I've returned from a stay at the Miriam apartments in Puerto Rico, Gran Canaria.
We were moved from the first apartment because it was infested with cockroaches particularly around the kitchen worktop area.
The mosquito bites we, and occupants of other apartments, suffered from weren't. Upon visiting my GPs surgery they were identified as bed-bug bites.
The staff at the apartments seemed to think the cockroach problem would go away if they washed the floors. We heard they changed the bedding of some of the apartments when they saw the bites on the occupants. Neither of these measures are sufficient to eradicate the problems.
Can anyone tell me if there is an official department I can report these premises to?
I would like to see them closed down until professional pest control experts have treated them adequately, or at least for Thomson's to stop sending customers there until the problem is resolved
Yes there is. Usually the office is based in the local Town Hall (Ayuntamiento). There is also a consumer dept. where you can put in complaints or even the official tourist office. Have you taken it up with Thomson.?
acknowledgment-in-28-days department, they must have a head of safety at their Head Office so write to there.
You may not have to go as far as that if you have a report from your own GP. Since Thomson are a British registered company (even if it is German owned) and you presumably had a contract under English law then they have a duty of care to you and future customers under English law. But don't mess about with the I've emailed what is advertised as 'Spain's official tourism website' (spain.info) who promise to reply within 72 hours - they didn't. Manana maybe?
I wouldn't know how to contact the other suggestions, my spanglish is limited to dos cafe con leche por favor. Would I be able to communicate in English with them?
Apparently the swear filter doesn't like milky coffee!
It's the word C O N it doesn't like
the man you need appears to be http://www.mogan.es/index.php?option=com_content&task=section&id=24&Itemid=46 but they don't even give an email address in Spanish! Try phoning him during the listed office hours.
http://www.mogan.es/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=432&Itemid=221
One thing I've learnt about the Spanish, is that they like to confuse you with red tape, but you do not confuse them, so it's best to make things brief and to the point.
If you want to use it, I've done this short and sharp letter to copy into the box.... if you don't, it's no problem because it's just good practice for me.
If you stayed in these apartments in April, just change the mayo to abril....note no capital letter used in Spanish for the date and the ???? is the word c-o-n...if you're not English, apologies, but like I say...don't confuse them because if you speak English and come from the UK...you're English.!
********************************
A: Señor Francisco Valerón Cazorla
Asunto: Sanidad y Consumo.
Estimado Señor:
Soy ingles y no hablo español, lo siento por los errores, primera yo trato escribir en español y entonces en ingles.
Mi familia y yo, nos quedamos en Puerto Rico en mayo 2010 en los apartamentos MIRIAM en DE LA GRACIOSA, 13.
La habitación estaba infestada muy mal con cucarachas especialmente en la cocina, por lo tanto, el operador turÃÂÂstico (Thomson) nos trasladó a otro apartamentos.
Durante nuestra estancia en el segundo habitación tenemos las picaduras de insectos en nuestros cuerpos.
Cuando regresemos a Inglaterra, fuimos al medico, y el medico confirma hay las picaduras de las chinches.
Os escribo a vosotros porque esto no es aceptable y estos apartmentos necesidades de control de plagas professional, quiero que tu aplicar estas medidas sanitarias, para el salud de futuro turistas.
En espera de su respuesta
Le saludo atentamente
* your name*
I'm English and do not speak Spanish, sorry for any mistakes, first I try to write in Spanish and then in English.
My family and I, we stayed in Puerto Rico in May 2010, in the MIRIAM apartments in La Graciosa, 13.
The room was very badly infested with cockroaches especially in the kitchen, therefore the operator (Thomson) moved us to another apartment.
During our stay in the second apartment we have insect bites on our bodies.
When we returned to England we went to the doctor, and the doctor confirmed they are bedbug bites
I write to you because this is not acceptable and these apartments need professional pest control, I want you to implement these sanitary measures, for the health of future tourists.
Awaiting your response.
Yours Faithfully
* your name*
I've sent it to the mayor and the press office, hopefully they'll get the message.
Watch this space, I'll update when anything happens.
Good luck
I missed the word "tour" out before operator....It's a problem when you think the post is OK and then see the mistake afterwards and can't edit.The room was very badly infested with cockroaches especially in the kitchen, therefore the operator (Thomson) moved us to another apartment.
Please do let us know if you get any response....the fact that you've tried to communicate in their language does go a long way.
Sanji
Estimado ciudadano bathtub (my italics)
Muchas gracias por utilizar el buzón de la página web para hacernos llegar su opinión. Acusamos recibo de su demanda y le invitamos a seguir haciendo uso del mismo.
Dpto Informática.
Iltre Ayto de Mogán.
Dear citizen bathtub (my italics)
Thank you very much for using the mailbox on the website to send us your opinion. We acknowledge receipt of your application and invite you to continue to use.
Computer Dept.
Iltre Ayto de Mogan.
*****************************************
Estimado Señor:
Espero que no molesta con esta correo electrónico, pero esta muy importante que Señor Francisco Valerón Cazorla, el director de salud y consumo, recibe mi previa correo electrónico sobre el peligro a la salud en los apartmentos Miriam en Puerto Rico.
Aquàen Inglaterra, también he presentado una queja a el operador turÃÂÂstico Thomson.
¿ es posible ponte en contacto con el director de salud directamente vÃÂÂa correo electrónico.?
En espera de su respuesta
Le saludo atentamente
Señor bathtub
Dear Sir:
I hope I don't bother you with this email, but is very important that Señor Valeron Francisco Cazorla, the director of health and consumer, receives my previous email about the health hazard in the Miriam Apartments in Puerto Rico.
Here in England, I have also submitted a complaint to the tour operator Thomson.
Is it possible to get in touch with the health director directly via email.?
Awaiting your response.
Yours faithfully
Mr bathtub
I thought I might escalate it up the chain. Anybody know how I can find the governance hierarchy.
Thomson phoned me yesterday to say they'd received my complaint and then went on to ask several questions that proved they haven't read it. They went on about completing a customer complaint form on holiday. Not a lot of good when you can't contact the rep and the rep fails to attend two appointments you've made by phoning Thomson's in the UK. Their T & Cs also make no reference to customer complaint forms.
On Tuesday 11th May you emailed the Mayor with the content that Sanji kindly provided you with and they emailed you an acknowledgement the same day.
On Wednesday 12th May they would have received the follow-up email that Sanji suggested.
And now on the morning of Friday 14th May you want to escalate it further due to a lack of response form the Mayor?
If you'd reported this to the Environmental Health people here via the Chief Executive's office you wouldn't have had any more joy yet either. They'd still be investigating the complaint and would only have contacted you at this stage if they needed more information from you. I was recently involved in an investigation of a very serious outbreak of food poisoning and having acknowledged the complaint, taken statements over the phone from a few - not all - of those affected in order to get an idea about what the bug was that they were looking for and asking some of us to go to our GPs for testing to confirm what had struck us down, we then heard no more until the investigation was complete when they informed us of the outcome which was that they had confirmed the source and nature of the outbreak (but those that had been tested had already been told this by their GPs), and had closed the kitchen concerned down until it had been deep cleaned but that because there would now be a prosecution they could provide us with no further details.
Also, I wouldn't assume that Thomson's staff hadn't read your email jus because they asked you questions that went over the same ground - the Environmental Health staff did exactly the same with me because they needed to confirm the information and also check that my account of the problem hadn't changed. There are many instances on the complaints forum here where people post an initial complaint and then as the rest of us tease out more information etc we realise that the situation is not quite how it was originally presented to us.
Personally, I woudl give them at least a calendar week to actually get on with the investigation before sending a 3rd email or escalating the complaint to a higher authority.
SM
I've had no reply to my first e-mail to the mayor, so now I think it's time for the follow up.
I should have said I've only received an automated reply to my first e-mail.
I haven't yet sent the follow up as kindly composed by sanji.
I said: I should have said I've only received an automated reply to my first e-mail.
I haven't yet sent the follow up as kindly composed by sanji.
In that case, if it was me and I still hadn't heard anything further by the 18th, then I would send the follow-up email as provided by Sanji at that point.
I've had a reply from the municipality of Mogan which seems to indicate they're looking into it.
I've had a reply from Thomson's where they admit the accommodation was aware of the problem with cockroaches, but claim the UK end was unaware and that they've had no further problems! They've also offered derisory compensation which I'll ignore. They made no mention of the bed-bug problem
I'm also now in contact with the complaints department of Spanish tourist office.
I'm not allowed to copy the various e-mails here because they contain confidentiality clauses.
I'll keep you informed. Any further suggestions are welcome.
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