Do not use vouchers for Thomson/First Choice until you read this!

Hi

I hope someone can help clear up a very confusing situation.

My partner and I booked a holiday with First Choice at the beginning of this year (we booked on-line) for our honeymoon.

As with all holidays, we have to settle the full balance 12 weeks prior to the holiday (i.e. 3 months before our wedding & honeymoon).

Instead of wedding gifts, we have instead asked our friends & family for holiday vouchers as I was told, by 2 different First Choice reps via their booking line that the vouchers could be redeemed against a holiday booking, despite the holiday already being paid in full, i.e. they send a cheque to reimburse.

Today, at a wedding fair, Thomson reps told us this was no longer valid and instead they use http://thomson.honeyfund.com/ - whereby, any vouchers received after paying the balance in full, can only be used to 'enhance' the existing booking otherwise they must be used to contribute to a new holiday - i.e. under this scheme they cannot be redeemed.

So I called First Choice today, the 1st person I spoke to told me they can be redeemed, but only at the discretion of the branch manager (despite me explaining it wasn't booked at a branch & I was told prior to booking it WAS possible).

So I called First Choice again to speak to a different person, who told me the Thomson reps were talking nonsense, of course you can use the vouchers, but only if you have the correct voucher - when I pressed what do you mean by correct voucher, they said it must be a voucher that can be used against Internet bookings. I asked if this is different to the 'standard' voucher - I was told they didn't know(!) - is there more than 1 type of voucher? They didn't know.

My partner then called First Choice for now the third time today, to be told someone else again that they didn't know if vouchers could or could be redeemed and to phone the on-line support team, whoever they are.  

So we dialled the number for the on-line support team to get a recorded message saying they were closed.

So all in all this is turning into a very frustrating experience.

It so happens we have a voucher, and it says it can be redeemed in the manner we expected, but only for Thomson, latedeals or Portland holidays - nothing about First Choice! So the person who bought the voucher initially has been mis-sold it as they requested a voucher that can be used against a First Choice booking!

This link http://www.thomson.co.uk/editorial/features/gift-cards/thomson-gift-cards.html clearly states that 'Where can I spend my gift card?
You can redeem your gift card online at thomson.co.uk or firstchoice.co.uk, or use it in any Thomson or First Choice shop or superstore.' - I can't see anywhere on the First Choice website where you can redeem gift cards (and you can't do it when you manage your booking either) - I know this isn't vouchers, but the same principle applies - all the information is confusing and misleading.

I think you will agree this is farcical & I would urge anybody reading this who is in the same situation to urgently contact the relevant travel agent & I would urge anybody who was thinking of going down the voucher route to seriously think again.

My partner will be calling the on-line team tomorrow, if that proves fruitless we'll be visiting a branch and if that proves fruitless we will be demanding a full refund of monies paid thus far.

Unless anyone here can unequivocally set the record straight?

HI, i dont have any advice im afraid but how did u get on with first choice?

My partner and I are asking our guest's (wedding and reception) for money towards the honeymoon. I spoke to Thompson, who said they were setting up the honeyfund and to ring back a few weeks later. I rang back and still no one had a clue and had to ring back again a few weeks later, again they werent sure and eventually rang back today, after looking at the website about the honeyfund and feeling really confused about it. You have to go online and both register and you get a gift card. Guests can pay money onto the card via internet or go into Thompson holidays or First Choice. But the money goes towards gifts for the holiday, not the holiday itself, but then it says it can be used for the holiday and what ever is left over can be redeemed against a holiday upto 2 years after the card is set up. Feeling confused I phoned up Thompson and the lady was really unsure, tbh and was not clear. Apparently the card can used for both but then only for gifts only. We will defo be steering clear of the gift card and they dont seem to have a clue at Thompson.

Hi

To follow up my original post.

I made several frustrating calls to First Choice/Thomson.  On each occasion I was provided with a different answer, none of which were useful.  Sometimes I was provided with a different number to call, only to be told it's the incorrect number.  Sometimes I was transferred to a different department, you've guessed it, they can't help either.  On each occasion I had to explain the whole scenario, which was very tiresome!  Oh on one occasion I was advised to send an e-mail, response time 2 weeks!  We also visited 2 x First Choice branches, they were not interested in helping in the slightest.

After refusing to deal with Call Centre and any associated departments and after a great deal of complaining, I eventually spoke to someone who in turn liaised with the Finance Department. Their advice was that due to there being several different voucher types (and more than one scheme), in order for the vouchers to be applied retrospectively, the vouchers have to specifically state they can be redeemed against a First Choice holiday.  I am still waiting to be told exactly which vouchers this includes.

So from the outset I was misinformed about the voucher scheme and since then it has been nothing but a royal pain in the butt - the training of the staff/awareness of the voucher schemes is absolutely appalling.

We may end up binning the voucher idea altogether (for our sanity) and of that of our guests.  You can imagine the scenario for someone wishing to buy a voucher at the travel agent; "I need a voucher, but it must be this specific voucher, and it must say this", and so forth - it really shouldn't be this difficult!  I suspect the Travel Agent would only get it wrong anyway, as all of my dealings with Tui have proven their staff are woefully under-trained in this area.

Again, the "Honey Fund" scheme is ill though-out; you can use the honey fund to contribute to the cost of your holiday, 'extras' for your holiday or a completely different holiday altogether!  I think it is fairly realistic to say that most people honeymoon immediately or soon after their wedding - so this means that no you cannot use the honey fund to contribute to the cost of your honeymoon as you have to settle the balance 2.5 months before your honeymoon!

Also final warning, some vouchers and gift cards (and the honey fund scheme too) only apply to certain types of holiday, e.g. the honey fund gift card "is not applicable online for Thomson Ski, Thomson Lakes, Thomson Worldwide or First Choice Ski".

My advice would be to swerve Tui big time and book your honeymoon with someone else. Their scheme(s) are a complete mess & quite frankly, someone else who does it properly deserves the business. I know I would if I could do it over again.

WOW, thank you for the warning.  It was only this evening that we were saying that holiday vouchers would be ideal!!

Have you spoken to Trading Standards?  May well be worth it if not!

Puddycat:

WOW, thank you for the warning.  It was only this evening that we were saying that holiday vouchers would be ideal!!

Have you spoken to Trading Standards?  May well be worth it if not!

Or Watchdog?