Boycott Thomas Cook.

[Cyclone]

After confirming his name and that he is no longer chief executive, Mr Fontenla-Novoa was asked to confirm that he said in his statement: "The deaths of Robert and Christianne Shepherd are very significant events in the company's history as they are the only customers of Thomas Cook to have died from carbon monoxide poisoning.

"Since their deaths in October 2006, this awful tragedy has been a major priority occupying my attention and also the attention of all my senior management and the board."

He replied: "I decline to answer that."

 

And that's what he kept on saying to pretty much every question.

[evil woman]

But the flew was completely inadequate and in the wrong place. an MOT as you put it would have identified this if they had bothered. Its not like the boiler was professionally serviced and maintained and a fault caused the deaths. Staff were inspecting, who had no qualification to do so, so they didn't understand what it should be, let alone know what could happen.

 

Thomas cook claim all their hotels are kept up to British standards of safety, but this clearly was not the case at this hotel. If they made such claim they should be able to back it up, but they didn't and refused to answer questions at the inquest.

 

Look at it this way. Would you buy a t-shirt from a company that claims to protect its supply chain workers rights, but does not inspect or bother to check if they are in fact being treated right? Then when it comes out the t-shirts are made in sweat shops, is the company that sold you the t-shirt innocent? No!

 

I think I would rather safety inspections be carried out by people who are competant and trained to deal with such matters, not a young girl who has flown out to do 6 weeks summer work in the university holidays.

 

A tour operator has a duty of care to ensure that a hotel or resort to which they send customers complies with all relevant safety requirement. That should require nothing more than checking that the hotel has all the corret and up to date certificates in place. A hotel that is used by 500 tour operators from around the world could not function, if in adition to the local authorities, every single one of those companies sent in a team of electricians, gas inspectors, structural engineers, pool inspectors, water quality inspectors etc etc. That requirement is down to the hotel and it is up to them to show certificates of compliance to show the above is in order.

 

Regarding the inquest. Thomas Cook is under no obligation to give evidence at an inquest. I am pretty sure that their legal representitives as well as their insurers have insisted that they don't.

[tzijlstra]

When people die as a result of illness that is a different thing altogether to being unlawfully killed.

 

We all know how safety standards vary in countries abroad.... some are appalling. Of course the travel company should not be held responsible for someones stupidity ( however tragic it may be ) whilst abroad ie: accidents whilst drunk, jumping off balconies into swimming pools etc but putting someones life in danger through downright neglect is totally different. Travel company's cannot say........ it's not our fault. We cannot be expected to go beforehand to a hotel to check on safety issues before we book, that is the duty of the travel company at the very least ............. they are more than happy to take our money and we don't expect to be put up in death traps. The state of that boiler shows that safety checks hadn't been carried out properly on it for months if not years !!!!

 

People have already been found guilty, it is nothing to do with it being abroad or not.

 

It is this sort of case that leads to more bureaucracy and red tape and then people wonder why they have to jump through all sorts of hoops and checklists whilst doing their job.

[Berberis]

It is this sort of case that leads to more bureaucracy and red tape and then people wonder why they have to jump through all sorts of hoops and checklists whilst doing their job.

 

If hoops and checklists are what it takes to prevent just one death, its worth it, unless you consider your time being more important that a persons life that is.

[jfish1936]

I recommended a New Zealand resort to friends, as we had enjoyed it.

Should I rush out to NZ before they go, and check the rooms into which they are booked?

[Berberis]

I recommended a New Zealand resort to friends, as we had enjoyed it.

Should I rush out to NZ before they go, and check the rooms into which they are booked?

 

No but you would have expected the company that is renting you the property/hotel rooms to have checked the rooms where not death traps.

[truman]

No but you would have expected the company that is renting you the property/hotel rooms to have checked the rooms where not death traps.

 

Are you saying that holiday companies should ignore any paperwork presented to them that shows the accommodation is up to snuff and test and survey every room they are selling on a monthly (or some other time interval) basis?

[Berberis]

Are you saying that holiday companies should ignore any paperwork presented to them that shows the accommodation is up to snuff and test and survey every room they are selling on a monthly (or some other time interval) basis?

 

No but a thorough audit of the qualifications of the people carrying out the checks would have highlighted failings in the hoteliers procedures and TC could have either stopped using said accommodation or sent their own inspectors.

[tzijlstra]

If hoops and checklists are what it takes to prevent just one death, its worth it, unless you consider your time being more important that a persons life that is.

 

Until we reach the point where we are all hooping and checklisting more than we actually get done. It is called the productivity paradox.

[Cyclone]

No but you would have expected the company that is renting you the property/hotel rooms to have checked the rooms where not death traps.

 

So where a chain of multiple agents is involved (as can often be the case in holidays), do you expect all of them to personally inspect the property? Or more importantly to have specialists inspect it? Or should they just request the appropriate certificate to prove that it's been inspected once, by the final company that is letting it?

 

---------- Post added 14-05-2015 at 15:24 ----------

 

No but a thorough audit of the qualifications of the people carrying out the checks would have highlighted failings in the hoteliers procedures and TC could have either stopped using said accommodation or sent their own inspectors.

 

How do you suggest that they check the qualifications of Greek gas fitters and plumbers? And what makes you think that they weren't fully qualified under Greek law?