acting within their T&Cs, even if it might be a bitter pill to swallow.  So, you will lose £200 which is the girlfriends deposit.  The £50pp admin fee, are they charging this per person for everyone on the booking?  If so, that's £300, plus the aforementioned deposit is £500.  Therefore, the rest of what they are asking you to pay must be occupancy changes and repricing?

Only thing I can suggest you do is price up the holiday as a new booking for 6 of you in 3 twin rooms, and then suggest to TUI that if it can be booked as a new booking for that price, why you can't have it at that price (plus of course the deposit loss and amendment fees).  Be prepared that the answer may well be that's a web price for new bookings and is different to what you can access.

Another idea.... cancel the girlfriend off, and get a quote for your son to be single occupancy in that room (don't move your other son).  See if that comes out any cheaper?  Then when you arrive your sons can just stay together anyway.

TUI website says amendments can be done online via Manage My Booking, perhaps try that and play with your options there to see what the prices are?

Or see if your son has a mate that wants to go?

TamTheArab

Thanks, you've given me somethings to mull over, Ill give them a call tomorrow and update 

NoodleDoodleMan

"Another idea.... cancel the girlfriend off, and get a quote for your son to be single occupancy in that room (don't move your other son).  See if that comes out any cheaper?  Then when you arrive your sons can just stay together anyway."

What if the girlfriend was simply notionally removed from the equation and a no show results at the airport ?

The oldest son then has a room to himself on arrival and the youngest could bunk up beside him - no need to rebook, just leave reservation as is.

Is that scenario a runner ?

bagand96

NoodleDoodleMan said:

What if the girlfriend was simply notionally removed from the equation and a no show results at the airport ?

The oldest son then has a room to himself on arrival and the youngest could bunk up beside him - no need to rebook, just leave reservation as is.

Is that scenario a runner ?

I did consider that. But that means still paying for her place which I assumed OP won’t want to do. However if it is the cheapest option... I can’t see an issue. 

bagand96

TamTheArab said:

Thanks, you've given me somethings to mull over, Ill give them a call tomorrow and update 

I’d still try Manage My Booking online, if it will let you.  

NoodleDoodleMan

bagand96 said:

NoodleDoodleMan said:

What if the girlfriend was simply notionally removed from the equation and a no show results at the airport ?

The oldest son then has a room to himself on arrival and the youngest could bunk up beside him - no need to rebook, just leave reservation as is.

Is that scenario a runner ?

I did consider that. But that means still paying for her place which I assumed OP won’t want to do. However if it is the cheapest option... I can’t see an issue. 

It crossed my mind that the OP would balk at paying for the non travelling former girlfriend - but as you say it would be the cheapest bottom line result.

In which case, no further action required.

TamTheArab

Thanks guys!
Mrs called them yesterday, spoke to yet another call handler, explained the situation and was told that the previous info was miles wrong, amended the booking, removed the girlfriend and charged us the £250 admin fee for cancellation only

needless to say, I am delighted with this!

bagand96

TamTheArab said:

Thanks guys!
Mrs called them yesterday, spoke to yet another call handler, explained the situation and was told that the previous info was miles wrong, amended the booking, removed the girlfriend and charged us the £250 admin fee for cancellation only

needless to say, I am delighted with this!

Good to hear!