Our holiday heroes
Thomas Cook staff work for nothing... to help customers claim cash back
FORMER Thomas Cook employees have been working for free to sort out customers’ problems one week on from the travel agent’s collapse.
Staff from three stores in the Midlands donned their uniforms for one last time to offer advice to holidaymakers, despite being locked out of their old workplaces.
In Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, more than 100 people queued in a shopping centre to speak to staff who had announced they would open a ‘pop-up shop’ near their former base.
Donna Jones, the former branch manager, said staff wanted to turn out and work for free ‘out of our love for our customers’, some of whom had travelled more than an hour to see them.
All five workers at the branch gave up their time on what should have been their pay day on Monday. Customers set up a collection to help the jobless staff during the two-hour consultation.
Catherine Blurton, 64, had been due to fly to Majorca for a Thomas Cook holiday with her daughter next week. Mrs Blurton, from Meir Hay, Stoke-on-Trent, said: ‘I’ve always used Thomas Cook since day one. After it went bust my daughter still got a text from Thomas Cook saying “15 days to go until the holiday” when they had already collapsed.’
Alison and Robert Hart were due to go on a family holiday to Egypt last week – but ended up in Skegness instead. Mr Hart said: ‘We might have lost our holiday but they’ve lost their career.’ In Telford, Shropshire, staff held a similar event in a Costa Coffee near their former office. In Walsall, West Midlands, three former staff members based themselves at a pub. ‘It feels strange sat here in our uniforms for the last time but we wanted to help customers fill in their claims forms and to say goodbye,’ branch manager Georgia Browning said. ‘Our customers’ first thought was for us – they know their holidays are protected – they’re just concerned about us.’
Thomas Cook had survived for 178 years before its collapse last week. The group employed 21,000 people in 16 countries, serving 19million customers a year.
Kimberley Jefferies, who managed the Telford branch, said her colleagues had been overwhelmed by cards and gifts from customers. She said the past week’s drama resembled a death. ‘After the shock of not getting into work on Monday morning, we felt we wanted to put our uniform on one more time,’ she said.
Some staff had sold theirs on eBay. Others have put more memorabilia up for sale, including hivis vests, model aircraft and even in-flight puddings.
The market for package holidays is ‘ over’, Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary claimed yesterday. He said holidaymakers are shunning all-inclusive ‘sun, sea and sangria’ getaways from travel agents for cut-price flights and hotels ordered online. ‘People under 40 don’t book package holidays. The market is screwed – it’s over,’ he said. Ryanair’s chief marketing officer Kenny Jacobs predicted ‘a couple more travel companies’ will go bust this winter.