ASK TONY: We paid Thomas Cook £40 to pick our seats but ended up at the back of the plane by the loos
We pre-booked seats and meals with Thomas Cook for our flight home from Skiathos, Greece, at a cost of £40 each.
At check-in, we were told the seats had been overbooked, so were allocated 38E and 38F instead of 5A and 5B.
However, these were the rearmost seats, adjacent to the toilets, making them probably the worst on the plane.
We complained, and were promised a reply within 28 days. Nothing happened, so, after three months, I threatened to complain to trade body the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA).
Kicking up a stink: A couple went to the trouble and expense of reserving seats on their Thomas Cook flight from Greece only to be stuck next to the loos
Thomas Cook then said that it was very sorry and told me I was due a refund of £13.33. But, since then, I have had no further communication, despite sending several more emails asking why the amount has been reduced.
W. R., Warrington, Cheshire.
This is one of those times when the behaviour of a company and its customer services leaves me utterly exasperated.
I suspect a fulsome apology on the plane and a free drink each would have gone some way to resolving your irritation.
Follow this with a swift, full refund of your booking fee and you'd have gone away a little disgruntled, but happy with the response.
Instead, Thomas Cook herded you into seats you did not want, then treated your complaint with contempt. How much has this cost it in terms of administration time and bad publicity?
Thomas Cook tells me there was an enquiry backlog when you made the complaint. So why did it not tell you this, rather than leaving you to wait?
A spokesman has apologised, saying the amount of time that you had to wait was 'without question unacceptable'.
They add that the £13.33 refund offer was an error, as you had purchased a flight bundle with a meal, extra baggage and seat. The agent incorrectly offered you a third of the £40 you had paid for the return flight.
Thomas Cook has now paid you £120 in final settlement.
I took out a £27,946 life and critical illness insurance policy with NatWest Insurance back in March 1996. It initially cost £24 per month.
I chose to have the premium index linked and it now costs £70.70 a month. I'm 67 in July and wonder if I should cash in and cut my expenditure, or stick with it. It has a £1,900 cash-in value.
The original plan talked of 'changing' as life changes took place, but, when I approached Aviva, all I got was a surrender amount and no alternatives.
In 1996, £27,000 would have gone a long way to paying off my mortgage. Today, it's not even much of a house deposit.
M. W., by email.
You have a form of insurance known as whole of life. Twenty years ago, taking the reins at Money Mail, I highlighted this as a dinosaur product only useful in specific circumstances.
The insurance pays out when you die or if you come down with a critical illness, and potentially lasts for life. Most life insurance is much cheaper, as it lasts only for a specific term.
Your policy mixes life insurance and investment. The idea is that, as you get older, premiums can be kept down by digging into any investment fund that has built up.
Despite this, policyholders are always faced with the choice of rising premiums or reducing cover, sometimes dramatically.
Your monthly premiums have a minimum 5 per cent annual increase, which has often been way above inflation. But Aviva says this has helped maintain your cover.
It adds: 'As the product provider, we are not able to provide any advice. We would always recommend customers regularly review their policy to make sure it still meets their needs and take independent financial advice before making any decisions on their policy.'
I, too, am precluded from giving advice. But you need to ask some questions. Do you need the cover for things such as a mortgage or funeral expenses, or do you have sufficient resources elsewhere?
Could you put that £848.40 per year to better use?
What about monthly payments going forward? They'll reach at least £90.23 in five years, £115.16 in ten years and £147 in 15.
Incidentally, the cash-in value was £2,080 when Aviva assessed it, though it can fluctuate.
I understand that you are now looking at alternative options.
- Write to Tony Hazell at Ask Tony, Money Mail, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT or email asktony@dailymail.co.uk — please include your daytime phone number, postal address and a separate note addressed to the offending organisation giving them permission to talk to Tony Hazell. We regret we cannot reply to individual letters. Please do not send original documents as we cannot take responsibility for them. No legal responsibility can be accepted by the Daily Mail for answers given.
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