I think your choice of words (as the subject) are a bit strong as I don't think it's a rip off , more a case of FC not looking carefully enough at pleasing established customers. But its their choice to decide who to give discounts to and they have decided to try to encourage new customers by giving them this offer.

Its really something not that new and the same thing is done by banks & building societies with a special opening offer for new customers at a better rate than their established customers.If you were losing several hundred pounds I could understand more your great upset but I think in this case you should just accept it after all I bet the price of the holiday with FC was better than some other companies,so I'll bet you've made some sort of saving already.

Sorry if I appear to be unsympathetic but for the saving of about £20 each, it really doesn't seem that important to me.

It's not a saving of £20 each.
The cost for four of us would be £180 'Per person', £720 as opposed to £40 per person, £160.

I'm sorry if you think my choice of words are a bit strong but in my opinion, the difference of £560 for the same seats are a right royal "rip off".

Sorry....didn't read your first post carefully enough.

Ok can understand why you are so upset but don't let it stress you out or you'll ruin your holiday.

And I still think you choice of words is a bit strong , I'll be interested to see what others think.

I agree with you, your not going to pay £140 each extra for something they are selling at same time for £40 per person. I'd ask to speak to a manager and keep persisting with it.

I know of people that have rang FC at last minute whos holiday prices have dropped dramatically and they have got it at reduced price

Good luck

ps

Hovis if this was not of interest to you why did you reply

Jo

LizzyjoB wrote:

Hovis if this was not of interest to you why did you reply

I think you'll find that I actually said " it really doesn't seem that important to me "
& that's not the same as being of no interest .

This is no difference than booking a holiday now and seeing it advertised cheaper some months later due to a special promotion or a discount being offered which wasn't at the time of booking.

Would you go to a computer shop and demand a free printer that is being offered to customers buying a computer now, some months after you purchased the same computer but without the free printer as it wasn't offered at the time you bought it?

Mark

Or buy a coat in October and then expect the shop to refund the difference in price when they mark down the few last remaining ones in the sales in January?

I feel as though there's no point in phoning every day now because as soon as new bookings see those prices, they're going to snap them up straight away.

And that is why they are doing this. They want to not only fill the plane but also sell the last few holidays left - and if offering Premium seats at a discount tempts some people who haven't yet booked to do so then the tactic will have worked - but that's what it is - a marking strategy and not a rip-off. I can't see why anybody would think it's a rip-off - you weren't prepared to pay the price when you first booked and you're still not prepared to pay the price being asked now, even if it is less than half the original price - but you're getting what you paid for, nothing more, nothing less.

I can see that you were hoping to play the system and get something for less but they're not charging you any more now than you've already contracted to pay and they're not ripping you off simply because they won't reduce the price to only 10% of the original price for you. After all it's not as if you DID pay £399pp - if you had I could have understood your anger a bit more but even then there's little you could now do about it.

SM

Must say I'd be narked if I wanted upgrades and I was being charged £180 against a new customer paying £40. That's a lot of difference, but as has been said there's nothing you can do about it apart from let FC know you think it unfair.

you're getting what you paid for, nothing more, nothing less

This is so true. Are you going to allow it to ruin your holiday?

When you booked the holiday, you must have done loads of research, got really excited, and had that tingly, happy feeling when you paid your deposit, and continued researching where you'll eat and what you'd do.

Now, from where I'm standing, you're getting the same holiday, same price, but you're now really narked off, and it's going to potentially turn everything into a damp squid.

Why let it?

Its no different to meeting someone in your hotel who has paid half the amount you have because they booked late.

On my last flight I was chatting to the couple next to me about how much they had paid for the same flight - they had paid £600 pp more than me for the flights alone as they had booked a couple of days before flying, and i'd booked ages before. We all paid what we were happy with - they weren't upset with me, but I felt slightly smug. It works both ways. You wouldn't volunteer more money if the seats had gone up in price.

There is a slight difference. They havnt booked star class yet, so they were looking at price to book now and they are quoting 2 different prices. Yes if it was already booked it would be different matter as our holiday as gone down £500 for family of 5 if we were to book now, thats tuff basically but to want to upgrade and they wont give you same price as new booking then I dont think its on!!

As I've stated:

Would you go to a computer shop and demand a free printer that is being offered to customers buying a computer now, some months after you purchased the same computer but without the free printer as it wasn't offered at the time you bought it?

Comparable.

Mark

We booked our holiday for this october last November did not upgrade our seats, but back in January got a phone call with an offer to up grade at £ 80 each we snatched their hands off . Just pot luck

First Choice phoned me the other day to ask if we would like to book the extra legroom seats on our forthcoming holiday. I asked how much and he quoted the same old price, no reduction at all. What a disappointment. So obviously I said no thanks. After all, if I was willing to pay that, I would have booked them in the first place!

It's not good but you shouldn't let it ruin your holiday. I would be pretty dissapointed if they were quoting that price to me when you can clearly see it on there website alot cheaper for new customers, the best you can do is probably complain to FCA and start looking forward to your holiday

Going to cuba in 4 weeks and upgraded our seats for £159 each. TThey were £364 a couple of weeks ago. Got the last four seats too! What a result, just have to be lucky I suppose

I thought First Choice long haul flights had really good legroom in all the aircraft.If this is so why do they charge so much to upgrade to a seat that is probably the same as those in the main cabin of the aircraft?

they are slightly different, a little bit more room, drinks included, its a little bit more "special" for want of a better phrase. Also this may sound really daft but I hate flying and prefer to sit at the front of the plane (dont know why, I just do) so its worth it to me, however not at almost £400 each which was the original quote I had from them. Especially when there are 4 of us, I could get another holiday for that!!