I have returned from my hols I have lots of reading and writing do to now ! :-)
I have returned from my hols I have lots of reading and writing do to now ! :-)
Member since:25.05.2001
Reviews:22
Members who trust:2
Well I have just returned from what will be my last package holiday! And I shall tell you all exactly why.
The Sale ********* I booked my JMC holiday about 2 months ago from going places. I got to see the choice of apartments in the brochure and chose these particular self catering apartments in Kavos in Corfu because of the following details stated in the brochure:- 1) 50m from beach 2) 800M from centre 3) Had its own pool 4) Had a pool bar The holiday was fairly cheap at around £350 from two weeks in September. I liked option two as I knew Kavos was a mad place and these apartments looked like they would be a wee bit out from the noise so a good nights sleep would be had.
The Airport ************ The holiday arrived and we arrived at the airport. It had only been a week since the America incident so I did expect checking in to take longer and I knew no hand luggage was allowed. Check in took 1 hour and we were given a plastic bag to put bits and bobs in. I didn’t mind this but some
people were being allowed to take handbags etc on. It seemed to be different rules for everybody! The flight was delayed 1.5 hours. Not sure why but when it came time to board only men were allowed on!! This is because they only had a male security guard and he was not allowed to frisk women. For goodness sake JMC you had an extra 1.5 hours to organise that a female security guard could be at the boarding gate to frisk folk. Well chaos ensued as children were split from parents etc etc Finally we took off 2 hours late.
The Flight ********* We had managed to nab extra lag room seats, but, yes there’s a but I very quickly discovered I had no table! I told the trolley dolly when I ordered my drinks so I got my drinks free and she gave me a wee tray to use. It was awkward but it did the job. The flight went without further hitch but there was more drama soon to follow!
Arrival in Corfu *************** We arrived about 6pm find our bus no problems got a big envelope when we got on only to find a wee card in it with our welcome meeting time. What a waste of paper. The rep gave his wee spiel on the bus the proceeded to say “Bring your tickets to the welcome meeting tomorrow as your rep will need to validate your insurance” That was the bigest load of B******S I had ever heard. He was basically conning you into going to the meeting so they could sell you over priced trips as this is where they make most of their money these days.
Arriving at the Apartments *************************** This was when the “real” fun began. The rep had the key as there appeared to be no reception. He took us up to the room which was up one flight of stairs along the common terrace and the entrance to the room was from the terrace. The rep took about 10mins to open the door as it was a bit tricky. The first door was like a screen with slats which locked from outside. Once you opened this there were glass doors which you couldn’t lock from the outside. Once inside we realised only the glass doors locked from inside so anybody could wander along pull open the screen and peep in!!!
The rep left very quickly after opening the door! We got inside and thought doesn’t look too bad. Sat down for five mins then looked round properly… I went to the bathroom and discovered there was no toilet paper just as well it wasn’t 3am and the shops were closed and I had already had holiday tum! So straight away we popped down the shop bought toilet paper and returned. This is when we discovered the toilet seat wasn’t attached to the toilet. The shower head was filthy. The towels we had were two off white hand towels. The bathroom door didn’t close. The cutlery was rusty and only had one knife included in it! THe dishes weren’t very nice. If we had booked this hol ourselves we would have stayed on night paid for one night and left and found other accom. This was a package holiday so we had already paid up front for the accom and couldn’t afford to go somewhere else then try and claim the money back from JMC. This is however what one couple did. The way the apartments were structured the noise levels from outside were the same with the doors open or closed. As we were 50m from the main road (which incidentally is not mentioned in the brochure) we heard ever scooter and car go past. Also depending on the wind direction we could hear music from pubs. So not much sleep to be had.
The Welcome Meeting ********************* There were a lot of complaints made at the meeting, a lot of people asked to be moved but it all fell on the deaf ears. Yet the rep still had no shame in standing up and touting his tours and nights out! In his spiel he stated beer is expensive in Kavos around £5 a pint, everything is closed because its end of season. Everything he could think to persuade you to go on his wee trips he said it. We decided not to go on any. We never paid more than a couple of pound for a beer and there were plenty bars open to entertain us. If you had believed the rep you would have thought a night out in Kavos would cost £100 and all you money would be spent in the one pub that is open. Not true at all, they are just trying deperatly to sell trips to make money. He also pointed to the beach and told us not to bother as it wasn’t much of a beach. Remember I mentioned at the start the brochure stated 50m to the beach. Well the path, actually it wasn’t a path, the way to the beach was through uncut graze over an open ditch/drain then the beach wasn’t even 10m wide and was covered in dried seaweed. It really wasn’t the best start to a holiday. JMC unwrapping the package holiday piece by piece, if they wrapped it all at once you sure as hell wouldn’t go!
The Holiday ************* The next two weeks were pretty much JMC free so it was enjoyable. We made our own way to the aqua park, Corfu town and booked boat trips with the local companies which were cheaper. Yes getting around the island without the help of JMC is possible despite what they try and make you belive. I had to speak to a JMC rep as after a week and half we hadn’t seen a change of linen. I spoke to him and he said it was once a week so to me twice in a two week period. Well we got them once after I complained and this after a week and a half. The cleaning in general was pretty much non existent. The bins were emptied most days and he would drag his wet mop over the visible parts of the floor. The bathroom or kitchen area were never touched.
Returning Home ********** After a week and a half I looked forward to this again more problems the bus pick up was an hour late. We weren’t late for the flight we took of 10 mins late and flew home without a hitch. I was glad to get home for a good nights sleep!
Conclusion *********** If this hadn’t been a package holiday I could have left the apartments whenever only paying for nights I had stayed. I wouldn’t have had a rep trying to sell me crappy trips and ignoring my complaints. Yes I would probably have to pay more for the trip and I would certainly have to put more effort into booking and arranging getting to/for the airport but I my opinion it would be well worth it. I feel I have been lied to, conned and cheated out of the holiday it should have been, everyone in the apartments had one complaint or another. I certainly will not be misold another package holiday and certainly not by JMC!
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It sounds more like the accommodation was more at fault than the rep, although they sound pretty useless. I never book tours with reps, you can always do them yourself at a fraction of the price. Hope it doesnt put you off all package hols, I been on some great ones.Good op, and written with a lot of anger, I bet there was steam coming off the keyboard!!!. Julie
Elainebaba 12.10.2001 22:15
It looks like you had holiday from hell! funny thing though on watchdog last the same firm was mentioned, many people were not satisfied with their hotels.
A very useful op in helping to preparing for future holidays.
Thanks for the warning!
Avril
gemini26 11.10.2001 10:21
Great op, what a terrible experience, I had a disasterous flight with them last year when I was six months pregnant, I stay as far away from them as possible. I don't think customer service is their top priority!!
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Oct 2nd, 2001
very helpful by (100%):
