Bluepeterno1

I think the things people look for in holidays obviously changes with age and who you are with. When you are younger you are not interested what the hotel you are staying in is like as long as there is a bed and a shower. My friend had a girlie week in Majorca for her 40th. There were six of us and although we were out clubbing with the rest of them until 5 and 6 in the morning we found that the accomodation we stayed in although clean was not the sort of accomodation we would want if we were on a family holiday. When I go away with my husband and kids I want fantastic accomodation and the best of everything. I don't want to be visiting bars that are full of lager louts but then there are also the people that like this sort of environment. Don't get me wrong I am always up for a laugh, but when I am on holiday I want something different to karaoke and the like that I can get any night of the week in my local town centre. Maybe we have been spoilt by the fact that the timeshare resort we own at is the equivalent of 7* and to us no other resort has ever matched this. With regards to the racism I think it is that some nationalities seem to come across as abrupt or even ignorant and unfortunately Germans and Russians do fall into that category

Rgds Jackie

I think we just have all different expectations of a holiday.

If I had paid alot for a 5* holiday then I would expect not to complain!!!

If I had a cheapy 3 or 2* then I would expect things to be a bit worn round the edges!!!

I wouldnt want to be in ibiza, san antonio or perhaps a saga holiday base with my young family, so I would do a lot of research before I went.

I agree to a certain extent.

Everyone will have had different previous experiences and so expectations will be different. But some people are far too fussy.

In my experience the germans and scandanavians are some of the nicest people on holiday, they seem more understanding of different cultures and interested in learning more. I have found the brits some of the rudest, loudest and most arrogant and agressive.

The people that really annoy me are those that complain about holiday accomodation after booking allocation on arrival. I've heard of pregnant women booking allocation on arrival complaining about too many steps! that's ridiculous!

I think a lot of people make the mistake of not doing enough research before booking a holiday. We tend to stick with DIY holidays now and I always thoroughly research the area before booking hotels etc. It really is no good going to Magaluf if you want peace and quiet for instance!!

Sites like these are great so long as you remember that what appeals to one person could be another persons nightmare.

I personally would never take an allocated on arrival holiday - I need to know in advance where I am going to be staying for peace of mind.

I am not saying that we have always had superb holidays - last October we booked an apartment privately in the Costa del Azahar - the apartment was not the best we have stayed in and needed a lot of tlc to make it more homely but it was fairly cheap and it was very well located in a lovely area. We just pointed out a few things to the owner when we returned home and he was quite happy to take these on board.

Pippa

I think some people complain for a living. If they are at home you bet they complain anyway. Problem is that when they are on their holidays they are out of their comfort zone and all hell lets loose and they then complin for England

My there is a lot of there, their and they in my little paragraph. Just in case someone wants to complain

Kazee

Got the brochure, read about how it is like being in seventh heaven, so book it. Trouble is you fall for the advertising hype. It really is like looking for a job!

You need to learn the language. Most have us have done it at some time. Turned out to be the holiday from hell!

But even if you do the research you can still finish up in heaven or hell!

There is a saying "One mans pleasure is another mans poison"

Over the years we have had all shades. One place they were getting over a revolution - it was still fun - with the odd scary bit thrown in. Another we expected Basic with a capital B and it turned out to be fantastic.

We each have our own personal views of what we want and expect.

Price is not a guarantee that you are going to get a good holiday. Stay in the very best hotel and you can still come back having had a rotten holiday. I have.

It is a state of mind in my opinion. I avoid football, I think it is over hyped and overpriced, yet Son in Law and the kids think it is great. Holidays are just the same.

I do wonder why some people bother to go to foreign climes. If you want food like mother used to make then go see your mother. If you do not like it hot then why book a holiday to the hottest place on earth?

Some will never be satisfied - that is a fact.

We look in the brochure, do some research and make a decision. At the end of the day it is you who have decided, the TO or agent tries to sell you what you have specified. If you have unrealistic expectations then no matter what you get you will not be satisfied.

In my experience you have to work at enjoying a holiday, go with an open mind, be prepared to make allowances for the fact that they are foreigners, they do not understand the British mentality. Make friends; don't let silly things put you off. If you book a holiday in the hurricane season then do not be upset when you get one. Take every opinion with a pinch of salt - remember when you have a bad time others have a good time. It also works the other way round.

Just remember - You are allowed to say it is the best holiday you ever had, even if nobody else agrees.

fwh

Its just simply a matter of taste. The general idea of forums like this one is to paint the picture as one percieves it. It is then up the the reader to decide which parts of the review they want to believe and which parts they think might be a matter of personal opinion. We all have different tastes.

A vast majority of people choose to go DIY these days. Well, to me that is just like too much hard work. All the research and searching etc.....I'd sooner pay a little more and let the Travel Agent do all the work. Same as going Self Catering. Whats the point of having a dog if you are going to bark yourself. I would never dream of booking a self catering holiday, not in a million years.....but others would swear by them.

Some pople could not care less if there was a Rep to assist them. I personally think a Rep is essential. Again, just my view.

Some people complain that their rooms are too small. I've read such a complaint about the Hotel Venus in Benidorm. Well, I did not think the rooms were small. They were very spacious. What do some poeple want for their money.....rooms the size of a footie pitch?

Some people complain that Resorts like Benidorm are far too noisy and rowdy. Well, that is Benidorm, if you are looking for a quiet holiday, you DON'T book to go to Benidorm.

Some people just can't help but complain. They are serial complainers and actually many people make a career out of it. A lot of money can indeed be made if you know how to complain effectively. I believe there is even a Website devoted to complaining.

Some people are happy to book very late and take a room on arrival deal. I would never dream of doing such a thing. I need to know where I will be staying before I even set foot off of British soil.

Some people moan and grumble about hotel food, and will always complain about food....even though they have probably stayed in the same accomdation before and know in advance what to expect food wise.

I agree, if I have paid for what was advertised as FIVE* accomodation and service then I would expect a very high standard of accomdation and service, and I feel I would be justified if that FIVE* accomdation turned out to be nothing more than a tent with a camp bed. But lets not forget. Star-Grading in one country might not be the same as in our own country. A Hotel here in the UK might be awarded two stars whereas overseas it might be classed as a four star.

Lots of people still think that they are in the UK when they are abroad. If they don't make tea like we do here, is that really just cause for complaint?

If we were all the same, with the same tastes and expectations etc, the world would indeed be a very boring place.

I do agree though that certain nationalities can appear to be arrogant, and unfortuantely the Russians and the Germans do fall into that category.

I work in customer services for a large supermarket and it is true that some people are serial complainers.We have a lot of regular customers and a surprising proportion are continuous moaners, they complain about anything and everything! The funny thing is that they will threaten to take their custom elsewhere but you can guarantee that they will be back with another moan before long!!! Dont get me wrong genuine complaints are fair enough but one of our customers recently sent a three page letter complaining about how she was overcharged by 10p (the stamp cost her 32p! ) She was requesting compensation for the petrol it would cost to collect her refund even though she lives 4 miles from the shop and shops there weekly!!!!
Sorry for rambling on but getting to the point I guess these same people go on holiday and expect absaloute perfection from beginning to end, its all down to individual differences and opinions. There are others who would not complain under any circumstances for fear of making a fuss. Personally I believe if there is a fixable problem then do everything you can to get it sorted. If the problem is beyond anyones control(e.g the weather!) then put it down to experience and get on with enjoying the holiday cos there is nothing you can do about it and complaining and moaning will get you nowhere!!

there is nothing you can do about it and complaining and moaning will get you nowhere!!

I would not say that was necessarily true. If you have a genuine cause for complaint, then you should pursue your case and seek appropriate compensation.

BUT it is the way you go about making your complaint that is important. Storming in like a Bull In A China Shop will get you knowhere. Shouting at someone down the phone is not going to get you any results. Sending abusive letters, well they will just get shredded and binned.

HOWEVER, if you are polite. State your case as you see it. Do not hold the blame at anyone in particulars door, stay calm and you will more than likely be taken seriously and your complaint will be dealt with accordingly.

I'm not saying I condone complaining, but if there is a just cause then you should pursue the matter.
I had cause to complain about a Thomsons Rep. I wil not go into any detail here as it is quite a long story. Suffice to say, I sent a polite email to Thomsons and simply stated that if they were unwilling to look into my case then I would simply take my custom elsewhere. That is all that was needed and low and behold Thomsons refunded me what I was asking for - In Full.

The same as BT.....how many of us have had cause to complain about BT at some time or other? Well, shouting at the operator at the other end of the telephone will only antagonize the Operator and you will be put on hold....at your expense 9 times out of 10, and made to wait for ever. Be polite, state your case in a calm and collect manner, and your problem should be resolved.

If you have a valid and just cause to complain about your holiday, then you should do so. Preferably making your intial complaint IN Resort with your REP....assuming there is one, or at the local Tour Operator's Office IN Resort.....most TO's will have an office or small shop somewhere in your Resort. Make sure everything is recorded in writing. Get copies of anything you have to hand in. Take Video and Photographic evidence and ask a fellow holiday maker to act as a witness if you can, ask several if that is possible. Save anything that you believe can be used as evidence to back up your case, and then follow the appropriate procdure once you are back home. Do not delay though as most TO's will have a clause somewhere in very small print that complaints need to be brought to their attention within a certain time limit.

If you encounter any propblems then get in touch with HT's own Solicitor, and she should be able to help you.

If you do have a valid complaint, but you do not pursue it, then the same problems may occur to other guests.

People are all different it's that simple! We all have different perceptions of what is acceptable and what is not.

Whilst I agree that if you book Allocation on Arrival you pays your money and you takes your chance - if you end up in an absolute stinking filthy supposedly 3* hovel with views of the local sewerage plant (as my parents did - thank you Airtours) then you've got a vaild complaint in my opinion.

Yes we could go AOA but my own personal opinion is that it's a bit like Russian Roulette - you MIGHT get decent accomodation but then again.....!!!!! With a family we can't afford to take that chance and now go DIY after a disasterious holiday with Thomson who can proudly proclaim themselves as being the ONLY Tour Operator I've travelled with in 37 years who supplied accomodation so bad & cots so dangerous that I was ready to fly home the same night!

We've stayed in apartments with only 1 key rating and had fantastic holidays so I'm no snob and I am aware that some people DO expect their holiday accomodation to be of the same standard as their home which isn't going to happen unless you're going 5* and even then it's not guaranteed.

For us safety is paramount with having the kids and if safety is compromised in anyway then I will complain and rightly so. Also if I've paid for something and haven't got it I'll complain too and why not? It's my holiday that I've saved up for most of the year.

Agree with most, if not quite all, that's been said so far.
It seems to me, though, there are basically 2 types of complaint -

1. The "factual" complaint, i.e. you pay for something you don't get, whether it be a sea view, private transfer, or sports/recreation facilities.

2. The "I don't like..." complaint, which is far more subjective. I wrote a trip report years ago, for an AI in Tenerife, which basically said "this place is nothing special, bit it's OK for the money we paid (£700 pp as I recall); I got absolutely slaughtered by another member who had been to the same hotel, the same time as me, and hadn't a single good thing to say about his whole fortnight. A classic difference of opinion, to say the least!

Nobody can really argue with the type 1 complaint (yes, i know the TOs do, but you know what I mean), after all, something's either there or it isn't...
As for type 2, this is where it gets to be interesting, and is basically down to the individual. Obviously, if I read 10 reports ona hotel, and they all say the food is terrible, I'd be inclined to believe it, but if some say it's good, some say bad, what do you do?
At least with sites like this you can find out what others think, and make up your own mind, but at the end of the day, it really is all down to personal taste, like so many other things in life

People will ALWAYS complain about food. For the very simple fact we all have different tastes. Some people love fish and would not care if there was fish on the menu every day (as is the case in Benidorm....fish, fish and yet more fish).....but other people don't like fish. That does not mean the food in the hotel "was awful".

The same thing can be said about all sorts of food. Sanji has mentioned in her recent report on the Regente that she was not impressed with the deserts (sweet) on offer at her hotel. Now other pople might not agree with her on that point and they may love it. But because one person does not like a certain dish, that does not mean that the food is rubbish. But a serial complainer will post and to that effect simply because it is their own individual opinion to which they are obviously entitled to.

I think you ommited the third category of 'complainer'....

(3) I will complain even if I don't have just cause to do so because I want to get some money back.
{yes, these people do exsist}

You are never going to please all of the people all of the time. Time and time again I have heard people in Hotel Restaurants complaining that there was very little choice when IMO almost every Hotel I have been in makes a big effort to provide as many different choices of menu as possible. They lay on what is in effect a feast, a banquet....but still people complain.

I think if you are on holiday, you need to be a little tolerant of things. The hotel will be catering for thousands of different people and cannot cook everything to everyone's taste every single mealtime. it would be impossible. One day, things may not be to your taste and it doesn't mean that you should rant and rave and generally complain that the holiday is bad or the service is poor. As a rule, i very rarely complain about anything..it would have to be really bad if i did complain..and having complained just once at one hotel in lanza in all the holidays we have ever taken, i have found that if you speak slowly, clearly and generally calm and politely, people are more inclined to listen to you and try and solve the problem. ( the hotel was really bad, i was the only one who remained calm and the rep didn't run away and hide..trust me it was that bad a hotel and there were that many angry people baying for blood..)

I agree tastes change, as with your circumstances, as you get older. Years back in my wilder days, i didn't give a stuff what flea pit i stayed in as i was out all night and sleeping it off all day, but now, as a family with teenage children, we are happy to pay that bit extra and go 4* AI. We have stayed in some really nice places with a mix of several nationalities. In fact, on the last holiday we were in the minority as the english, with a vast majority being scandinavians and germans. Unfortunately, i have to agree, based on my own experiences, that i felt the germans who were on this holiday would fit into the category of rude, ignorant and serial complainers. Not once did i hear any of them say please or thankyou..having said that, there is good and bad in every nationality..

To everyone participating in this discussion ...

When it comes to manners, I don't think us Brits are in any position to criticise other nationalities. To make such comments on these forums is perhaps inappropriate and may be considered downright insulting to those of our members who come from those countries. Please refrain from any further personal comments or criticisms of any other nationalities, or this discussion may have to be closed or removed.

Many thanks
David

without wishing to cause offence to any nationality or any viewers to this discussion...i would like to refer to my final comment in my previous entry..."there is good and bad in every nationality"..

Indeed val and rob ... and it's probably best left at that now, rather than highlight specific nationalities, as has happened in various posts in this thread.

David

I think if you are on holiday, you need to be a little tolerant of things. The hotel will be catering for thousands of different people and cannot cook everything to everyone's taste every single mealtime. it would be impossible. One day, things may not be to your taste and it doesn't mean that you should rant and rave and generally complain

Precisely, very well said. I think food quality and choice is one of the biggest things that people like to complain about whilst on their holidays. But it is simply impossible to please everyone all of the time. Unfortunately most people do not take this into consideration. And many people actually forget that they are in a foreign country in the first place and expect the same standards of food quality and choice as they would back home.

Don't get me wrong, if the food is meant to be hot and its cold, then by all means bring it to the attention of the Restuarant Staff and something WILL be done about it. If you feel that for example the meat has not been cooked properly, then of course you have just cause to complain. But if they serve dishes that are simply not to your palete and taste, then I don't really think you can complain. If you don't like fish, then don't choose it. There will be another alternative.

If you are not sure whether or not you are going to like foreign food then it is probably best not to book Full or Half Board, but go Self Catering instead then you only have yourself to blame if you don't like what you have cooked. With self catering you have control over your own meals. You are not tied down to certain meal times, you can eat as and when you please. I personally would never go self catering, too much like hard work. I want to be pampered and waited on whilst I am on holiday.

BHIC

Now I have a totally 'different opinion' to you. I would always choose self catering over an hotel. My reason for this is partly as you said in your post, I don't want to be tied down to certain meal times, but I also feel that I have more freedom when self catering (not that I do any self catering other than a cup of coffee here and there) you have much more space in an apartment for a family and also I like to eat in different places each day/night rather than sitting in the same restaurant with the same people each morning/night as you tend to do in an hotel. If we are out for the day there is not that pressure to 'get back in time for dinner', which I feel if you have paid for in your package you would tend to do.

Rgds Jackie

Of course there is the person(s) who make it their top priority to complain.

My wife & I were sat in the lounge of a hotel we were staying at near Paphos in Cyprus in 1997 when a couple came and sat in the seats opposite. After a few minutes we started a conversation which we regretted later. We had over an hour about all their complaints they had made over the previous 15-20 years concerning their holidays. They told us they had never had a holiday where they didn't get a refund or discount off their next holiday & that if they had nothing to complain about they would look for reasons till they did. They were going to complain about the Cyprus holiday because all the pedaloes, canoes etc listed in the brochure were not available, It was early May and when we asked if they wanted to use them they said "No we are too old for those activities".
All I ask is that "Professional Moaners" do not come and sit next to me on my future holidays.