Firstly.. did you put your complaint in writing [not e-mail or phone call]

after receipt they are entitled to 28 days to investigate and reply [they may say they are still investigating]

DO NOT accept the first offer write back and say its totally unacceptable and you expect a Full cash refund with interest for the flights and compensation for the stress caused

DO not involve the media at this stage [it will only get their back up]

if you are not sure or want legal advise then contact Simpson Millar Solicitors on 0808 145 1358 or visit their site for all their details:
http://www.on-holiday-claims.co.uk/

they offer free advice to HT members and may offer a different approach

Wizard

I would second Wizard's advice, foxsandra, but I'm a bit confused - are you saying that even though you had your tickets for the onward flights that the airline wouldn't honour them and refused you boarding because they hadn't received payment for them? Which airline was it by the way? From the sound of it their contract was with Thomson, not you, and I think that they should have been taking it up with them because Thomson was responsible for the debt, not you.

But have Thomson explained how they arrived at the figure of £623 pounds as a refund for the flights? Is this what they originally cost and they have refunded what you paid Thomson in advance rather than what you paid the airline on the day which I calculate as being in the region of £750 at current exchange rates?

But given the circumstances - the airline effectively coerced you into paying a lot of money for what is a couple of local flights because you had little alternative to do anything else if you were going to get to you holiday destination - I would take this up with your credit card company too. At the very least they might be willing to suspend the transaction so that you don't have to pay them until the dispute is resolved and you won't be clocking up interest on it either in the meantime.

Also, when did you book this holiday - I'm assuming that it was well in advance? If it was, rather than a last minute booking, then I would also be asking questions of the airline and trying to find out a bit more about why they hadn't been chasing Thomson about this before you arrived in Barbados. They are hardly likely to just discover when you tried to check-in that nobody had paid them for the tickets! Somebody has discovered this earlier and put a note against your reservation - how else would the check-in staff know this and refuse to allow you to chek-in without extracting the money from you? Without the note against your reservation on the system, surely the check-in staff would have just proceeded as usual on presentation of two flight coupons that would have looked entirely normal to them?

Which brings me to the unlikely but just about possible alternative explanation that you were the victim of some sort of s cam at the Barbados end. Is it possible that your original flight bookings were 're-sold' by the check-in clerks and that in reality you weren't paying for your original tickets (priced at £623 by Thomson) at all but for an entirely new booking that would be entirely above board whilst your original booking was classed as a 'now show' by the airline? Fanciful perhaps, and impossible if proper security and boarding procedures are followed, but if the internal accounting procedures of the airlines and security checks at the airport are lax for relatively local inter-island flights then it is an outside possibility.

You are clearly the victim in all this but it seems to me that both Thomson and the airline are potentially equally guilty for the mis-management of your booking and I would be pursuing both of them.

SM

We booked the holiday back in September 2010 and when the travel documents arrived, I noticed that the Caribbean flights were not amongst them. When I made the enquiry, the documents were e-mailed the same day (6th July). Lo and behold, when we arrived at the check in, the flights had not been booked until 6th July 2011 so it would appear that Thomson were the ones at fault. I am presuming that they booked them but did not confirm but had a reference number they could give us on documents. The 'internal' flights were by Liat and I have to say that they were very good. The girl tried very hard to allow us to get on the flight without having to pay anything but her manager wouldn't let her. I am not sure how they got the figure of £623 and I am a bit peeved as there had been an agreement when we were in St Lucia that the flights would be paid, to the point where I needed to give them my credit card details, but am still waiting now for a full refund, plus interest.

My original complaint was via the rep in resort in St Lucia so it would have been via e-mail. I also informed Thomson Tailormade by e-mail and through a visit to the travel agent from my son and daughter in law. They have already had 28 days and are now requesting another 28 days even though I gave them a fixed date to respond by in my second letter. I know that I have right on my side and I have made a preliminary enquiry with Watchdog as I did state that I would be consulting with the media after the 15th October - they had been warned!

It is all very frustrating as I just want it to be settled fairly and quickly but consider the £100 an insult as compensation for a holiday that cost in excess of £6000 that had one week of it totally ruined through stress, having to arrange our own transfers and the hotel in Grenada not having our room ready for 5 hours after we arrived!

Nothing unusual in a tour operator writing back needing more time to investigate. Every time correspondence exchanges the clock is reset to a further 28 days.
Involving the media at this stage is not going to help your case IMO and it is far better to try to settle it amicably. If you reach stalemate I still wouldn't go to the media, it won't solve your problem. Just take them to the small claims court.

The 28 day thing is a standard for all big TOs, I would imagine they are so used to it that they'd need that long if the fire alarm went off!

But surely they can't argue about the price. It's not negotiable, they owe you what it cost - full stop! They have the proof and they've had long enough to sort it. One 28 day wait was all it should have taken.

I disagree about not involving someone from the media. But don't waste your time on Watchdog or any other general consumer type person or your local rag. Contact Simon Calder of the Independent (and frequently BBC) at http://www.simoncalder.com - he helped out another member a few months back.

I have been offered re-imbursement of flights and expenses that I had to pay when on holiday in the Caribbean this summer. However, Thomson Tailormade have only offered £100 holiday voucher as compensation for the stress and inconvenience of having to pay for flights that they had not paid for, arranging our own transfers, getting up earlier in the morning to catch said flight, increased meetings and phone calls with the rep when in resort, agreeing to re-imburse in August and not actually getting paid until now. They think this is fair for 2 people! I don't. However, the flights were paid for on a credit card and I am keen to pay this off, but don't want to do so if it will ruin my chances for a fair compensation. Has anyone got any advice?

If you take the money they have offered you to date they will regard this as your accepatnace of their offer in full and final settlement of your claim against them - any paperwork accompanying a cheque will almost certainly stipulate this. If you want to pursue them for further compensation then it is important that you DO NOT accept any money/cash any cheque until you are satisfied that what is on offer is the best deal you are going to get. This will be particularly important if you have any plans to escalate this via the Small Claims Court.

SM

I agree with SMa.

one small point, if you do go to court, when you state how much you are claiming don't forget to add the credit card interest that is piling up whilst they drag it out!

One small matter is that they have sent a cheque for £6 expenses and £110 which I have already banked They do not say this is in full and final settlement anywhere on the paperwork and the refund has been authorised to be paid through the travel agent for the remaining money of approximately £660. Really not sure where to go from here at all so would welcome any advice I can get.

banking the first money without waiting could have been a bad idea until they had confirmed more was to come. Since they have now done that it shouldn't be a problem, you're agreed that the first money was only an instalment and there is more to come - you're just arguing about how much more!

In fact if they are agreed (in writing) that the £660 is the outstanding part of a refund for what you spent then there shouldn't be a problem with banking that and pushing for better compensation for the hassle etc. If they have used the words "final settlement" and not clearly explained what the money is you would be best to not rush down to the bank.