I'm on the other side (i.e. none consumer!) and have to (rarely) deal with complaints as I work for a very good company. In other travel companies, i've worked for, they havn't been so efficient (so to speak) and have had to deal with a lot more complaints, some genuine, some pointless, and some plain ignorant.
However, as you get to see the responses to many complaints from travel companies, I thought it would be interesting to see you (the consumers!) views to this one. I have simplified it and changed the actual country just for anonymity's sake, but the premise is a genuine one.
A couple brought an expensive holiday to Asia, lets say Bangkok 3 nights, and Krabi for 7 nights. It cost £4000 in total. It included flights, hotel & transfers.
The clients were booked on a late afternoon flight from Bangkok - Krabi, which was cancelled, but not until the clients were at the airport. They were unable to re-book on a later flight as none were available, so the airline booked them on the first flight the next morning. Our representatives, who were with them, booked them back into their Bangkok hotel for an additional night for the evening, and they departed as normal the next morning.
Their Bangkok hotel was very plush (£350 per night approx - about 3x the cost of their Krabi hotel). We had to pay for their room for the extra night in Bangkok, so have already lost £350 (and won't get refunded for their night in Krabi).
On their return, the clients have complained, and demanded compensation for missing out on a day of their beach holiday, and general inconvenience. Our booking conditions have us completely covered, but we don't like to see it as black and white. However, i'm inclined to apologise and say there is nothing more we can do.
What would your response be?
I personally would refund them for the night in Krabi plus something extra. The way I see it they haven't received what they paid for which was X number of nights in Krabi.The hotel in Bangkok despite being a luxury one was not part of their planned holiday. As you say your travel company is a reputable one who rarely have complaints so customer satisfaction is obviously high on your priorities. Satisfy this customer and they will probably travel with you again in the future, upset them and you will lose their business plus your good name.
Unfortunately I have been retired for some years so business practices may have changed enormously since I was last at work but in any dealings with customers our good name and their satisfaction were of utmost importance.
Unfortunately I have been retired for some years so business practices may have changed enormously since I was last at work but in any dealings with customers our good name and their satisfaction were of utmost importance.
i tend to agree with Judith.
as i see it, the problem you have when dealing with complaints is that you do not know the reason people have chosen the options that they have.
i think this is where the bigger companies go wrong, in regard to complaints, as the take away the personal touch that is required by their customers.
it could be in this case that the holidaymakers main priority was a beach holiday and they tacked on the 3 days in Bangkok just to see it while they were there. the problem for you is that you just do not know that, so you think you have done them a favour where in fact you have spoiled their holiday.
for the sake of your companies good name i would be inclined to pay them the cost of 1 night in the cheap hotel, plus something for the inconvenience of them travelling to and from the airport and having to repack a second time.
this is my opinion based on the information you provided, but i could change my mind if the circumstances were slightly different.
as i see it, the problem you have when dealing with complaints is that you do not know the reason people have chosen the options that they have.
i think this is where the bigger companies go wrong, in regard to complaints, as the take away the personal touch that is required by their customers.
it could be in this case that the holidaymakers main priority was a beach holiday and they tacked on the 3 days in Bangkok just to see it while they were there. the problem for you is that you just do not know that, so you think you have done them a favour where in fact you have spoiled their holiday.
for the sake of your companies good name i would be inclined to pay them the cost of 1 night in the cheap hotel, plus something for the inconvenience of them travelling to and from the airport and having to repack a second time.
this is my opinion based on the information you provided, but i could change my mind if the circumstances were slightly different.
Interesting. What I will add is that had our reps with them at Bangkok Airport when their flight was cancelled, so they got driven back to the Bangkok hotel, and driven back again the next morning in a private car, so they incurred no extra cost. But yes, obviously they had to unpack and repack.
They lost 1 night on the beach, about 16 hours overall. The city hotel they chose for their anniversary (it was a very special hotel, thus £350 a night, they wanted very definitely to stay there - just for 3, and not 4 nights).
Worth adding that already it has cost us £350 through no fault of our own (as we said, an airline cancellation, was handled impeccably, with a minimum of hassle). We are entirely covered for this (even our booking conditions state that flexibility is a requirement of travelling in this region!) and their travel insurance might help them get some extra money.
If we refund them the extra night & compensation, this will be a loss making holiday to us (not saying we won't, but worth thinking about!). We would be compensating them in effect, on the airlines behalf.
They lost 1 night on the beach, about 16 hours overall. The city hotel they chose for their anniversary (it was a very special hotel, thus £350 a night, they wanted very definitely to stay there - just for 3, and not 4 nights).
Worth adding that already it has cost us £350 through no fault of our own (as we said, an airline cancellation, was handled impeccably, with a minimum of hassle). We are entirely covered for this (even our booking conditions state that flexibility is a requirement of travelling in this region!) and their travel insurance might help them get some extra money.
If we refund them the extra night & compensation, this will be a loss making holiday to us (not saying we won't, but worth thinking about!). We would be compensating them in effect, on the airlines behalf.
There is an old saying Sam, that unfortunately most people these days dont want to listen to and its called `Stuff Happens`...when it does the hallmark of a good company is how they deal with it. In the case you have outlined, I would say they should have been grateful your staff were a) there and b) didnt leave them to fend for themselves. The situation was redeemed well. You do tell travellers to be `flexible` in this part of the world. Wise words but like above, not listened to.
Instead more and more people listen to the weasel words of daytime tv lawyers ads and try to get something back on most endeavours they undertake. We used to be a nation of pragmatic people who accepted life was a bit awkward from time to time, got on with it and made it water under the bridge.
Personally I think your company has dealt with the situation admirably and I would be telling these ungrateful snivellers to take their unwanted business and inflict themselves on someone else.Job Done
Instead more and more people listen to the weasel words of daytime tv lawyers ads and try to get something back on most endeavours they undertake. We used to be a nation of pragmatic people who accepted life was a bit awkward from time to time, got on with it and made it water under the bridge.
Personally I think your company has dealt with the situation admirably and I would be telling these ungrateful snivellers to take their unwanted business and inflict themselves on someone else.Job Done
Sam, I worked in the travel industry for a good few years, and came to realise that cost was not necessarily relevant when it did come down to complaints. What was an expensive holiday to some, was peanuts to others. The important point was that the clients had the holiday they booked. Your clients didn't in this case, and much as I know your company bent over backwards to help them, and understand that you could make a loss, I would be inclined to compensate them.
This is a most interesting question, and Sam clearly works for a reputable company, but I agree with Judith.
The clients didn't get what they paid for and deserve compensation, pure and simple to me. As to how much, I think Judith and Jimd-f are thinking along the right lines.
You may find that the 'flexibility' mentioned in the booking conditions is not supported in a court of law, and not a 'get out' clause. Might be deemed an unfair condition by trading standards.
Peter
The clients didn't get what they paid for and deserve compensation, pure and simple to me. As to how much, I think Judith and Jimd-f are thinking along the right lines.
You may find that the 'flexibility' mentioned in the booking conditions is not supported in a court of law, and not a 'get out' clause. Might be deemed an unfair condition by trading standards.
Peter
I believe if the clients took their complaint to a County Court or Trading Standards, then the travel company will more than likely lose - as they didn't get the actual holiday they booked. Not the fault of the travel company but that's the only avenue of complaint they have.
However, the travel company may be able to make a claim in respect of compensation against the airline, although scheduled airlines are not so easy to claim against but they have stricter rules and regulations than the charters - so there may be a way round it.... Either way, you've nothing to lose by trying.
My thoughts if the clients decided to go to Abta though, is entirely different. I believe Abta will look at the costs involved and weigh it up against the inconvenienence and offset it against any award, which sounds likely be a lot less than the cost of the missed night...
It's one of those where the agent can't do right for doing wrong. Whatever you offer/ed - it wasn't what they had originally booked and it doesn't matter how much it cost you to salvage the situation - the clients will just not be satisfied.
I remember we were waiting for a brand new AI unit to be completed but it had run behind schedule due to appalling weather over winter. We had to move AI guests to the opposite end of the island as it was the only other AI unit open at that time of year (April). The hotel suddenly announced they were ready for opening with absolutely no notice.... so, we kept the AI guests where we had moved them as transfers had been arranged (2hrs drive) from their original airport and we put a lot of 2 star S/C LateDeal bookings into the AI unit....
Some of the S/C guests weren't happy because they had brought bacon, sausages etc and had to throw them away (they were put into a brand new 4 star hotel on AI remember) and some of the AI guests hired cars and drove to where they should have been staying and of course, saw there were people staying there!
Needless to say, we had to pay out - on both lots of guests!
Very frustrating but not a lot you can do
CwB
However, the travel company may be able to make a claim in respect of compensation against the airline, although scheduled airlines are not so easy to claim against but they have stricter rules and regulations than the charters - so there may be a way round it.... Either way, you've nothing to lose by trying.
My thoughts if the clients decided to go to Abta though, is entirely different. I believe Abta will look at the costs involved and weigh it up against the inconvenienence and offset it against any award, which sounds likely be a lot less than the cost of the missed night...
It's one of those where the agent can't do right for doing wrong. Whatever you offer/ed - it wasn't what they had originally booked and it doesn't matter how much it cost you to salvage the situation - the clients will just not be satisfied.
I remember we were waiting for a brand new AI unit to be completed but it had run behind schedule due to appalling weather over winter. We had to move AI guests to the opposite end of the island as it was the only other AI unit open at that time of year (April). The hotel suddenly announced they were ready for opening with absolutely no notice.... so, we kept the AI guests where we had moved them as transfers had been arranged (2hrs drive) from their original airport and we put a lot of 2 star S/C LateDeal bookings into the AI unit....
Some of the S/C guests weren't happy because they had brought bacon, sausages etc and had to throw them away (they were put into a brand new 4 star hotel on AI remember) and some of the AI guests hired cars and drove to where they should have been staying and of course, saw there were people staying there!
Needless to say, we had to pay out - on both lots of guests!
Very frustrating but not a lot you can do
CwB
My thoughts if the clients decided to go to Abta though, is entirely different. I believe Abta will look at the costs involved and weigh it up against the inconvenienence and offset it against any award, which sounds likely be a lot less than the cost of the missed night...
That's why I never recommend going to ABTA, I view it as the travel agents' trade union, rightly or wrongly.
Peter
I personally would say that your company did all they could to try to help your clients out, after all it wasn't your fault that the flight was cancelled.
We would all like to be able to give our clients a holiday that was 100% perfect everytime, unfortunately it is not always possible.
If we refunded every customer everytime something like this happens we would all be running at a loss.
I know we all feel a bit responsibly personally if something goes wrong but i think in this instance you have done everything you can.
We would all like to be able to give our clients a holiday that was 100% perfect everytime, unfortunately it is not always possible.
If we refunded every customer everytime something like this happens we would all be running at a loss.
I know we all feel a bit responsibly personally if something goes wrong but i think in this instance you have done everything you can.
travelling sam
would you like to update us as to how you resolved this complaint in the end.
thanks.
would you like to update us as to how you resolved this complaint in the end.
thanks.
This was concluded a couple of months ago in reality, but it was interesting to see peoples viewpoints.
The clients received no compensation from us.
They accepted that in reality we could have accommodated for them for the extra night in a far cheaper, but adequate airport hotel, and refunded them for the night on the beach they missed which would have saved us money.
Likewise they were very happy with the service at the airport, and that we ensured they were seamlessly looked after, re-booked onto the first flight the next day, transferred back to their hotel and back to the airport the following morning.
Following advice from us, they claimed on their travel insurance, although we are unsure if it was successful. I must add, what is the point of having travel insurance if you are unprepared to claim on it for valid reasons?
It's a harsh reality that it would be economic suicide to refund & compensate such a booking to the extent that a travel company ends up making a loss on the booking. Only in extreme situations should this be entertained, where there has been such a breakdown that a holiday is ruined.
It's also a stark reality, as many stories on this site show, if travel companies are pro-active in their responses to any problems, offer a single and simple point of contact, answer all questions and queries honestly and most importantly quickly, that they can often be resolved with a minimum of fuss, often on the spot, and often only causing minor inconveniences. Often they seem to let things spiral out of control unneccessarily, which i'll never understand.
In this case the clients initial letter and complaints were drowned out by an acceptance of how wonderful the rest of their holiday had been, and how quickly this problem (not of our making) had been dealt with. We had also tried to pre-empt any problems by ordering a bottle of champagne (well, Australian Sparkling Wine such is the case in Asia!) for their final night on holiday. We never even had to quote terms and conditions (which wholeheartedly were on our side).
They were obviously happy with how it had been dealt with and their son has subsequently been in touch to look at organising his honeymoon (not yet booked though, but we'll ensure he gets VIP treatment!).
There is definitely a time and place to pay compensation, but this wasn't it!
I was tempted to add a story to the other thread (about blacklists) about the only time i've been involved in a case that went to ABTA arbitration (a previous company!) that was so unjust and crazy that not only did we win the case, we insisted that ABTA legally pursue our arbitration costs from the clients. Needless to say they were blacklisted, but the story is just too recognisable should they be reading this forum perchance so I won't risk it!
The clients received no compensation from us.
They accepted that in reality we could have accommodated for them for the extra night in a far cheaper, but adequate airport hotel, and refunded them for the night on the beach they missed which would have saved us money.
Likewise they were very happy with the service at the airport, and that we ensured they were seamlessly looked after, re-booked onto the first flight the next day, transferred back to their hotel and back to the airport the following morning.
Following advice from us, they claimed on their travel insurance, although we are unsure if it was successful. I must add, what is the point of having travel insurance if you are unprepared to claim on it for valid reasons?
It's a harsh reality that it would be economic suicide to refund & compensate such a booking to the extent that a travel company ends up making a loss on the booking. Only in extreme situations should this be entertained, where there has been such a breakdown that a holiday is ruined.
It's also a stark reality, as many stories on this site show, if travel companies are pro-active in their responses to any problems, offer a single and simple point of contact, answer all questions and queries honestly and most importantly quickly, that they can often be resolved with a minimum of fuss, often on the spot, and often only causing minor inconveniences. Often they seem to let things spiral out of control unneccessarily, which i'll never understand.
In this case the clients initial letter and complaints were drowned out by an acceptance of how wonderful the rest of their holiday had been, and how quickly this problem (not of our making) had been dealt with. We had also tried to pre-empt any problems by ordering a bottle of champagne (well, Australian Sparkling Wine such is the case in Asia!) for their final night on holiday. We never even had to quote terms and conditions (which wholeheartedly were on our side).
They were obviously happy with how it had been dealt with and their son has subsequently been in touch to look at organising his honeymoon (not yet booked though, but we'll ensure he gets VIP treatment!).
There is definitely a time and place to pay compensation, but this wasn't it!
I was tempted to add a story to the other thread (about blacklists) about the only time i've been involved in a case that went to ABTA arbitration (a previous company!) that was so unjust and crazy that not only did we win the case, we insisted that ABTA legally pursue our arbitration costs from the clients. Needless to say they were blacklisted, but the story is just too recognisable should they be reading this forum perchance so I won't risk it!
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