Hi

We went to the Dominican Republic in September and got hit by hurricane Ivan on our first day there. We're currently in the process of complaining to First Choice about the whole holiday at the moment, but as we thought, they are currently digging their heels in and blaming everything on us (not quite sure how they came to that conclusion by there you go!). We still in the early processes of our complaint but we're determined not to give up until we get some satisfactory answers and compensation.

I can't believe how many of us are complaining to First Choice at the moment, I can safely say I will never use them again.

Sarah

Please don't take this the wrong way, but were you aware when you booked that you were planning on travelling in hurricane season?

If not did the agent advise you? If not they should have, if they did then why continue with the risk?

Sandi
x

I'd assume everyone booking a holiday in the caribbean, to travel between June and November, would have been told about the risk as this is the hurricane season. I was...

But Jamaica hadnt suffered from a hurricane (i think...) since about 1988, so you've got to be a little unlucky.

My complaint to first choice wasnt asking for anything because my holiday was disrupted by a hurricane, but because of the poor way we we treated on holiday, which i wont discuss on here.

Thankyou to both of you for your replys so far, im glad someone is reading my post

Cheers

We actually weren't told it was hurricane season by the travel agent, even though I specifically asked that very question. We were told that we would be fine travelling in September. If we had been warned, chances are we would have looked at travelling a month or two later. Maybe we should have looked in to things more thoroughly ourselves, but when the travel agent says it's not hurricane season you do tend to believe them!

Sarah

perhaps a bit more research into your holiday location would be a good idea,travel agents sell the holiday,they dont sell the weather,if you go to spain and it rains all the time you are there would you expect a refund???
i cannot understand you chose to go to a tropical location ,sureley you must expect tropical weather.i always check the local weather reports whenever i travel to whereever i travel,these sre freely available from the week before you depart,how can you blame your tour operater for your lack of knowledge,there is no excuse.take it on the chin..

If you ask a travel agent a question, you expect to get a fairly honest answer, no matter what it is concerning. I still would have chosen to go to the Dominican just at a different time. You obviously haven't been caught in a hurricane, otherwise you would understand how upsetting and scary it is, and why people complain when they don't get any help from reps after the event. If a travel company are aware that a hurricane is going to hit an island they are sending passengers to, then I'm sorry, but in my opinion they have an obligation to tell you. And I think a hurricane is slightly different to getting a bit of rain don't you!

I did check the weather reports before we went, I checked them for about a fortnight before we flew out. I even telephoned First Choice numerous times the week we due to go on holiday to check we were still safe to fly and they said 'yes'. Do you still think I should take it on the chin? Maybe you would have, but I don't think I should have to, and I'm entitled to that opinion, just like you are entitled to yours.

ps oops made a mistake, we got hit by hurricane Jeanne, not Ivan!

well they are travell agents and not weathermen,i am sure they only take advice from the meteorlogical centres post nearby,perhaps they got it wrong,still cant see that is the travel agents fault,if you asked the question is there a possibility of a hurricane this time of year,of course anyone would be upset,but you do not say whether you asked this at time of booking,how far in advance did you book, i can appreciate a hurricane must be a frightening experiance,however seeing television and storm chasers and alike i am sure that many people book in the hope of seeing one,some people find the thought thrilling. i am not one of those people.
like i said a travel agent will sell you what you ask for,it is not for them to warn all the dangers,would you hold them responsible if you were mugged,
i understand complian if things the tour operaters sell you is incorrect but some things are controlled by a greater force.
i got sunburnt once ,extremely uncomfortable but i did not feel i had recourse because the travel agent did not physically tell me the sun can be so harsh..
anyone would be upset if they holiday is spoiled by the weather..it is just a risk you take,now matter how extreme,and saying the travel company said it is ok is no excuse,it was safe otherwise i am sure you would not be posting now,frightening i am sure it was,but it was your choice unless you had no idea about the weather,but as you say you checked the weather 10 before departure and you made the choice to go.
i do feel sorry that your holiday was spoiled,i hope everyone has a good time,but like i said we cannot blame travel agents for what is beyond there control.
did you ask people on this forum about weather before you went about your chosen time???

Unfortunately I didn't know about this website until I got back.

I think you're misunderstanding me, I'm not complaining to the travel agents about the hurricane, obviously you can't hold them responsible for the weather! I'm just annoyed at the fact that I asked if it was hurricane season when we booked the holiday in April, travel agents know when hurricane season is and she should have told us it was, she didn't! We could then have decided whether it was worth taking the risk or not. You can't tell me that travel agents don't advise their customers when asked, if it is hurricane season or not. If they don't know, they should ask a colleague. We were actually served by someone who was an expert in holidays to the Carribean which just makes it worse! I understand you can't blame a travel agent for the weather, and you're right you can't complain about whether it rains or not, however, I do have the right to be annoyed when I asked a specific question about the hurricane season and wasn't warned that it was.

In all fairness, you can't really compare getting sunburnt to being stuck in a hurricane, they're hardly alike!

well it is a pity,you asked the question and i would imagine you had the salesmans reply,change of subject, when confronted with a question such as this it is easier to talk about positive things and this makes you forget the question asked,
that is a sales tactic i do not like,
if i may give some advice and this does not only apply to holidays,write all your concerns down and tick each question off when you get a reply not when you ask.
it is a known fact when we buy major purchases we have some hot spots that sales people target,it is these that we respond to and make the decision to go ahead to purchase with,
the negative side off things are what sales prople sweep under the carpet as it is these that make us choose not to purchase,
at the end of the day even travel agents work with a commission,of course they try to advise as best as possible,but at the end of the day it boils down to one thing.
I really hope this incident has not put you of this beautiful part of the world,
for me all my experiance of the carribean have been armchair experiances as my heart lies in a different place in the world.
good luck with your persuit in this,and if nothing else at least you can advise other members of forums such as this,
advice which will be gratefully recieved and save others the same heartache as yourself...that is what makes these forums so special..not only the good points but also the warnings.

good luck and kind regards Ian

Thanks Ian, that's much appreciated.

It's definitely not put me off going to the Carribean but next time I'll make sure I take your advice and do a bit of a checklist....and check things out myself before I go and book anything. This has definitely been a learning experience if nothing else!

At least next time I go on holiday anywhere I'll have this website to refer too before I do anything!

Thanks again and best wishes

Sarah

Whilst no one can guarantee the weather anywhere these days, if the Travel Agents had done their job correctly they should have advised you that the hurricane season in the caribbean runs from June to November!

Kath HT Admin

I went to Dom Rep in September 2002 and did no research whatsoever (fortunately ended up in a fantastic hotel, probably the best on the north side of the island) and was not aware nor made aware by the travel agent about the hurricane season. It was only whilst reading something on the plane on the way over that I came across something with words to the effect that the hurricane season runs from June to November with them being most frequent in September ! Well we were lucky, had fantastic weather for the most part and a great time but I would have been annoyed had there been a hurricane I should imagine. I think all travel agents should warn people travelling to the Caribbean about the hurricane season and then people have a choice to either book (cheaper at this time of year) or wait and pay more!

Sarah, good luck with your claim, although I doubt the person concerned will admit saying that to you and as its only a verbal reply I wouldn't hold out much hope.

I too love the Caribbean and as you say, you know have the help of this website.

All the best.

SAM

i don't understand why they don't. If it was even written as standard on your quotation they would not have any body looking for compo because the people wouldn't have a claim.

I personally spend hours on the Internet checking reports about weather, food, things to see etc.etc. whenever I am booking a holiday , in fact it's all part of the holiday, but I realise that not everyone does the same and that's where travel agents come into the equation, they are supposed to be the experts and I would certainly be mad if they had given me the wrong information.

I agree with you , Judith.

Travel agents are paid a commission by tour operators, which is generally passed on to the customer in the overall price quoted. The whole point of booking through a travel agent is to save you the legwork of researching the holiday yourself, by relying on travel agent's professional advice and expertise; were it not for this, everybody would book directly with the tour operator and save themselves some cash.

Yes Travel Agent's are paid commission, but when I was a TA it was normally a maximum of £3 per adult. So you spend hours searching for the perfect holiday for a couple and getting it booked and on top of the pathetic £7-9k a year, you'll get a whole £6 commission - before deductions.
Personally I think that people expect too much from TA's, if you are that concerned about what the weather is going to be before you go - check out the internet/guide books/even holiday brochures which generally give information on temps etc.

Oh and more often than not you'll find the price booking directly with the tour op instead of booking through a TA the same, unless you are booking on the net.

well thats your opinion but in my experience it is cheaper booking direct.

whether you are paid 7000 a year or 70000 ayear you are paid to do a job you should do it.

The Travel Agent was paid to book their travel arrangements, which they did.