Hi,
I booked an holiday to Benidorm 2 days ago. I actually went in to the travel agents, used my £50 off next holiday voucher, and I paid in full. I even have the receipt saying I have paid the amount of the holdiay cost.
Yesterday Thomson rang me up and said that head office said I am no longer allowed to use the holiday voucher because they had already given me a discount on that holiday in the shop. They say that they want another £50 off me now.
Now it's not the amount of money - it's the principle. I paid alot of money for the holiday anyway and I am not paying another £50. I have compared the same holiday with others and can actually get it cheaper if I want, even with Thomas Cook.I went in to the shop last night and after some disgussions and them speaking to head office they say there is nothing I they can do - they require £50.
I said in the end that I have paid in FULL, I have it in black and white on paper and in 2 weeks I will come and collect my tickets, and I am still not paying another £50. She said well i will have an outstanding balance on the account then when they take the voucher off!
To me its like me going in a shop and buying some jeans for £30. I walk out of the shopa nd they then change the price. They thenc ome running after me telling em the prince has changed and I need to pay the difference - THIS JUST DOESNT HAPPEN!
What are my rights on this? Does anybody know?
Your voucher T&Cs will probably have the fact that you can't use it when a holiday is already discounted. Did you read them? If that is the case I'm not sure if there is much you can do about it. However, I do agree that the shop should never have accepted it in the first place.
I actually have a voucher sent to me by Thomson earlier this year and on the reverse it states;
"This voucher may be redeemed through any ABTA travel agent or directly with Thomson Direct bookings against the purchase of any Thomson or Portland Holiday."
In such a case the there are no restrictions - probably because it was classed as compensation.
If however it was a voucher given out as a promotion then they usually do state not to be used with any other offer.
The problem here is that the agent has not read the T&Cs correctly and applied a discount they should not have. Now you are stuck in the middle. As things stand at present if you do not pay then you will not get your tickets or holiday.
You have paid your money so it is a case of persuading them to either cancel FOC and refund you or hold up their hands and say sorry we have made a mistake. You could contact your local Trading Standards or Consumer Direct - http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/ - telephone No 08454 04 05 06
fwh
I have been in touch with consumer direct and they should honor the price I have paid they have said. If they cannot honor it then they should refund by the means that I have paid - ie Cash.
their error and not yours, you should not have to pay now after a final invoice has been received and paid If they can't be bothered to know about the T&Cs of such vouchers then that's a future issue for staff training. I've tried to use 50p vouchers in supermarkets on items that are already discounted and been told by checkout operators that the voucher would not be valid on that occasion - so if supermarkets can train their staff in these matters then so should travel agents
As far as I can see, if the agent accepted the voucher at the time of booking then that's
I think a arguement you could use is thomson have a offer on all the time which would makes the voucher is totally useless, they end one offer at midnight and then start another 1 minute after midnight. Its all a co n, they can say £200 off holiday prices and just put the cost up £200 and then take £200 off. How can they do a sale when prices are constantly changing, you can't like in a shop see something was £1000 and then see its £800 with £200 off. They can put what ever price they want on the screen and manipulate the prices how they want to.
maybe a word with senior management for thomson could do something, i.e: higher than the branch manager??
The fact si they have made a silly mistake in kicking up a fuss about something so little. I have only just returned from holiday with them 2 weeks ago, and am going again with them in 3 weeks time. That will be over £2000 they have had off me in a month and half. Plus my girlfriends family always booked with them twice a year, and my parents do occasionally. I know for a fact they won't again, neither will I - I would rather pay more and go to someone else.
So oevrall they are going to be losing quite alot of money over £50.
Have you considered the actual agent who sold you the holiday might have to pay the £50 because he/she made a mistake. I remember reading a post on here before if an agent makes a mistake with a holiday cost in a thomas TA shop they have to pay for the mistake.
to cant think of a user name.
It's their error not yours. Stick to your guns, you've got a final invoice confirming you owe nothing, so in my opinion you should not pay 1p more. Fair enough if the voucher couldn't be used as the holiday was at a discount anyhow, however they accepted your voucher at the time, so their tough luck
take all your paperwork, and a screenprint of thos.cook price for same holiday into the thomson shop and ask to see the shop manager.
explain circumstances calmly and advise them that you can see no reason to pay for the shops mistake.
if they will not honour holiday then ask for immediate refund in cash, as that is how you paid. if that fails refuse to leave the shop until you get it.
this should concentrate their minds.
then go to thomas cook.
I am not saying its brookie84 fault but I do remember reading on here if the agent makes a mistake they have to pay if they work in a thomson shop. I might be wrong.
No doubt the lass who booked it will cop it now. Don't want her too as she was nice but nothing I can do about that.
the agent will probably only have a warning or a quiet word with the manager, so i wouldnt worry.
put it down to experience, and ENJOY your holiday!!!!!
I'm pretty certain that unless they actually cancelled the holiday, which would have been cutting off their nose to spite their face if it's an expensive one, there is nothing they could do.
IMHO I dont think anything will happen to the agent apart from that she or he wont make the same mistake again. At least the Manger knew what they were doing.
thanks for letting us know the outcome. I hope that now you have found HT you will have a look through our other forums and start posting there too.
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