im sorry sanji but it is stated in the back of the brouchures that resorts are quiet and do begin to close down! thats why there are so many cheap deals to greece at this time of year!
as regards the tour operator knowing ive worked for many years in many different greek resorts in summer and believe me the greeks dont know when they are gunna close never mind the companies. they tend to work until they have enough money for the winter then shut up shop! ive worked in resorts that one day is all open the next day half is closed. alternativly ive worked in places were it has been a quiet summer and the owners of shops bars restaurants are asking you if you can continue bringing people over in november!
over the next few years the greeks in these resorts will realise that towards the end of october is half term and more and more will stay open later in the season. personnally i would of been happy to of been offered this change a lot of companies dont!
im sorry sanji but it is stated in the back of the brouchures that resorts are quiet and do begin to close down! thats why there are so many cheap deals to greece at this time of year!
Yes, fair enough, but winding down and being closed are two different things.
I'm going to agree to disagree with you because a pattern of when the season ends has been established over the years, they don't extend the period into weeks/months.
My youngest lad worked in the mint club in Sidari, his contract was from the 1st May until 31st October.
He did one year whilst taking a break from university and then went back for a year after he got his degree.....
Funny how he arrived back at Gatwick airport before the 31st of October, in fact the middle of October on both occasions because the club had closed and the mint club is one of the biggest clubs in Sidari..... and one of the last to close.
I'll agree to disagree.
Sanji
Oh dear the poor customer. How much do they expect their hands to be held?
Whilst you may not agree with the terms and conditions and all the other information in a brochure they do actually tell you something. Such as "Not all facilities may be available"
Many of the complaints can be laid at the door of T&Cs etc - Not that they are fair or unfair, simply people do not bother to read them.
Why do TOs offer them? Simple answer is we want them. If they did not then we would complain.
We do actually live in a different country. We have a job 12 months of the year. In many of the countries we visit they do things in a different way.
I remember being told on one holiday that many of the staff went to help with the harvest when the season finished. If it was early then many of them finished early as they were needed to gather it in. That second job enabled them to survive in many cases.
Now it is not a very satisfactory situation when you find most of the place closed down, yet the information is there if you just take the time to look it up.
My youngest is off to Malaysia next month for a holiday. He knows little about the place so he has gone out and bought some books about the place. (When he gets his internet up and running again then he will also use that - that is another story)
We live in what could be described as a highly advanced country. We are so used to being bombarded with the customer service propaganda many actually believe it.
Read your local press and see the complaints there about its failure. It is very easy to complain about other countries - they are foreigners. I wonder if all who complain can say, with hand on heart, they give the 110% they expect of others. Probably more a case of do as I say not as I do.
The days of empire are long gone. We no longer can dictate to other countries what they will do for our benefit.
fwh
Whilst you may not agree with the terms and conditions and all the other information in a brochure they do actually tell you something. Such as "Not all facilities may be available"
Many of the complaints can be laid at the door of T&Cs etc - Not that they are fair or unfair, simply people do not bother to read them.
Why do TOs offer them? Simple answer is we want them. If they did not then we would complain.
We do actually live in a different country. We have a job 12 months of the year. In many of the countries we visit they do things in a different way.
I remember being told on one holiday that many of the staff went to help with the harvest when the season finished. If it was early then many of them finished early as they were needed to gather it in. That second job enabled them to survive in many cases.
Now it is not a very satisfactory situation when you find most of the place closed down, yet the information is there if you just take the time to look it up.
My youngest is off to Malaysia next month for a holiday. He knows little about the place so he has gone out and bought some books about the place. (When he gets his internet up and running again then he will also use that - that is another story)
We live in what could be described as a highly advanced country. We are so used to being bombarded with the customer service propaganda many actually believe it.
Read your local press and see the complaints there about its failure. It is very easy to complain about other countries - they are foreigners. I wonder if all who complain can say, with hand on heart, they give the 110% they expect of others. Probably more a case of do as I say not as I do.
The days of empire are long gone. We no longer can dictate to other countries what they will do for our benefit.
fwh
The days of empire are long gone. We no longer can dictate to other countries what they will do for our benefit.
Precisely, we and the TO's should fall in line with their customs and "seasons" and not send people to places that are shut.
Not all facilities may be available"
Not all and none are again two different things.
Sorry, but IMO. you are missing the point....so I'll say no more.
Sanji x
I'm sure that the TO did not make this decision lightly, nobody wants god knows how many disgruntled guests complaining that they have been moved to another resort or indeed that they have been left in a resort with nothing to do. Its a damned if you do/don't situation.
Most TO's make it clear in the good old T & C's and holiday info at the back of the brochure that if you are holidaying early or late in the year that some facilities or services in the resort may be closed or unavailable.
For example if you go to Agia Napa in late October, you don't expect it to be rocking. Almost all of the pubs, clubs, tavernas,waterparks etc etc are closed down or getting ready to do so, the reps are laid off, it is a ghost town.
I would think that the reps out in Kavos had reported to those above that the resort was getting quiet, knowing that they had arrivals still to come, perhaps with youngsters as it is half term, and a decision made to move the guests.
I wonder how many guests declined the move and are now in Kavos wishing they hadn't.
Louby
Most TO's make it clear in the good old T & C's and holiday info at the back of the brochure that if you are holidaying early or late in the year that some facilities or services in the resort may be closed or unavailable.
For example if you go to Agia Napa in late October, you don't expect it to be rocking. Almost all of the pubs, clubs, tavernas,waterparks etc etc are closed down or getting ready to do so, the reps are laid off, it is a ghost town.
I would think that the reps out in Kavos had reported to those above that the resort was getting quiet, knowing that they had arrivals still to come, perhaps with youngsters as it is half term, and a decision made to move the guests.
I wonder how many guests declined the move and are now in Kavos wishing they hadn't.
Louby
I think Olympic did these people a favour. Oympics contract is the flights/transfers/accomodation. It is not in their contract to make sure all the pubs and bars stay open until their last plane of guests leave. A little bit of research on greek islands would have high lighted that the resorts shut down early and also that greek islands don't have very good weather over the autum/winter. I feel sorry for the people involved but I don't exactly understand what their problem is with Olympic. Its not their fault that the resort shut down as it depends on the greek owners.
Also, I have friends who have been working out in Faliraki all summer. They went out may 1st and alot of the bars weren't open. It wasn't until early June that most of the bars opened and the foam parties started. They told me lost of people were complaining about the resort not being fully opened but at the end of the day its up to the owners. My friends are back home and have been since early october. The bars/clubs shut up then, the owners go back to the mainland and live off the money they made from the summer. In saying that, my friends worked there last summer too but didnt come back until late september as it was still busy and the bar they worked for decided to stay open later as it had been a slow starting summer.
Also, I have friends who have been working out in Faliraki all summer. They went out may 1st and alot of the bars weren't open. It wasn't until early June that most of the bars opened and the foam parties started. They told me lost of people were complaining about the resort not being fully opened but at the end of the day its up to the owners. My friends are back home and have been since early october. The bars/clubs shut up then, the owners go back to the mainland and live off the money they made from the summer. In saying that, my friends worked there last summer too but didnt come back until late september as it was still busy and the bar they worked for decided to stay open later as it had been a slow starting summer.
Could not agree more with greenshoes.
people tend to book their holidays and not do any research.
They also don't read the brochures properly.
people tend to book their holidays and not do any research.
They also don't read the brochures properly.
I can understand that the basic problem is that the TO knew about this situation a couple of days before they flew out and they could have had the option of a full refund, stay in Kavos or move to Sidari. That they didn't tell them until they got there removed their option of a full refund.
However, I doubt very much whether that option would have been taken in all honesty. You've booked your hol, you're ready to go and then suddenly nothing? I know that we have been in an overbooking scenario some years ago and were notified 2 weeks before departure and given 2 other options, neither of which were what we really wanted but such is life, one of those things, we took one of them and didn't have the holiday that we wanted, but we had a holiday and back then it wouldn't have been an easy thing to do to start from scratch (unless it had been 2 adults or something).
I honestly think that Olympic have acted very well in these circumstances. You can tell everyone til the cows come home that you wouldve chosen not to travel at all had a refund been offered but in truth, I do think they would have decided to go to Sidari anyway.
However, I doubt very much whether that option would have been taken in all honesty. You've booked your hol, you're ready to go and then suddenly nothing? I know that we have been in an overbooking scenario some years ago and were notified 2 weeks before departure and given 2 other options, neither of which were what we really wanted but such is life, one of those things, we took one of them and didn't have the holiday that we wanted, but we had a holiday and back then it wouldn't have been an easy thing to do to start from scratch (unless it had been 2 adults or something).
I honestly think that Olympic have acted very well in these circumstances. You can tell everyone til the cows come home that you wouldve chosen not to travel at all had a refund been offered but in truth, I do think they would have decided to go to Sidari anyway.
But I can't see that they would have been entitled to a full refund anyway. Since when did 'We didn't do our homework before we booked and have just discovered out that the resort will be much quieter than we wanted' become grounds for a refund? Olympic weren't cancelling the holiday - had they not gone at all then I'm pretty sure that both Olympic and their insurer would have treated it as them cancelling on grounds that are not covered for any sort of refund within either set of terms and conditions.
SM
SM
The brochure stated that the resort may be quieter at that time of year but the way I'm seeing it is that the resort wasn't quieter it was shut that's why they may have had an option for a full refund. Even if they had done their "homework" it wouldn't have mattered as it didn't state the resort was closed.
The brochure stated that the resort may be quieter at that time of year but the way I'm seeing it is that the resort wasn't quieter it was shut that's why they may have had an option for a full refund. Even if they had done their "homework" it wouldn't have mattered as it didn't state the resort was closed.
We can argue this until the cows come home but we still come back to my earlier comment.
We cannot dictate to the owners of businesses in the area when they will open or close.
There is a cost involved in running a business. If that is higher than the expected revenue at particular times you make a decision. You close.
That is what the businesses in the area have decided.
The problem is they are the people who decide when that is, and it can vary dependent upon how much money they have made in the season, or weather and personal commitments.
fwh
I wasn't going to say any more and this is my last word.
It all boils down to the fact that TO's have a contract with the hotels in the "seasonal" resorts until the 31st October.
It boils down to the fact that flights need filling until the 31st October, and the last flight out that is full of tourists may be anything from the 20th October depending on the departure airport.
It has nothing to do with dictating to the locals whether or not they stay open.
Most of them are getting ready for closing anyway and if they haven't made their money by October, then they ain't gonna get rich in the next 3 weeks in a resort with few people for a potential sale.
Therefore, you get hotels in certain resorts who are winding down, but have to full fill the contract and I've stayed in hotels at this time of year where they throw garbage at you and pass it off as food because like the shopkeepers outside, they want to use up their stock and not buy in new until the new season which usually starts on the 1st May.
It all boils down to the fact that TO's want to take tourists to the ultimate date, even though they know that in some resorts, it is practice and custom to close down earlier than their blanket date of the 31st October, and this practice has been going on for years.
I can go back too many years when this has happened....so don't try and tell me that TOs don't know, or that the local business's in the resort have suddenly changed their habits.
Sanjiiiiiiiii
It all boils down to the fact that TO's have a contract with the hotels in the "seasonal" resorts until the 31st October.
It boils down to the fact that flights need filling until the 31st October, and the last flight out that is full of tourists may be anything from the 20th October depending on the departure airport.
It has nothing to do with dictating to the locals whether or not they stay open.
Most of them are getting ready for closing anyway and if they haven't made their money by October, then they ain't gonna get rich in the next 3 weeks in a resort with few people for a potential sale.
Therefore, you get hotels in certain resorts who are winding down, but have to full fill the contract and I've stayed in hotels at this time of year where they throw garbage at you and pass it off as food because like the shopkeepers outside, they want to use up their stock and not buy in new until the new season which usually starts on the 1st May.
It all boils down to the fact that TO's want to take tourists to the ultimate date, even though they know that in some resorts, it is practice and custom to close down earlier than their blanket date of the 31st October, and this practice has been going on for years.
I can go back too many years when this has happened....so don't try and tell me that TOs don't know, or that the local business's in the resort have suddenly changed their habits.
Sanjiiiiiiiii
We can argue this until the cows come home but we still come back to my earlier comment.
Sorry FWH my reply was trying to answer SMa's post but I was on a laptop at the time and I have trouble copy and pasting
I wasn't trying to argue the point 
Could someone please explain how 'closed' a resort can actually be.
Its not such a daft question if it can help others thinking of booking late.
Would you still be able to find a supermarket or food store if you were SC, would there not be any restaurants or bars open, even if aimed more at locals?
I've never been to Greece or its islands but having just read up on Kavos it actually sounds better closed.
Its not such a daft question if it can help others thinking of booking late.
Would you still be able to find a supermarket or food store if you were SC, would there not be any restaurants or bars open, even if aimed more at locals?
I've never been to Greece or its islands but having just read up on Kavos it actually sounds better closed.
OMG ! I didn't realise my initial question would open up such a can of worms. Thanks to all of you, your points have been taking onboard.....I will let you know what my friends decide to do .........
Maybe it's just me but if I was booking for late October I'd ask the TO if there will still be places open!
Then again I bet 99.9 percent would have answered 'yes'!
I think what should perhaps happen (but won't) is Tour operaters should end their 'summer' brochures at the end of September and start their winter ones from October 1st! And if the very likely chance that most things will be shut then that brochure should clearly say! Perhaps with an altogether different selling point like beautyful views and lovely walks instead of people reading about the great nightlife being on the doorstep!
Give it more of a romantic feel instead of a full on in your face thing!
Then again I bet 99.9 percent would have answered 'yes'!
I think what should perhaps happen (but won't) is Tour operaters should end their 'summer' brochures at the end of September and start their winter ones from October 1st! And if the very likely chance that most things will be shut then that brochure should clearly say! Perhaps with an altogether different selling point like beautyful views and lovely walks instead of people reading about the great nightlife being on the doorstep!
Give it more of a romantic feel instead of a full on in your face thing!
You know - this is a load of rubbish 
I was working in tour ops from 1995 until 2004 and EVERY year the resort of Kavos closed in October - always in time for the half term holidays.
EVERY year - passengers get switched to the opposite side of the island to Sidari.
The hotel is contracted by the tour operator to start and finish on certain dates but if the hotel is not full enough, he decides to close - leaving the tour ops with an issue..... to place guests in an empty hotel or to move them to another resort (usually a family resort) where they already have guaranteed bookings.
It's the cheaper option for the tour operator as they have already got transfers laid on to the accommodate the guests already booked into Sidari.
Usually, any compensation paid to the passengers - the tour op will try to recover it back from the offending hotelier.
My question is this - why do the tour operators continue to allow it to happen?
Better to narrow the booking dates to early October for Kavos - stuff the offending hoteliers (it's the same ones every year with almost every tour operator) and at least this way the passengers can only choose from the dates and accommodations advertised in the brochures.
P.S. - The same ALWAYS happens at one particular hotel in Menorca too
He physically removes sunbeds, umbrellas etc from the pool area come the very last day in October (EVERY YEAR) - so if your week goes into the beginning of November - you will be left with nothing to sit on outside, even if it is sunny.
The restaurant does not restock food and everything is left to run down.
Best regards
*unauthorised advertising removed
Fiona ht mod*
I was working in tour ops from 1995 until 2004 and EVERY year the resort of Kavos closed in October - always in time for the half term holidays.
EVERY year - passengers get switched to the opposite side of the island to Sidari.
The hotel is contracted by the tour operator to start and finish on certain dates but if the hotel is not full enough, he decides to close - leaving the tour ops with an issue..... to place guests in an empty hotel or to move them to another resort (usually a family resort) where they already have guaranteed bookings.
It's the cheaper option for the tour operator as they have already got transfers laid on to the accommodate the guests already booked into Sidari.
Usually, any compensation paid to the passengers - the tour op will try to recover it back from the offending hotelier.
My question is this - why do the tour operators continue to allow it to happen?
Better to narrow the booking dates to early October for Kavos - stuff the offending hoteliers (it's the same ones every year with almost every tour operator) and at least this way the passengers can only choose from the dates and accommodations advertised in the brochures.
P.S. - The same ALWAYS happens at one particular hotel in Menorca too
He physically removes sunbeds, umbrellas etc from the pool area come the very last day in October (EVERY YEAR) - so if your week goes into the beginning of November - you will be left with nothing to sit on outside, even if it is sunny.
The restaurant does not restock food and everything is left to run down.
Best regards
*unauthorised advertising removed
Fiona ht mod*
Cyprus100,
I'm slightly confused by your post. You're talking about a resort and hotel in the same breath implying that they are one and the same. This would be true if the hotel is also the resort.
From my understanding of the OP the hotel was still offering its services
Mark
I'm slightly confused by your post. You're talking about a resort and hotel in the same breath implying that they are one and the same. This would be true if the hotel is also the resort.
From my understanding of the OP the hotel was still offering its services
Mark
I think it sounds like the hotel originally booked was indeed closed and not just the resort and maybe the TO were not telling the truth knowing full well no-one would go (hopefully) to the closed resort! Obviously if the people insisted on still going to the hotel then maybe the TO would have fessed up!
This is getting ridiculous! On the basis of the FACTS provided to date none of us has any way of knowing whether the TO was lying about the accommodation - which incidentally was in apartments not a hotel!
SM
SM
Post a Reply
Please sign in or register an account to reply to this post.
Similar Topics
-
Urgent help needed please!
Posted by andyjan in Greece and other Greek Island Discussion Forum
-
Help Needed Urgent Please
Posted by jafitz in Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific
-
Urgent help needed
Posted by millymol in Bulgaria Discussion Forum
-
urgent help needed
Posted by Sparkycat in Holiday Complaints
-
Urgent help needed....
Posted by rob_johnstoneuk in Egypt Discussion Forum