Holiday cancellation by operator 4 days before departure

[DanH]

I had an unpleasant phone call from our skiing operator yesterday at 4.45pm. Apparently the hotel which they had booked for us has declined to honour our reservation for two rooms. This tour company, despite being a major player in this market has insufficient weight to ensure it was another operator and not them that got pushed when the hotel cocked up.

Now what people may be unaware of, is the complete absence of any real penalty to the operator for breaches of contract of this nature. They are obliged to give 40 GBP a head (4 people) for this and a full refund. I find this utterly derisory although he claims this is double the industry standard.

They have offered us an alternative holiday in another resort (which we don't want to go to), in a marginally cheaper hotel (which I wouldn't choose) and somehow think it is reasonable to offer this to us at the full retail price for what is essentially a last minute booking where we are not choosing the destination. I'm simply stunned by this and said as much to their head of department. Clearly customer service isn't as high a priority as he promised me, despite tall tales of checking availability for us in hotels which would have nearly doubled the cost of the holiday to them. Yet all they can do is find somewhere cheaper and make no offer of discount.

I'm just stunned by the lack of business sense here. They have to pay us £40x4 if we cancel, they lose 4 customers + anyone else we can convince for life, they have last minute rooms that they have reserved for us that they will likely have to try and sell at a discount 2 days before departure and they have 4 flights they have paid for and likely can't shift*

There are almost no vacancies at ANY ski resort for next week so it seems we can't go anywhere we'd want to go to, nor can they find a hotel we'd want to stay in (we are talking of 2 options provided across Europe, both in the wrong hotel in the wrong parts of resorts), and I have spent hours on the phone, or checking for availability on the internet today, despite having a job that I am meant to be doing.

Can anyone else believe that their liability stops at 160 quid? I'm stunned.

* there are accomodation problems this year so many tour operators are stuck with flights but nowhere for people to stay.

[voyds9]

I bet your liability would have been far higher if you cancelled at 4 days notice, surely the liability should be the same.

[srebbe64]

That is a real bummer.

Happened to me a few years ago, with just two days to go the holiday company said they'd not made the reservation with the hotel. My whole family were gutted. My advice to you is to "keep making a fuss". In the end we got some meaningful compensation. Basically, every time they offer something reject it and your complaint will keep being sent further up the line. In the end it was "irritant value" that got me decent compensation.

[MJK 24]

That is simply disgraceful.

As you point out, I can't believe they value the risk of loosing the custom from yourself, your family and all your mates forever more for £160.

The world's gone mad.

[DanH]

srebbe64 said:

That is a real bummer. Happened to me a few years ago, with just two days to go the holiday company said they'd not made the reservation with the hotel. My whole family were gutted. My advice to you is to "keep making a fuss". In the end we got some meaningful compensation. Basically, every time they offer something reject it and your complaint will keep being sent further up the line. In the end it was "irritant value" that got me decent compensation.

Trust me, I am making a fuss. I'm many things, but not a pushover. In the end though if they won't give any ground all we get is no holiday. I've left him tonight to find out what else he can do for us (this is the head of department).

I contrast this with our honeymoon through admitedly a bespoke holiday company, and since their agent cocked up part of the holiday, we got 3 free a la carte meals in orient express hotels, 600 quid back, extra champagne/fruit in the room. Ok the holiday was a lot more, but in percentage terms we are in a different planet of cost to the company. You really do get what you pay for, so in hindsight I can heartily recommend Audley Travel.

[d-man]

You wouldn't happen to have choosen this company first by any chance would you? If so, I had a bad experience with them a few years ago now for a skiing trip and vowed never ever to use them again. Either way, its absolutely disgusting that they can do something like that and the best result would be to find something and go and have a cracking holiday despite them, best of luck. Don't mean to rub it in, but I'm off skiing this weekend too and I know I'd be absolutely gutted to find out now that I might not be going through no fault of my own.

Perhaps if you say where you were supposed to be going and what you're looking for from the holiday somebody will be able to recommend some smaller companies to try? Probably more likely to have late availability. I know 1 or 2, but given the cars in your profile you could be looking for something a little out of my price range

[Marki]

This is feckin outrageous imagine if you said 4 days before that you did not really want to go

[srebbe64]

DanH said:

srebbe64 said: That is a real bummer. Happened to me a few years ago, with just two days to go the holiday company said they'd not made the reservation with the hotel. My whole family were gutted. My advice to you is to "keep making a fuss". In the end we got some meaningful compensation. Basically, every time they offer something reject it and your complaint will keep being sent further up the line. In the end it was "irritant value" that got me decent compensation. Trust me, I am making a fuss. I'm many things, but not a pushover. In the end though if they won't give any ground all we get is no holiday. I've left him tonight to find out what else he can do for us (this is the head of department). I contrast this with our honeymoon through admitedly a bespoke holiday company, and since their agent cocked up part of the holiday, we got 3 free a la carte meals in orient express hotels, 600 quid back, extra champagne/fruit in the room. Ok the holiday was a lot more, but in percentage terms we are in a different planet of cost to the company. You really do get what you pay for, so in hindsight I can heartily recommend Audley Travel.

The company I seriously rate is Kuoni. We've used them a lot and they always exceed in my view.

[DanH]

d-man said:

You wouldn't happen to have choosen this company first by any chance would you? If so, I had a bad experience with them a few years ago now for a skiing trip and vowed never ever to use them again. Either way, its absolutely disgusting that they can do something like that and the best result would be to find something and go and have a cracking holiday despite them, best of luck. Don't mean to rub it in, but I'm off skiing this weekend too and I know I'd be absolutely gutted to find out now that I might not be going through no fault of my own. Perhaps if you say where you were supposed to be going and what you're looking for from the holiday somebody will be able to recommend some smaller companies to try? Probably more likely to have late availability. I know 1 or 2, but given the cars in your profile you could be looking for something a little out of my price range

No it wasn't my first choice, our's are clearly customer hating Ingrates...

We were going to Ischgl which looks like a fabulous resort and not a massively obvious choice for a UK customer as it is more popular with Dutch + Germans. Huge piste area though and good lifts, hotels & apres ski with our hotel 3 mins from the piste. Looks like we are going back to st anton though in a hotel I wouldn't pick, but having spend the last few hours on the phone to other agencies it seems the best we are likely to get by far. Just depends what we can squeeze out of the sods.


>> Edited by DanH on Thursday 23 February 11:26

[DanH]

srebbe64 said:

DanH said: srebbe64 said: That is a real bummer. Happened to me a few years ago, with just two days to go the holiday company said they'd not made the reservation with the hotel. My whole family were gutted. My advice to you is to "keep making a fuss". In the end we got some meaningful compensation. Basically, every time they offer something reject it and your complaint will keep being sent further up the line. In the end it was "irritant value" that got me decent compensation. Trust me, I am making a fuss. I'm many things, but not a pushover. In the end though if they won't give any ground all we get is no holiday. I've left him tonight to find out what else he can do for us (this is the head of department). I contrast this with our honeymoon through admitedly a bespoke holiday company, and since their agent cocked up part of the holiday, we got 3 free a la carte meals in orient express hotels, 600 quid back, extra champagne/fruit in the room. Ok the holiday was a lot more, but in percentage terms we are in a different planet of cost to the company. You really do get what you pay for, so in hindsight I can heartily recommend Audley Travel. The company I seriously rate is Kuoni. We've used them a lot and they always exceed in my view.

Yep we quite like them too and we've had them upgrade us to a better hotel in the middle of a holiday before due to building works. Also had them upgrade a hotel when we arrived and realised we didn't spend enough Oh and they sorted out redirecting us when we were due to fly to bali from HK the day after the bombs there.

Despite all that, Audley seem a league higher, but sadly I can't afford to use them regularly. That was a one off for the honeymoon!