14 DAY TRIAL // A Portsmouth, Hampshire, woman whose husband was diagnosed with terminal cancer has been told by a travel company to take someone else with her on their planned holiday when trying to cancel it.
Chris Quick and her husband Keith, from Portsmouth, were planning to go to Benidorm next month to celebrate their 38th wedding anniversary, but they were recently given the devastating news that Keith was suffering from terminal lung cancer.
They found out about the terrible illness when Keith went to see his GP about a persistent cough. Last week, the couple were told it was terminal, and this means Mr. Quick would not be able to go on holiday.
Although they had already booked and paid for the holiday, the pair asked their daughter, Kerry Holt, to call travel operator Thomson Holidays to cancel the trip. The company's response left them baffled.
“The attitude of the person on the phone was appalling - I was told to ‘shut up’ at one point,” Kerry told the Daily Mail. “[My father] didn’t want this to happen. Mum and dad have used Thomson for the past four years and thought they would show more compassion.”
A Thomson employee warned Kerry that not all the money would be refunded, but the most shocking comment came when they suggested her mother should take someone else on the planned holiday.
“There was no empathy to my dad's situation. Instead they suggested my mum should go on holiday with someone else,” the couple's daughter went on to say.
Keith and Chris have been visiting Benidorm for years and say they usually go out to the destination about four times a year to see their friends. The pair had also booked a trip to Benidorm in October, and, when they contacted the Thomson branch in Hilsea to explain the situation, they were given the same advice again.
“I am so angry about this, it’s not about the money as we are sorting it with our insurance. I want an apology for the way we have been spoken to,” Mrs. Quick said.
So far, the company paid back £538 ($905/€661) for the June holiday, which cost a total of £1,900 ($3,200/€2,335). The October holiday is still being settled.
A spokesman for the company said in a statement, “Thomson is very sorry to hear that Mr and Mrs Quick were unhappy with the service they received when cancelling their holiday. We sympathise with their situation and understand this must be a very difficult time.”