Thomsons - Misleading Information

[fearthegrimp]

Hiya folks, I'm in a bit of a dilemma regarding a holiday I have booked with Thomsons. We are due to depart in a tad under 5 weeks to the Jaz Oriental Hotel on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt. We are staying for 2 weeks on an All Inclusive basis. This hotel is new to Thomsons and previously only had reviews in Italian on Tripadvisor so we relied on the information in the brochure to make up our mind whether to choose this hotel or it's sister hotel next door (there are only 3 hotels in this new resort).

 

We chose the Jaz Oriental because in additional to the main buffet restaurant there is another a la carte restaurant which appeared to be included in the All Inclusive package.

 

The brochure has a section clearly stating what is not covered on the AI package - things like spa treatments, watersports, etc but this has no mention of the a la carte restaurant.

 

In comparison, when you look at this section for the sister hotel next door, it implicitly states that the a la carte restaurant is not available.

 

The first English reviews on Tripadvisor now state that the a la carte restaurant is definately not in the AI package.

 

I know this may seem trivial but we were worried about getting bored eating at the same restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day for 2 weeks especially given that recent reviews from the first british holidaymakers are slating the food quality!

 

Another minor point is that this hotel is a Thompson Platinum hotel. This acolade is only given to 4 or 5 star hotels where over 90% of customers have rated it 'good' or 'excellent'. As this is the first year that the hotel has featured and the fact that it had no reviews on the Thomson website (at the time of booking), surely this is a false claim of quality assurance?

 

Thirdly, I cannot believe bottled water is not freely available at an alleged 5 star hotel in Egypt.

 

Oh and the twin beach beds are a whopping 50 euros to hire - per day!!! Not Thomsons fault I know, but 50 euros a day? Eek! That's scandalous!

 

We are going to contact Thomsons and ask to change our holiday.

 

At the time of booking we were torn between 2 destinations, one in the Carribean (departing from a different airport) and the cheaper Egyptian option.

 

I know travel operators are reluctant for customers to change their holiday details within 6-8 weeks of departure and often charge exhorbitant admin fees, but given the point above, do any experts our there think we're in a good position to change, preferably minus admin fees?

 

Thanks for reading - I just hope someone has some good advice!

[fearthegrimp]

PS. The water and beach bed situation is just me having a whinge - not a lot Thomsons can do about that!

[Guest Old_andrew2018]

Thomson have updated the information to state AI meals are in the main restaurant

[fearthegrimp]

Yes, but the inconsistencies are misleading.

 

The Ts&Cs are written to cover every specific eventuality and are incredibly generic. They cannot possibly cover the huge number of variations of AI board arrangements availble within their hotel portfolio.

 

Is is the fact that the sister hotel next door specifically excludes their a la carte restaurant under the "what's not included" section that fools the brochure reader into thinking that the listed restaurant at this hotel is included.

 

If the Ts&Cs say all AI meals are in the main restaurant then what about the vast number of Thomson hotels where they include meals at their other restaurants? Should I limit my meals to the main buffet restaurant as the Ts&Cs state?

[Guest Old_andrew2018]

Cant see what your getting at the terms are clear, meals served in the main buffet restaurant are covered under the AI package, you wont have to restrict your dining to this restaurant you simply will have to pay a surcharge.

[honeybee13]

Fearthegrimp. As you're so worried and even Old Andrew can't reassure you, is it worth contacting Thomsons and getting a specific answer from them, preferably in writing? That way, if it doesn't go exactly the way they've answered you, there should be some kind of comeback.

 

Would you agree with that, Old Andrew?

 

HB

[fearthegrimp]

I guess I just wanted to get a feel of other people's opinion before I called Thomsons.

 

I will give them a call.

 

I'm not after any money back and I'd reluctantly pay an admin fee to change - I just feel the brochure is misleading.

 

If the Ts&Cs cover all AI board issues, why do they bother mentioning a la carte exclusions in the body of the brochure for some hotels and not others? It's inconsistent.

[honeybee13]

Well, I hope you get an answer and that you enjoy the holiday despite all this. I would still be inclined to get a written answer or record the phone call if you're the worrying kind, just for your own peace of mind.

 

HB