If you live there why why did you use Thomson?

I would assume the delay is more to do with the fact that it is not a UK booking and you are not a UK resident.

What does Spanish consumer law state in such cases?

fwh

But surely if Thomson's accepted their booking then they are obligated to refund the costs?

I would have thought that the jurisdiction of the contract would be English law as Thomsons website runs in England and that's where they are based. The fact that you were in another country when you used it doesn't matter. Similar applies if you book with Ryanair - the contract is run under Irish law wherever you are, which will come as a shock to millions of English passengers! However, if your card is issued by a Spanish bank you'd have to research the Spanish equivalent of the Consumer Credit Act (if there is one) to see whether you could make a claim from the card company.

the delay is probably more down to being the standard attitude of the big TOs rather than location. BUT the failure to actually book the room may be something deep down in the bowels of their computer throwing out requests that are from overseas. Was your card actually debited in the first place? And it wouldn't surprise me if they eventually refunded the money but didn't bother to tell you so keep an eye on statements.

p.s. to above - you're using emails so there is always the chance of one being diverted by your Spam filter.

Is your debit card a British one.

If so there shouldn't be a problem. I live abroad and often use my English debit card if booking with a British company if I want to use some of my pounds, where you live shouldn't have any bearing on the failure to refund your money or make the original booking. I don't have problems either when using my Euro debit card ordering and paying for things in the UK.

When working for Thomson , we were told the website would nt accept an overseas address , and we were not allowed to book the person (when they rang asking us to book it over the phone) without a uk postcode .

This may have a bearing and the booking was automatically cancelled ????? However the OP should have been informed of this if this was the case ????

Hi, Thanks for your replies. We have been booking accommodation only with Thomson for years now without any problems. I think the issue is with Hotel Beds as that is who Thomson are using on this accommodation only booking. Believe me where we live has no bearing on this as there were 3 other couples in the same boat as us and they had travelled from the UK only to be told there was no room at the inn. This is the second time this has happened to us at this particular hotel as we got bumped New years Eve but they had found us another room so we didn't really care.
Yes I know more fool us for trying again, but at 21 quid a night you can't blame me.
We pay using our English account so that isn't a factor either.
Cheers
Dave

This is the second time this has happened to us at this particular hotel as we got bumped New years Eve

Mmm - are you absolutely sure that the problem is with Thomson and not with the hotel realising that they could sell the room for a better price to someone else at a busy time and so did so and bumped you? Given that you've been doing accommodation only bookings with Thomson for some time previously without problems, cynical old me would be looking at the common denominator here which is that you've only had problems (on two occasions now) with this particular hotel but never with other hotels booked through Thomson. Incidentally, what was the outcome last time - did Thomson refund your money last time.

SM

I don't know about Thomsons, but TC are not licensed to trade as a travel agent or tour operator outside of the United Kingdom therefore are unable to accept bookings from users who are not based in the United Kingdom. Anything they book has to be with a card registered to a UK address and and drawn on a UK bank.

I wonder if Thomsons are different?

Thomson are the same , has to be a Uk address and the card used has to match the address given on the booking , so it does have to be a Uk based card .

Thomson were happy to sell me a cruise through the internet, bearing in mind that I don't live in the UK, but have a UK bank account ....

Hi,
Had a reply to my follow up email to say that the original email arrived blank and urgently requesting that I resend my original.



Oh well heres to another 28 day wait.

Hi again,
Actually I have had a reply already and apparently we did stay in the hotel in room 803 for the night according to the hotel. Boy that must have been a good nights drinking
Hmm, ever get the feeling that you are being done?
I now have to send off my piece of paper with the hotel stamp on it saying that they have no record of our booking, as I cannot scan it in and email it because the ink is pale blue and it doesn't show up.
Can anybody think of anything I should be asking the hotel to provide to prove we stayed there?
Cheers
Dave

Do they have to record your passport details there?

Hope you didn't send the original or at least kept a copy of it.

apparently we did stay in the hotel in room 803 for the night according to the hotel

Hmm, ever get the feeling that you are being done?

Yes, it would make me feel that I was being done - but by the hotel, not Thomson. You and Thomson should be pressing for the hotel to produce your registration card - which of course they're not going to be able to do, at least not with your signature on it

SM

I now have to send off my piece of paper with the hotel stamp on it saying that they have no record of our booking, as I cannot scan it in and email it because the ink is pale blue and it doesn't show up.

Take it into a print shop and ask them to copy it. Their machines can do wonders.

fwh

Hi,
No I would never send an original document as you never know, that might turn up blank as well.
I agree Thomsons are not at fault here and they are having to go to a lot of work for the sake or I would think very little profit. I think the hotel have resold my room on as it was such a busy night and are now claiming we stayed there. I can very easily pop in to the hotel and have a friendly word with the manager, do you think I should? I am happy to get another nights accommodation in lieu of my money back. I also think the manager should be made aware that someone on his staff has more than likely taken a cash payment for my room and checked a Mr and Mrs Watkins in.
In answer to the question someone asked about what happened on New Years Eve when we got bumped again, the head receptionist had already phoned around and got us a room in another hotel in resort so we really didn't mind. I think that was a genuine overbooking situation and it was rectified. In this case he wasn't there and they had "no record of the booking" I have sent them another email asking for our registration documents from the night in question. We did stay there on 28th or 29th Jan though so I hope they don't just pull them out of the archives.
Cheers
Dave

I don't know the law there, do they have to send the registration documents to some authority like the police or council? If so they might be independent witnesses to who registered where and when.