Thomson all-inclusive 'luxury' disaster holiday - can we do anything?

black_wings · 17 February 2017 at 10:44AM

Hello folks,
Just after a bit of advice...
In May 2016 we went on an all-inclusive with Thomson to Rivera Maya in Cancun. Paid approx. £3000 14 nights for 2 people. The description of the hotel was/is described on their website as 'luxury', amongst many other misleading claims. Now I understand with these package holidays you must always take it with a pinch of salt but when paying 3k for the holiday we were expecting something of a decent standard.

I will try to keep things brief but in short summary:
-Suite had an in-room Jacuzzi which was dirty and rusted - how on earth anyone could experience a romance atmosphere or want to use it?
-Generally the room was just filthy.
-Entire room was covered in black mould, on curtains, walls etc. The room smelt very badly of damp. The wardrobe was smelling really badly of damp meaning that we couldn't unpack our clothes from our suitcases for the whole 2 weeks.
-We noticed towards the end of the holiday I had one pair of shoes and a backpack which was covered in mould spores. They had never got wet and were kept in the middle of the room so the growth was not caused by something which I had done. I had to throw the shoes out as they were ruined.
-On arriving home all our clothes and suitcases smelt so bad and it's taken forever to get rid of the smell.

I raised all the issues with the onsite Thomson staff during the holiday. All I got from them in response was 'there's no point moving you to another room because all the rooms are the same' and 'write a letter when you get back to UK to complain'. We wrote to Thomson as suggested when we arrived back in the UK and only received an email back from them saying 'Mexico is a humid country and we advise that you should have kept the doors and windows closed during your stay in the hotel'. How can the word 'luxury' be used alongside staying in a room full of mould spores that ruin your clothes.
I won't bother touching the subject of the 'gourmet dining' - which involved nothing of the sort.

Is there anything we can do about this? Anyone have any luck in the past reaching a solution with Thomson?
As I say, I appreciate you get what you pay for with these all inclusive holidays but 3k is a substantial amount of money and the advertising is extremely misleading. We have photographs of the state of the room, ruined clothes etc.

Thanks

richardw · 17 February 2017 at 10:54AM

Have a thorough google of holiday forums and see if others have had resolutions after complaints about the same hotel.

black_wings · 17 February 2017 at 11:05AM

I have done that. The annoying thing is they have amazing reviews on tripadvisor etc. and everyone is like '5 star this hotel is so luxury and amazing very clean etc etc. which is the reason why we decided to book it because I always do through research before booking a holiday and don't just rely on the travel agents marketing.
That's why I'm at a complete loss as why others seem to be okay with spending 3k to be unable to unpack clothes for 2 weeks and sleep in a room full of mould.

elsien · 17 February 2017 at 11:07AM

Do you have a record of your conversations with the rep while you were there? Did you make a formal complaint at the time in writing, and do you have photographic evidence of the issues you are complaining about?
If all the rooms were the same, did you speak to any other guests who were unhappy and do you have their details as witnesses?

black_wings · 17 February 2017 at 11:09AM

When I complained at the time at the hotel to the Thomson staff I stated verbally the issues and they took it all down on their computer system and showed me it being submitted on their system in writing.
I also have photographs at the time showing mould on curtains, walls and on my clothes.

black_wings · 17 February 2017 at 11:14AM

No we didn't speak to any other guests to ask them if they also experienced problems with the room.

jon81uk · 17 February 2017 at 11:19AM

This was May last year? Thats 9 months ago, why didn't you contact Thomson as soon as you arrived back in the UK, particularly if you had to throw away shoes!

black_wings · 17 February 2017 at 11:22AM

My original post states that I did write to Thomas as soon as I got back to the UK. I also received a response from them which basically amounted to 'Mexico is a humid country'.
So my question was can I hope to achieve anything further in way of compensation because the holiday is not as described. It's described as 'luxury'. But a room full of mould surely doesn't qualify.

pattycake · 17 February 2017 at 12:23PM

While I appreciate your frustration, I would have gone directly to the hotel reception and asked to change rooms. If the hotel was full, you could have at least asked to have a deep clean of the room and to have had the curtains replaced.

I never bother with the reps. Their job is to sell excursions and have very little interest beyond that.

Hope you get some satisfaction from Thomson but I am not optimistic.

peachyprice · 17 February 2017 at 3:10PM

Maybe you were in the worst room in the hotel, which they know they can get away with, as you found your holiday rep wasn't interested in getting you moved.

Too late now, I know, but you could have at least asked the hotel direct to show you another room just so ascertain what the rep told you was true.

elsien · 17 February 2017 at 3:11PM

black_wings wrote: »

My original post states that I did write to Thomas as soon as I got back to the UK. I also received a response from them which basically amounted to 'Mexico is a humid country'.
So my question was can I hope to achieve anything further in way of compensation because the holiday is not as described. It's described as 'luxury'. But a room full of mould surely doesn't qualify.

Have you actually made a formal complaint to Thompson's, making it clear it is a complaint?
If you have, then your other option's are ABTA (if they're a member) or the small claim's court. Although I'm not sure ABTA can compel the company to pay compensation - that might be worth checking out first.
And potentially section 75 if you used a credit card to pay for part of the holiday, although I'm not clear on the ins and outs of all that.

http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/how-to-complain-about-your-holiday-booking

Thomson all-inclusive 'luxury' disaster holiday - can we do anything?

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