exactly, you must be mad to use them again !!!! get what you can back and go elsewhere,

Good luck

I agree. Try and get your money back and go elsewhere. I don't think I would ahve given them a second chance.

I think it is quite well known that their web-site often doesn't use 'live' prices when doing initial quotes and they tend to come back with price increases the following day after they have contacted the flight companys and the hoteliers.

A lot of booking agents don't give hotels the actual names of those booked in till about a fortnight before clients are due to arrive at the hotel, so ot beach are not unique in this respect.

Getting money back of this company is easier said than done. I tried to get mine back and they frankly refused, and just quote lines from there terms and conditions. They also refuse in providing any decent kind of customer services and reply to your e-mail with as few words as possible. I actually asked a question and was given a one word answer saying no, that was all it said. Hardly a professional way to respond to a customers question, I have to respond to customers questions on a regular basis and if I replied they way they do I would be out of a job.

Steve

hi all,

the other way of dealing with this company is like you would with a high street shop, .... TRADING STANDARDS

if you bought say a pair of shoes but i told you they were flippers, you can get your money back as they are not "FIT FOR THE PURPOSE THEY ARE MEANT TO BE USED FOR !! "

so if they have miss sold you a holiday take them to the small claims court .. ok it my cost you upto £100 but i can asure you they will settle well before it goes to court or even better report them to WATCHDOG or ROUGH TRADERS !!

ARE THEY a member of ABTA ?
report them to abta or other main bodies

You're totally right!! They don't deserve customers! I just heard from them this morning by email. I asked to cancel, they already have £226 of my money and they NOW want another £96.00 in charges. This totals to £322 of my money, for a load of grief!!! This includes their charges and charges covering other companies charges. The holiday is 6 months away, were not talking weeks here. What holiday company do you know that charge for cancelling when keeping the deposit. The other company is First Choice/Thomson. They don't start with charges unless its under 56 days.

I sent them another email yesterday telling them to cancel the holiday and my reasons for cancelling. I received no apologies or anything. They don't acknowledge anything. They just ask for money. I get this with every email or letter I send to them...I'm 42 and I've been on a lot of holidays and I've never ever come across con merchants like these people.

I've had it with them, I really have..I'm going to take them to the small claims courts, I can't let them get away with what they put me through. I have a list of thing as long as my arm.

ANYONE THINKING OF BOOKING WITH OT BEACH - PLEASE PLEASE DON'T BOOK WITH THEM, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE. IF YOU HAVE TO PAY A LITTLE MORE, ITS WORTH IT FOR A HASSLE FREE HOLIDAY. THEY ARE CON MERCHANTS!! CHARGE UPON CHARGE.

Yes I know how you feel it gets very frustrating as you send e-mails and letters to barekly get a respone. I actually got fed up and actually researched the MD's e-mail address and found it on line. I explained to him how frustrated I was with customer services, he didnt even ackowledge me he just passed it back onto customer services. I eventually admited defeat because by the time months had passed the flights were now more than I had paid, but if I am sure if I had booked with another company in the firtst place I would of not been ripped off in this way.

Steve

Steve

Yes if the MD acts like that then it says it all doesn't it! I've decided I can't let it drop and I'm going to take it to the small claims courts.....so watch this space......

OMG you're right the emails are soooo frustrating 1 and 2 letter words after spending like 30 mintues writing an email. They are getting away with murder...I can't believe it.

Here is the abta address if anyone wants it:

ABTA Ltd
68-71 Newman Street
London W1T 3AH
Telephone: +44 (0) 20-7637 2444
Telefax: +44 (0) 20-7637 0713
General e-mail: abta@abta.co.uk
Web site: abta.com

ABTA also quoted in their emai - If you are unable to reach an amicable settlement of your dispute you may wish to take formal action through the courts or the independent ABTA Arbitration Scheme. Application and claim for which must be made within nine months of your return from holiday.

Oh forgot...ABTA also told me to get all the replies I received from OTB and copies of holiday confirmations etc together and send them to them. Thing is I can't find all the emails they sent me as I rebooted my PC and lost a lot of emails. I'll have to send them what I can and itinery of events. I've already contacted Watchdog, so will wait and see about them.

If ABTA get enough complaints about them in a short space of time then maybe it will make them take notice if OTB's name keeps coming up.

Jane

Hi,

I am really sorry to hear of all your issues,

search all your files on your pc incase they are hiding somewhere, also get a copy of your credit / debit card statment to show what you have been paid. EVEN better phone OTB and play stupid asking them for copies of confirmation then use these copies !!!

its only a thought, i'm just trying to help you all out, as everyone on here are only on here to help each other have a great holiday.

also just another thought send an e-mail stating that unless you have a reply that you are taking them to court, that why your covered . as i dont know the law wheather you have to inform them of your actions or not ??

As for sending more money for charges when you want your money back that they already have -- i would not Pi.s on them if they were on fire !! buy a new holiday and claim the other back,

My sister took a company to court for the holiday they had . saftey around pool and accomodation etc, the holiday company did'nt even show up at court and not only did they have to pay the full cost of the holiday they also had to pay double for the grief caused, sleepless nights, stress, time off work ( joking ) and the fee of what she paid to take them to court and the courts costs. PLAY ON IT AND I CAN ASURE YOU WILL WIN.... COURTS LOOK IN FAVOUR OF THE CUSTOME THESE DAYS.

good luck and keep us all informed or the next instalment.

Yes if the MD acts like that then it says it all doesn't it! I've decided I can't let it drop and I'm going to take it to the small claims courts.....so watch this space......

OMG you're right the emails are soooo frustrating 1 and 2 letter words after spending like 30 mintues writing an email. They are getting away with murder...I can't believe it.

Here is the abta address if anyone wants it:

ABTA Ltd
68-71 Newman Street
London W1T 3AH
Telephone: +44 (0) 20-7637 2444
Telefax: +44 (0) 20-7637 0713
General e-mail: abta@abta.co.uk
Web site: abta.com

ABTA also quoted in their emai - If you are unable to reach an amicable settlement of your dispute you may wish to take formal action through the courts or the independent ABTA Arbitration Scheme. Application and claim for which must be made within nine months of your return from holiday.

Yeah you do spend ages wording a complaint and they just reply with "no we can't do that" and you think is that it after I more or less wrote an essay to you and that's it. Then when they write to you they tell you they don't have to reply for 28 days as that is ABTA's rules, they you wait 28 more or less exactly 28 days to get a standars reply that more or less patonisinlgy says we are sorry for your problems but we are not going to do anything about them as they are acting withing their Terms & Conditions.

Steve

Yes thanks for the info. I found the confirmation. I sent them an email informing them of my intentions. I'm also going to put it in writing because "they seem to like that phrase" i'll get everything prepared for court. I'm also going to ring first choice and get them to confirm that they don't charge for cancelling until 56 days or less. I mean 6 months. They can just go and*****

As for your sister thats brilliant "Good for her" I just need the address now for the courts. I think Trading Standards will have it.

I will definately keep everyone posted.

Hi Steve

Yeah their Terms and Condition (what a joke they are) They say they're with ABTA! I'm suprised that ABTA are letting them get away with so much, unless they don't know about all this. Well they've picked the wrong person this time. They're a joke really and they're cashing in on all these admin fees. The cheap prices are not worth the hassle of it all.

Have you got your holiday coming up or have you travelled already? I wish you would push them and get your money back I hate seeing people ripped off like this. There's taking the piss, and there's taking the piss.

Jane

I go on 7th June, I booked with them last year for December and all went fine so used them again. But never again, I actaully think Travel Republic are just as cheap and like all companies they have there problems but from what I have heard they seem more willing to help.

Steve

Book THOMAS COOK,

i have last 5 years and no problems, sometimes it pays to pay more just to have peace of mind when we shell out a lot of money !!

if everyone stopped using them then they'd go bust !! one company i'd like to see gone !! even the staff dont deserve a job !! but if it was them, i bet they would have a refund the same day !! I rest my case !!!

Samll claims court is what you need, I think trading standards might even help with your case !!

hi...you can do it online...the instigation of action in small claims court....the other party has so long to answer either guilty and cough up or go to court....they have to plead and state they will go court....if they dont they are guilty by default and you have proved your case....they then have so long to pay up ...you dont need solicitor ect untill you actually go court ....a lot will cough up once they recieve the paper work from the court to save money....will try get up online for you and give you more info as long time since I read up on it..

ps...forgot to say ...dont pay any more money...as could be deemed as your acceptance of debt and .... in a way its like saying sorry to some one in a road accident...they say you shouldnt as it infers that there is fault on your part.....also I think that there is a limit of £500 in a small claims court...paying might take you over this...they know it too

hi i recently returned from holiday in gran canaria i booked with a company
On The Beach i would like to warn other people about this company I booked for myself my
husband my son and three grandchildren It cost over 4,000 pounds soon after they phoned ne to
say the flight was no longer available it cost over 200 pounds for another flight when we arrived
at hotel they had not paid the bill i had to fork out 2,200 pounds to get our rooms
the money was later refunded to me due to exchange rate etc i lost out on another 150 pound
i have got no satisfaction fro them they will only take complaints in writing and wont answer
the phone i have wrote to them several times and get fobbed of with stupid replies What
would i have done if i hadnt money to pay we would have been stranded with 3 children
since then i have looked at the holiday reviews everyone has the same kind of complaint
some a lot worse Be warned avoid
val wilson newcastle on tyne

If you thinking of the small claims court have a look here

http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/infoabout/claims/index.htm

It's easy to do. We're in the middle of a claim against a tour op.

hi all....sorry....its under £5000 for small claims court not 500