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Comment by Jeremy Skidmore: Big boys to blame for pricing attacks
It’s been a few months since we’ve heard from Holiday Which? so I suppose an attack on the January pricing campaigns was due.
The consumer watchdog body has warned holidaymakers not to be taken in by discounts that look too good to be true.
But is there anyone out there who still believes the marketing nonsense that the big companies are coming out with?
The industry attacks the Consumers Association but, in essence, the body is right. The discount claims are not as good as they seem.
The major companies have actually got a very good tale to tell – but year after year they blow it by exaggerating their offerings out of all proportion.
Airtours Holidays, for example, has had its wrists slapped for claiming to offer holidays 55 percent cheaper than last year.
This is a quite ridiculous claim because, as everyone knows, last year’s prices were hugely inflated to allow for large discounts.
But Airtours Holidays is still giving people a good deal. Its prices are five to ten percent lower than last year. What other industry do you know where the prices have gone down like that?
Thomson, First Choice and Thomas Cook are also playing the same game. When you compare prices on a like-for-like basis, talk of 54 percent or even 20 percent discounts are all hot air. But there are bargains to be found.
The industry can squeal all it likes about Holiday Which? but it only has itself to blame.
They should have stuck to the truth rather than reverting to hype.
Read previous comments by Jeremy Skidmore:
14-Jan-2003 Comment: ‘Time for agents to take control’
10-Dec-2002 Comment: The Role of Independent Agents
03-Dec-2002 Comment: Anyone got any good news?
26-Nov-2002 Comment: Comment: Agent consortia should join, says Jeremy Skidmore
20-Nov-2002 Comment: Winter Bookings, by Jeremy Skidmore
13-Nov-2002 Comment: Timeshare and Resort Conference
05-Nov-2002 Comment: MyTravel
23-Oct-2002 Comment: The ABTA Convention
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