oska you may be able to help with the claim form whos who in relation to tour operator, travel agent OTB or goldtrail????it asks this on the claim form im not in a position to book more flights although we dont go till september so have a bit of time to sort things out all i know is OTB will not get any more money from me to pay for another holiday never again!!!

the claim form is on the caa website you have to search for it though
*had a email from on the beach they say they will issue instructions on how to fill out the claim form and then it has to be sent to them then they send it on why cant you do it yourself????

this situation has been rumoured for ages on this and other forums, i went with Goldtrail a few years ago not the best of service late flights overbooked accm etc etc..but generally speaking their prices were low although this year i felt they were expensive it will be very difficult to find alternative flights especially at Goldtrail prices. in a few months when the situation cools down they won't be missed going by the many negatives comments we all make about them on this forum. i knew some of the staff [friends of mine] the ones i know only starting working for them in January of this year having lost their jobs with another travel company that went bust.

i've read a few comments that £ 200 is not cheap for a flight only in Jul/Aug time i must disagree if look for a flight only to Turkey and pay around 200 pounds thats cheap many prices are nearer 400 pounds and thats before the demise of Goldtrail.

Looking around £230 for a flight to Turkey when I booked in April was about the norm I had flew with Goldtrail many times. The reason why I chose them was I had not any problems before and the flight times were good !

ieki100,,,,i;ll show you what i mean typed in 24/5/11 gatwick/dalaman 7nts flight only and have been offered direct flights prices from cheapest £ 187.50 to the dearest £ 683 pp...so choosing flights around 200 would be cheap flights

ohh i know and be honest ... which one would you choose

Turkish Airlines are expensive but i've used them for Istanbul and couldn't fault them but on the flip side easy jet are cheap and also really good !

Well i've managed to get a flight for less then i paid with Goldtrail and with a well known tour operator so fingers crossed nothing with go t*ts up !

huge*abba*fan you really aren't helping the situation. There is a thomascook and thomsons forum on this website where you can chat about them to your hearts delight, but right now, people in this forum need help and answers.

Firstly, Holidays4U and goldtrail are DIFFERENT companies. Please do not get them confused. Yes both buy seats on the same airlines but they are not the same company. Sorry if this has been clarified but I kept seeing that over and over again.

I have been through this twice with custom flights (a flight booking) and flyglobespan (a package holiday booking).

Now with my flights I sat tight for a few days and my provider who was travel republic offered me an alternative flight at no extra cost. All I had to do was fill in a form. Simple. So yes even though it is tempting to re book, if you have time then please just wait this out and see what happens. If you have to rebook then do so as you will get all your money back via ATOL and the claim forms are on their website and are very simple to fill out.

With flyglobespan I had booked on the creditcard. This was even more straightforward. I called my cc provider, they sent out a form, I filled it out and sent it back. I had the money back on my cc in 3 weeks.

Please do not despair! Pm me if anyone would like any help with with this.

Its not a case of "not helping the situation", its a case of freedom of speech and people being very naive.
Its not a case of sticking up for Thomsons or Thomas Cook as you put it. I too have had problems with one of those named companies but would still feel comfortable buying a holiday with them through a travel agent who I know I can change or have monies back with no problems.
People will still cut corners to get something for nothing and still complain at the end of it. That will never change and still people do not learn from it

Bigger Companies than Goldtrail have gone bust and Companies that attract many complaints are still trading. Both are not indicators of whether a Company will sink or swim

However, I do feel sorry for those that paid hard earned cash just hours before their bankruptcy. Whilst it may benefit any of the creditors it - in my opinion - borders on criminal action by those full well knowing they couldn't deliver what had been paid for.

Mark

greenshoes- OTB dont look as if they are offering flights only at extra cost (not due to go till sept) did you have to send your caa form back to travel republic or straight to the caa how long did it take to be refunded my dad has kindly offererred us a loan but i dont want him to be waiting forever
like i have said previously first time i booked this way i wouldnt class my self as niave i didnt book via thomas cook for this holiday as it was a night flight so i chose decent flights with monarch at a time that was convenient everything was ok until once id paid i find they change the flight time to 0500 and stick us on a cheap no frills viking flight alarm bells were ringing and there was nothing i could do about it exept complain to abta which is now irrelevant as goldtrail have gone bust the cost was the same as thomas cook I did not cut corners and try and get a cheap deal it was the flight times I have learned my lesson a costly one at that
will keep you updated

Does anyone know whether as i booked a holiday through a travel company as a package i should get my money back for all of it from CAA? Im gettin told different things from my travel company, firstly that i should get it all back from CAA, then that i just get my flights back from CAA and accomodation and transfers back from them but when i requested a break down of what i get from CAA and what i get from them it was 100 quid short of what i had paid!

Any advice appreciated im becoming increasingly frustrated with my travel agent

Thanks

i suppose it depends who you booked with i booked flights and accomadation with on the beach but can only claim the flights its not classed as a package holiday have asked for a refund on the accomadation they say will keep charges at a minimum im sure it will be a fortune!!!

have been trying to ring OTB it rings and rings puts you on hold then cuts you off!!! trying to find out how much we will lose on the accomadation as we have to cancel...... not a lot i can do .....very annoying! i suppose thousands of people are in the same position not a lot of communication going on now going to the bank to get a copy of my payments

The CAA website has now been updated, with a link to a claim form now included:
http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?catid=2036&pagetype=90

Further information about claims is to be added to the page when available.

David

For those booked via OTB there is some information that can be found here;

http://www.onthebeach.co.uk/goldtrail

fwh

huge*abba*fan wrote:

Its not a case of "not helping the situation", its a case of freedom of speech and people being very naive.
Its not a case of sticking up for Thomsons or Thomas Cook as you put it. I too have had problems with one of those named companies but would still feel comfortable buying a holiday with them through a travel agent who I know I can change or have monies back with no problems.
People will still cut corners to get something for nothing and still complain at the end of it. That will never change and still people do not learn from it

It seems as though you are posting the same comments on numerous internet forums at the moment so you are obviously enjoying the situation or getting some sort of satisfaction from rubbing peoples noses into it while they are down.
I will spell it out to you again "huge*abba*fan".

1) Some of us choose to pay less for these holidays rather than being ripped off by the bigger travel firms
2) I enjoy the thought that I am sitting at the pool next to someone that has paid £500 more for their sun lounger
3) My cheap flights mean I don't have to shop in Primark for holiday clothes
4) I know what I am getting before I arrive because I have done my research
5) I never complain on holiday because over the past 10 year of DIY ,I have been succsful in my choice
6) On 15th August I am flying into Dalaman , family of 3 , 2 weeks SC , Calis beach apartment, with my none Primark t-shirt and M&S shorts for the total cost including transfers and £10 visa fee for ~~~ £1085

Please advise what you will be doing on that date other than continuing to be-little people for choosing to shop around.

Oska/huge abba fan
I think we should stick to the trying to help people with Goldtrail problems, rather than reading the sniping between the two of you!

**SANDY**

Who is your accommodation provider that OTB used for your accommodation in Zante and do you know what the value of this part is at all.

Might be able to point you in the right direction of what to do or say to them

Sorry rant

There is no way on earth that a travel agent would be able to supply me with the information I want on a particular holiday/destination. I spend days researching before I book anything. It can be quite embarrasing to keep correcting a TA when you enquire about a particular holiday.

That said - if a package is cheaper than independant - I will book it. If I can get it cheaper on the High St - it will be booked there and not online.

John.

ps - If people are foolish enough to pay Ryanairs booking fee then maybe my fllights will be even cheaper.

For the benefit of those who may be victims of the Goldtrail collapse and in urgent need of help, could we please try to confine discussion to requests for advice and assistance, and replies offering such advice and assistance.

Many thanks
David