First Choice

has anyone else booked a trip to SL with this company then had their tour to Yala National Park cancelled at the last minute? we think that First Choice have been trying to sell a trip that they couldnt safely send people on, in the hope that the Foreign Office would change their travel advice.

thanks to all who take time to reply

bonny 10

First Choice

Hi Bonny,

1st choice or last choice ?.

A few weeks ago, I travelled to Cuba with 1st choice. We%26#39;d booked a hotel in the eastern end of the country but a couple of weeks before we were due to travel , the hotel and the complete area around it were devastated by a hurricane.

There were lots of photo%26#39;s posted on the net showing , clearly, that the hotel was uninhabitable. Windows blown out, roofs ripped off and one of the restaurants completely destroyed.

All other travel companies stated at once, that the hotel was out of commision and offered their clients alternative holidays or a refund.

1st choice continued to give out statements that everyone booked through them would be travelling as arranged.

This was obviously a lie.

For myself and the people I was travelling with the timing didn%26#39;t matter too much although it would have been better to be given some time to re-arrange our holiday but for some , the 1st choice action was really bad.

One party had their wedding arranged at the hotel and a party of nineteen people travelling , just for that event.

1st choice repeatedly, told them that the holiday and wedding would go ahead as arranged.

They kept this charade going right up to the last possible minute . I think there was a legal time of 48 hours when they had to tell the truth and offer alternatives and they ran every individual case right to the wire before backing down.

Obviously, they didn%26#39;t want anyone to have the time to arrange a different holiday with another agent . They wanted everyone to be locked in to their alternative holiday offers.

When we were finally offered an alternative , 48 hours before flying, we accepted but on arrival , realised again , that 1st choice had lied to us about the quality and what was available at the alternative hotel.

So, 1st Choice .?

Last choice for me. Don%26#39;t forget, they are there to make money. Most companies with any sort of sensible management realise that keeping the customers happy brings them back again.

In that Cuban fiasco there were thousands of holiday makers all swearing never to use 1st choice again.

I would use them, but only to obtain a cheap, discounted fare if they had any going when I wanted to travel.

You can see the upset this episode caused people by searching back through the Cuba forum. That%26#39;ll give you an idea of how 1st choice operate.

I reckon, relating to Yala, they think it%26#39;s a selling point for their trip so again, they%26#39;ll be taking bookings and only changing the itinery at the latest possibly moment.

Rod.

First Choice

Thanks Rod i think you have hit the nail on the head, visiting Yala would have been great but if im truthful the main reason we are going is to stay in Jetwing Beach, but it wont stop a letter of complaint going to 1st choice when we get back. We should know better last year we travelled to Costa Rica with them and although the tour we did was fantastic the hotel was dirty and not the class we had paid for, but we did get some compensation. we swore never to travel with them again but the travel market is now so sewn up with very little choice for the consumer, so here we go again but i have researched the hotel throughly and i know we will have a fantastic time in SL. TWO WEEKS TO GO!!

Have a look at the other threads/topics on here (and elsewhere) about ';anybody other than First Choice or Thomsons';.

I would not go with First Choice again after what they have fone this year, cancelling flights ( or rather not cancelling or informing) read the threads on the waikkal forum. I would not believe a word they say

Good Luck

lois

sorry what they ahve done this year