Thomas Cook

[TigerTedd]

Am I missing something about this story? I don't really understand why Thomas Cook are the bad guys here. 

The facts as I understand them:

1) The family bought the holiday from Thomas Cook acting as a travel agent for a hotel in Corfu.  

2) The hotel had signed up to Thonas Cook's standards saying they adhered to all local health sand safety regulations. 

3) The hotel lied, they weren't adhering to health and safety regulations, the children died. 

4) Thomas Cook took the hotel to court, as did the family. Both were awarded a sum of money. 

5) The family decide it's all Thinas Cook's fault and they'll never forgive them until they give a sincere apology. 

My my take on that:

Why should Thomas Cook apologise for that? What exactly are they apologising for? If I buy a BA flight from the Coop, and the flight crashes, I blame BA, not the Coop. The coop recommended the flight, but how were they to know BA would use a plane with a missing engine?

Why are the family coming after Thomad Cook at all?

is it just because Thomas Cook got more money than them? Blame the court, not Thomas Cook. 

The only thing I can think is that Thomas Cook could have been a bit more sensitive about the situation. Of course it's tragic and the parents must be beyond despair. This should be acknowledged.

But I understand why TC would be guarded. I don't get, though, why they would have been put in a position where they would need to feel guarded or under threat. 

But maybe I've missed something. Perhaps Thomas Cook himself cut the gas hose and ice not read that but of the story. Help me out here. 

[uttoxram75]

Its all right being rational about it until you've lost your 2 little kids.

No winners here.

 

I suppose a company as big as TC could have handed their compensation over to the family or to a charity of the family's choice maybe?

The positive media reaction would more than see TC raite but it might set a precedent if the travel agent does royally fck up one day in the future.

[LesterRam]

I can't comment im related to this bloke lol, my missus did the family tree and she tracked it back to him so i'm trying this next time i book my hols

[EastKentRam]

Am I missing something about this story? I don't really understand why Thomas Cook are the bad guys here. 

The facts as I understand them:

1) The family bought the holiday from Thomas Cook acting as a travel agent for a hotel in Corfu.  

2) The hotel had signed up to Thonas Cook's standards saying they adhered to all local health sand safety regulations. 

3) The hotel lied, they weren't adhering to health and safety regulations, the children died. 

4) Thomas Cook took the hotel to court, as did the family. Both were awarded a sum of money. 

5) The family decide it's all Thinas Cook's fault and they'll never forgive them until they give a sincere apology. 

My my take on that:

Why should Thomas Cook apologise for that? What exactly are they apologising for? If I buy a BA flight from the Coop, and the flight crashes, I blame BA, not the Coop. The coop recommended the flight, but how were they to know BA would use a plane with a missing engine?

Why are the family coming after Thomad Cook at all?

is it just because Thomas Cook got more money than them? Blame the court, not Thomas Cook. 

The only thing I can think is that Thomas Cook could have been a bit more sensitive about the situation. Of course it's tragic and the parents must be beyond despair. This should be acknowledged.

But I understand why TC would be guarded. I don't get, though, why they would have been put in a position where they would need to feel guarded or under threat. 

But maybe I've missed something. Perhaps Thomas Cook himself cut the gas hose and ice not read that but of the story. Help me out here. 

​You could argue Thomas Cook should have better procedures and checks in place to ensure hotels they're using are adhering to regulations.

I understand your point and dont know the ins and outs of the situations so could be wrong, but Thomas Cook are effectively vouching for this hotel. 

Thomas Cook have given half their compo to UNICEF, with the other half covering legal costs I think.

[Rev]

Am I missing something about this story? I don't really understand why Thomas Cook are the bad guys here. 

The facts as I understand them:

1) The family bought the holiday from Thomas Cook acting as a travel agent for a hotel in Corfu.  

2) The hotel had signed up to Thonas Cook's standards saying they adhered to all local health sand safety regulations. 

3) The hotel lied, they weren't adhering to health and safety regulations, the children died. 

4) Thomas Cook took the hotel to court, as did the family. Both were awarded a sum of money. 

5) The family decide it's all Thinas Cook's fault and they'll never forgive them until they give a sincere apology. 

My my take on that:

Why should Thomas Cook apologise for that? What exactly are they apologising for? If I buy a BA flight from the Coop, and the flight crashes, I blame BA, not the Coop. The coop recommended the flight, but how were they to know BA would use a plane with a missing engine?

Why are the family coming after Thomad Cook at all?

is it just because Thomas Cook got more money than them? Blame the court, not Thomas Cook. 

The only thing I can think is that Thomas Cook could have been a bit more sensitive about the situation. Of course it's tragic and the parents must be beyond despair. This should be acknowledged.

But I understand why TC would be guarded. I don't get, though, why they would have been put in a position where they would need to feel guarded or under threat. 

But maybe I've missed something. Perhaps Thomas Cook himself cut the gas hose and ice not read that but of the story. Help me out here. 

Simple really, do the firm you work for undertake to perform work to a certain standard? 

If so, you will be audited against those standards, both independently and by your customers, as happens with ISO, as would be the case with Thomas Cook.

In which case, it's Thomas Cooks responsibility to ensure those standards were upheld, not just take the hotels word for it. 

A major part of the brochure is the sell on standards, particularly on safety, why take the side of a multi national over a grieving family, should they have packed a co2 testing kit alongside their suncream?

 

[Rev]

I can't comment im related to this bloke lol, my missus did the family tree and she tracked it back to him so i'm trying this next time i book my hols

You're related to a bloke who lost his two kids through no fault of his own (lol), and see this as a reason to get a discount, nice work fella.

[TigerTedd]

You're related to a bloke who lost his two kids through no fault of his own (lol), and see this as a reason to get a discount, nice work fella.

No, he's related to Thomas Cook. FFS. Even I got that. 

(He was originally from Leicester). 

[TigerTedd]

Simple really, do the firm you work for undertake to perform work to a certain standard? 

If so, you will be audited against those standards, both independently and by your customers, as happens with ISO, as would be the case with Thomas Cook.

In which case, it's Thomas Cooks responsibility to ensure those standards were upheld, not just take the hotels word for it. 

A major part of the brochure is the sell on standards, particularly on safety, why take the side of a multi national over a grieving family, should they have packed a co2 testing kit alongside their suncream?

 

Why shouldn't I take the side of the multi national company. What's right is right, it shouldn't matter who the victim or the perpertrator is.

And I tend to see their point of view as my wife and I run a small travel agency. We haven't personally inspected every single hotel we book people into, we simply don't have the resources to do that. If someone was to die in one of those hotels, is that my fault?

I suppose the difference is that Thomas Cook encompass the hotels they use within their brand, and therefore ostensibly take a certain amount of responsibility for that hotel's conduct. But they don't own the hotels, they're just an agent. I'm not an expert on how Thomas Cook works, but I imagine they have the resources to check hotels on a periodical basis. If the unsafe thing was safe at the time of the last inspection, what can they do? They can't be inspecting it every day.

As has been said, you can't blame the grieving parents for lashing out at anyone and everyone. But I'm not sure I like the way the media have painted Thomas Cook as such bad guys. You might as well blame the guy who drove their transfer to the hotel, or the friend that recommended Thomas Cook to them in the first place. 

[Rev]

@TigerTedd, as an agent could you be held responsible, no.

Thomas Cook were acting as the supplier, not the resale agent, a big difference.

The main point in this case is Thomas Cook had previously banned hotels from using in accommodation boilers, to prevent this type of event occurring,  so there is no way they could have inspected the property properly.

 

[TigerTedd]

@TigerTedd, as an agent could you be held responsible, no.

Thomas Cook were acting as the supplier, not the resale agent, a big difference.

The main point in this case is Thomas Cook had previously banned hotels from using in accommodation boilers, to prevent this type of event occurring,  so there is no way they could have inspected the property properly.

 

Ah, fair enough, that starts to make a bit more sense. There's a very confusing distinction between agents and operators, sometimes we're agents, sometimes we're operators. Depends how we package a holiday.

Its good that they have banned hotels for this previously. Normally it takes a tragedy like this to put that rule in place. But, yes, something must have been missed with this hotel. But then if that is true, it would make Thomas Cook responsible, and the courts would have recognised that, forcing TC to pay damages. Or do TC just have very good solicitors?

[Mostyn6]

you've got to remember, back when this happened, before the big crash where holiday firms went bust, the hotels and travel agents had exclusivity deals. Certain hotels belonged with specific travel agents.

This highlights the greed of the big travel agents, pay very little to the hotels, do minimal quality checking etc, charge as much to the customer as possible. Don't get me wrong, they've not alone in that industry, and that industry is not alone in being greedy. But the whole point in negligence. The hotel was guilty of negligence, and so was the travel agent allowing it's customers to stay there.

I think it's fair that as a minimum, Thomas Cook's duty of care is to ensure that it's customers stay somewhere that won't kill them.

[Wolfie]

I'm only adding this because it hasn't been mentioned yet but TC were found in court in Greece to have been innocent of any wrong-doing. It doesn't mean of course that they couldn't have done more checks but they acted according to the law and regulations.

If the law needs changing then change it.

TC could certainly have handled it better.

[TigerTedd]

I'm only adding this because it hasn't been mentioned yet but TC were found in court in Greece to have been innocent of any wrong-doing. It doesn't mean of course that they couldn't have done more checks but they acted according to the law and regulations.

If the law needs changing then change it.

TC could certainly have handled it better.

This is my thought. They'd done all that was required of them by law, and that has been judged in court. Seems like another case of trial by media.

But there is no denying they could have been more sensitive, and handled it all a lot better. 

[RamNut]

No, he's related to Thomas Cook. FFS. Even I got that. 

(He was originally from Leicester). 

There's a statue of him outside the train station....it reeks of piiss.

 

[LesterRam]

Mr Cook was from Derbyshire, he started his business empire from Leicester, I will ask my missus whereabouts he is from exactly because I was taking note when she told me....not

[LesterRam]

heh that's if I have the right Thomas cook, my thoughts on the whole story, it sounds rough...so Thomas Cook was paid £3.5m by the hotel group that caused this disaster through shoddy workmanship, they pay Thomas Cook £3.5m direct and they pay the parents of these little kids a fraction, is that the nuts and bolts of it, If it is I would take Thomas Cook to the cleaners.

[eddie]

Mr Cook was from Derbyshire, he started his business empire from Leicester, I will ask my missus whereabouts he is from exactly because I was taking note when she told me....not

​Melbourne.

[Mostyn6]

​Melbourne.

​Austrayliaaa? Already a convict then?

[eddie]

​Austrayliaaa? Already a convict then?

​The other one - although I believe where he was born in Quick Close had a bakery at one time, and you know how Albert Aussies have this magnetic attraction to bread….

[LesterRam]

you see why I support the rammies, its in the blood, I was born in inner lester (mowmacre hill) and have had the most central postal address " horsefair street", and my phone goes into meltdown when Leicester win and the rammies lose, and im still here laughing at Leicester fans. bring it on.....woooooha