[Chris]

I had a similar thing happen with plane tickets recently. My connection dropped just as I pressed the purchase button and I had no way of knowing if it went through or not. So I tried phoning Thomas Cook and none of their departments could give me a definitive answer.

In the end I just waited to see if the money came off and when it didn't I bought them again. But you're right, there's no reasonable excuse for poor customer service these days. Customer Services should have access to the booking systems and be able to at least tell you about the booking you may or may not have made. And they should also be able to transfer you directly to any other department that you may have to speak to, rather than force you to call a premium rate phone number (a la Thomas Cook). Cunts.