Hi to everyone,
I am here because I need some advice and help with what was suppose to be a honeymoon (lowcostholidays) turned into a nightmare.
We booked flights/hotel & transfers with them to gran canaria, altamar.
All excited we turned up to the hotel last week Saturday, to be told by the receptionist has your operator not told you that your booking here had been cancelled. You should have been told this about 2 months ago.
I said no, he asked me to check my emails or documents because he was dead sure that they were notified and pulled out a booking form from the original request that had cancelled written all over it.
So to try cut a long story short as I can:
- I was sent across to a sister company further away from town
- When asking if it had the sea views etc like the booking here, he refused to answer and said to check once I'm there
- When I arrived at the sister company, he said I was being upgraded, considering things did not start well I was suspicious and asked him what is the upgrade. Am I getting the sea views and similar room I booked. Only to be told, don't worry the food is excellent.
- I replied I'm not here for the food, if I wanted food I would have booked it, I paid for the room and views am I getting that. He ignored me and sent me to the room.
Low and behold,
- I ordered a 1 bedroom apartment (I got a studio)
- I ordered a room in a hotel where every room had a sea view (I got a mountain/building views)
- I ordered a room that had a private terrace (I got a public footpath in front of my door, no terrace)
- I ordered at a hotel where you can walk downhill to shops with some lifts to the bottom and up, the one I got was too far to walk uphill so had to keep on catching taxis to town.
What was suppose to be a 7 day honeymoon, turned into a nightmare:
1/2/3 days of my holidays I spent complaining to the old hotel, new hotel, chasing up lowcostholidays, speaking to cosmos, day after day because they could not do anything till Monday and the only thing left available were hotels with awful reviews and nothing with the views I booked.
The one I found next door to the original booking they could not do because it was too expensive and they were not in their list or something.
So in the end (3rd day) they offered to refund the hotel cost which I refused because not could nothing be found because it was too late to book everything was all booked up, also the ones that were left were charging an arm and a leg for last minute booking on the day and I would have to fork out for it for something that was not my fault. So I was left no choice but to be left were I was
4th day we both spent being stressed and annoyed, looking online for possible alternative hotels in case we missed some and found nothing. Looking through paper work to see what were covered for or not etc etc
Decided on the 5th day to make the most of what we had left of the honeymoon.
Just looking for some help or advice from someone what my rights are. I can't seem to get a definitive idea.
I checked ATOL and seems they only cover if they go bankrupt, this is not the case.
Not sure what I should do or contact my credit card company, don't know what is the right thing to do?
Can't seem to find any information that describes if I was covered or not and seek recourse for ruining what was suppose to be a honeymoon
Ouch - Your first point of contact has to be Lowcostholidays and see what they have to say. You have already had some contact with them and they are aware so it is possible you can sort it out without to much trouble
It is not clear if you have a "Package Holiday" or a "Dynamic Package". Have a look here for a brief description of the difference.
http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/forum/understanding-your-holiday-booking-t158718.html
Once we know which then we can try to assist.
fwh
It is not clear if you have a "Package Holiday" or a "Dynamic Package". Have a look here for a brief description of the difference.
http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/forum/understanding-your-holiday-booking-t158718.html
Once we know which then we can try to assist.
fwh
Thanks for your reply, I believe lowcostholidays are classed as "Dynamic Package", but due to being an ATOL member, you pay £2.50 on your invoice to get the same protection as a "Packaged Holiday" (This is the contradictory info I can make sense of)
But honestly I don't know how lowcostholidays operate. my invoice came with a break down of everything including the ATOL fee for the protection.
But I don't know if this is just for companies that disappear they cover you for.
I honestly don't know that's why I was seeking some advice about the situation. I don't even know if my credit card company will do anything about it if I contact them
But honestly I don't know how lowcostholidays operate. my invoice came with a break down of everything including the ATOL fee for the protection.
But I don't know if this is just for companies that disappear they cover you for.
I honestly don't know that's why I was seeking some advice about the situation. I don't even know if my credit card company will do anything about it if I contact them
It's a flight and hotel booking (flightplus). Lowcost don't sell packages.
So does that (flight-plus) mean even though my honeymoon was ruined I'm screwed? Or my best bet to contact my credit card company?
The £2.50 is for Atol protection for supplier failure. It doesn't make it a package. You need to write to Lowcost, in the first instance, and they should help you with sorting this out with whichever supplier your contract was with.
First have you contacted Lowcostholidays? No matter which road you go down the CC supplier or a court would ask if you have tried to resolve the problem with them before pursuing an action/claim.
Any claim will be subject to the Terms & Conditions of Lowcostholidays to which you agreed when making your booking. They can be found here.
http://content.lowcostholidays.com/DataObjects/FlightTermsConditions/File/Uk%20terms%20and%20conditions%20flight%20and%20hotel.pdf
Your holiday was a "Dynamic Package" and is subject to different conditions than the "Package Holiday" I have already posted a link that explains the difference.
You did say that when you got there that the booking had been cancelled. Did you at any time receive prior to the holiday receive any communication telling you of a problem. Remember that an email could easily have gone into your S P A M folder - I assume you do check them prior to deleting.
Do you have any documentation from the first hotel confirming the cancellation?
Should you wish to take legal advice, having exhausted ALL attempts to resolve things with Lowcostholidays, then you could consider contacting Simpson Millar Solicitors - details can be found here.
Simpson Millar Solicitors
Who have assisted members of HT
Unfortunately when things go wrong resolving the matter is not simply a case of complaining it can take a considerable time reaching a satisfactory conclusion.
fwh
Any claim will be subject to the Terms & Conditions of Lowcostholidays to which you agreed when making your booking. They can be found here.
http://content.lowcostholidays.com/DataObjects/FlightTermsConditions/File/Uk%20terms%20and%20conditions%20flight%20and%20hotel.pdf
Your holiday was a "Dynamic Package" and is subject to different conditions than the "Package Holiday" I have already posted a link that explains the difference.
You did say that when you got there that the booking had been cancelled. Did you at any time receive prior to the holiday receive any communication telling you of a problem. Remember that an email could easily have gone into your S P A M folder - I assume you do check them prior to deleting.
Do you have any documentation from the first hotel confirming the cancellation?
Should you wish to take legal advice, having exhausted ALL attempts to resolve things with Lowcostholidays, then you could consider contacting Simpson Millar Solicitors - details can be found here.
Simpson Millar Solicitors
Who have assisted members of HT
Unfortunately when things go wrong resolving the matter is not simply a case of complaining it can take a considerable time reaching a satisfactory conclusion.
fwh
Link to Simpson Millar.topic.
http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/forum/simpson-millar-solicitors-t147960.html
http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/forum/simpson-millar-solicitors-t147960.html
Which supplier was the accommodation booked through?
thanks for the information. Yes when I called lowcostholiday they were not aware that it had been cancelled. They chased a company called cosmos around who they said was their contact who supplied them with the information. So no issue with SPAM, LCH confirmed they themselves they didn't know. So hotel was blaming LCH & LCH were blaming the hotel
So what do I do? I mean if LCH know themselves they are not legally responsible for anything then will they really help or just fob me off and what do I say? Given the fact I have no rights to complain about
I think the supplier was called cosmos, I only became aware it wasn't LCH I was speaking to after the 4th call when the lady from LCH said I had been speaking to Cosmos, I thought it was LCH calling me back
So what do I do? I mean if LCH know themselves they are not legally responsible for anything then will they really help or just fob me off and what do I say? Given the fact I have no rights to complain about
I think the supplier was called cosmos, I only became aware it wasn't LCH I was speaking to after the 4th call when the lady from LCH said I had been speaking to Cosmos, I thought it was LCH calling me back
Who is Cosmos? The only one I know is the TO. Are you saying that Lowcostholidays booked a room with Cosmos the TO?
What help have Lowcostholidays offered in resolving things?
As it is a "Dynamic Package" then your paperwork should show the various suppliers - Flight - Transfer- accommodation booking agency as due to the nature of dynamic packages you enter into a contract with each of them separately.
Whilst appreciate your problem may I suggest that you take a little time out to compile a statement of the facts. Ignore personal feelings as they only muddy the waters but if you should finish up in court for example then you would need to do that anyway.Hold onto any documentation, emails etc as you will need them as part of your claim. If you speak to Lowcostholidays on the telephone make notes. The more comprehensive the paper trail the more it will help you.
fwh
What help have Lowcostholidays offered in resolving things?
As it is a "Dynamic Package" then your paperwork should show the various suppliers - Flight - Transfer- accommodation booking agency as due to the nature of dynamic packages you enter into a contract with each of them separately.
Whilst appreciate your problem may I suggest that you take a little time out to compile a statement of the facts. Ignore personal feelings as they only muddy the waters but if you should finish up in court for example then you would need to do that anyway.Hold onto any documentation, emails etc as you will need them as part of your claim. If you speak to Lowcostholidays on the telephone make notes. The more comprehensive the paper trail the more it will help you.
fwh
Of course I understand, my personal feelings were left out in the canaries after the 5th day.
I am only mentioning exactly what I know. Which was they said I will get a call back in the morning. When I got the call back they apologized this had happened, from the limited availability only a few bad reviewed hotels were left (about 4 hotels), which I refused and they apologized that they could not find me anything similar to what I booked. So I found 1 from all the calling around myself and suggested them, the guy said ok I will have to check if they are on our list of hotels we work with and get back to you with an outcome
5 minutes later a receive a call back from LCH saying I believe you spoke to our supplier COSMOS few minutes ago (that's when I became aware I wasn't speaking to LCH before) and the hotel you wanted to be moved to is not on their list plus it's an increase in star rating so you we can either refund you and you find a hotel your self or pay the difference.
Of course I explained again to the lady that I wasn't asking to be moved there, I was only providing an alternative because they had no luck in finding anything. That's when I said I have no problem who it's with, if you can get me similar to what I ordered then excellent, I don't have to do anything. But you guys have said yourself you can't find anything, so I searched around to help you out because it was also wasting my time to speed up the process.
Anyway so the final conversation was that they couldn't find me anything what soever, only alternatives were places that were far worse, e.g. reviews of hotels involving cockroaches, bath rooms not being cleaned, taps broken, dirty rooms etc etc which they excluded themselves because of the bad reviews.
So my only option left was to get a refund, get out of the hotel and go searching for a hotel in a foreign country whilst on holiday, waste even more time of my holidayand end up in one of those bad hotels and end up paying a hefty amount for it due to no advance booking.
Or stay where I am because I have no choice, I'm not going to get what I ordered.
So I chose the latter and get on with the rest of my holiday
I've got some emails but of course due to the emergency whilst on holiday, communication was imminent so mostly telephone calls were the means of communication rather than waiting around hours and days for emails to get through.
I am only mentioning exactly what I know. Which was they said I will get a call back in the morning. When I got the call back they apologized this had happened, from the limited availability only a few bad reviewed hotels were left (about 4 hotels), which I refused and they apologized that they could not find me anything similar to what I booked. So I found 1 from all the calling around myself and suggested them, the guy said ok I will have to check if they are on our list of hotels we work with and get back to you with an outcome
5 minutes later a receive a call back from LCH saying I believe you spoke to our supplier COSMOS few minutes ago (that's when I became aware I wasn't speaking to LCH before) and the hotel you wanted to be moved to is not on their list plus it's an increase in star rating so you we can either refund you and you find a hotel your self or pay the difference.
Of course I explained again to the lady that I wasn't asking to be moved there, I was only providing an alternative because they had no luck in finding anything. That's when I said I have no problem who it's with, if you can get me similar to what I ordered then excellent, I don't have to do anything. But you guys have said yourself you can't find anything, so I searched around to help you out because it was also wasting my time to speed up the process.
Anyway so the final conversation was that they couldn't find me anything what soever, only alternatives were places that were far worse, e.g. reviews of hotels involving cockroaches, bath rooms not being cleaned, taps broken, dirty rooms etc etc which they excluded themselves because of the bad reviews.
So my only option left was to get a refund, get out of the hotel and go searching for a hotel in a foreign country whilst on holiday, waste even more time of my holidayand end up in one of those bad hotels and end up paying a hefty amount for it due to no advance booking.
Or stay where I am because I have no choice, I'm not going to get what I ordered.
So I chose the latter and get on with the rest of my holiday
I've got some emails but of course due to the emergency whilst on holiday, communication was imminent so mostly telephone calls were the means of communication rather than waiting around hours and days for emails to get through.
Post a Reply
Please sign in or register an account to reply to this post.
Similar Topics
-
Thomson messed up
Posted by chet in Turkey Discussion Forum
-
First Choice messed up our booking
Posted by michhew8 in Holiday Complaints
-
Thomson - Messed up flights Premium/Business
Posted by jen2205 in Holiday Complaints
-
Help with where to go on our honeymoon!
Posted by markandsam in Turkey Discussion Forum
-
Honeymoon.. where to go?
Posted by stace1983 in General Holiday Enquiries, Hints and Tips