An agent has de-racked TUI’s specialist brands Magic Travel Group, Crystal Holidays and Simply Travel and is demanding compensation after a litany of errors with bookings.
TUI has admitted technical problems integrating back-office systems are to blame for the errors that Select World Travel in Great Malvern, Worcestershire, claims has cost hundreds of pounds in phone calls, lost time and administration over the past six months.
Director Lee Harrison is angry some operators are quick to demand administration charges from agents for their errors but not recompense agents for their mistakes.
“Why is it independent operators will bend over backwards to avoid administration charges but the major operators won’t?” he said.
Errors TUI has made include increasing deposits without warning, sending daily confirmation invoices for some holidays and none for others, withdrawing wrong amounts from the agency’s account and giving late notice to customers when properties become full or unavailable.
TUI sales and marketing director Miles Morgan was apologetic.
“We hold our hands up. We are aware we have got issues because our biggest customer is actually our own agents.
“In this particular instance we have done everything we possibly can to redeem the situation including contacting the customers directly ourselves to say it’s nothing to do with their agent.”