Hello again just thought you may like to see the letter I have wrote to panorama.Have tried to keep it to the point.

OPERATIONS,
Panorama Holidays,
2-4 Godwin Street,
Bradford,
West Yorkshire,
BD1 2ST.

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing in response to an e mail received on Thursday 27th March 2008.(copy enclosed)
After numerous phone calls and e mails I have not been able to contact you what so ever. There are either no advisors available or I have queued for over 3 hours at great expense to my self and not got through. I have also spoken to your customer services people who have left message after message for you to contact me.
I don't accept your alternative hotel "Park inn, Nabq bay .Please could you contact me urgently as our holiday is booked for the 13th April 2008.We still wish to travel but not to this hotel.
I would also like to know what compensation you are offering for this late change and to reimburse me for the phone calls,

Do you think this will move them,

regards Genine

Lottie 944
Oh what a shame for your parent,I do hope you have a lovely time anyway.Thanks for your kind thoughts,By the way I am female (with you saying mate) I think you think I'm a bloke lol.
We are doing the nile cruise and stay in september for my 50th.

Letter sounds fine to me. I think now you just have to leave it and wait and see if they reply to this letter or the email. If they don't, you have the evidence that you objected beforehand. Then go on your holiday and ENJOY it! Don't let this ruin it for you. It sounds as though the main problem with this hotel may be the food. So if necessary have a few meals out, but keep the receipts and on your return, press for reimbursement of these expenses from the tour op. It will give you a definite figure to request, which I think helps.

I think the letter is good. It's short & to the point, many folk go into a long ramble & I am sure TO's don't even bother to read to the end & just send out their standard reply. You have registered your complaint prior to travel which should help if you wish to persue things on your return.

Try not to worry, hotels in Sharm get mixed reviews it's that kind of place. People will have been to the Park Inn & had a great holiday so if that is where you end up try to stay positive & have a good time, then persue a claim on your return. If anything isn't up to scratch, take photos and fill in an official complaint form. Then just go back to enjoying the sun.

The way you have been treated is very shoddy & as for premium rate phone lines well. says it all.

Letter gone in post to be signed for.
Have just received by email a new invoice for Park Inn ,so no chance of it being an error now.
There was an email address on it to contact them if any thing was wrong so have sent them one telling them hotel is not acceptable and to contact me urgently.

Oh Dear. Keep us posted. At least you are doing all you can to try and get it resolved.

Hi ,I have just received a telephone call from operations (responding to emails not the letter)at thomas cook telling me I can not change hotels as basically there is no availability in Sharma what so ever !!!!
I asked why then could I go on line and book and she said there system is more upto date than online and sharma is very busy.
Asked about compensation for late cancellation and telephone calls and she said they do not have to give it according to there terms and conditions.
So I have asked how to make a complaint and she said through customer relations .I have already emailed them yesterday so will wait and see.
Due to the fact prices seem to have shot up from when we booked we have decided to go to the park inn and see what happens there.
Will keep you all informed of any changes ,
regards Genine

hassie
first my apologies, yes i did think you were a bloke. As for your hotel, try to think on the positive side and keep an open mind. Lasy year after booking our holiday i looked at the reviews, they were terrible for the boat we were going on. When we got there it was nothing but a wonderful holiday and i would go again on the same boat. The hotel we stayed in in Luxor also had bad reviews........well what can i say....to me it was like a palace. The food was very nice only downfall was it was not always very hot but i think this will be found in most hotels in Egypt. We talked to people staying at the Hilton and they said their food was not hot. so there you go.
At the end of the day i guess it depends what you are used to and what you expect, sometimes when you have read bad reviews, you go expecting the worst and you are pleasantly surprised. At least your tour operators know in advance you are not happy and if it is as bad as what you have read they are probably expecting a complaint when you return.
You just go now and have a lovely time. I'm sure you will.

If you are not happy when you get there kick up a stink and ask to be moved. Check out hotels before you go to see which are best. Sister hotel to Park inn was Raddison sas (don't know if it still is) which is over road on beach front but its not A\I I dont think but the reviews for that were ok.

Go and enjoy and hound them when you come back we did last year and have got a free holiday to Turkey this year


Jo

Hi everyone,well after reading the latest review for the park inn we have cancelled and booked through first choice to go to the coral sea resort £120 more but worth every penny,booked in our local f.c.hypermarket so any probs they should help.I feel as if I've been through the mincer but will sleep tonight.Regards to all,
Genine

So Pleased for you

I know you will have a fantastc time

Take Care Marion xx

Well pleased for you Genine . You can relax now knowing you are going to a hotel with excellent reviews . well done ,a good decision made

Hi Hassie

We stayed at Coral Sea last June as Hol village wasn't open on time. You'll have a great time. It's right on beach. You can stroll down path on beach front. The snorkelling there is amazing.

The food at Coral Sea is really nice, plenty of choice and there pastries are to die for (so get on crash diet ready )

The staff are really nice aswell and it should be mainly British guests. The rooms are really spacious.

Any questions please ask away. Glad you got sorted, as its not nice being in limbo. Enjoy

Jo

So glad you got it sorted Hassie. You can look forward to it now.

Hi again,have been having a good look through trip advisor egypt forum and I think we have had a lucky escape some other poor people didn't even get told the st george was full untill they landed at the airport !!!They had no option but to go there(park inn) poor things.Should be nearly there this time next week woohoo Sun,Sea and sharm

I'm sorry to hear about this problem hassie1... and for anyone else experiencing similar problems
The Terms & Conditions under which you booked are legally binding... but if there's a clause to say that you're only entitled to a non-named (but equivalent star-rating) hotel, if there's a mess-up, you can't do much other than to take legal advice
If there is no clause (as outlined above, or something similar) you are within your rights to report the service provider and use ABTA etc to force the reseller/hotel agency to get you in there - not least when the hotel is *named* on your booking confirmation - it's a legal contract if you're fully paid-up.

As a last resort (no pun intended) start 'hassling' the Reps as soon as you land - they can work wonders with a few kind words I say that because I was a Rep for a while... but be kind to them, smile a lot and you might be surprised what they can achieve on your behalf.

Sun, Sea and Sharm - have a fabulous time in the St George hassie1
Mark

hassies daughter here

after all the trouble with the holiday:
she is in manchester airport and the flight has been delayed by 4 hrs 10 mins
oooopppssss!!!!

hi hassise daughter, hope your mum has a fab time after reading all the stress shes been through. id love to dear a post from her when she gets back, as i have just booked to go to coral sea resort at easter next year. heard fab reviews about it, would love to hear what your mum thinks.

thanks cooperloian

Im 100% sure she will update and write a review when she gets back.

Well If she ever gets their
flight is now 5 hrs 40 mins delayed