I booked a holiday to Kenya last May for next Sunday. It needed rearranging as the first hotel we booked at was too far out to travel in the light to the airport for the return flight and the road wasn't safe in the dark.
On this rearranging we noticed we were now being charged £1k more than the brochure price and web price before web discount. We complained to the agent (Thomson's in St. Annes, Lytham St Annes) who basically told us to lump it -*edited* exact words were you will have to pay that price. As the deposit was only £280 of course we did the sensible thing and cancelled it and rebooked saving ourselves a substantial sum. I can only assume that the pricing was a mistake (though the shop said the difference would be travel agents' fees - and if they are being paid £1k per holiday I'm in the wron job) and after complaining to ABTA Hayes and Jarvis happily refunded the deposit paid to Thomson. Thomson Head Office acknowledged that they have received this (now a month ago) and that the shop would send us a cheque. That would be too simple. They are insisting on paperwork that doesn't exist and their head office have told us we do not need and they have informed this shop of this. Shop insists on paperwork. So on Friday I tried to give them the contact details of the woman at their head office to sort it out. "I'm not telephoning or speaking to anyone" *edited* helpfully said. We are waiting for a cancellation invoice (that won't ever be issued because that is not what the tour operator does and they have tried to clear this with them.

I've contacted ABTA by email again today and hopefully something will get moving - but the attitude of this shop is unbelievable. Do they not realise they are in a service industry? When they have been refunded the money by another party why are they so resistant to pay it out to its legal owner. I'm sort of hoping I do have to do a small claims court claim now as it will cost them more and hopefully if they refuse to pay I can send the bailiffs around. It's about time something woke them up. Thomson if you are looking for a shop to close this one should be on your hitlist.