 Poster: A snowHead
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We booked our half-board Crystal hotel on the strength of the location and the 4 star facilities offered. The half-board description of the meals (specifically the evening one) are described as “...4 course evening meal with cheese and salad buffet...”.
It now transpires that as our flight and subsequent transfer (which is all part of the package) won't get us to the hotel until after the dining room closes 8.30 pm, so we will only be given a cold meal which will be left out for us. The ealier flights from other UK aiports, will be getting their meal as per brochure.
My argument with Crystal is that we have contracted for 7 nights half-board meals of the type and quality as per description both in the borchure and our booking confirmation, yet we are really only getting 6 of these meals; the 7th being a cold meal and no buffet. There isn't a meal on the flight either.
I have asked Crystal for a discount to compensate so we can buy a hot meal elsewhere in the resort but had no response. Is this normal procedure for half-board packages or are my expectations too high?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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It's normal - you'll be fine.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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sharon1953, I think your expectations are too high from booking with Crystal but you never know, it's worth a shot and they may come through with an offer.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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sharon1953, Obviously depends on company. When my son was night porter with Skiworld he would often make hot meals for late arrivals; coq au vin at 2 am anybody.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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sharon1953, I too think your expectations are high! Relax, after all it is a holiday and if you are stressed by not getting a gap year students attempt at a 4 star meal, you may not be in the right frame of mind to actually have an enjoyable holiday! I don't mean to be harsh but the MOST important thing is to enjoy your holiday! You would probably get better quality food in a downtown restaurant anyway! 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Presumably your later flight means you can ski on the final day?
It's Crystal... they're cheap. Sounds perfectly reasonable to me.
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I think that you will just have to swallow it!!  I`ve got to pay full price for my 13yr old this year, though he is eating kids meals and unlikely to drink any wine ( I hope)
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Cstreat exactly what proportion of your holiday do you think goes on the wine? £5?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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You're all assuming this is one of Crystal's clubhotels run by their own staff, which I suspect it isn't if it has a 4* rating.
If it's their own hotel, that's a bit rubbish - I've always provided hot food for late arrivals in clubhotels for three different companies, would expect to do so. If it's a third party hotel, Crystal would have to negotiate with the owners regarding food for late arrivals, and it's possible that they wouldn't be able to do it without falling foul of law regarding staff working hours and/or overtime (not a consideration Crystal recognises when it comes to their own staff). Or they might not want to. Or the chef might not be available after a certain hour. Or whatever. Though in that case they're a bit cheeky to charge for seven four course meals when you're only getting six.
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| Lizzard wrote: |
| Though in that case they're a bit cheeky to charge for seven four course meals when you're only getting six. |
Yeah... but what proportion of the holiday cost goes on the food? £2 per head per evening meal (service being, essentially, free)? And there's an evening meal being served anyway, so it's not as though they're saving anything.
I know I'm arguing Crystal's corner here, and if I were OP I'd feel a tad miffed too, but...
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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James the Last, not a lot, indeed. It's about customer satisfaction and managing expectations though, isn't it? Sell someone seven nights hot food and that's what they'll expect, and they'll go away grumpy because they didn't get it. Fail on Crystal's part, I suggest.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Get the guys from watchdog to arrive at your hotel on their motorbike (they might need a snowchain) where they can jump out the cupboard when the tired and grossly underpaid 19 year old tries to give you loads of bread, cheese, wine, crackers, lovely hot tea/chocolate (maybe some cake), the get the portugese guy to shove the camera in his face while Matt Albright starts bombarding him with questions like "can you tell me why the call centre in Basingstoke took all my money for HOT meals yet you have failed to provide me with lasagne and garlic bread"? and "this isn't (reheated) spaghetti"!!
You will be able to sit back and smile, basking in the knowledge that you have won this battle for the consumer and your efforts have ensured no-one has to suffer the indignity of consuming lovely fresh bread and local french cheese at 11pm in lieu of chicken Kievs and chips ever again!
You will also be served pee soup (sic) all week and enjoy the chefs 'special' sauce on a regular basis.
OR you could eat the bread and go to bed safe in the knowledge that all your mates will be at work while you are skiing.
Your choice 
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cstreat, 13 year old eating kids meals?, will he have to sit with the 8 year olds at 6 o'clock too?.
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You know it makes sense.
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The food will be average beyond belief, do not stress about it.
If you feel really strongly about it , have an extra yogurt or piece of bread with breakfast and show them who is boss.
Chances are you will get to resort much later and not want to eat at all.
Enjoy the location etc, the reasons you booked the holiday.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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I think you should pay extra because you get to sleep in. Do not underestimate the joys of leaving home at 4am to make god awful gatwick flight and having to leave the resort a a similar time to make your flight back.
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Poster: A snowHead
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sharon1953, I suspect what you get will depend a lot on the hotel you are going to, when I have stayed in Wengen before at a 3 star hotel late arrivals (after the main course was being served in main dinning room) would be seated in the stubli area and what they were fed depended a lot on the time of their arrival, at the very least the hotel would feed them a hot bowl of soup, a nice cold platter and a dessert, if there was still a chef on and the dinning room was still serving they would get most if not all of the main meal although the salad might be selected for them rather than going up to a salad bar.
Chances are if you are too late for th main meal at your own hotel finding somewhere else to serve you a hot meal may be difficult, a lot will depend on where you are off to
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Lizzard, This is an Austrian owned, Austrian run hotel that you can book independently, which incidentally would have been cheaper to go to DIY, but flights from Manchester to Innsbruck and transfer problems forced us to go with a TO.
We’ve been going to Austria independently for 15 years, only ever had the most wonderful food in 3 and 4 star hotels, always of a very high standard compared to Italy, France and the UK for the same price! Having researched this hotel, I have every reason to feel it will be all that we want; the hotel management is not in question.
My argument is the principle of Crystal advertising one thing, and offering another. Had it stated that late arrivals will not be offered a hot, 4 course meal on day one, I would have opted for the earlier flight that was on offer 3 months ago when we booked, but is now full.
As for the departure on the day we leave, can’t see the relevance to the evening meal on day one, we don’t get an extended lift pass or a lunch!
I’m not stressing about this, life is too short but our accommodation is important to us, our ski holidays are not about getting to the lifts as they open, skiing till they close, and clocking up the miles, it’s the whole holiday experience; accommodation, food and skiing. I just want what I thought I had paid for! 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Have a look in the T+C of the booking contract. Look for "late arrivals will be served a buffet / cold snack".
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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The chalet staff are gonna love you 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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D G Orf, we arrive about 20 mins after dining room closes, Solden isn't short of places to eat - so I don't think that would be a problem. Crystal just need to be clearer. They state that one meal in 7 has to be eaten out when you go to a club hotel or chalet, so I wonder why not mention the terms for late arrivals?
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sharon1953, It does come across as if your expectations are a smudge too high for a package holiday where they are having to cover the differing needs of lots of peps.
But it's your holiday and I think the lesson is from your post. If your have high expectations I think do it yourself is always the best way.
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| sharon1953 wrote: |
| Lizzard, This is an Austrian owned, Austrian run hotel that you can book independently, which incidentally would have been cheaper to go to DIY, but flights from Manchester to Innsbruck and transfer problems forced us to go with a TO. |
So it WOULDN'T have been cheaper to go DIY?
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sharon1953, Outrageous. Write to your MP. Write to the Daily Mail. Demand justice.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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scooby_simon, Read T & C's front to back, all I can find is under "What is included in your holiday price" - "Accommodtion and meals as per booking".
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Whitegold, it's a locally owned and run hotel, not a chalet. Please do keep up.
emwmarine, don't agree. Crystal must know what their own flight times are and that the hotel can't/won't cater for guests arriving after the restaurant closes. How much does it take to make it clear at time of booking that people arriving on that flight won't get a hot meal? Not saying they should necessarily discount for it, but at the moment they are, as sharon1953, says, advertising one thing and offering another. Had she been informed of the meal change when she booked, she could have taken a view on it and either accepted the arrangement or gone elsewhere (not that I can see many people turning the whole thing down on that basis, so it's not much of a risk to Crystal). As it is, she feels that they've pulled a fast one and probably won't consider them again. Managing expectations, as I said before.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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James the Last, cheaper, but far more inconvenient and as mature skiers, a long journey at the end of a holiday we can do without, especially when we only live 15 mins from our local airport. That's why we opted for T.O. holiday, not to save money! jzBun, Not just my MP and the Daily Mail, also trading standards, Citizen's Advice, Consumer's association, Which, Tripadviser, the local TV and Radio...and... 
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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sharon1953, Sorry can't sympathise with this. You sound like a tight-wad to me. You picked the latest flights on offer, because they are cheaper ! Common sense tells you that you arrive late in the evening and it will conflict with dinner. This is standard stuff. Pay more next time, fly earlier, arrive in time for pre-dinner drinks etc.
Secondly:- How do you know it is cheaper to book this hotel direct? Crystal don't break their package prices down and show you what proportion goes to the Hotel. As James the Last, points out you couldn't sort a flight/transfer combo to make it happen anyway. I'd guess that's because it actually added up to a whole lot more than the Crystal package you were forced (chose) to take. I've tried to beat package prices to Austrian Hotels before and it ain't easy - not in H-B hotels.
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See, this is what you get when you fail to manage your clients properly. It's a minor irritation, not having a hot meal on arrival, but she's narked out of all proportion now. What was the point in doing that? Crystal in shoots self in foot incident shocker.
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You know it makes sense.
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Lizzard, Thank you  There was an ealier flight as I said, and I opted for the later one to avoid the 5 am start. All the flights are with their own airline, so they did, as you rightly point out, know the flight times. (Which they haven't changed since they went to press 12 months ago).
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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sharon1953, What time is your flight?
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Poster: A snowHead
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| sharon1953 wrote: |
| Lizzard, Thank you There was an ealier flight as I said, and I opted for the later one to avoid the 5 am start. All the flight are with their own airline, so they did, as you rightly point out, know the flight times. (Which they haven't changed since they went to press 12 months ago). |
If you choose a later start, you can't then insist on a hot dinner late in the evening when you get there. You buy a bargain holiday, you get a fair standard of service for it. To be provided with a dinner that staff can prepare earlier on transfer day is fair enough - they have to get up at 5am to see off the previous weeks guests, then clean the chalet top to bottom, and have a meal ready for the tired travellers arriving on the earlier flight you chose not to take. By 10pm they'll be in bed, asleep, or at least very tired, not sure how you can expect them to get up and cook you a meal.
I do worry a bit for the staff you'll be staying with - you do know that every evening before dinner they won't be massaging your legs after a hard days skiing don't you?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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beeryletcher, 1. Beaten the TO price every year, bar one when the fights to Salzburg from Manchester stopped altogether. We often use the same TO flights to get there as the package holiday makers. 2. The earlier flight supplment was the same! 3. The after sales customer service department I have been dealing with didn't know about the evening meal protocol for late arrivals, she had to find out and emailed me 2 weeks after my initial question. She was apologetic but offered no solution. 4. You are rude 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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sharon1953What time is your Flight?,
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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sharon1953, So you couldn't beat the TO price this year or presumably you'd have done it? Sorry not trying to be rude but you're in danger of making yourself look like the overdemanding tour operator customer who wants the moon on a stick. Having a cold meal rather than a hot one isn't a fundamental breach of your human rights.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Quote: |
raw bacon-type cold platter
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but that's a traditional Alpine treat! Speck? I first had that, with aged rye bread and a glass of milk still warm from the cow, on a high meadow in the Salzkammergut (?sp) more than half a century ago. Served to us by someone who was almost certainly Heidi's grandfather. We were with a friend of his, hence the local hospitality, and I distinctly remember it. A true mountainaddict ought to be jolly pleased to be offered such a repast.
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Trying to get any chalet staff to make a 4 course meal after 10pm, especially if they've already done one or maybe even two sittings, is a miracle. Trust me. They'll give you something edible, and most likely good... but they're human beings as well. It's transfer day for them, and they're up in the early hours of the morning, working for the majority of the day.
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I'm with sharon1953, Lizzard, on this one...
I wouldn't care what the actual meal situation was. But as far as I can see from the OP they offered 7x 4* meals. Not 6 and a cold plate. I don't care if it is Lidl or Waitrose - if they OFFER 7 meals ("of 4* standard blah blah...") you should GET 7 meals ("of 4* standard blah blah...").
Or indeed, if the brochure was worded such that you thought you were getting etc.
Of course, they may not have, in which case ignore (you probably are already...)
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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fatbob, You're missing the point - if you hold your customers to a contract ie, when the pay the deposit, when they must pay the outstanding amount, the cancellation deadlines, luggage allowances, etc and so on, then I too expect them to fulfil their side of the contract. I don't set the price for the holiday; I pay what I am asked to pay for the service they are saying they are offering. What goes on behind the scenes is not for me to speculate on. If the flight or transfer was delayed due to unforeseen circumstances, ie bad weather, as mountainaddict, points out, I would be the first to go get my own meal and even wash up! I know 'of' the hotel, not their meal times and how compatible they are with my T.O. flights, that’s what I am paying Crystal for!
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Timmaah, It's not a chalet, it's a large 4 * hotel!
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FAQ
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