We wanted a quiet, relaxing break and having enjoyed a two week holiday in The Maldives through Thomson/First Choice in 2009, chose the company's all-inclusive Club Jandia Princess hotel in Fuerteventura.
The resort was 4-star and while some aspects could have been improved we enjoyed the stay overall. We left the UK on Wednesday 14th April and were due back the following Wednesday (21st April).
As we neared the end of the week, the threat of being stranded on the island because of the Icelandic volcano became a reality. As more and more people descended on the Thomson rep at the hotel, the more confusing the situation became.
The feedback to Thomson customers was there was no news on whether our flight back to Manchester (or six other destinations) would go ahead as planned and a last minute decision would be made on the Wednesday morning of our departure. The Tuesday evening we were told to be ready for 12.30 as Thomson customers were now being transferred to another hotel and would wait there until we could fly home.
Customers would be on the same package as they were for their chosen holiday, except alcohol would need to be paid for. Reasons given to different customers, both via the UK and the resort, included:
- So all customers were near the airport
- Thomson couldn't afford to keep us in the Jandia Princess
- Flights were due to come out on the Wednesday
Wednesday 21st April
Four coaches arrived in sequence and people boarded with their luggage for the hour long journey to our new accommodation in Caleta de Fuste, near the airport. We would later hear that some people had refused to board the coaches due to the nature of the accommodation we were being moved to - Caleta Gardens.
On arrival, the queue to book in was too long for us to wait so we put our bags in the luggage room and went for a walk in the resort. One of the main reasons was to visit a pharmacy to enquire if it had specific tablets that my girlfriend takes for a long-standing medical condition.She needs to take tablets every morning and evening, and we only had enough until Tuesday 27th April. Without these tablets my girlfriend's health would deteriorate quickly, putting her and our unborn baby's life in extreme danger.
We returned to the hotel and booked in amid the start of what would be a mountain of complaints. The room was basic at best and we were then told we would only have breakfast and dinner throughout our stay.
My partner and I decided to try and make the most of the situation, believing Thomson were "placing our needs at the heart of everything it was doing" and we would be back in the UK within the promised 48 hours from the opening of UK airspace (this would be by Thursday evening). The rep for the hotel informed us in the evening that we wouldn't be going home that night and an update would be happening at 10am the next day.
We went for dinner to be greeted by what can only be described as a couple of slop buckets of 'food', decaying salad and water machine that could only deploy warm water. The only other form of liquid with meals was alcohol (my partner is pregnant and not drinking alcohol) or a fruit juice machine that wasn't working properly.
I tried the food but it was some of the worst tasting food I'd ever consumed, so deciding we couldn't risk the health of our unborn child, went into the resort for some edible food.We returned to a scene from the popular ITV1 show Benidorm, with bingo and karaoke-style singing. 
My partner was starting to feel unwell, with the stress of the hotel conditions and food combined with the unknown date of our departure. The noise was blasting into our room and we couldn't sleep. I asked reception when this would cease and was told "anytime after midnight", by the most unhelpful hotel employee.
Thursday 22nd April
After a mixed night of sleep we went for the hotel breakfast to find the following, shown in images below. Some people found bugs in the cereal, there was no toaster and the rest of the very limited food looked appalling.
We went for breakfast at a nearby cafe and came back to a crowded reception area as about 100+ people waited for the arrival of the unfortunate Thomson rep. On her arrival and after we listened to the "there's no update" speech, the young lady called her manager who arrived ten minutes later.
As he arrived the first words uttered to an increasingly angry, upset and confused crowd were "I don't know what you're all doing here." After a few minutes of people asking why we'd all been put in this crime-ridden flea-pit, it was then agreed the Thomson rep manager would speak and then answer individual questions.He promised to look into the quality of food and cleanliness of the rooms, but we were all to stay at Caleta Gardens until our flights. Unfortunately the level of food quality and room cleanliness couldn't improve. No date was set for these flights and news from the UK to various customers suggested it would be many days.
As we met with other Thomson customers from the Jandia Princess, the picture painted by the statement from Thomson and the quote from Christian Cull, communications director for Thomson Airways, was far from the truth. Click here to read it.
Not only were customers from the Jandia Princess at the Caleta Gardens, but other Thomson customers from various accommodation in Fuerteventura, including places in Caleta de Fuste - some had said they had been moved from the hotel across the road.
My partner and I went for a walk and returned an hour later to people still waiting for their turn to complain. We waited and explained to a helpful rep called Laura about our predicament and she promised to look into what could be done for us. It must be said Laura was the only rep who we genuinely thought wanted to help.
We explained that while we and our unborn baby were suffering, there was at least four other pregnant women stuck in Caleta Gardens, along with many others with different ongoing illnesses, exacerbated by the filthy conditions we were being kept.
The following complaints and incidents were reported to have happened to Thomson customers that were moved to the Caleta Gardens during the 36 hours after our arrival:
- A brick thrown threw the window of a pregnant woman's room
- Dead bugs found in the cereal
- One room robbed of everything except the clothes the person was wearing
- Rooms full of cockroaches (see below pics)
- Intruders in rooms during the night
- Inedible food
- Dirty rooms
At 6pm that day the Thomson rep was greeted with a similar sized crowd to the morning and everyone was told there was no update on flights or us leaving the Caleta Gardens. (SEE VIDEO AT END FOR THE NEWS).
We went to our room to get changed and go straight out for something to eat and avoid the hotel food. As we made our way to a nearby restaurant, word spread that we were being moved. The combined effort of everyone and the above complaints seemed to have led to Thomson to decide it was best to move us to a better hotel. All Jandia Princess guests were to be moved 40 minutes north to the Riu Olivia hotel the following morning, and all other Thomson guests to be moved a another hotel in Caleta de Fuste.
There was still no news of the flights back to the UK, but the mood of everyone appeared ot be lifted despite the fact we had to experience another night in the Caleta Gardens.
My girlfriend was still feeling unwell but she was looking forward to the move and getting home.
Friday 23rd April
After another breakfast at a nearby cafe we went to the pharmacy for the medication my girlfriend required. With no flights confirmed and no assurance the new hotel would stock the correct medication we needed to buy it in Caleta de Fuste.
On our return to the Caleta Gardens we packed the small amount of things we'd used and made our way to reception. The Thomson rep Tracey went into customer service overload, ensuring my partner was comfortable on the coach and we arrived at the Riu Olivia to be told we were now all inclusive and given much better accommodation.
Unfortunately some guests had chosen to move away from the hotel before the transfer was announced at their own expense while others couldn't move because underlying medical conditions were confining them to their rooms.
Coincidentally we also received news that the flights home would be tomorrow (Saturday) at times to be confirmed, not long after our arrival at the Riu Olivia. This was through various contacts in the UK, including from Thomson to me via Twitter. After I'd been contacted by Thomson through Twitter the reps called me, left handwritten notes in our room and made sure my partner was feeling ok. While this was more than we required, it was the first time we felt the reps were being given help from Thomson management, or indeed "places our needs at the heart of everything it was doing."
As we met up with people from the Jandia Princess (original hotel) everyone came to the conclusion that Thomson knew the flights were coming to take us home tomorrow and this hotel move was to give everyone a 'nice' end to the holiday. If this is true then it was too little too late.
While the Riu Olivia was a lovely hotel and the food and accommodation great, we just wanted to get home and try to forget about our time in Fuerteventura. The holiday had been ruined by a completely unnecessary move to a hotel with health risks in the form of bugs, cockroaches, inedible food and intruders to rooms, not forgetting stress and deteriorating underlying illnesses.
Saturday 24th April
Most people were able to leave at 8.30am as five of the scheduled flights from Wednesday were to leave about lunchtime, but our flight to Manchester would only leave at 8pm.
We spent the day resting on the beach and contacting worried loved ones at home when we would be back in the UK. I had contacted Manchester Airport through Twitter and is was confirmed they wouldn't be charging anything other than the agreed cost of car parking, despite the delay. This was a very effect customer-friendly gesture that was welcomed.
The Thomson rep Tracey was helpful on our transfer to the airport and ensured we were booked on the flight immediately and together we completed the complaints form. This did feel like it was being done to make us feel like we were being looked after.
The flight landed just after midnight in Manchester and we made out way to the Long Stay car park and simply quoted our reference number to be let out.
We arrived home about 2am and after a good nights sleep both of us feel much better and relieved to be home.
Conclusion
The statement in which Christian Cull is quoted made me write this blog as I was infuriated by the way it said Thomson has ensured all customers were at the heart of decisions made.
The fact is we were moved from our original hotels to cheaper accommodation because it made economic sense to Thomson - it saved them money. It appears we were only moved to an acceptable hotel to give people a final night to remember before coming home, thus removing the negative aspects of the first hotel move.
If Thomson had followed the lead of Thomas Cook and Saga in Fuerteventura and kept customers in their original accommodation on the same board basis, they wouldn't have had one complaint. Instead they'll now be faced with hundreds if not thousands of people not only complaining and not using the company again, but telling their friends and potentially losing the company millions of pounds in holiday bookings.
We were only given 'special attention' by the reps and reps manager after word had reached the UK via my tweets and Christopher the rep manager for Thomson appeared to show concern to guests, only when prompted from elsewhere.
Thomson only cared for customers if it benefited them financially and it appeared to put profits over customer service, even if this meant leaving customers with serious health conditions.
I'd welcome a meeting the Christian Cull and the person(s) who made the decision to move customers and put their health and well-being in serious danger.
Posted on behalf of Christian Cull
ReplyDeleteFirst, please let me assure you that the decisions we made as a business were absolutely made with our customers in mind. I am sorry to hear that you feel your experience didn’t reflect this.
I also appreciate you feel that this is marketing spin, but it isn't. To help explain what I mean, I’d like to give you some detail as to what we did as a business, as well as addressing some of the points specific to your stay.
With the closure of UK airspace we were faced with an unprecedented situation. We had more than 45,000 customers stuck overseas whose holidays had already finished, and aircraft grounded around the globe. Unlike other airlines and holiday companies, we didn’t wash our hands of our customers, but actively ensured they had hotel accommodation, meals and drinks. That isn’t spin: it's true.
Our resort staff worked around the clock to make sure that our customers were well informed and well looked after in, what was a constantly changing and challenging situation. All our customers in resort were kept up to date via notice board announcements. Staff were available in all our major units for at least 12 hours a day, and a dedicated text and call centre service was also available.
Back in the UK a full repatriation programme was put into action, incorporating cruise ships, coaches, and ferries as we worked around the flying restrictions in any way that we possibly could.
As the days went on, we were required to move customers to alternative hotels. As the days went on, of course, it was also true that the number of customers who were stranded beyond their original return date had soared even further.
Wherever possible, this movement of customers was kept to an absolute minimum. I’d also like to stress that this was a situation all operators found themselves in around the globe; this wasn’t unique to Thomson.
The hotel you were moved to, the 3* Caleta Gardens, has been featured by us for some years and is currently included in our Skytours programme. It meets all required hygiene, health and safety and in resort checks. If it didn’t, we wouldn't use it and we certainly would not have moved customers there. Again, that isn't spin; it's fact.
Nonetheless, the reported incidents you list are serious. Please be in no doubt: we will certainly be investigating these separately.
As soon as limited UK airspace was opened (Tuesday 20), we launched flights to the UK from destinations across Europe. As the situation evolved further, and more space opened overnight, our teams both in the UK and overseas worked constantly to ensure we could bring customers who remained overseas home as quickly and safely as possible.
Repatriation of delayed holiday makers, and their welfare, remained our top priority throughout, to the extent that we delayed the resumption of outbound flights from the UK to give ourselves even greater focus.
As I’m sure you can appreciate, we had aircraft and crew across the globe and flying programmes had to be adjusted accordingly. This inevitably meant a minimal number of flights were amended at short notice.
As I say, your post does raise some points that we will be looking into. The claims of crime and cleanliness will be at the top of our list.
However, I do feel that to dismiss the work that we as a business carried out as merely some PR spin is to do us a huge injustice.
There were some 100,000 customers who faced disruption at the end of their holiday. We got them all back. Given the unprecedented nature of the situation - I’m proud of the way we as responded as a business. So I stand by the statement that our customers were at the heart of every decision we made.
Christian
Thank you for the response. You've not answered any of my questions and merely repeated the comments that prompted me to create this blog.
ReplyDeleteWhat you need to answer is why we couldn't stay at our original hotel and why we were moved to another hotel after two nights in the Caletta Gardens?
The only time the notice board in Caletta Gardens was updated was when it was announced we were being moved hotel again.
Appreciate you have many complaints to deal with, but sticking to your original statement and not answering my questions is not achieving closure on the subject.
Richard