Well our holiday to Majorca was a nightmare.
We went to Palma Nova 19th May - 2nd June 08.
With our two children 5 and 12.
It started on the day after our arrival.
My husband went onto the balcony and found it was covered in broken glass.
He shouted up to the people above us, to ask them if they knew what had happened, and they said sorry they dropped an ashtray.
They well 5 lads and they were all very drunk, this was 2pm ish.
They were jumping around shouting and swearing.
Later that afternoon I was on the balcony with my husband, when we heard shouting and swearing, a big bang (table had fell over) my husband shouted at me to watch out!!! As tins of Red Bull came raining down, I was hit on the head with a can (empty)!!! They ran back into their apartment.
Anyway to cut a long story short, we complained to reception, as our Rep was not there, and asked to be moved.
They wouldn't move us at first, but my daughter (5) was crying and shaking, so they did.
All they had was an apartment which had a damp patch on the wall, from a leak from the roof. They told us the problem had been fixed, and all it needed was to be painted over, but would be no problem, so we accepted the apartment.
I didn't see any other option, as we needed to get away to from the drunken yobs, and I was scared the children would get hurt buy glass or flying can of red bull!!! They wouldn't be allowed to go on the balcony.
The balconies were staggered.
Well as it was the worst weather in 40 years in Majorca, and rained and rained and rained, the patch got bigger, and mouldy.
My daughter and I picked up a chest infection during the first day of our second week (well that's when the symptoms began)
Which in turn made my daughter and I suffer with our chests. The mould spores made my breathing very bad (my GP's words)
We had trouble breathing. (none of us have asthma)
The mould was in the area where I was sleeping.
So we asked to be moved us again. We saw our rep this time, and they was still no where to move us too. She told us to go back to reception the next day, and speak to **** on reception, our rep wouldn't be there as it was her day off!!!
We were moved again for our last few days.
What really annoys me was I checked with JMC who we booked with that it was for families and not groups of lad/girls. i was told it wasn't.
Thomas Cook took over our hols/booking.
I sent TC a letter on the 19th June, signed for, but have still has no reply
Do you think we have cause to complain or am I being petty?
My daughter had to have two course of Penicillin, and I one.
It took us a long time to get over it, and it makes me angry as I know it was to do with the second department.
I do have photo's of the mould and damp patch.
Plus the water dripping from the electric light on the ceiling
Thanks
Karen
Results
Your item with reference DV**********GB was delivered from our BRADFORD NORTH Delivery Office on 19/06/08 .
Well they have recieved it, they day I posted it!!!!!!!!!!
Does anyone have an email for TC?
Whaich hotel was it Kazza?
Apartments Cas Soboners.
Karen I am sure that you have to give them 28 days to reply to your original letter
I think I am right in assuming you were there during the half term period which might explain why there was only one apartment left.
Not much you can do about the weather - Spain had it's worst May for years - I daresay there were a lot of apartments that had a problem with damp and leaks all over Spain - Continuous rain is not something they are used to.
Don't take a travel agents word for it that a resort is suitable for your requirements - there have been a few stories on here recently about travel agents mis-selling holidays. Always check it out for yourself.
I do think TC should at least acknowledge your letter even if they do not intend to do anything about is.
It is very sad that you suffered ill effects from your holiday - but if that was the only apartment they had (although I would have thought your rep could have found you something else in another area) then there probably isn't much apart from bringing the problems to TC's attention that you can do.
Pippa
Thanks for your reply.
No the first week we were there was not the half term, the half term was the second week.
I think the trouble makers should have been moved.
We were not the only ones to complain about them, thankfully they were only there for one week.
The weather was no problem to tell the truth, we found lots to do and the kids loved it.
And we were out every day. A lot of the rain was at night anyway.
I am angry that JMC told us there will be no all male parties at there.
And also that the peole on reception told us the problem had been fixed with the second apartment they gave us, when obviously they hadn't.
I am just thankful that my kids were not hit on the head by the can, but is was me.
There were about 12- 15 of these lads, in three apartments
K
The direct number to Ros's PA Pam is 01922 705134
Or try the switchboard number 01922 633214 and ask for Travel Dept.
Karen.
Give Ros a ring on the above telephone numbers.
I'm sorry you had a bad time, "¦.my opinion
Whether there was only one apartment vacant or not, it should be safe and sanitary and fit for the purpose.(human habitation and not a danger to health)"¦your tour operator is responsible for your health & safety.
Certain types of fungi are a health hazard and certainly the type that grows on damp patches on walls have been proven to cause respiratory problems (chest infections and asthma)
Every time the air is disturbed, either by the door being opened/closed or just making the bed and waffing the sheets/pillows around, the spores become airborne and you breathe them in"¦"¦sleeping next to fungi spores is not a good idea.
You also mention water dripping near electricity and you have photos to prove all this.
So we asked to be moved us again. We saw our rep this time, and they was still no where to move us too. She told us to go back to reception the next day, and speak to **** on reception, our rep wouldn't be there as it was her day off!!!
Your rep failed miserably in her duty of care towards you and if there wasn't a room available, then she should have moved to you another complex"¦.was all of Majorca full.?
It was her day off.? so what would have happened if a glass bottle had come over the balcony and caused serious damage to your kids head.? (thank god it didn't but the point is, it could have) was there no other contact left for emergency.?
Basically, you had the choice of staying in the first apartment and not being able to use the balcony because of the fear for your children's safety from flying objects/glass and then given the only other option to sleep in a room of damp and fungi spores.?
I've been going to Spain for many years and at different times of the year, it's true to a certain degree that the buildings are not built to withstand continuous rain, mainly because they have flat roofs in which to house all the solar panels, the aire conditioning pipes and water tanks, and flat roofs are notorious for springing leaks, but in the case of Majorca, that's really a load of toss because the Balearics get plenty of rain during certain months"¦..just like Valencia which is across the water and more or less on the same latitude as Palma Nova.
I've been in apartments/hotels on mainland Spain where it has rained continuously for over a week and we were in the accommodation for several weeks after the rain stopped, but I have never had fungi grow in my accommodation, and in one hotel the water was running down the walls in the corridors and they were throwing spare blankets on the floor to soak it up and make it possible to walk without slipping, plus large chucks of the artex decor was falling off the ceilings, and even the lift was knocked out of order with the amount of water that fell from the skies"¦.but still no sign of fungi.!!!!
IMO: You have reason to complain, but I would strongly suggest that you talk to Ros before you take the next step.
Sanjiiiiiiiiiiiiii
i totally agree with sanji, i get mild asthma and mine started in my early 20's when i lived in a house that was given to me with a job and had mold growing on the bedroom walls, i went to the dr with breathing problems and he said it was the mold that was most likely the cause ,many years later i still suffer from mild asthma, im not saying you will suffer years later but im saying this triggered mine off, so therefore i would definitely talk to a solicitor about it as you have medical proof and photos to back you up
Thank you for you post.
I agree, I have been to Majorca many times in the 70's & 80's.
Twice with torrential rain (well three times now) and flooding.
And never did I see any mould either.
I will give TC the 28 day dead line, then contact Ros.
I still have breathlessness, not too bad, but I didn't have it before.
Thankfully my daughter seems to have made a full recovery.
Hi Karen,
Thanks for your message.
I hope I don't have asthma now, I do have some breathing problems still. I will go back and see the same GP.
Do you now use an inhaler?
Karen
They met your needs with the first room.
It was the hotel that put you in a different room at your request.
The fact that this did not come up to scratch was not TC fault.
Or the tin which hit me cut my head open? Would I have been a good responsible parent to allow them to stay there?
We were told all male parties were no allowed at the apartments, If I knew they were I would have NOT have stayed there.
So in my opinion it is TC's fault for not telling the truth in the first pace.
One thing that may have slipped unoticed is that TC may not be the only operator to these apartments. They may be used by other companies who do allow all male groups. Worth checking this out.
Perhaps a word with the party of boys as they were to blame about the broken glass.
I don't really feel that in the summer season anything close to Magaluf would be suitable for families. Alcudia is more a family resort.
Pippa
She said that TC has 95% of the apartments, the other 5% must be a German company as there were a few German families there.
majorcatravel.
We did speak to them, and they said sorry about the broken ashtray.
But again we had more glass and the tin's which hit me on the head, they didn't have the decency to say sorry, they just run in their apartment laughing.
And as they were in a party of about 12 + lads, and my hubby was fuming, I wanted to get away from them asap before the situation was made worst.
A man will want to protect his wife and children, I didn't want them to attack him. My instinct was to get my family away from their, which I did.
Security guard even spoke to them and could do nothing to control them.
By the end of the week four of them had cuts and black eyes
Bar staff and other families who had seen what happened were horrified and came to see if I was okay after being hit on the head.
And I made a point of asking the tour operator before we booked.
JMC, and I asked TC when they took over.
We also chose Palma Nova as it was very near to the airport, less transfer time than Alcudia, my daughter has bad travel sickness (in cars, and
coaches)
to answer your question ,yes i do now have to have an inhaler for occasional use, although i dont have asthma too bad ive noticed i get it worse in damp conditions. the dr said it was unusual to get asthma in your 20's hence asking me lots of questions to find out what started it and the only thing we could come up with was the mould growing on the bedroom walls, i didnt know it caused breathing problems til he asked me if i was living in a house that had mould or damp , i remember thinking thats a strange thing to ask me, when i said yes it was then he said this can cause asthma, which 20 years later i still sadly have
My daughter seems to have made a full recovery.
If I was put in that situation again, I would still move.
You pursue your claim via TC and, in the event of a settlement, they will most certainly pursue the hotel to discount part of that settlement from the next invoice payment.
I used to work on the Reclaims team at one of the big 3 tour ops in UK before I moved to live in Cyprus and we were targeted with 75% reclaims of all compensation payments made to our clients. In fact, we were the only section within the Customer Services department that made money, rather than paying it out and we controlled a customer care spend of £3m....
The hotel have failed miserably in a responsibility of care to their guests (you) in the safety aspect and for the upkeep of the accommodation. Make sure TC receive copies of the photos and keep pursuing the claim. They may offer you vouchers to use on another holiday, which is entirely up to you if you choose to accept it - but be aware, if you decide to go for a cash refund, you may be offered less than the amount on the voucher.
If you have travelled with TC in the past and found them to have provided everything they said they would, then you may be better to accept a voucher against another holiday and, it doesn't stop you asking for a higher voucher amount.
Remember the 60/40 rule when calculating the cost of your holiday for the number of days that were marred by the problems you experienced. (60% of the cost of your holiday - based on S/C, BB, or HB basis is generally the cost of your return flight and transfers, the remaining 40% is for the cost of putting you up. If you went on AI basis, then the breakdown will be a little different so see if there were different options to upgrade in the brochure to help you calculate it).
Good luck
CwB
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