Vital Information Not Revealed During Holiday Booking

flaneurs_lobster

An OTS rep (not sure why the quotes, that’s what he was), was a gentleman who worked for a company initialled as OTS on his literature, and logo on his shirt, I hope this has helped.

Hasn't helped much, did the OTS man work for Thomas Cook, the hotel or someone else? Was he in some way acknowledging and/or documenting your complaints?

beelzecubz

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82160176#Comment_82160176

That sounds dreadful! I hope you got satisfaction!

beelzecubz

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82160220#Comment_82160220

I’m not certain who else you think he was representing, given I’ve told you he was a rep.

saajan_12

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6685812/vital-information-not-revealed-during-holiday-booking

Hi, I’ve just returned from a week in Tunisia,

…

Thomas Cook are now stonewalling me, asking me to take photos of the patients and their carers, 

…

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.

To double check you've returned (just because you say they're asking for things you could only do when there). If you were still on holiday then I understand the need for a swift response if there's a chance of actually doing something about it. If you've returned, then its less urgent and 28 days doesn't sound terrible for a complaint.

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), 

This does sound terrible so absolutely do complain, and the facility can be a 5th point rather than overriding the issues (as you risk minimising the other serious issues). Just ease up on how quickly you expect a response post holiday.

elsien

Genuine question and not having a go but what impact did having older people in their carers there have on your holiday.

End of life could cover a spectrum from people who are literally at death’s door or with advanced dementia to simply older people who need a bit of help but generally are just there having a good time. Which is not really an issue, unless it prevented you from using any of the facilities other than the one restaurant.

The hotel has a lot more positive than negative reviews on Tripadvisor. Although I strongly suspect some of more recent ones are not genuine, there’s nothing on there that is going to be of any help to you.

Woodstok2000

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82160217#Comment_82160217

I don't think there's anything in those regulations requiring repatriation. They should have looked to remedy the situation on the ground.

As others have noted, in your complaint you need to be explicit about the impact of any issues on your holiday, and any aspects not delivered as expected. Having a care home attached to the hotel is not necessarily an issue in itself, it really depends o the direct impact that had on your experience.

beelzecubz

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82160258#Comment_82160258

It’s an absolutely valid question, and I appreciate you asking. I don’t know for certain, because it never happened, but if I’d have been told my hotel had an integrated care facility, I could have either prepared myself for that, or decided to choose another hotel. It was the right to choose my own experience that I have the issue with.

I must stress that I’ve no issue with care facilities of this nature, or their patients (personal experience helped here), it was the fact that this important piece of information wasn’t communicated beforehand, which would have allowed me to better make an informed decision. It’s clearly a done thing, and to be honest, I quite like the idea of living out my days in a Tunisian hotel. My room was in the same building as these patients, who also shared the facilities and it kind of broke my heart when I realised how confusing it must also be to them, seeing an endless parade of different faces, during an already confusing period of life. It made me uncomfortable, which I don’t believe is an unreasonable reaction.

As far as what the “end-of-life” definition covers, it’s not relevant to the issue I faced, but I can tell you that it was a medicalised facility, requiring admission, with the guests described as “patients” on the care company’s website. I did see the number of positive reviews, and I also saw the proportion of negative ones that specifically mention surprise at discovering that the facility and its patients are fully integrated with the hotel side. Regardless, the reviews have unexpectedly provided information I have discovered I needed.

The basis of my complaint is NOT that I was required to mix with the facility’s patients, or that it existed, but that some facilities advertised to me were not present, and that some facilities that were present were not advertised to me, with the difference in the two being enough that I believe the holiday I received was significantly materially different to the one advertised and paid for on that basis.

beelzecubz

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82160275#Comment_82160275

I understand where you’re coming from. I’m getting on, I’ve only just started travelling solo recently, ironically as an indirect result of issues similar to those faced by the patients I saw. Because I never really had to be the one responsible for attending to all the necessary details until recently, I’m making mistakes as I go and I’ve found myself relying on internet advice and search results because I don’t know anyone to ask. Said search results threw Reg 15 at me a number of times before I looked, and it seemed to fit, and actually meshes really well with what you said about remedying the situation on the ground.

There were broad strokes I left out, purely to avoid a wall of text, but the hygiene issue saw me go without food for 16 hours and when the remedy came, it was actually more grievous than the original issue ;)

More than happy to fill in any gaps, I just thought one issue at a time was quite enough!

Woodstok2000

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82160468#Comment_82160468

You don't need to fill in all the gaps here, but make sure the complaint is comprehensive.

beelzecubz

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82160483#Comment_82160483

I thought the same, but I understand people will be curious to know more ;) I’ll be certain to cover everything off, I just needed perspective on what could be a sticky issue. Thank you for your advice and understanding!