In all fairness you say you had had known since you paid the deposit, that the date for the final payment was 22nd June - without sounding harsh you really should have made sure the money was available to pay the balance.
Surely you knew that Thomsons (and all other TO's) charge for using a credit card?
Maybe you should have booked with your friend in Thomas Cook? - she would have waived the charges for you. You can book a Thomson holiday in a Thomas Cook shop and vice versa - didn't your friend tell you this?
I think everyone seems to be missing the point here! Yes we knew the holiday was due on the 22nd June so Yes we should have been more prepared, but like so many things in life the date seemed to creep up on us and unfortunately we weren't prepared. And again yes Denny we should have made sure we'd made appropriate arrangements to ensure the funds had been transferred so that we could have paid via a debit card, but such is life! And quite honestly no, we were not aware of the level of the credit card fees involved as we've never paid for a holiday using a credit card before.
The point I was trying to articulate was that aside being astounded from the amount of the credit card fees charged, we didn't think it was unreasonable to request another half a day to make other 'free' payment arrangements. We had already paid £1000 of the balance and had no intentions of cancelling the booking. We made that perfectly clear to the TA. We just hadn't realised that the credit card fees would be at that level and at the time it just seemed an unreasonable amount to pay. My disappointment was with the standard of customer service we received and the lack of flexibility under the circumstances. I completely agree if we'd been more prepared the entire situation could have been completely avoided however it wasnt so therefore due to the amount of money involved and as a gesture of goodwill, I would have expected to have been granted an additional 15 hrs and returned the following morning. We even offered to pay £1000 that evening and return the following morning with the balance but she was having none of it.
The point I was trying to articulate was that aside being astounded from the amount of the credit card fees charged, we didn't think it was unreasonable to request another half a day to make other 'free' payment arrangements. We had already paid £1000 of the balance and had no intentions of cancelling the booking. We made that perfectly clear to the TA. We just hadn't realised that the credit card fees would be at that level and at the time it just seemed an unreasonable amount to pay. My disappointment was with the standard of customer service we received and the lack of flexibility under the circumstances. I completely agree if we'd been more prepared the entire situation could have been completely avoided however it wasnt so therefore due to the amount of money involved and as a gesture of goodwill, I would have expected to have been granted an additional 15 hrs and returned the following morning. We even offered to pay £1000 that evening and return the following morning with the balance but she was having none of it.
mobile fitter wrote:Lou 10, the £90.00 that you have been charged is only 1.5%, a lot less than all the travel firms i have booked with and allthough it is your money for 1.5% of your holiday costs you have the card company to fall back on if it goes wrong
Alan
They wanted to charge us £150 Alan but because we expressed how unreasonable we thought this was the amount suddenly reduced to £95. Let's just say we have learnt the hard way and we'll be much more careful who we book our holidays through next time and secondly wont be paying by credit card again anytime soon! All we were asking for was for half a day more to avoid paying the charges. I appreciate that it was our fault that we weren't more prepared but surely each situation should be assessed individually and let common sense prevail. We weren't about to do a runner so to speak we were just trying to avoid unnecessary costs. People who spend as much as we do on travelling each year dont tend to cancel last minute! It was a simply oversight on our part to which they were unwilling to help or accomodate. You live and learn Alan!
Not sure anyone is missing the point, you know at the time of booking when the final balance is due and this a charge is made for credit card payments.
I booking my flight in March and my balance is 9th July. I put the date in my iPhone and iPad. It isn't rocket science to set date reminders. I paid my balance 3 weeks ago. Job done.
Still haven't received my payment confirmation yet, but don't think Thomson are renowned for being efficient.
I booking my flight in March and my balance is 9th July. I put the date in my iPhone and iPad. It isn't rocket science to set date reminders. I paid my balance 3 weeks ago. Job done.
Still haven't received my payment confirmation yet, but don't think Thomson are renowned for being efficient.
denny.53 wrote:In all fairness you say you had had known since you paid the deposit, that the date for the final payment was 22nd June - without sounding harsh you really should have made sure the money was available to pay the balance.
Surely you knew that Thomsons (and all other TO's) charge for using a credit card?
Maybe you should have booked with your friend in Thomas Cook? - she would have waived the charges for you. You can book a Thomson holiday in a Thomas Cook shop and vice versa - didn't your friend tell you this?
We didnt actually Denny and yes we'll definitely book with Thomas Cook next time. Thanks for your imput. So helpful and still completely missing the point.
Feebee wrote:Not sure anyone is missing the point, you know at the time of booking when the final balance is due and this a charge is made for credit card payments.
I booking my flight in March and my balance is 9th July. I put the date in my iPhone and iPad. It isn't rocket science to set date reminders. I paid my balance 3 weeks ago. Job done.
Still haven't received my payment confirmation yet, but don't think Thomson are renowned for being efficient.
Well done you must be so proud. Yes it was an oversight on our part and yes we should have been more organised - oh in an ideal world. I must stress that in all the years we have been travelling that this is the first time we have encountered a situation like this so it's not as if we make a habit of it. We simply expected to be granted a few extra hours to make alternative arrangements and did not expect the attitude and unhelpful attitude we recieved. Clearly though from the feedback here we've been totally unreasonable in requesting this. Apologies our mistake.
If you are unhappy with the service from the shop Manager then I would be inclined to write a letter of complaint to Head Office.
I am in sales and you rely on repeat business. Customer service is number one. I would never treat any of my customers like that.
Ok, so you made a mistake regarding not having the funds ready, but we all make mistakes and as you said if you were offering to pay them £1000 she should have been a little more lenient. Or at least shown a little empathy towards the situation.
Even if her hands were tied, you would have thought that she would of made an attempt at trying to help you, like calling head office whilst you were there?
Still, like you say, you live & learn. Nowt as queer as folk.
It really is infuriating the credit card charges. Thomas Cook never used to charge it if you used their credit card to pay for the holiday. They changed their terms last year and now you get charged a fee (2.5% i think) upto a max of £50!! Sooo annoying. We now pay by either cash or debit card.
Anyway - whats done is done now - so put your feet up, relax and look forward to your hols.
I am in sales and you rely on repeat business. Customer service is number one. I would never treat any of my customers like that.
Ok, so you made a mistake regarding not having the funds ready, but we all make mistakes and as you said if you were offering to pay them £1000 she should have been a little more lenient. Or at least shown a little empathy towards the situation.
Even if her hands were tied, you would have thought that she would of made an attempt at trying to help you, like calling head office whilst you were there?
Still, like you say, you live & learn. Nowt as queer as folk.
It really is infuriating the credit card charges. Thomas Cook never used to charge it if you used their credit card to pay for the holiday. They changed their terms last year and now you get charged a fee (2.5% i think) upto a max of £50!! Sooo annoying. We now pay by either cash or debit card.
Anyway - whats done is done now - so put your feet up, relax and look forward to your hols.
Hello Lew 10,
My post was not meant to be a critisism and if taken that way i am sorry, however there was two ways this could have been sorted out to your satisfaction.
1) The manager could have taken a swipe of your credit cards and held on to them till you returned the next day with the cash or debit card.
2) you could have paid by credit card and setled the bill the next month ( i know that you would still have to pay the extra money but for peace of mind if the holiday went belly up you would get your money back from the card company)
We went on holiday with Thomas Cook last year and the Washington branch charged us 2.5% for the use of a credit card, however we took out a zero charge card ( for 12 months) and paid it back so we had no interest charges and piece of mind regarding problems. However enjoy your holiday and i am sure that at the end of it you will have forgotten all about the " problem"
Alan
My post was not meant to be a critisism and if taken that way i am sorry, however there was two ways this could have been sorted out to your satisfaction.
1) The manager could have taken a swipe of your credit cards and held on to them till you returned the next day with the cash or debit card.
2) you could have paid by credit card and setled the bill the next month ( i know that you would still have to pay the extra money but for peace of mind if the holiday went belly up you would get your money back from the card company)
We went on holiday with Thomas Cook last year and the Washington branch charged us 2.5% for the use of a credit card, however we took out a zero charge card ( for 12 months) and paid it back so we had no interest charges and piece of mind regarding problems. However enjoy your holiday and i am sure that at the end of it you will have forgotten all about the " problem"
Alan
Hi, I know I've just joined the conversation n have probably missed most of the point but if you were charged more than £90 credit card charge then u were defiantly told wrong as it actually caps off at £90
Tinkerbell83 wrote:Hi, I know I've just joined the conversation n have probably missed most of the point but if you were charged more than £90 credit card charge then u were defiantly told wrong as it actually caps off at £90
The cap on Thomsons card charges is £95 per transaction. As the payment was made with two cards, so two transactions, it worked out more expensive. He was originally charged exactly as per their terms and conditions for credit card charges.
Have checked back 10 pages but apologies, as can't find answer.
Do Thomson still issue flight tickets ?
My last 3 holidays have been Cosmos and you just print stuff off on-line to give in at check in desk.
Also if you book a late deal say for 3 or 4 weeks time, would that be long enough to issue the tickets and get them to me, or would I be lumbered with a TOD charge ?
Hoping one of our travel agents will see this.
Do Thomson still issue flight tickets ?
My last 3 holidays have been Cosmos and you just print stuff off on-line to give in at check in desk.
Also if you book a late deal say for 3 or 4 weeks time, would that be long enough to issue the tickets and get them to me, or would I be lumbered with a TOD charge ?
Hoping one of our travel agents will see this.
I don't think they issue tickets for flight only booked on their website. I think it's just the email confirmation that you need to take with you.
Hi Sunaddict 
I'm thinking of booking a last minuite package holiday so that's why I was wondering how it works.
I'm thinking of booking a last minuite package holiday so that's why I was wondering how it works.
When you book a package deal online, if there is a TOD charge it comes up on the price breakdown, on the page after you select your flights. I think it's usually for holidays booked within 2 weeks to travel.
thanks again sunaddict. 
If anybody has a flight or holiday booked on a Thomson flight departing from Edinburgh going to Sharm in Egypt during the Winter season of 2011 / 2012 please note that Thomson will not be flying to Sharm during the winter now.
You will be offered a change of date and flight from Glasgow or another airport, we have just had our flight moved to Glasgow on a different date.
Graham
You will be offered a change of date and flight from Glasgow or another airport, we have just had our flight moved to Glasgow on a different date.
Graham
regarding this paying your balance late business, i am now assuming that how you book determines the flexability you have regarding balance payment, i just paid my balance 1 day late today, purely because i forgot the date due to other stuff thats been distracting my attention, its the first time ive ever done it but everything was fine when i logged on to ''mythomson'' this morning, and i simply paid the balance, it seems rules are alot stricter when dealing with a travel agent in a thomson shop? of course i am by no means encouraging peeps to pay late, i just wanted to mention that i personally have had no problem paying just that one day later, i have phoned thomson today to confirm all is well and that my payment went through and its all fine- just a bit of reassurance for online customers, hope its of some help
When I am searching on Thomson's website for a package, I sometimes get the same accommodation coming up twice in the same search results, but with different prices.
Are they giving different type of rooms or what, because it is not easy to tell what the difference is?
e.g. Granada Park Apts PDLA Tenerife, shows once at £425 each, 1 bed apt and AI with pool view
then lower down the page it's there at £858 each, OK I've just worked out it's a 1 bed apt with balcony and cot space
but why don't they just show the accomm and let us work out what sort of room we want?
It's quite hard work checking between the different options like I've just done
several screens of hotel info, flight choice etc. until you get to the room description
I guess people are hooked in (or not) by the price?
thanks
PS I don't want to go to PDLA it's just an example.......
Are they giving different type of rooms or what, because it is not easy to tell what the difference is?
e.g. Granada Park Apts PDLA Tenerife, shows once at £425 each, 1 bed apt and AI with pool view
then lower down the page it's there at £858 each, OK I've just worked out it's a 1 bed apt with balcony and cot space
but why don't they just show the accomm and let us work out what sort of room we want?
It's quite hard work checking between the different options like I've just done
several screens of hotel info, flight choice etc. until you get to the room description
I guess people are hooked in (or not) by the price?
thanks
PS I don't want to go to PDLA it's just an example.......
Strong UK performance boosts TUI profits
TUI managed to grow underlying operating profit by 57% to £88 million in the third quarter thanks to a "strong" performance in the UK and Nordic countries.
The travel giant said the late timing of Easter, the lack of volcanic ash disruption and the sale of differentiated product had helped drive its performance.
But events in North Africa have continued to impact significantly on trading for its French tour operators.
It said selling prices and margins continue to develop in line with expectations in all source markets except France.
Overall, volumes left to sell are in line with prior year.
Chief executive Peter Long said: "This performance is particularly pleasing in the UK against a background of weak consumer sentiment.
"I believe that this is testament to our management team and our focus on exclusive and differentiated product which offers our customers quality, value holidays that are only available through our brands and sold principally across our own distribution channels."
He said the group had reacted quickly to events in North Africa by moving capacity mainly to the Western Mediterranean, but many French consumers are choosing to holiday in France.
"For the Summer, our overall volumes left to sell are in line with the prior year and we are confident of meeting our expectations for the full year in what is a challenging trading environment," he added.
In the UK, load factors and margins are ahead of last year for all remaining months of the season.
Average selling price has improved by 4% year on year, driven by the higher proportion of differentiated product sales, which are up 15% for summer 2011.
Shorter duration holidays have proved more popular this year, with 10-11 night and 7-night stays increasing by 24% and 4% respectively.
All-inclusive holidays have continued to sell well, now making up 46% of sales to date, up 2 percentage points on last year.
The proportion of bookings made online has increased from 38% to 40%, equating to 1.3 million UK customers booking via TUI's websites.
For winter 2011/12, UK cumulative bookings are down 9% on the back of a capacity cut of 7%.
Load factors to date are in line with prior year.
Average selling price is up 5%, which partly reflects increases in fuel and accommodation costs.
Sales of differentiated product are up 14% compared with this time last year.
Looking ahead, TUI said: "The travel and aviation industry is facing a number of headwinds. These include the high cost of fuel, weakness of sterling and the slower than anticipated recovery in the important North African tourist destinations particularly for the French tour operators.
"Like the rest of the industry we are not immune to these pressures. Our market leading positions, together with our ability to manage capacity due to the flexibility of our business model, mean that we are able to focus on maintaining margins and delivering operational efficiencies in these continuing challenging times."
With permission from Travelmole
TUI managed to grow underlying operating profit by 57% to £88 million in the third quarter thanks to a "strong" performance in the UK and Nordic countries.
The travel giant said the late timing of Easter, the lack of volcanic ash disruption and the sale of differentiated product had helped drive its performance.
But events in North Africa have continued to impact significantly on trading for its French tour operators.
It said selling prices and margins continue to develop in line with expectations in all source markets except France.
Overall, volumes left to sell are in line with prior year.
Chief executive Peter Long said: "This performance is particularly pleasing in the UK against a background of weak consumer sentiment.
"I believe that this is testament to our management team and our focus on exclusive and differentiated product which offers our customers quality, value holidays that are only available through our brands and sold principally across our own distribution channels."
He said the group had reacted quickly to events in North Africa by moving capacity mainly to the Western Mediterranean, but many French consumers are choosing to holiday in France.
"For the Summer, our overall volumes left to sell are in line with the prior year and we are confident of meeting our expectations for the full year in what is a challenging trading environment," he added.
In the UK, load factors and margins are ahead of last year for all remaining months of the season.
Average selling price has improved by 4% year on year, driven by the higher proportion of differentiated product sales, which are up 15% for summer 2011.
Shorter duration holidays have proved more popular this year, with 10-11 night and 7-night stays increasing by 24% and 4% respectively.
All-inclusive holidays have continued to sell well, now making up 46% of sales to date, up 2 percentage points on last year.
The proportion of bookings made online has increased from 38% to 40%, equating to 1.3 million UK customers booking via TUI's websites.
For winter 2011/12, UK cumulative bookings are down 9% on the back of a capacity cut of 7%.
Load factors to date are in line with prior year.
Average selling price is up 5%, which partly reflects increases in fuel and accommodation costs.
Sales of differentiated product are up 14% compared with this time last year.
Looking ahead, TUI said: "The travel and aviation industry is facing a number of headwinds. These include the high cost of fuel, weakness of sterling and the slower than anticipated recovery in the important North African tourist destinations particularly for the French tour operators.
"Like the rest of the industry we are not immune to these pressures. Our market leading positions, together with our ability to manage capacity due to the flexibility of our business model, mean that we are able to focus on maintaining margins and delivering operational efficiencies in these continuing challenging times."
With permission from Travelmole
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