Booking with a Travel Agent...

[Nickomi]

We've booked our trip with Thomson, Primarily because I was scared that I'd somehow manage to mess it up.
Had a query and the store is closed today so thought I'd just ring Disney Direct and see if they could help me. I was surprised to hear that as I had booked through Thomson if I had any queries etc then I HAD to go through them and couldnt speak to Disney direct. They said this is the same if I want to upgrade anything with our reservation.

Has anybody else encountered this or was I given incorrect information. Seems like a real pain having to go to Thomson everytime I have a query!

 

[DLPdaft]

unfortunately thats correct - your contract is with Thomson, so you have to go through Thomson for any changes or queries about your DLP booking.

 

[Nickomi]

It's not a massive deal for sure but it just means I've got to hope they get it all right

 

[Jonjo]

It's one of the major disadvantages of using a Travel Agent. I prefer to book direct with Disneyland what way you have total control over your booking. And I always have the fear of the Travel Agent going bust, loosing my booking or not telling me of important updates.

 

[Nickomi]

The cost made me too scared to go it alone with it being our first family holiday and mine and my wife's first holiday in nearly a decade. Whichever way I booked it I would panic as that's just how I am but I think next time I'll book it myself. We did get free insurance and discount for the eurostar so all in all I'm happy so far. Well I will be once disney have sent Thomson our booking confirmation!

 

[Jonjo]

The cost made me too scared to go it alone with it being our first family holiday and mine and my wife's first holiday in nearly a decade. Whichever way I booked it I would panic as that's just how I am but I think next time I'll book it myself. We did get free insurance and discount for the eurostar so all in all I'm happy so far. Well I will be once disney have sent Thomson our booking confirmation!

I'm sure the free insurance and discounted Eurostar tickets will make up for the inconvenience of waiting for Thomson to get back to you. At least you have used a reputable high street travel agency.

Once you have done your first trip and you enjoyed the holiday and want to return, you gain the confidence in booking your next trip yourself and then the real fun begins. Especially when you start playing the 'when will Eurostar release my dates' ticket challenge. Then checking dates and discounts and offers become second nature.

And if you do join DIY club, a word of warning, it can turn into a very expensive and addictive hobby as your always thinking can I squeeze in an extra trip this year to make full use of my annual pass....

Plus this forum is very handy for asking all kinds of questions, and it's users have a wealth of experience which we all love to share.

 

[Nickomi]

Well I was scared if I booked it myself that I would mess it up. But it's OK as Thomson did that for me!

• They forgot to specify the cot for the room
• They booked us in a Buffallo room which is the exact opposite to what we asked for
• They gave us train times on our invoice that doesn't even exist
• They told us when had declined insurance even though they sold it to us!

They then gave me 3 choices:

• Move to the Sequoia Lodge
• Move to Hotel New York
• Cancel

So annoyed with their room choice for us and many other things we thought "Bugger That" or words to that effect!!! and decided we would stay in the Hotel New York.

Granted it has cost a far amount more than we originally wanted but you only live once I suppose!

It was interesting to hear from the TA that as a consumer booking for yourself you can book any available room, However TA's as retaillers can only book certain types of rooms in the Hotels. Had I known this I'd've just done it myself in the first place. My Advice, Just book online its much easier!

 

[Jonjo]

Nickomi that is just plain terrible customer service, I would not have thought Thomson could mess up your booking so badly.

That's quite a jump from the Hotel Cheyenne to Hotel New York. Hope they are throwing in a free Character Meal as an apology and compensation for messing up your booking so badly.

 

[Nickomi]

In terms of compensation we actually got nothing! Phoned their customer services to complain and was told as it was a store that messed up I have to to complain to that stores manager. Guess who messed up my booking... yep that stores manager so you can imagine how interested she was.

The hardest part is knowing I still have to go in and pay more to upgrade! The rest is all paid for but now just the new upgrade to sort.

 

[Jonjo]

In terms of compensation we actually got nothing! Phoned their customer services to complain and was told as it was a store that messed up I have to to complain to that stores manager. Guess who messed up my booking... yep that stores manager so you can imagine how interested she was.

The hardest part is knowing I still have to go in and pay more to upgrade! The rest is all paid for but now just the new upgrade to sort.

If they have not actually upgraded your booking yet and your still booked into the Cheyenne, stay put. The rooms are allocated 24 hours before arrival, so when you turn up to check in you could ask them to move your room if you don't like where you have been allocated.

 

[Nickomi]

We've upgraded already and as daft as it sounds I will feel more comfortable with us staying there for this trip.

 

[cdsmiler81]

We've upgraded already and as daft as it sounds I will feel more comfortable with us staying there for this trip.

Oh gosh, I'd be tempted to cancel if it wasn't too late!! And start again from scratch!!

I definitely think a very formal letter of complain to head office is in order (regardless of who's fault it was!!) and pop something in it along the lines of "CC: Trading Ombudsman". Have a look at Martin Lewis' Money Saving Expert site for advice.

C x

 

[Nickomi]

We thought about a cancel and rebook originally however we would have lost a chunk of what we had paid so that was a no no.

Will be firing off a complaint in a few days to see what happens. I'm doubting I will get anywhere but It's worth a shot.