Tour Operators and Travel Agents

Discussions regarding Tour Operators and Travel Agents
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I have just tried a dummy booking on thomsons website as well. It wont accept a booking for one room. It states max occupancy is 5 for the family room. It was a very strange thing to have the Thomson's shop emailing the hotel using your email address. You didn't make the booking yourself- the office did and therefore they need to fix it. What it will be used for- your email was used and you got the reply and you then go on holiday. So you accepted the room.
The shop you used is at fault. They have made a booking that should be impossible to make.They need to fix it. What does your paperwork say? I am not sure what would be available in the resort now though. The hotel may have rooms with connecting doors.
You could also post on Thomsons fb page.
Come back to us and let us know how you get on - good luck!
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Their website states :-

At EIX Lagotel we have two types of apartments, a one-bedroom apartment and a two-bedroom apartment.All our apartments are equipped with two single beds, bathroom, kitchen, microwave, kitchen utensils, fridge, telephone, SAT-TV, free WIFI, safe (charge applicable), air conditioning / heating and a terrace with views to the S'Albufera nature reserve.

I've done dummy run on their website, booking as your family & it came up with a 2 bedroomed family room :-

Our two-room apartments have two bedrooms with single beds and a living room with two sofa beds, full bathroom, kitchen, microwave, cooking utensils, refrigerator, telephone, satellite TV, free WI-FI, safe to hire, Air conditioning / heating and terrace overlooking the natural park of S'Albufera.

https://www.eixhotels.com/en/eix-hotels/eix-lagotel.html#wrapper-2
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Glynis and I have been looking at this. The hotel does advertise 2 bed apartments but both Thomson and Thomas Cook advertise room with a den- maximum of 5.
We dont have recent reviews of this hotel but I have found reviews which say that the den is a large bedroom with bunkbeds., which is not the description you got about a den.
It is all pretty confusing.
I have had a reply to my message on the Thomsons facebook. They would look you to contact them directly through messenger and they will assist you. Hopefully you have a fb account. Let us know how you get on!
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Hi, you have all been so very helpful !
i have gone onto the link showing that yes they do have 2 bed apt, the only reason I can think of that you can't book these through first choice is because you don't need a kitchen if your all inc, but now I know they are there that's what I need to try and get moved into. I emailed the hotel again, they told me they were fully booked. I rang in, to complaint like the Thomson shop told me to, apparently they do not take complaints over the phone and told me to ring booking amendments or go back to the shop, booking amendments were very nice, but told me there is nothing that they could do, as the shop booked it, they need to deal with it and raise it with their RSM. I went back to the shop manager who said to log a complaint on the internet and that their is nothing she can do. It just seems they are happy to take nearly £7000 out of my account to pay for this, but then no one wants to take responsibility. I am going to log a complaint, because as I mentioned earlier I will be taking this to small claims court if I can when I get back, and all this will be used as evidence, and I will see if before I go if they can help me on the face book page, thank you everyone so much for your help, I will update this page
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Thank you so much for your help. If that is the room I get it will be so much better. The room layout I have been sent from the hotel showing the room that I have been allocated doesn't show this option, the photo of the den shows a single sofa bed, and a map of the room layout shows 4 beds in the main room and the single bed in the den, I also searched all the reviews, thank you so much for bringing that to my attention, I will try and find it
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Once again everyone passing the buck it seems :(
Have you tried their Facebook page as Fiona suggested?

When do you travel?
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I travel this Sunday 27th, yes I have contacted the Facebook page, they have taken my booking ref number and are looking into it, lets
hope they can help ??
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It's cutting it short but I'd wanted to know how they can legally put you in accommodation over the maximum occupancy.

Also you've paid for a 5 person occupancy room & they've taken the money for 6 😉
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As far as I can see, the shop made the mistake but they are doing nothing about it and letting you sort it. The main reason most people would have for booking through a travel agent, is that the TA will deal with any problems. So far they are making a good case for doing it yourself in future.
As glynis said , how did they manage to book one room for 6 people in the first place? What does the paperwork say?
The fb page- I do think you may get somewhere there.
Let's hope so anyway!
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Hi, unfortunately face book can't help as I booked in store, they have told me to go back and log a complaint in store, I explained I had already asked the manager to do this and all she did was show me the on line page? Telling me there was
nothing she could do and I needed
to log it on line and kick off when I get there, I pleaded
for a way to go over her head and they didnt reply.
i have now logged a complaint on line,
their turn around is
72 hours, I have threatened legal action on my return as enough is enough, my next update will be if they respond? Or I am able to resolve
the issue on site 😞 Thank you again for all your help
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I'd send them a recorded delivery letter & an email outlining your complaints.

Keep it brief & stick to the facts.

I'm at a loss how it was possible to book 6 people into accommodation for 5. Surely your travel agent (what's their name?) had to access First Choice's booking system which then, allowed the booking? Someone, somewhere, has made an error & you are the innocent party.
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What is frustrating is by using an agent you are actually paying a commission or fee to act on your behalf because in the faint hope it seems that someone who is paid to do a particular job might have some idea about how to do it properly and prevent you from experiencing any pitfalls or mistakes if you do it yourself .

In your case it does appear that the agent has enough expert knowledge of not accepting responsibility but able to pass the buck with professional ease .
You often hear of situations like this on consumer programmes like watchdog and then the companies always seen to resolve it as a act of goodwill !! Goodwill really !!!! They are totally wrong it's not goodwill it's putting right what you've done wrong , otherwise if they were confident nothing had been done wrong or contract broken they would be willing to defend it in court ?
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A pity thomsons can't help as it is their company this shop is representing.
In the recorded delivery letter- make it clear that you are only going forward with this holiday as the shop refuse to help you sort out the problem that THEY created by putting you in accommodation that is for a maximum of 5.
Feel free to tell us the shop that you are dealing with( if you want to). This would be useful for others to know.
I really hope that they come good before you set off.
(Are you absolutely certain the hotel will allow 6 in the room?)
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One of the basics when booking any hotel room are to have everything in writing. Did you either receive a fully detailed written quote or emails which have the details of the agreed booking conditions and supplements if any? If so you'll be able to insist that the travel agent abides by your agreement and to a reasonable standard, without anything in writing I'm afraid your only recourse will be a bad review. There are reasons that a booking can be confirmed in a system, ordinarily its by incorrect loading of a contract but more than often than not it's because of inexperienced staff in the hotel itself confirming in your case a bed arrangement which the hotel doesn't actually allow, either way it is for the agent that you dealt with directly to correct and compensate any mistakes, if of course you have the details in writing. Good luck
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