Thomas Cook investigation after disabled man was sold unsuitable holiday
Thomas Cook is conducting a full investigation after a disabled war veteran claims he was sold a completely unsuitable holiday.
Chris Marsh, aged 72, an ex-Royal Marine who suffers from arthritis in his spine, epilepsy and is in remission from cancer, said he was marooned in his hotel during a holiday in Malta.
He said staff at Thomas Cook’s Southport shop staff told him the Regency Plaza in Sliema did not have steps and would be suitable for his mobility scooter.
According to a report in the Liverpool Echo, Mr Marsh knew the hotel from a previous holiday and remembered it had steps at the front.
But he said even when he asked the agency, twice, to check the accessibility, he was assured the hotel had been refurbished and there were no steps.
The veteran claimed he became ill from worry and the situation got worse when he became trapped in the bathroom of his hotel room and had to call the police.
He said he was stuck in the bathroom for more than three hours because the lock was broken.
Eventually some fellow guests offered to help him by contacting a Thomas Cook rep. Mr Marsh was offered the chance to move to another hotel but was told it would cost him a couple of hundred pounds more to upgrade.
A Thomas Cook spokesperson said: "Thomas Cook takes many thousands of people with disabilities on holiday every year, so we were naturally concerned to hear about the experience Mr Marsh had when he went to Malta with us.
"We have offered Mr Marsh our sincere apologies and reassured him that we are conducting a full investigation as to why he was recommended the Regency Plaza Hotel, when it was clearly not suitable.
"Our customer services team are continuing to speak to Mr Marsh, and hope to fully resolve this matter to his satisfaction as quickly as possible."
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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