pay up to move or shut up and put up".

Those words have never been in my vocabulary and I've managed nearly 60 years without them.
Strike while the iron is hot is my motto.
Ok. you are booked to go into an hotel that has lost its licence (at this moment in time) due to substandard practices, therefore the contract between you and Thomson has been broken by Thomson because they cannot supply you with the initial named accommodation that you ( the customer) entered into the agreement with them.?

So, you are telling me that they (Thomson) want you to continue and pay up/shut up for a holiday, where the hotel accommodation that was available in their brochures and now due to this terrible tragedy.... is, might, maybe, could be, possibly won't be......available?.

I agree that £70 is nothing, but c'mon why should you have to pay anything when the contract has been broken through no fault of yours and no doubt Thomson will argue that it isn't their fault either....which is a load of tripe!

I refer you to the regulations under the ABTA code of conduct that as soon as the TO is made aware of building works, it has a duty to inform customers and OFFER alternative accommodation or a full refund.
Substitute the words "building works" for a hotel that is a death trap and not fit for the purpose which it is being sold.

They may indeed have to move you free of charge, but Corfu is not exactly the size of the USA and where exactly on the Island are they going to put you.?
IMO: It means extra work and expense to them and they can't be @rsed to do it at this stage....they are all playing the waiting game and it makes me very angry when they cannot even sort out the paying customer that keeps them ALL ( whatever level of employment) in a job, without mentioning the words "more money" even after a terrible tragedy like this one.

All I can say is..... that your name isn't Sanji and I personally wouldn't be fobbed off by anyone....I'd want an answer and I'd want one now, not when Thomson (or any other TO) decide to get their act together.
It makes a complete mockery of their words that "the well being of their customers come first and foremost".
Try them again and if you get no joy, then get yourself down to the Citizens Advice Bureau or seek professional advice because I cannot for one moment believe that you are the only person who does not want to go there, regardless of the outcome.

Or you could just sit and wait and wait and wait, not knowing where exactly you are going to be allocated for the first part of your holiday/cruise, which I image has not come cheap and this "caring" company wants to screw a little bit more money out of you in the meantime.

SanJi x

Just an aside, but I think it is often worth putting things in writting (keeping a photo copy), and sending dated letters, recorded delivery.

Sometimes a letter seems to get more of a response than endless phone calls to different call center staff or emails when your not quite sure who to email. I suppose companys know that copies can be given to solicitors and later be produced in court if things go wrong big style (God forbid).

Just an aside, but I think it is often worth putting things in writting (keeping a photo copy), and sending dated letters, recorded delivery.

Totally agree
Also......Whilst I agree that £70 is peanuts to one person, just image if thousands of people pay up £70

Sanji x

Yes its disgusting, Thomson win everyway. Are they so shortsighted that they dont realise how much bad publicity this sort of thing costs.

Thry must spend a fortune on advertising each year, they should be prepared toi waive amendment fees in extreme and tragic cases like this.

Thanks for the number lynwestie I will get Hubby onto them first thing on Monday morning. As you say Sanji Corfu isn't exactly huge and I don't fancy getting stuck in some remote hotel we would never have chosen, thats why I want to change now while there is still space. No the flippin' cruise didn't come cheap and that £70 would pay for us to do an excursion

liverpool loo. i have just rang that number now and someone answered almost immediately . "welcome to thomson" id give them a try now if i were you just check its the "pre-departure dept "

lyn

Thanks for the number lynwestie I will get Hubby onto them first thing on Monday morning. As you say Sanji Corfu isn't exactly huge and I don't fancy getting stuck in some remote hotel we would never have chosen, thats why I want to change now while there is still space. No the flippin' cruise didn't come cheap and that £70 would pay for us to do an excursion

That's exactly my point about "striking while the iron is hot"

We are talking about the Island of Corfu in August, and apart from the Brits who go there at this peak time, you will also have tourists from other Nationalities booking and staying on the Island at this time.

Therefore, I believe that the longer your issue carries on, then the alternative accomodation will be harder to find.

If you don't know and don't have in black & white the name of your accommodation, then you might as well have booked an A.O.A holiday, probably at a dam site cheaper price.

Sanji x

Thats absolutely incredible that people are expected to go to this hotel after what happened. And that the customer has to pay to be moved just adds insult to injury. Its not like its high season. Surely they could try and arrange some sort of alternative. Though I think I d pay the money if I was forced to but I would begrudge doing so as I think people pay enough for their holidays as it is. Why should Thompson or TC get this money? Its their standards that were at fault.

Holiday companies have the responsibility to ensure that accomodation is safe and meets health and safety regulations. Obviously this obligation was not met by Thomas Cook. The blame will be passed around like a hot potato thats for sure.

If its any reassurance to those still going (which I doubt it is) the hotel has probably been looked over with a fine tooth comb due to the sad event that took place. Maybe some lessons will be learnt on how to avoid this ever happening again.

Maybe some lessons will be learnt on how to avoid this ever happening again.

Sadly, I said that in Tenerife 21 years ago where one young man was killed and his sister was left paralysed, through carbon monoxide poisoning
It beggars belief that here we are in the 21st century and Greece is part of the EU.

Mmmm, but you have to remember that TO's are like politicians....
They all pee in the same pot.
They are only in it for themselves.
They are only interested in profit.
They will screw every last penny out of you.
They only tell you what they think you need to know.
They are never very forthcoming with information that is beneficial to you, and like politicians, they will try and get away with things, while ever they can.

Slightly off topic here, sorry, but I read somewhere very recently and I'm sorry I can't remember exactly where, so you'll have to take my word about this....
The Spanish hoteliers have refused to lower their prices, despite being hassled by the TO's to do so....
They stated that for the standards to be maintained and in some cases improved, then it was impossible to operate on the income that TO's were trying to force upon them.

What happens when hotels are running on a shoestring ?
The staff/standards suffer, and major cut backs are put into place to balance the books at the end of the financial year.....and we the paying customers are the ones who suffer the effects of those cut backs.

If you get chicken every night for dinner, then you can hardly blame the hotel for only being able to afford chicken, because the tour operators have thrashed them down to the bare minimum.
It doesn't take much thought to realise, that hotels also have to either "break even" or ideally make a profit to cope with the fluctuation in prices outside their control, and be able to keep modernising the hotel and improving their services.

IMO: Tour Operators have a lot to answer for, and if it wasn't for the legislation that thankfully has been put into place, to protect people like you and me, and give the paying customer some form of redress in the courts"¦then I'd tell them to shove their holidays where the sun don't shine.

Sanji

when i took the TO to court i made the mistake of trying to do it on my own and they sent a specialist that kept trying to trick us with her questioning, we didnt get as much of a refund as i expected and i think that was down to us trying to do it without help, i took letters from 3 seperate people to confirm the gas in my room, i had 4 reports i had done in resort to all my complaints,i had proof of gas poisoning affects and the symptoms from a gas specialist, hospital proof, taxi receipts to hospital ,prescription proof etc ,you name i tried to take to court everything that would help us, i had taken advise from a judge i knew and he said i should get between 70-100% refund, sadly we only got 50% back, they took the flights off the total as they said we had no complaints about them then only gave us 4 days refund for the apt as kids were ill around 4 days,but a few pound for the fact we couldnt use cooking facilities for a week, then refunded taxi, prescriptions etc and gave an award for the younger 2 kids about £150 each compensation as they were the worse affected and nothing for us, we did have a few other issues of complaint about these apts too which the judge took into consideration and added a couple of quid, but overall for what we went through i think a full refund would have been more appropriate, but it does give people an idea how they work things out in small claims court

Lynwestie - rang that number but they would't deal with request to move, said they were the wrong department to speak to but they had been told that charges would still apply to change hotels from the Corcyra Beach (so I take it there had been other requests made)
Out of curiosity we rang the booking line number in the back of the Thomson cruise brochure today and asked for three stay and cruise prices - The Corfu Palace, Costas and Corcyra..... we got prices for the first two but low and behold The Corcyra isn't showing on their system anymore ! Yet we have to pay £70 to change from a hotel they are no longer taking bookings for, we'll be seeking advice from Ros Fernborough tomorrow

Forget telephone calls and emails.Why not try another approach.

By registered post - Addressed to The Chief Executive, write and explain your concern.

Point out that you are aware of people having tried to book this hotel complex since the incident and being told it is not available.

Request confirmation in writing within 14 days - forget the so called 28days cop out they use.That they are not taking bookings and ask which hotel they intend moving you to as it has been reported that they have decided against useing it in future. Point out that should they fail to reply within the time stipulated by you you will take legal advice. Lay it on with a big trowel.

Ensure that in Heavy type your letter shows copy to Sunday Times/Express/mail or whichever newspaper you read. Send a copy to the newspaper with a covering letter explaining your concerns.

Get the newspapers on your side and the TO will not have any choice in the matter.

fwh

Have Thomson advised you that your chosen accomodation will not be available?

The fact that Thomson have taken this accomodation temporarily offsale, does not mean that your holiday will not go ahead as booked.

The accomodation type that was affected by the recent recent tragedy are not contracted by Thomson, although they do have rooms at the hotel.

What will happen is the hotel will be taken over by new management, and will pass all the safety checks, and Thomson will put it back on sale.

I do agree that Thomsons should, under the circumstances, agree to transfer passengers free of charge, however they are under no legal or contractual obligation to do so.

The outcome of all of this will take many months before any conclusion is reached, so my advice would be to pay the fees and transfer if you really do not want to go there.

they are under no legal or contractual obligation to do so.

Sorry, but the way I read it is this...
It doesn't matter whether Thomson are contracted to this hotel or not, the fact is, that they (Thomson) have entered into a contract by advertising this hotel in their brochures and taking a deposit to secure the booking.

As the hotel is not available at this moment in time, then the contract is void....at this moment in time.
The 1992 package regulations, clearly states..."package" means the pre-arranged combination of at least two components when sold or offered for sale at an inclusive price and when the service covers a period of more than twenty-four hours or includes overnight accommodation,Transport and Accomodation are 2 components of the package.

Under the paragraph headed.."Significant alterations to essential terms."...I would regard the hotel as a significant alteration and it states "where the organiser is constrained before the departure to alter significantly an essential term of the contract, he will notify the consumer as quickly as possible in order to enable him to take appropriate decisions and in particular to withdraw from the contract without penalty."
And as far as paying Thomson....you've got to be joking...that hotel hasn't a hope in hell of re-opening up, until the legal aspect of this tragedy is done and dusted in the British courts.....and that won't happen in a matter of months....IMO

Tourism minister Fanni Palli-Petralia said the Louis Corcyra Beach Hotel would lose its licence permanently if a police investigation found hotel officials were responsible for the deaths.....and as 5 hotel staff have been charged with manslaughter at this moment in time...then we will all have to wait...and that is exactly what Thomson are doing....waiting.

If it is proved that hotel staff are to blame, and the tourist minister is true to her words, then nobody will be taking over this hotel.
The Travel Package Regulations

Sanjiiiii

Have sent a recorded delivery letter.....and I'm still waiting

As a matter of interest has anyone spoken to Ros Fernihough and asked her opinion?

We keep advising people with a problem to seek her advice. Why not get an expert opinion from her?

Just a thought!

fwh

The poster stated in a previous post that she was going to get in contact with Ros....so

But, I do agree with you FWH, that whilst we can all give our opinions about what we should or should not do and quoting the rules and regulations, as we individually interpret them...we are no substitute for the legal experts.

Oh, and I must apologise for not directing you to the travel package regulations that can be downloaded from holidaytruths
I just have that site bookmarked on my computer....sorry

Wrists are slapped

Sanjiiiiiiiiiii

Thomas Cook responds to Panorama investigation into Corfu deaths

Thomas Cook has issued a statement in response to a BBC Panorama documentary being aired tonight on the tragic gas poisoning of two children in Corfu in October.

The investigation into the deaths of Bobby and Christi Shepherd will be the subject of Panorama tonight on BBC1 at 8.30pm.

The two were poisoned by lethal fumes from a gas water heater as they slept in an apartment at the Corcyra Beach Hotel in Gouvia.

In the documentary, the parents of the children say they hold Thomas Cook responsible for the tragedy.

Speaking for the first time, they say they believe their children would still be alive if the tour operator had ensured proper safety audits were carried out at the resort.

The Thomas Cook statement says it was "shocked and saddened" by the deaths and "again wishes to express its sincerest condolences to the family and friends of the children" .

"Never before in the company's 165 year history has it experienced a situation more tragic," it continued.

"For Thomas Cook this case is unprecedented. We are fully committed to investigating the tragedy and are working very closely with the authorities in Greece and the UK .

"No charges have been made against any employee of Thomas Cook or any of its representatives. Thomas Cook can confirm that its internal audits followed the Federation of Tour Operator's procedures and that at least two other leading tour operators conducted audits on the property in accordance with FTO code of practice too.

"Due to the ongoing investigations the company is unfortunately unable to comment further at this time. However the company is determined to do everything in its power to ensure that there can be no such similar case in the future

"Carbon monoxide issues are not unique to the travel industry. In recent months the awareness of carbon monoxide has become heightened both domestically, in the UK,
and overseas and Thomas Cook would support any new regulation that could be implemented to prevent any similar situations in the future.

"Every year Thomas Cook takes more than three million customers abroad and can reassure all its customers that the health and safety of holidaymakers is paramount .
Package holidays offer the most wide-ranging health and safety measures available and therefore continue to be the safest and most protected way for customers to take
holidays."

With permission from Travelmole

Thomas Cook to take action against BBC over Corfu report

Thomas Cook is taking action against the BBC through Ofcom following Panorama's report on the tragic gas poisoning of two children in Corfu.

The tour operator criticised the programme for "gross misrepresentation of the facts".

In it, the children's mother, Sharon Wood, said she holds Thomas Cook "totally and utterly responsible" for the deaths of Christianne Shepherd, 7, and her brother Robert, 6, last October.

Thomas Cook believes the report was "incomplete, inaccurate and unbalanced".

Group chief executive Manny Fontenla-Novoa said: "The very nature of the Panorama programme led us to believe that it would take a negative stance towards Thomas Cook and the travel industry.

"We therefore worked with the programme makers as much as we could within the legal constraints we are bound by due to the ongoing investigations. However, Panorama clearly chose to omit large sections of our statement in a bid to sensationalise the story."

He said the allegation that one of the company's overseas reps undertook the health and safety audit at the hotel was "simply untrue".

"Despite claims to the contrary, Thomas Cook stands resolutely by its previous statements that it followed all the necessary health and safety processes in line with the FTO's Code of Practice,' the company said in a statement today.

"At least two other major tour operators also confirmed that the Louis Corcyra Beach had passed their own FTO compliant audits. All holiday companies need to rely on information that its hotel partners give it and are entitled to do so."

With permission from Travelmole