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Thomas Cook hires extra staff following agent complaints
Thomas Cook has provided a new 0844 dedicated phone line for third-party travel agents but it is urging them to call only if necessary.
Instead, it suggests agents check to see if their queries can be answered in the recently expanded Frequently Asked Questions section of its website and use its Live Chat facility as an alternative to ringing its calls centre.
The company is employing an extra 20 staff in its calls centre and increasing the number manning its Live Chat facility from four to 19.
Thomas Cook admitted this week to ABTA that the level of service it had provided to third-party agents over the past few weeks was "unacceptable" after some resorted to Tweeting its chief executive Harriet Green when they were left hanging on the phone.
It apparently blamed the delays on teething problems experienced following the relocation of its Bradford calls centre to its Falkirk and Peterborough offices.
The new phone line – 0844 879 8222 – will go live on Monday and if agents do need to call, the company suggests they ring outside normal working hours when there will be more chance of them getting through. Thomas Cook has extended opening times from 08:00 to 22:00.
A spokesperson for Thomas Cook said, "We’d like to thank our agent partners for their patience and apologise for any delays they’ve experienced.
"We’re launching a new dedicated telephone number for our agent partners from next week, with a single level menu to ensure they reach the department required.
"Whilst we will be communicating this to them in the next few days, we’d also encourage them to visit Thomas Cook World to look at our new FAQ section, talk to our live chat advisors or visit our self-service section to help deal with their enquiry more quickly and reduce the need to call."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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