Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Thomas Cook shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Thomas Cook offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Thomas Cook at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Thomas Cook? Wrong! If the Thomas Cook is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Thomas Cook then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Thomas Cook? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Thomas Cook and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Thomas Cook wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Thomas Cook then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Thomas Cook site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Thomas Cook, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Thomas Cook, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
For the company, see
Thomas Cook AG.
Thomas Cook (22 November
1808 – 18 July
1892) of Melbourne, Derbyshire, founded the travel agency that is now
Thomas Cook AG. He was brought up as a strict Baptist and joined his local
Temperance movement. He worked as a cabinet maker and part-time publisher of Baptist and Temperance pamphlets, becoming a Baptist minister in 1828. John Mason Cook, his only son, was born in 1834.
Thomas Cook and Son
With his only son, John Mason Cook, he formed a partnership and renamed the travel agency as
Thomas Cook and Son. They acquired business premises on
Fleet Street, London. By this time, Cook had stopped personal tours and became an agent for foreign or domestic travel. The office also contained a shop which sold essential travel accessories including guide books, luggage, telescopes and footwear. Thomas saw his venture as both religious and social service; his son provided the commercial expertise that allowed the company to expand. In accordance with his beliefs, he and his wife also ran a small temperance hotel above the office. Their business model was refined by the introduction of the 'hotel coupon' in 1866. Detachable coupons in a counterfoil book were issued to the traveller. These were valid for either a restaurant meal or an overnight hotel stay provided they were on Cook's list.
In 1865, the agency organised tours of USA, picking up passengers from several departure points. John Mason Cook lead the excursion which included tours of several Civil War battlefields. A brief but bitter partnership was formed with an American businessman in 1871 called
Cook, Son and Jenkins; however after an acrimonious split the agency reverted back to its original name. A round the world tour started in 1872, which for 200 guineas, included a steamship across the Atlantic, a stage coach across America, a paddle steamer to
Japan, and an overland journey across China and India, lasting 222 days.
Conflicts of interest between father and son were resolved when the son persuaded his father, Thomas Cook, to retire in 1879. He moved back to Leicestershire and lived quietly until his death. The firm's growth was consolidated by John Mason Cook and his two sons, especially by its involvement with military transport and postal services for
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and
Egypt during the
1880s when Cook began organising tours to the Middle East. By 1888, the company had established offices around the world, including three in Australia and one in Auckland, New Zealand, and in 1890, the company sold over 3.25 million tickets. John Mason Cook promoted, and even led, excursions to, for example, the Middle East where he was described as "the second-greatest man in
Egypt". However, while arranging for the German
Wilhelm II of Germany to visit Palestine in 1898, he contracted
dysentery and died the following year.
His sons, Frank Henry, Thomas Albert and Ernest Cook (philanthropist), were not nearly as successful running the business. Despite opening a new headquarters in
Berkeley Square, London in 1926, ownership of
Thomas Cook and Son only remained with the family until 1928, when it was sold to the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits. During the 1930s, the travel agency consolidated especially from tours to Egypt and Palestine. Indeed the company was a principal employer in Egypt, involved in shipping, transport and touring operations. After the outbreak of
World War II, the Paris headquarters of the Wagons-Lits company was seized by the occupying forces, and in turn the British assets were requisitioned by the Government. In 1941, the centenary of the company, Thomas Cook & Son Ltd. was sold to the four major railway companies with the aim of expanding it more.
Company Ownership
The company was
Nationalization in 1948 as part of the
British Transport Commission. In the early 1950s, the company began promoting 'foreign holidays' (particularly
Italy, Spain and Switzerland) by showing information films at town halls throughout UK. However they made a costly decision by not going into the new form of cheap holidays which combined the transport and accommodation arrangements into a single
package holiday. The company went further into decline and were only rescued by a consortium of Trust House Forte, Midland Bank and the
The Automobile Association who bought the company from the Privatization on
26 May 1972. Subsequently, Midland Bank acquired sole control during 1977.However, since US banking laws prohibited any national banks from owning travel agencies, the US operations were sold to
Dun & Bradstreet in 1975.
After
restructuring the company and entering into the
Travelers cheque business the company prospered again. During the 1980s, Thomas Cook had its most visible business presence in the US, including robust Travellers Cheques sales to regional US banks. The company had enough business critical mass to set up a computed center near Princeton, NJ. Robert Gaffney and Samuel Malek were two of the notable decision makers in that era.
Robert Maxwell bought substantial holdings in the company in 1988. He was expected to sell his holdings quickly as he was a publisher rather than a travel agent. However, when Crimson/Heritage purchased the US division of Thomas Cook for $1.3 billion in 1989, {{cite web | year = 1989 | url = http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1:8209167/Thomas+Cook+joins+forces+with+Crimson%3b+%241%7eR%7e3+billion+agency+created%7eR%7e+(Crimson%7eS%7eHeritage+Travel).html?refid=ip_hf| title = Thomas Cook joins forces with Crimson; $1.3 billion agency created | format = HTML | publisher = Travel Weekly | accessmonthday = December 18 | accessyear = 1989--> he still maintained a substantial interest in the company until his death.
In June 1992, following the acquisition of Midland Bank by
HSBC, the company was sold to the German bank, WestLB, and the charter airline, LTU International for £200 million. Due to contractual difficulties LTU Group sold its 10% shares to WestLB in May 1995. During 1996, after ironically being bought by American Express, the company bought the short-haul operator, Sunworld, and the European city-breaks tour group, Time Off. Within three years, the company had combined Sunworld, Sunset, Inspirations,
Flying Colours (airline) and
Caledonian Airways into the
JMC Air brand - JMC being short for John Mason Cook.
On February 2
1999 the Carlson Leisure Group merged with Thomas Cook into a holding company owned by West LB, Carlson Inc and Preussag Aktiengesellschaft ("Preussag"). However, in mid-2000 Preussag acquired Thomas Cook's rival Thomson Travel and was forced to sell its majority 50.1% stake in Thomas Cook by regulatory authorities. In 2002 Thomas Cook was acquired by the German company C&N Touristic AG, which later changed its name to Thomas Cook AG. The group is jointly owned by
Lufthansa and
Karstadt. It has been rumoured that
Karstadt has purchased the
Lufthansa stake in Thomas Cook.
In 2007 Thomas Cook announced a merger with competitor MyTravel with the new group to be called Thomas Cook Group PLC and listed on the London Stock Exchange. The transaction was completed in June 2007 following competition authority clearance. The new group is 51% owned by Arcandor (new name of Karstadt).
References
External links
For the company, see Thomas Cook AG.
Thomas Cook (22 November
1808 – 18 July
1892) of
Melbourne, Derbyshire, founded the travel agency that is now
Thomas Cook AG. He was brought up as a strict Baptist and joined his local
Temperance movement. He worked as a cabinet maker and part-time publisher of Baptist and Temperance pamphlets, becoming a Baptist minister in 1828. John Mason Cook, his only son, was born in 1834.
Thomas Cook and Son
With his only son, John Mason Cook, he formed a partnership and renamed the travel agency as
Thomas Cook and Son. They acquired business premises on
Fleet Street, London. By this time, Cook had stopped personal tours and became an agent for foreign or domestic travel. The office also contained a shop which sold essential travel accessories including guide books, luggage, telescopes and footwear. Thomas saw his venture as both religious and social service; his son provided the commercial expertise that allowed the company to expand. In accordance with his beliefs, he and his wife also ran a small temperance hotel above the office. Their business model was refined by the introduction of the 'hotel coupon' in 1866. Detachable coupons in a counterfoil book were issued to the traveller. These were valid for either a restaurant meal or an overnight hotel stay provided they were on Cook's list.
In 1865, the agency organised tours of USA, picking up passengers from several departure points. John Mason Cook lead the excursion which included tours of several Civil War battlefields. A brief but bitter partnership was formed with an American businessman in 1871 called
Cook, Son and Jenkins; however after an acrimonious split the agency reverted back to its original name. A round the world tour started in 1872, which for 200
guineas, included a steamship across the Atlantic, a stage coach across America, a paddle steamer to Japan, and an overland journey across China and India, lasting 222 days.
Conflicts of interest between father and son were resolved when the son persuaded his father, Thomas Cook, to retire in 1879. He moved back to Leicestershire and lived quietly until his death. The firm's growth was consolidated by John Mason Cook and his two sons, especially by its involvement with military transport and postal services for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and
Egypt during the 1880s when Cook began organising tours to the Middle East. By 1888, the company had established offices around the world, including three in Australia and one in Auckland, New Zealand, and in 1890, the company sold over 3.25 million tickets. John Mason Cook promoted, and even led, excursions to, for example, the Middle East where he was described as "the second-greatest man in
Egypt". However, while arranging for the German
Wilhelm II of Germany to visit Palestine in 1898, he contracted
dysentery and died the following year.
His sons, Frank Henry, Thomas Albert and
Ernest Cook (philanthropist), were not nearly as successful running the business. Despite opening a new headquarters in Berkeley Square, London in 1926, ownership of
Thomas Cook and Son only remained with the family until 1928, when it was sold to the
Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits. During the 1930s, the travel agency consolidated especially from tours to Egypt and Palestine. Indeed the company was a principal employer in Egypt, involved in shipping, transport and touring operations. After the outbreak of
World War II, the Paris headquarters of the Wagons-Lits company was seized by the occupying forces, and in turn the British assets were requisitioned by the Government. In 1941, the centenary of the company, Thomas Cook & Son Ltd. was sold to the four major railway companies with the aim of expanding it more.
Company Ownership
The company was
Nationalization in 1948 as part of the
British Transport Commission. In the early
1950s, the company began promoting 'foreign holidays' (particularly Italy,
Spain and
Switzerland) by showing information films at town halls throughout UK. However they made a costly decision by not going into the new form of cheap holidays which combined the transport and accommodation arrangements into a single
package holiday. The company went further into decline and were only rescued by a consortium of Trust House Forte, Midland Bank and the The Automobile Association who bought the company from the
Privatization on 26 May
1972. Subsequently, Midland Bank acquired sole control during 1977.However, since US banking laws prohibited any national banks from owning travel agencies, the US operations were sold to
Dun & Bradstreet in 1975.
After
restructuring the company and entering into the
Travelers cheque business the company prospered again. During the 1980s, Thomas Cook had its most visible business presence in the US, including robust Travellers Cheques sales to regional US banks. The company had enough business critical mass to set up a computed center near Princeton, NJ. Robert Gaffney and Samuel Malek were two of the notable decision makers in that era.
Robert Maxwell bought substantial holdings in the company in 1988. He was expected to sell his holdings quickly as he was a publisher rather than a travel agent. However, when Crimson/Heritage purchased the US division of Thomas Cook for $1.3 billion in 1989, {{cite web | year = 1989 | url = http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1:8209167/Thomas+Cook+joins+forces+with+Crimson%3b+%241%7eR%7e3+billion+agency+created%7eR%7e+(Crimson%7eS%7eHeritage+Travel).html?refid=ip_hf| title = Thomas Cook joins forces with Crimson; $1.3 billion agency created | format = HTML | publisher = Travel Weekly | accessmonthday = December 18 | accessyear = 1989--> he still maintained a substantial interest in the company until his death.
In June 1992, following the acquisition of Midland Bank by
HSBC, the company was sold to the German bank,
WestLB, and the charter airline, LTU International for £200 million. Due to contractual difficulties LTU Group sold its 10% shares to WestLB in May 1995. During 1996, after ironically being bought by American Express, the company bought the short-haul operator, Sunworld, and the European city-breaks tour group, Time Off. Within three years, the company had combined Sunworld, Sunset, Inspirations,
Flying Colours (airline) and Caledonian Airways into the
JMC Air brand - JMC being short for John Mason Cook.
On
February 2 1999 the Carlson Leisure Group merged with Thomas Cook into a holding company owned by West LB, Carlson Inc and Preussag Aktiengesellschaft ("Preussag"). However, in mid-2000 Preussag acquired Thomas Cook's rival Thomson Travel and was forced to sell its majority 50.1% stake in Thomas Cook by regulatory authorities. In 2002 Thomas Cook was acquired by the German company C&N Touristic AG, which later changed its name to
Thomas Cook AG. The group is jointly owned by
Lufthansa and Karstadt. It has been rumoured that Karstadt has purchased the Lufthansa stake in Thomas Cook.
In 2007 Thomas Cook announced a merger with competitor MyTravel with the new group to be called Thomas Cook Group PLC and listed on the London Stock Exchange. The transaction was completed in June 2007 following competition authority clearance. The new group is 51% owned by Arcandor (new name of Karstadt).
References
External links
