Thanks for letting us know Michelle that the OP got a favourable result from TR and that they were very professional in all their replies.

yes thanks michele for that update as it don't look like the op has any intention of letting us know.!!!!!
just wanted to join and have a good moan,slag off tr and then disappear when everyone did not agree with them.
oh well takes all sorts

Perhaps we need a prominent disclaimer that all new posters should have to read, something along the lines of

"The members of this forum have a great deal of expertise in assisting people with a problem. We really are truly independent and so the advice given will be accurate and so it will not always what you might like to hear. - don't be offended as the last thing you need is waffle in resolving your problem - you have arrived here because you have had enough of that"

If some of these people took a little time to read through previous posts they would find plenty of evidence to back up the above statement.

fwh

I agree with you fwh, but I'm not sure that we could honestly say

the advice given will be accurate

because most of us are not 'travel professionals' nor in the legal profession ...

Perhaps we would need to look into saying something like

the advice given will be as accurate as possible based on members' personal experience

But the idea of an informatory disclaimer seems to me to be a good one ... assuming that the OP is not too wound up by what's happened to them to read clearly something ulitmately helpful to them before they post!

totally agree do not book with Travel Republic, we are in dispute with them at this moment.
My husband is disabled and i requested a walk-in shower and close to amenities, when we got to or resort at sunningdale village the reception had no details of any requests and told us TR had not mentioned any requests apart from close to amenities. I did phone them before we left and told them or request was not on voucher please amend. I am so pleased that a certain person at TR told me yes i did phone. That is not the end of it though they wrote and told me my hotel provider smilo ceased trading and wrote to me directly, which they didnt. will let you know how i get on. I am not taking it lightly my husband has motor neurone and TR are trying to palm me off with a short letter which has proved in some cases to be wrong. They took my final payment on 5th april why did they not tell me smilo stopped trading in february. sorry so long.

I'm sorry to hear about your problem - I know from trying to ensure that accommodation is suitable for my disabled mother how frustrating it can be to try and find that the required facilities aren't there. Was it that the hotel wasn't suitable in the first place of was it a case of the hotel not being willing to move you into a room that was more suitable? In my experience you are dependent on the bed-booker/hotel supplier passing on any requests rather than TR dealing direct with the hotel. I often think that both the suppliers that companies like TR use and the hotels etc hide behind these being requests only and that if it suits them they feel free to ignore them.

It's a bit late for you now but I have found that it is worth checking with the accommodation direct that they can provide what is needed before making a booking via a 3rd party. That way at least you know that the hotel etc can provide suitable accommodation and then after booking, I always follow it up with an email or phone call to the hotel direct to confirm that they have received the request from the supplier - that way you stop being an anonymous booking on a print-out and become a real person who they are going to find it harder to refuse a reasonable request from.

I suspect that in this case you have become an innocent bystander caught up in a stand-off between the hotel and the supplier in that there is the chance that the hotel felt obliged to honour the letter but not the spirit of the booking because they had received payment from Smilo which is bound to have an impact on how far they would go to try and sort things out for you. Have you contacted Steve about this via the details above as suggested to the OP on this particular thread? It can't change the past but it might help you resolve the dispute and perhaps restore your faith in a company that many of us here have found reliable?

SM

Hi all
So sorry to hear about your problem regarding your room. Before I go to my hotels/apartments I email a few days before I arrive to make sure they know my requirements, just in case my requests have not been passed on. Like in my case I like high floor because I am not keen on people clonking about above me, sea view room etc. They normally send me a reply so I know, they know, and print off the email I receive from them.

Dawnie-Rob

Hi I understand what your saying. but I phoned TR prior ,I told them to amend my voucher obviously
not, resort does not have walk in showers nor mobility accomodation. I book with a travel company I expect what I request if they can't fulfill that they should not take our money. You put your trust in these companies.

What led you to believe that they did have walk-in showers and mobility accommodation? Did you speak to someone at TR before confirming the booking? Or was this a request that they passed on to Smilo? I think it could make a difference to your case because if an employes of TR told you then they really should have checked and put it right but if this was just a request made at the time of an on-line booking then the problem probably lies with Smilo - they accepted a booking via TR that they couldn't fulfil. In your position I would still try and contact Steve - he has helped solve problems for other members on here.

SM

With all due respect to those who say that they have been let down by TR we really are only reading selective parts of the tale. As SMa says was it a request or had you been told that a walk in shower was a facility they offered?
Unlike the main TOs operators such as TR use bed booking companies which does add another layer to the mix and therefore the potential for problems.

Elsewhere I have read a complaint that someone complained because they had twin beds pushed together rather than a double bed but these days it seems to be standard The description in the brochures often say double room but does not actually say double bed. Anyone who reads the brochure can easily misunderstand it. Brochures may say shower but often it does not specify they are walk in

Whilst it may be a little late in the day contacting the hotel direct to confirm your requirements is the safest option - even before actually making the booking. From my own experience hotels are happy to answer queries or try to accommodate special requests from potential guests.

fwh

fwh wrote:

With all due respect to those who say that they have been let down by TR we really are only reading selective parts of the tale.

I agree, It alright coming on forums and saying don't book with TR, but what about telling us if you did any research yourself before booking - did you contact the hotel/accommodation to double- check that they had any adapted rooms - did you phone TR for them to contact the hotel/ accommodation before booking.....or was this a request amongst what is considered 'general requests' after booking?

Whilst it may be a little late in the day contacting the hotel direct to confirm your requirements is the safest option - even before actually making the booking.

The main TO's state on their websites that you must phone them if you're requiring accommodation which is suitable for people with special needs/disabilities, before you make a booking.
http://www.thomson.co.uk/editorial/information/customer-welfare.html#adaptedrooms

Most sites do not list all the different types of rooms in the hotel - if you go onto the official hotel's website, they are more informative,
EG: The hotel that I'm staying in next month, there are about 6 or 7 different rooms, ranging from 'basic' to luxury suites and all commanding different prices.
Thomson, who are the main TO in this hotel, they offer 2 choices, a standard room or a garden/pool view room- the latter is more expensive.

I book with a travel company I expect what I request if they can't fulfill that they should not take our money

Requests are just that- requests! and hotels are under no obligation to fulfil any request, whether it be for a high floor or low floor, etc - this is why they say,"whilst they'll try their best to fulfil your request - requests are not guaranteed". If you've booked and paid extra for a sea view or a luxury suite, then yes you should get what you paid for.

I've use TR a few times, I used them last month - I've had no problems with them.
On the general requests section, I asked for a high floor with the sun shining on the balcony during the afternoon - I thought it would be pleasant to catch the late afternoon sun, when we returned from our daily outings.
I got a high(ish) floor with the sun in the morning for a couple of hours - that was down to the hotel, not TR.

Sanji

I dont want to go into this subject to much as it seems the only replies i seem to be getting are "i should have checked prior to booking resort", the issue is the resort is owned by club la costa and my husband and i was booked to go on a promotion week to this resort, we had won a prize £99 accom. only. It was booked through direct travel and they also booked us with TR. (NEVER BE FOOLED BY PROMO WEEKS)
We got sucked in. anyway i phoned CLC and told them of my husbands disability and i told direct travel and TR, way before our holiday CLC know what they have in there resorts sunningdale village dont have 1 bed appt with walkin shower even, so really the three companies need to get there acts together. thanks for your replies will let you know how i get on.

If sunningdale don't have what you requested, how is that the fault of TR? If you told CLC about it prior to booking, that has got nothing to do with TR. They're not a tour operator selling a accommodation they actually have details about, they're just a middle man. Whenever you book, or think about booking something, and you have specific requirements, it's up to you to check the hotel actually have what you need, before deciding whether to go or not. If you specifically asked TR to ring the hotel to check if they had the room type you wanted, then they should do it. If you only put it down as a request, and CLC were aware in advance, I really can't see how it is the fault of TR, or why the 3 companies should get their acts together. CLC and sunningdale, yes, but TR?

Lets look at this from a legal viewpoint.

the issue is the resort is owned by club la costa and my husband and i was booked to go on a promotion week to this resort, we had won a prize £99 accom. only. It was booked through direct travel and they also booked us with TR.

You "won"??? a promotion week for which you actually paid a fee. You therefore had a contract. Direct Holidays and TR are simply companies contracted to arrange things and I have no doubt they did the job they were paid for. You advised CLC of your personal needs/requirements and it was up to the to inform DH and TR of these. It would seem to me that they either failed to do so or ignored them. As this was a Promo then the least you would expect is they would try to ensure they met your needs. Don't they know what they are selling? They were hoping to persuade you into subscribing and their actions, or lack of them would only convince you that you did not wish to do so.

Personally I would complain to CLC and ask for a refund as they did not supply what they promised. CLC should have been aware that they could not have met your needs and should not have accepted the booking or - it is they who are in Breach of Contract, not DH (unless they are the same company under a different name) and certainly not TR who simply act as agents.

fwh

Just to add DH and TR are sub contractors acting on the instructions of and responsible to CLC. If they fail to do their jobs correctly then they legally would be in Breach of Contract to CLC not you.

fwh

what was so annoying after talking with direct travel and CLC we thought hmm maybe have a first week with a travel company(TR), maybe buy few shares into the resort,direct travel booked it for us which i was annoyed because i thought they were booking with CLC. anyway after paying a £1.00 to TR i told them also of my husbands mobility problems but they overlooked to amend the hotel voucher,which they have agreed that i phoned them to rectify. My point is the companies new about the requirements why did they continue from january to april not to inform us. It wasant just the £99 it was the fact we paid good money for our 2nd week and flights and food.
Also for peeps that keep repeatedly saying we should ask the hotel or resort prior we thought we had by asking CLC as it is there resort. and also we do normally book with reputable companies ie thomson virgin . we are of an age where we are not completely stupi and naive.

I'm still not sure that I fully understand what went on because you keep adding extra details that change the overall picture each time but it is becoming clearer to me that your problems stem from CLC not being straight with you about the fact that their resort, that they were hoping you would buy into, was never going to be suitable for you and your husband. You need to take this up with them not TR because presumably if they had told you the truth from the beginning you wouldn't even have considered taking up this promotional offer let alone booking an extra week there.

SM

Thankyou i tottally agree, but you know beware direct travel are sales people they just want there commssion at the end of the day, each one passing the buck, the resort know TR very well as they informed us, only having limited appt for peeps like us, neverthe rless i will get some satisfaction from this . It is quite complex and i have had lots of wring to do but hopefully will come to some agreement. Thanks for your reply.
The resort actually informed us if TR had put the special requests on the hotel voucher we would have had an upgrade or more suitable accomodation, CLC when we got there told us not to worry about the £99 and the promo visit, and if we wasant happy to look elsewhere. dear me.!

I'm even more confused now - yet another change to the story! In your post on Monday 17th you said that the resort had no mobility accommodation or rooms with walk-in showers. So how could they ever have moved you into more suitable accommodation regardless of whether TR amended the voucher or not? Do they or do they not have rooms that would have been suitable for you?

SM