Hi
I have just returned from Sharm. I booked with Thompson and had a great holiday until I came to check out. It was then that I found out the hotel had lost our passport.s As a result I could not fly home and had to stay on for a further two days and as a result my wife and I had to take 3 days of work without pay. On top of this I have to buy new passports and my phone bill oraganiseing cover and work commitments was incredible. The hotel has offered to pay for my passports but I am more concerend about the loss of earnings. Does anyone have any experience of this or have any advice on the best way to claim.
Rob
What a nightmare! Which hotel were you at and how did you sort out travel documents? Have you spoken to your travel insurance provider to see if you are covered for any expenses incurred including compensation for loss of earnings. I have to admit the latter is highly unlikely but they might be able to point you in the direction of help. Regards, Caro
I have not tried my travel insurance but have submitted a report to Thompson with my claims as I hold them totally responsible as it was their "Platinum Hotel" I was staying in. Do you think I have any chance off them.
Have a chat with Ros Fernihough on 01922 621114 she is a travel law lawyer and will offer you free advice. Thomson are responsible for the actions of the hotel as far as I'm aware.
Good luck let us know how you get on.
Good luck let us know how you get on.
thanks I will as I ve just had a reply from Thompson to my original complaint that basically they want nothing to do with it and I have to claim from my insurance. Any advice will be useful
Loss of earnings may be the least of your worries.
They say it is "lost" but presumably it hasn't fallen through a crack in the desk and will drop out the next time they move it. There has to be a strong chance that it was stolen from their care.This means it is a security risk, especially given where it happened and presumably the Passport Agency will take a view that there is a chance it could be used by terrorists. Your details may have been circulated to various security agencies so you may find them taking more interest in you next time you fly. This is more likely if you try to visit the USA.
Your insurance will probably have some limited cover but this may not extend more than the cost of phone calls and travel to the consulate, it will also have an upper limit. It is unlikley it will cover you for loss of earnings.
Even though the hotel has offered to chip in towards your costs it doesn't alter the fact that your contract is with Thomson who are liable for their subcontractors (who have helpfuly admitted their guilt!). Thomson will no doubt try to fall back on the fine detail in their Terms and Conditions but these are not absolutely binding, especially where a lack of care is concerned. All of this can be argued over for years and years.
So I suggest a different approach. Make contact with the most senior flunky you can at Thomson. Tell them that if they don't settle you will go to a national newspaper and tell them how you went on a Thomson holiday to a country with known AlQaida sympathisers and Thomsons agents failed to secure a British passport with the resut that there is now a strong possibility that AlQaida have aquired it and could use it to gain entry into Britain. You will of course use the names Thomson and AlQaida in the same sentence as many times as possible! You could also suggest that you are going to contact the Passport Agency with a Freedom of Information Act request asking how many other people at that hotel have been affected. Companies which run airlines do not need this sort of publicity!
They say it is "lost" but presumably it hasn't fallen through a crack in the desk and will drop out the next time they move it. There has to be a strong chance that it was stolen from their care.This means it is a security risk, especially given where it happened and presumably the Passport Agency will take a view that there is a chance it could be used by terrorists. Your details may have been circulated to various security agencies so you may find them taking more interest in you next time you fly. This is more likely if you try to visit the USA.
Your insurance will probably have some limited cover but this may not extend more than the cost of phone calls and travel to the consulate, it will also have an upper limit. It is unlikley it will cover you for loss of earnings.
Even though the hotel has offered to chip in towards your costs it doesn't alter the fact that your contract is with Thomson who are liable for their subcontractors (who have helpfuly admitted their guilt!). Thomson will no doubt try to fall back on the fine detail in their Terms and Conditions but these are not absolutely binding, especially where a lack of care is concerned. All of this can be argued over for years and years.
So I suggest a different approach. Make contact with the most senior flunky you can at Thomson. Tell them that if they don't settle you will go to a national newspaper and tell them how you went on a Thomson holiday to a country with known AlQaida sympathisers and Thomsons agents failed to secure a British passport with the resut that there is now a strong possibility that AlQaida have aquired it and could use it to gain entry into Britain. You will of course use the names Thomson and AlQaida in the same sentence as many times as possible! You could also suggest that you are going to contact the Passport Agency with a Freedom of Information Act request asking how many other people at that hotel have been affected. Companies which run airlines do not need this sort of publicity!
I have another take on this which will not please.
Why on earth were the passports left in reception? Unless of course it was in a safety deposit box in reception, in which case ignore what follows as it's a different matter.
My point is that in many countries, and I have no experience of Egypt, we leave passports in reception over night on the first night only, for the purposes of registration with the police. When we collect the passports the following morning, it's up to us to look after them, preferably in a safety deposit box.
If these missing passports were just left in reception when they were in fact ready for collection, their loss is not the responsibility of anyone other than the holders, unless there are other factors involved which we have not be told.
Peter
Why on earth were the passports left in reception? Unless of course it was in a safety deposit box in reception, in which case ignore what follows as it's a different matter.
My point is that in many countries, and I have no experience of Egypt, we leave passports in reception over night on the first night only, for the purposes of registration with the police. When we collect the passports the following morning, it's up to us to look after them, preferably in a safety deposit box.
If these missing passports were just left in reception when they were in fact ready for collection, their loss is not the responsibility of anyone other than the holders, unless there are other factors involved which we have not be told.
Peter
Agreed
When I went to collect the passports the next day I was told by reception I could leave them there as each room was given a file in which the passports would be securely stored. As I had to move rooms I felt it was safer to leave them there so that they did not get lost when I moved rooms.
When I went to collect the passports the next day I was told by reception I could leave them there as each room was given a file in which the passports would be securely stored. As I had to move rooms I felt it was safer to leave them there so that they did not get lost when I moved rooms.
By all means have a word with Ros Fernihough, but under the circumstances I don't think you will get any joy from either Thompsons or your insurance company.
We always take photocopies of our passports with us but I have heard that some people put the details on an email addressed to their inbox so that the information is readily available in times of emergency.
Best to check your insurance as you may well be covered for the replacement of your passports
My son and his friends passports went missing from a hotel safe in Portugal.
there were 5 of them staying there and they were all told they had to leave their passports in the hotel safe until they checked out, when they came to check out two of the passports were missing, the police were called and they were given a form by the police to allow them to travel home that day without their passports.
In my mind the only way they could go missing from a hotel safe is if someone takes them !
They never got them back and had to apply for new passports, I did worry about identity theft at the time.
there were 5 of them staying there and they were all told they had to leave their passports in the hotel safe until they checked out, when they came to check out two of the passports were missing, the police were called and they were given a form by the police to allow them to travel home that day without their passports.
In my mind the only way they could go missing from a hotel safe is if someone takes them !
They never got them back and had to apply for new passports, I did worry about identity theft at the time.
If theres one thing Ive leant from this topic Its to get our passports back the next morning . I admit to being very lazy when on holiday and often leave our passports at reception for days . this year I completely forgot about them until the day before we were flying home . I wont be doing that again 
I always leave our passports at reception till we checkout,have always thought they would be safest there!
All the hotels that we have stayed at have photocopied our passports when we check in so we have got them back straight away. We then lock them away safely in the room safe till it's time to come home. Never had to leave our passports at reception, maybe we've been lucky but I just thought this was the norm!
I think it depends of the hotel and how many people are checking in at one time. If they have a bus load I think they keep the passport overnight so they can copy them at leisure. If there are only a few or you are DIY and don't arrive with a crowd then they may have time to copy them while you wait.
luci
luci
we were in grancanaria last week and i went to collect the passports the day after we arrived there are 15 of us, i usually put them straight into the safe but this time i sat and went through them all only to find that we had been given 2 passports for another couple and our 2 were in a cubby hole waiting to be collected.
Update.
Been offered £60 by Thompson as compensation and have refused. Asked them how they worked out that the amount should be £60 and was told it was a percentage of our total holiday cost. Asked to speak to a manager about it and was said one would call me back still waiting that was a week ago.
Jumb00
Been offered £60 by Thompson as compensation and have refused. Asked them how they worked out that the amount should be £60 and was told it was a percentage of our total holiday cost. Asked to speak to a manager about it and was said one would call me back still waiting that was a week ago.
Jumb00
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