Hi ... I have added some comments through your text. Mark

We have listed a range of complaints about the "Luxury Holiday" you sold to us.

We made a holiday choice because of statements made in the Inghams brochure, in particular because of the statements put in boxes at the top of page 86, which say:

Best for........ NON-SKI ACTIVITIES GROUPS FAMILIES

We now know that the Yllas Saaga Hotel is not a luxury hotel, and this part of Yllas is not suitable for anybody who does not ski - or for families, or non-skiers - it is ideal for people who simply want to ski and sleep and do very little else - and your brochure should say so.

Many of our complaints arise from Inghams unwillingness or inability to provide the goods and services as they are described in the brochure.

Booking the holiday
The holiday was booked at xxxxxxxxx travel agents in the xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. The representative xxxxxxxxxxx, told us we could book excursions and ski packages up to the week before our flight.
The advertised return flight time arriving at Manchester airport at 13.35 appeared to be ideal, and we made an arrangement to be at a family party on the day of our return.
This was a party that was supposed to take place on Boxing night, but because we wouldn't be there over Christmas it was specially rearranged. <<remove - not really relevant>>
Travel Information came too late to be useful
When the tickets arrived, there was a booklet with them which amongst other things said that ski packages and excursions could only be booked in the UK up to 14 days in advance, we realised that xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx had given us incorrect information which was to cost us almost double the cost of pre-booking the ski packages, and Inghams sent us the tickets and the correct information too late for us to do anything about it. We rang to explain that we'd been given incorrect information by the travel agent, but Inghams refused to pre-book ski packages from the UK after the 14 day deadline.
<< Reword - also did you have brochure, cause this word have been in the back t&Cs >>

If Inghams had sent the information booklet with the confirmation letter it would have saved us a considerable sum of money, we can't understand why they didn't.

Flight times changed
When the tickets arrived, we were disappointed to find that the flight times had been changed and we would not now be attending the family party, no explanation or apology was given - and it's clear that the customers plans don't matter. <<Unless changed by more 12 hours, not much you can do??>>

Flight to Kittila
We paid extra so that as a family we could all sit together, but that did not happen. <<reword - but should get this back - explain cost>>

Arrival at the Saaga Hotel, Yllas.
The brochure description of " A modern ski in/ski out luxury resort hotel with excellent spa facilities and a choice of superior hotel rooms and high quality apartments, located next to the lifts, ski school and ski hire shop on the Yllasjarvi side of the fell, it offers superb views over the surrounding Lappish countryside" is not accurate in our opinion.
In a luxury hotel you would expect food to be varied and of a high standard, not repetitive, boring and bland. The cafe would be well stocked with a range of foods for lunch and snacks, not a lonely stand up display fridge next to the bar area with a few bottled drinks and a few pre-packed sandwiches with ingredients we didn't recognise.

<< but are you not in Lapland - the food tends to be reindeer a lot - disappointing, but what are you expecting to do??>>

Luxury hotels of this size as a rule, provide dressing gowns and slippers to use in the hotel room or to go to the pool area, they generally make an effort, especially for the Christmas period, i.e. entertainment, Christmas decorations, Christmassy food, and they normally have a Queen or King-sized bed in the rooms, not two single beds pushed together, and they usually have quiet and comfortable lounge and bar areas.

<<Actually you often find that a King bed is just two twins pushed together - did it affect you in any way?? - as to the dressing gown / slippers - well did the brochure promise that??>>

We were amazed that there was only ONE washing machine, that took an hour and a half to do one wash, and was constantly in use. We had to wash base layers by hand. We found no pay-TV films available.

<<To be honest I am shocked it had even 1!! - oh dear no pay TV ...>>

The brochure description of the facilities for young children and non-skiers is not accurate in our opinion, the play area for the children in the hotel is amazingly small, so small that if an adult supervises their child, there isn't room for other children to play in it.

<< suggest reword - include description from brochure - what does that say you will get??>>
T
here is nothing to do in that part of Yllas for non-skiers and small children.
There is a small bar, and no entertainment - except for other package tour guests.

<<ok - but was there entertainment nearby - what are you expecting from them?? What was promised?>>

Arrival at the Apartment
The apartment was very compact and simple, clearly designed to get as many functions and facilities crammed into as small a space as possible. The bedroom had two single beds pushed together and one pull out sofa bed in the lounge area, there was no room anywhere for a cot or small bed.
This meant that our grandson slept between us while our son slept on the sofa-bed.
There was no way this could be describe as luxury.

<< again what does the brochure - I assume you had a 1 bed apartment - did you expect / get cot for child? >>

The balcony was filled with snow to a depth of about 2 feet.

<< ah - I see it snowed in Lapland during Christmas ... I don't understand why you are complaining about that - obviously I am missing the point?>>

First night - Dinner
Finding our dinner was a confusing experience, there was no attempt at any sort of signposting or welcome - we found the buffets were closed and we found ourselves in the A La Carte section of the restaurant, we were told that the other part of the restaurant was closed, so we were left with no alternative but to order an expensive a la carte meal which cost €117 for two courses for 3 people.
Monday to Saturday the buffet is open from 17.30 - 19.30, but on Sunday the buffet is supposed to be open from 18.30 - 19.30, however on our arrival it was closed.

<< what time did you arrive at the buffet? Were you notified that it was only open from 18:30 to 19:30>>

First morning - Monday 22nd December

At around 9am we met the rep, and booked a range of excursions and three ski packages.
We asked her about free ski hire for our grandson who was under 7, she said she didn't do that, but the ski centre would sort that out.
Interestingly payment was made by card using a manual card machine, it wasn't till we started this letter that we realised the significance of that.

After breakfast we went to the ski centre to collect ski equipment which was at the bottom of the hill, not next to the hotel as described in the brochure.
After being given ski equipment, my wife had a asthma attack, she gave everything back to the staff on duty, and they told us that they would see the Rep about arranging a full refund. When I spoke to her subsequently she said that that charge was cancelled and no longer existed, she was later to change her mind and say that we had to claim on our holiday insurance.
When my wife returned the ski equipment back to the ski centre ( she'd only got one boot one before the asthma attack), the attendant at the ski centre refunded me the 6 euros for the ski pass in cash there and then.
On the Sunday we were leaving, the Rep said she had a letter for our insurance company.
My wife objected to the letter because it wasn't an honest account of what had happened, and she told the Rep that we shouldn't have to be claiming because when we approached her the payment for the ski packages hadn't gone through - the card payment was done manually and the ski centre hadn't been paid, and to our knowledge never were.

<<How do you know they were not paid? You went to the ski place, you got your skis, your handed your credit card over, you signed the slip of paper, then your wife had an asthma attack, so she cancelled ... I can not understand why you just don't claim on your insurance? >>

My wife returned to the apartment to rest - after about an hour she recovered and then found that there was nothing for her to do, except wait for us to return from skiing.
There is no cafe in the hotel, there is a display fridge with some sandwiches and drinks near some cheap tables and chairs by an exit door which is apparently the cafe area.

<<Again is it the hotels fault that there is little to do apart from skiing ... I don't know, what did the brochure promise? The same with the cafe - what does it say about the cafe area?>>

Dinner
We went down at about 7pm, and found few diners there, most of the available tables were dirty, and the food was simple, bland and unexciting, we noticed that tables with serviettes on were reserved for First Choice and Crystal guest - this was the recurring theme for all buffet dinners and breakfasts that we had.
It simply isn't possible to use the word luxury to describe the food that we were given, or the environment in which we were expected to eat.

<<again, here I think this is slightly irrelevant, unless the brochure promises you something more than what you got??>>

Second day - Tuesday 23rd December

Mini husky experience.
Mini is the correct term, because there was little to experience, we were given a 2/3 minute ride driven by one member of our family - and then there was little else to do except look at cages of dogs and wait by a fire, either inside or outside. Almost all of the guest spent that time talking to each other about how little there was to do, and how short the one ride had been.

<<when booked, did you check how long it was - have you something to say it should be a certain length??>>

Third day - Wednesday 24th Christmas Eve Ski lifts closed early <<Maybe because it is Christmas Eve??>>

Because there was nothing for my wife (a non-skier and non-swimmer) to do, we decided to do some last minute shopping in preparation for Christmas day, rather like we do at home, or anywhere else we've ever been at christmas.
We booked a taxi at 1pm to take us to a nearest large supermarket and shopping area, only to find that they had closed at 1pm. The taxi turned round and brought us back to the hotel at a cost of nearly £40. By the time we got back the ski lifts had closed and we had little to do but return to our apartment. Simply warning us, at the start of the holiday would have been a nice idea, and would have saved us time and money and upset.

<<Question for you ... are you expecting the reps / hotel to be mind readers - if you had asked at the hotel BEFORE getting in the taxi, they would have most likely told it was going to be shut at 1PM. >>

On our return from the aborted shopping trip we found a leaflet stuck to the apartment door warning us to be at the INGHAMS CHRISTMAS DINNER at 18.30 sharp!

<<how can that be a cause for complaint?? I guess this is for Christmas Day maybe?>>

Dinner
More bland food, no entertainment, not even piped Christmas carols.
Except that we knew the date - you wouldn't have known it was Christmas at the Saaga hotel, and the dress code is so casual that most of the smart clothes we took for evening and dinner, were returned to England unworn because the buffet dinner is a canteen, and within about 30 minutes we would be back in our room, there was nothing else to do.

<< So Christmas Eve - your not happy because you couldn't wear the smart clothes you brought? These things tend to be very casual - after all it is a skiing place ... >>

Fourth day - Thursday 25th Christmas Day. The ski lifts were closed.

<<Again, yes because it is Christmas Day - were you expecting them to be open??>>

Reindeer mini-safari
On page 86 the brochure describes the availability of "a wide choice of activities and safaris, including exhilarating reindeer, husky and snowmobile safaris." The picture in the top right-hand corner of the page shows two sleighs with two reindeer pulling each one.

After feeding small reindeer with branches of leaves, we then had drinks of juice and biscuits, queued up and climbed into sleighs.
Our first reindeer turned our sleigh over and threw our driver and then tipped me, my wife and our grandson onto the ground, fortunately there were no injuries, but that proved to be the highlight of the excursion because when we actually got going, we found that one reindeer struggled to pull three adults and one child at much more than a slow jog, even when the driver got out and walked. Hardly an exhilarating ride, we felt very sorry for the lonely beast that dragged us slowly up a gentle slope and down again over the five or so minutes it took. We visited the souvenir hut, and waited for the coach to take us back to the hotel.

<<again re-word - what does the brochure actually say & what didn't you get ... you got your reindeer ride - slow maybe ... how long were you there?? You might be able to claim something for being thrown out of the carriage, but I wander did you sign anything before getting in the sleigh??>>

Dinner and the Christmas Fairy
On page 79 of the brochure, DINNER WITH SANTA is described as follows:
For all Inghams guests arriving on 7th, 14th and 21st December we have included a special dinner with Santa during your stay (even for guests who are booked on a self-catering basis). This is in a secret village location, where you will enjoy traditional British Christmas food and Lappish specialities. Santa will arrive with his reindeer and all the children will have the opportunity to meet him individually and receive a small gift.

On page 86 of the brochure, at the bottom of the page DINNER WITH SANTA is also referred to as follows:

DINNER WITH SANTA
ENJOY A SPECIAL DINNER WITH VISIT FROM SANTA AND HIS REINDEER
Included for all Inghams guests on 13,20 and 25 December
Replaces dinner at the hotel for guest on pre-booked half-board

To add to our expectations, on our return from not shopping on Christmas Eve, the leaflet stuck to our door had a picture of Santa waving, and included the following text.

SANTA LIKES TO PARTY......AND SO DO WE!!!!!!
SANTA AND THE CHRISTMAS FAIRY REQUEST
YOUR PRESENCE AT THE INGHAMS CHRISTMAS DINNER!
Please bring your completed holiday reviews with you
THURSDAY
SAAGA HOTEL RESTAURANT
18.30 SHARP
SEASONS GREETINGS TO EVERYONE

We were looking forward to a lovely roast turkey dinner with stuffing and roast potatoes, etc, Christmas pudding, crackers and silly hats, after the boring fare we'd had so far.
It was to be the highlight of the holiday on the most important day of the year.

We were stunned to find that we wouldn't be leaving the hotel to go a magical secret village location, there were no reindeer, Santa was upstairs on the 2nd Floor doing the whole hotel as a job lot and it became very clear that we would be having our Christmas dinner in part of the ordinary restaurant.

When we got there, it looked just like it looks on any other day - the only Christmassy feature was the Rep dressed in a light pink frock and tiara with a wand. When our 2 and a half year old grandson called her Cinderella, she pointed out that she was the Christmas Fairy, and then asked for assistance with mistakes that she had made with our bookings and had clearly made with others. She didn't explain why the excursion was cancelled, she behaved as if this was completely normal, and we realised that there never was a secret village location, or an arrangement to have dinner with Santa and his Reindeer.

What could we say, it was 18.30, dinner was about to start, we were hungry, people were sitting down, and all we could do at that point was try to make the best of bad job and resolve to deal with it later. Had we known what kind of food we were about to eat, we would have kicked up a fuss there and then.

The food had nothing to do with Christmas - and was worse than we'd become accustomed to in the hot buffet in the usual eating area.
There were fish nuggets and oven chips, a processed smoked meat in a thick dark jellied gravy, potatoes that at first sight looked like pasta, rice, square chunks of carrot, what appeared to be the boiled fish that we usually got for dinner at the buffet, chicken pieces in some sort of sauce.

The Christmas Fairy vanished, and after the stale chocolate sponge cake Christmas dinner was over.

By 19.15 we were back in our room, we had been treated so badly it was difficult to comprehend that on Christmas Day, in Lapland, there hadn't been any tinsel, any carols, any Christmas crackers, or Christmas pudding, or Christmas cake, or mince pies.
We'd told all our friends and family about the magical holiday of a lifetime that we were supposed to be having, and yet here we were being treated in this way.
It was both shocking and humiliating - our feelings were clearly of no importance to Inghams - who seemed to have no intention of providing the holiday they advertised in the brochure, and there had certainly been no plan to provide British Christmas Food.

For us, Christmas and much of the holiday was a disaster. Up to this point we had realised that the excursions were not as advertised, and Inghams were giving us the minimum that they thought they could get away with.

<< I think need to really get this section down - what didn't you get that you paid for - no traditional Christmas dinner, no secret village location, etc - remove the bit about the fairy - did you complain to the rep - was there a rep??>>

Fifth Day - Friday 26th December Boxing Day

Santa's Secret Hideaway
The location has no electricity or running water, it is clearly in the middle of nowhere, and takes well over an hour to get there, our journey was made longer because our coach broke down, and had to be replaced, and by the time we were picked up, other guests had already been on the bus for over an hour. One guest was heard to say that altogether the excursion would have lasted over five hours for him and his children - it was unacceptable.

<<A coach breaks down - they apologised - not sure what else they could do - I thought that the point of being in the middle of nowhere was that it didn't have elec / water?>>

The toilet facilities are almost medieval, there was little smell because in the very low temperatures around - 5 Celsius the sh*t would have been frozen fairly quickly, the only difference was that a polystyrene seat and plug was fitted over the hole in the wooden box, through which you could see the product of many previous visits with toilet paper attached. You could only see that if you happened to have a torch with you (which I did) otherwise it was very difficult to see anything. Because changing a nappy in these conditions would have been a nightmare, and we felt safer waiting until the bus returned.

<< was this advertised as suitable for toddlers, ie a 3 year old? It is difficult this one - you expected certain standards & didn't get them>>
A tiny generator and a chemical toilet with a simple hand basin with waterless soap would have solved the problem very neatly. Clearly that was far too good for Inghams guests. There is no way to wash your hands which we found disgusting and after using the toilet in the near darkness must represent a health hazard - We were offered one sausage per person which took 5 minutes to cook on a toasting fork over a wood fire which we ate with our hands.

We were amazed at such unsanitary facilities in a modern country with about the highest standard of living in Europe, it indicates the contempt that Inghams must have for their customers. For what we were paying, a warm dry, well lit modern toilet with hand washing and nappy changing facilities isn't a lot to ask for.

Apart from sitting in a hut, or round a fire, there was little to do, because the advertised nature walk wasn't sufficiently lit to see anything, there weren't enough snowshoes to go around, so we simply waited in subzero temperatures just to see Santa.
Once we got to see him, he was an excellent Santa, probably the very best we've ever seen; he didn't rush us, and took time to put our grandson at his ease. However even so, that didn't make up for the poor way in which Inghams treated us.

We began to see a pattern forming in Inghams policy.
When booking excursions they would discount or exempt very small children, but insisted on charging for a seat on the bus - however, each time we were on a bus, the rep would ask if small children could sit on guest laps because there weren't enough seats.

<<Try & be a little dispassionate about it .... you are letting you emotion get in the way >>

Sixth day - Saturday 27th December

A Christmassy dinner, but not for us
We dressed and went for dinner at about 7pm. There was no notice indicating any changes.
We noticed that there was a queue of very smartly dressed people, and felt a bit underdressed, we were surprised that our rep hadn't warned us to dress up a bit for the last night.

After waiting in the queue for 10 - 15 minutes, we all went into the buffet.
We were pleasantly surprised to find the room dressed with Christmas decorations, there were Christmas napkins and crackers, candles and a live band playing music!
The buffet looked rather nice for a change.
So we chose a table and sat down and our little grandson started to play with the Christmas crackers, we told him to wait because we would pull them after we'd eaten.
He reluctantly agreed, and we waited for the other guests to take their places.
Then a rep, who we didn't recognise came over and asked if we were with First Choice or Crystal.
We explained that we were with Inghams - and she told us that we were in the wrong place, that our dinner was in the restaurant that night and we had to leave.
We couldn't explain to our grandson why we were leaving the Christmas crackers and all that clearly went with a Christmas dinner, naturally he was upset, and so were we.
By this time it was 7.30pm, the buffet we should have been was only supposed to be 17.30 to 19.30 and there wasn't much food left because they were clearing away.

<<Again what were you promised in the brochure - forgot what other operators are offering - what did you acrtually pay for>>

We realised that First Choice and Crystal's guests were having a Christmassy meal with entertainment for their last night - we didn't even get that for Christmas Day.

Seventh day - Sunday 28th December

No room at the Inn
We had to leave the rooms by 12 noon so time was short.
We returned our grandsons ski equipment to the Ski Centre, we'd had to pay for it on the Wednesday and complained to the rep. She told us to show them the brochure page where it said that ski equipment was free for under 7's.
As it was we didn't have to do that.
The staff explained in great detail how the Inghams ski hire contract worked.
If you pre-book your ski packages, ski school, and ski equipment in the UK up to 14 days before you are due to travel - the under 7's equipment and ski pass is free, otherwise you have to pay.
It doesn't say that on the page in the brochure. I felt I'd been unfairly relieved of €72, but since time was short we decided to take it up on our return to the UK, and went off to try to get a little bit of skiing done.

<<again did you read the T&Cs - course I am sure this would have been explained in there?>

When we got to the ski lifts our ski passes didn't work, so we had to trudge back down the slope carrying our skis and returned to the ski centre to find out why they didn't work.
Again the staff explained that the contract was not to their liking (they would have preferred to give a 7 day pass) but was arranged specifically that way at Inghams request.
The Inghams 6 day ski pass plus one day free is an illusion, because you are paying for seven days.
Only a fool would believe that anything is free in business, but Inghams clearly think their customers are fools they charge them for seven days, but give them 6, because that's what they pay the ski centre for, then, if the customer does any skiing on the last day they will have to pay for the seventh day.
Since most people spend the last day waiting around for an airport transfer thats a days ski pass you paid for but didn't get. If you hired ski clothing, Inghams want them returned on the last morning, so on the last day no skiing is possible although you have paid for it. Christmas Day the lifts are closed but we paid for a full day.
Christmas Eve the lifts are closed for half a day, but we paid for a full day.
Boxing Day the lifts are closed for half a day, but we paid for a full day.

<<Now understand about why you keep mentioning about ski lifts being closed - the question is - did you pay for a normal weekly ski pass, or was it reduced because of the days the slopes were shut - no idea - also don't understand what you mean by 6 days / 7 days? Did you pay for 6 days or 7 days? If you paid for 6 days, then they were right, but if you paid for 7 days, then surely you still had 1 day of ski lift use? Question did the pass have a date on it?>>

From 12 noon on the last day, if you are on the 21.30 flight out of Kittila, you must spend 6 hours waiting in reception, hoping that your bags will be safe in the baggage room, for which the hotel and Inghams will take no responsibility for; what are you meant to do?

<<do like everyone else - wait & get bored!!>>

From Monday to Saturday the buffet is open from 17.30 - 19.30, but on Sunday when the late airport transfer is at 18.00 the buffet is open from 18.30 - 19.30. This meant that we couldn't get any dinner at the hotel before a long journey - we thought it was mean.

<< that is because you had it on the day you arrived?? in rality you never got it because it had finished by the time you arrived>>

Having read all of this, I'm sure that you can see that the holiday we believed we were booking was not the holiday we got. Our Christmas was ruined, we had a miserable time and felt abused and humiliated. This holiday cost us over £5,000, and we are not happy.
We had the right to expect better from what is supposed to be the leading ski/snow holiday operator.

I think you need to remove a lot of the Inghams slagging off, as it will just make them get annoyed. I do think that you have some valid complaints
Start by saying that Inghams have such a good reputation and they were recommended by friends, but you disappointed by some key problems ...
1. Pre-excursions - work out the cost of those excursions that you couldn't book before you left the UK - try claiming the difference back?
2. Maybe put in the expense for dinner on 1st day - cause you were on Half Board ... didn't get it - but were you given welcome pack - which might have told you this - did other people miss dinner as well? BUt remember don't include drinks, unless they were included in your package
3. The reindeer ride - falling out - state how disappointed you were with the length etc.
4. The Christmas meal - no traditional turkey etc, no decorations, no secret village -although I note that you went on something the next day - was that it?
5. Maybe mention about the room - but if you booked a 1 bed apartment, I guess the sofa bed, was a double maybe?
I think you should be able to get this down to 1/2 pages - be to the point, quote from the brochure if need be & tell them what you expect them to do.
I have read it 3/4 times & still don't understand what you expect from them?

Mark