Lots of people still book in shops, having the chance to speak to an expert face to face and the people like the whole holiday in-store booking experience.
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[Travel] Thomas Cook
- Thread starter clapham_gull
- Start date
Lots of people still book in shops, having the chance to speak to an expert face to face and the people like the whole holiday in-store booking experience.
Beach Hut
Brighton Bhuna Boy
How come Thomas Cooks closed down virtually all of their holiday shops, that indicates lots don't surely ?
How come retail has the highest conversion in the Virgin Brand? That indicates lots do
When did that happen?
They closed a handful earlier in the year but still had close to 600 across the UK.
Beach Hut
Brighton Bhuna Boy
So therefore Virgin clearly understand brand and retail better than Thomas Cook did I assume
Or you are just making a sweeping statement with nothing really to back it up.
Gazwag
5 millionth post poster
They will probably just get on with it, unlike the media whore Brits who will whinge and whine all day long when there is a camera in front of them. This woman this morning was saying it was so unfair that she was being flown home from Majorca to Scotland rather than Birmingham and a coach would then take her home. I wanted to smash her face in and tell her she now had something to moan about.
- Jan 30, 2008
- 831
Should of booked to selsey bill or becklesham Bay to avoid The Jam anyway
Regards
DF
Regards
DF
theonlymikey
New member
- Apr 21, 2016
- 789
Some hotels aren't allowed due to specific agreements with agents. One we stayed int his year only allowed bookings through JET2.
You busy KG?
I have been dragged kicking and screaming into the contact centre to help the sales lines.
there was 200 calls holding, I have every sympathy with everyone affected - but some of them are unrealistic.
theonlymikey
New member
- Apr 21, 2016
- 789
All media outlets including R1 and the papers advising to contact credit card providers for Sec 75 (my dept).
The hold times will be insane.
Come on, you can’t tease us like this. What’s the most unrealistic?
Varies from chain to chain in my experience.......might have been customer service fluff but the manager at the hotel on one recent stay (Iberostar) explicitly told me they pay more attention to people who book direct.
Re the hotels that sell their beds en bloc to other companies - do you think it can lead to complacency in terms of quality etc ?
Good pal of mine was an MD at Tui (until recently when his division was sold off to a VC firm who’ve retained him to continue to run it), some of the stories he tells re passenger ‘demands’ are hilarious.
I can see the attraction for many re shops - Mrs D still prefers to go into the shop, have a chat and come away with a hundredweight of brochures. I let her get on with it and narrow it down to something manageable, then start comparing the packages with directly booked equivalents online myself. Can’t remember the last time we booked a package deal though - but can see why people do including having rep support onsite, but can happily do without that. Anything you might need from a rep can usually be sourced from a concierge or local firm directly.
I think we are being pretty reasonable as a company, we have extended the sale and we are offering low deposits - Granted I am basis....
I have had 2 people call up wanting to go away tomorrow for the same cost as they paid Thomas cook and when its not realistic (seats left is minimal) they start screaming about how we are robbing them....
Most retarded call ever - Someone called in from resort telling me they are locked out the room due to them losing a key and I need to fix the situation....
- Jul 10, 2003
- 27,758
Sorry KG, but that whole travel agent/holiday rep thing really doesn't do it for me.
Part of the fun of the holiday is not knowing anything about the place you're going and finding out as you go along. We tend to get a flight, hire a car and then get lost trying to find the villa or apartment. (Definitely don't take a Sat Nav, that's no fun).
Then trying to communicate with the person you've hired the villa from. (A lot speak English, but a couple of months ago we were trying our best with our extremely limited German talking to a Croatian woman, who I suspect spoke less German than us !).
Go into the local town and wander or drive round trying to find the Market, beaches, restaurants, all part of the Holiday.
Luckily, we have never been caught out by the lack of ABTA booking separately, and I do recognise that is important for some
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Sorry KG, but that whole travel agent/holiday rep thing really doesn't do it for me.
Part of the fun of the holiday is not knowing anything about the place you're going and finding out as you go along. We tend to get a flight, hire a car and then get lost trying to find the villa or apartment. (Definitely don't take a Sat Nav, that's no fun).
Then trying to communicate with the person you've hired the villa from. (A lot speak English, but a couple of months ago we were trying our best with our extremely limited German talking to a Croatian woman, who I suspect spoke less German than us !).
Go into the local town and wander or drive round trying to find the Market, beaches, restaurants, all part of the Holiday.
Luckily, we have never been caught out by the lack of ABTA booking separately, and I do recognise that is important for some
I get this. European sun Holidays years ago ( before the internet ) were better in many respects.
You would see a summary of the place in a brochure and if really lucky see a 5 min article by Judith Charmers on wish you were here.
You'd turn up and it would be proper foreign , backwards in some respects. It was like going to the moon.
Now every one youtubes it all , walks virtually around the town. Nothing is a surprise.
Even the restaurants are pre determined by scores. Nothing is chance
Most these sun places are exactly the same nowadays. Even the cheap cheap places are wise to it.
Glad lived through the era where it was a mystery when went away
( don't get me started on the photos being developed post holiday )
Good days
I usually book everything separately but booked with Thomas Cook Sports to go to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as I couldn’t be bothered to sort out all the transfers and travel to and from the circuit etc. Wish I had stuck to my usual method now!
At least I’ll get my money back but I feel for all those who have just lost their jobs.
At least I’ll get my money back but I feel for all those who have just lost their jobs.
Official Old Man
Uckfield Seagull
Hotels get around the bookings.com rules by having a loyalty scheme if you book direct. I'm not sure where the web sites get their prices from but lets say it is £100 a night then they will take 15% commision and give the hotel £85. If you book the hotel direct they offer you a loyalty card giving 10% off but you have to fill in boxes and the catcha thing to prove your not a robot which eliminates bookings.com. Works on the three hotels I use regularly.