Any other Tui,Thompson,Falcon experiences similar amoungst forum members ?
Just booked DIY hols for next year to Gran Canaries at the Hotel Playa Del Ingles with no REP's thankfully for almost half the price paid for Tenerife :-)
Would still love some feedback on above though & it be greatly appreciated ,thanks in advance Mark

Strange that you complain that there were no reps and now in another thread, you don't want any reps.
1. Reps don't rip you off. Reps are employee's that follow the company's rules. Reps do not set the price of the excursions, and the manner in which they try to sell these excursions is down to the company's policies, and part and parcel of the reps contract.
2. Thomson act as agents for their excursions and whilst they say that they will try and assist with any problems which might occur, your contract is between yourself and the supplier providing the excursion.
3. Any monies collected for excursions is paid to the supplier of the said excursion, therefore, Thomson/TUI didn't pocket your money, so they are quite correct in saying that the issue will have to be sorted by another department, who will have to try and get the money back from the supplier.
The supplier doesn't know that you'd been in hospital and personally I think you have to give Thomson/TUI a chance to contact him/her, to try and recover your money, but they will want some evidence that you had been in hospital and why the rest of your party couldn't go.

There's swings and roundabouts regarding the price difference between TO's prices and other independent companies, and people should do some research before booking either.
Companies operating on behalf of Thomson will have to have a high standard that complies with the UK's health and safety laws - This includes being fully insured and ( for example) having vehicles that are maintained and serviced to a strict, regular and high level, and driven by drivers with experience ( for example) a 52 seater coach in a variety of conditions.

There are many private companies operating in Spain ( Tenerife is part of Spain) and some of them have been in business for nearly 30 years providing a variety of excursions. They are registered as a Spanish company and say they are fully insured. Most have built up their reputation by being recommended by other satisfied customers. BUT, has anybody actually read their insurance policies.?
Anybody can say they are fully insured, however, if you scrutinised the small print between one company's policy and another, there will/ might, be an alarming difference between what one would pay out in the event of injury, and the maximum payment the other one will pay out.

Now it's my belief that in most situations you get what you pay for, and the better insurance policy that anyone buys, for whatever reason, is usually reflected in the price.
The agent has to make a profit, he has to have an insurance policy that conforms with the requirements of TUI, and therefore the cost will be passed down to the customer.
The conglomerate TUI cannot afford to not cover themselves - one tragic crash where it is found that they were (for example) allowing their customers to be transported on defective vehicles, it would cost them dearly in both their reputation and it would be the end of their excursions.

Yep, it will still be tragic for a small Spanish business, but the cost and 'fall-out' will be insignificant compared to the damage done to TUI.
Whilst there are many respectable Spanish companies, it will be a different scenario representing a UK citizen in a British court of law, and representing a British citizen in a Spanish court.

Now let's move onto reps -
It is the policy of TUI not to have reps in every hotel - apparently a few years ago they did a survey and found that most people didn't need the services of a rep in their hotel - in fact frequent visitors to the same resort tended to know more about the place than the reps that TUI were employing.
It was a cost cutting exercise by TUI, who fulfilled their obligation to their customers by providing a 24 hour telephone line.
The reps get some stick, they are the 'face' of the company, but instead of blaming and accusing the reps of 'ripping you off', you should try and understand that any problems with reps is the fault of TUI, both in their policies and recruitment.

Sanji

what a load of Tui knowledge ther wow (u work for them r something)
1 family holiday therefore rest of party to include 4 young kids going to a large water park not very practical with just their mom!!!
2 the 24 hr helpline u mentioned ,like I said does not put u in touch with any rep whatsoever it was a uk based line!!!!!
3 in my personal opinion the reps r as much at fault for leading people astray with nothing but lies at welcome meeting which they are the face to face person filling u in with all the details they want you to believe.
And the above post is not only from our own experiences on holiday as a lot of other couples we met were told face to face lies by reps...ie when asked was it possible for 2 kids we met over there to go on rides in siam park their parents were told ohhh yes surley your kids will love it .....but on entering park and queing for rides were told they were too small for most rides within the park!!!!!

I think honesty would be a better approach to anybody using there supposed knowledge or advice!!!!

and as for saying that I have another post of next years hols booked DIY no REP u don't seem to have read my post at all (why pay for a rep service when it's not there to avail off,better off doing it ourselves next year as its what we done this year anyhow)

I was hoping some of the members on here could have shared their own experiences and maybe givin me some advice on getting our money back.

Also as far as them paying the supplier/siam park in advance I think this is a very silly move on their behalf when like I said during our welcome meeting we were told that any of the excursions we bought carried a no quibble money back guarantee!!

Of course you are very entitled to your opinion as am I but I think for some reason you response is a little on the rep/Tui/Thompson I love you side!

Thanks Mark

Your first post starts

Hi guys can anybody please share some advice r info regarding the rep service provided by Thompson

When someone posts an answer you obviously don't like you are offensive to them. Perhaps the first thing you should do is read the handout you get when on the coach to your hotel/apartment. It tells you there the policy regarding reps.

The 24 hour helpline can actually give greater assistance at times and they also have the personal mobile numbers for the reps and so are able to contact them even when they are off duty.

Reps do not tell lies, it is more than their job is worth and I can tell you from personal experience they take any complaints about reps seriously. I know of one case where a rep was dismissed following complaints.

If you have a complaint then it is only right that Thomson need time to investigate it. Incidentally other TOs do not have reps spending time in hotels these days. Welcome meeting and the a telephone number is quite normal in many places.

To save time being offensive to me I do not and never have worked for Thomson or any other TO. 2nd I am not an apologist for any of them. If things are not right I complain in a polite manner and where necessary give them time to investigate it. Guess what - it always gets results.

fwh

In no way have I intended to b offensive !
Not at all & have found lots of info on here very helpfull indeed but I have said this in original post the number in folder at desk was a uk number & we asked could they get rep in our hotel to contact us ( we r now home & no contact was made ) so where u r getting the info as opposed to their personal numbers being giving in our case not the case like I also said in my original post surly they should have given us a direct contact number for rep instead of a response via e mail a day later to say that THEY Thompson HQ had spoke with James our rep and pass on message !
Surly other everyday holiday makers have had some similar experiences to share.
Giving them time to sort is not a problem ,but we are getting no answers so far other than its non refundable but they will look more into it !
Anybody else in my position would look more into things themselves surly !
Ps my main reason for posting and sharing my experience is that others be aware which I do believe is the reason for forums like this.
Hope I have offended nobody else here Mark

In no way have I intended to b offensive !

OK, I accept that you didn't mean to be offensive but for the record then and for you to bear in mind in the future, when someone takes the time to research and post a long informative answer trying to explain a TO's policies and what you can and can't expect from the reps service, there is an extremely good chance that they, or others who know the member well, will take offence if you imply that:

They must be an employee of the TO concerned or how else would they have the information they have researched.

They are biased and aren't to be trusted because they don't agree with you.

You dismiss their post as irrelevant and make it clear that you are only interested in posts from people who agree with you.

To be honest, it's now rare for me to bother posting answers re complaints because I am fed up of being accused of working for the TO concerned whenever I don't completely agree with the OP and/or suggest that legally they don't stand much chance of getting what they want. For the record, I think that you might have a case here for getting a refund but:

- TOs are usually entitled to 28 days to investigate a complaint and there is no point in hassling them in between times.

- The best way of getting of pursuing a complaint is to send a letter recorded delivery, so don't rely o emails and phonecalls.

- Keep the letter short, to the point and reasonable in tone. No exclamation marks, no sarcastic comments, no rhetorical questions just the basic facts.

- And finally, and I don't mean to be offensive either, but do make sure that your letter is grammatical, properly punctuated, avoids TXT speak and with no spelling errors. Ask a friend to proof read it for you so as to make sure. I say this because I have found your posts here difficult to read and originally gave up halfway through your first post. You don't want someone in TUI to do the same - you want the customer service people to get on your side and the more reasonable your tone, the easier you make it for them to work out what your complaint is and what you would like them to do about it and above all showing that you don't hold that individual personally responsible for what happened, the more likely you are to get a sympathetic response and the result that you are looking for.

SM

You accuse me of not reading your post, well actually I had to plough through your rant twice to make any sense of it, and as for working for TUI........ I DON'T, I've never worked in any capacity for any tour company or agents supplying excursions. I'm also no apologist for them, there's been times when I've had the red mist in front of my eyes, I've vowed never to use them again.

- You accuse the reps of 'ripping you off ' and TUI pocketing your money.

- You state that you were told that any excursions had a no quibble money back guarantee, then you change that to 'money back within 24 hours'

- Then you're peeved because you noticed the same excursion cheaper elsewhere.
So, how do I respond to those points?

1. Firstly by explaining that reps cannot rip you off, they don't set the price of the excursions and any money they collect has to be tallied with the type of excursion sold and the number of people. They have to account for every penny.
2. The difference between the TO's prices and what other independent companies may charge, I went into great detail to explain that the reason is the insurance policy, health and safety and any other 'hoop' that these suppliers have to jump through to be used/recommended by TUI .

Whilst TUI act as agents, they put all these small companies scattered across mainland Spain (and Islands) under the control of TUI españa, and the reason was ( as I explained in my previous post) so that they had control and the companies had to conform with TUI's requirements, they all have to have the same standard etc.
Now with regards to other independent companies, you can't say that is the case. You can't say that whilst they have to meet certain Spanish laws, that they are all of the same standard.

- You also stated that Thomson were passing the buck. Then you said they are "looking into it".

Thomson Uk will have to get in contact with TUI españa, who will have to get in contact with the supplier being used for the particular excursion in question.
It takes time.

Let's look at this from the supplier's side - He's got a coach and he's told he has 52 passengers, a few days later Thomson have given the money back to 25 people who decide, for whatever reason, that they don't want to go - How long do you think he will be in business running excursions half full.?
There has to be a cut off point where there is no refund - the supplier will set the T & C's.

You've obviously got a computer, so, tell me, before parting with £1000, (which is an awful lot of money for anyone) did you do any research about these excursions, either with Thomson or comparing with other recommended independent companies operating in Tenerife?
Every time I book a holiday with Thomson on - line, I'm bombarded with emails asking me if I want to chose my seat, do I want car parking and do I want to book an excursion. It's hard sell and the world we now live in.

Logic would tell me that if I was intending to book several excursions and spending that amount of money, I would click on the link and look at what Thomson are offering and what each excursion entails.
If you had, you would have seen that Thomson state quite clearly that they are acting as agents for TUI españa.

Excursions – Essential Information
Thomson/First Choice is a trading name of TUI UK Ltd and is acting only in the capacity of an Agent for the supplier in the sale of excursion/activity tours and tickets. When making an excursion/activity booking, you accept that you are entering into a contract directly between the supplier of the excursion/activity and yourself. The excursion/activity providers' terms and conditions will apply.

http://www.thomson.co.uk/editorial/legal/thomson-excursions-terms-and-conditions.html

If you'd looked at Siam Park excursions (plural because there are several options). It clearly states that height restrictions will apply to SOME rides and attractions. Note : the operative word being SOME.
http://www.thomsonexcursions.co.uk/excursions-details/ESP/Spain/000335/Tenerife/all/All-resorts/all/All-activities/1008994692/SiamParkandLoroParqueTwinTicketandBus.aspx

For what it's worth, I also think that if you were ill enough to be admitted into hospital, then Thomson should take that into consideration and emphasise the point when they are contacting TUI españa.
But, at the end of the day, I do believe that the supplier's T & C's will stand, and it will be up to TUI españa via Thomson to use their professional clout against the supplier.

Finally, are you making a claim against your holiday insurance for your hospital admission? If so, depending on your policy, you may be able to tag on the cost of the unused tickets under 'other expenses'.

Sanji

Edit for typo errors

I always holiday with Thomson, I usually travel solo and know they are a little more than some, and definitely more than DIY, but I know and trust them and their service. I can only briefly tell you of my own experiences with them.

Having traveled for many years with them now, I don't often attend the Welcome meetings, that's my choice, largely speaking I may have been to that area already and do not want any excursions or I fancy going it alone and finding my own way about. If however I travel long haul, I do want to go on excursions that are escorted, as I say I travel solo and I feel more at ease. The prices of the excursions are no doubt a little more than you would purchase independently from the 'locals' but for me I want the peace of mind of 'getting there' safely so I don't mind spending it.

As for Thomson service with their Reps. Last Christmas I went to Gran Canaria Xmas Eve for 7 days, unfortunately I was quite poorly and had to go to hospital. The Rep was great, she arranged the Taxi, made sure I had documents with me, and when I did come back to the hotel the next day, I spent a couple of days in bed, she rang my room to see If i needed drinks/food brought to my room. So I have nothing but praise for own experience, so much so I wrote to their HO on my return to share my gratitude.

I am sorry that you feel that Thomson don't give you the service/experience that you require, but I can honestly say that this has not been the case for me personally.

quote
so where u r getting the info as opposed to their personal numbers being giving in our case not the case

mark no where in fwh post do they say they give you personal numbers !!!

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The 24 hour helpline can actually give greater assistance at times and they also have the personal mobile numbers for the reps and so are able to contact them even when they are off duty.

I am sorry to hear you had problems on your holiday but I realy dont think its a good idea to give out a reps number to clients.
you can imagine that rep must have hundreds of customers per week and cannot be expected to be on duty 24 hours a day. therefore the number given for you is head office to which then they can decide if its urgent enough to get the rep to call out.
otherwise as you can imagine some people would be on the phone all the time to the rep complaining about silly things like no towels or broken chair or something...

Can I remind members not to post in shortened "text speak" when posting on the forums as it makes the post difficult for members to read?

Thank you.