BMI Cancelled my route

Kung_Fu_Kitten

I'm hoping I have the right forum for this; I booked flights to Venice with BMI back in March and received a phone call today telling me that the route was no longer in service. I called back and when offered the alternative carrier (which went from a 50 min layover in Heathrow with BMI to a 5 hour layover with the new airline) plus a change in Munich which would mean arriving in Venice at stupid-o-clock and not able to get onto the island due to the water taxis stopping after a certain hour I begrudgingly took the refund. However, when I asked to be compensated for loosing my hotel deposit they refused. I expressed that none of this was my fault (and had actually been asked to phone them back on a premium rate number, to which I found the alternative landline on Say No to 0870) and asked to speak to a manager. He told me he was the highest person there and if there were another manager they would tell me the same thing. Granted my hotel deposit is £36, but £36 is still a lot of money. Can anyone give me any advice as to whether or not I can fight them for the hotel deposit?

Any advice would be appreciated

sporedude

It' cost more than its worth.

RadoJo

What does it say in their Ts and Cs - I'm guessing they have a get out clause which covers cancelled and late filghts and limits their liability towards anyone who suffers a loss as a result. It's worth checking how specific their wording is, but I would be surprised if they hadn't covered it somewhere in there.

pinkshoes

As you didn't book the hotel through them, I doubt you'll get a penny... (the disadvantage of booking a holiday yourself separately to save money).

Could you not just book a flight with another airline?

KLM fly from Heathrow to Venice for about £150 including taxes.

Easyjet have LOADS of cheap flights to Venice too. (Even though I hate easyjet!)

Kung_Fu_Kitten

Thanks for the advice. Yes we'll book with another airline, but we fly from Glasgow so it's the 5 and a half hour layover in Heathrow that's the bummer with the bigger airlines...whereas BMI's was 50 minutes, hence the reason we chose them. Thanks again though.