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Booking mistake with Thompson - advice?
SharkyGeorge
Posts: 403 Forumite
[Edited]
My teenage brother booked himself tickets abroad with Thompson's cheap airline. He inputted the wrong month which he didn't realise until he turned up to the airport today (he put November, he wanted to fly in December). Yes it was stupid but it was also a really unfortunate mistake and everybody makes mistakes!
1) He was incredibly close to getting on the flight. It came down to one member of staff who put his foot down. Yes, he was within his right to but similarly if there was an empty space on that flight - and everyone else was saying my brother could get on it - how much responsibility did Thompson have to try and help get another flight? (Sometimes they do this if you come late, don't they?)
2) Apparently his return flight may be cancelled although its still valid. Are they allowed to do this? If so, why?
3) Is it worth trying to talk to Thompson and see if they will make any leeway for him?
Can I please re-iterate that he is really devestated by this. Yes it was a stupid mistake but everyone makes a mistake in their lifetime, and he really needs this break as he has been working very hard.
If you intend to post on here just to criticize him, please don't but any helpful suggestions with people who have dealt with Thompson/been in similar positions before, would be very gratefully recieved.
Many thanks,
Sharky
My teenage brother booked himself tickets abroad with Thompson's cheap airline. He inputted the wrong month which he didn't realise until he turned up to the airport today (he put November, he wanted to fly in December). Yes it was stupid but it was also a really unfortunate mistake and everybody makes mistakes!
1) He was incredibly close to getting on the flight. It came down to one member of staff who put his foot down. Yes, he was within his right to but similarly if there was an empty space on that flight - and everyone else was saying my brother could get on it - how much responsibility did Thompson have to try and help get another flight? (Sometimes they do this if you come late, don't they?)
2) Apparently his return flight may be cancelled although its still valid. Are they allowed to do this? If so, why?
3) Is it worth trying to talk to Thompson and see if they will make any leeway for him?
Can I please re-iterate that he is really devestated by this. Yes it was a stupid mistake but everyone makes a mistake in their lifetime, and he really needs this break as he has been working very hard.
If you intend to post on here just to criticize him, please don't but any helpful suggestions with people who have dealt with Thompson/been in similar positions before, would be very gratefully recieved.
Many thanks,
Sharky
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Comments
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It is nothing to do with being judgemental, it's about telling it as it is.
If you don't like it don't join a forum were everyone is allowed an opinion.
Back to your question.
I would ring them and make sure the return leg is still valid then book another flight out. use mse or skyscanner for the low cost airlines.0 -
satan666wayne wrote: »It is nothing to do with being judgemental, it's about telling it as it is.
If you don't like it don't join a forum were everyone is allowed an opinion.
Back to your question.
I would ring them and make sure the return leg is still valid then book another flight out. use mse or skyscanner for the low cost airlines.
Sometimes 'telling it as it is' comes across as really nasty, as I've noticed in other posts where people have admitted where they've made a mistake and asked for advice as opposed to lectures. What's the point of 'telling it as it is' when the person at fault already knows they are at fault and don't really need to be told again that they're at fault, they just need advice on how to put things right? The whole point about MSE is that its supposed to be helpful and not accusatory. Why not go on the 'debts' board and tell everyone who has run up huge loans how stupid they were to spend beyond their means in the first place?
He has now rung the airline and the return leg is still valid.0 -
How was he really close to getting on the flight, surely they spotted that he should not have been on that flight?!!Hi, I find that people in the travel forum can sometimes be quite judgemental so if you're one of those people, don't read on...
Not really the way to get a positive response!how much responsibility did Thompson have to try and help get another flight?
None. Zero. Nada.Gone ... or have I?0 -
Not sure if I like your attitude. It doesn't encourage a warm, fuzzy, compassionate response! I do understand what you are trying to say. It doesn't come over well though.
The return leg of the flight will still be valid, if he has booked and paid for the correct flight.
As he has missed his outbound flight by over a month - I know from your POV he hasn't 'missed' it but he didn't turn up for his booked flight - I would be very doubtful that Thompson would rebook him on another flight this month free of charge. Flights in November are considerably cheaper than those around the festive period and booking 'last minute' with budget airlines is always more expensive.
Your best option would be to try and find a Thomson Fly customer service agent with some festive cheer to give you a discounted transfer.I'm going for my QuidCo £million!
Total So Far: £9923.580 -
I did a similar thing a while ago- I booked a flight online and only when I clicked on 'confirm' did I realise I had managed to book my flight back to front :-) I phoned the airline immediately (like within 20 minutes of making the mistake) but they said there was no way they could refund me. But then it was Ryanair ;-) I think your brother will just have to appeal to their better nature, they certainly don't have to help him out, but it would be good customer service if they did. In my case I rebooked my ticket with another airline and vowed never to use Ryanair again! I'm sure they don't care but it maked me feel better!0
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Not sure if I like your attitude. It doesn't encourage a warm, fuzzy, compassionate response! I do understand what you are trying to say. It doesn't come over well though.
The return leg of the flight will still be valid, if he has booked and paid for the correct flight.
As he has missed his outbound flight by over a month - I know from your POV he hasn't 'missed' it but he didn't turn up for his booked flight - I would be very doubtful that Thompson would rebook him on another flight this month free of charge. Flights in November are considerably cheaper than those around the festive period and booking 'last minute' with budget airlines is always more expensive.
Your best option would be to try and find a Thomson Fly customer service agent with some festive cheer to give you a discounted transfer.
I totally agree that he missed his flight and needs to take responsibility for his actions but at the end of the day its a shame he has to miss his holiday especially since he's been working really hard recently. Lesson learned, one supposes.
In terms of the price, the thing is that his friend (who wisely booked her own ticket) booked for the correct day (i.e. in December) and the prices were exactly the same. He also offered to pay the difference (only fair) but despite the fact that there were two empty spaces on the plane they wouldn't let him on.
In terms of my attitude, its only because I saw the way two OPs were treated when they'd both written that they'd made a mistake on their respective tickets that I started off defensively. I knew there would be some comments like the ones above saying 'its his own problem - nothing can be done' which aren't helpful when he already knows that. And my point is that even when you *think* something can't be done, sometimes it can and I was hoping someone would be able to share a similar experience.
Anyway, Thomson weren't too helpful over the phone naturally so we'll just have to book him something else and see what can be done by letter.0 -
How was he really close to getting on the flight, surely they spotted that he should not have been on that flight?!!
Once the mistake had been spotted and he went back to the Thomson desk they said that because there were two free spaces if it was ok with the person at the check-in he could still get on the plane. After all, those spaces wouldn't have been filled otherwise and he *had* paid for the ticket, which cost the same as his friend's (correct) ticket. It was one member of staff at the check in who claimed that because check in had closed he couldn't board (as opposed to the problem being the wrong date on the ticket).None. Zero. Nada.
Just 'None' would have sufficed.0 -
You really do take things far too personally!
How could he not spot the mistake until the day of travel? Did he not read the confirmation?Gone ... or have I?0 -
Perhaps he did and decided to chance his arm?0
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I agree.
Why are some people so touchy?:rolleyes:0
This discussion has been closed.
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