As I have done for years as a single mum with a special need family, we travel for a well earned two week fun holiday, this one starting from the 27th of June.
NEVER in my entire time of traveling on this wonderful globe, have I experienced an cascading amount of genuine health and safety compliants, and VERY well justified to make a strong voice to Thomas Cook rep faces about taking my benefiting constructive critisium and validate me as a paying customer.
Julie hotel rep had a well rehearesed one trick phrase to tell us guests "they were the only one complaining or had a compliant!!!!!! and giving a personal opinion to influence your course to presue.
This is a very raw angry account of my two week stay 12hours after I come home.I want to give you a fair insight of the lack to concern about health and safety,by hotel management and Thomas Cooks validating a genuine consistant and continual compliant against the Health and safety standards and the conduct when handling my cascading incidents that I did not seek or ask for to happen to me.
I want future considering paying guests to make an informed decision about whither or not this property deserves your well earned money and to Ever give your booking through to Thomas Cook..
DAY 1 we attended a welcome meeting and had decided to spoil my kids to pirate show but be warned
A child of age12 is considered an adult and they mis charge you.
I witnessed a breaking of advertising trading standards as they charged 142E for a 128E calculation. I asked rep julie ask to justify the pricing difference.She stated from the generousity of her heart that she had given my eldest 13yr old "a child price", which I sunk her back the total sum still didnt add up to her already procesed sum on her ticket machine.
Thomas cooks tour leaflet does not state that "prices are subject to change",and when I highlighting this fact, they were advertising one price then charging another or had any printing of the childs age limit requirement to attend show.
Rep Julie replied "oh the machine for processing the tickets must have recognised just this minute, we are now in high season.
You can guess the look and tone of my voice about my overcharged amount and trying to take me for an IRISH idiot!!!
All the rest of the world seems to recognise & abide by the law of a childs age. THAT An adult can be recognised from 16- 18 year old.!!!! What right does Thomas Cook have to decide to change a child to an adult at the age of 12. !!!!!!!!!!!! its blatantly obvious of the profiteering racket..Even at a adult price it was expensive (60E) child at 38E
I presued my entire money back with some difficulty and relunctance from the rep Julie which she delaid, my full amount over two days.
She did try to tell me from her management "I owed her a further 6E, as now, my eldest child must pay adult price.
So much for them owing me 14E.!!!! to keep me as a paying customer.
On a angry demand for my money back ,she then said quote" she would try to get eldest child price back and get us a free upgrade to seat position at show".
This did happened to other Irish guests and when they arrived at show, no one could verify the honouring of the upgrade.There had been other compliants, that other organised tour coaches arriving too early and much confusing money back return.
Day2 consumed our first breakfast and dinner, as we were half board. What a disgusting cold on serving mess which was served from under, not switched on, buffet heat canopies.
All food looked nice but at risk to consume. Only a vegeterain got a fair deal at the salad bar.
What made it worse, was the condensation inside heat canopy lid. it dripped all over the food, as you opened it..... Can you guess the food state if you where waiting in a queue. It was just not cold luke warm but soggy.
I genuinely must state breakfast was fair even tho it never deviated.
Be warned mum and dads there is a parental struggle to stop your kids wanting to eat the chips in the served canopy at breakfast!!!!!!.
I am adamant about the consistant and continual compliant at the dinner time meal. IT WAS unlabelled guessing game of COLD &disgusting lukewarm mess and as we grew to learn of the "contracted cooking skills and presentation of restricted repeatitive meal menu choice.
It was not a good forecast for our two week stay.Eating out was expensive. Expect a family lunch to run you 40E and 90E dinner under a atmosphereless surrounds and dull faced serving staff.
I really felt for all inclusive guests for they were being short drink measured and record keeping their drinks, especially the children.
No consideration was given to a childrens menu either or the advertised childs entertainment.
Hotel did not fulfill there adult entertainment programme as broucher advertised.
1st JULY Hotel employed an inexperienced underqualified 16yr old boy, that then got sack after 3days for taking 9-12yrold boys to his apartment and learning them swear words in Spanish.!!!!!!!.and his only experience with minding children he had a 6yr old brother.
Thomas cook rep Julie offered me use of a creche at another hotel BUT then quote" told me via written note 30mins before attending session 2 days later," that my child could not be taken from SOLcala D'or hotel to Azul hotel" about a 10min walk away.The creche could not be used because "one hotel to the other" there was different health and safety standards and it would breach the regulations". What bull!!!!! I have ever heard.
With in these two days I negotiated to be 20 feet outside room and on call to toilet control my Downs childs needs and all Thomas rep staff in the decision- making then let him attend the kids club.!!!!!!!!!!! mmmmmmm I know what this says to me for my 5E fee.What a picture of lying faces when I caught staff out as I was told the staff was called on unexpected flight duty. funny airport duty when I walked up to premises and found them in the buliding conducting their normal session.
Hotel reception told us to adddress any compliant to restaurant staff, about found food state. I got a reply that horrified me " oh they forgot to switch food heat canopy on and a mistake by any one can be made".
No one has any excuse excusable to compromise my health and safety at consuming highly potential dangerous food groups like half cooked, blood to bone chicken, meat, rice, and eggs. Believe me 10days out of 13 HAD NOT an adequate consumable state.
Only 3 evening meals hit a reasonable normal appraise.
On top of this you had to put your serving of food on to dangerous sharped chipped edged plates and bowls. Also drink from dirty cups and glasses.
I complain until I was blue in the face demanding Anionnia Qulality control manager for the SOL group to take my constructive critisium on board and act immmediately because my children were also handling them. Did I get it, NO way HOhsay!!!
All my critiZium was constructive to lift the standards not to lower, as it had been recieved by Thomas Cook hotel reps. I called on superior assistance by day4 but only by 10th day " Mark the duty area manager" eventually arrived but with implicating police presence into the hotel lobby while my children were close by.
They tried to intimadate me to stop complaining quote saying that other guest from another hotel made a complaint aginst me and causing his staff continual grief.
I was prepared to prove otherwise that I was a dishonest accounting guest, as they had claimed ,I was the only one complaining.
From Mark managers lips he stated QUOTE "I was in breach of my thomas contract for creating such trouble and made personal judgement of my conduct to the health and safety to not fully supervise my children and asking for other guest to look after them"..
This was after water gushing from my bathroom ceiling at 11pm on my 7th night. Hotel management then leaving me unassisted to clean up or safeguard my belongings room from water damage. I even had to leave my room with two sleeping children because the room phone didnt work , to call for reception help. Granted a new 120 room key was given and told how to switch of the main electric box.
But where was ANYONE aiding me to evacute my belongs to room 120 room or supervising my sleeping Downs child while My eldest child had to be awaken to assist me.
Nothing more could have compromised my parental responsibilty and supervision of a still sleeping Downs child.
All I got was a lame hotel apology and told by thomas cook duty manager Mark if I had of rung the right phone number I would have got assistance.Trying to make me out as I liar that I hadnt phoned any of the Thomas cook numbers.I proved otherwise.
When I demanded I had enough of the hotels oversighted treatment, Rep staff said it would cost me 600E plus taxi to transfer to get out to another hotel.
if rep staff wasnt bad enough to manage I encountered head restaurant manager Roberto from day 1,
""""one obnoxious infuriating accusing insulting outspoken member of staff that needs taken down a peg or too.""""but very typical to expect on the island of Majorica in bars and restaurants. Be warn of scams to mis calulate your bill and charge a high percentage of a service charge too"!!!!
He accussed me of "stealing food from the restaurant"but actually it was the food that Had been a serving on my plate. This was a left over as my children were out of their usually meal time hour. I stood my ground in arguement, as I paid £700 difference between Self catering to half board.
It was my total right that all or any food that hit our table was paid for.
REP Julie agreed with his point until I blasted her of my disgust taking her down a peg that I deserve support as a paying customer to the company she represents..
I was considered dishonest on another attempt from Roberto when he placed two colas on a bill and acussed of not paying from the day before.
I went into a angry mode and stated fact to management "he was not even on duty the day before, so how the hell did he know what I ordered, mind not paid for!!!
Bar staff lack billing system creating guest to walk off and came later to settle bill, as honest guests done so, but when staff appear they disgustingly accused you of being dishonest for walking away in the first place.
I refused to pay another cent to this bar, bring in my own drink.at a more affordable price from the spar opposite the Cala gran beach steps.
Then there was a broken piece of glass found in the free serving ice cream carton,
after my eldest spat it out. I took it to the reception where Claudia witnessed it and Roberto, the bar servant refusual to remove it from any one else taking servings from it.. I went balistic and was in his face to comply to bin it.!!!!!!!!
I was his worst nightmare there after, I went into repeatly and persistantly clearly and lifting every chipped dirty serving plate cups, and makiing a pile up for all to witness and creating more clear up work.
I had satisfied management news he was reprimanded but not the written apology they promised.
Then there was the rat that took residence outside my poolside back door of room 104 the day before my holiday end.
Even on the day I was due home, tho I had no intetions to use the back door to pool side,
two guest came and tell me it had been there most of the morning drinking from the free wash shower area. AND While we are on the subject of the pool, your swimwear turns green with scum and doesnt come out.
God help any bleached blonde hair it turned green too!!!!!!!!!!
Again a well rehearsed phrased excuse that our sunscreen is the culprit to the damage of our swimwear and nothing wrong with the water but ....................and of course WE WERE THE ONLY ONE TO HAVE MADE A COMPLIANT>>>>>>>>>>>>>.
I trust I hope you have read this ending and decided to give this property and thomas Cook a wide birth.
