Abta travel with confidence
Abta make much of travel with one of their members, but in practice, does this simply give rise to a false sense of security?
These days many choose to make their own travel arrangements, cut out the middle man, book flights and hotel direct.
And with the internet, this is all very easy.
Does mass market tourism have a future, especially with a company like tui (holding company for Thomson and First Choice) fined 48 times in the last two years for breach of Abta Code of Conduct, including three times for dumping clients on a building site?
- 2 March 2016 Fined £5,000 failing to inform customers of significant building works prior to departure
- 6 October 2015 Fined £4,000 failing to inform customers of significant building works prior to departure
- 14 July 2015 Fined £2,000 failing to inform customers of significant buildings works prior to departure
The only remaining argument for booking with a company like tui, is that it is a member of Abta, but if that proves to be worthless, then even that argument has fallen by the wayside.
Last week, BBC Radio Four You and Yours reported that Abta had fined tui 48 times within the last two years. Both Thomson and Abta were invited on to the programme to discus the fines as the experience of clients recently dumped on a building site appeared to show that the fines levied were too small as they were failing to act as a deterrent.
Thomson refused to appear, refused to answer questions, which only served to highlight their contempt for their clients.
Abta simply made pathetic excuses for Thomson.
Had this have been a site in the UK, no visitors would have been allowed to enter without PPE; the likes of hard-hats, ear defenders, steel toe-capped workboots and hi-vis jackets.
What was put to Thomson and Abta, was Be Live Tenerife. It had closed for two months, September and October 2016. It re-opened as a building site. It should not have re-opened, it was a hard hat area, access only to authorised fully kitted out workers.
Be Live Tenerife, in Puerto de la Cruz in the north of Tenerife serves as an excellent illustration of how bad the situation has become and the failings of Abta and why the public can no longer have any confidence in ABTA.
Clients were dumped on a building site. Fines by Abta are not acting as a deterrent.
The hotel was closed September and October 2016. It should not have re-opened. It re-opened as a building site, a hard hat area to which the public should not have had access.
It begs the question, what statement did the hotel provide to the local Town Hall to obtain a licence to re-open, and what scrutiny if any the Town Hall exercised? Or maybe they re-opened without a licence?
Clients arrived to find the sun terrace, the main sun bathing area, had been dug down by at least a foot, a bulldozer, a digger, wheelbarrows, piles of rubble, half a dozen workmen, pneumatic drills. Noise from the pneumatic drills horrendous. Rubble tipped over the wall into the street below. The workmen when asked how many weeks before completion, laughed.
Internally on the ground floor, damaged ceilings, water damage, a large area roped off, public toilets, hairdresser, little shop, area tour reps and car hire use, a ballroom. Down below a conference room was out of bounds.
On signing in, no apology for the state of the hotel, no offer of recompense, for example free drinks. And I emphasise recompense, not compensation.
The ballroom and conference room, collapsed ceilings, bare electrical cables hanging down, rubble on the floor, concrete beams held up by scaffolding poles.
Work was taking place on the Fire Escape. End of corridor on fourth floor, the Fire Door leading to the Fire Escape, a Notice saying No Entry, and in Spanish due to building work.
A chill out terrace was also roped off. Metal girders being cut. The girders carried through pool area where clients were sunbathing.
The only area available, was a tiny area by the small pool. Sun only from late morning until early afternoon. Guests packed in like sardines. Totally inadequate number of sunbeds for the size of the hotel. When it rained, pools of water on every sunbed, no one troubled to tip up the sunbeds and wipe dry, or better still, stack up under cover at night. Blasted out by loud music, deafening at midday. Noise and dust from building work.
Adjacent to the pool was a grassy area of unkempt grass. If guests tried to use, they were threatened by an aggressive lifeguard and ordered to leave, told they had to pay 15 euros per person per day to use this grassy area.
Within the grassy area, bare electrical cables poking through the grass.
Within the hotel, only area available the lounge. But impossible to use due to being blasted out by loud music.
The lifts regularly failed. One lift out of action for over a week, another not working for several days. One day no working lifts. Hotel 13 floors, terrace and floors 1–12.
One morning power failed. Guests trapped in the lifts in the dark.
The food was not good, to which Thomson has admitted, but failed to take any action.
The Be Live management treated guests with contempt. Refused to carry out any mitigation measures.
Thomson rep claimed Thomson did not know, that the work would be finished by the end of the day.
When clients inquired of Thomson, they were told do not know, no building work, must be confused, work is at a different hotel.
A recently released video shows Thomson knew.
Thomson knew. Thomson knew right up to the tui board.
The work is still on going.
Clients are being given the run around by Thomson. Claim complaints were not logged in resort, claimed not to have received a complaint. Clients are being lied to be Thomson, ridiculous claim that no building work was taking place.
Clients are still waiting for compensation.
ABTA Code of Conduct
Rule 2I, 3I — imposes an obligation upon the tour operator where building works are taking place that could have a serious impact upon the ‘Travel Arrangements’. Where there is a problem, they must ‘ensure’ that they notify their clients — in such circumstances they must offer a transfer to alternative accommodation at the same price or to provide them with their rights under Regulation 12 or 13 of The Package Travel Regulations, where the building works amount to a significant change;
Rule6A -requires that its members will maintain a high standard of service.
Rule 5A & 5B — imposes an obligation upon the tour operator to provide an acknowledgement to a letter of complaint with 14 days of receipt of the correspondence. A detailed reply, or a letter explaining the reason for the delay in responding, shall be sent not later than 28 days from the date of receipt of the correspondence.
Breach of ABTA Code of Conduct, obligation to advise clients hotel was a building site, to offer alternative accommodation, or a refund.
Breach of ABTA Code of Conduct in the manner in which Thomson has dealt with clients and time taken to respond.
Breach of Package Travel Regulations, serious discrepancies between what was available and what Thomson claimed on their website. A peaceful environment guaranteed but one example.
Breach of contract. Clients expected a relaxing time at a quiet hotel, not to be dumped on a building site and blasted out with music.
Nick Longman as Thomson MD was responsible. It is untenable he can remain on the ABTA board.
What is Abta going to do?
I would recommend, obtain details of all clients who were at the hotel during this period, order full compensation plus damages for loss of enjoyment. Hit Tui with a punitive fine.
Anything less and the travelling public can have no confidence in Abta as a regulator.
