Thomas Cook – OAP guest ‘kicked out of Canary Islands hotel onto street’ over £1,600 bill after firm’s collapse
AN OAP Thomas Cook passenger was turfed out onto the streets by a Canary Islands hotel and forced to find a new apartment after the firm's collapse.
Jim Heasman, 69, and his wife Liz, 54, were ordered to pay £1,600 to Bahia De Lobos in Fuerteventura or leave the hotel immediately.
The couple had booked a £2,400 all-inclusive break through Thomas Cook but were confronted by hotel staff when the travel operator went bust halfway through their 14-night break.
Jim and Liz were forced to grab their belongings and hide in friends' rooms as they scrambled to find somewhere else to stay.
The grandparents were also left without food or airport transfers and forced to spend hundreds making other arrangements.
Liz, from Epsom, Surrey, said: "It was very unpleasant and actually quite threatening.
"The manager was getting very angry and was giving us a few hours to pay in full.
"He told us that our room would be locked and it was our problem if our things were still in there when it was.
I am so angry that they thought nothing of throwing a man of 69 out on the street
Liz Heasman
"We were showing him all the information from ATOL but he wasn't interested. He hadn't been paid his money and his decision was final.
"My husband suffers from high blood pressure and I was worried about the stress and decided we had to get out of there.
"Luckily we managed to sneak into our friends' room and find someone who was renting out an apartment on the other side of town. It ended costing us hundreds of pounds extra but we had no other choice.
"It's an appalling way to be treated and I am so angry that they thought nothing of throwing a man of 69 out on the street."
The couple returned home on Saturday and are now chasing a refund from Thomas Cook through ATOL and the Civil Aviation Authority.
SEVERAL BRITS THREATENED WITH EVICTION
Liz said eight British couples and families were confronted for payments by the hotel.
British couple Callum Weston, 27, and Bethany Sharp, 23, were also ordered to pay £2,000 upfront to the hotel upfront or face sleeping on the beach.
The couple were told their 10-day stay hadn't been paid for and were threatened with police if they didn't cough up.
Callum told The Sun Online: "The receptionist said to me that if we didn’t make a payment the police would be informed.
“I asked him ‘What are you going to arrest me on?
"I haven’t broken the law. He didn’t explain why the police would be involved – it was just a threat."
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The couple were eventually allowed to stay one more night before deciding to leave.
The Sun Online reported how other holidaymakers across Europe and North Africa found themselves being ordered to stump up thousands of pounds or risk sleeping on the beach last week.
Bahia De Lobos in Fuerteventura has been approached for comment.
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