Probably the only way you could counter the excuses of the TO would be to insist that they put you on the next flight back and then sue them on your return. A drastic and likely a very costly measure, particularly if you do not win.
Of course there is also the problem that many have worked and saved hard for a year to be able to take the holiday, even if you did receive your money back you cannot just take another two weeks off work. If you have kids then you are not likely to take such drastic steps anyway. As an adult you might be happy to stand on your principles but not at the risk of upsetting the children.
Personally, whilst I do research things I also accept that reviews are simply one persons opinion. I have had some great holidays where the reviews have indicated they would be otherwise yet I have also found places sadly lacking no matter the praise lavished on them by others.

fwh

Glynis HT Admin wrote:

It irks me that TO's can take off the cost of the flight when a holiday isn't the one that you signed a contract for, as, does this mean that TO's can send you to some hell hole and you have to pay for the privileged of getting there? :evil:

That's an interesting point , comes to something when the best bit of the holiday is being cramped into an economy seat on a chartered flight

Also in the costs of the OPs invoice it almost costs the same to " select a seat" which you have already paid for , and a whole days stay , all food , drink , snacks and activities in a 4 star hotel , Now either the hotel are really cutting costs or select a seat is ridiculously overpriced .

I stayed at the Marhaba Beach in Sousse some years ago and have just had a look at the Review section to find when this was. Unfortunately my review has been removed and most other reviews are lacking their dates but it would appear from your complaint that it has deteriorated drastically from when I was there, as I found it the best of all the many Marhaba Group hotels I have visited before or since. I have also stayed at the Marhaba itself, but again my review has disappeared..

Star ratings vary from country to country and from operator to operator so should never be taken as gospel. Of course you should have been informed prior to departure of on-going work at your hotel if it was likely to impact on your enjoyment and given the option to cancel or change your booking but complaints about such things as the entertainment are unlikely to get you very far as no hotel that I know of offers professional entertainers and what some people enjoy will be anathema to others.

I think you would be very unlikely to get the cost of your airfares refunded and the fact that you bought the holiday as a 'package' won't make any difference. It must be your decision whether to try and squeeze a bit more out of the TO or take the risk of going through the courts, with only a limited chance of success.

Each tour operator applies their own "rating" to a hotel or apartment accommodation - be it "ticks", "stars", "suns" or whatever they use in their brochures.

There's always a section in the brochure which outlines what their ratings are based on but usually it will be on the facilities offered by the complex, the location of the complex and standard of service. Standard of accommodation do come into it but are brushed over quite lightly in the description.

In the First Choice brochure they refer to their ratings and official ratings under the A - Z section at the back of the brochure and also in the online brochure.

Each country has its' own accommodation standard rating which the tour operators then balance out against their own.

Think about how many 5 star hotels there are supposed to be in Egypt when in effect there are only a handful that could ever be classed as what we would accept as a true 5 star hotel. The one we stayed at in Goa was classed as "5 sun" but was equivalent to an average 3 star hotel in Spain.

The best suggestion when looking at tour operators accommodation ratings is to find a hotel in their portfolio where you yourself have stayed in previously and then see how their rating of that unit applies to your own thoughts/findings of it.

If you feel they got it right then you should be able to make some kind of an informed decision. If they got it totally wrong and you feel it was below the tour operator's rating - well you know not to expect too much!

Final update - good news !

Managed to get first choice up to £450 got it in writing - cheque sent out to me asap.

I didn't push for anymore than that as LeisureLad and sma made me see sense.

Thank you very much Leisurelad for telling us how it works on the other side of the "fence" !

Obviously in ideal world I would lof liked the full £2100 back, but i am glad that leisurelad and sma gave me a reality check that i would only get the cost of the hotel back - at best - and i got the best possible result under the circumstances without going to court and arbitration.

Moving on i won't be booking again with first choice again and definately not to tunisia.

Thanks again to everyone and most importantly holidaytruths.co.uk

And also forgot thanks to jaytrip too !

I'm glad you got a result you were happy with mikiesb.

Glad you got a result you were happy with, and thanks for coming back on and updating us, it's good to find out final outcomes.

At least you have got a fiver more than your accommodation costs.

Many thanks for the update.

Well done on taking the information and advice in the spirit in which it was posted and having the good sense to accept it.

Far too often, here and elsewhere, there are complaints where the OP accuses anyone who replies of being an employee of the tour operator if they don't get the response they were hoping for.

If you haven't done so already, it would be appreciated if you could post a review of the hotel which will assist any members thinking of staying there.

Thanks for keeping us updated and pleased that we were able to be of assistance to you. Now this has been sorted to your satisfaction, time to get on with planning the next trip?

SM

Thanks for updating us and that you have got some form of acceptable compensation

Mikiesb,I still cant believe how much you paid on all the extras such as seats together etc.
We always buy our Annual insurance direct from the company at a fraction of what the Travel agents charge.
We also have not used the Thomson or Thomas Cook transfers and used Transfer4u which are only £8.00 each.
Its shame you dont want to return to Tunisia as there are some lovely hotels in Port el Kantoui but can understand you not wanting to.
We had a holiday from hell in Portugal and we have never returned.
I do hope you enjoy your next holiday and have no problems.

Great News - have been away myself so just checking the boards, suprised they came back to you so quickly but good result all round and no more hassle, maybe treat yourself or someone special to a weekend away lol