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Thomas Cook Tours
- Eastern Spirit
- Complaint
Motto - "Our world revolves around you"
We
had a complaint against Thos. Cook which was not responded to.
They
claimed not to have received letters.
This website is a central repository of all correspondence.
Thos. Cook may use
it to review the continuing situation.
(This site originally
started below the hash marks (############)
However, if a reader wants to review a single document which encapsulates
the situation at
16th August 2008
...... click
here for my composite letter to them dated 27
May 2008
and my covering
letter 27th May 2008)
Correspondence
after these above letters restarts here
############
This site consists of the following:
Letter of complaint to Peterborough (copy to
Tonbridge) dated 31st October, 2007 - No response received
Copy of completed Customer Satisfaction
form enclosed with above letter
Chaser letter to Peterborough dated 17 November,
2007 - No response received
(Copy to Tonbridge) - Branch responses below
Record of conversation with local branch
Letter to Tonbridge dated 21st November
Emails with Tonbridge branch
Letter from Tonbridge branch - 21st November
2007
Email to Customer Relations, Peterborough
- 28th November, 10pm
Email chaser to Customer
Relations Peterborough, 7th December 15:16hrs
I am feeling a bit 'ragged' and perhaps was a little unkind in this
email ... still it has gone now -- too late to worry!
Email received from Thos. Cook, Tonbridge 7th December 2007 16:51hrs
... saying that Peterborough's advise that their systems are 'non-operational'
and to call back on 11 Dec 07!
.... Tonbridge say they will 'phone me back on Thursday! (13th December)
P.S. I got this email after having sent the ABTA one below ... they crossed
in the ether.
Email to ABTA on 7th December 2007 17:20hrs asking them to contact Thomas
Cook on my behalf.
I feel that no unaided effort will get a response from Thomas Cook
11th December 2007 (Tuesday)
Not being sure that Tonbridge would keep their promise of 'phoning me
on 13th December (previous promises have not materialised),
.... we decided to ask their Chief Executive's Office for assistance.
Their switchboard would not give us an email address for them.
They said someone would 'phone us back. We asked them who
it would be. They said Customer Relations.
We said "NO THANKYOU"
The switchboard then agreed to put us through to the Director's Office
where a young lady gave us an email address.
Our EMail may be found here ...
but here is a summary.
11 Dec 07 .. We asked them to get the person
dealing with the issues to contact us. We advised them that there was
a website with our issues and said we would take down
the web-site down when no longer needed.
13 Dec07 They say they got our our complaint
"at the end of November", and asked us for time and patience,
giving us no indication when we might get a response.
13 Dec 07 We asked them why 3 letters got
lost and only the web-site has received attention. (We wondered what the
'odds' were of three letters getting lost in the post).
17th December (Monday)
Having not heard anything from Tonbridge branch, we emailed them for their
promised update.
They advised that their "'systems are non-operational at the moment".
Someone was going to Peterborough and would try to speak to someone there.
They would be back on Saturday (22nd December).
22nd December (Saturday)..... nothing heard from Tonbridge - Their expected
call did not materialise.
To give you some idea of how little we enjoyed this holiday, I today,
accidentally, erased 4 hours of video,
When mentioned to Diane, she said, "Oh well ... it isn't as if we
want to remember it!"
What an indictment! ... as one of our fellow travellers said .... "
It was more of an experience than a holiday"
16th January --- A reply received from a Thomas Cook Customer Relations
Executive
As we were on a touring holiday in South Africa with Journeys of Distinction
(excellent company) we were not able to respond until 8th February 2008
8th February, I acknowledge their letter
and ask them to confirm that copies have gone to their Director's office
and Tonbridge branch
13 March 2008. Having received neither an acknowledgement nor a reply,
I write again to the named Customer Relations Executive, this time asking
for a response by return.
31st March 2008. ABTA email me advising "
.... your file will be passed to our Legal Department for Code of Conduct
investigation".
2nd April 2008, I receive a back-dated
letter answering a question I did not ask.
This letter was dated 22nd March, and received by me on 2nd April 2008
in an envelope franked on 31st March 2008.
Oh .. and once again a letter I wrote never got there!
4th April 2008. I write to Thos. Cook again asking for an answer to my
question. "have copies of Thos. Cook 22nd January 2008 letter
gone to the director's office and Tonbridge branch?".
29th April 2008. Having received no reply, I
write again to Thomas Cook, again asking the same question, marking
it boldly. FOURTH REQUEST.
I remind them that they can find details of the correspondence on this
website, and should they wish to they may enter "Thomas Cook complaint"
into Google.
It will appear as 4th out of 201,000 .
I also ask them to send copies of the Chartered Institute of Arbitors
Scheme, as mentioned in their Terms and Conditions.
29th April 2008, I send an email to ABTA attaching a copy of the letter
and ask them how their Legal Department are progressing with the file
that they have forwarded.
17th May 2008, I receive Thos. Cook reply dated 17th May 2008.
Of the three points which were 'answered' .... all three missed the mark
to the extent that I had to write back again.
Thos Cook Letter and my reply
of 22nd May may be found here
27th May 2008. Having only 9 months available before taking matters to
the Arbitration authorities, I deceded to write a composite letter of
the three main letters involved to date and to make a claim of £1795.00
compensation, being 50% of the basic holiday cost. This letter
dated 27th May 2008 and the covering
letter of the same date may be found here
Thomas Cook Letter dated 7th June received acknowledging receipt
of my 27th May letter and promising to 'endeavour to respond within 28
days" ... "with a view to bringing this matter to a satisfactory
conclusion for all concerned"
14th July 2008 No further response received, so after 34 days
I write to Thos Cook asking:-
1. For an update on the situation
2. A Third request for arbitration details, as per their terms and conditions,
as these have not yet been forthcoming.
###################################################
8th August 2008
A red-letter day! Thos
Cook reply and for the first time acknowledge that all might not have
been well on the trip.
They enclose a cheque for £150, for 'our sense of dissapointment'.
I do not clear the cheque.
This is a major breakthrough. However Thos. Cook still do not
enclose details of arbitration.
16th August 08. I write acknowledging their letter and advised
them that I am considering their offer. And for the fourth time, I ask
for details of the arbitration process.
28th August 2008. For the fourth time Thos. Cook Customer Relations
do not send details of arbitration.
I write to the Chief Executive
Officer, Mr. Manny Fontela-Novoa asking him to provide this information,
with a copy to Customer Relations
4th September 2008. I receive a
letter from Thomas Cook's Director's Office which acknowledges that
I have requested details of the arbitration service, but instead give
me ABTA's address!
7th September. I write to ABTA asking them directly for information
regarding the Charterd Institute of Arbitrators process.
8th September 2008.
I write to the Chief Executive Officer again requesting details of
the Arbitration Service.....now for the fifth time. I also ask whether
there is any reason why Thomas Cook are denying me this.
19th September. I send details of this website address to BBC's
Watchdog.
23rd September. Thos Cook Director's Office write saying that
ABTA is the correct place to go for arbitration details.
8th October 2008. ABTA write advising me that as 9 months have
passed, Ino longer have the right to arbitration. They are writing to
Thomas Cook asking for their permission to waive this rule ... interesting!
27th October. I email ABTA asking if they have a response from
Thos. Cook yet. Also what the result was of their move
to fine Thos. Cook for extended delays in responding to my letters. (ABTA
letter to me of 31st March 2008 refers) (i.e correspondence replies being
outside Thos. Cook's written terms of business)
13th November 2008. ABTA email us advising that Thos. Cook have
agreed that arbitration may take place, but that we have to put our case
within 21 days. On reviewing the paperwork, it seems that some attempt
to negotiate must be present. We therefore write to Thos. Cook reducing
our claim to £250.00 each from the original total of £1,795.
17th November 2008. We write, by recorded
delivery to Thos Cook reducing our claim to £500.00.
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