Martybhoy

they are not asking for money to support Thos Cook but to cover the debts of the chain-stores and property part of the company which have been in trouble for several years

wizard

Martybhoy wrote:

If thomas cook say they are not affected.. why are they asking the german government for money ? lol it's a bit strange eh ?

Thomas Cook are not asking for anything from the German Government.

Arcandor were looking for money, Thomas Cook are totally seperate and are listed on the London Stock Exchange as a British Company with there HQ in the UK. Remember that Arcandor own just under 53% of the company, and that leave another 47% held by other share-holders including Standard Life and AXA.

Im off with them myself in 3 weeks A1 and so am keeping my fingers crossed .....I paid in full with credit card....

should be fully covered by abta and atol if a package trasjohno....

I booked with one of the biggins as worried about so many of the others going bust.....if thomascook get affected and fails....people will stop using travel agents

thought I should add.....think holidays booked and being booked for the very near future will be safe...but as said if confidence goes in TC and people stop booking with them it could cause them problems in the not too distant future...bookings mean deposits ....deposits mean cash flow....cash flow means solvent ...

In the world of bussiness no deposits and cash being paid out to cover hols already booked...plus wages overheads ect.....means cash flow problems....which the banks will shore up untill there credit limit is exceeded....then they become insolvent....we have seen the inevitable results too many times of late.

The sad and frustrating thing is sometimes there would have been no problem . Freedom of information and the informative nature of the media is a double edged sword. If we hadnt been informed that thomascook were part of a bigger empire where another part was failing. We would still feel safe and sure in the knowlege that our holiday was going to happen, and we would still be merrily booking for next year. In some ways and sometimes we are the problem that causes a company to fail.

Maybe this time we should think ....do we want to loose another player in the field to panic knee jerk reactions that are difficult to reverse....do we wish to create a monopoly....how many of us are confident or knowlegable enough to do DIY.....how many of us would have been fleeced long ago if not for the high st travel agent....who know the bussiness

better the devil you know or atleast the opportunity to choose your own poison

Tweetie Pie

I would be happy if people held back from booking with thomas cook, Then there will bargains to had as they encourage bookers. Bet it won't happen.

The right tactics at the right time produce success
The wrong tactics at the wrong time produce disaster

This is not the right time to try to manipulate price drops

Different story once the storm dies down and the anchor is safely down again

An orchastrated booking delay by the masses in protest could have a beneficial effect

Is there a spare soap box in Hyde corner

ANY SUGGESTIONS FOR A BANNER....here is a few Ive thought of

"Were gonna book TC but only if they lower their prices"

" I want to book 2 adults ...Gran Caneria..Mogan Princess...21st July 2010...14 days A1 ...bid to supply my holiday"

Yes tweeties got her silly head on again...sorry

Have you been at the bird seed Tweetie

hi graham.....about the bird seed ....no chance ...since Ive been on this diet even the parrot is standing guard over his bowl....all this talk about holiday firms going bust is getting to me....the thought of being on this diet to get in my holiday gear and not going because a firm goes bust is too much......now .wonder if I can persuade the parrot to share...

but as said if confidence goes in TC and people stop booking with them it could cause them problems in the not too distant future

Maybe I'm an optimist, gullible, too laid-back, naive, stupid, doing an ostrich impression or whatever, but we have a package holiday booked with TC and I'm not running around like a headless chicken, wailing that I've maybe lost my holiday.

I think the reporting on this has been appalling, on one (very popular) website, there is an article referring to Arcandor as 'owners' of Thomas Cook - which is just not true, they are the majority shareholder - which is not the same thing at all.

Confidence in Thomas Cook WILL drop if people keep making silly untrue statements like this one:

If thomas cook say they are not affected.. why are they asking the german government for money ? lol it's a bit strange eh ?

Thomas Cook Group is a profitable company and the future outlook is good as the cost base is reduced following the acquisition of Mytravel, the strategy this year of reducing contracted capacity has been positive as bookings are ahead of expectations and margins are up - This all means that the shares that Arcandor own will be bought by someone else (banks, pension fund, sovereign wealth etc etc) who can see the value.

Just wanted to provide another view to balance out all the rubbish that is circulating and causing people to worry about their hols !!!

Hi Prettypollycat.....just what Ive been saying.....it is us the public who could be creating the problem which didnt otherwise exist.....scare mongering will stop people booking......and thats where the problem will begin

At the moment TC is one of the safest places to book with....as its so popular due to its name for reliability....yes its prices could do with knocking down and it wont always get things right.....but your holiday cash is safe ....thats why I booked with them

Im off A1 in 3 weeks and not worried .....more worried about wether Im going to get to my target weight intime.

Comments about being a good thing if people dont book so prices come down are dangerous just now....like kicking a man when he's down....he might not get up again....and whose fault will that be

Then the subject will be about Thomson having a near monopoly.....thats if confidence didnt go in all high st operators.....and Thomson didnt follow Thomascook out of the game.....thats another danger ...there being so few big reputable high st Travel agents.....people think they are safer....but if one fails and leaves a trail of people who have lost holidays.....the others will feel the impact as their trade relies on trust and confidence in who you book with....and more would fail because of lost trade.

Then as said before in previous post.....people will be more at risk trying to find other ways to get on their holidays.....and this site will be busier than its ever been .

So bottom line is let sense prevail....the only problem with TC is the one we could create....and the only way to prevent it is bussiness as usual....Id be happy to book TC if needing to book now....and am planning to book with them for same place next year for 2weeks if this 1 week holiday turns out to be our kind of place.....wanting to have loads of the family together next year.

ps just read phildo74's post.......spot on....as said no problems we should worry about...so dont create any.

Just exacty word for word what I was going to say

I am in the same situation, have a holiday booked for September with TC and am not in the leaast bit concerned.
However if the scare mongering continues that is when problems could eventually arise due to a lack of confidence, anyway I am looking forward to my holiday in the Dominican Republic in September.

Graham

The internet can be a powerful tool to research and share information - but conversely, it can create havoc by scare-mongering and distribution of misinformation, rumours & chinese whispers.

rumours & chinese whispers

Send 2 and 6 were going to a dance

Send 2 and 6 were going to a dance

Shouldn't that be "send three and fourpence, we're going to a dance"?
Sorry, now

Ooops

All that old money stuff was well before my time

Still sorry

Hi,I'm sending in a complaint letter to Thomas Cook but dont have the adress does anyone know the correct address so it reaches the correct department.

Thanks

Hi,I'm sending in a complaint letter to Thomas Cook but dont have the adress does anyone know the correct address so it reaches the correct department.

Thomas Cook Customer Relations
2-4 Godwin Street
Bradford
BD1 2ST

We are off on holiday with TC in just over a week and am I worried? No. When I first heard the report about Arcandor, I did think "oh dear" (or words to that effect ) but once I had read the news reports, I felt safe. Like Tweetie, im more worried about reaching my target weight and to be honest, ive more chance of that not happening than not going on my holiday. Roll on Sunday week

Sarah

I know I have had reason to criticise the major companies, but I still book with them for peace of mind. Last year I booked a two week holiday to Cuba, and was irritated by the repeat invoices I seemed to be getting for no reason,late tickets, and also concerned that my holiday had disappeared from later brochure editions.
On arrival at Varadero Airport we were astonished to be greeted by our personal taxi driver and a personal guide for the initial one week western Cuba tour. Considering we had paid less than £2000 the value was good. The second week was spent in Varadero. The fortnight we were in Cuba was unfortunately the period when Cuba was hit by two hurricanes. This led to changes in the tour but Thomas Cook kept us well informed, and in fact in Varadero had a rep stay in the hotel during the hurricane who did check we were OK in our room.
I jiust think that although we often have genuine complaints sometimes we overlook the benefits of larger companies.