O/T Thomson Airlines have ruined my summer holiday

[Gazwag]

When you book and pay for a flight with an airline you have entered into a contract. If they then CHOOSE to cancel this contract because they don't want to fly to that destination any more, they have broken the contract. They took the decision on financial grounds, they should accept responsibility for any loss suffered by their customers.

To follow your logic, you should never plan to do anything based on travel tickets you have bought, since they are essentually worthless in terms of being honoured.

As I said its a risk you take if you dont buy a package holiday. The travel tickets are not worthless though as you will get your money back. Its a case of ensuring you buy good travel insurance.

 

[sten_super]

Yes, fair comment. We have been trying pretty hard to find a solution, and I'm still doing that (and I appreciate suggestions made on here).

However, I really do want you guys to know about Thomson. It seems to me a flight ticket with them is essentially worthless in terms of guarantee. There are 565 other passengers who have been let down, and I woudn't want anyone else to be put in the same situation.

It's not just Thompson though, is it, it's any airline. Ryanair have been known to cancel routes at the drop of a hat, just because an airport has refused to increase the level of subsidy, while all airlines are looking to cancel non-profitable routes, and inevitably those with trips booked will miss out. I'll bet they all have exactly the same clause in the T&Cs that says that they are only liable for the direct cost of the flight.

Having said that, I do think that the alternatives that they've offered you are substandard, and that you've been shoddily treated. I hope you get it sorted.

 

[34064 Fighter Command]

But most of the other passengers will be package holiday customers for whom Thomson will have made other arrangements.

I don't think they are being unreasonable as they are NOT a scheduled airline, they operate purely to carry their own package customers. The fact is that you got lucky as they had spare seats available on a flight which suited your particular circumstances.

Best option is to take the money, do the legwork to find another airline, and add some extra nights in a hotel if you have to.

 

[clippedgull]

However, I really do want you guys to know about Thomson. It seems to me a flight ticket with them is essentially worthless in terms of guarantee. There are 565 other passengers who have been let down, and I woudn't want anyone else to be put in the same situation.

You have remained quiet about your holiday insurance.

Would they not cover your losses due to your carrier cancelling the flight?

 

[fcportaloo]

I flew to Dubrovnik and holidayed in Montenegro in 2007. We hired a car with Europcar as they were one of the few companies that allowed you to take a car across the border into Montenegro. It was fairly easy and hassle free at the border - (allow plenty of time on your return journey to the airport though). Montenegro is amazing, you will have a great time

 

[Westdene Seagull]

I don't think you really have much of a chance of getting anything else back but if you feel like a little punt then do the following :

> Write to them telling them that if they do not cover the extra costs then you will commence legal action in 14 days.

> While you wait fill out a small claims court claim and save it ( don't issue it yet )

> If you don't hear from them or they say no then issue the claim ( it will cost you about £100 to start with )

A lot of companies, once issued with a court claim, decide to make an offer to settle on the condition they don't admit liability. If they do make an offer you can decide if you want to take it or continue the action.

As I said, I don't think you really have much of a chance but if you fancy a gamble it might be worth a try.

PS - TUI are one of the worst holiday companies in the world. In the past they have put customer lives at risk rather than issue refunds !

 

[Icy Gull]

You booked a flight only with Thomson so legally I would doubt that you have any comeback for monies lost on other bookings you may have made on the back of expecting Thomson's to get you there ?

Thomson contracted to get you there and back and their conditions will allow them to cancel the flight and only be responsible for refunding your money

 

[CheeseRolls]

Too late to help our friend here, but general advice, if you are going to be booking your own travel then take out travel insurance to cover what you need. Moneysupermarket and other comparison sites can help you sift through what is on offer. I paid around 40 quid for annual cover for a family of 4 with European coverage. This wasn't the cheapest offer, but for me anyone who is able to pay for a holiday can afford to get themselves some cover. It won't remove the hassle, but at least you have the option to make alternative plans, if and when things go wrong.

 

[Knotty]

You booked a flight only with Thomson so legally I would doubt that you have any comeback for monies lost on other bookings you may have made on the back of expecting Thomson's to get you there ?

Thomson contracted to get you there and back and their conditions will allow them to cancel the flight and only be responsible for refunding your money

Exatcly right. If you book any sort of services that are not part of an inclusive package the only obligation the individual suppliers of those services have to you is in respect of what they are supplying.

If you book a train ticket to see a show in London, the railway company is not obliged to refund you your theatre ticket if they cancel the train, and nor is the theatre obliged to refund your rail fare if they cancel the show.

If you booked a package from an operator that included both the train and theatre they would be obliged to refund it all.

It may often be cheaper to build your own 'package' for a holiday but your protection, should something go wrong, is much greater if you book the whole thing with a tour operator.

 

[Knotty]

Too late to help our friend here, but general advice, if you are going to be booking your own travel then take out travel insurance to cover what you need. Moneysupermarket and other comparison sites can help you sift through what is on offer. I paid around 40 quid for annual cover for a family of 4 with European coverage. This wasn't the cheapest offer, but for me anyone who is able to pay for a holiday can afford to get themselves some cover. It won't remove the hassle, but at least you have the option to make alternative plans, if and when things go wrong.

Good advice, especially 'to cover what you need'. There are always exclusions and it's a case of finding a policy that doesn't exclude what you need to be covered.

 

[Aspinal's Body Double]

We didn't have insurance. Our villa is covered by HolidayOwners Direct guarantee, and flight only insurance would only have given us our flight money back (which is what we get anyway).

I'm not at all sure that a comprehensive travel insurance would have covered the whole holiday in this instance.

Whilst I accept that travel insurance is a good idea (and we have always taken it before, just hadn't got round to it this time) I do think it's not the issue.

Bit like saying you can't prosecute a burglar if you don't have home insurance. It's still their decision, they breached the contract-they shouldn't just be able to fob you off to your insurers.

The point is we would prefer to cancel our holiday and start again. We asked Thomson to refund our costs so that we could do this, since they chose to cancel our flight. £908 is nothing to them and they could have easily written it off in the savings they have decided they will make by cancelling the flights. Point is saving a few quid is more important to them than keeping their customers happy.

 

[Aspinal's Body Double]

I don't think you really have much of a chance of getting anything else back but if you feel like a little punt then do the following :

> Write to them telling them that if they do not cover the extra costs then you will commence legal action in 14 days.

> While you wait fill out a small claims court claim and save it ( don't issue it yet )

> If you don't hear from them or they say no then issue the claim ( it will cost you about £100 to start with )

A lot of companies, once issued with a court claim, decide to make an offer to settle on the condition they don't admit liability. If they do make an offer you can decide if you want to take it or continue the action.

As I said, I don't think you really have much of a chance but if you fancy a gamble it might be worth a try.

PS - TUI are one of the worst holiday companies in the world. In the past they have put customer lives at risk rather than issue refunds !

Thanks-this is good advice.

 

[Laughing Gravy]

There must be another airline that flys to Montenegro??

Montenegro Airlines do

 

[sten_super]

Bit like saying you can't prosecute a burglar if you don't have home insurance. It's still their decision, they breached the contract-they shouldn't just be able to fob you off to your insurers.

THIS is the issue. They have not breached the contract; they have cancelled it and offered you compensation as laid out in the contract. If they had breached the contract, it would be an easy job for you to take them to court and get the money off them. You are not happy with it, but they have done what the contract said they would (or rather could) do. This is standard across pretty much every mode of transport that I can think of, as people have pointed out with numerous examples.

Your home insurance analogy is completely wide of the mark I'm afraid.

 

[34064 Fighter Command]

We didn't have insurance. Our villa is covered by HolidayOwners Direct guarantee, and flight only insurance would only have given us our flight money back (which is what we get anyway).

I'm not at all sure that a comprehensive travel insurance would have covered the whole holiday in this instance.

Whilst I accept that travel insurance is a good idea (and we have always taken it before, just hadn't got round to it this time) I do think it's not the issue.

Bit like saying you can't prosecute a burglar if you don't have home insurance. It's still their decision, they breached the contract-they shouldn't just be able to fob you off to your insurers.

The point is we would prefer to cancel our holiday and start again. We asked Thomson to refund our costs so that we could do this, since they chose to cancel our flight. £908 is nothing to them and they could have easily written it off in the savings they have decided they will make by cancelling the flights. Point is saving a few quid is more important to them than keeping their customers happy.

So now you're happy to breach your contract with the Villa Owner, sounds a bit like you think you can have things both ways.

Thomsons have refunded your costs, i.e. the air fare. The Villa booking is nothing to do with them. Reminds me of the old 'Not the Nine o'clock News' That's Life / British Gas sketch ( the one where Gryph Reece-Jones goes ' I'm sorry, but this really has got nothing to do with us ! ')

 

[VeronaSeagull]

As someone who works for a leading villa rental company you probably could have claimed on a comprehensive travel insurance due to inability to arrive at the villa through no fault of your own, you need to make sure that this is specified in the insurance.

It is unfortunate for you, unfortunately you are certainly not alone. We had it happen this year when Air Malta cancelled the Gatwick to Catania route and British Airways removed one of their dailyflights to Catania. We therefore went from 3 flights a day to 1 flight a day and of course BA tripled their prices! (and we had plenty of customers booked on those flights).....!

Good luck and I hope you are able to get to the villa or at least cancel the villa and re-book to a location you are able to travel to

 

[Aspinal's Body Double]

So now you're happy to breach your contract with the Villa Owner, sounds a bit like you think you can have things both ways.

/

No, I'm not. She would keep the 35% deposit and could almost certainly re-let. I'm not happy to pull out the holiday, and wouldn't have done so if Thomson hadn't pulled out on us. But now it's much more hassle than we would ever have considered worthwhile.

Look guys, this is an issue of customer service as far as I'm concerned. Either you're one of the people who thinks this is lousy service, and you've learned about booking with Thomson. Or you think this is fine, in which case I guess you'll be happy to use Thomson. Either way, I hope your next holiday experience is a good one.

I think we're flogging a dead donkey now, so thanks for the help and advice from those who tried to help. I'm moving on metaphorically even if I'm actually going nowhere this year.

 

[Gazwag]

No, I'm not. She would keep the 35% deposit and could almost certainly re-let. I'm not happy to pull out the holiday, and wouldn't have done so if Thomson hadn't pulled out on us. But now it's much more hassle than we would ever have considered worthwhile.

Look guys, this is an issue of customer service as far as I'm concerned. Either you're one of the people who thinks this is lousy service, and you've learned about booking with Thomson. Or you think this is fine, in which case I guess you'll be happy to use Thomson. Either way, I hope your next holiday experience is a good one.

Have you contacted her to explain the situation and ask that if she does re-let it would she consider returning your deposit.

After the last weeks problems anybody who books a holiday without buying a decent independent insurance package is taking a big risk, but I thought that when Xcel went bust.

 

[34064 Fighter Command]

To the Balkans by train...

It's not difficult to travel from the UK to Belgrade in Serbia, Skopje in Macedonia or Podgorica or Bar in Montenegro by train. Leave London mid-morning, travel via Paris & Budapest, and you'll be in Belgrade the next day mid-evening. Or leave London in the afternoon, take the Paris-Munich sleeper, an reach Belgrade late next evening. It's safe and comfortable, too. It may cost a bit more than flying, but it's a real travel experience not a mere flight. This page explains how to plan, book and make a train journey from the UK to each of these countries.

On this page...
Train times, fares & how to buy tickets from:

London to Belgrade (Serbia)

London to Podgorica & Bar (Montenegro)

London to Skopje (Macedonia)

Booking trains within Serbia

Route map: London to Serbia, Macedonia & Montenegro by train...

London to Montenegro

You can travel from the UK to Montenegro either by train via Belgrade, or by train to Italy then a ferry across the Adriatic. Both options are described here.

London to Podgorica & Bar by train via Belgrade...
Travel from London to Belgrade as shown above, then take a train to Podgorica or Bar. The Belgrade-Podgorica-Bar railway is one of Europe's most scenic. There is both a daytime train and an overnight sleeper, which uses second-hand French sleepers with 1 2 & 3 bed room with washbasin. You can find train times online at DB BAHN - Verbindungen - Ihre Anfrage (English button upper right). Use the Wasteels agency in Belgrade recommended above to arrange your train tickets and reservations from Belgrade to Podgorica or Bar train tickets and reservations. Allow at least 2 or 3 hours in Belgrade for connections, as incoming trains often arrive an hour or two late.

London to Podgorica & Bar by ferry from Italy...
Travel from London to Ancona or Bari as shown on the London to Italy page. Allow several hours in Bari for getting to the port & checking in. Then take a ferry across the Adriatic to Bar. Two ferry lines operate between Italy and Bar. Montenegro Lines (Montenegro Lines :: Barska Plovidba A.D.) sail Bari-Bar 3 times a week year round and daily in summer, usually departing both Bari & Bar at 22:00, arriving at 08:00 next morning. Cabins available. Ferry fares from 50 euros each way with reclining seat, or 60 euros each way with a bed in shared cabin, more luxurious cabins also available. You can also book Montenegro Lines through UK agency Book your Ferry Tickets, Ferries Services, Inter Rail Passes | Greece, Italy, Croatia, Spain, Corsica, Belgium, France, Montenegro, Albania, Cyprus, England, Germany, Finland. Azzura Lines (Azzurra Line Traghetti per la Croazia, il Montenegro e l'Albania) also sail from Bari to Bar, but they run in summer only.

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[CheeseRolls]

[/QUOTE]
I'm not at all sure that a comprehensive travel insurance would have covered the whole holiday in this instance.

Whilst I accept that travel insurance is a good idea (and we have always taken it before, just hadn't got round to it this time) I do think it's not the issue.

[/QUOTE]

Ok, so I checked my own policy, (please note I am not planning on flying anywhere this year ) and there is the following exclusion;

• The failure of your tour operator or airline to provide you with transport
or accommodation.

This is a £34 annual policy and was not something I felt I needed to have covered. My trips abroad this year will be either Eurostar or Ferry, so I am banking on LD Lines not going bust or on strike and that I can find an alternative route to France if necessary and Eurostar will be short breaks only.