I got nowhere with Thomas Cook they were so nasty and wouldn't listen to us. They rang Cosmos who said it was for the deposit, meaning it should have been the £200 we already paid and £520 cancellation fee making a total of £720 deposit on a holiday costing £1,517 for four.

Thomas Cook said the lady who booked the holiday forgot to tell us it was a low deposit. We booked this in March and got a confirmation invoice from them dated 18th May saying £1,317 must be paid on or before 25th July. We have taken a low deposit before and paid the remainder in a few weeks but nothing was mentioned about this at the time and today they conveniently couldn't find the paperwork with any deposit paid. We were so upset as we were getting nowhere, I could have burst into tears. I told her I had enough worries without her being nasty like that.

Unfortunately my daughter is insured with a different company to me as she has a yearly one and they may tell her she could still go. Both her and my grandson come with us to help as my husband is 80 and we can't manage the cases on our own.

The lady who did the original booking was off today but they said they'll ring me tomorrow but I know I'll get no joy. We spoke to the Manageress who really talked down to us, what a company!! She certainly didn't want to help.

Jean

Jean why not give Ros a ring? Am sure she'll be able to assist you and inform you of your rights as it's contractual.

Daughter should be ok re insurance.

did you know if you cancel a holiday , you can pay the money off another holiday. not a lot of people know this. My sister had to cancel her holiday and Thomas Cook let her use the money she had paid off a hoilday in the future or lose her deposit.

Even if you did book on a low deposit this just doesn't make sense. Please do what Glynis suggests and get in contact with Ros. Hopefully she can get this sorted quickly. You could do without this just now.
good luck Jean

Jean am so sorry that you arent having much luck with Thomas Cook. There is no need for them to be nasty with you.
Im sure the deposit should be £130 per person, which makes £520 plus any card charges that might apply.

Jean, did you not get a covering letter attached to the invoice you received ? That should say on it when the next part of the deposit was due ? However if they have ommitted to put it in on the computer then it wont show and they have definately misinformed you!

That said, you shouldnt lose the deposit PLUS the £200 you have paid. Something doesnt seem right. Have you got a receipt for the deposit you paid ? You say they conveniently cant find it, they should be able to track it on their system anyway.

Hopefully Carols insurance and yours will cover the cancellation as I dont think you were aware of Eddies condition when you booked the holiday were you.

Sending big hugs to you all
Kath x

So sorry to hear about your husband. It's heartbreaking.

Thomas Cooks certainly aren't helping you here.

Can't really offer any advice but did find this on Cosmos website.

"YOUR DEPOSIT
If your booking is displaying the equivalent deposit of £130 or £150 per person, you will next hear from us 8 weeks prior to your departure when will send you an invoice for the balance of your holidays.

If your booking is displaying any other deposit amount (eg the equivalent deposit of £50 or £75 per person), this means you will have benefited from our special promotion low deposit scheme

Your balance due date will be 8 weeks prior to departure. Cancellations under the low deposit scheme will be subject to our normal terms & conditions. This means that for any cancellation more than 56 days prior to departure you will be sent an invoice requesting the balance between the low deposit amount you have paid and our full standard deposit amount of £130 per person on short haul holidays; £150 on long haul holidays."

It explains why they are asking for extra money to cover the balance of the low deposit (that you didn't know about) but not how they arrive at that figure.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. Please keep us informed about how you are going on.

Thanks Sunaddict I don't know where my original £200 deposit went to it has been a very frustrating booking from day 1 didn't know whether to put on here but I have been advised by an Admin lady to do it which I will do in a while then you'll realise why I'm so upset.

Jean

On 3rd March we booked to go for a week to the Hotel Samoa in Majorca on 17th October. When I sent a completed form asking for special assistance at the airports I received a letter from Cosmos dated 29th April advising me that Cosmos do not recommend the hotel for the less mobile as the lounge, lounge bar, swimming pool and restaurant are all situated on the basement level which is not served by a lift. There are 13 steps to the lounge, lounge bar and swimming pool and 20 steps to the restaurant with no ramps provided. There is no mention of this on the Cosmos website or in the Cosmos brochure.

I took the letter into Thomas Cook and asked to change to another hotel as I hadn't been told this when booking and they kept my original booking paperwork with the deposit on so I have no proof of it only on my credit card receipt. I got a letter from Thomas Cook dated 18th May enclosing the replacement invoice saying the balance of the holiday £1,317 needs to be paid on or before 25th July, nowhere on my paperwork shows any deposit. I cancelled this holiday on 22nd June and received a letter from Thomas Cook the middle of July saying I had to pay before 25th July!! My daughter rang them and they said the letter was sent in error.

Jean

The £200 paid (which appears to be a low deposit) should have been transferred from your original booking to the new one.

It looks like Cosmos informed you once they realised one of your party was less mobile (probably because you asked for assistance) that the hotel was unsuitable. Normally these kind of things come up as an errata when booking. If Cosmos did not have it on their system then the girl at Thos Cook would not know unless she had visited herself. However, that should make it even more reason for you to change without penalty.

That said, the fact that Cosmos wrote to you should have been good enough reason for Thomas Cook to transfer the holiday to a more suitable one, and they should have done this through speaking to Cosmos at the time of doing the new booking. Something does not sit right with this. It's as if the original deposit hasnt been transferred across and thats why Cosmos are now asking for the full deposit due which should be around £520. However, that still means you have a missing £200.

Let us know what they say Jean, but its either go an sit in the shop and insist on them sorting it out (which you really dont need at the moment) or contact Ros Fernihough as suggested. I wish I lived near you, I would go in the shop!

Just one word of advice - dont part with anything else ie card statement etc.
Kath x

Don't worry Kath I will hold tight to the card statement. Thomas Cook said they would ring me this afternoon - I'm still waiting just can't believe it.

Just an update it's in Thomas Cooks hands at the moment tracing my £200 deposit.

hope they find it and they get it all sorted out. So sorry to hear about your husband xx

Im sure things will sort themselves out Jean. I know its easy for someone to say but please try not to let it stress you.

You have far bigger things to worry about.

Much love.

Kath x

Unless it is actually on your current paperwork they do not have a case. This happened to me earlier on the year. I rang the consumer people and he told me to write a letter stating that although they said I must abide by terms and conditions there was nothing about low deposit. I ppoint blank refused to pay told them they could keep the hundred they alraedy had but no more. I will see if i have a copy. Found it. Change Direct to Cosmos. My figures were wrong but same principle.

Direct Holidays
Thomas Cook Direct,
Block 4, Central Business Park,
Larbert,
FK5 4RU

To Whom It May Concern,
I rang Direct Holidays today, 5th March 2009 to cancel my holiday
Ref no:
I was very surprised to be told that I was required to pay £180 to cancel as I had paid a low deposit and would have to pay the rest before cancellation could take place.
I was not aware that this was a low deposit and paid the amount required as a deposit online. I have checked through the two invoices sent to me online which I then printed out and checked carefully and it is not indicated anywhere that there would be more deposit to pay. Part of the invoice includes your terms and conditions and it does not include any mention of low deposits and more money to pay. The lady I spoke to in customer services concerning the cancellation said that by clicking on the terms and conditions box I had agreed to this but it is not stated in the terms and conditions you sent me as part of the contract.
I have enclosed screen shot of the final invoice below which only advises full payment.
I have taken advice from Consumer Direct who have advised me to write to you and point out that your terms and conditions of contract makes no mention of further deposit payments.
I am willing to forego the £62 I have already paid to cancel the contract and I now consider this contract cancelled.
Yours faithfully,

This worked and I got a letter of cancellation with no more to pay. Good luck at this awful time, you have better things to do than chase this. marg

Sorry you will need to adapt it some because mine was an online booking. Worth a try.

Brilliant letter. I really hope it works for the OP as you say she has far more importnat things to do at this time than bother with a travel company, whose terms and conditions were not clear at the time of booking.

I have paid low deposits before and never been chased for a deposit balance. Admittedly with Portland not Cosmos. Paid 200 pounds deposit for 4 people upfront and then nothing to pay until the standard 10 or 8 weeks before.

Thanks for your help neknit that was a similar situation to mine and I really do appreciate your help. We'll see what Thomas Cook come up with tomorrow as they rang my daughter on Saturday to say they haven't forgotten us but they rang Cosmos and are waiting for their reply but I'll certainly send a similar letter to yours, I can't believe how helpful people have been. You've all been trying to help me so much, I don't know what I'd do without this forum. I also paid £200 deposit in March when I booked for four people.

I don't know what I'd do without this forum.

And we don't know what we'd do without you Jean. You are a very helpful and kind member, and very special to us.

What a nice thing to say about me Glynis thanks as you know I do try to help people if I can.