hi carol

My daughter and myself booked a whole package holiday with jewel in the crown would go with them anytime fantastic holiday transfers waiting for us on arrival on time to pick us up flew with monarch no delays all in all a brill holiday

Wendy

Jewel in the crown are a smashing operator. No problems there at all.

With the DIY, why dont you book 8 nights acomm? It shoudnt break the bank. I've done that many times when I've been dy-packing for my customers.

I've booked with them for next year to Icmeler Turkey at Dermicioglu apts, it was all going hunky dory.

However, we want to add another person to the booking, there's already 5 of us going, we have 2 apts booked with them.

But they wont give us a price to add the person on, because they say there are contractual difficulties which I'm not convinced about because we stayed at these apts this year, which was done as a DIY package and booked directly with the owner. When there we told the owner we had booked again for next year with them purely for financial reasons, eg low deposit etc. however he did say they are rubbish at paying, he hadnt been paid for people staying in May, June or July but had signed the contract. So maybe they had a fall out.

We booked next years hols via Cop-operative travel and two phone calls later and me dropping in, I still havent got a straight answer. I wanted to know whether I can cancel our booking because they wont add the 6th person ,without me paying any fees etc. or i'd be willing to change to flight only depending on the costs of flights and book accommodation via the owner.

When I booked I did say we may want to add a person and usually its not a problem but havent encountered this before. , but wouldnt know till after this years holiday whether she liked icmeler or not.

So not quite sure where i stand at the moment, will have to keep chasing

Bev

I think I'd call not paying the owner 'a contractual difficulty'! The problem could well be not Co-operative Travels fault - their answer is only going to be as good as what they can find out from Jewels in the Crown. If you decide to cancel because Jewel in the Crown won't add an extra person to the booking then you'll lose your deposit (including any balance of the deposit still due under the low deposit conditions) and also I think that they'd expect you to cancel the complete booking not just the accommodation. I can't see any TO agreeing to let you keep the flights but cancel the apartments because they have probably contracted for a set number of seats on their flights - if they let you keep the flights they won't have them for anybody who wants a complete package from them. In the end adding a person into a booking like this is very much at the TOs discretion and if Jewel in the Crown won't agree to do that then there's little the Co-op as the TA can do.

But have you considered that it might be the owner of the apartment who is unwilling to change the booking? After all he might have put 2 and 2 together and realised who this booking is for - the people who told him that they loved the apartments and had already booked to come again next year but were doing this via a TO because it was cheaper and they only needed to pay a low deposit rather than the full cost of a DIY up front? He probably receives less per head from Jewel in the Crown than you paid him as a DIY and could understandably be put out and feeling unco-operative himself! As long as the 2 apartments really can take 6 people between them, have you considered approaching him and offering to pay him a supplement direct for the 6th person and then booking her flight yourself?

SM

Thats quite true. he charges £420 inc air conditioning for the fortnight per apt. Dont know what he's charging for next year. And the costs are usually the flights being the dearest element.

The deposit is quite a lot to loose £100 x 5 as well. its no wonder I havent done a package for 5 years or so, but DIY to Turkey or anywhere isnt cheap at the moment. Average flights for 4 of us are averaging £1500.

I explained to him that because of the flights are so dear at the moment, we'd done a package plus saving up for this years hols (which have now been and gone ). Told him they're about £300 each, even with Onur air they're silly prices.

I did wonder about trying the 6th person on a flight only (we're flying with Monarch) and seeing if he'll allow her to be added, the apts sleep 4 so there is enough room. Even if he charges £100 or something for her.

I think he's fairly genuine, he gets a lot of repeats. Icmeleronline also use his apts.

thinking of it, I havent had the confirmation through yet for our bookings, we booked in July for next year so maybe we can cancel and start again.

The person at the Co-op I think was quite inexperienced hence needing to refer to the mgr because its not straight forward. I'll have to keep chasing for an answer.

I dont know whether i'm even allowed to ring Jewell in Crown to ask them, but that will be another suggestion of mine.

Will keep informed because it might be happening to other people as well.

Bev

I'm really not too sure what your complaint is - the TO is under no obligation to amend your booking to include a 6th person and if you cancel because the 5 of you don't want to go without your friend that will count as a straightforward cancellation on your part and they will be entitled to keep your deposit.

SM

Dont know whether its a complaint but its certainly a problem.

They've stopped selling it according to Co-op, because of contractual problems, which is v strange, we only booked it in July. The owner said he had signed new contract with them when we were there 3 weeks ago.

Daughters friend now cant go becasue they wont let us add her to the booking. If they added her, they said they may end up cancelling it anyway.

Those sort of amendments are usually done with no problems, as long as flights or room available in the accommodation etc.

I'll be calling in to Co-op tomorrow to ask what our options are, as she desperately wants to come. I may still contact the owner and ask if he's aware of whats going on and see if we can do flight only for her and she share one of the 2 apts that we had already booked.

our confirmation hasnt arrived either, so maybe our holiday is at risk as well, which is what I also need to clear up.

its most likely a one off but its certainly raising some questions in my head.

An update. The apartments are still on "stop sale" in travel agent speak. Obviously there's more contractual difficulties there, despite the MD of J in the C being over in Turkey to renegotiate the contracts.

However, spoke to co-operative travel again and they in turn spoke to Jewel in the Crown who are allowing us to change the accomodation booking free of charge, so we'll do that on Saturday hopefully.

So all in all hats off to them for trying.

The owner when I sent him a text wasnt at all bothered and said it was between us and the tour operator so now he's going to loose 5 bookings as well. And in this financial era, all money coming in should be welcome even if he can make more with his private bookings.

Good luck to everyone else.