Pool refund

[TommyB]

First time user so be gentle with me Just returned from 2 weeks at Lake Berkeley, only one gripe [msnsad] Arrived on the Saturday and sometime on Tuesday we had a power failure, back from the parks to find no lights,freezer defrosted etc. Rang the management company (Florida Gold) who told me where the circuit breakers were so I could re-set them. So far so good [msnwink] BUT and here's the downside, the power failuire knocked the pool heating out of sync which meant the heater was going like crazy overnight (until 5 AM) but then the pool cooled down drastically during the day. Didnt get this resolved until the following Monday despite 2 phone calls a day to FG. TCD refered me to FG for a refund on the 5 days pool heating I didnt enjoy and FG referred me to TCD. Who can I get my money back from ? Lady from FG even had the cheek to say that we DID have pool heating, just becasue it wasnt on during a period we could use the pool wasnt her fault ![msnmad] Any suggestions please ?

[huckleberry house]

Unfortunately when you rent from a large company such as TCD and these events happen you have very little comeback, I can only suggest that you consider booking from a private owner next time who will care a little more for their guests and would have ensured that your heating was reinstated so a refund wouldnt have been necessary.

Lesley

[TommyB]

Thanks Lesley, maybe the next booking will have to be a pick n'mix rather than the whole package from one source. I thought everyone on this site was in some way connected to TCD, obviously I was wrong [msnembarrased]

[blott]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by TommyB
Thanks Lesley, maybe the next booking will have to be a pick n'mix rather than the whole package from one source. I thought everyone on this site was in some way connected to TCD, obviously I was wrong [msnembarrased][/quote]Good heavens no, none of us are connected to TCD! [confused]

All the homes offered on this website are privately owned and you'll get to arrange your booking personally with the owner of the home you're renting who will not only have a wealth of knowledge about Florida but also their Florida home.

I would assume that, if you paid for the pool heating direct with TCD, then it would be them who were responsible for looking into your complaint about the pool heating. Let us know how you get on or if you need any help.

Hope you enjoyed the rest of your holiday in Florida and do post your trip report and to find your next Florida home to rent.

[huckleberry house]

No Tommy, in fact the opposite, we are a group of independent owners offering our villas privately for rental ( the only way to rent my home is from me for example )and the forum owners also offer highly competitive flights,car hire and theme park tickets so it is very easy to put your own package together and I would certainly recommend it.Good luck with TCD.


Lesley

[ellie]

Hi Tommy

Sorry to hear about your problems. As a villa owner I would be extremely upset with my MC for not dealing with this promptly and efficiently. There is no excuse for it not to have been dealt with on the day you reported it - and I know that our Management Company would have been there within a very short space of time.

Unfortunately, TommyB, Travel City Direct acquire a large number of villas from gullible villa owners at absurdly low prices which may seem like a great bargain at the time, but when anything goes wrong you are on your own.

I really will have to re-itereate the advice that has been given so frequently on here - if you choose a villa from one of the sites above you will have an owner who takes pride in their home, and who really wants you to enjoy your holiday. Therefore, if something goes wrong, and let's face it, anyone can have a power cut, you will always be able to speak directly to the villa owner, (and their more efficient MC) who I am sure will pull out all the stops to put things right.

As far as TCD goes, they offer bargain basement deals, hammer their villa owners into the ground with the paltry rentals they give them, and when something goes wrong they will pass the buck.

If you had been in my villa, I know that my MC would have done everything possible to sort this small problem out, as would I. If Florida Gold were my management company they would be my EX-management company after an incident like yours. There is no excuse for them not to have come out and changed the pool heater settings for you - and they SHOULD have done so. It is a simple matter, and one which could be rectified quickly and easily.

I am so sorry to hear about the bad experience you have had - hope it did not spoil your holiday too much - but if you go again, then take the advice above and try one of the villas on this site. We all take pride in our villas and the service we give to our guests.

Personally, we know that it takes a considerable amount of money to look after and maintain a villa to the highest standards, and if you are getting a cheap villa then something has to 'give'. You may not find that the bargain was worth it in the end, and as your holiday accommodation is central to your enjoyment, then it is worth every penny to find the right villa. The old saying, 'you get what you pay for' is true for villas too!


Hope you have better luck next time!

[caroline]

Why did you think we were connected with TCD?
To my knowledge nobody on this site has anything to do with them at all

[Lynnes]

Oh I hope this didn't spoil your holiday too much. As a private owner I am sure that we and other owners on this site would have refunded your money if we couldn't have fixed the problem sooner.

[Southsider]

I spoke to someone yesterday that has booked a 'package deal' with Thomas Cook for next June, there are seven of them in the party and they charged them 'extra' to upgrade to a 4bed villa. Including Park tickets they are paying nearly £8,000. People that do not know about this site are missing out on really good deals.

Tricia

[janny]

Tommy sorry to hear of your problem but as others have found before you the big cpmpanies sometimes do not give the personal service a private owenr can-however thta does not address your problem .TCD terms state

17.OUR LIABILITY We accept responsibility for ensuring that your holiday arrangements are supplied as confirmed to you in your confirmation invoice. If you have a justified complaint and have followed the complaints procedure in section 13 then we will pay you reasonable compensation if the enjoyment of your holiday has been affected. We accept responsibility for the acts and/or omissions of our employees, agents, and suppliers except where they lead to death, injury or illness. Our liability in all such cases shall be limited to a maximum of 3 times the holiday price.



Now I am not a legal eagle but I would argue your holiday WAS affected by not havimg a heated pool through no fault of your own.I would review your terms and conditons you signed and follow their proceedure as they state sounds like they're trying to wriggleout of things .