A travel agent who lost clients to the internet when he was undercut on price won them back when they needed his service.
Kitts Travel director Andrew Rowdon from Pinner in Middlesex said he had originally organised a group booking of 28 customers for a wedding in Cuba through Thomas Cook. He then lost nearly half the bookings as members of the group were offered savings of £200 when they booked online, even after their deposits were lost.
However, they soon returned to Rowdon when the group’s hotel was virtually destroyed during Hurricane Ike last month, leaving them desperate to find an alternative venue for the wedding.
He said: “The group were due to go away in the half-term holiday so we had to move pretty quickly to secure them alternative accommodation.
“Those that had booked with Thomas Cook online were given full refunds but were told they wouldn’t be helped in re-booking.”
Instead, Rowdon was able to re-book the defectors into a new property he had found for the group, although it cost them £130 more than the price the rest of the group paid as he made the bookings later.
Rowdon said: “I think those customers have probably learnt their lesson. It might be cheaper sometimes to book online but there are pitfalls that go with it.”
A Thomas Cook spokesman said: “At Thomas Cook we pride ourselves on offering excellent customer service both on and offline.
“All customers whose bookings to Cuba were affected by Hurricane Ike were contacted and all members of the Kitts Travel party – including those who originally booked online – were offered the opportunity to book another holiday or receive a full refund.”