Thomas Cook and Cosmos have both been voted the worst tour operators for customer service, according to a survey conducted by Which?

The two giants scored low on a variety of categories including efficiency, quality of reps and the accuracy of their brochures.

Tiny France specialist VFB secured a 94 per cent customer score, and five stars for its customer service, accommodation, overall organisation and any journeys involved in the holiday.

Which? members who had taken a VFB holiday described the tour operator as “efficient” and “dependable”.

TC and Cosmos by contrast scored 57 per cent and 58 per cent respectively.

Fewer than half of people who booked their holiday with Cosmos described the company as efficient.

Thomas Cook received a lower rating than any other tour operator for its reps, and just a third of its customers found its brochure to be very accurate when describing destinations.

Rochelle Turner, Head of Research for Which? Holiday, says:

“It’s great to see the small operators doing so well. They have the advantage of being able to offer a more personalised service - something valued by many.

“However, larger tour operators still have an important role to play in offering affordable holidays to families. The vast number of holidaymakers that these companies deal with each year means it may often be harder to provide the attention to detail their smaller rivals can offer.

“Although the larger tour operators performed well in terms of the accommodation they offer, they really need to up their game across the board and give their customers what they expect in terms of quality of service and value for money.”

The survey also revealed that, despite the credit crunch, the amount Which? members spent on a holiday in the last 12 months was considerably more than in 2008 – rising from just under £900 per person to more than £1000 on average.