So, after using Thomson for our family holidays for a number of years, it is with regret that I am having to set up this blog in order to get the word out there that they have failed in their duty of care to our family and to warn others to be very careful before using facilities promoted by the reps at your hotel of choice, in order to stop anyone else suffering to the extent our child did.
We booked with them for this year’s family holiday as we do every time we go abroad, and were looking forward to our trip to Ca’n Picafort in Majorca in May 2015.
We were happy with the holiday deal we booked and got a great value for money package.
We flew out on 9th May, arrived to a lovely hotel called Hotel Son Baulo.
The welcome meeting was held on 10th May and we were given the usual info about local area and excursions and also what to do if any of our party became poorly whilst away. We were advised to contact one of the Thomson reps for assistance and all given business cards for a local medical clinic that Thomson promoted and recommended.
Our family spent a brilliant first 4 days, hotel was great, food was great, area was great. No complaints there.
Our 8 year old daughter became unwell on 14th May with a suspected ear infection.
We approached the male Thomson rep and advised him of our daughter’s situation, had with us our EHIC cards and our insurance documents (holiday insurance bought through Thomson at point of purchase of holiday) and asked him if he could assist in us going through our insurance to get our little girl medical assistance.
This rep told us not to worry about the insurance, that he would make an appointment with the promoted clinic and a doctor would attend the hotel and examine our child. A service we would have to pay for upfront and then told we could claim back through our insurance upon our return to the UK.
As we had never ever used holiday insurance or become ill whilst abroad, we accepted what the rep said and waited for the doctor.
The doctor arrived to our hotel room and asked us the reason for his callout. We explained the situation to him. I am not a qualified doctor myself, but from experience of taking my child to our family doctor here the normal process is they listen to their chest, take their temperature and would then examine the area of pain.
This doctor did not. He simply looked at her ear briefly and advised it was an ear infection and prescribed antibiotic and anti inflammatory. I explained our child was unable to take ibuprofen due to previous breathing difficulties when having had it before.
He wrote the prescription, not advising us of dosage. I had to show him her Calpol spoon and ask. I was dismissed and he said to give two thirds of a dessert spoon for the antibiotic. I again referred to the spoon shaking my head and asking how many millilitres. He again dismissed me stating we were to give her two thirds of a dessert spoon. I was unable to clarify this measurement so hoped the pharmacist could advise instead.
We were asked when we were due to fly home. I explained this would be 16th May 2015 all being well of course. He then post dated a fit to fly certificate. Concerning given that we did not yet know how our child would recover. He invoiced us for 90 euros and left.
The next stage of the saga was the hassle at the pharmacy.
We were given the antibiotic and despite us telling the doctor no ibuprofen he had prescribed this drug. We explained to the pharmacist we could not use this and asked for a further bottle of paracetamol instead.
When we returned to our hotel we were shocked to find that the antibiotic had not been made up – the bottle was full of granules to which we were supposed to add water. I am not fluent in Spanish and could not translate the instructions so we had to get assistance from the hotel reception staff. My understanding is that this would not be issued in the UK in this form as a pharmacist would need to prepare it.
We were still no further forward with the dose but after checking online and from past experience we managed to establish what this should be in a proper measurement.
We began medicating our daughter but after 3 days, she had barely slept, was not eating and was taking on little fluids due to the pain she was experiencing. In complete agony and distress we felt that she was in no fit state to fly home while suffering from a severe ear infection. Knowing we were due to fly later that day and the added pain our child would experience with the cabin pressure on the flight, we had to go and see the same Thomson rep to arrange delaying our departure.
We explained to him we did not feel our child could make the journey home yet and felt the antibiotics had not yet taken hold of the infection. We advised we wished to postpone the flight home and could he help us organise this. He said we need to get you a fit to fly certificate, dismissing our concerns. It was explained to him that this had already been issued on the 14th May and post dated for our flight home and his response was ‘that’s all that’s needed then’. We persisted with our view that she could not fly home and was in far too much pain and distress and simply was not up to the flight given that the cabin pressure would exacerbate this pain for her further. The rep advised we would need to get a doctor back out. Another appointment was made with the same clinic by the Thomson rep.
The same doctor arrived to see us and seemed annoyed to have been called back out. We were asked what the problem was and we explained her condition had deteriorated and we did not feel she was up to the flight home and wished to delay the departure. His comment to me at this point was that ‘I am a doctor and not god’. He again did not examine her but proceeded to tell us that the added pain was that of a throat infection without having looked in her throat! We had already gone through this with our child asking her if her throat was painful to which she insisted it was the ear and jaw area and not her throat. He insisted she was fine to fly home. Despite my pleading with him that this was not the case and our child lying in complete agony on her bed he would not budge on the matter.
All that was left for us to do know was medicate her as fully as we could with pain relief and hope it would be enough to see her through the flight ho.
The flight home was horrific. There is no other word I can use.
The cabin crew were fantastic, giving our child olbas oil to smell in the hope it would help with her ears popping and repeatedly they warmed up a flannel we were using to offer some further relief to her pain. It just didn’t help.
By the time we landed at Newcastle we had to rush her to accident and emergency.
Our daughter was seen by a doctor here and immediately admitted to the children’s ward to get her pain under control.
We were advised by the consultant that the infection was severe and she should NEVER have been signed off fit to fly – and her ear drum had burst, most likely during the flight. It was also confirmed that there was NO throat infection. We were also told that there was no guarantee she would regain full hearing. They consultant was optimistic but had to make us aware that not all people whose eardrum burst go on to regain 100% of their hearing.
We were absolutely furious. It appeared this ‘doctor’ was no more than del boy with a script pad!
The medical staff kept our little girl on the ward for several hours while the pain was brought under control, we had the antibiotic medication issued in Majorca removed from our possession and a new prescription given, as we were told it was not safe to use as it had not been made up by a qualified medical professional.
Needless to say the first job on Monday morning was a formal complaint to Thomson.
I contacted our insurers who could only refund us £34 of our out of pocket expenses, another slap in the face.
I got through to the Swansea call centre for Thomson complaints. After explaining the issues to a very patient and understanding member of staff, she advised that the complaint was so serious in nature that it had to be dealt with by the Thomson team at Luton. The lady advised she would set this case file up and pass this on for their attention.
After a couple of days and no acknowledgement of the complaint or the several emails sent through to the after travel team, I contacted Swansea again to advise of my disgust and ask for an email for a senior member of staff. I was given an email address for the directors team and again received no acknowledgement. By this point as a family we were beyond livid.
I contacted Swansea again as they were the only team you could actually speak to. I demanded they contact Luton and get someone to call me URGENTLY.
I received a call from a lady who said she had been personally assigned to handle our complaint and I finally had some direct contact details for a named individual. Getting somewhere? Turned out the answer was no.
I was contacted on 1st June by this named individual to be told over the phone that Thomson had spoken to their legal team and would be accepting no responsibility for what happened tour daughter.
While I stressed to the Thomson member of staff that it was not anyone’s fault our child became unwell, they had a responsibility and duty of care to their customers. If customers go to Thomson reps for help and assistance for family members who fall ill while abroad, they have a duty of care to ensure they are directed to fully checked and vetted practitioners if they are promoting them in the hotel at which you stay. Thomson should offer help and assistance to contact insurers and direct customers to facilities that accept EHIC cards and explain to customers all options available to them and not be seen to push them down one avenue.
I asked the member of staff to feed this back and review our complaint further before the final response was given. The member of staff advised she would do this and a response would be emailed by 5th June.
I contacted my named individual on the morning of the 5th June to chase the response to be told it was waiting to be finalised with their legal team and that it would be with me by close of business but that nothing had changed since we spoke on Monday in terms of the response to be received.
It was simply unacceptable.
Our daughter missed a further week off school (her holiday week was authorised), went through unimaginable pain and distress and unnecessarily so, not to mention the fact she still cannot hear properly and we are waiting to be seen again in another 4 weeks by our family doctor for further assessment and all because Thomson reps pushed us to a clinic and ‘doctor’ who I suspect there is a financial link between. Why else would Thomson staff not advise us of other options??!!
So, an email was sent to David Burling. He is higher up the tree at Thomson and someone I hope will have the good sense to put this situation right for my child.
My family is not satisfied with our treatment in relation to the complaint handling. Nor are we satisfied that Thomson have no responsibility in this case.
We are devastated and angry that our daughter went through unnecessary suffering, we are deeply concerned that Thomson are promoting this clinic at their welcome meetings when the treatment and advice given by the doctor we saw is so questionable. Furthermore, we feel that if we had been helped by the Thomson rep with how to go about using our insurance to seek medical assistance – insurance sold to us by Thomson at point of purchase of the package holiday then this could have had a very different outcome for our daughter and not required us as a family to go to such lengths to get the word out about the clinic they are promoting to their holiday customers while on their stay.
Thomson claim to have their customers at the very heart of what they do. It does not seem to be the case here.
We feel they failed in their duty of care to us, it is not acceptable and this matter needs to be brought to resolution for the sake of an 8 year old who is waiting under a cloud to see if she regains full hearing. She has had to stop her swimming lessons, be moved on occasion in class at school as she cant hear well. It is very upsetting for her.
So the initial written response from Thomson is this:
“I’m sorry to hear you are unhappy with the diagnosis given by a doctor in resort. As a tour operator we can only direct our customers in relation to where they can obtain medical assistance. We are not in a position to comment on the diagnosis provided by a qualified medical professional. I do sincerely apologise for the upset caused and I do hope your daughter’s recovery continues well.”
Their hands are washed.
Well following a phone call late on the afternoon of 5th June 2015, to express my absolute exasperation and disgust and my request that Mr Burling personally reads my complaint email and letter and responds personally to me, I received another email.
I am due to expect a call from a senior manager at Thomson before close of business on Monday 8th June 2015. The email stated that Mr Burling’s Personal Assistant will be contacted and a copy of the email made available to him. Odd given that I emailed his personal account….?
So, here is hoping that Thomson find some human decency and look to put this matter right for my child.
With any luck we will also succeed in them withdrawing their promotion of this clinic in an effort to stop other families going through what we have. I count us lucky that it was not something more serious that we had to be seen with as I dread to think what the outcome would have been with this particular doctor.
Update to follow on Monday!
Please spread the word…
thomsoncomplaint 