Thomas Cook booking problems

[rob39]

Trying to book my seats via the online website and still having difficulty booking them. Anyone know when these issues will be resolved?? Attempeted to contact them via the online chat system and the only answer i got was "I've no idea" TCX 3122 GLA-ACE 22/4/12

[sunshine79]

We do not know when the issues are going to be fully resolved but all bookings should be on the system by March 20th. hopefully you should be able to book your seats tomorrow. PM me your details and I can do it in the morning if you want me to for it for you

[vctenderness]

I have been trying to book my seats on TCX on line since Monday and having no luck!

The telephone number you ring is also not working as it just sends you around in a very annoying circle and then cuts you off.


I even went in to our local Thomas Cook travel agents and they said they could not help either.


If anyone out there has a number that someone human actually responds I wold be very grateful.


I can't believe an airline would have its systems down for that length of time!

[Jonty]

The systems are not down. They are transferring to a new booking system and this means that capacity has been reduced while this happens. So I'm told, although the effect is the same.

[rob39]

Stll not working. :ugh: Probably leave until Monday :bored:

[muggins]

Rob

you're not the only one. I fly out on TCX3128 on the 16th April and all I get is "The information you've entered does not match any booking we have on our system"

no answer on the phones, or web chat.

ho-hum

Ken

[ILS25]

I managed to book seats for my flights in May from BFS to TFS and back yesterday. I had been trying before that and was having the same problem as you guys. Looks like it's an intermittent problem.

[vctenderness]

If there is a problem, which there obviously is, you would think they would put some kind of holding message on the website and the telephone service.

At least we would know there is a general problem and stop wasting time on Internet and phone day in day out!

[vctenderness]

Maybe TCX read this forum as I got an e-mail this morning explaining the problem and advising that it will be solved on March 23rd.

Hope they keep their word as I'm getting a bit annoyed.

[A2QFI]

If you think the booking system is bad wait until you experience the flight. !5 kg of hold luggage 5kg of hand luggage 55x40x20cm. If Easy can give you 20kg, in fact anything the right dimensions and that you can lift into the locker yourself, why do TC have to be so mean?

Read these reviews and hope for the best.

Thomas Cook Airlines Customer Reviews | SKYTRAX (http://www.airlinequality.com/Forum/thoscook.htm)

[macdo]

TC upgraded a computer system and there was a glitch which caused a serious system malfunction. I made an IT booking with them on the 15th with no issues.
With regard to Skytrax, it does not make pretty reading, but the most common complaint appears to be legroom on the 75. New seats are being fitted to this fleet this year to overcome the problem. Do you really need IFE on a 6 hr flight? If so bring an Ipad or go with a full service carrier at twice the price. People tend to easily forget that they are travelling thousands of miles for peanuts and then expect a Business Class experience. It is never gonna happen I'm afraid. You'd be surprised at how hard the airline is working behind the scenes to improve these issues.

[deepknight]

I hate to be pedantic, A2QFI, but easy don't actually give you 20kg, they charge you for 20kg as part of the booking process. As for the SKYTRAX reviews, I agree they don't make pretty reading. But most of the moans are about seat pitch, which is the same as easy, Thomson, Jet 2 etc etc. (And the lack of IFE, ditto easy, Thomson, Jet 2....) Passengers in the UK are notorious for wanting full flag-carrier quality at Ryanair prices. But take out a few rows of seats to provide it and there's no way they're going to actually pay for the comfort. It's not a coincidence that the most google'd line in the travel sector is "cheap holidays". Look at premium longhaul. The increase in government APD has just about killed it.

[vctenderness]

I am sure I am getting 20 kg luggage which, of course, I had to pay for.

I don't expect on a short to medium haul flight to get IFE, although Monarch used to give it for free on their Shorthaul flights if you could stand the constant interruptions for announcements selling stuff!


I chose TCX because their timings to Bodrum from Gatwick were very favourable and I am happy with that.


Their customer service so far is a little less than you would want but I'll reserve judgement.

[A2QFI]

I think you being slightly pedantic! You pay a fare and are given certain facilities like the flight and a seat in it and some baggage allowance. With Easy this allowance is 20Kg, in the cabin, and with TC it is 15kg in the hold (pay thru the nose for extra) and a laughable 5 KG in a spongebag as hand luggage ie no laptop (too big)

[deepknight]

Forgive me if I've misunderstood, A2QFI. but from what I can make out if you book a package holiday with Thomas Cook you get 15kg free allowance. If you book a flight only, you pay £16 per person per flight for a 20kg allowance. If you book a standard fare with easy you pay £28 (£56 if you pay at the airport). Only if you buy the massively expensive "flexible" fare with easy do you not have to pay extra for hold bags. (All taken from a cursory look at the respective web sites). If I'm wrong, I apologize. But to me that makes TC the better deal, given that the CAA sees to think your case only weighs 13kg.

[vctenderness]

What you can do when booking a flight with TCX is pay a set payment (£48) for what is called a bundle.

This gives the right to choose seats in advance, baggage allowance of 20kg and a meal on board.


I don't think that is bad value for a low cost airline and, as I have yet to fly with them, I reserve judgement on the cabin service, comfort etc.

[Mr.Bloggs]

No problem, good website. What's the problem?

[muggins]

I'd agree that, in general, it is a good website for booking. However, the change in IT systems has not been smooth with slipping go-live dates and a number of issues which affect the customers; unable to login, error messages for those that manage to log in, a number of people were classified as under 18, and so on. Plus giving targets for fixes which haven't been met.

For example I am still unable to log in to manage my booking (book seats, print tickets etc).

The main grumble from the customers has been lack of information about the problems. It took 3 days for them to place a message on the login screen explaining that there were continuing problems logging in. The result is a lot of upset customers.

[vctenderness]

Mr.Bloggs (http://www.pprune.org/members/318726-mr-bloggs)

Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Wythenshawe
Posts: 97


Just booked my April holiday with Thomas Cook
No problem, good website. What's the problem?

The problem is trying to manage the booking and getting what one has already paid for!!


I have been banging away for a week trying to book the seats that I have paid for and it's keeps trying to charge me again.


When you go,on to the telephone system it takes you around a series of options and then cuts you off.


I am sure that by the time they fix this little problem I will be sitting in the non reclining seats with smallest pitch next to the toilets.


I am sure , also, that if the problem was stopping people actually making a booking they would have fixed it by now.

[macdo]

WRT computer systems, TC has underfunded its IT for years and what it does have often is rubbish for the staff as well as the customer. This, it appears, is because the late and unlamented Board put their faith in High St. Shops. Unwisely, as it turns out. But things are changing fast (could be faster, could be with less cock ups) and an enormous amount of investment is now going into IT, an entirely new server system in the UK and Germany recently came online and you will see improvements over the next year.
ps and we still do proper edible hot meals on board!

[Tableview]

what it does have often is rubbish for the staff as well as the customer. This, it appears, is because the late and unlamented Board put their faith in High St. Shops.

The level of ignorance of travel agency staff has never failed to amaze me me, despite having worked in the industry for many long years, all over the world. I think that the lowest point came when I attempted to make a booking for an advertised fare at a Thos Cook High Street office in the UK. The ignorance and stupidity of the clerk (oh sorry .... sales executive ....!) who attempted to deal with my potential booking was, if possible, exeeded by her 'manager' to whom she referred the enquiry.

[macdo]

Probably fair comment, but you must also take into account that Travel Agency staff, especially in the big IT companies, are notoriously underpaid and under trained. If you go into a high street TA and want 2 weeks in Turkey in August, they will (should) know their stuff. Anything more exotic and its down to luck. It shouldn't be like this, but would you go and by a highly specialized hifi at Currys? No, you'd seek out a specialised hifi shop, travel is just the same. Tradewinds, one of the lesser known TC brands, sorted me out with a very complicated round the world itinary a few years back, it ran like clockwork, but as it happens, 20 years ago, before I had any connection to the company, TC in Watford High street tailor made me a fantastic honeymoon in the Caribbean, and when it went horribly wrong, due to the scheduled carrier aircraft having engine failure,they sorted us out with new bookings with no bother at all and gave us an extra day in resort!

[Tableview]

macdo : It's good to hear someone speaking up in defence of TC and the like, but when they advertise in a large window:

Special : Cape Town/Johannesburg from £320

and then the clerk doesn't know that the offer exists, then, under pressure, agrees to come outside to look at the display to see if I knew what I was talking about, then tells me that she 'thinks' it's on 'Chinese Airlines' and that there aren't any direct flights to Johannesburg or Cape Town from London ....... there's not much hope is there. I'd call it defending the indefensible.

[A2QFI]

Indeed - a touch of senility from me! I think the comparison I was trying to make was the ways of getting 20kg of baggage onto a flight. With TC you get 15 kg with your fare and payextra to take another 5 kg. With Easy you buy a ticket and take 20kg on board, as hand luggage with no charge. The makes me think Easy is a better price than TC. I would always rather fly Easy than TC for other reasons like ease of booking and seating.

[deepknight]

I don't think you're comparing like with like, A2QFI. While easy may allow you unlimited weight in the cabin, it's still got to fit the dimensions of the metal cage they have for carry on bags. You'd have to fill a holdall with bricks to bet it to 20kg. If you want to take your suitcase, it'll cost you anything up to £56. But I agree wholeheartedly with the comfort. However, as the fleet roll-over gets underway, which according to the company, it will do, the old 757s will be replaced by new A320/321s.

[A2QFI]

I am a man and can live for at least a week on the contents, regardless of weight, of a 22" x 18 x 10" piece of luggage. Of course, for those who need leg waxing strips, body lotions, nail varnish, powder puffs and 8 changes of clothes it IS a problem!

[macdo]

A2QFI, thats absolutely true, you can easily travel light and cheap. Slightly off thread, it does worry me how much cabin baggage weight Easy allow. If you go back a long while to the 737 crash at Kegworth, East Midlands, the damage done to the passengers by the overhead lockers and contents was quite horrific, and that was with what I would call normal carry on bags.

Tableview, I quite agree, totally unacceptable.

[A2QFI]

Macdo, I am sure that carry on luggage may have played some part in the injuries and deaths but my understanding is that the majority were caused by the seats ripping off the aircraft structure and piling up at the front of the passenger cabin. I think this has led to a re-design of seat attachments?

[Tableview]

I am a man and can live for at least a week on the contents, regardless of weight, of a 22" x 18 x 10" piece of luggage. Of course, for those who need leg waxing strips, body lotions, nail varnish, powder puffs and 8 changes of clothes it IS a problem!

You forgot 8 pairs of shoes, and a range of clothing, regardless of destination, to cover everything from tropical heat to sub-zero Arctic conditions, and cures for every ailment ever discovered.

I seem to be able to manage with a carry-on bag for a week whereas the o/h barely manages to squeeze her needs into 23 kgs.

[vctenderness]

Two weeks after I encountered the problems with TCX computer system today it seems to be fixed.

I think they should invest a little more in IT.

[Thwarted]

I'm also having problems managing my booking and am frustrated by the two telephone numbers which merely refer you back to the non-functioning "manage your booking" page.
I'm due to fly on 2nd April and as yet have had no response to 2 emails (Thomas Cook's suggested alternative to the non-answered phone or problem-ridden website.)
In the hope that someone from Thomas Cook reads this thread - DEAL WITH THE EMAILS!
Deep breath - count to 10 - relax....