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.
