AVOID! You pay - & then you have to pay again! No refunds!

Holiday Gems - www.holidaygems.co.uk
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JacquelineOliver's review of Holiday Gems - www.holidaygems.co.uk

“AVOID! You pay - and then you have to pay again! No...”

★☆☆☆☆

written by JacquelineOliver on 20/02/2019

Avoid this company at all costs! I booked a holiday and paid about £1250 on a credit card. Half an hour later I received a call from an agent saying that the price had gone up and if I still wanted the holiday I would have to pay an additional £500! He said that their prices are not 'live' prices. The small print states 'All prices on this site are subject to availability and may change frequently. Prices are based on regularly updated feeds from our brokers, suppliers, operators and airlines. When you place an order you are confirming that you wish to book at the stated order price. Should we not be able to confirm your arrangements, no monies are ever debited from your payment type'. THIS IS NOT TRUE. Money IS debited from your payment type. I asked for a refund and he said that I would have to wait 72 hours and then a further seven days before I would receive a refund. I was not very happy (understandably) but he just said that there was nothing he could do. I said that legally Holiday Gems made an offer at a certain price, I accepted that offer and that by paying the stated price we had a contract. He then backtracked and said that Holiday Gems didn't have the money - it was in a 'holding account' - and so therefore there was no contract? We had been looking at holidays for a while and comparing prices. I had looked at some reviews of Holiday Gems and they warned of hidden costs but their price was the most competitive. But the price you see (and then pay) is not the price that you actually end up paying. Note also that you cannot add bags to your booking until after you have paid and some reviews state that Holiday Gems charge £70 per bag, each way, even though the airline itself only charges £25 so for two bags, that's an extra £240 to Holiday Gems when it should only be £100. It was a last minute booking, departing five days from the booking day, so we had no choice but to pay the extra as the refund would not come in time to pay another company. The customer service line charges you 10p per minute plus network charges and keeps you on hold for a very long time. We did speak to another person who is extremely polite, efficient and helpful - but she could not do anything about the situation. She is the only good thing about this company. In my opinion she would be a great asset to a reputable travel company. She really tried to help us but was limited by company rules. I would advise anyone thinking about booking with this company NOT TO DO SO until you have spoken to someone who guarantees the actual price. I will be seeking advice as to whether the way they operate is even legal. For info, this was for a holiday to the Serenity Fun City hotel in Hurghada, departing 25th February 2019 for one week and flying with TUI (Thomson) airlines.

E2112's Response to JacquelineOliver's Review

Written on: 21/02/2019

Exactly the same thing happened to my son yesterday evening - the conversation seems to be word-for-word identical! When I tried to contact on his behalf, I was advised that, although he had paid AND had confirmation, this wasn't really confirmation but an 'order'. So, everyone, next time you place an order on Amazon or suchlike, then pay - I'm guessing they can contact you to say you owe an extra tenner on your item as the price 'is not live'? No, of course not!
They then said they couldn't speak to me as I wasn't the lead on the booking. I was told, however, that online prices are not live, and can be 'a couple of days behind' - was told to always book over the phone for a true price. Funny how it doesn't advise that anywhere on the website??
He has been given the option to cancel but, like yourself, told that a refund can take up to 5 working days but 'may be quicker'. So even though their website states payment will not be taken until the customer has confirmed they are happy with any price changes, why has circa £1500 been debited from my son's account? His first holiday with just this mates and he paid for them all to make it easier for the company - oh, the irony! When he stated he wished to cancel, the female then tried to sell him holidays of a less duration to match the original price given!

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