Hi Tippi I think Steve was referring to your last post where you wrote "I think in this case the staff in the local National Express office" I've now altered it to 'Holidays'

I booked a coach holiday with David Urquhart Tours and they sent us to stay at the Cumberland Hotel in Workington. The hotel provided dirty table cloths encrusted with food stains, ensuite bathroom for three people with no window to open and no extractor fan, and an array of pigeon droppings at the bedroom window. They refused to provide drinking water at dinner, making people buy bottled water. It was appalling, but apparently met David Urquhart's quality standards. DON'T risk it! The local authority's licensing and environmental health departments are investigating my complaints. David Urquhart can't understand why I couldn't bring myself to stay even one night there. BE WARNED.

My brother & his wife booked a holiday with these vultures, Unfortunately 3 days before he and his wife were due to set off he bacame extremely ill. He was rushed into stepping hill hospital for a life saving operation. So they had to cancel. When he asked for some kind of refund, (as he paid in full), They did not give a toss. Was told to get stuffed, once they get your money, They couldn't give a monkeys if he'd died!!!!!. Disgusting customer services. About as much compassion as a Rottweiler with rabies! Avoid these vultures like the plague!!!

I hope that your brother is now OK but why didn't they claim against their holiday insurance? If they didn't take out insurance then I'm afraid that they'd be extremely unlikely to get a refund from any holiday company that close to departure, no matter what the reasons were for the cancellation.

A few weeks ago I booked to take my mam on a 3 day break with National Holidays. Within a day or two from booking they rang me to say the trip was being cancelled due to low numbers. They offered me a full refund or to move it to another date. As my 83yrs old mother was looking forward to the break I agreed to move the holiday to 23rd July.

Today I have received another call, & yes, they are again cancelling the trip .....due to low bookings. I asked how they could possibly know the bookings were going to be low with another 6 weeks to go? The agent said the head office cancelled due to low bookings 😆

I would suspect that they wanted to cancel hotel rooms in advance ,as its the school holiday period and giving notice of cancellation 6 weeks in advance ,seems about right?

My parents use similar companies and have had a few cancelled. The prices they get are very good and I think they need seats filled as their profit margins would be slim.

We have just been to Scarborough special and I was so disappointed with the hotel we could not get a shower as it was a broken and there was no bath you cod not see out of the windows thay was that mucky and we could not eat there and I don't know if thay had a dog in that room but I got bit all on my legs. We love going on your holidays but I won't be booking Scarborough again if its stopping at the grand it is so discussing

The Grand! You have my sympathy.

The Grand is very well known in Scarborough. Lovely building from the outside & the photos on websites make it look lovely inside too.. Incredibly cheap to stay there though.

You do have to do your research when booking with National regarding the hotels they intend to use. For example The Grand Birstin in Folkestone 🤐

It is my honest advice to you when I say DO NOT use this company.

I have waited until now to write this review be sure that I have all my facts right and to compose this review not in the mood of extreme anger, but in as considered and polite manner as possible.
My wife and I recently went on a 4-day excursion to London & Windsor. Not only was the entire trip a disaster from start to finish. Poor hotel, awful dining timings, inordinately long excursions times. But the most worrying part was the unprofessional, disgusting behaviour as well as downright dangerous driving of the driver.

My wife was left in near tears at the number of times he came within an inch of causing a serious crash during nearly all of our journeys, due to his constant speeding and his ever-present tactic of driving to within 10 feet and less!, when closing on a car in his lane which he considered to be impeding his progress. The object being I assume to intimidate them and force them to change lanes. Needless to say, this tactic worked for some of the more considerate and safe drivers but not at all. As he also encountered other drivers who held their lane position due to them seeing no
need to change lanes as they were obeying the 40 & 50 MPH speed limits imposed on many of the motorways we traversed.

But for me the final straw came as we journeyed home last night. No one at any time during the journey back was given any indication of any changes to the perceived dropping off schedule. So, everyone on the bus naturally assumed that it would be the reverse of Mondays picking up points. As we entered Stockport Bus Station he suddenly announced that he had decided that he was going to completely reschedule the drop off route. This change would added on at least 90 minutes to our own journey. When I questioned this, I was met with an instant and complete rant from him saying that he had decided to change the route as it would put him in a better position for him to drive home and that decision to change was entirely up to him and no-one could challenge that. I have checked and there is NOTHING in national Holiday Terms & Conditions which states he has this right.

After further discussion he changed his mind again (again not telling anyone on the bus), but continued his disgraceful diatribe, saying in a voice that everyone could hear. “Some people” should accept his decision and that if they were not happy with this, they could always walk!!!

Now we have been on many, many excursions with NationalHolidays over the past years, most of which have been excellent. And whilst the quality of drivers does differ, as one would expect, we have never experienced such arrogant, officious, and downright rude behaviour from any of them as we did from this driver. This person is supposed to be their ambassador on such excursions and is the face of National Holidays during the tour.

I duly complained to National Holidays expecting some action on their behalf. Surprise surprise all I got was a whitewash reply saying that they were completely happy with the “investigation” they had conducted into this complaint. Needless to say, I was not as they had studiously and conveniently ignored 80% of my complaints about this driver.

Trust me when I say that we will never use this company again for reasons of passenger safety, disgraceful driver behaviour and total lack of any service support from even their Holiday Director. Don’t just take my word for it. Look at the number of negative replies on consumer agencies i.e. Bususers.org, and several other travel service reputation agencies Trustpilot, Travel Advisor
et al, plus Facebook. You have been warned!

Sounds a bad experience Ray I must admit. Their ability to not do a proper investigation will only come back to bite them as people like yourself will feel as you do and naturally leave bad press all over the internet which now days is easy for everyone to access.

Poor form from NH.

Its a fact the Insurance Policy National Coach Holidays offers is totally useless. If you cancel for any reason they wont pay you any refund ( As we found out at our cost ) . ALWAYS MAKE SURE you book just two days before the trip goes . Check the seating plan and if you see coach over half full chances are you can book but at MUCH LOWER COST FOR THE SAME HOLIDAY. I would like to ASK National Holidays how much these " money grabbers" bank every year by pocketing holiday makers pre paid cash and paying no refunds then re selling the trip again . The process stinks. BUYER BEWARE ALWAYS LEAVE A BOOKING UNTIL 2 Days before departure . Seats are almost always available to last minute. The trip we cancelled went from £79 to £59 the day after we booked it. Second bit of advise Always always google the HOTEL and get the reviews on where you will be staying . Sometimes these hotels are dreadful . Review Bookings com or Tripadvisor

Welcome to HT Aliton
Why did you cancel?

LET ME BEGIN BY SAYING I APPRECIATE THE SINGLE SUPPLEMENT CHARGE WHEN A SINGLE TRAVELLER IS TAKING UP A ROOM WHICH WOULD NORMALLY ACCOMMODATE TWO OR MORE PEOPLE ! HOWEVER ON THE 28TH. JULY I WAS ON THE " A TASTE OF ITALY" TOUR AND ON REACHING OUR DESTINATION ( HOTEL BYRON IN MONTECATINI ) FOUND I WAS GIVEN TO WHAT SEEMED TO ME TO BE A CONVERTED BROOM CUPBOARD WHICH WAS DIFFICULT FOR ONE PERSON TO HAVE ANY DEGREE OF COMFORT, IMPOSSIBLE FOR 2. THIS SPOILT AN OTHERWISE GOOD HOLIDAY WHICH I HAVE EXPERIENCED NUMEROUS TIMES WITH NATIONAL HOLIDAYS IN THE PAST WITH MY LATE WIFE . FOR THIS DISCOMFORT I HAD TO PAY AN EXTRA £80. THIS MORNING I RECEIVED YOUR LATEST BROCHURE AND TO SAVE NATIONAL HOLIDAYS A LIITLE MORE MONEY YOU NEED NOT BOTHER SENDING ME ANY MORE AS I WILL NOT BE PENALISED WITH THIS CHARGE WHEN I AM NOT TAKING UP TWO SPACES.