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Holiday refunds


valy

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Hi guys,any of you with holidays for this period that have been canceled and still waiting on a refund? I am with FirstChoice and waited already 6 weeks and nothing still...what can be done?thanks

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41 minutes ago, Andy_Muxlow said:

I am going to sort out a holiday for next year as I think a refund is going to be a ball ache to get sorted. I am just waiting for the firm to get back to me. I am with love holidays. 

Not ideal Andy,I know there are many in my situation but just don’t understand why the money are being withheld by these companies, TUI in my case and nothing can be done ...clearly breaking the law !? 

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The companies are trying to offer vouchers to their customers as giving that amount of money back to everyone would end up with them going bankrupt. Some may prefer the money and some may be fine with a voucher but either way it's going to screw over the longevity of these holiday companies.

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27 minutes ago, The Bounty Bar Kid said:

The companies are trying to offer vouchers to their customers as giving that amount of money back to everyone would end up with them going bankrupt. Some may prefer the money and some may be fine with a voucher but either way it's going to screw over the longevity of these holiday companies.

That shouldn’t be the case unless they were running in deficit isn’t it?   What about atol protection etc....

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They’re just playing on time, hoping people will get bored and leave them with the money. They say they can’t issue refunds quick enough as there’s so many to do, which is probably partly true as there’s less staff to issue refunds (and you can bet the system isn’t set up to issue automatically), but even so many of these companies will be taking the mick. 
 

Only thing you can do is issue a final letter before action, and hope that sorts it. Or be very nice to someone on the phone, if you can ever get through...

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1 hour ago, valy said:

That shouldn’t be the case unless they were running in deficit isn’t it?   What about atol protection etc....

Just because somewhere is closed doesn't mean they don't have expenses still

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12 minutes ago, Eddie_r32 said:

Just because somewhere is closed doesn't mean they don't have expenses still

Yes,I understand that and never said is different,but....is not the customers fault and a company like them should have measures in place to manage the situation plus look at how much help the government is providing so my view is they are just withholding customers money only for their benefit,more likely breaking the law as well...

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We were suppose to be going abroad on 8th June with TUI. We had a email come through Monday that it was getting cancelled due to covid. We rang TUI Tuesday morning at 9am although couldn’t get through until about 10.30 then on hold for an hour. When we finally got through to someone they offered a refund straight away with no hesitation, they said it way take up to a week for money to come through. Wednesday we had the money back in our account.

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2 minutes ago, Cn12345 said:

We were suppose to be going abroad on 8th June with TUI. We had a email come through Monday that it was getting cancelled due to covid. We rang TUI Tuesday morning at 9am although couldn’t get through until about 10.30 then on hold for an hour. When we finally got through to someone they offered a refund straight away with no hesitation, they said it way take up to a week for money to come through. Wednesday we had the money back in our account.

If this is true,sorry just have my doubts given my case and many others I have read online,then consider yourself fortunate.Hopefully is just a matter of time although I won’t hold my breath :dry:

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100% true buddy. My partner is furloughed and was not going to give up trying to get the refund. I thought it would take a while to get through to them as I had heard that a lot of people were struggling to get there money back too. Have you tried ringing them? All I can offer for advice would be to ring at some point mid morning/lunchtime and be persistent. Hope you get your money back soon.

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2 hours ago, valy said:

That shouldn’t be the case unless they were running in deficit isn’t it?   What about atol protection etc....

I saw one quote that said if all holidays booked this year were refunded via Atol they possibly couldn't cover them all !!

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I had a 5 day trip to Paris booked using Eurostar and Airbnb. Eurostar were being crafty running trains even during lockdown and saying that I only get a voucher - a short stint calling them out on Twitter got me through to someone there who would pay me back. Airbnb we just applied for the cash under the lockdown exemption and it worked. 
 

The issue travel companies face is that they don’t actually have your cash...if you booked a flight and hotel with them that money is sitting with the hotel and the airline, not with them. So they need to be getting refunds back from them before they can hand cash back to you, they are just the brokers who take a small slice of cash off the top. 
 

I can understand why companies want to retain the cash and send vouchers as it’s their existence on the line, but also get the flip side that people need the cash back. 

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Most are probably aware of this, I read it in last months Which? magazine and the general gist is that, if your holiday company/travel agent offer you a credit note that is ‘enhanced’ ie credit note plus, say 20% extra to spend on a holiday next year and, you agree to it, then later change your mind, you will be liable NOT to receive a refund of cash.  This is called an ‘incentivised’ deal, which my general interpretation is, it’s a new contract you are entering into. 

 

Just something to check up on before agreeing a credit note.

 

My own experience has been not too bad, DFDS ferries offered me a credit note, with 20% off any future sailing if booked by December and used by next June.  I contacted them to say no thanks, money back please.  I was refunded a week later.  The one thing I’m having trouble with is those bastarts at Ticketmaster, who have so far refused a refund on the 6hrs of Spa as it’s not been cancelled but postponed.  I will percivere on this one though.

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We should have been cruising around Italy with Tui end of this month.

Their policy is actually very clear, and reasonably fair in the circumstances I think, if people look it up rather than just listening to all the rumours and hearsay that is being circulated.

They will send a refund credit 4 weeks after your cancelled travel date which can be used (+20%) on a future holiday up until next October, or, exchanged for cash if not used in next 12 months.

If you don`t want to keep the credit for future use you can then  ask them for the cash back straight away but this can take another 4 weeks due to the numbers of refunds and staff working.

BUT,,, if you don`t want to wait that long you can just ring them straight away as soon as your holiday is cancelled and ask for a cash refund.

This is what I did last week and it took ages and several goes to get through but I have already received some back to my credit card and the rest hopefully in another week or so as it`s got to come back via PayPal.

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59 minutes ago, Wayne370Z said:

We should have been cruising around Italy with Tui end of this month.

Their policy is actually very clear, and reasonably fair in the circumstances I think, if people look it up rather than just listening to all the rumours and hearsay that is being circulated.

They will send a refund credit 4 weeks after your cancelled travel date which can be used (+20%) on a future holiday up until next October, or, exchanged for cash if not used in next 12 months.

If you don`t want to keep the credit for future use you can then  ask them for the cash back straight away but this can take another 4 weeks due to the numbers of refunds and staff working.

BUT,,, if you don`t want to wait that long you can just ring them straight away as soon as your holiday is cancelled and ask for a cash refund.

This is what I did last week and it took ages and several goes to get through but I have already received some back to my credit card and the rest hopefully in another week or so as it`s got to come back via PayPal.

Sums it up for me. I know people have booked a holiday and deserve their money back should it cancelled but think about those who work for the company. Their ability to potentially survive beyond Covid 19 is in our hands.

 

IfI was furloughed or unemployed I would want it back straight away. If not then I wouldn't mind waiting. I would see it as bonus money, as I had already spent it and didn't expect it back in my bank account.

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Got my money back from tui at the end of march no probs will be waiting to see what happens 1st 2 weeks of July with jet 2 been told never take vouchers if they go belly up forget your money always go for money back thank you see you on next one

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https://www.which.co.uk/news/2020/04/coronavirus-should-you-cancel-your-summer-holiday/

 

Right, here is the advice and some useful information if you are lulled into a false sense of security by the stories about Tui.  Which? applied pressure to Tui and they EVENTUALLY changed their policy.

 

Have a read through the article and use the useful links to get THE BEST advice, as you’ll quickly find out not ALL tour operators or travel companies are reading off the same page.

 

You MAY be lucky if you are with Tui, that remains to be seen on re-scheduled holidays at a later date if you rebook and then decide against and want a refund.

 

Do not rely on a few refund stories by one operator!

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On 08/05/2020 at 18:17, harrison140 said:

What worries me is if you accept a voucher will the company still be there next year.

No airlines or travel companies will be around next year if the 14 day quarantine upon arrival to the UK is maintained (in my opinion... obviously).

 

All airlines would prefer to hold onto customer cash as they all have limited liquidity. If they have £1bn in the bank then the majority of that or even more could not actually be theirs (negative net cash).

 

If it was my holiday, I'd get a refund and look to reassess when we know what the outlook is. Having said that, the advice from airlines is to wait for them to contact you about the holiday being cancelled. They are working through date order and have limited call centre staff who are affected by social distancing measures. It could even be within a few weeks of the holiday but its better than holding on the phone for ages about a holiday in nine months time as its taking resources away from the people with holidays to be dealt with in nine days time.

 

Hope this helps some people even if it's not what they want to hear.

Full disclosure: I'm biased.

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Quick update,after 7 weeks of waiting had a message today from TUI that a payment has been sent and it will be in my account over the coming days although the amount is £200 less then what they owe us...not sure why but fairly happy I finally get the refund

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