This op is largely concerned with the inadequacies of the customer service department at First Choice holidays. As I wasn’t personally involved with the actual booking of the holiday I can’t comment on that. My main focus is how First Choice cope when things go wrong – I think you can guess on this one – they don’t.

When we got to Gran Canaria we were less than pleased with the apartments, which were very shabby and mildewed, but we were just glad to be away so we decided to make the most of it. More sinister was the fact that the door to the apartment wouldn’t lock. The rep told us to ask reception to move us, but reception never seemed to be open. The lack of reception meant that we couldn’t get a safety deposit box either, (spot the plot, boys and girls – not lock on the door, lack of a safety deposit box…) Yep, on the second night whilst we were out, we were burgled. As well as taking all our money, camcorder and various other trinkets they stole every pair of socks we had! So of course, I tried to report the theft and the fact that there were random sock fetishists on the loose to First Choice.

It took 14 hours for First Choice to finally get someone out to us and when he arrived his only response was ‘Well, this is Spain, what did you expect, people get robbed all the time’ (In a case of divine justice, whilst he was telling us this, his bag which he had left in reception was robbed of 500 euros!) The problem with The Man From First Choice was that he was very drunk, and as drunks do, he started yelling. (The other problem was he looked like Brian from Big Brother so it was very difficult to take him seriously.)
He told us that it really wasn’t his problem and sent us to the local police station – which it turned out was totally the wrong place to send us and armed with my somewhat dodgy Spanish, I set about trying to explain “Someone has stolen all our socks, oh yes and our camcorder and all our holiday money” to a very bemused traffic policeman.
He spoke no English but luckily he spoke French, upon which he explained to me that because my Spanish isn’t fluent he couldn’t take my statement and I would need a translator. Which First Choice refused to provide!
I eventually got us a translator, who charged us £30 for the privilege and thought it was hilariously funny when I told him the sort of money I’d been on working as a translator in France.

Our insurance company had advised us, that due to the lack of lock on the door, they would not pay out and we should contact First Choice.
First Choice Customer Service department could not have been ruder or more unhelpful if they had tried.
I wanted compensation and because the hotel owner had admitted liability and given his insurance details I wanted them to sort that out for us to. They said no.
Their take on the matter was that ‘these things happen sometimes’ and as far as they were concerned that was the end of it.
They refused to deal with me on the telephone at all and I had to go through 34 people in total – via the resort, email and letters before I was even allowed to speak to a supervisor!

First Choice told us that they would sort out the insurance claim for us providing that we did not pursue the matter in the press etc in any way shape or form.
Now, 4 months later, I still haven’t heard anything. I’ve done a great deal of research to see if I could find other cases like mine to present to ABTA and I’ve found so many, I just don’t know where to start.
How, in this day and age when customer service is so important, a company can still operate as First Choice do is beyond me.

If you are reading this, considering booking your summer holidays, I would urge you to think very carefully before using First Choice. They are fine when things are fine, but it’s when things go wrong that the problems start. You don’t have to take my word for it. Read other people’s ops for a start, there tends to be certain reoccurring themes. If you are reading this op because you are having difficulties, then my advice would be to keep at them, and don’t let them grind you down.

*UPDATE*
This morning I received a phone call from First Choice Customer Serivces manager offering me a settlement payment that was for the full amount we had listed on the police report with no excess taken off. First Choice are paying this themselves because they cannot sort it out with the hotel owner and I think they just want to see the back of me!
In the end the Customer Service man was excellent and full praise to him. He even kept his sense of humour about it all and churned out the old "Hope this hasn't put you off coming on holiday with us in the future" line.