This is disgraceful. Yet another example of the discrimination toward the less-able bodied.
Sorry I can't help you in any way on how to complain to these people. Maybe they have a customer services department that you can ring to get an address?
Good luck!

Kosmar can be contacte on 0870 7000747 or 0208 8826999 if you dont like 0870 numbers

contact address is:

Kosmar Villa Holidays Plc
The Grange
High Street
Southgate
London
N14 6FS

dont let one bad experience put you off a fantastic company, sometimes things go wrong, give them a chance to apologise and hopefully things will be better for you in the future

hi all,

We flew with Kosmar last year, my sister sometimes has to use a wheelchair and we had no problems at all, the airport staff and staff on the plane were great. I think you were just unlucky.

Jenxxx

Maybe you were just unlucky that their service did not come up to scratch. Having said this, there was no excuse for the way you say that you were treated by the company once they became aware there was a problem.

It sounds to me as if you may have grounds for claiming compensation under the Disability Discrimination Act. It might be worth speaking to someone from the Disability Rights Commission about your experience. You can contact them via the link below:

http://www.drc-gb.org/contactus.asp

In my experience Kosmar will ignore any complaints you may make. The worst firm I've ever travelled with, with the rudest staff.I broke my leg in Rhodes on one ocassion and the Greek airport staff were wonderful. Pity Kosmar couldn't have prepared them to help you.

it really goes to show in this thread how people have such different experiences, as ive mentioned before on holiday with libra being burgled, libra were awful and it took kosmar reps to help and assist us and weve been with them every year since

Just a note to thank you all for taking the trouble to comment.

I have written to Kosmar to complain so it should be interesting to see how they respond

Regards
Dawn

After 10 years experience of working with Tour Operators, Airlines and Airports I think I can shed some light and insight in to your problem.

Whilst having every sympathy for the situation you found yourself in at both your UK and resort airports, You may well find that it is extremely likely that Kosmar were not the cause of your failure to get wheelchair assistance. Whilst you informed Kosmar of your requirements and they advised you that they had noted your booking the process from here on becomes complicated and other parties become involved

Kosmar would have sent your requirement either electronically or via fax to the airline who operated your flight, who in turn would have passed this to there handling agents at both airports, Who in turn may well have passed this to a 3rd party company who provide the wheelchair services! (Few airlines actually have there own in house handling and fewer still in house wheelchair services)

Providing Kosmar actually made the request on there reservation system (and the fact you spoke to a number of reps in resort would point to the fact it would have been) the request would have been passed to the airline (You didn't say which airline you flew with) who instructed the handling agent to have a wheelchair available and this is most probably where the problem arose. (Some airlines and agents are better than others at meeting these requests!)

From the comments about check in I would guess that the failure may well have been that of the Airline or handling agent and can offer no excuses or condone the behaviour of the check in staff and it was her responsibility to sort it out !.

The cabin crew on your flights would have requested wheelchair assistance to meet the aircraft on landing had they have known of your request (Again it would seem they hadn't been told of your requirement)

As for Discrimination, I think its likely that you will find that the failure to meet your request would not be viewed as such. You were not discriminated against, You failed to have your request met which is very different.

Whilst Kosmar appoint the airline and have a responsibility please don't be so quick to blame Kosmar for the failure without knowing the full story. For the wheelchair to have not been provided at both UK and resort airports I would be inclined to think the Airline has failed to meet the request.

Im not connected with Kosmar or employed by them I simply felt that the above may well have given some clarity .

Hello Jetset
I flew with Aegean who were very good and per the sign in the plane had been voted top airline for the current year.

My feeling is that at the end of the day I arranged the holiday through Kosmar and Kosmar were happy to take my money. Kosmar were also happy to assure me prior to my holiday that my not unreasonable needs would be met. Provision of a wheelchair should not be rocket science!

If Kosmar have subcontracted out some of their services then I feel that they remain responsible for the level of service provided. Kosmar's position is weakened in that I telephoned 3 weeks before my flight to check the wheelchair provision and was assured that the computer record had been noted. When we got to check in at Stansted this was not the case. It is possible therefore that Kosmar still had not noted the computer record for my return. Although the reps assured me a wheelchair would be provided, I do not know if they actually checked the computer records to ensure this would be the case.

I am sure that when Kosmar get compliments they don't say this was because they subcontract to excellent airlines, handling agents etc. So when things go wrong they should take responsibility too. My contract is with Kosmar, not with the subcontractors.

I have previously worked for a very large organisation and know that things can go wrong. However, from speaking to customers I know that it is very irritating when an organisation tries to pass the buck and blame someone else. Kosmar are my contact in all this, not the airline or handling agent. Kosmar take the profits, they should also take the responsiblity.

What should not be forgotten is that I am still in increased pain as a result of all this, and have difficulty in getting comfortable to rest and sleep.

Did you fill in a booking form for your holiday, dawn, and put that you needed wheelchair assistance? If you did, and you are seeking compensation from Kosmar, then ask them for a copy of it, so you can prove it was requested. It may help!

I so sympathise with you. I have been in the handling agents offices when pilots radio in for landing and request x number of wheelchairs, and have seen the staff rushing round trying to round up sufficient numbers.

I am a rep, and even if I have been informed that a wheelchair is necessary (which often I'm not!), I have to go find one from the handling agent, and if they are all being used, then I have to wait my turn. In fact what normally happens is that I "borrow" any empty ones I find, but it is an impossible task sometimes, and to try and hang on to one for a client who is about to arrive, when someone is in need, right at that moment, draws black looks from other people.

Thank you for your kind comments Sue.

The holiday was booked in July 2004. Since then my condition has worsened, so I telephoned Kosmar to find out the action I needed to take to ensure a wheelchair was provided. I was assured that the computer record would be noted and I didn't need to take any further action.

There is often a long period between booking and the actual holiday, in our case 10 months. A lot can happen in this time, so I would think that holiday companies would be used to dealing with these sort of requests.

I do appreciate how busy reps are on 'airport days', especially when there are long delays, and you have to do the welcome meeting the next day. The reps are in the 'front line' of it all. It sounds as if wheelchair provision can be a bit hit and miss, which is such a shame for disabled travellers. If we can send missions to Mars and put men on the moon, then I think its a case of 'could do better' when it comes to the needs of customers with disabilities.

As for Discrimination, I think its likely that you will find that the failure to meet your request would not be viewed as such. You were not discriminated against, You failed to have your request met which is very different.

This is still discrimination! The flight company in failing to provide access for disabled customers is discrimination. I know it was eventually resolved, but it's not as if they weren't informed!

Hello Bess
Just had another look on the DRC site and they say the following regarding wheelchairs at airports:

'A service provider, such as an airport, must provide a disabled service user with additional services or equipment if the practice in place makes it impossible or unreasonably difficult for them to use the service.

As the airport facilities are spread out over a large area, some customers with mobility impairments may find it necessary to be given a wheelchair to use.

When providing additional facilities such as wheelchairs, extra costs incurred must not be passed on to the disabled service user'

If I don't have any luck with Kosmar I will contact the DRC and see if they can help. Thank you for the suggestion.

Regards
Dawn

Dawn

Having had the opportunity to read your replies and the benefit of knowing the airline you flew with I would hazard an educated guess that the problem lay in communication between the airline and handling agent. As I expressed in my earlier reply some airlines and agents are better than others.

I would also hazard a guess that you request was noted in Kosmar reservation system (Something the resort staff probably checked and saw). The provision of wheelchairs rests with the airline and its agents at any airport and Kosmar would have requested this in good faith from them.

I can only speak for my own airline where we have procedures in place to ensure that our handling agents meet requests such as yours, (and again some are better than others at meeting these requests).

Whilst Kosmar arranges your flights it has to rely on its carrier airlines to meet special requests such as yours, there is only so much a tour operator can do to ensure that airlines and agents carry out these requests.

Again I would ask you to realise the difference between discrimination and failure on the day to meet your request, Arrangements were in place for the provision of wheelchairs and lift on/off aircraft, However in your case the agents failed to meet your request and it would seem the check in staff handled the situation very badly.

I'm have no doubt Kosmar will take your comments seriously and will discuss these with the airline concerned who may then take this up with the agents concerned.

I have every sympathy for the problems you encountered, and the subsequent results but merely ask that rather than taking the stance Kosmar DIDN'T meet your request, you understand that Kosmar may well have taken every care in ensuring your request was met but subsequently been let down by the airline or handling agent both of which are outside of Kosmars direct control.

As an airline I handle many thousands of similar requests 99.9% of which are met without any problem but there are and will always be occasions when local staff and agents fail to meet these requests and in these instances investigation usually reveal that it is human error that led to a failure to meet requests and expectations.

No Airline would knowingly fail to meet requests of this nature as this invariably leads to additional problems and possible delays, believe me it is easier to arrange a wheelchair in advance rather than minutes before boarding or at check-in. Like wise it is easier to telex (as your flight departs) the arrival airport that you require wheelchair assistance rather than the crew having to radio ahead to arrange this at the last moment. There are established procedures and systems in place to allow this and with knowledge of the way aviation works an educated guess is that your airline and handling agent had failed to communicate effectively.

Likewise no airline is going to discriminate against any passenger. Airlines retain a humanitarian and indeed a commercial duty to carry any passenger they can safely carry. And will always provide assistance whereever possible sadly on this occasion it would seem that local staff or agents have failed to meet your requirements. And where as Kosmar can affect direct control of areas such as accommodation flights and airports remain outside of its direct control.

My advise to you Dawn is to seek Kosmars assistance in progressing your complaint with the airline or its agent, having established that your request was noted (Kosmar should be able to provide screen prints from its reservation system) rather than simply holding Kosmar at fault, This I think will see progress made.

Once again I repeat I do not work for Kosmar or indeed the Airline , Airport or Agents that were involved in your holiday .

Just been looking at terms and conditions on the back of my Kosmar tickets and saw this....

DISABLED GUESTS......we would ask that you submit any special needs/requirements to us in writing....a checklist for disabled and less mobile passengers can be obtained by contactign us directly and will need to be completed and signed by you before a bookiung can proceed. Please note that completeion of thid form will not guarantee your needs will be met.....we will not be held liable etc etc etc

Basically it looks like you can inform them before booking, after booking, whenever but they have covered themselves against anything should the help not apply.

It does also say though that they will do their utmost to honour any special requirements and im sure that a wheelchair is hardly difficult to organise

anyway hope this helps

Hello

Thank you for your comments Jet Set and Sally.

Jet Set - it certainly helps to have an idea of the background of all this. Had I known I would have checked with the staff on the flight - but it is too late now! I do not currently know that Kosmar did take every action to meet my request. Until I hear back from Kosmar it will not be clear where communications broke down on both the outward and return flight. My feeling remains that Kosmar are responsible for their handling agents actions and lack of. I paid Kosmar for a service, not the handling agent.

Sally - I too read the note that you have quoted. That is why when I rang and spoke to Micheal I asked if I had to confirm in writing. He told me no, I did not have to. He would note the computer record and that would be sufficient. The whole thing is so frustrating.

Hopefully I will hear from Kosmar shortly. Thank you both again for your trouble and clarifications. It is appreciated.

Regards
Dawn

JETSET wrote:

As for Discrimination, I think its likely that you will find that the failure to meet your request would not be viewed as such. You were not discriminated against, You failed to have your request met which is very different.

However, my understanding is that such a failure is still in breach of the Disability Discrimination Act.

The Act places an obligation on service providers to make adjustments to ensure that the needs of people with disabilities are properly met.

Such adjustments would include a) having procedures in place to try and prevent this kind of thing from ever happening, and b) in situations where procedures fail, training their staff to treat the customer with respect and consideration, and making sure the problem is sorted out to the customers satisfaction on the spot.

Whilst failing to provide a wheelchair may be down to a tour operator's agents in cases such as this, under the Package Travel Regulations tour operators are directly liable for the failings of any of their agents or subcontractors.

Whether or not the tour operator takes every action to meet a disabled customer's request is largely immaterial in the eyes of the law. Where a customer informs them that they will need a wheelchair at the airport, the service provider (i.e. the tour operator) has a duty to make sure that their needs are catered for, and a wheelchair is provided free of charge. This point of law was established in Ross v Ryanair, a case brought by the Disability Rights Commission, where it was ruled that a wheelchair is termed an 'auxiliary aid' under the DDA, as it enabled Mr Ross to make use of the service.

Consumer law takes precedence over a tour operators brochured terms and conditions, and any terms which seek to exclude liability in such circumstances are not worth the paper they are written on.

Thank you Mrs J for your very clear synopsis of the position regarding the DDA, and especially your mention of the relevant case law.

As you have seen from my posts above my feeling all along has been that Kosmar are responsible. It is good to see that this is backed up by the 'Package Travel Regulations'.

I have only recently become disabled and have learnt a lot through this experience. I would like to add that it was not all bad. The Stansted airport staff (not check in!) were excellent, treating me at all times with care, courtesy and respect.