Kazza
thanks for your reply. what's the betting the sod's will be off for the May holiday. I'm working till 2pm, so will be trying to phone as well!

Time we all banded together and got something done with these rip off companies, that is really diabolical the time you spent on the phone waiting to get through not to mention the cost!
have just formed a complaint via http://www.bbc.co.uk (watchdog programme)

Fiona

Fiona, guess what you might be right i just phoned operations and it saying offices are now closed. Wether they might be open shorter hours today i am not sure , i will try after 10 or 11 am to see.

edit: now got through its not saying we are closed, on hold but how long for i don't know

i have too been informed of a hotel change, from a hotel costing 80e a night, to one costing 35e a night! cant get through on any numbers they have given me, waited an hour and a half on the proper 0870 number! i did get through to the booking line straight away though, although they say they cant do anything there. beggining to get very angry with them!

That's awful. Did they give any reason for down grading you in that way ?

Ive been thinking of booking with them for next year, but there is some bad feedback on this thread.

Doe

only just got through now after 2 1/2 hours, will let you know the outcome!

welll i got through today after 50 minutes and they are saying that the flamingo oasis the hotel we would rather go to than the hotel dynastic is also fully booked so i have to get back to them if i see any other hotels that they use and if not i will get a full refund witihin 7 days but not sure if thats how long it would take. One thing i might add i went on to flamingo benidorm direct to ask if they have availability for the dates we are going and they have 2 rooms available but for 820 euros per room so i am guessing that direct hols have over booked and there is still rooms available

yeah, this is the same for me, the hotel isn't overbooked as direct hols say it is, its them that have overbooked their allocation.
the manager i eventually got through to today could not have been more unhelpful if she had tried, and apparently someone is going to phone me back tomorrow.
but have done some research, the hotel they want to put me in is on their website now for 400pp, but when i asked for a diff hotel, that was on the website for 352, they told me i would have to pay an extra £120 each! i dont understand the way they work in that place.
so will try argue my case tomorrow from work and determined not to pay any extra since it is their fault!

Kazza and Linsay_m,
Time to call time on this crowd I have put the ball rolling with Consumer direct and going to let them fight it out, costing the earth in Phone calls and visits to Glasgow, it's time we all got together and got something done
fiona

Just a point on the 0870 numbers. Last summer I spent ages waiting to speak to a real person at MyTravel Airline (who I think are linked to Direct). When I got my phone bill I had only been charged for the time I spent talking and not the wait in the queue. I suppose it's possible that I had benefited from a fault in their equipment. When you get your bill let us know whether the same has happened. It could be that they are using the fear of a large bill to stop people calling when in fact the main thing you're wasting is time.

Obviously calling from a mobile will waste money because your network will charge you even if you are in a queue.

fiona, we have decided to just go with the hotel dynastic , one half of our party wants to go and other half doesn't but it would mean my sis in law going herself on holiday with my neice who is four, on their own , so after looking about and the fact that direct holidays saying every hotel we suggest being fully booked and also looking about to see what holiday deals are about if we got a refund then we all decided that we will give it a go , which might be a thing that we live to regret, but i have logged my complaint with consumer advice direct and i have got a feeling that i might need them in the future, hope you get on ok i have another telephone number for operations which isn't the 0870 number if you or anyone needs it, one of their staff gave me it as i was complaining about the amount we have to pay on phone calls to speak to someone. The number he gave me is 01274 384658

Hi Kazza,

Hope this holiday goes ok for you and your party, but do agree it is still worth it speaking with consumer direct, see if they can even get you some Travel vouchers or compo for all the grief you have had!

Reports for this hotel you are going to is excellent in http://www.holidaywatchdog.com

Keep in touch and let me know how the holiday went, have a look at this site:

http://www.skybargains.co.uk

Happy hols (I hope??!)

Fiona

direct hols phoned me first this morning, 9 on the dot, and the man i spoke to was very helpful. got my hotel changed to a 4 star just down the road from my original hotel for £30 extra each and got upgraded to half board. but i really had to do my research on the prices to get this. go onto mytravel and thomas cook etc, as these are all the same company and price up your holiday from them as well so you have a comparison as to what hotel they have put you in. and once you say that you know all the prices, they give them to you. although not without a little hassle.
i will still be putting a complaint in writing to them, and if that fails, i will complain to abta, as still think my hotel i had originally even being a 3 star, was far superior, and will be complaining about the girl i spoke to on the phone yesterday!
will be getting the cost of phone calls back if i do get changed for the waiting time

Hi. Our holiday is booked with Direct Holidays and we are due to fly in August with Thomas Cook airlines. Just wondering if anyone can answer a question about the meals on the plane. Now I know that if you book a TC holiday you pay for the meals and you can specify a kids meal. The meals with Direct were included in the price so will the children just get an adult meal or do they give them a kids meal. Have tried to phone them but as usual can't get through, thought someone on here may know the answer and save me some pennies in phone call costs! Thanks, Nic.

Hi Nic

We have just come back with Thomas Cook Airlines and had also booked with Direct Holidays last year. My son (age 6) got the same meals as us on both flights. We went to Benidorm on an early morning flight so got the standard breakfast of sausage, omlette, potatoes and tomatoes. On the way home it was sausage, mash, peas and onion gravy. He doesn't normally like peas or gravy but the fact he was on an aeroplane meant he polished off the whole lot much to my surprise.

Michelle

Thanks for the reply, hopefully we'll get something similar but I'll pack a few snacks just in case. Kind regards, Nic.

Has anyone who booked with Direct Holidays before the merger not got a new reference number yet. We had our departure date and airport changed back in October but the new invoice they emailed me still has the old reference. I have had no info from them since.
Thanks

Hi Laudan

You reminded me that I had'nt received my new number. I have just phoned the Glasgow Branch 0141 559 7000 (after trying the 0871 number for ages), gave them flight details and they have given me my new booking reference No, which we really need to pay as everything is automated.

I was told that all the new numbers should have been sent out in November, if our bookings are anything to go by they obvioulsy havent sent them to everyone.

I was'nt to bothered as I thought that I would have received a reminder letter but apparently they do not do this nowadays.

Lynn

Hi, I got my new ref no. after speaking to them on the phone. I don't think for one minute they'd have bothered writing to everyone to inform them of the new number. Just out of interest, has anyone used the automated payments system recently as I need to pay my holiday balance next week and know they were having a few problems with it. Thanks, Nic.

Nicjw,
I tried it and had nothing but grief, thats why I kept going to their office in Glasgow.

For everyone who does not have a new ref number, I suggest you phone the 0141 559 7073 number (Accounts) and get one, or you will have BIG problems....

fiona