ASK TONY: We were promised £40 for being bumped out of our hotel - but Thomson won't pay up
In May, my wife and I travelled to Tenerife on a Thomson holiday. Our hotel was overbooked and we were transferred to an alternative for one night. The representative said we would receive £40 compensation per adult, which would be paid on our return.
When the money didn’t arrive, I wrote to Thomson customer services on May 27. I did not receive a reply. I then contacted the booking office and was told it usually takes two months for compensation to be paid.
I have made numerous phone calls, written letters and sent emails, but I still do not have the money. A. B., Northampton.
Overbooked: Thomas Cook took months to compensate our readers
Here we are in early autumn and, once again, complaints about holiday companies have started to arrive. Yours is typical. A promise is made while you’re on holiday. It would have been simple to fulfil - yet, instead, you have been given the runaround.
It’s not only your time that is wasted, but Thomson’s, through the hideously poor customer service that you have endured.
The letter you received from Thomson really sums up the lack of attention to detail. You had written to complain that you had not received the promised compensation. Thomson sent back a letter thanking you for the positive feedback and saying it was ‘great to hear that you are pleased with the service we are providing’.
That letter came from the director’s office! I’m pleased to say you finally have your compensation, and Thomson has added £50 in holiday vouchers. Though whether you would actually want to go on holiday with them again is, I suppose, questionable. Thomson apologises and blames an ‘administrative error’.
Why, when I use my credit or debit card for transactions abroad, is the fee always a percentage rather than a fixed cost? This is fine for smaller purchases, but seems a lot if you were to spend £1,000. J. W., Surrey.
You use a Lloyds debit card, which charges on purchases. This is very common. The Halifax Clarity credit card has no charge on overseas spending, and there is no fee for using ATMs abroad either.
Do all small energy suppliers require you to pay by monthly direct debit and manage your account online? A.B., Rochdale
No. Some, such as Co-Operative Energy, Ecotricity, Ebico, Green Star and First Utility allow you to pay quarterly on receipt of bill by cash or cheque.
I’ve been offered a company car which runs on diesel. Will I have to pay more tax on it as a benefit in kind compared to a car using petrol? S. J., Hereford.
Since 2002, a sliding scale has been in place on company car benefit in kind, depending on the car’s CO2. Historically, there has been a 3 per cent surcharge for diesel company cars on most CO2 emission bands.
This means, when working out how much tax is to be paid, diesel drivers have always paid more. For example, on a typical petrol car with 105-109 CO2g/km, the benefit in kind is 14 per cent; for a diesel car with the same emissions, it’s 17 per cent. However, this 3 per cent surcharge is set to disappear by 2016 because diesel engines are getting cleaner.
The cheapest quote my husband and I could find for car cover was £320 from Direct Line. But I’ve just seen that by paying by direct debit each month will cost us at least 10 per cent more. Is this a scam? H. D., Hove.
No and the higher charge isn’t exclusive to Direct Line; it’s common to all car cover. Choosing to pay monthly effectively means the insurer is loaning money to you to cover the cost of its own insurance. This allows them to charge hefty rates of interest. If you can pay the lump sum up front, though, you’ll avoid this. Or if you have a 0 per cent credit card and can afford the repayments, you could pay for the insurance without paying a penny in interest.
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