Falcon Travel Holiday

KoolKid

Here lads what do you make of this one..
8 of us booked a holiday to Bulgaria in January. We booked the Victoria Palace (supposed to be the top hotel in Bulgaria). The trip is a honymoon for a couple who go married on thursday. Got a letter in their door yeaterday stating that due to over booking Falcon Travel has changed your accomodation to another hotel. As compensation we are giving you €100 each.
We went to speak to the travel agen today & basicall thier attitude was take it or leave it , we only have to give you €70. Now the travel agent said that it was not an over booking but that that hotel had pulled the contract with Falcon. (Even though thier web site is still taking booking for that hotel) But I have it in wrighting that it was an over booking.
If they no longer have a contract with that hotel why is it still bookable online.
What do you think... Would we have a case for more compensation?
BTW the hotel they are changing us to is a lower rating & also the option of a full refund would not be available till monday so we would not even have a chance to take that & book something else.
Any thoughts please

Dellas

I would call Falcon customer services direct and give out big time, explain that its a special honeymoon. Tell them you want the same grade of hotel and will not accept a down grade. I would give out hell and tell them you will call Gerry Ryan. I would call them 6 times a day until they do something, call customer services and ask for the names of the directors of Falcon and that you will get the press involved if its not sorted out. I thought that the rules were they had to give something of the same standard or above not lower. Its disgusting that they can treat people this way!!!!:mad: :mad:

bucks73

The rules are there alright on the booking form that you or one of your group signed:

9. ALTERATIONS BY THE ORGANISER
(a) The Organiser reserves the right to alter, change, curtail or cancel a holiday

(d) If prior to the departure date there is a cancellation, alteration, change or curtailment relating to a holiday, which results in more than 18 hours change in the time of departure, or a change of
resort or in the type of accommodation offered, or some other change which fundamentally alters the holiday, the Consumer is entitled;
(d1) To take a replacement package of equivalent or superior quality if the Organiser (whether directly or through a Retailer) is able to offer such a replacement or;
(d2) To take a replacement package of lower quality if the Organiser is able to offer such a replacement and to recover from the Organiser the difference in price between that of the package
purchased and the replacement package or;
(d3) To have repaid as soon as possible all the monies paid under the contract.

So basically your accomodation was changed and you were offered a refund becuase it was of a lower standard. You can either stick with this or take a full refund.

Getting on to Falcon and screaming down the phone at them will do no good. I dont work for Falcon but am in the business and this sort of thing does happen. When an overbooking does happen they decide which bookings stay and which are changed and its tough luck on the agency and customer. They never change their decision.

babaduck

Dellas wrote:

I would call Falcon customer services direct and give out big time, explain that its a special honeymoon. Tell them you want the same grade of hotel and will not accept a down grade. I would give out hell and tell them you will call Gerry Ryan. I would call them 6 times a day until they do something, call customer services and ask for the names of the directors of Falcon and that you will get the press involved if its not sorted out. I thought that the rules were they had to give something of the same standard or above not lower. Its disgusting that they can treat people this way!!!!:mad: :mad:

Why do people feel that throwing their rattles out of their prams & threatening Gerry Ryan etc. will create a result - it won't. Deal with it like grownups. Speak to Michael Kenny (Cust. Service) or Damien Mooney (MD) in Falcon Holidays - 01 6056500.

Also your travel agent should be working FOR you & not just accepting Falcon's decision. From Falcon's POV, it would be difficult for them to see that a group (8 people) booking was actually a honeymoon and I doubt very much that they would/could keep all of you together. They may be able to accommodate the honeymooners, but I'd say that would be it (based on experience of working in the industry)

Dellas

It seems that to get anywhere in this country you have to rant and rave otherwise you lie down and take it!!!! If this was a holiday booked in the UK youd have alot more rights....

bucks73

Same booking conditions apply there too. When someone signs a booking form for a holiday you are agreeing to the operator having the right to change the holiday. Up to people to read the conditions in full.

Dellas

Still there is a thing called Customer service!! It wouldnt be so bad if they were upgrading them or giving them a same standard but to downgrade them is bad form.

bucks73

Hence the refund. If they dont have any other similar standard accomodation on their programme there is nothing they can actually do apart from offering lower standard accomodation and refund the difference in price.

Dellas

The Irish laws are way behind the rest of Europe when it comes to messing up someones holiday!!! You work hard all year and then pick a well earnt vacation only to be told a few weeks before that you are not getting what you paid for . They should be entitled to a full refund and compensation as is the practice in the rest of the EU .

KoolKid

The T & S states a refund within Reasonable time.
Being notified on Saturday & a refund not being available untill the day of travel is not reasonable time IMO.
Anyway I am back now with pictures of both hotels & I can tell you thiss was a massive downgrade form what we booked.
I also found that around 20 other people were treated the same. I smell some sort of scam here.