Okay then, should have said: 'Iberostar Tucan are still contracted with Direct Holidays and Airtours until October 31st 2005 after that they don't know if the contracts will be renewed'

Airtours renaged on the contract they had with me and obviously reviewed their contract with the Tucan by overselling their allocation.

Ok fair point, wasnt trying to start an argument!! The contracts are being reviewed like they probably are every year. I am desperately trying to stay positive that I am going to get the holiday we have booked, thats all.

Sorry if it came across that way Sally, but the only people I could have an argument with are Airtours! and its really upset me to read of another Airtours/Tucan customer on TA who should have been going there on 9th August and has been bumped as well.

No probs, I think I am just becoming really worried and a bit over sensitive and am really trying to believe I will still get my holiday. Each new post from another new person that this has happened to just fills me with despair.

Reading other guests' topics, and after sending an email to Airtours, I have decided to edit the letter a tad, and get all my facts together in pursuing my claim.

I dont think I have a leg to stand on with the baggage charges, as I dont have any receipts, but we'll see, but theme park tickets that came with my package was advertised and when I called to book, it was confirmed then also. When we arrived in resort, we didnt have any money to go as we thought tickets were included, so therefore spoilt it a bit for us as we really wanted to go.

Then Ive sent 2 letter to Airtours, demanding money back for these tickets, as they were included in our price, and they sent one letter back saying '£20 cheque included with the letter' which wasnt even in the envelope!! This annoyed me even further now as I felt they were just having a laugh. So Ive written another, more strongly worded letter, and printed out a page from Terra Mitica's website, stating the price 66E for 2 of us, a currency converter page (comes to £45.75 for 2 of us) meaning the cheque was actually short in the first place, even though wed never had it!!! Plus Ive sent them a copy of ABTA's code of conduct, stating which codes they are in breach of with false advertising, etc......so if everything goes to plan, Ill have to thank everyone at HT for helping me!!!

Seeing everyone else's complaints, its small in comparison, but by now its the principal of the thing, and everytime I read that letter saying 'here is a cheque for £20...' it makes me even more determined to get it!!!!

Fingers crossed!!

Having already received tickets for my Airtours holiday to Mallorca, I received another set, with no explaination, with the flights moved from 14:00 on a Saturday (as booked 4 months ago) to 18:45 - these arrived 1 week before we were due to travel. On arrival at the airport the flight had been 'rescheduled' again for 19:30 - by 20:00 we had actually boarded. Our plane sat on the runway for 2 hours actually taking off at 22:00. We checked into our hotel at 3am Sunday morning.

My main gripe is that Airtours changed what was a carefully selected departure time, allowing us an evening in the resort and we get the time moved on nearly 5 hours - I would never have selected 19:30 on a Saturday to fly.

The rest of the fiasco just added to what was a terrible start to the holiday.

I got the Rep to take details and fill in 1 of their forms - but realistically what is likely to happen when I complain?

Are companies allowed to do this with? - does anyone think there is anything else I can do except not travel with them again?

Any help appreciated.

i had a terrible holiday.

I have wrote a six page letter of complaint to airtours, i have asked for six hundred pound back at least as i paid £2506 for the holiday and £7000
and £7000 altogehter as it was my wedding over there and honeymoon and it was terrible. I mean really bad. My travel really need to sort themselves out!

0141 559 7267
this is the number I have for customer service for DH. Only problem is
nobody ever answers.

Direct Holiday
Telephoned customer service today and for the first time got through. They cannot deal with my situation as it is customer relations who deal with it? Am confused or am I being fobbed off?

I have now no choice but to cancel. It has been over 10 weeks and thEy have not responded to my emails or letters. I have requested a phone call via customer service but I doubt thIS call is coming. The majority of my family who have not gone on holiday this year in order to come to my wedding will not book as they're afraid they will turn up to Mexico and the bride and groom will be stuck in the uk or the Copacabana. I am not furious just deelpy upset that my wedding will not be taking place and the family reunion is also ruined. There was family I had not seen in 15 years (some who have boked) and we were really looking forwad to celebrating our special day with them all.

I am also upset by those who have suggested I should walk away and forget about the deposit, this i will not do. I am a great believe in fairness and in my opinion Direct holidays have been very unfair and unkind.

The fact that the hotel is suggesting that customers book with another tour operator sugguests to me that no renewal of contract will be made in October betweed DH and the IB tUCAN.

Now here comes the funny part Direct holidays customer service dept want me to get customers reference numbers for those who have received a refund of deposit because they were booked into another hotel other than the Tucan. I know that mytravel gave one customer there full dep back and I now have to get his reference number because Direct holiday do not believe me. If i cannot do this I lose my deposit.

What sort of company is this?

What am I supposed to do

Aren't British TO's fab!!!!?????

We were due to go to the Caracol Village with Airtours/DH on 12th August.
We got a call last week to say we had been moved to the Reef Coco beach due to renovations at the Caracol after hurricane Emily.
I have read elsewhere that Caracol suffered only minor damage in Emily ?
I am now concerened that when we get there we get bumped yet again.
Airtours wouldn't send an e-mail confirming our new hotel, but they did fax a screen dump !

I am now very nervous about all this and will not be happy until I am checked into the Reef (if that actually happens).

Certainly won't use them again - and I haven't even travelled yet !

Futurebride, I don't understand how they can refuse to give you a refund of your deposit if they will not have a contract with the hotel after October??? Unfortunately we didn't get a refund, there was no flexibility with dates in work so we had to go and just see what the Copa was like. Hope you get the reference numbers you need, I really can't believe they are asking for them though. Next time you speak to them try to record the conversation, and let them know you are doing it.

I, like you would not walk away without fighting for the deposit, however I would certainly look into booking elsewhere via another tour agent in the meantime. The Iberostar Lindo, Del Mar and Beach have got really good reviews.

I really do hope you sort this out, and unfortunately I wouldn't rely on DH for anything.

Stemec2000
The same thing is happening to us and has happened to several other families(not on this website). Only Airtours can not use Emily as an excuse for what they've been up to with my honeymoon. We've been bumped to go the Copa and this happened in June. Because of Emily, that may also not actually happen now. I booked a holiday way back in November of last year, expecting to be able to go to the hotel that I chose not one thats conveniently available for the TO because they took our original booking knowing damn well that they didn't have a room at the hotel of our choice. I'm lucky as I have the written proof of this and loads of other evidence besides.
We are just one family among many that have had their holidays/honeymoons/weddings/birthday celebrations etc ruined by these
TO's.
I know exactly how you are feeling. I feel as though we are doing an "allocated on arrival" at the moment. In other words, god only knows what we are going to end up in!!! This is NOT what we have booked and paid so much money for.
I have heard that the Reef Coco is a nice place but not 4 or 5 star. I hope that you do have a lovely time no matter what, but all that's happened tends to overshadow the whole thing.

Dizzy

tripadvisor is down but you made a good point about customer confidentiality. I got a reference number from a lovely person who I have been in touch with on another site. Cant believe that I have to prove something before I can get my dep back. The company is a joke.

Thanks marc for your reply- did you book another holiday through DH?

Managing Director of Direct Holiday is MR Rick Green if anyone wants to write to him. Its worth a try.

FB
Sorry but it was all I could think of. But discussing someone elses holiday account and the money side of things surely must be a bit naughty!!!
You should not be having to do this anyway. Think you have enough to bother about at this time.

Letter finally arrived today from DH.

It is certainly never our wish to have to change any customer, however I am sure you appreciate however that the arrangements for your holiday are put in place many months in advance and very occasionally we may need to make changes, it is for this reason that we allow for such eventualities in the section of our booking conditions entitled "changes made by us".

I can confirm that we do indeed have a contract for the Iberostar Tucan for our winter 2005/06 programme. Whilst we have had a previous reduction in our room allocation at the hotel, this action against the winter programme prior to booking. Therefore whilst I appreciate the anxiety knowing that previous customers have had to change we do not have any pending changes for your booking and see no reason why we should change the holiday.

So what they're saying is as they have conditions in their booking policy " changes made by us" bascially its tough for me if at the last minute they decide I am not going to the Tucan. I slo noted that not once did they mention my wedding. I am aware that as i did not book the wedding through them- they could nor care less. Oh well back to the drawing board.

forgot to say they end it with this- I trust you and you party with have an enjoyable time. I wont even bother writing up all the bad grammer in this letter.

I thought they'd lost the contract to this hotel?? If thats not the case, then why have so many people been bumped?