There are two ways of booking. First you can browse brochures/websites of TOUR OPERATORS (TO) such as Thomson, Thos Cook, and Monarch: Each offer a PACKAGE HOLIDAY that includes Flight, Transfer and Accommodation.
You can also book a holiday with a TRAVEL AGENT (TA) who will put together what is called “A DYNAMIC PACKAGE†which is totally different from a PACKAGE HOLIDAY.
There are advantages and disadvantages with both.
Book with a TO and you are limited to the hotels/destinations they have contracts with. Everything is in one place and they are responsible for any failings – the TOUR OPERATOR has a contract with you.
Book with a TA and whilst they will build your holiday from scratch, (Flights, Transfers and Hotel/Accommodation) they do not have a contract with you. They simply act as go between.
TAs do not have contracts with any of the suppliers and as their name implies they simply act as your agents, if any of the suppliers lets you down then it is your problem. Because each part has been booked separate then if one fails to deliver whilst you may get your money back it will only be for that part. You will still have to pay for the other parts. If the flight is cancelled then it is usually possible to find another flight without too much hassle but the price you pay most often will be more expensive, the same applies to your transfer.
The real problem, which is the one we hear of most often is the accommodation has fallen through so you have your flight and transfer but nowhere to stay. People complain about the TA having let them down and being rubbish etc. but in the majority of cases they are actually the innocent party. To achieve the cheap prices they charge they us what are often called “Bed Banks†who are companies that specialise in acting as agents for the hotels. They take up the “unsold†rooms and sell them to you via the TAs – In the majority of cases this is no problem and you get a great holiday at a great price – BUT – if a hotel gets the chance to sell one or more of the rooms to someone else at a bigger price then they do so and simply tell the agent that the room is no longer available. If it was the room you booked then you have a problem.
Now because you book through an agent you actually have a contract with the airline for your flight, the transfer company for your transfer and the hotel for you accommodation. Technically the hotel might be in Breach of Contract but even if you were to sue then it would be in a foreign country and extremely expensive.
I said earlier that you need to do a little reading and this is important. An agent’s website will actually state something like this.
We act as an agent between you and various third party suppliers of travel products (e.g. flight, hotel or transfer). Each product you choose has its own price independent of other products booked at the same time and creates a separate contract between you and the supplier of that product.
This will often be on the front web page but if not it will be in the Terms & Conditions. Never book a holiday (that means part with cash or your credit/debit card details) without reading them and understanding them first. If you are not sure then ask questions before going any further.
Other things can and do go wrong but understanding what the difference is between a “Package Holiday†and a “Dynamic Package†will help you make the right choice.
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