Vital Information Not Revealed During Holiday Booking

beelzecubz

Hi, I’ve just returned from a week in Tunisia, in the Eden Yasmine hotel, Hammamet, booked through Thomas Cook. The week was a disaster at best. Although there were serious issues with hygiene (mouldy food, covered in flies) and accommodation (dirty room, ants everywhere, injury sustained due to issue with door handle), my biggest issue was realising two days into my stay, that I had been placed in a hotel integrated with an end-of-life dementia care facility.

For the avoidance of doubt, I have no issue with such patients or their care facilities as I know this is a necessary facility. My issue is that in was NOT informed at ANY stage before I booked, that this was the case.

Had I had this information available to me, I would never have booked this hotel. Thomas Cook are now stonewalling me, asking me to take photos of the patients and their carers, to substantiate my claim and even going so far as to tell me their holiday supplier reliably informs them that no such facility exists, in STARK contrast to the care company’s own website, heralding their integration with three such hotels in the area.

One of the restaurants advertised as available to holidaymakers was exclusively for the use of the care patients, and communal areas (pool, health spa, entire grounds) were available to the care patients, who mixed freely with holidaymakers.

After becoming frustrated with the OTS rep, he threatened me with not being able to leave the country and that I had trouble with him now, and being a solo traveller in my 50s, I was terrified.

I’ve documented it all in photos and kept threatening voice messages, as well as documenting the care company’s own website.

They’ve now turned on the auto-reply function to my email address, stating they’ll get back to me in 28 days! I have asked for the appropriate contact and address to send a Letter Before Action, and was again presented with the auto-reply.

I’m actually at my wit’s end and I don’t know how to proceed. Does anyone have any similar experience, and has been able to get satisfaction from their holiday provider?

la531983

Name the hotel.

beelzecubz

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82160158#Comment_82160158

Am I required to? Is assistance contingent upon that?

Mands

Some years ago I accidentally booked my husband and I into a German sanatorium for a one night stay. The place was trying to increase its revenue by diversifying. Fair. But failed to disclose this to people booking via a hotels website. Not fair.

It was one night so we rolled with it. But it was also one of the most surreal travel nights we had ever had.

Us: May we see the wine list for dinner please?

Waiter: Wine? You want to … drink wine?! I will have to ask Matron. We will see what she has to say about this!

Matron was gracious enough to allow us one small glass of very expensive, very mediocre wine each. We retreated to our room and broke open a bottle of whisky and howled with laughter.

Anyway, good luck with the complaint!

Woodstok2000

If you have just returned, a LBA is premature, especially if you haven't exhausted the Thomas Cook complaints procedure.

You need a written complaint to Thomas Cook (online - they don't accept postal complaints), including all your evidence and making it clear what you expect from them to make this right. If you've done that, then 28 days for them to respond sounds about right and is probably documented in their T&Cs.

If you are not happy with their final response, you can escalate to ABTA for a review.

If you paid for your holiday on a credit card (even just 1p) then you also have the option to initiate a Section 75 claim. It's not a requirement, but the credit card company will usually want you to have exhausted your direct complaint route first before they will proceed.

Woodstok2000

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82160167#Comment_82160167

It's not required, but it would be very helpful.

Was it this place: https://www.dailymail.com/travel/article-15885027/Brits-family-holiday-ruined-hotel-care-home.html

Or this one? https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g297943-d316516-r841002565-Hotel_Aziza_Thalasso_Golf-Hammamet_Nabeul_Governorate.html

Mands

• REMES (Monastir)
• The Cothon Residence by Cothon Care
• Palm Beach Skanes Hotel
• Hotel Aziza Thalasso Golf

A quick search shows this is a pretty common model in Tunisia. I can find references to multiple hotels doing this, including those listed above.

beelzecubz

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82160178#Comment_82160178

Thank you, I wasn’t sure if I was able to name them, it I will amend my post to reflect this!

beelzecubz

And yes!! This IS the hotel! It’s called the Eden Yasmine!

beelzecubz

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82160182#Comment_82160182

Thank you. It may well be common practice, but I expect to be advised that I will be placed in the same building as vulnerable, elderly end-of-life care patients.

beelzecubz

The reason for the LBA was the fact that they refused to even consider my request for repatriation under the provisions of Paragraph 15 of The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018, and shut me down mid conversation, implying that no such facility existed at the hotel. This isn’t something I’ve had to do before, so I expect to make some mistakes in my pursuit, and is why I came here for assistance. Thank you for yours, I appreciate you setting me straight. I’ve had an exhausting email conversation with them, laying out all of my issues, but you’ve suggested I submit this as an email complaint, so I will do that. Thank you again for your patience.