I have just read the Rome review and I think it is awful that the Customers had to catch the metro into central Rome. This is not mentioned anywhere on the JY website or brochure.

I went on the Chateau Weekend in June and we stayed at Chateau de Mafflier but in an annex on the estate. The literature lead you to believe we werw staying in the chateau and again it is not mentoned anywhere on the JY communications that you will be staying in the a purpose built annex.

Also the Hotel Zi Theresa in Sorrento does have air-conditioning but only in the common areas and not in the bedroooms and the JY cuatomers are put in the smallest rooms at the top of the hotel. Why? JY customers pay far more than the other guests (I haven't been on this holiday. I have been told bu several JY customers).

I fully understand you are in business to make a profit and I don't have a problem with that. But please be honest and transparent with us Customers and that is all we aak

Thank you,

Lisa.

In regards to Rome, the reason the metro has been used is for two reasons. Firstly feedback from focus groups identified that customers wanted to experience the transport so that during free time they would have the confidence to use it alone. Secondly, for Rome in particular, the metro offers the easiest and quickest way around the city as there is quite a lot of traffic congestion. That all being said - we do acknowledge that we should advise customers of this and we will be certainly be doing so going forward.

We are sorry that you feel the brochure suggests that you would be staying in a Chateau, the brochure and website simply provide the name of the hotel which is the "Novotel Chateau de Maffliers".

I can confirm that all bedrooms in the Hotel Zi Theresa do have air-conditioning however, in Italian hotels that are equipped with air conditioning, the period in the season and times of day when it is operational are at the discretion of the management. The provision of central heating is also at the discretion of the management but in compliance with the current fuel saving requirements in Italy, this is normally limited to the period from November-March. We are aware that there is a difference in rooms at the Zi Teresa Hotel, the hotel will always endeavor to put our customers in the best rooms available, many having the larger rooms with balconies and sea views at no extra cost which of course is lovely, however we are mindful that if the hotel is busy it may not be possible for them to accommodate all our customers in these rooms and some may be accommodated in the smaller rooms. We appreciate this is not ideal and we are working with the hotel to see if we can guarantee all the rooms our customers are given are similar.

We are a business - but we can only continue to operate if we are able to meet and (hopefully) exceed the expectations that our customers have for their holiday. We are always listening to the feedback from our customers. We tweak itineraries and make relevant changes to holidays based on the comments that our customers have provided to us. I can only stress the importance of completing our welcome home questionnaires and contacting us with both negative and positive comments so that we are able to make relevant changes (where needed) to our holidays.

Kindest regards,

Julia

Thank you for your reply and getting back to me.

I did check the Novotel Chateau de Mafflier website and don't mention or show the annex on the estate either. All they show are photos of the chateau & bedroom, which leads one to believe you WILL be staying in the chateau. The name (Novotel Chateau de Mafflier) only tells you that or the Novotel group have either bought or rented the chateau & it certainly does not suggest an annex.

I have had great holidays with JY and I really do.love the company and this ia why I opened this post.

There are NO other single traveller companies as good as JY & they cerrainly don't offer the holiday variety or the great customer service you do. Oh and by the way I don't know of any other travel company who operates forum like this, which is great.

Thank you,

Lisa.

What I find most disappointing is the Customer Service response from Just You. Our Rome holiday was ruined by the fact we couldn’t use the metro. Our holiday was booked in good faith and nothing on the website or the printed material provided by Just You led us to believe we would be expected to use public transport on excursions and in particular the metro system.

There certainly seems to be no such thing as a “valued customer” to Just You. It doesn’t matter how much you spend with them, I spent nearly £8,000 in six months and they still didn’t have the good grace to refund me £70, the money we paid for an excursion we missed through no fault of our own. In fact they turned it back on us saying we “misunderstood instructions”. Any of the other guests sat with us at breakfast when the “instructions” were given to us, knows this is incorrect. If they had done this I wouldn’t be writing these comments.

Just You don’t appear to put into practice customer feedback. I’ve been bombarded with expensive glossy brochures since I booked a Just You holiday. It’s very interesting that in the latest brochure to drop through my door on friday, Recommended by You, the first holiday is the Rome City Break. It doesn’t appear anything has be changed regarding the information about using public transport on excursions, however, they have had time to quote an edited version of my less than complementary review in the top right hand corner of the page to promote the trip. It certainly is “all in the edit” in this case. I certainly wouldn’t recommend this holiday due to the public transport used on excursions, the hotel and it facilities, the cost of the excursions and the poor follow up customer service.

It would be really interesting to hear from any other travellers about their experiences of Just You customer services and their actions in rectifying issues that have arisen on trips.

Hi Julia,

Thank you for your reply and getting back to me.

I did check the Novotel Chateau de Mafflier website and don't mention or show the annex on the estate either. All they show are photos of the chateau & bedroom, which leads one to believe you WILL be staying in the chateau. The name (Novotel Chateau de Mafflier) only tells you that or the Novotel group have either bought or rented the chateau & it certainly does not suggest an annex.

I have had great holidays with JY and I really do.love the company and this ia why I opened this post.

There are NO other single traveller companies as good as JY & they cerrainly don't offer the holiday variety or the great customer service you do. Oh and by the way I don't know of any other travel company who operates forum like this, which is great.

Thank you,

Lisa.

Hi Lisa,

Not a problem (I did have some help from one of my colleagues).

Unfortunately we don't have control over content on third party websites... however, the team are currently undertaking a huge project of collating photos from all of our hotels so our customers have an idea of what to expect on their holidays. I've had a look that the pictures for the Chateau Weekend and I think these will provide a clearer picture for future travellers.

The reason the forum is a success is that it is a place for travellers to share their solo traveller experiences and of course share their thoughts on what we do well and where we could improve our service to you and your fellow travellers.

I'm so pleased to hear that you have enjoyed travelling with us in the past - and hopefully we can continue to create holidays you want to take with us in the future.

Kindest regards,

Julia

added to the experience of the holiday.

When I went on the Istanbul city break I did my own thing and used the hop on hop off buses

and also the trams and had a great time.

Dave.

Hi Julia

What I find most disappointing is the Customer Service response from Just You. Our Rome holiday was ruined by the fact we couldn’t use the metro. Our holiday was booked in good faith and nothing on the website or the printed material provided by Just You led us to believe we would be expected to use public transport on excursions and in particular the metro system.

There certainly seems to be no such thing as a “valued customer” to Just You. It doesn’t matter how much you spend with them, I spent nearly £8,000 in six months and they still didn’t have the good grace to refund me £70, the money we paid for an excursion we missed through no fault of our own. In fact they turned it back on us saying we “misunderstood instructions”. Any of the other guests sat with us at breakfast when the “instructions” were given to us, knows this is incorrect. If they had done this I wouldn’t be writing these comments.

Just You don’t appear to put into practice customer feedback. I’ve been bombarded with expensive glossy brochures since I booked a Just You holiday. It’s very interesting that in the latest brochure to drop through my door on friday, Recommended by You, the first holiday is the Rome City Break. It doesn’t appear anything has be changed regarding the information about using public transport on excursions, however, they have had time to quote an edited version of my less than complementary review in the top right hand corner of the page to promote the trip. It certainly is “all in the edit” in this case. I certainly wouldn’t recommend this holiday due to the public transport used on excursions, the hotel and it facilities, the cost of the excursions and the poor follow up customer service.

It would be really interesting to hear from any other travellers about their experiences of Just You customer services and their actions in rectifying issues that have arisen on trips.

Hi Stewart,

I have forwarded your comments back up to the customer care team who have said they will contact you directly.

Kindest regards,

Julia

Unfortunately not all hotels in Italy have fridges or air conditioning. We did not have one in the Dolomites. It is very hard to please everyone as everyone has different aspirations and expectations. I personally do not worry too much about such things and just say that 'it is not home' - this way I always enjoy my holidays. Nothing or no one is perfect! In the past I have travelled with lots of other companies (mainly on package holidays) and single travellers, despite paying a hefty supplement, used to get poky little rooms. With Just You, most of the time, one gets a lovely big spacious room.

Regards

Jaya

Personally I would not have a problem using the metro in Rome, in fact it would have

added to the experience of the holiday.

When I went on the Istanbul city break I did my own thing and used the hop on hop off buses

and also the trams and had a great time.

Dave.

I agree, cities are often gridlocked and the quickest way of getting around is away from the streets (I.e. underground).

Coaches have major problems in Rome, and you soon realise why Romans only drive small cars! However, Rome is actually a very walkable cIty - but I guess getting around is dependent on health, fitness, and confidence.

Dave