Thanks to all who read my ops. Im getting hooked into Ciao.
Thanks to all who read my ops. Im getting hooked into Ciao.
Member since:30.04.2004
Reviews:8
Members who trust:4
Last year my family and I booked a holiday to Cyprus with First Choice. Before you book your summer vacation this year, read my story.
I was a bit dubious about going as I am prone to deep vein thrombosis. I have a gene missing in my blood which means I cannot sit in one place too long, never can go on a long haul flight, cannot drive too long without regular breaks and I cannot get pregnant without injecting a blood thinning drug. So a holiday for me is big deal.
I sought the advice of my GP prior to booking and he said as long I injected fragmin (a form of heparin) two weeks before and during my holiday, I should be all right. He also told me to advise the airline which was Air 2000 of my condition and that I must sit at the front where I could keep my legs out thus preventing a clot in my vein.
Deep vein thrombosis is excruciatingly painful; I have never felt anything like this. It is also a life threatening condition and if a clot is left, it can travel to your heart and lungs within a short space of time. I was first aware of DVT during pregnancy.
Whilst at work I was sitting in my one position all day in front of the computer. The managers didn’t appreciate staff leaving the terminal too long so walks around the office weren’t strictly allowed. As a result I received a very painful clot to my lower calf and it travelled to my groin within hours. This resulted in me being attached to a heparin drip for two weeks, but this is another story ………..
I saw a coupon for First Choice in the Sunday Mag and rang them up for a brochure. This is the only free phone number they provide. If you have to call them for any other reason it’s a National Rate number, be warned.
The brochure arrived within a week and we
were impressed by the glossy pictures and competitive prices. All the other big names were far more expensive whilst offering the same deal.
When I called Fist Choice I said that before I booked I wanted them to assure me that I could have the front aisle seat on the grounds of my medical condition. Over the phone the operator said I would get this seat and she took note of my GP’s details. I paid up front using my credit card as they give you a discount for paying all in one hit. However, don’t think you’re getting too good a deal as they also charge you a fee for paying with your credit card. An extra £45 was added to my invoice.
My tickets never arrived and even though I kept hounding them at quite a cost on my telephone bill, I still had to collect them at the airport the day we left. First Choice offer you travel insurance, don’t accept it without doing some homework. You can get much better deals with various companies at cheaper rates. We opted to go with Nationwide. If you decline their insurance you must prove you have adequate cover within 28 days of departure.
First Choice’s designated airline at my time of travel was Air 2000. They offer children packs (crayons and a puzzle book in a cheap ruck sack) and in flight entertainment. This will cost you a few pounds as you cant watch the movie or listen to the music channels without buying headsets.
I did get the front aisle seat and the only hiccup I received was customs in Larnaca questioning the syringes of fragmin inside my holdall. The food on the plane was appalling though and my baby received nothing, as she wasn’t a paid customer. Luckily I took some food for her, which the crew neglected to come back and heat for me, she had her dinner cold!
My boys were given a very hot tray and were not warned about it. Not good.
However, the coach to the hotel was clean though we had a very slow driver, we got to our accommodation eventually. Our rep introduced herself and gave us full details of forthcoming trips and our welcome meeting. So far not bad …..
We chose a wonderful resort and all went well. The rep was always on hand and the kids club was well supervised.
The hotel was true its brochure and website picture. The description was spot on. The food was delicious and plentiful but this wasn’t given enough credit for my liking. I ended up gaining 5 pounds that fortnight, not good! For two weeks in July we paid £2,900, that’s for a family of five but infants under 2 only have to pay insurance. Their book does tell you all this in the very small print.
However the prices rise considerably in school holidays so expect to pay at least £1000 more if you go in August. This is unfair and all travel company’s prey on the parents who have no choice but to go then. They rip us off big time and its unjust.
I can honestly say we had a great holiday. It was only the return journey that caused me untold problems. We had no delays either way so cannot grumble there. It was at the point of check in at Paphos that it all started for me.
The Greek girl at the check in desk was in a “Couldn’t care less” attitude. She was obviously bored and was too concerned about her new bling bling nail extensions than to listen to some thirty something English woman go on about her health condition. I kept insisting I needed to have that front aisle seat.
When I saw my ticket it said row B, which is the one behind. She told me it was the front aisle seat and they label the tickets differently in Cyprus check in. The alarm bells should have rung but I believed her like a right dope!
When we boarded low and behold I was placed in the seat behind. In front of me was a row of twenty something girlies who had already reclined their seats to the full capacity. I complained to the stewardess and told her my predicament. Because I was only allocated B row she would have to ask the girls if they would kindly move. They refused and I didn’t have a leg to stand on.
There was a lady seated opposite me who had broken her leg on holiday. She had a large cast on and she too was supposed to be sitting in A row. There were six girls in total all in one party, all very young with no disability or health requirement. They all occupied the rows meant for people with a condition. Netiher the lady with the cast or myself ever got to the row A seats. Her disability was clear for all to see and she was in tears by the end of the flight. I too, didnt feel much better.
The flight back was horrendous. My baby was cramped as they reclined their seats right back. My baby was kicking the chair in discomfort and frustration. I could feel my leg tighten up.
During the flight one of the girls stood up and said “Stop that kid kicking my chair, it’s disturbing my film” This was all I needed to get to boiling point and believe me I went into one. The trolley dolly did her best to calm me down as I had air rage big time.
Cut a long story short, after I returned back my leg started to swell and the tell tale signs of DVT were there. As I had injected fragmin, the clot was logged in the surface vein not the deep vein. It still meant I had thrombus phlebitis and it hurt. This clot lasted months and I had to have treatment.
I contacted First Choice who passed the buck without a single apology and gave my complaint to Air 2000. They in turn checked all my medical history to show I wasn’t making the whole sad story up and got their solicitor involved. After a long wait they gave me their final outcome, which was basically “tough”. I received a long and lengthy email of airline jargon, which said they were not liable for any health problems I had incurred. They went on to say that it isn’t proven that DVT is caused by economy class seating, end of story. The only way forward was for me to take them to court at my own costs.
I’m only Mrs Average and I cannot afford to fight the big boys in court, so they got away with it, without so much as an apology.
First Choice gave me no support whatsoever and Air 2000 was beyond words that I could print. I would never book a holiday with them again after the way they treated me. Yes the hotel was wonderful but the flight home ruined what a good holiday I had. If you have a health condition think long and hard before you choose your tour operator and airline.
They have a website which is www.firstchoice.co.uk This details everything in the brochure and you can book online. They also offer you late deals.
If you travel long haul in 2005, according to the website they will offer you wider seats with extra inches of legroom, about time too. This sort of conflicts against the statement they gave me about DVT not being confirmed as a cause of cramped conditions in a cabin.
If you want to contact them by phone here’s the details: By phone You can phone on 0870 850 3999 7 days a week: Sun holidaysMon to Fri (8am - 10pm) Sat (9am - 8pm)Sun (9am - 8pm) Other useful sun holiday phone numbers:- Accommodation Help line on 0870 900 2128 9am - 5pm)- Special Needs Hotline on 0870 900 2129 - but don’t take it as gospel what they say! I’m proof of that.
I know its boring, but read the small print at the back of the brochure. Happy holidays. … ……
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An excellent review, shame you had a terrible return flight. People like those girls are incredibly annoying, I would have gone mad too!
sue.51 30.10.2004 15:29
Crikey, wish I had seen this before I booked flights with them, having been shunted from pillar to post, I am not a happy bunny. Although with regards to claims (and I notice someone has posted something below) there is always the small claims court (up to £15K now I believe) where for a payment of £50 you can bring your case. What is evident however, is that, in my experience, none of these travel companies give a damn about their customers.
Sue
jonfromwales 23.09.2004 20:58
you may or may not know this by now but you could have taken your claim to ABTA they are based in london and sfter the legal bit which is "you must give first choice 2 chances to resolve the matter for you" if they dont ABTA will take on your case and put it to a panel for them to review. Thats what i did after First Choice did nothing except offer me a £50 holiday voucher to travel with them again (no-chance) and i ended up getting just over half my holiday cost back.
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Advantages: Very good at pretending they care PRIOR to travel... Disadvantages: ..Once you've boarded the plane for your holiday resort, they lose all interest!
Winterwonderful 24.01.2007 ·
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