We've received an email from independent agent www.sunshine.co.uk about some of the most absurd complaints they have received...what are yours?
One lady’s plane journey was a disappointment because the sky was too cloudy; obstructing both her and her children’s view of the sea and ruining their plans for eye-spy.
Having landed at the airport in Portugal from Cardiff, one complaint was made from a family who had not been told that it would be so sunny and therefore they were too ‘hot and sweaty’ in their travel clothes.
When collecting suitcases from the airport conveyor belt, a gentleman was annoyed that so many other people also had plain black suitcases and he could therefore not distinguish which case was his.
Most people are eager for the travelling to end and the holiday to begin, but for one couple the 20 minute transfer time was worthy of a complaint as they were unable to see the sites of the Island.
When arriving at the hotel and unloading their cases, one lady noticed that her shampoo had leaked over her clothing and then, to her disgust, the hotel provided complimentary shampoo and so the whole incident was very preventable.
During a day trip to a local theme park, one woman complained that the Log Flume ride made her feet wet and that the ice cream from a particular shop melted too quickly in the sun.
Another couple complained about the children’s entertainment at their resort; it was too good and therefore the children did not want to spend any time with mum and dad.
Luckily, for some mum’s and dad’s this means peace and quiet and some sneaky cocktails beside the pool. However, one family claim that they were unaware how strong the cocktails were and ended up a little worse for wear in the early afternoon.
A Client on Thomson Holiday Complained that the reps are not in the hotel everyday as they used to be. After explaining that they can be contacted by asking recption to contact them, The clients felt disgusted that the reps were not at their beck and call in the hotel 24 hours.
I recently had a complaint from a lady who said " the sand was too hot in Maspalomas and it burnt my feet"
She wanted to know why she wasnt told to wear anything on her feet at the beach in the middle of August!!!!
As a tour leader in Egypt I had quite a serious complaint from a passenger accusing the company and myself of endangering her health by exposing her to carcinogenic materials. The offending material that was putting her life at risk?
A glacier cherry on top of a bowl of ice cream served by the hotel! True story!
Client complaining that the microwave oven in his cabin is not working. Staff told him there were no microwave ovens in the cabins. He insisted he had one and was not working: he was talking about the safe box.
I hate to admit this but my dad complained that they didn't have Tetley teabags when in Spain for the first time.
Talking of tea..
I was in Corfu about 20 years ago in a resort fairly new to tourism, and a woman on the table next to me at breakfast said to the waiter - "Just so that you know for the future dear, your teapots are simply not big enough for the British"!!
Ive seen and heard plenty of crackers as holiday reps for my travel and first choice.
some of the best are people complaining to me in italy "there's too many foreigners here"
others ive heard are when i was at my travel when it rained once in sorrento italy "ill never travel with my travel again because when i go with Thomsons it never rains with them" , The hotel I was working in was also for thomsons guests and the woman booked with them and the week she was there it rained everyday, but year before it rained heavily for 30 minutes.
ive had one couple complain they werent told they would need suncream when they arrived in marjorca
another complained about the the cost of an sandwich at marks and spencers in gatwick airport telling me there cheaper at gatwick airport with thomas cook when i a first choice rep in rhodes
another complained that the when she found a bar in zante that they shown coranation street 2 hours late and she couldnt sleep because she was up later than usual (not relising greece was 2 hours ahead of UK so it was shown at the correct time in UK)
i could go on for hours with this, when you work in a resort sometimes these complaints actually cheer you up
Haha sometimes it's laughable, this last holiday I had in Corfu at a 2 * All Inclusive Hotel (granted not luxurious, but why would a 2* be?) Everyone was just complaining that the all inclusive bar closed at half 9 at night even though it stated in every single brochure. TUT TUT!
Being in the travel business makes us so tolerant on our holidays haha!
Before I had to give up working, I used to work in coach tours...often as courier/driver on charter work.
I had a professional complainer on the coach...my first and thankfully last encounter with one (in the workplace, at least...I encountered one last year whilst cruising and tipped off the cruise ship crew and the person concerned was dealt with).
My one and only was a lady from Southampton. We had been chartered to do a 7 night trip to Weston Super Mare. I pulled into the station and the moment I saw this woman, something inside screamed 'trouble'.
I got off the coach, clipboard in hand and went to open the boot ready for suitcases. The woman marched up...'Old coach then'...(2 years old, OK, if you say so, I thought). I took her case and placed it in the boot and she got onto the coach...'Full of old fogies then'....(my heart started to sink)...and so it continued all the way to WSM...every opportunity to whinge...she did so, in high volume.
Arrived at the hotel, unloaded everyone and bags & I went into the office to deal with the paperwork before finally settling down for evening meal.
'Hotel's a bit tatty & old then'...that voice boomed over the music being played in the bar. Evening meal came....'Beef's a bit tough then'....(oh God, beam me up Scotty).
Breakfast greeted me with two of my party in tears and 'Noisy lot then'...followed by...'could you just pop into the office a mo, please?'
First night...2 matresses not up to par, one telly too loud, coffee too strong, kettle took too long to boil...oh and the ones in the next room flushed their loo too many times and kept moaning minnie awake at 7am.
By the 2nd day I had contacted the charter firm since no matter what I did, nothing was putting this woman in peaceful happy mode. They took note of what had happened, spoke to the hotel who backed my accounts up and told me to take her to one side and have quiet word.
Day 3 and I had a potential mutiny...no-one in the party wanted to go anywhere if moaning minnie was going too. So contacted charterer...was given the option to offload her with firm's total backing.
Day 4, a couple had got chummy with her to see what she was up to...seems she had done this with other coach companies for 5 years, got freebees & refunds etc...BINGO!...rang charterer once again...offload and she is banned for life.
Day 5 & 6 were free days so on day 5 I offered to take everyone down into town since it was raining for some shopping...as expected she wanted to go too, so I dropped her first and took my chance. I took her to one side, read her the riot act very politely to the effect of behave or find your own way home and oh by the way you are banned. She pleaded innocence etc. Didn't wash with me at all since I had lots of evidence by this time.
The day we were all due to return home, she left a really nasty note on my breakfast table and took herself off the coach...and everyone else cheered as she walked to the station in WSM and made her own way home.
She did try to claim back the holiday cost and train fare but never got anything apart from a lifetime ban in writing.
AllyJ123 - that is hilarious, can't believe she behaved like that! It was good to read how you dealt with her.
Emily, sadly there are ALOT of professional complainers around, most companies just pay up and keep them sweet but nowadays they are finally getting wise to them and not being quite so easy targets.
Last year Royal Caribbean & Princess banned a couple from the US for the same sort of behaviour as the woman on my coach....the wife was the main player, she would take blacklights with her to check for stains on sheets, get on hands & knees to check under the bed for dust bunnies, embelish minor irritations such as the occasional whiff of sewage into a full on cabin flood etc. She would go onto discussion boards and sing the praises of the cruise but at the same time write stinking complaint letters to the cruise lines on how their cruise was ruined etc etc.
In the UK companies such as the one I was chartered for, have databases now for bad clients and they refuse to take them...and too right. These people need to be stopped cos they ruin it for others, not just the others who have to put up with the tantrums when on holiday but those with genuine complaints are often sidelined and not believed cos companies have heard it all before and are tired of handing out refunds etc...and who can blame them and how can they tell a legitimate claim from one that is frankly a pack of embelished lies?
The knock-on effect to all of us...both in the business and the client is that we all pay higher prices, we all have to go through more red tape in the off chance of problems. I was so pleased a week later when on another charter for the same coach firm I had a call from them to confirm that the woman had indeed still claimed a full refund plus compensation and been flatly refused. At last companies are getting tough with these people...and tour operators, hoteliers, airlines, cruise lines need to get the evidence against them and use it against them, stop paying them to keep them sweet and get rid of them.
Incidently the one on Costa Allegra last year, he was an Aussie who was targetting single female guests on board and running the ship & company down and telling others how to get refunds. I overheard him and then watched him a while. had words with the crew who already had their suspicions and he was found out and banned from CCL Australia ships after he had pulled similar stunts on P&O Australia too.
Yes, I agree that it is only fair that travel companies clamp down on this sort of behaviour. I would be interested to hear from other agents - have you had any difficult customers who you now refuse to deal with?
No kidding, I have just come across this on TripAdvisor - a real quote from a customer review of the Marina Pax Hotel in Magalluf:
"We did had a nice view from the balcony but the sun was not there at night."
No sun at night, whatever next!
These tales are all so familiar, my husband works in a two star hotel in Mallorca and every summer comes home with some of the most ridiculous complaints ever. I am so looking forward to hearing his tales of woe come May when the hotel reopens but he of course is dreading all the whinging and moaning. One lady spent the whole holiday complaining that it was too wet aroud the pool area....hello what do you expect with water!
I sent a customer on a cruise and they came back and complained about everything. When the husband said that the coach was late, my jaw dropped. At this point his wife said , well the coach was there but we had to wait for other passengers to get on!!!!!!!! Well you were offered private transfers but they are not free.
Can someone wave a magic wand for the consumers to realise that £99 all inclusive does not exist and 7 night luxury fly cruises to med or Carribean are not available for £299 or so. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh