I have received excellent customer service from Direct!! I know this may come as a surprise to some, but from my own experience I can only give praise to this company.
I had a query regarding my Summer 2007 holiday and I contacted Customer Services who dealt with my problem quickly and efficiently. I must say I was impressed.
I think it's a case of pot luck with any Tour Operator (I've seen some pretty poor reports about First Choice and Thomson as well as the My Travel Group), but I have been pleased with the service I have received from Direct. So from my point of view - well done Direct Holidays!!

I concur with Iloveholidays,
I also had cause to contact Direct Holidays Customer Services recently.

They displayed a high level of Customer Service in dealing with my queries and sorted everything out to my satisfaction.

Credit where credit is due -well done Direct Holidays.

Have booked a holiday for next year to Gran Canaria through Direct hols (after swearing I'd never book with them again!! - but needs must - living in Aberdeen there's not much choice when booking flights, so keeping our fingers crossed)
Anyway have only paid deposit but have received a letter saying that there's internal organisations within the My Travel Group and now our "contract" is with My Travel Tour Operations instead of Direct Holidays, it says this should not make any difference to us, but I just wondered if anyone else has been in the same situation and can explain why this is happening?
Thanks

zukidee - Direct Holidays is part of MyTravel, along with Airtours and Going Places. You will most likely fly on a MyTravel plane and the reps at your hotel will be MyTravel/Airtours reps. The only difference is you've probably paid less for your holiday than those who have booked with Airtours We went to Lanzarote with Direct Holidays last year - our holiday cost £600 less than booking through the Airtours brochure and we had exactly the same standard of rep service, customer care etc

That has been the norm for a while now cyberspacekadette, but it is interesting as to why My Travel would go to the expense of sending letters out to customers of Direct Holidays to say that their contract is now with My Travel.

I wonder if perhaps My Travel are going to sell Direct Holidays (one of the profit making companies in their organisation) and clients will be moved on paper anyway to My Travel, thus money paid / due to Direct Holidays will still remain within the My Travel group.

We are also booked with DH for next year but so far we haven't received any notification of change.

Anyway we have never had a problem with DH and always found their customer service & staff to be excellent.

cyberspacekadette - I knew that they were part of the same group as a couple of years ago we used Direct but were dealing with the My Travel rep when actually on hols. Funnily enough we DID actually look at accom on MY Travel website but found a better/cheaper deal with Direct.
Kiltman-Graham - Just been thinking maybe it's because we booked online - a colleague has booked a holiday earlier in the summer, but through the Direct Hols shop and she hasn't had this letter (our holiday is not until next October - could this be when the change/sell over is taking place??!!)
Anyway - not too bothered really - had no problems with Airtours or Direct Hols before until 2 years ago when we had a major issue with accommodation and service received, but we DID receive some compensation after we'd sent a letter of complaint, so I suppose we can't grumble really Wish I didn't have so long to wait for this hol tho...........
Keep me posted if you hear any more about this - cheers

I've booked flights to Turkey a couple of months ago (on line), for next October too with Direct - we haven't heard anything either (yet)

My Travel has been re-organising their business in the last years as they had sustained heavy losses in the past. They have just reported some profit for the first time few days ago. Some other brands that they own such as Panorama and others are closing down their own call centres to be relocated up north. It may be possible that they may be changing the name of Direct Holidays into something else such as My Travel Direct for example. I will not classified the letter that some of you have received as worrying. Even if they disappear or change name the My Travel brand will reprotect the bookings under their Company Name. Lots of Tour Operator are looking at what is called consolidation, that means absorbing or removing some of the brands as they have to reduce costs. Hope it makes sense

Hope it makes sense

Perfectly.
HERE andHERE
It saves me typing.

SanJiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

Thats me recieved a letter as well, we booked in a shop.

ive also recieved a letter from direct holidays stating the same thing,but as i have two holidays booked with them for next year i recieved two letters. incidently i have just recieved two letters yesterday changing my flights ,i am flying may and september, going to tenerife should have left at 7am leaving at 2.40pm and returning should have been 1.35pm now 8.30pm making it a night flight im pretty fed up had the may holiday booked for ages.

dont forget to check your tickets when they arrive,we went with direct in october,flight should have been at 08.30 nice and civilized,booked specifically for this,actuall flight time 06.40, if i hadent checked the flight tickets i wouldnt have known,no futhur letter was recieved.i spent 20 mins on the phone trying to contact the company to discuss this and it just rang and rang so i gave up.having said all that the flights we got we got were very good and on time mo

We have holidayed with Direct Holidays about four times, and we have never had a problem, in fact we have been more than pleased, especially when the holiday works out a good couple of hundred quid cheaper than Airtours.

This time we have had a problem....

We booked for August 2007 way back in May 2006 to Tenerife. It was on an Excel airways flight at 6.00a.m. in the morning, with a nil flight supplement.

Just before Christmas we had a letter advising us that we had been transferred to a My Travel flight at 1.00p.m., as I had been unable to pre-book seats on the Excel flight, I promplty rang and added the option.

I was astounded when I received an ammended invoice to see that they had charged us a £40 flight supplement x 4!!!

Several emails and phone calls, followed by letters, and eventually the flight supplement was removed.

we've booked a package holiday at a very good price of £900 for 4 people to Tenerife Oct HT 2008. I know it's a way ahead but the price was too good. 2 bed apartment as well at Parque de la Paz. The deposit online was £30 each which leads me to believe it is a low deposit, however it doesn't state this on my booking conf. or anywhere during the booking process?? It only says balance due Aug 2008. When looking on the offers page it doesn't show that there is an offer for Summer 2008. Any ideas?

Hi rachie-m

Yes it is a low deposit, tha full balance of the deposit is due to be paid 8 weeks after booking, it is the same offer as their winter sun deal.

More info here -

http://www.directholidays.co.uk/AniteNextPage.asp?p=SPECIFICOFFER_71530

Graham

thinking of booking 2 weeks in the summer school holidays ...the price with direct holidays for 2 weeks is the same as only one week if booked through airtours/my travel........ identical flights and hotel !!!!

whats the catch .......

whats the catch .......

No catch, I have booked many cheaper holidays with DH and had a great time, especially when I remember others have probably paid a lot more than I did

thanks......i have just been reading the complaints forum and it was starting to give nightmares.....nice to hear you have had good experiences with direct holidays .....

is the legroom more cramped than other charter flights on my travel planes

Hi

The leg room is the same, you will be on the same My Travel flights as everybody else that has booked through one of the MT group of companies.

There is no difference in any of the services provided by DH compared with other companies ie the same hotels, the same flights etc.