My wife and I just concluded a Japan tour with Thomas Cook. The trip was OK but the trip was not as was marketed to us. The sales officers of Thomas Cook tell the whole pile of lies and are good at short term marketing but harm long term interests of Thomas Cook. We are both over 70 years. We had sought a laid back trip and were told that Thomas Cook had 3 categories of tours and what was being offered to us was the highest category and it would be laid back tour starting at 9 and ending by 6 pm every day. In Japan, the tour manager said that there was only one category of the tour to Japan. The time of travel every day was wake up call at 6, breakfast at 7 departure at 8 and at a hotel by 930 to 10 pm every day. It was taxing at our age and this is not what we had asked for.
We were told that instead of flying with a change over at either KL or some other airport we could choose Air India as a direct flight of 6.5 hours. We agreed and paid extra for it. The flight DEL to Narita was direct but the return flight was via Hong Kong and a 14-hour flight on the same seat. We did not bargain for this and felt cheated.
Flight booking made by Thomas Cook does not give the option to the customer to choose the seats. To our horror my wife got seat 28 E and I got 32 E both middle seats and we did not get seats together. When we informed this to the tour manager we were told that why did we not fight with the airlines as they should give the couples two seats together. He did not admit a fault by Thomas Cook.
As per the brochure we were asked to pay tips at the rate of 5$ per person per day. However, on the last day we had to walk across the hotel to the air terminal - no bus no guide and no tour manager. We do not understand the basis of the tips for the last day. Total Cheating Thomas Cook.
As per the tour programme, there was to be a cruise on the lake near Mt Fuji. This was not in the actual tour. So what is sold in not provided for on the tour?
We liked the trip because of Japan and the attitude of the people there but not because of Thomas Cook.
We have been traveling every year since 2003 and with primarily 2 other travel agencies and we chose Thomas Cook this time but NEVER NEVER AGAIN. THEY HAVE GOOD MARKETING SKILLS BUT ARE LIARS AND CHEATS.