Watch out for T.C. Secret Charges

[Jacqui Harvey]

When I paid on-line with my credit card for our flights with T.C. I noted that they had charged me £10.00.  I wrote to ask for a refund.  I received an email back telling me T.C. take up to 28 days to reply to a complaint.  I received the reply today.  I copy it below:

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Dear Mrs Harvey,

Thank you for your email regarding your booking with Fly Thomas Cook.Com and I would like to apologise for the delay in my reply.

I am very sorry that you were unaware of the credit card charge terms and conditions when booking with us. I have contacted a colleague at Fly Thomas Cook.Com and they have advised me that the charge is correct. The charge is £2.50 per person per flight, therefore I can confirm that the £10.00 is correct and I am unable to offer a refund on this occasion.

I hope that despite this, you will allow us to assist you with your future travel arrangements, where we can take the opportunity to restore your faith in our company.

Yours sincerely,

Melanie Bowman
Customer Relations Team
Customer Relations Executive

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So just imagine if you are booking for a group of people to fly with T.C.  If they are charging £2.50 per person per flight c.card charges. It would amount to quite a lot of extra money.
I think this is a total rip-off to charge for each person on a single transaction.  
I am just wondering is this legal?
I absolutely hate Thomas Cook:-\[!]

[GordonA]

Try the website of The Office of Fair Trading, as I am sure that you should only be charged per card transaction, not for each seat booked.
Gordy.

[tribalelder]

Fairness does not come into this....it is an imposition.  However it is made quite clear on their booking website and by confirming your booking you have accepted those terms:(

[heather07]

They are making money out of people's fears.  More people will pay by credit card in case something goes wrong.

[Toky]

I did just that Heather and I was charged £13.50 for using my card!!
As I hadn't heard of the company I booked with, I did it as a safeguard. Rip off right enough!
 

[laffa]

The shysters, I loath T.Cook, and avoided them like the plague this year,i dont mind paying a bit extra NOT to fly with them.the reps cant even tell the time on a 24 hour clock.

[Jacqui Harvey]

I have a credit card machine which I use for my business.  I make no charge to my customers for using their cards.  I can still run a profitable business without charging my customers.  I do know that if someone buys more than one item and I charge the card, there is a single transaction charge no matter how many purchases they make. Charges vary from Bank to Bank, but no charge will be more that £1.00. and most are around 50p. T.C. as Heather says are just making a profit from fear.

[bewva]

Arn't they all. I booked with Easy Jet and T.C. last week. E.J. also charged for visa credit and visa debit. I put my visa debit though as a maestro card (no additional fee) by mistake   and never got charged the fee with one of them (can not remember which now). when I tried it with the other one they said that the number sequence was not that of a maestro card

[jsp51]

On this occasion TC not too bad compared with Monarch, who charge 3.5% per booking fee plus an extra 1.5% to use a credit card, so adds up to 5%.
Just had to pay £14.87 for 2 people to travel next March.
recently booked for my friends to come and see us 1st week October and because they had 1 bag and wanted a meal each way the credit/booking fee was £26.42

[Jim Fraser]

Just think how much profit Tescos would make if they charged for using plastic........

Never fails to amaze me how easily flight companies make money at virtually no cost to themselves due to the fact that so much of the bookings are done online.
Late booking fee - why, the procedure is exactly the same whatever the time remaining - rip off
Online booking fee - It should actually be cheaper as no human intervention is required from them - rip off
Seat allocation - Fair enough for extra room (apart from the price) but simply for sitting together - rip off