Hi Guys,
Was looking for some advice. Me and my 6 friends just returned for a holiday in Turkey which we booked through the above. The holiday we were sold was that we were staying in Club Candan which is what our invoice and contract states. When we arrived we were taken to Candan Apartments (sister hotel) we spoke to rep who told us there was nothing she could do as our tickets stated thats where we were staying. We made the best of a bad situation.
On returning I wrote a letter of complaint to first choice. The holiday hypermarket has recently been in contact saying that it was never club candan that was booked it was always the candan apartments even though thats what out contract and price breakdown tells us. When we booked we were also given brochures with Club candan in it, no candan apartments in the entire brochure. They offered us 10% off our next holiday or £100 good will I turned both down.
Do we still have a case not that they have offered us compenstation is this an admission of guilt? We paid for a 4 star and were given a 3 star with no entertainment or anything we spent most of our time at the other hotel.
Your advice would be greatly received.
Paula
Are you saying your invoice and tickets said (slightly) different things?
Ye the invoice and contract we signed was for club candan and the tickets were candan apartments.
So there was a clear breach of contract when they delivered the wrong thing.
Where your case gets weaker is that you should have checked the tickets carefully before you departed. You may have had the right to refuse to go and get a full refund but by going you have sort of accepted a change to your booking.
What you need to do is find someone who quotes prices for both and work out the difference. And that's where it gets interesting because I've just noticed that the First Choice website offers the Appartments but NOT the Club! So you could compare the brochure you were given with the website and see if you can work out the price difference - if they actually sell the holiday you ended up with they can't argue!
My friends are actually on this holiday now, so I'm not sure what they got Hopefully, they'll be back with good reports. I shall certainly be asking her if the pool etc was the same as on the web picture.
The guy we booked with said it was always the candan apartments but we never even knew they existed or were shown them at the time of booking.
Candan apartments had a nice enough pool but was no where near the size of the club candan, we had no onsite entertainment or anything. We would have much preferred to stay at Club Candan was a much friendlier hotel.
I am more annoyed at the fact the agents are basically saying we are lying which according to the invoice we aren't and I think they know we are in the wrong by the fact they want to compensate us.
So you're saying that the brochure and agent agreed with the tickets and said appartments and only the invoice mentioned the Club?
Club Candan and the candan apartments are the same accommodation.
After we booked the invoice said Club candan as did the thomson brochure we were given at the time. He gave us a really good deal flying from manchester (had to travel from glasgow) to the four star club candan on the 11th july and gave us the price (supplied by thomson). We booked in confidence and were really happy with what we got for the price.
Got to the resort to be shown to the Candan Apartments. Spoke to rep and she said there was nothing she could do as her system said candan apartments as did our tickets.
On returning home I queried this with the travel agent who said, you were never charged for club candan only the candan apartments. To which I said well our contract says Club candan. I am more annoyed about the fact they mis sold our holiday. They showed us club candan in the brouchure (no mention of a sister hotel) and allowed us to book with them in good faith ( last time i ever do that). We would never have picked those apartments.
club candan and candan apartments are two seperate properties owmed by the same person. i can assure you they are different. They are about 5 mins apart and Club Candan are much bigger than candan aparments
Could you use the facilities of the Club Candan? The difference is star ratings is based on facilities not cleanliness etc.
By offering you the 10% or £100 they indeed are admitting some form of error in your booking.
Ye we could use the facilities which we did almost everyday. Ye the invoice is what we got when we booked and the next form of paperwork we got was tickets ie flight tickets and hotel voucher which were late in arriving and only given to us the week before we went. So invoice said club candan and tickets candan apartments.
.Club Candan and the candan apartments are the same accommodation
That's what I thought, but apparently not. The two properties are listed separately on Trip advisor and there are quite a few complaints regarding people being put in the wrong place. Thomson sell the club candan hotel and Club Candan apartments(4 star)and first Choice sell the Candan apartments (minus the word Club)- 3 star.
If you've booked the one with Club in the title you should get the Thomson's 4 star property. If you get put in the Candan apartments you've been put in the wrong place. I would imagine there'd be a difference in the cost so check carefully.
Just taken this off the first Choice website
Strangely enough, out of curiosity I've just done a price check and like for like, I got the 3 star for £395 and the 4 star for £251
- presumably because he'd quoted for the wrong place! This gets complicated, if he has done that then there's no point starting with the advertised price of the appartments to work out a value for refund. The £100 they offered - was that each or for the 7 of you? £14.28 each would be an insult but £100 (money not vouchers) might be reasonable.He gave us a really good deal
Ye the £100 was for the 7 of us bit of a slap in the face. We have already booked our holiday for next year using thomas cook would never travel with first choice or thomson again so cant take the 10%.
Its more a matter of principle now as they wont admit their mistake and are passing the buck. Phoned earlier and got told the manager of the shop was now dealing with it so we shall see how long she takes to get back to us.
I would definitely keep on at them for an explanation and admission of guilt. As has been mentioned, the fact that you've been offered something is an admission in itself that they were in the wrong. At the end of the day they've put you in a completely different hotel to the one you've booked.
not our fault they miss sold us a holiday
I am inclined to think the person with whom you dealt made a mistake rather than miss sold you a holiday. Thinking about previous posts here on HT you would not be the first to fall victim to this. We do expect that the person with whom we are dealing knows enough about the product. Unfortunately to many it is just a job. You should have read the documentation carefully and queried it but that is not an excuse for what happened. The offer of £100 is derisory in my opinion and you are quite correct in rejecting it.
fwh
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