My bruises have bruises. I'm blaming the cheerleading. Review writing is a whole lot less dangerous....
My bruises have bruises. I'm blaming the cheerleading. Review writing is a whole lot less dangerous.
Member since:08.07.2001
Reviews:593
Members who trust:255
Over the last 16 years I have been abroad about 25 times, and visited maybe 15 countries. About 90% of my flights and complete holidays have been booked through Thomas Cook, and if that's not an indication of a good company, I don't know what is. Here's a summary of the (many) good points and (fewer) bad points I've found.
The Good :
Although the chain is a large one, they have many smaller branches rather than fewer larger ones which gives a more homey atmosphere. Case in point : along Market St in Manchester (which later turns into the Piccadilly approach) there are 3 branches. Around the corner on Oxford Rd there is another. Where ever you go, you're never far from a branch.
The staff are generally knowledgable and friendly (and often have sweeties, but that's beside the point). I have never had any problems with them, nor have I felt under pressure to book a holiday that was not entirely right for me. Even though they're on commision, the staff are not ruled by it.
They have a wide range of products on offer : Club 18-30 and JMC are just 2 of their own brands. There's something for everyone with city breaks, summer and winter sun, adventure holidays, cruises etc. They are also agents for firms such as Cresta and Eurobreaks.
The prices are reasonable and the staff will try to get you any discounts if possible. When booking my flight to Vienna, it was suggested to the girl I was with by her boss that she should ring Flightsavers to get a lower price. Now she had not done this as I was staying away for 3 months which is more than discounts allow, but her boss did not know this and it was nice that he made the suggestion.
They are quite happy to book flight only, room only, car hire, special excursions, travel insurance etc as well as complete holidays. You can even get tickets to Disney World from some branches.
Now, the bad
When I was booking my flight here, I went to a branch I had never been to before. I don't know if the girl was new (or just thick?) but she tried to send me off without my Switch card or an itinery - I had no written confirmation of my flight numbers or times. Still, she printed one off when I asked, and of course handed me my card back. It would have been a pain if I'd got home without either, but I suppose mistakes do happen.
Also, my mother recieved a Priviliage (spelling???) card back in 1994 after we went over their spending limit to qualify. I think booking 9 flights in one year, including 3 to California had something to do with it..... Anyway, this came with a number of benefits including commision free currency and free magazines 4 times a year. We never noticed that the card had expired, and the staff were pretty rude when I tried to use it (I was my mother's "partner" on it as I travelled the most). Luckily my mother is the type of person who writes snotty letters in response to bad service, and we soon recieved a lovely appology from the branch manager along with a promise that a new card had been ordered.
Still, 2 bad experiences over the years is a pretty low percentage and it has not put me off Thomas Cook for life. I will continue to book the majority of my holidays with them (others come from the internet, not a diferent agency) for at least as long as I'm at Debenhams - we have a concession there which means I get a discount (yay!).
Next time you're looking for a holiday, check out thomascook.com or pop into your local branch and don't just book it, Thomas Cook it.
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