Pensioners told by travel agent in Sunderland to pay £600 more or lose holiday

Long-time friends Sonia Dawson, 71, and Betty Robison, 74, along with friend Keith Cameron, 71, booked the holiday with Thomas Cook in the Bridges.

The trio bought the 11-night, self-catering trip to Corfu after seeing it priced at £114 per person.

They paid immediately and showed their passports to secure the flights.

However, they were told there had been a mistake and the holiday had been wrongly priced when Mrs Dawson was contacted by the travel agent the next day.

But a deal has now been struck with the pensioners and they are going to Turkey instead after the Echo took up their story.

She said: “They emailed me to say that they’d put the wrong price up. I rang them on Saturday morning. I was in Liverpool visiting family.

“I was told we’d been sold the holiday at the wrong price and if we returned to the shop we would be given our money back.

“My reply was, ‘Big deal. We have paid for a holiday, we have the paperwork here and yet you’re telling me we can’t go.’

“We said we would go anywhere at any time. But they said there was nothing unless we paid another £200 each. We didn’t have it, so came away from the shop very disappointed and dissatisfied.

“Betty had breast cancer a while ago. Plus she has a 45-year-old son with learning difficulties who still lives with her. So holidays are her only break and she looks forward to them immensely.”

However, after complaining to the travel agent a deal was struck.

The three, from Chester-le-Street will now fly to İçmeler in Turkey for 11 nights’ half-board in a sea-view hotel for just £214 each.

A Thomas Cook spokeswoman said: “Unfortunately the holiday to Corfu that Mrs Dawson booked was incorrectly priced due to a system error.

“As soon as we realised the mistake we contacted the customer to explain what had happened and offered a discount towards a new holiday which has been accepted.

“We are very sorry for any inconvenience this has caused.”