I can't see why a hotel which is booked up for the next month would bother to purposefully overbook since they're obviously popular and so presumably wouldn't have any problems filling any cancellations. I think it was probably the case that there were rooms free when I paid Travel Republic and received my confirmation but for some reason the hotel weren't informed of my booking straight away and so there was no longer a room available. If TR didn't make the booking straight away but were told immediately by the hotel that there weren't any rooms left and then sat on it for three weeks then as far as I'm concerned it's TR's responsibility. If TR did make the booking straight away and then the hotel didn't bother to tell them for three weeks then it's the hotel's fault. Even if there was an intermediary, I just don't see how it took them three weeks to tell me.

I doubt I'll get much, if any, money from whoever was responsible. My new hotel looks nicer than my old one and is in a more expensive location. I could have got a hotel of about the same quality close to the original hotel for about a hundred extra but it would have ruined my holiday because I would have been seething about paying twice the original price for it. By paying an extra £200 instead at least I'm able to console myself that I'm getting a better holiday out of it.

that may not be good news. If the hotel really has overbooked (ie accepted the booking from TR when you made it despite already being full) then this case falls through the cracks in the Package Tour Regs. If you can't prove that TR delayed making the booking (ie, it wasn't full when you booked but filled up during the delay) you may struggle with this.

I think it was probably the case that there were rooms free when I paid Travel Republic and received my confirmation but for some reason the hotel weren't informed of my booking straight away and so there was no longer a room available. If TR didn't make the booking straight away but were told immediately by the hotel that there weren't any rooms left and then sat on it for three weeks then as far as I'm concerned it's TR's responsibility.

Whatever your gut reaction as to who is at fault, I can't see that you have any evidence so far to prove this and as Steve8482 says, without that evidence it will be very difficult to get TR to acknowledge that they were at fault without it.

To be fair to them, I have to say that I've always received the initial confirmation that they have made the booking on my behalf very quickly - usually very quickly by return email - followed by the voucher confirming that the booking has been accepted and confirmed by the provider within 24 hrs sometimes even sooner. What sort of time gap was there between confirmation that your booking had been received by TR and you receiving the voucher confirming that the booking had now been made and accepted?

If TR did make the booking straight away and then the hotel didn't bother to tell them for three weeks then it's the hotel's fault. Even if there was an intermediary, I just don't see how it took them three weeks to tell me.

If this was a case of deliberate overbooking on the hotel's part then the delay would be because they were hoping that they'd get a cancellation and could still fulfill your booking and that they only informed TR and you when it became clear that it was getting close to your arrival date and that there was no cancellation materialising.

I appreciate that this is a bit off-topic but I am intrigued that there seems to be a developing general tendency in relation to what are essentially overbooking complaints posted here to assume that the hotel is blameless and telling the truth and that TAs are at fault and lying when the evidence doesn't clearly point the finger at either as being the guilty party. Having had experience of dealing with making block bookings with hotels for conference delegates, I know that it's a cut throat business and some of them will take what I regard as unbelievable risks to ensure that they get not just the booking but also maximum bed occupancy rates.

I have had experience of a hotel seemingly being unable to tell me whether they could or couldn't accommadate a set number of delegates for a conference on a particular date and that 'they'd get back to me' within 24 hrs. It suddenly dawned on me that there was a good chance that they didn't have the number of rooms that I needed but that they didn't want to say so and lose the business because I had made it clear that I didn't want to split this party of delegates between 2 hotels and that either I'd book everybody in or nobody in. So the 24 hrs breathing space was probably needed so that they could check whether they could get away with bumping other guests who would be less profitable for them. Once they became shiftier and shifty about why they needed 24 hrs before they could tell me if they had enough rooms available, I told them I wasn't prepared to wait and would look elsewhere. I decided that if they were prepared to do it to others in order to get my booking, they may well be prapred to do it to me if they got a more lucrative booking than mine at a later point. Hence why, speaking personally I always take any hotel's assertion they they aren't the guilty party with a grain of salt because in the end any booking system is only as good as the information provided by the hotel in the first place.

SM

Booking online with a "service" such as travel republic where flights and accommodation are booked together simultaneously using their website doesn't mean it's an actual "package holiday" these elements are booked seperately. Once each element is confirned you enter into a contract with either supplier retaining a booking reference from each seperate element.

If for whatever reason somewhere down the line after confirmation either the airline/tour operator or accommodation supplier comes back and advises the confirmed booking is no longer vaild (for whatever reason) then the travel agent will do it's best to find a solution. If the travel agent is unable to find an acceptable solution, they're not at fault and if the customer has another confirmed element which was not affected (they are not linked like a tour ops brochured package) then they will not be able to cancel that element down and refund the cost. This is normal practice with non atol protected online trave agents. It's not their fault, your argument is with the supplier.

Now, this is all very well and most non atol protected online travel agents work this way but, and this is a very big but, I have yet to come across an online non atol protected travel agent other than Travel Republic which states in their terms and conditions if when actually making the booking (in the process of making the bookng) if one element confims and the other doesn't then they will refund the cost of the uncorfirmed element but not the element that was confirmed.

What are you supposed to do with a booking that the filght has confirmed and the accommodation hasn't?

If you find yourself in this situation and are wondering who is at fault, when you look into it, it can't be the fault of the supplier/airline as how can they be to blame for not having availabilty in moment after having pressed confirm. It can't be travel republics fault as they have the clause in the terms and condition that protects them against this situation. So it must be the customers fault.

It's the customers fault for attempting to book their holiday with travel republic and not understanding the risks, not reading or understanding their terms and conditions!

There are a few forum members and moderators who claim i'm an internet troll or have a vendetta against TR. I don't and I'm not. I'm just clearly outlining facts, facts in the Travel Republics terms and conditions, facts that consumers should be aware of, facts that are veiwable online on the Travel Republic website by any members of the public. They are not hiding nothing.

If certain other forum members or moderators take exception or disagree with any of the points I have raised then please just reply to this thread in an adult manner.

Thanks
Whiskey

WTF!

, I have yet to come across an online non atol protected travel agent other than Travel Republic which states in their terms and conditions if when actually making the booking (in the process of making the bookng) if one element confims and the other doesn't then they will refund the cost of the uncorfirmed element but not the element that was confirmed.

I think you are determined to split hairs here How often does such a thing happen anyway? Also, don't you agree that it's a good thing that TR makes its customers aware of the fact that in the rare event of a problem arising with either the flight or accomodation section of their booking that they wouldn't be automatically issued a refund on the other part.

Your statement above just shows that other agents aren't as up front as TR because whether it's in their ts and Cs or not, they operate in exactly the same way.

Not sure why i've bothered replying here to be honest, given the fact that the last thread was locked as we were going round in circles.

I think you are determined to split hairs here How often does such a thing happen anyway?

It happens babes, what if a customer is left with a flight costing £1200 and no suitable accommodation, what then?

And before someone else, who seems to take this issue a little bit too personally ask's for this thread to be closed.

Genuine holiday makers ask yourself.

Why would they?

There are a few forum members and moderators who claim i'm an internet troll or have a vendetta against TR

I'd like to know which of our moderators made such a statement?

Your statement above just shows that other agents aren't as up front as TR because whether it's in their ts and Cs or not, they operate in exactly the same way.

This is the exact point my dear!

The reason they don't have that clause in the terms and conditions it because thedon't operate in the same way, otherwise it would state that in their t&c's

First of all just what exactly is your reason for your bias? I couldn't of been more clear any normal holiday maker who would of been happening to read this would probably say "hmm that's interesting, will look at that"

Again for anyone reading this that guy fwd or whatever he's called will soon claim i am an internet troll and have a vendetta against TR which I don't.

I wan't consumers (actual holiday makers) to be aware of the clause in travel republics terms and conditions, which in my opinion is just unfair.

I'm just clearly outlining facts, facts in the Travel Republics terms and conditions, facts that consumers should be aware of, facts that are veiwable online on the Travel Republic website by any members of the public. They are not hiding nothing.

Yes, they are clearly available for viewing on their website, so why the need to point them out again. I'm sure that by now, everyone who has the slightest interest in T Republic, knows exactly what happens when you book a flight and accommodation separately.
As far as I am aware I don't think that fwh is a moderator on this site.

Please see my post above yours WTF.

Again folks.

There seems to be some forum members taking this issue personallly?

Please just offer some constuctive feedback or opinions at least, that make at least the slightest bit of sense please, rather than nit picking at my post's or claiming I'm an internet troll.

WTF -Perhaps you might take time to read the Terms & Conditions applicable TO EVERYONE here on HT

Use of offensive language or personal attacks on members is against the rules. The two PMs you have sent me fall into that category. I have passed copies to the moderators.

Are you a Troll - No idea but you obviously have a personal problem with TR - This forum is not the place to carry on such a campaign.

fwh

You have made an accusation against our moderators. As Admin I need to know which moderators made the statements you have posted on our open internet forum?

Are you a Troll - No idea but you obviously have a personal problem with TR - This forum is not the place to carry on such a campaign.

Again folks!

Some other forum members claiming I have personal problem with travel republic, which I don't. These same forum members are for some reason are refusing to actually remark or reply to my post and are doing their best to defer from the points raised my initial post?

I'm just wondering why know, have shares TR, lol?

For genuine holiday makers that care to read this thread, I don't have a vendetta against TR.

What sort of reply do you want? I know what TR's T& C's are, and this won't put me off booking with them again if the price is right. As I said in another post, I wouldn't dream of booking accommodation before I'd had my flight confirmed. Every TO has their T & C's, and if someone doesn't like what they're reading - then the answers simple - book elsewhere I am a genuine holidaymaker, as are most others, who have been members here for years.

Okay if your not a troll and work in travel who do you work for ?

totally agree. just make sure you're doing before you confirm. don't want to end up with a flight only booking costing £1200 without the accommodation you wanted to book.

I have yet to come across an online non atol protected travel agent other than Travel Republic which states in their terms and conditions if when actually making the booking (in the process of making the bookng) if one element confims and the other doesn't then they will refund the cost of the uncorfirmed element but not the element that was confirmed.

So you've never come across On the Beach then? Admittedly, they do say that they are ATOL protected but their terms of business also make it clear that if just like TR, if one part of a booking made via them goes down then you are only entitled to refund for that element.

You should also note that each service you book with us is a separate booking. If you make bookings for both accommodation and flights and we are unable to confirm one of the bookings, the other booking will still stand, and therefore the Principal's booking conditions will apply.

(Sorry, Mods tried to copy and past the link but OTB's site wouldn't let me)

If I had more time I could draw your attention to others too but in the meantime perhaps you'd like to add OTB to your list of agents with unfair conditions.

SM

Wouldn't book with them either.

Next.