Interesting programme but I feel that they are sometimes scraping the barrell just a little.

Today's programme for example where two people complained about not having a sea view and the hotel not being on the beach. The latter was in the brochure according to the programme (it being 300 meters from the beach) and the former was just a request that - as we all should now - will always be noted but is never guaranteed.

Also, some of the prices quoted that these people paid for their holidays do seem very low to me. Perhaps you get what you paid for?

Mark

I used to read the travel agents gazetteer in the library before the internet.
The young couple this morning were savvy enough to complain on day one but I cant understand why they didnt look on the review sites before booking.

Also, some of the prices quoted that these people paid for their holidays do seem very low to me. Perhaps you get what you paid for?

I thought that, they make a big thing about how the family has spent over £2000 on their holiday for example, but when that's for 2 weeks all inclusive for a family that's hardly expensive!

I do wonder about people's expectations too, I was really surprised when I went to Santorini last year and air cond wasn't charged for. I generally expect to pay when I go away as that's just the norm, so many people are complaining about having to pay for it as they expected it to be free. Also a lot is made of the shower head having to be held up while you have a shower, that's the way it's always been when I've been to Greece and it's just what I expect.

Maybe my expectations are too low!!

I think its a little bit harsh to say that paying £2000 for a holiday is cheap. Whether its 1 week/2 week SC or AI, £2,000 is a lot especially to a family. To be fair, these families are being told that they are booking into a 4 star complex so regardless of what they are paying, that is what they should get surely not substandard accommodation that is basically dangerous and/or falling apart. I certainly would be complaining if my shower wasnt hanging on the wall properly in my room regardless of whether I paid £1 or £1,000.

What really appauled me was the 3 chaps shown earlier this week that booked the hotel and were then taken 6 minutes down the road to a hostel . I think they were right when they said they took one look at them and formed an opinion!

I agree that research should be done before you book somewhere but hindsight is a wonderful thing. Im sure not one of the families/couples/friends on the programme will make the same mistake twice,

I realise that that's a lot of money to pay out, what I meant though is that when you consider the price of all inclusive holidays the amount that they're saying that they paid on that programme is pretty cheap. When I go away for 2 weeks self catering I generally pay around £500 each so I'd consider around the same for all inclusive to be a bargain, and that would make me wonder how good it was going to be. I guess though if people don't normally go away to places like that they've got nothing to compare it with so the bargain might seem just that.

I completely agree with them being misled though, some of the places they've shown are disgusting, there's no way that they should be advertising them as 4*.

Maybe it's just where I've been but whenever I've been away in Greece it's always been a hand held shower head so that's what ive come to expect, I've only ever gone self catering though so I guess it might be different elsewhere.

The situation that those 3 guys were in was awful, especially when they said that they paid extra for a room upgrade and still ended up in that dump. They'd never say it but it'd be interesting to find out who all these holidays were booked through as the service they're getting when they're out there is appaulling.

When you think that when a family of 5 pay £2,500 that is £500 each. Now I assume they would have been there in school holidays so at least £300 of that would go on flights alone so you are talking less than £15 per person per day for accomodation, transfers, all food and all drink. Really what do they think they are going to get for that price ?

I certianly would expect 4* for that.

It is just a case of getting what you pay for. I do think that it is bad that these places are claiming to be 4* though, I think most would be pushing 3*and it is very unfair to mislead people in that way.

daveyjp wrote:

I wonder how many people pre internet days asked to see the 'truth book' in the travel agents? A publication of reviews by inspectors. We used to ask for it when we booked our holidays and the difference between that and the brochure was sometimes stark - certainly enough for us to change our minds in a few occasions.

I had forgotten about the 'truth book'. I can remember my mum asking to see that when we used to book with travel agents. I'm sure a lot of people never knew about it though.

Kedi,did you mean you wouldn't expect 4* for £15 a day?We are paying £750 each for 2 weeks at a 4*hotel in Turkey.We don't expect the hotel to be dirty or unsafe and unhygienic but we also don't expect first class service ,food or facilities for that price.I think people should be realistic in their expectations.

I love this show and must say its opened my eyes to what to do when your not happy. I am off to watch this mornings one as i missed it.

On today's show I thought the story of the villa which was a scam was quite scarey. My son and his family go on villa holidays every year and I'd be horrified if they arrived in a foreign country with the children to find they had paid up front for nothing

OSCARBEN wrote:

Kedi,did you mean you wouldn't expect 4* for £15 a day?We are paying £750 each for 2 weeks at a 4*hotel in Turkey.We don't expect the hotel to be dirty or unsafe and unhygienic but we also don't expect first class service ,food or facilities for that price.I think people should be realistic in their expectations.

That's right, I wouldn't expect 4* AI for £15 a night, although whatever price you pay it should still be safe and clean.

They have already said earlier on that 4*, 3* etc are related to the facilities on offer and not safety/cleanliness which is what the vast majority of the cases are. Even somewhere 1 or 2* should be clean and safe.

Also they make a big thing about the review sites, but tripadvisor can have libellous reviews on etc, and people only review when something goes wrong.

The trouble I've found with this programme is that sometimes they don't show you what the holidaymakers are complaining about - one lot said the hotel was dangerous but the programme never actually showed it. Now surely that was a subjective view - and as the company are touting for complaints, maybe some people exaggerating.

Also, the people who booked a place near Bar St and then complained 'cos it was noisy ..... words fail me!!!

Don't get me wrong, some people do have genuine complaints and I feel sorry for them but I do feel this programme is very biased. Also, they don't mention the tour companies that are sending these holidaymakers to the hotels - maybe if they did, that would make holiday companies look at what they are selling more closely!!!!!

Jak xx

Gumbet Jakki wrote:

Also, the people who booked a place near Bar St and then complained 'cos it was noisy ..... words fail me!!!

I got the impression that they didnt know they were going to be put there. They explained to the TA that they were a family and wanted a "family" hotel close to the beach and amenities and were then dropped in the middle of a very lively resort.

We have had the same thing happen to us - before I found this site I might add We had booked a family holiday - myself, hubby & daughter (who was 18 months at the time), my sister, her hubby & son (who was just 2 years old), mum, dad, brother and my other sister joining us for the 2nd week. We wanted a nice relaxed resort, close to the beach and not too far to go to find a decent restaurant/a few shops and we got dumped in the middle of Laganas. It was probably the 2nd worst holiday (we had an awful time in Gran Can one year) that we have ever had. A big lesson learnt there for me I can tell you and now, would avoid any of the "big" resorts like the plague because of it. On the face of it, Laganas sounded ideal but the reality was it was noisy, full of lager louts, very questionable morals of some of the girls (in the gardens of the hotel we stayed at with my balcony overlooking ), dirty, full of touts, you couldnt walk past a restaurant without being accosted and then abused when you declined to go in etc etc etc. Most definately NOT a family resort. We complained but got nowhere and put it down to experience - once bitten and all that .

So I fully sympathised with the family in question.

All the companies with the exception of Olympic seem to be internet companies.
The people dont seem to have access to a rep in resort and have to phone the UK to make a complaint.
I once booked a holiday by phone that I had seen on teletext from my caravan.
It wasnt until I got home that I saw the horrendous reviews.
I phoned Olympic and asked to cancel but they assured me that new owners had taken over at the hotel.
We arrived in the middle of the night to this small family run 2star hotel in Elounda and it turned out to be one of the best holidays we have ever had.
It was scrupulously clean and served delicious Greek food.
It doesnt have to be dirty with awful food just because its cheap.

Gumbet Jakki wrote:

Also, the people who booked a place near Bar St and then complained 'cos it was noisy ..... words fail me!!!

I was thinking the same! They did know where they were going because they said that when they booed they were told it was near to Bar Street, surely the name 'Bar Street' should give some kind of a clue that there could well be a lot of bars there

Some of those hotels really were alwful, dirty, filthy and dangerous and certainly warranted the complaints that were made against them but with others I think people just made a wrong choice or were expecting too much for the price they paid.

I must have missed that bit as thought they didnt know. Even so, a "family" holiday should be just that not surrounded by rowdy bars/people. I certainly wouldnt be happy to be put somewhere like that. We are lucky that we can research fully a holiday/destination but there are some people, yes even if this day and age, that just dont have the kind of access to these things as we do and genuinely go in blind.

As for getting what you pay for. I still maintain that if you book a 4 star holiday, no matter what you pay, you should get 4 star. A lot of these places are serving food that I wouldnt serve as pig slop its disgusting, some of the rooms are just awful and the grounds are shocking. Again, its all down to research, but as I said above, not everyone has the internet access to do so.

Its easy to be smug, but I really do feel for people that save for months even a couple of years for a holiday believing they are booking into what they were told was a 4 star AI comlex to get there and its not even worthy of 2 stars. It must be awful and I would be complaining too (dont think id want to go on tele though not with my holiday hair ).

Some of the complaints are a bit ott and I do believe just a chance to "get on the tele" but some of them are blatently genuine and shocking.

I noticed in todays programme no one told the couple who wanted a quiet holiday that the music in Icmeler is switched off at midnight.

I watched the programme today about the couple that wanted to be moved from the Meridyen in Marmaris,these apts are really nice and are in a quieter part of Armutalan.I stay 1 minute away behind them,they said that the music goes on all night,rubbish 12 midnight !! they have to turn it off then,by 12.15 the police drive around here to check,its the quietest place I have stayed in the evening,why didnt the couple book a 4* hotel in Icmeler in the first place a very unfair review !!