Calis Beach and Fethiye Turkey Discussion Forum
Flights, Airlines and Airports => Flights to Dalaman and Turkey, Airlines and Airports => Topic started by: Rimms on February 11, 2014, 15:30:26 PM
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You would think it relatively easy to book a flight with Thomas Cook? Well in my experience it's been about the most difficult thing I've ever done !
After booking my flights from Antalya to Manchester, I decided to use the online check in facility, I took the option for them to allocate our two seats, but despite the plane still having around 80% of it's seating marked as unreserved! we were allocated two seats in different rows on the aircraft. I then felt forced to pick my own seats and pay the £20 fee they slap on for the privilege. Seat one went through OK but seat two then wouldn't reach the confirmed status, after more than half an hour on the website trying to correct this and choose two different seats, I was forced to ring their premium rate customer service number from Turkey.
The CSA I spoke to was very nice but informed me that she couldn't cancel the single seat booked on the website without the imposition of a hefty cancelation charge, after 20 minutes, several times being put on hold while she sought assistance, I was told that she had sorted out the problem and our two seats together were now secure. On checking my card statement, I notice they have charged me twice for the seats !
The journey itself was one of the worst I've ever flown, we were window and middle seat but it's been so long sine I've flown with FTC, I'd forgotten the sardines like conditions, believe me, at 6'2" tall, it's a bloody uncomfortable way to spend four and a half hours. Soon after we took our seats, a fairly elderly gent sat in the aisle seat next to us, immediately grabbed the sick bag and vomited into it, at this point the overhead lockers weren't even closed, he spent the whole flight with his head in his hands between vomiting, at one point he started crying, but not once did a stewardess ever stop and enquire if he was OK or need a drink of water etc.
If anyone else was on flight number TCX 2849 from Antalya on January 28th, can you please confirm that these were the most disorganised flight crew you have ever seen?
They allowed a bloke on board carrying a guitar before realising that there was absolutely nowhere for it to go. They started their drinks service and sitting in row 7 it took nearly an hour to reach us, this was because the girl at one end of the trolley saw it as her job to nothing more than hold it steady and constantly gab to her mate who was serving teas, coffees, drinks, running backwards and forwards from the galley for hot water, fruit juice and other bits & pieces. The duty free followed exactly the same pattern, and by the time they got to us had completely ran out of whiskey, gin an Bacardi, but we took great comfort from "it was really busy on the outbound and we don't restock in Antalya"
The drinks we bought (2 miniatures and 2 small wines) cost £16:90 and by this point you would have thought I'd of learned my lesson, but the description of the beef and ale pie at an amazing good price of £5.50 each took our eye, I ordered two which of course they had sold out, we settled for a lasagne and a curry, after 25 minutes our meals had still not appeared, so I called the stewardess to enquire, I felt scolded as she snapped " they are in the oven, it takes some time you know " I asked what sort of microwave takes half an hour, she walked away without answering.
For the return journey we decided to book a couple of legroom seats and add a further 5 kilos to our luggage, needless to say, the " amend your booking " option on the website doesn't actually work so it was a case of another call to their premium rate customer services where I spoke to possibly the doziest woman in the world.
Can I book 2 legroom seats please, yes she said but I haven't got two together, ok then I said, two seats together, we haven't any she said! Ok, you had better book me the legroom seats then, we then went into 10 minutes of "Oh this bloody system, it's kicked me out, It's blocked that request" etc etc, it turned out that she was trying to book seats on the flight I had already completed more than two weeks earlier, this only came to light after she asked me to confirm that I wanted seats on the Antalya to Manchester service, when I pointed out that this flight had already taken place, she then reverted to treating me like an Alzheimer's sufferer, saying "Sir, your flight isn't until the 28th" then she realised ....... January !! Then came a statement that will live forever in my mind "This is all very confusing, you've booked your flights the wrong way around, most people have the flight to England as the return"
God, give me strength ! But it wasn't finished yet !
I would like to increase my luggage by 5 kilos each please, sorry she told me, you can't do that, you already have 45 Kilos each, the maximum allowable, as delightful as this sounds, my confirmation stated 25 kilos each. After some discussion, she agreed to send me a confirmation showing the 45 kilos, confidently she said, I will wait on the line while the email arrives ( good of her as I was paying god knows how much per minute ) I opened up the email and guess what? ......... 25 Kilos each !
I'm confused she said ( No **** Sherlock thought I ) just look at the email I said, I can't she said at which point I told her that this was now utter incompetence, then came another gem "Please Sir, I'm only trying to help you here" I've been off for seven weeks she told me and they've changed the system, so, can I book my extra luggage please, No she told me, Why? said I. Because you've already checked in, I haven't checked in I told her, you might not think you've checked in but because you checked in for your first flight the system assumes that you are in transit and won't allow amendments. At this point I told her she was talking nonsense and demanded to speak to a supervisor, I suggested she look at the website which gives the opportunity ( if only it actually worked ) to choose seats, order meals, champagne, gifts and increase luggage. It then transpired that the reason she couldn't increase my luggage allowance was that she was trying to do so for the flight I took more than two weeks ago.
After relieving me of another £77 she sent my new confirmation, which still has 25kg luggage allowance on the print out.
I'm still to take the return flight, sorry if that's confusing, no doubt there will be a further update.
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Quotes from the Flythoscook website ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
At Thomas Cook we aim to make your journey an enjoyable part of your holiday
you can choose exactly where you want to sit on the aircraft. Aisle, window, front, back - whatever your preference, it's easy! Simply decide where you and your party would like to sit, select the seat numbers and book exactly where you want to sit - before you fly.
•Friendly, easy to use and secure website
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Our flight back with TC a month ago from DLM to LGW had the most obnoxious and unhelpful crew we have ever experienced!
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We always use Monarch, and not once in many years have I had the slightest problem with them. I choose seats, book and pay online and then check in online, some people slag Monarch off but from Simons horrific tale of flying with Thomas Cook, I'll stay with Monarch.
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Sorry I meant Rimms of course. Blonde moment!!
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A lot of moaning going on here. Ilooking've never had a problem with thomas cool the many times I've been to Calis. It's understandable that people get angry and blame the site when it may be themselves that aren't very good at understanding them. As for monarch I wouldn't touch them with a bargepole.
Looking forward to the story of the return leg and if that also takes longer to write than the actual time spent in the air.
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Only flown TC once, would never again unless there was no other option at the time, it was a night flight & the dopey
waitress stewardess woke me up to ask if I wanted anything to eat, if looks could kill she would have died on the spot! >:(
I have flown EJ many times now & I must say I've never had a problem with the company or crews. 8)
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Incredible. We are planning flying T C when we come out for good later This year, slightly anxious now!!
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Must admit that Thomas Cook have always had a bad press regarding legroom etc. The only reason we have booked our return flights in May with them is the £105 price tag, and for that I can put up with a bit of agro. 8)
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A lot of moaning going on here. Ilooking've never had a problem with thomas cool the many times I've been to Calis. It's understandable that people get angry and blame the site when it may be themselves that aren't very good at understanding them. As for monarch I wouldn't touch them with a bargepole.
Looking forward to the story of the return leg and if that also takes longer to write than the actual time spent in the air.
Have you read the same post from Rimms as I have? It doesn't sound like he can't manage a website to me! Anyway, the points about the sheer incompetence of the Customer Service, both on line and on board, is deserving of a significant "moan" as you put it.
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You beat me to that Bluewise
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It's understandable that people get angry and blame the site when it may be themselves that aren't very good at understanding them.
Is that modern IT-speak for "We designed it so badly customers found it difficult/impossible to use"?
I remember the very early days of popular computing (i.e. when "ordinary" people were beginning to be expected to use them) when IT techies used to swamp us with GIGO (garbage in garbage out) which was a code saying if you had a problem with "their" computer then it was your own silly fault. Of course, what they didn't tell you was that often it was because of one of the following reasons:
(a) The hophead who had written the bit of program that malfunctioned did so at 3.00am when he was out of his head on speed; or
(b) There was bit of fly-sh1t on an electrical connection that made it fail; or
(c) The water-cooling system had failed and the whole system was 3 minutes away from terminal meltdown unless shut down; or
(d) The building has been hit by lightning and that has knocked the whole system down.
Still, it so much easier and more satisfying to blame the "customer" than accepting one's own poor performance - especially if you wrap this in impenetrable technicalities.
P.S. If anyone wonders how those 1970s computers got created try this wonderful book in the Tom Wolfe style:
Tracy Kidder (1981) The Soul of a New Machine.
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I don't know one redeeming feature of T.C. and we have no choice, they are the only ones that fly from Aberdeen. However, thank goodness they have now started to sub-contract our flights to Turkish Airlines, who have more room, much nicer staff and no hard sell for food, drinks, lottery tickets etc., It's a relief that T.C. have sold off our flights in the last few years, long may it continue.
I would also mention that our latest flights without meals or booked seats are costing us nearly £800.00 from Aberdeen. So, anyone who gets a cheap flight from T.C. will not be flying from Scotland where T.C. subsidise their British Flights.
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A lot of moaning going on here. Ilooking've never had a problem with thomas cool the many times I've been to Calis. It's understandable that people get angry and blame the site when it may be themselves that aren't very good at understanding them. As for monarch I wouldn't touch them with a bargepole.
Looking forward to the story of the return leg and if that also takes longer to write than the actual time spent in the air.
Andrew, 2 rather nasty posts in just 4 in total, the other being when someone asked, in a very friendly way for a number for "Mr Kaan" at the Kaan Hotel. Next morning no-one had posted the number so you did. Here is your unfriendly tone back then:
Kaan, not Mr Kaan
I'll post the number then
0090 252 613 32 47
We all try to speak respectfully to each other, even when we disagree - sadly if you can't drop the aggression we'll manage without you. One more and it's goodbye. We don't need angry posts in the direction of fellow members on CBF.
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Sorry but on reflection I am nipping this in the bud. Such aggression towards long standing members by someone who just turned up recently is a reminder of some bad old days. I will not let it continue and we are now one member down on 5 minutes ago.
It's a seaside town we all love and we come here to share our love and experiences. Where does someone like that fit into this?
Correct.
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Here here Bluwise and Anne,I felt totally appalled reading Rimms story, that poor elderly gent that has made my blood boil for the cabin crew not to even ask if he was ok and no offer of water or anything that is a disgrace.... they are also there to help the passengers not just keep offering to sell you stuff... It was more then obvious to me Rimms knew how to navigate his way round the Thomas Cook website and whilst we are on the subject I hate the new layout of booking flights on their website and that is before I even would be trying to book any extras... Get a grip Thomas Cook...
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The worst Dalaman to UK flight I ever had was on Thomas Cook - it was a through the night one arriving back in Glasgow at around 6am - and even though I was early to check in, they gave me the aisle seat in the last row - awful firstly because it is notably narrower than the rest of the seats on board(and I certainly am not), no recline, no legroom - and secondly because even though it is a night flight, the crew (just behind my head) never shut up for the whole 4 hours. Talking, laughing, clanking teapots, slagging off another member of the crew up at the front end of the plane, you name it.
One was even telling the others she had been to her child's parents evening and she is doing really well, but she was "a bit chatty". I was so tired and fed up, I nearly turned round and said "Really! I wonder where the **** she gets that from!!!"
Easyjet normally say they'll keep the announcements down to a minimum if it's in the wee small hours. As I think do Thomson.
Now I don't even check the Thomas Cook website. I book Easyjet, Thomson or Monarch, or I go somewhere else. How people slag off Easyjet is absolutely beyond me.
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Gordon, my son used to date an air stewardess who worked for TC. She often told me they hated the Dalaman flights from Scotland. Reason being, they are mostly night flights so not a lot of commision to be made. Says it all really :(
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Totally agree re easyJet Scunner, they certainly have improved over the years. 8)
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Three weeks ago I booked a return flight to Dalaman with TC. I'm flying from Edinburgh and returning to Glasgow - 19 days in June, cost £162. The outbound flight is using Pegasus whilst the inbound is TC. My favourite airline is Turkish Airlines but in all honesty, price dictates who I fly with. I think we have all had gripes about various flight companies and this experience that Rimms has had is totally unacceptable. That said, last week I decided to book hold luggage, a meal and choose my seat option, costing £31 which for the return journey I think is very good. Choosing the bundle option under manage your booking would have prevented the lengthy and expensive phone call to a CSA who obviously was clueless. I hope that you have written to TC to highlight the incompetency of their CSA. Scottish flights seldom have empty seats and yet we often have to pay the more than other people flying from English Airports. Having to pay £800 to fly from Aberdeen just shows how much these companies take advantage of us.
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Thank goodness you dumped anthony, scunner. I didn't understand his post anyway. Seems like he was out to stir things up and cause trouble. Totally agree with Bluwise and Anne.
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Flying with Thomas Cook Today from Dalaman :) 27 pounds one way !! ;)will let you all know if I got value for money . ;) :) :)
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Flying with Thomas Cook Today from Dalaman :) 27 pounds one way !! ;)will let you all know if I got value for money . ;) :) :)
Willing to bet it's to an Airport near London.
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Might Be !!!! ;) ;) :) got it wrong aswell 27 Euro ,s even better ,They say that James Martin is cooking our meal for us WOW !! :) :)
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Only 15 Euros this time last week for next Wednesdays flight as I was going to take it but decided didn't want the hassle of getting up to Manchester from Gatwick.
So - you have paid over the odds ;)
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They will probably give us a rebate when we board !! :)or ever upgrade us too 3rd class!! :o ;) :)
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The attraction to me of using TC is simple, price. I don't expect anything except to get from A2B for the paltry sum I pay them, if I wanted anything other than basic I'd go elsewhere.
Saying that I always book extra legroom seats (at 6ft 4" you have to on almost every airline now) & have not had any major issues like Rimms had, hope the return is better for you George.
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They will probably give us a rebate when we board !! :)or ever upgrade us too 3rd class!! :o ;) :)
Lol - great airline :D
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Try looking on You tube at Yorkshire Airlines by Hale and Pace :) :) better than Thomas Cook !!! ;)
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You only get what you pay for,ive been flying TC for years now and never ever had a problem and people like myself who can travel at any time and pay £17 99p for a oneway ticket home and sometimes £80 to £90 out bound what can one expect cheapest airline going to and from turkey,what do some people expect,if you want the best then there a premium to pay for the privilage,££££s.
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Very true.
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The fact they are cheap excuses their inability to work and understand the information on their own systems? What an odd opinion that is.
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You pay peanuts...
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Yes but who says they pay their staff peanuts? I have no idea but I bet they pay around the same as Monarch, Thomson etc pay?
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You only get what you pay for what can one expect cheapest airline going to and from turkey,what do some people expect,if you want the best then there a premium to pay for the privilage,££££s.
T.C. I want the best, I get the worst, but I still have to pay a premium to travel with them...No justice is there?
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I have had to change my flights 4 times since November for personal reasons and admit I found the site difficult to make changes online but instead of using the premium phone line I used live chat on their site and each time all details altered with no hassle. Have never had a bad flight either so maybe I have just been lucky. Still cant use my March ticket so maybe this time I will just sell it and rebook when I know I can definitely return :(
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I have to say that price wasn't my initial driver to using FTC. I was flying from Antalya to Manchester and as far as I could see they were the only option, that said, my flight wasn't cheap anyway having paid £427 for two seats before I had paid the extra cost to sit together, upgrade to legroom and increase luggage on the return journey.
The return was less eventful, although once we had boarded the plane they announced that they were two staff short and so to expect a reduced service, for instance only one drink service etc. I hoped that in the event of an emergency they had two staff on board without anything to do. While in the UK we bought some nice new luggage, at Antalya we picked up our badly damaged, brand new suitcase, luckily we still had the receipt and reported it to ground handling. I've written to FTC but quite expect to be told to contact the insurance company which no doubt has an excess clause.
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Give it a try George. We had a suitcase damaged on our way back from N.Y.. A case we had actually bought in N.Y. We complained to B.A. and they actually replaced it by asking us to look at the Antler website and pick one out and then they sent it to us.
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Bit of a difference between BA and FTC.
You will probably end up with a free TC carrier bag if you are lucky George. ;)