I AM A FORMER OLYMPIC REP!! This is a message to anyone who has posted on this page, or is considering travelling with Olympic Holidays. If you are a former guest, i understand how angry and upset you will be after spending you money on an Olympic Holiday, I hope this goes a little way to maybe at least understanding, on the part of the rep's the treatment you may have received.(I do understand that it is the nature of the job to undertake blame on behalf of the company, but the illustrated working conditions speak for themselves).I worked for them this summer(I don't wish to name accommodations, and this is a pseudonym, you will see why).I am a Primary School teacher, and an experienced rep having previously worked for genuine companies including First Choice and Thomas Cook, but decided to work for Olympic on the promise of a fantastic summer package. The following is an account of the treatment I (and other reps and guests) received during my 3 month stay.
*I have never been payed a single penny,EVER.
*We repeatedly had to work 36 hour shifts, with NO break, or relief.
*They withheld a colleague's passport to prevent him leaving the country, and entered my accommodation to attempt to do the same.
*When we failed to reach our sales targets, our 1 day off was removed, even if that meant working for a summer season without a day off(which is why Olympic reps are so pushy about trips).
*The Customer Feedback Questionare that you may have been asked to complete with promise of a prize holiday, according to head office does not exist!
*Any complaint report, once written, is re-written in Olympic's favour.
*Company car's are given out, with no paper work, resulting in fines from the local police, obviously a fine you have to pay.
*The company accept money to recommend a Dr's surgery, and actively discourage you from visiting others.
*Guest's are left for hours on long transfers, often combined with other companies, such as Libra holidays, to save money(common journeys are around 4-5 hours).
*The worst case of guest treatment I knew of was when a guest was badly injured, at fault of the company, and left in hospital with awful treatment from the company, (by that I mean none).
*As a staff member or guest you may come into contact with incompetence, intimidation and bullying!
You may read this and think, why notgo home. The answer is that the company refuse to pay for return flights, if you wish to resign, (even when following contract procedure). Fortunately I was in the position of being able to pay for one myself, but Olympic also like to inform all of the local excursion shops not to sell flights to ex-reps (of which there are obviosly many!), in return for favours, so finding a flight is very, very difficult.
Please take my advice and do not waste your money travelling with Olympic Holidays. I know from experience that this is not typical of holiday companies, (if anyone has any advive of where I stand on legal grounds, i would be very grateful).
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
*edit comments removed which could have legal implications for the site - please contact me by PM if you wish to know further - Glynis*
I was thinking about going with olympic hollidays but now I have read your post please could you give me any more information
Mike
EDIT: For online privacy and protection, your e-mail address has been removed from this post. Please check our Terms & Conditions for further information.
Many thanks
David
Moderator
Mike
EDIT: For online privacy and protection, your e-mail address has been removed from this post. Please check our Terms & Conditions for further information.
Many thanks
David
Moderator
I went with Olympic last year, and had no complaints at all. The rep did not push excursions - ever and was extremely helpful and pleasant throughout our stay. She also had a day off in the week, which would indicate that she met her sales targets according to your post. I did book excursions with Olympic, but not because I felt pushed into them at all. Thre was a questionnaire to complete at the end of the holiday with promise of an entry into a free draw. I really couldn't care whether the prize draw exists or not - it's a really trivial point!
We didn't have a long transfer - it compared with any other company I have been with for the distance involved. I have booked with Olympic again this year, having had a trouble free holiday and good service last year and I don't have any worries about them. Their pricing last year and this was cheaper than other companies too!
We didn't have a long transfer - it compared with any other company I have been with for the distance involved. I have booked with Olympic again this year, having had a trouble free holiday and good service last year and I don't have any worries about them. Their pricing last year and this was cheaper than other companies too!
I went to Crete in June 2003 with Olympic and had a brilliant holiday.The Rep(Sandra from Scunthorpe) was the best rep I have ever met.I never heard her push trips and she even joined us on an evening in the hotel with her husband who worked for Libra.I agree the transfer to the hotel was 4hrs but the driver was new and got lost!
We have used Olympic several times to Kefalonia. As we have been so many times we don't normally go to the welcome meet, but when we saw the rep she didn't even mention trips. She just wanted to make sure that we were enjoying our holiday.
Last year the rep was very friendly and found plenty of time for a chat either at the appartment or in the street, if we saw her. She also got time off each week that we were there.
When we went back in September the rep had changed but the new one was just as friendly.
When we left the June rep caught the same plane home as us and we asked if she was going to be there this year. She said that she was going to another island but still with Olympic. Surely if Olympic were so bad she wouldn't be going back this year.
We booked today for this year and yes we have used Olympic again.
Last year the rep was very friendly and found plenty of time for a chat either at the appartment or in the street, if we saw her. She also got time off each week that we were there.
When we went back in September the rep had changed but the new one was just as friendly.
When we left the June rep caught the same plane home as us and we asked if she was going to be there this year. She said that she was going to another island but still with Olympic. Surely if Olympic were so bad she wouldn't be going back this year.
We booked today for this year and yes we have used Olympic again.
We travelled to Stoupa with Olympic last October and I could not fault Olympic. I think the reps names were Anne and Denise( forgive me if the names are wrong but there were only two reps and they were really good.
I would not hesitate to use Olympic again.
Margaret
I would not hesitate to use Olympic again.
Margaret
Sorry - i've never ever experienced any problems with them!
can i also add to this......... all companies get complaints but we do get more good reports than bad reports with regards to olympic holidays also their prices are so much cheaper than the bigger tour ops
i would say everyones expeirience is different, you might of worked with them for 3 months in 1 place which i gather from reading your message wasnt good - sorry to hear that, but you cant judge every destination the same with olympic otherwise they wouldnt get any sales and wouldnt last long in the business
i would say everyones expeirience is different, you might of worked with them for 3 months in 1 place which i gather from reading your message wasnt good - sorry to hear that, but you cant judge every destination the same with olympic otherwise they wouldnt get any sales and wouldnt last long in the business
In June 1999 I went on holiday with this company to Cyprus. The whole thing was a disaster, a disgusting hotel,terrible reps, everything went wrong.
On return I asked for compensation and hit a total brick wall, no one would talk to me and just put the phone down. They answered letters eventually, but refused compensation.
In the end I took them to County Court, Olympic were awkward from start to finish, but I WON and got nearly all of my holiday money back. The only time they replied, on time to any correspondence, was with my compensation.
I had to fight hard, go to Court,and they were brilliant, helping me at all times. I just wish a few more people would do it and perhaps we wouldn't
need sites like this !!!!
On return I asked for compensation and hit a total brick wall, no one would talk to me and just put the phone down. They answered letters eventually, but refused compensation.
In the end I took them to County Court, Olympic were awkward from start to finish, but I WON and got nearly all of my holiday money back. The only time they replied, on time to any correspondence, was with my compensation.
I had to fight hard, go to Court,and they were brilliant, helping me at all times. I just wish a few more people would do it and perhaps we wouldn't
need sites like this !!!!
I am a current Olympic rep and I really can't believe that this is true. We get one guaranteed day off a week then can earn further time off by hitting targets on sales and customer service questionnaire returns. I don't know any other rep who has not been paid in full and on time. How could we re-write report forms when us and the guest both sign them then the guest gets to keep the top copy?? Everyone I have encountered in the company does care about the guests and customer services definitely investigate complaints, both with the managers in resort and with the reps. When we all failed to hit our sales targets for several weeks we were given extra training to help us improve them but have never been put under pressure to hit them, the truth is that it's best for us if we can hit them because it means we get more money but we don't want to send guests on trips they won't enjoy and our managers don't want us to! We want guests to have a good time and come back on holiday with Olympic again!
Well i went with this company to Tingaki in Kos, I have to say it was one of the best holidays i have ever been on 
i just worked for Olympic and left. All I can say it is good for a holiday, but I think I just had a bad experience with working for them. I was unlucky but this will not put me off repping as it is a great job. I obviously wasn't with the right company for me, but this won't stop me applying for another job!
Only one thing I aggree to the post above is that I never signed for my company car either and they were quick to take it off of me when I said i was leaving! They probably expected me to do a runner, haha!
Anyway, I have nothing against the company if you want to go on holiday with them.
Only one thing I aggree to the post above is that I never signed for my company car either and they were quick to take it off of me when I said i was leaving! They probably expected me to do a runner, haha!
Anyway, I have nothing against the company if you want to go on holiday with them.
We've used them for 2 holidays to Greece without any problems.
I recently booked to go to Protaras or Ayia Napa through Olympic holidays on July 28th 2012 for 2 weeks
on arrival it all went wrong told we had to go to Pissouri which was 100 miles from our arrival airport at Larnaca and which was next to Pathos airport
The accommodation Hylatio village was in the quietest place you could find with no pubs or clubs just 4 restaurants and 3 shops which was 10 minutes walk and another 5 minutes walk to an unsafe pebble beach
The accommodation had used toilet paper thrown under the bath and there was a lot and a broken light switch in the shower !!!!!! Really dangerous. On asking the rep *** about why we were here she just said you pay for what you get so deal with it in disgust I walked away and she shouted ''Don't you walk away from me while I am talking to you'' and this was at the poolside bar with lots of holidaymakers round which was really embarrassing
The next day she said I can move you today to Protaras if you pay me £380 which was then cancelled by Olympic and then told we could move after a week to Ayia Napa for 120 Euros but we had to pay our own transfer which was 130 Euros in a taxi. We did this just to try to enjoy our holiday but on arrival at the new accommodation the Flora Maria in Ayia Napa we were told the room would be 1 hour so we waited by the pool which was dirty and was covered in green algae and had insects swimming in it
We got our room which had stained sheets and grimy towels on going to bed early that evening at 11 pm I discovered my bed was wet on removing the sheets i discovered the bed was soaking wet with urine and had a large pool under the bed when lifted up
No one on reception all night so I had to share a 3ft single bed in a room that smelled like a gents toilet
first thing at 9am I told the reception and they didn't change the bed till 6pm and left it under my balcony for 3 days to dry out! Then it disappeared probably to the room they had removed the exchanged bed from.
I told the Olympic rep and he said "Oh dear that's not very nice" poor response from a tour rep
The sheets and towels weren't changed all week and the cleaner came in to sweep the rooms everyday and we ound daily that she would steal boxes of cigarettes from our suitcase but can't blame them when they were the only other people in our room
This hotel is more like a hostel for down and outs very dirty and not looked after my only advise is don't use Olympic holidays.
on arrival it all went wrong told we had to go to Pissouri which was 100 miles from our arrival airport at Larnaca and which was next to Pathos airport
The accommodation Hylatio village was in the quietest place you could find with no pubs or clubs just 4 restaurants and 3 shops which was 10 minutes walk and another 5 minutes walk to an unsafe pebble beach
The accommodation had used toilet paper thrown under the bath and there was a lot and a broken light switch in the shower !!!!!! Really dangerous. On asking the rep *** about why we were here she just said you pay for what you get so deal with it in disgust I walked away and she shouted ''Don't you walk away from me while I am talking to you'' and this was at the poolside bar with lots of holidaymakers round which was really embarrassing
The next day she said I can move you today to Protaras if you pay me £380 which was then cancelled by Olympic and then told we could move after a week to Ayia Napa for 120 Euros but we had to pay our own transfer which was 130 Euros in a taxi. We did this just to try to enjoy our holiday but on arrival at the new accommodation the Flora Maria in Ayia Napa we were told the room would be 1 hour so we waited by the pool which was dirty and was covered in green algae and had insects swimming in it
We got our room which had stained sheets and grimy towels on going to bed early that evening at 11 pm I discovered my bed was wet on removing the sheets i discovered the bed was soaking wet with urine and had a large pool under the bed when lifted up
No one on reception all night so I had to share a 3ft single bed in a room that smelled like a gents toilet
first thing at 9am I told the reception and they didn't change the bed till 6pm and left it under my balcony for 3 days to dry out! Then it disappeared probably to the room they had removed the exchanged bed from.
I told the Olympic rep and he said "Oh dear that's not very nice" poor response from a tour rep
The sheets and towels weren't changed all week and the cleaner came in to sweep the rooms everyday and we ound daily that she would steal boxes of cigarettes from our suitcase but can't blame them when they were the only other people in our room
This hotel is more like a hostel for down and outs very dirty and not looked after my only advise is don't use Olympic holidays.
-
Edited by
Glynis HT Admin
2012-08-13 17:48:08
Edit to remove personal name and change case from capitals.
None of that makes sense?
How can you have booked to go to Protaras but end up in Pissouri unless your original booked accommodation was overbooked?
This sounds to me like it was a Saver/Late booking (un-named accommodation, often referred to as Accommodation On Arrival or Allocated On Arrival).
A lot of guest may request where they want to be or even when they book there may be an indication of 2 or 3 hotels/apartments named as to where they may be allocated but that isn't a guarantee....
I have a friend who works for Olympic holidays and I'm fully aware that the Hylatio is one of the units they use for their "on arrival" bookings.
I've been there and eaten there and what I saw of it was actually a very nice unit although it's a bit of a walk to the beach. However, I cannot agree that there are only 4 restaurants on the way to the beach. Plus, up the hill in the village itself there are an abundance of bars/restaurants. You may need some form of transport or a taxi though as it's a big hill!
I was down at Pissouri beach on 4th July this year - my first time in the sea there. It's sand and pebbles, I agree but what's unsafe about it?
As for the light switch in the shower, I think you may well find that was an emergency alarm in the case of an accident - unless you mean a light switch in the bathroom was broken rather than the shower itself?
The fact you were informed you had to pay to move to a resort which you wanted definitely indicates this was not a confirmed accommodation or resort. I would inform you that this is normal practice with late/saver bookings.
I worked for First Choice Holidays in UK Customer Services for 10 years. There's a cancellation fee to be paid to the accommodation already allocated to you as well as a charge for the difference in accommodation costs to the unit you want to change to. Transfer costs also are charged as you stated. There's nothing untoward in what happened to you.
I think we need some more information written clearly and concisely as to exactly what it was you booked in order to be able to comment more fully but I think my post above could well explain a few things which I'm sure would already have been outlined to you at the time.
At the moment your post reads as a bit of a rant, which I can quite appreciate having been at the receiving end of complaint phone calls in the first 2 years of working at FCH.
Shell in Sunny Cyprus
How can you have booked to go to Protaras but end up in Pissouri unless your original booked accommodation was overbooked?
This sounds to me like it was a Saver/Late booking (un-named accommodation, often referred to as Accommodation On Arrival or Allocated On Arrival).
A lot of guest may request where they want to be or even when they book there may be an indication of 2 or 3 hotels/apartments named as to where they may be allocated but that isn't a guarantee....
I have a friend who works for Olympic holidays and I'm fully aware that the Hylatio is one of the units they use for their "on arrival" bookings.
I've been there and eaten there and what I saw of it was actually a very nice unit although it's a bit of a walk to the beach. However, I cannot agree that there are only 4 restaurants on the way to the beach. Plus, up the hill in the village itself there are an abundance of bars/restaurants. You may need some form of transport or a taxi though as it's a big hill!
I was down at Pissouri beach on 4th July this year - my first time in the sea there. It's sand and pebbles, I agree but what's unsafe about it?
As for the light switch in the shower, I think you may well find that was an emergency alarm in the case of an accident - unless you mean a light switch in the bathroom was broken rather than the shower itself?
The fact you were informed you had to pay to move to a resort which you wanted definitely indicates this was not a confirmed accommodation or resort. I would inform you that this is normal practice with late/saver bookings.
I worked for First Choice Holidays in UK Customer Services for 10 years. There's a cancellation fee to be paid to the accommodation already allocated to you as well as a charge for the difference in accommodation costs to the unit you want to change to. Transfer costs also are charged as you stated. There's nothing untoward in what happened to you.
I think we need some more information written clearly and concisely as to exactly what it was you booked in order to be able to comment more fully but I think my post above could well explain a few things which I'm sure would already have been outlined to you at the time.
At the moment your post reads as a bit of a rant, which I can quite appreciate having been at the receiving end of complaint phone calls in the first 2 years of working at FCH.
Shell in Sunny Cyprus
We've been with Olympic Holidays two or three times to Greece and have absolutely no complaints with them at all.
Couple of years ago we went to Mykonos and had a brilliant apartment - including washing machine. This year we went with them on a half price deal to Symi. Everything went like clockwork. Both the Olympic reps in Rhodes and in Symi were excellent.
Couple of years ago we went to Mykonos and had a brilliant apartment - including washing machine. This year we went with them on a half price deal to Symi. Everything went like clockwork. Both the Olympic reps in Rhodes and in Symi were excellent.
I have been on 2 olympic holidays previously with no problems-to cyprus (a.o.a.) and mainland greece. Both were great. I have just returned from our 3rd holiday with them and had some problems with one of their hotels but I am unsure whether I need to complain to Olympic or Thomson (agent booked through). My mum booked the holiday and was shown photos and location of hotel we were to stay at. We arrived in dark so did not notice location we were dropped at. The hotel we had been told we were in was NOT the one we were put in. (this was not Allocation on arrival-we had been shown the hotel we had booked). Upon exploring the 1st day it became apparent we were in the middle of nowhere. Unbelievably we were up a real mountain which my 66 yr old mother had no chance of getting up or down if she left the "hotel". It took me (37yr old fit woman) an hour to reach the nearest available shop to buy even the most basic of things ie water, bread etc! The "hotel" had no facilities except a pool and sometimes a kiosk (open few hrs a day by only staff member ever saw) selling 50cl water at a euro or chioce of few different cans. We could not even find an office where we could find someone to talk to if we had a problem. As soon as it was dark we were trapped in this place as no actual roads let alone light anywhere near the hotel. It was actually very frightening for my mum-to the point she became ill worrying and was physically sick by second day which made it even worse.
Late on our second day an Olympic rep thankfully popped in to check on us. As there was no office we had to sit out by the pool and discuss our fears with the rep. We eventually had to pay a lot extra to move hotels (even after explaining that we had no probs moving to the actual hotel we had paid for). Apparently there are 2 hotels with the same name (1 in resort other up a mountain) and very often people were put in the wrong one!!!! So WHY did WE have to pay if this happens "all the time". The fact that the other one exists and its the better ones photos and facilities are being shown on booking makes me believe this is not always a mistake but true FALSE ADVERTISING! Like I said though I am not sure who to complain to-the agent or olympic??? Any advice would be welcome
There were many other problems at this 1st hotel including the first thing you come across is a notice stating that you "will be given 1 toilet roll on arrival and after that it is your job to replace it"!!!! No light in one room, window wouldnt open and constant notes stating how much you are charged if you damaged anything! For example back of bathroom door "200 euro fine if paper down toilet", on door a list of everything and charges for damages ie pillowcase 10 euro, chair (plastic....euro,chair (wooden....euro) etc. By pool "any swimming outside pool hours 50 euro"!! It was an awful atmosphere.
Late on our second day an Olympic rep thankfully popped in to check on us. As there was no office we had to sit out by the pool and discuss our fears with the rep. We eventually had to pay a lot extra to move hotels (even after explaining that we had no probs moving to the actual hotel we had paid for). Apparently there are 2 hotels with the same name (1 in resort other up a mountain) and very often people were put in the wrong one!!!! So WHY did WE have to pay if this happens "all the time". The fact that the other one exists and its the better ones photos and facilities are being shown on booking makes me believe this is not always a mistake but true FALSE ADVERTISING! Like I said though I am not sure who to complain to-the agent or olympic??? Any advice would be welcome
There were many other problems at this 1st hotel including the first thing you come across is a notice stating that you "will be given 1 toilet roll on arrival and after that it is your job to replace it"!!!! No light in one room, window wouldnt open and constant notes stating how much you are charged if you damaged anything! For example back of bathroom door "200 euro fine if paper down toilet", on door a list of everything and charges for damages ie pillowcase 10 euro, chair (plastic....euro,chair (wooden....euro) etc. By pool "any swimming outside pool hours 50 euro"!! It was an awful atmosphere.
Hi rep girl! I know it's been a while back since you wrote this post but I am considering taking a job as a holiday rep. I was hoping if you can tell me what the age range is for people wanting to do this type of job. Is it usually for uni/college graduates? Is there any opportunity available or growth for the winter season? How many hours a week do you usually work? I hope you can get back to me. Thanks!
Hi Angie, there's some information here you may find helpful:-
https://www.totaljobs.com/careers-advice/job-profile/travel-leisure-jobs/holiday-rep-job-description
https://www.totaljobs.com/careers-advice/job-profile/travel-leisure-jobs/holiday-rep-job-description
Post a Reply
Please sign in or register an account to reply to this post.
Similar Topics
-
Olympic holidays
Posted by logo5961 in Tour Operators and Travel Agents
-
Olympic holidays
Posted by briggsy2007 in Cyprus Discussion Forums
-
Olympic Holidays
Posted by Kamari in Tour Operators and Travel Agents
-
Olympic Holidays
Posted by colinjcampbell in Holiday Complaints
-
olympic holidays 2010
Posted by julie matthews in Turkey Discussion Forum