Fiona wrote:

This thread, amongst others, highlights what little TR can actually do if things go wrong. Whilst I know that any company I book through can have similar problems I have seen too many problems with this company's CS and personally I do not look at them when booking hotels.Perhaps I am missing out but I do use similar companies who can be a bit more proactive in CS. I don't want excuses why things didn't happen.
Perhaps we need a praise section where a company has gone the extra mile when things have gone wrong? It may help balance the feedback out?

Agree 100% " I don't want excuses why things didn't happen "

Sunaddict wrote:

shrimper wrote:

Generaly I find that going direct to the hotel is dearer and the only way is going through a OTA now. Most of our recent holidays are with Thomson/First Choice as they beat DIY easily

Booking direct sometimes is more expensive, but if I'm booking a hotel I still prefer to book that way, and know I'm not likely to be bumped. We don't really like hotel holidays, and I always avoid booking a package wherever possible. I usually book flights direct with the airline, a villa direct with the owner and car direct with a local car hire company. That way any problems have to be sorted by me, and I'm not reliant on someone else.

And booking with someone who doesn't provide what you've paid for is a waste of money .

I do most of my bookings as above , directly .

Back to the OP s problem , notification of room booked not available by email 24hrs notice , well within the normal T&CS you tick with this company , the options to resolve offered are

1. a refund , well that's helpful , a legal obligation to give you back your money because they can't provide you with what you've purchased , or in other words Shove off and don't come back .
2 . 10 % of your next trip . Once again a wonderful offer , why would you want to part with money again in the future to do business with an incompetent customer service dept .

This sort of service is just woeful , I know their business model is sell it cheap , and tough T&CS that's not the problem , that is the risk you take with booking with them , that is logical , you get what you pay for .
You can sort of compare it to the LoCo airlines in that respect , and one ( EJ ) has a reasonable reputation for customer service and the other ( Ryanair) has a suspect reputation regarding service , even their boss after 20 years of revelling in offering poor service because they offer cheap prices had realised that " we have to stop p1$$*ng off people unnecessarily " because his profits and customers were falling away .. I see the complaints TR get is because of poor customer service like the example above . I can't see how anyone can defend the customer service they have offered above as acceptable .

andy66 wrote:

Back to the OP s problem , notification of room booked not available by email 24hrs notice , well within the normal T&CS you tick with this company , the options to resolve offered are

1. a refund , well that's helpful , a legal obligation to give you back your money because they can't provide you with what you've purchased , or in other words Shove off and don't come back .
2 . 10 % of your next trip . Once again a wonderful offer , why would you want to part with money again in the future to do business with an incompetent customer service dept .

This sort of service is just woeful , I know their business model is sell it cheap , and tough T&CS that's not the problem , that is the risk you take with booking with them , that is logical , you get what you pay for .
You can sort of compare it to the LoCo airlines in that respect , and one ( EJ ) has a reasonable reputation for customer service and the other ( Ryanair) has a suspect reputation regarding service , even their boss after 20 years of revelling in offering poor service because they offer cheap prices had realised that " we have to stop p1$$*ng off people unnecessarily " because his profits and customers were falling away .. I see the complaints TR get is because of poor customer service like the example above . I can't see how anyone can defend the customer service they have offered above as acceptable .

When you book via an agent who you have no contract with, why do you think the agent should have to 'make good' for a problem which isn't of their making? They have no control over an overbooking situation at all. They have done more than they need to by offering a 10% goodwill gesture which they will be paying for themselves. It's ok saying that sort of service is woeful, but what do you think they should do?

Well they have to do nothing , because they're not obligated to , they sell something that looks like a package and people might think is a package but technically it's not a package ,..... At the moment , ....but the travel package regulations are under review and have been for about 6 years now because the 1992 regulations just don't really cover and protect consumers enough as we are now in the digital age and people purchase holidays differently , the regulations really do need updating to provide consumer protection , in the EU consultations. it reported that 67% of EU citizens mistakenly thought they were protected when buying these " new packages " and users of " new packages " are twice as likely to have problems as users of traditional pre - arranged packages and the average cost of the problems is 3 times higher , so I think it is right to update the regulations to provide better protection to consumers as purchasing habits have changed .

TR do state clearly that it DOES NOT SELL, ORGANISE , OR ARRANGE PACKAGE HOLIDAYS , so if you want a package holiday and the protection that the 1992 regulation covers then make sure that is what you are buying . They and other OTA s are not playing on a level playing field with agents selling traditional arranged packages despite selling similar products , so I feel that the regulations need to be updated to reflect the change in the ways holidays / packages are marketed and sold so not to confuse consumers , because if they don't sell , don't organise , don't arrange and yet allowing you to piece together a " package " of flight , accommodation and transfers and collect the money and offer a £1 deposit it really does appear to be offering the same as an agent who offers a traditional package holiday with protection from the current regulations .

The governments view on updating regulations .
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmselect/cmeuleg/83-xui/8307.htm

A view on the implications of the proposals .
http://www.travlaw.co.uk/blog_posts/stephens-article-from-travel-weekly-on-the-package-travel-directive/

I do think that being rude and putting the phone down on a customer is pretty woeful , especially when you say on your website that customer service is in our DNA !!!!

An example from another recent thread of how TR doesn't always get it wrong

http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/forum/customer-service-good-bad-t159839.html

SM

andy66 wrote:

Well they have to do nothing , because they're not obligated to , they sell something that looks like a package and people might think is a package but technically it's not a package ,..... At the moment , ....but the travel package regulations are under review and have been for about 6 years now because the 1992 regulations just don't really cover and protect consumers enough as we are now in the digital age and people purchase holidays differently , the regulations really do need updating to provide consumer protection , in the EU consultations. it reported that 67% of EU citizens mistakenly thought they were protected when buying these " new packages " and users of " new packages " are twice as likely to have problems as users of traditional pre - arranged packages and the average cost of the problems is 3 times higher , so I think it is right to update the regulations to provide better protection to consumers as purchasing habits have changed .

TR do state clearly that it DOES NOT SELL, ORGANISE , OR ARRANGE PACKAGE HOLIDAYS , so if you want a package holiday and the protection that the 1992 regulation covers then make sure that is what you are buying . They and other OTA s are not playing on a level playing field with agents selling traditional arranged packages despite selling similar products , so I feel that the regulations need to be updated to reflect the change in the ways holidays / packages are marketed and sold so not to confuse consumers , because if they don't sell , don't organise , don't arrange and yet allowing you to piece together a " package " of flight , accommodation and transfers and collect the money and offer a £1 deposit it really does appear to be offering the same as an agent who offers a traditional package holiday with protection from the current regulations .

The governments view on updating regulations .
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmselect/cmeuleg/83-xui/8307.htm

A view on the implications of the proposals .
http://www.travlaw.co.uk/blog_posts/stephens-article-from-travel-weekly-on-the-package-travel-directive/

I do think that being rude and putting the phone down on a customer is pretty woeful , especially when you say on your website that customer service is in our DNA !!!!

If we get any more regulations, we're in danger of being regulated to death IMO the nanny state that we know live in is to blame for the fact people seem incapable of reading and understanding terms and conditions before just blindly accepting them. They don't think they have to. They see Abta and Atol, are clueless to who/what they are, or do, and think it's perfectly safe to book, no research or reading required.

I can't think off hand of any OTA site that doesn't make it very clear what they sell, and how they trade. More regulations won't help. I've long since given up reading all the updates I get sent about what they're proposing about this, that and the other. Holidays aren't complicated, until people/organisations decide to makes them complicated and keep coming up with more red tape and hoops to be jumped through. The fact we're in the digital age there is less excuse for people to 'get it wrong', not more.
You won't get a £1 deposit for a flight and accommodation booking on TR, only on an accommodation only booking.

I feel people need to start taking responsibility for themselves, instead of relying on the EU and the government to do it for them.

But the current regulations need to be updated to take account of changes over the last 20 years , consumers were not using the Internet to book holidays when they came into force , companies are now " selling " similar holidays but adhering to different rules , the confusion needs to be cleared up , you think OTA s make it very clear what they sell and how they trade , but 67% of EU citizens have mistakenly thought they were protected , that has to be a concern for the EU and governments because the message is not getting through , perhaps the ATOL and ABTA logos do make people think its safe .

how about the OTA s clearly displaying they do not sell, organise or arrange package holidays which have protection from regulations prominently displayed underneath the ABTA/ATOL logos which they do prominently display ??

Sunaddict wrote:

. Holidays aren't complicated, until people/organisations decide to makes them complicated and keep coming up with more red tape and hoops to be jumped through. The fact we're in the digital age there is less excuse for people to 'get it wrong', not more..

More reason for the regulation to be updated , who has made holidays more complicated ? How easy is it to explain and define the terms we commonly hear like , agent , organiser , consolidator , commercial trader , bed bank , etc etc . We all knew 20 years ago we mostly went to a Travel Agent to book a holiday and pretty much knew what they did , now in the digital age we have far more choice which s great , a more competitive industry too . Good regulation would clearly define different roles and products and services and what the consumer should expect .

I feel the EU and governments should take responsibility to protect consumers and implement regulations where confusion exists ,

SMa wrote:

An example from another recent thread of how TR doesn't always get it wrong

<span class="skimlinks-unlinked">http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/forum/customer-service-good-bad-t159839.html</span>

SM

I genuinely think that is great and praise is certainly due to them for excellent service , I think it goes without saying I'm a staunch advocate of good customer service and certainly no apologist for bad service .

At the end of the day and particularly with forums such as this, it will mostly be the bad news which gets reported. After all, isn't there a saying "bad news travels fast"?

People are quick to point out the bad stuff but rarely come to HT to say how wonderfully they were treated by their agent/tour operator etc so I really don't think you can use stats from the number of posts to cement a point.

The only way would be to make sure when booking a dynamic holiday that each part has to be confirmed separately somehow - even though the system should allow each entity to be booked and tied together. This probably means whole system rewrites but it may then prod the "customer" into wondering why they have to do this.

It's a known fact that most people do not read Terms & Conditions until they have to - usually when something has gone awry. So no amount of legislation or guff on a website will make them read it any more. A lot is down to price.... if it's reasonable or lower than elsewhere, most people will just book it and suffer the consequence later.

For those who have the luxury of not having to keep their holidays at a lower cost, well they can book direct or use the easy option and go via a tour operator.

For those of us who are expats living outside of UK, we don't have the option of tour operator holidays when we want to go to pastures new. We either pay through the nose by using a local agent (which offers no guarantees either) or we book flights and accommodation the best way possible (yes, I will always go for the best price especially if I know where I want to be located) separately. Mostly, we can get flights cheaper by booking directly with the airline and definitely, the best price for accommodation is with a bed booker.

As I've said we're 10 years down the line and we haven't come unstuck - yet....

These problems happen because not everybody who ticks that they have read and accept the T&Cs has actually done so. Just as some people also sign other legal contracts without reading them thoroughly. I know of no law in the world that will solve that problem. I'm at a loss to explain why I and many other people fully understand that we are not booking a package with the likes of TR but others don't. It has always been very clear to me and TR already has the following statement on their home page in a similar size font to that used alongside the ATOL logo:

.Travel Republic is a travel search website acting as agent only. Each product (e.g. flight, hotel or car hire) has its own price independent of any other products booked at the same time and creates a separate contract directly between you and the provider of that product. Travel Republic champions value, choice and flexibility and does not sell, organise or arrange package holidays.

All of the Flight Plus Holidays (as defined in our Agency Terms of Business) on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. The ATOL protection does not apply to all holiday and travel services listed on this website. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking. If you do not receive an ATOL certificate then the booking will not be ATOL protected. If you do receive an ATOL Certificate but all the parts of your trip are not listed on it, those parts will not be ATOL protected. Please see our Agency Terms of Business for information, or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to: http://www.atol.org.uk.

This is not hidden away in T&Cs on a separate page but is very clearly written at the bottom of the front page.

https://www.travelrepublic.co.uk/holidays/united_kingdom/holidays_in_london.html?oid=74304&mkid=334257938&aid=1&dev=t&gclid=CNv48bTnlr4CFanjwgod7BQAhA

And, please, do not come back and say that it should be nearer the top or that there should be a warning at the top telling customers that they should scroll down to the bottom of the page! Anybody who needs that amount of hand holding perhaps isn't ready to travel in the first place. And that is not a flippant or sarcastic point - I really do wonder how somebody who needs that sort of advice would cope if things start to go wrong once they are away? Travellers who need that amount of handholding are probably best advised to only book with one of the big TOs who have a network of reps in resort. Though even they appear at times to leave a lot to be desired in terms of customer service in resort judging by some of the complaints posted here. I cannot comment on that from experience because I have not booked a package with one of them in many years but the main reason I am very happy with and why I am a repeat customer of the small company I use for Cuba is that they send at least one member of staff out with every organised group as well as having local support staff and the price of their holidays reflects that. But I would never expect that level of service from a company like TR.

Also ATOL bonding is simply a guarantee under specific circumstances that you will be protected if the airline goes bust - for most people it boils down to 'we'll get you home if the airline ceases trading'. And TR does not display the ABTA logo - presumably because they are not members - so anybody wanting to only deal with ABTA bonded agents will presumably not bother looking any further? As many others have discovered, ATOL and ABTA bonding is of little help in relation to many of the complaints that surface here anyway. I think one of the main general problems is that many customers overestimate about just how much protection ATOL and ABTA bonding actually gives them in the first place. On the whole between them, they provide financial protection if either the airline, the TO or the TA cease trading but not a great deal more. ABTA seems to be largely powerless and/or to find in the TAs favour when it comes to many of the complaints raised here about TAs.

SM

[quote="SMa"

And, please, do not come back and say that it should be nearer the top or that there should be a warning at the top telling customers that they should scroll down to the bottom of the page! Anybody who needs that amount of hand holding perhaps isn't ready to travel in the first place. And that is not a flippant or sarcastic point -

And TR does not display the ABTA logo - presumably because they are not members - so anybody wanting to only deal with ABTA bonded agents will presumably not bother looking any further?

ABTA seems to be largely powerless and/or to find in the TAs favour when it comes to many of the complaints raised here about TAs.

SM