Holiday problems and complaint

Firemanpensioner

Late January my wife and I decided to do something special to celebrate our 51st wedding anniversary and the fact we will both have our 70th birthdays later in the year.

We booked a 2 week all-inclusive holiday to Jamaica with TUI, 3rd to 17th February, thinking it would be a relaxing break.

It didn’t start out well, we spent this first hour of our flight on the tarmac at Gatwick awaiting a slot, despite that the plane was fully loaded in time for take-off.

On arrival in Jamaica the luggage took about 2 hours to be unloaded, which meant our arrival at the hotel was 3 hours late ( about 7pm local time ) and the Tui rep had gone home, so no meet and greet meeting.

Because we were tired when we arrived at Hotel Catalonia, Montego Bay, we decided to grab a bite to eat and a drink and then go straight to bed and shower and clean up the following morning.

4th Feb when we awoke and went to wash and shower, we found that there was barely a trickle of water coming out of the taps in our en suite bathroom, not enough to fill an eggcup never mind a sink or shower.

We went to breakfast and reported the problem to customer service reception only to be told that there was a burst water main and that the maintenance department were trying to locate the problem.

So unable to have a shower, we prepared for a day on the beach, then went to meet the Tui rep at 9am. The Tui app that I had downloaded to my phone stated her hours were from 9am until 1pm Monday to Saturday.

At 10am she still hadn’t turned up and a rep from a different company asked if she could help us. After explaining that we were waiting for the Tui rep, she tried to call her, but the phone wasn’t answered. At 11am the hotel tried to call her with the same result, unanswered call. I then used the app to try and find out when she would arrive, but the message service is not a direct means of contacting the rep and instead it goes directly to the Tui UK head-office in Luton and Luton is 5 hours ahead of us towards the end of the working day when my message when my message was received.

Eventually the hotel managed to get the rep on the phone and she said she wasn’t going to be there today, but would see me the following day at 9am.

We spent the rest of the day on the beach and returned to our room at about 5pm. There was no water at all in the room, which meant we couldn’t get cleaned up yet again. I went back to the customer services desk and found out that the water supply to the hotel had been cut while work was being done to repair the water main.

5th Feb still sticky form our day at the beach and still no water to get clean or to flush toilets, we went for breakfast and then at 9am we waited for the rep to arrive and by the time she arrived at 9.30 there were several people waiting with the same complaint of no water to the rooms, she promptly disappeared to investigate the situation and returned half an hour later with the statement that they are working on the problem and that the water would be back on later that day. Then she said go and enjoy the day on the beach.

So we went away feeling our concerns were brushed aside as irrelevant and got ready for the beach again because the pool had been closed and notices were placed around the pool, this was due to dirty water running into the pool from the adjacent work to find the water main.

Between 5 and 6 pm we returned to our room to find that the repairs hadn’t been completed as promised and that there was still no water to the rooms for showers or to flush the toilets and by this time the public toilets around the site were in need of flushing and cleaning.

6th of Feb still no water and a small crowd of people gathered to greet the rep at 9am.

We were all feeling dirty and all had concerns about how the kitchens in the restaurants were cleaning dishes and cutlery as well as the health issues that the situation could cause.

She went away again to find out what was going on and returned some 20 minutes later to tell us that the problem was that 2 water mains had burst and that the workers on site were currently excavating to find the second water main which ran direct below the first one and the repairs were underway and the water would be on by the end of the day. She also told us that she had filled in complaint forms on our behalf and that we would all be receiving compensation later that day and to go and enjoy ourselves on the beach again.

The rep was still in attendance at about 2.30 pm and I told her how I felt and how this effected us both, how stressful the holiday had been for us both and the anxiety that the situation brought on, I told her that if the water was not back on that I would require relocating or a flight home because I was really concerned that it would be detrimental to our health, my wife having had a heart attack just 6 months earlier. She said she understood my concerns and that she felt certain that the water would be back on by the end of the day.

I really felt like I was getting the brush off, after all she got to go back to her apartment (not on site ) and get cleaned up without the problem.

Sometime during that day I had received an email from Tui stating how sorry they were about the inconvenience we had suffered, it had an attachment on it with the complaint form that had been filled in on our behalf. It also told us that if we weren’t happy with the offer that we should take it up with the rep.

It stated reason 1, for complaint as pool closed. Reason 2, noise due to construction.

No mention of no water supply to the hotel. It also had an offer of £230 in the form of a voucher.

By 7pm on the 6th the water came on and we were both able to shower and get clean clothes on.

7th Feb I approached the rep and told her I had received an email with an offer and then explained why I wouldn’t be accepting the offer.

1, That the form doesn’t address the main issue which was no mains water for almost 3 days, and the health concerns, nor that it didn’t consider the stress felt by us because of the situation.

2, That the amount was of just over 2% of what I paid, which I thought was insulting and the fact it was a voucher which could only be used to spend within the Tui group. I paid for this holiday when I booked in full direct from my bank account and expect to be paid any sum offered to spend as I chose like I did when I booked the holiday.

She replied, That it wouldn’t be the only offer that I received that we would get further offers (which never materialised).

The answer she gave me and the way she said it, made me feel like I had been dismissed by a headmistress like a naughty schoolchild, I was so shocked by her flippant attitude, I just walked away.

That evening after talking to other guest I found out that other people had differing offers ranging up to £350 one of which only had to suffer the lack of water for the afternoon of the 6th because the had arrive at the hotel during that day. The explanation from the rep of people paying different amounts for their holidays, didn’t hold water as many of the people who got better offers paid less than we did.

I told the rep I was unhappy about the whole situation and that on my return home I would be taking the matter up with Tui head-office.

There were 2 other issues during our holiday, 1 was more of an inconvenience than issue.

First was that the website claim that wifi was available throughout the site, this turned out to be untrue, wifi was available in the rooms and in the reception area but elsewhere on site it was at best intermittent and non-existent in many places, this was inconvenient because it affected communication with both family and using the app that we were expected to use when the rep wasn’t on site.

The second incident was that on the 15th of Feb power was cut off to the hotel for ¾ of the day, this was important because Lifts didn’t work communications were non-existent, and the lighting in internal spaces was emergency lighting only.

The power cut was due to works being carried out off site to upgrade the power supply, unfortunately no warning was issued about this work, just a letter from the hotel posted under the door of my room the following day.

I didn’t report either of these issues as I felt that my complaints would fall on deaf ears.

On my return home I had received an email from Tui asking how my holiday went, so I filled out the form. Needless to say it wasn’t very complimentary, I then went though the complaints procedure giving a detailed explanation of the compliant.

I got an email back telling me that they would respond within 28 days.

On 23rd of February I received a phone call from Tui (unfortunately I don’t remember the man’s name) he asked some security questions and then to explain my complaint, which I did after which he said that he had discussed the complaint with his manager and that they wouldn’t be making any other offer. I replied telling him that I will not accept their offer and that I would be taking alternative action with this matter.

I feel that Tui may have discussed this matter, but they have ignored my concerns and at this time they are not going to improve their offer.

I have tried phoning Tui, but as their system is automated and is a waste of time because it’s impossible to speak to a person and it just directs back to the complaint form I had already filled in.

My daughter complained on the Tui Facebook site on our behalf, we didn’t ask her to do this, but she was enraged about how we have been treated.

There were many responses to this, a lot of people commenting about their experiences with complaints to Tui and the general consensus is that Tui complaints department is about as useful as installing an ashtray on a motorbike.

Some advised writing a letter or email to the CEO of Tui, others advised taking them to the small claims court.

I just don’t know how to go forward with this compliant I really don’t want to drop the issue and would welcome advice on how to take this forward. I have kept all correspondence regarding this and I have photos of the works carried out and the excess water running into the pool as well as the water running of down part of the footpaths and into the sea.

Please note I live in Spain which means I will have to use electronic communications for dealing with most of this matter.

I apologise for the long explanation, but I felt the detail was important.

Please advise, thanks,

(Removed by Forum Team)

Robin9

Didn't beyond the flight problem. That's par for the course in travel - irritating but nothing more.

Voyager2002

Robin9 said:

Didn't beyond the flight problem. That's par for the course in travel - irritating but nothing more.

Then the rep did not turn up at the hotel (big deal) and the hotel had no water. Eventually the swimming pool was shut as well. After about three days without water the rep promised to solve the problem... and then I got bored!

So: a major issue with the hotel
but before that a non-issue
and first of all something that was the airport's fault.

bagand96

Flight Delay 1 Hour: Unfortunately just a fact of international flying.  Air Traffic Control Restrictions are outside of the control of the airline or tour operator.

Baggage Delay 2 Hours:  Very frustrating yes.  May have been the fault of the airline or their handling agent, may not have been.  There's no international rules/laws/compensation for this. 

Rep Availability:  Holiday reps are a dying breed.  I'm not sure exactly what you'd expect from a  "meet and greet" on arrival at the hotel that the hotel staff couldn't do?  I do understand that if TUI advertise rep availability then you'd expect them to be available at those times.  Last time I was on a TUI holiday we were provided a 24/7 emergency UK telephone number.

WiFi Availability: It would depend on exactly what the TUI website stated, but it's not uncommon for WiFi to be patchy on large hotel sites, especially around the grounds away from buildings.  In other parts of the world it's not always the same as home.

Electricity Outage 1 Day: Outside of the control of TUI or the Hotel. Things like this do happen.

Water Outage 3 Days:  This is the main complaint - and it's clearly an issue.  Even so it's worth accepting it was outside TUI's control and likely the hotel's (sorry if I've missed it - was it on or off hotel problem?)  Focus on this, no water for 3 days is enough of an issue for the complaint handler to envisage, no need to add "worries" about how the hotel was doing the dishes - assuming there was no outbreak of food-borne illness then they must have coped, likely bottled water.

As others have said, your post is very long, and gives a lot of detail, I assume your complaint to TUI was similar? When making complaint the general advice is to keep it factual, succinct and state what you expect. Some points are less important and not worth dwelling on - flight and baggage delays happen, maybe mention it in half a sentence if you must, but no more.  Similar for WiFi - perhaps just a comment that  an advertised service that wasn't available.

To be clear is the current TUI offer still £230 voucher?  Did you stay in touch with other guests, do you have a feel for what they have been offered since?  What do you want, or what would be acceptable to you?

strawb_shortcake

Did you really pay £10k for 2 weeks AI in a 3* hotel? Looking at next Febs prices it's coming out around £2k each. 

Mands

strawb_shortcake said:

Did you really pay £10k for 2 weeks AI in a 3* hotel? Looking at next Febs prices it's coming out around £2k each. 

I wondered the same about the price but figured it must be a particularly good hotel. Did 3* get mentioned? if so I missed it in all the detail.

HampshireH

Mands said:

strawb_shortcake said:

Did you really pay £10k for 2 weeks AI in a 3* hotel? Looking at next Febs prices it's coming out around £2k each. 

I wondered the same about the price but figured it must be a particularly good hotel. Did 3* get mentioned? if so I missed it in all the detail.

No OP didn't but TUI website does.

Firemanpensioner

Yes it was a bit long winded, for which I apologise, and yes I got my maths wrong on the percentages. 
I paid just over £4k for the holiday and I believe that a £230 voucher is insulting. 
I was hoping to get advice on what to do next to progress my claim.  

bagand96

Firemanpensioner said:

Yes it was a bit long winded, for which I apologise, and yes I got my maths wrong on the percentages. 
I paid just over £4k for the holiday and I believe that a £230 voucher is insulting. 
I was hoping to get advice on what to do next to progress my claim.  

You can go back to TUI and explain why you feel the offer is insulting and see if you can get them to increase it, either by way of voucher, or by cash.  If you're still in touch with other guests see if they've had any success.

After that your options will be ABTA Complaints process or Small Claims Court.

As ABTA members TUI are bound to take part in their complaints process which is two stage, it's worth reading the information on their website. Travel & Holiday Support | Complaints & Compensation Advice | ABTA 

The other option would be Small Claims Court. For court action, or ABTA Stage 2 Arbitration you will have to submit an amount of claim.  This can be difficult - things like loss of facilities, loss of enjoyment, stress etc can be very hard to put a monetary value on - and the case would be heard by a judge/arbitrator who will be independent and reference the law, and what's reasonable etc.

The law governing Package Holidays is here The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 which is also worth a read, especially if considering Small Claims Court - you'd need to think about where TUI have breached their responsibilities.

TUI's own summary of Package Rights is here Package Travel Regulations | TUI which is a bit easier to digest than the entire regulations.

In the first instance it's definitely worth going back to TUI and escalate your complaint there if possible.

NoodleDoodleMan

The OP lives in Spain.

Would his residency status may be an issue if he plans to involve a UK organisation such as ABTA, or to use any British legal body in seeking compensation ?

Even if this is possible, it's likely to be a difficult administrative exercise from outwith the UK I suspect ?

Hoenir

International travel isn't always as glamourous as it may seem. Seems par for the course. The Caribbean is priced for the US travel market.