“We went for an 11 day trip to Europe on 14th May with Thomas Cook and are very sorry to say that as you claim, you not so fare to the expectation.
The first 3 days in Paris were good but as we entered Switzerland, the hotel room in Basel was quite small for three adults, on top it the food there was disgusting. Literally we were unable to eat, the portions were meagre and on top of it the local guide was quite rigid and we had no choice other than contacting the regional office from where we booked the tour. Moreover, the third day in Switzerland was supposed to be in Zurich but we stayed at a remote place, which was outside Zurich. When we told this to the tour manager, he told us that we have to pay 10 euros each to visit Zurich. But the iteranary clearly showed that we were to visit Zurich that day. Next comes Italy, a complete disaster. Though the rooms were good, but the food was horrible. We were told that there should be some "wow moments" for us in Italy but the wow moment was indeed a haggard looking woman dancing showing skinny belly and bottles of wine and beer with cold drink. If I don't drink wine or beer, then where is my "wow moment". Have I paid anything less!
We were given backside rooms everywhere with no views and everytime being visited to some cheap Indian restaurants with horrible platters. And to top everything, the last day, after visiting Pisa, we were made to sit outside a gas station with again horrible food packets with probably the stale food from the previous night's dinner. The packets we literally threw in the garbage bin as it made us feel like some beggars from India who have come there to beg food.
P. S :- The tour manager's behaviour at times was quite rude as he never admitted to the wrong doings and moreover he owes almost everyone of us money as he didn't even bother to return us the excess amount from the jungfrau trip and tip to driver.
I therefore demand Thomas Cook to look into this kind of ill management as this kinds of tours are for lifetime and cannot be repeated as we like...”
“Worst tour operator ever....
WARNING : NEVER EVER CHOOSE THOMAS COOK
ITS A TOTAL FRAUD AND MONEY MINTING COMPANY
We booked a premium tour of Europe of 15 days
They have made us stay in low downgraded hotels in which the room sizes were super small and the hotels weren't up to the mark plus outside the main city...
Most of the times we face the problem of no AC or the AC not working properly...
Most of the things they show in a bus and they do avoid some important landmarks of the place as per there money saving scheme...
The change their program as per their wins without any information prior...
The tour manager is serving just as a navigator claiming no solution to our griviances or problems and asking us to coordinate always with the sales person who sold the tour to us... Even in times of emergency...
The tour salesperson assess to coordinate with the tour manager as the 1 point of contact.. which seems worthless...
Even though few places in Switzerland were closed due to whites and then white Monday they chose to leave us there doing nothing and wasting our time...
The quality of bus provided is extremely uncomfortable... The bus is not cleaned regularly and not service hence AC also doesn't work properly...
The best stinks after few days of use
Will never ever book any tour from Thomas Cook
Highly highly disappointed”
“Dear Thomas Cook Team,
The “North East Delight” tour conducted from 18 to 24 May 2026 was extremely mismanaged and highly disappointing.
The itinerary was poorly planned, resulting in continuous delays in reaching destinations and late-night travel on unsafe roads with little or no lighting. This created serious safety concerns for all passengers at unfamiliar locations.
Further, the stay arrangements were not as promised at the time of booking. Instead of accommodation at Pelling as per the itinerary, guests were shifted to Yuksom without prior information. The hotel provided at Yuksom was below expected standards, had no lift facility, and the food served was sub-standard.
Despite repeated complaints from multiple guests throughout the tour, no effective corrective action was taken by Thomas Cook.
Guests were also asked to stand in queues and arrange their own entry tickets at sightseeing locations, which is unacceptable for an organised tour. Additionally, unlike other professional tour operators, no proper briefing or explanation regarding the historical or cultural importance of the places visited was provided.
Only one tour manager was assigned for a group of approximately 30 people, making it difficult for her to manage the group effectively.
Moreover, the tour included stops at unhygienic and poorly maintained pay-and-use toilet facilities, causing considerable inconvenience and discomfort.
Overall, what should have been a memorable experience in the beautiful North East region turned into a stressful and disappointing journey due to poor planning and inadequate management by Thomas Cook.
We strongly feel that the services provided were not commensurate with the amount charged for the tour. We therefore request that appropriate action be taken regarding this matter and that at least 50% of the tour cost be refunded as compensation for the poor and substandard services provided.”
“I recently used Thomas Cook for a vacation, and while there were some positive aspects, the overall experience left a lot to be desired, especially regarding transparency and crisis support.
*The Positives:*
* *Itinerary & Value:* The overall coverage of the itinerary was good and provided decent value for money.
* *Hotel Quality:* The hotel selections were generally of a higher standard than other tour operators like Kesari. However, consistency is an issue—in one instance, our window opened up directly to a view of a local slum.
* *Flight Assistance:* They did help us book flights for the final leg of our journey and assisted with rescheduling when those were canceled.
*The Negatives (Why I cannot recommend them):*
* *Hidden Charges & Post-Payment Demands:* This company claims to be a premium, professional travel agency, but their pricing transparency is incredibly poor. Once we negotiated and paid the full tour fee, they repeatedly came back demanding additional charges. This happened twice to us with sudden "extra" VISA and insurance fees. Furthermore, a service tip of $5 per day, per person, was hidden away in a clause that the sales team conveniently chose not to disclose upfront, costing us roughly ₹11,000 extra in dollar terms.
* *Zero Support in Jeopardy:* The true test of a premium agency is how they handle emergencies, and Thomas Cook failed completely. When our transit flight was delayed and we missed our connecting flight, they provided absolutely no help. The Sales Manager completely washed his hands of the situation, telling me I had to fight it out with the airlines locally on my own.
*Final Verdict:*
Do not rely on Thomas Cook if you expect a seamless, worry-free premium service. They do not act in a decisive or supportive manner when travelers are in jeopardy. Between the hidden post-booking charges and the comple”
“DON'T touch this company even with a "bargepole". This is not the Thomas Cook of older times. (I think the original Thomas Cook was bought out by Tui). These guys have bought a good brand name and just racking in the profits. The telltale signs are the logo has changed (compared to the original company). They have no ground infrastructure (like other reputable holiday providers) in the destination countries. They subcontract everything to the cheapest of cheapest. The hotel and transfer to hotel was so bad that as I wrote my email complaint to them it was 4 A4 pages long. So you can imagine how many things we were disappointed with. They described the hotel as 3.5 stars; I would say it was more like a youth hostel. For example: Hotel did not even provide minimal (on arrival at 11:30 pm) drinking water!!. And that was just a start. The (shared) transfer made us wait over 2 HOURS at the airport (in the cold). When we called their customer service (roaming from Turkey) all they could say was just sorry, sorry, sorry and were asking us to do their leg work to upload "proofs" what we were saying was wrong. WTH I would want to talk to CHATBOT Customer Service when I have problem abroad?; these TC people don't think (more like don't care or don't give a ****). All they could say was "we will contact our contractors (who are in Spain for a UK holiday to Turkey)". You can imagine our frustration, annoyance and anger building up as more and more time passes. You are supposed to be on holiday (not a boot camp). By the way, no one ever contacted us back while we were away. So far No Apology. WE HAVE HAD bad experience with this company; you should avoid having the same. Read Thomas Cook (and the Aroma Boutik Hotel in Antalya Turkey) reviews on Trustpilot. If I could I would give minus / negative rating to TC and the hotel. There are so many negative comments below about Thomas Cook that we concur.”
“We have booked a holiday to Europe starting this April. We had booked the package in December and locked in the price of Rs695000/- for 2 for 14 day tour. First they took months and only by end of February our visa booking was done after multiple follow ups.
Now they are asking an increase rate of almost 50000/- and are increasing it daily. Morning they give one rate and in the evening they give an increased rate. They are also threatening to forfeit our money which we have already paid, if we do not pay immediately. Once they have your neck, they throttle you completely.
Having a horrible experience. Don’t ever book with Thomas Cook.”
“i was on the online chat with them for 4 hours just trying to cancel a booking, passed around to 4 different agents. Each message takes at least 5 minutes just to get a reply. There is no where to call them without being charged. Impossible customer service. each agent tells me a new things, i have to keep sending screenshots of what the previous agent agreed to as they all seem to follow different rules.”
“Appalling response to crisis in the Gulf. Given the FCDO advice not to travel to Oman. Contacted them immediately on WhatsApp, as they don’t have a phone number.
Spoke to a bot, that said they would put me in contact with a real person, who was in fact another bot call Ayse. We were told that our request to cancel our holiday would be passed to the cancellations team who would shortly contact us by email.
They did not respond to us, so we emailed them. We got the response that they would respond to our email within 28 days. That is after we are due to leave for our holiday.
When we went back to WhatsApp, strangely we ended up talking to Ayse again, who gave exactly the same answers.
We spent £8,000 on our holiday and they are ABTA and ATOL protected, and we just want a refund that we can rebook with them”
“Discovered 5 days before holiday that the hotel was under major refurbishment scheduled for 3-4 months. Other travel agents aware and it’s on their website. Thomas Cook denied being aware and even after I sent trip adviser picture and other travel agents confirmation they still refused to accept the position. I asked for either a move to another hotel or a refund. I could have another hotel if I pay for the hotel in full plus other charges on top of my already paid for holiday. Matter now in the hands of my credit card company for a refund”
“Extremely poor customer experience. The Thomas Cook representative was unaware of the mandatory 72-hour advance booking requirement for the shore excursion and realized this only after taking the full payment. Due to this mistake, the excursion could not be booked.
What made the situation worse was the unreasonable delay in processing the refund, despite multiple follow-ups. Even more disappointing was the behavior of the managers, who were rude and unhelpful instead of taking ownership of the mistake.
Customers should not suffer or be charged gateway fees for errors made by the company. This is by far the worst experience I have had with any travel agency. I will never recommend Thomas Cook to anyone.”
“Today I have my first day of travel in Dubai and Abu Dhabi package. Connecting but was not guided properly and room they have provided is pathetic. Walls are stained, very small washroom and clock tv not phone is working properly.”
“The team from Thomas cook only contacts you when they need to confirm a booking or take money from you, for all other queries they are never available. Horrible experience with Thomas Cook. Please don't plan your travel with Thomas Cook for your own peace of mind.”
“One word - Horrible experience!
Booked Magical Asia tour with Thomas Coo. Very disappointing!
On the day of travel, while checking in, I got to know that they had entered my son's detail in Thai airways incorrectly (showing minor as adult) and I had to deal with these Thomas cook from 10am to 6pm on the day of travel for something as silly as this! Absolute no accountability! Absolute horrible experience!
Transparency Issues: Key details such as non-stop flight options and the “or similar hotel” clause should be communicated upfront. This lack of clarity creates confusion and erodes trust.
Hotel Quality: The hotels offered feel below expectations for the package price.
Customer Empathy: When I expressed my willingness to book a better hotel in Kuala Lumpur at my own expense (INR 30,000), the response was rigid. Instead of showing flexibility, I was told to coordinate with the tour manager for pick-up/drop-off—even though my chosen hotel is only 7 minutes from Grand Continental. Group tours commonly accommodate pickups from multiple hotels in the same area; other travel companies manage this seamlessly.
Communication Style: My questions were not addressed directly. The representative (Rahul from Service quality team) kept repeating standard clauses rather than listening and responding to the actual concern.”
“You are running a fraud business.
We booked Newzeland trip from Kolkata 4 months ago through Mr Sujit in your Salt Lake branch. We repeatedly requested to book Singapore Airlines (if extra charge needed we were ready to pay) as it’s only 16-17 hours..No action was taken..Now just 4 weeks before the trip we are given Quantas flight from Bangalore..which will take total 30-32 hours..the agent looks clueless..
We contacted support system..they are now saying that ticket is not available..we have to travel as per their choice..Mr Sujit is very difficult to reach & seldom responds..
Travelled many times to foreign with MMT. Thomas Cook is unprofessional & distrusting.”
“I am very disappointed with Thomas Cook. We booked a city break for this December to New York based on their reviews for a hotel called Millennium Hotel Downtown New York, which had a 4.2-star rating. After booking, I was made aware that the hotel had changed management some time ago and is now called M Social Downtown New York, which has very poor reviews, including reports of customers being scammed out of money.
When I raised this issue with Thomas Cook and informed them that they had falsely advertised a hotel that no longer is there and the reviews are not a true reflection, I expected a reasonable resolution. We would never have booked this hotel had we known the true situation and the negative reviews.
Furthermore, when I asked Thomas Cook if we could change hotels, they wanted to charge us over £3,000 for a brand-new booking, including flights that we had already paid for. All we wanted was to switch hotels and pay the difference, not to make an entirely new booking at such a high cost.
I am extremely dissatisfied with how this situation has been handled and the lack of fair options offered. Sadly we are stuck with a hotel that may scam us out of money all because Thomas Cook was advertising the incorrect hotel on their website with the incorrect reviews.”
“Our holiday with Thomas Cook was a complete disappointment. The trip was delayed, disorganised, and stressful from start to finish. Communication during the disruption was poor, updates were inconsistent, and support was almost non-existent. What should have been a relaxing break turned into days of frustration and wasted time.
I raised a complaint on 23 September 2025 and, over a month later, still haven’t had a proper response or any progress on a refund. The lack of accountability has been shocking. When things go wrong, Thomas Cook simply stop replying.
If you’re thinking of booking, do yourself a favour and go directly through the airline or hotel — you’ll get better service, clearer information, and far less stress if something goes wrong. I won’t be using Thomas Cook again and will be passing this case to ABTA for independent review.”
“I had a really frustrating exprience with Thomas Cook who had a "digital error" which meant our booking didn't get to the hotel and we didn't recieve the stay that we paid for. We raised this complaint to Thomas cook but they offered no compensation for the mistake they made because of their T&C's nonsense.
We will never use Thomas Cook again and I would advise people not use them as they appear to profit over known issues in their booking system.”
