Lack of information left us stranded.

Paullus

I'll be as brief as possible. I booked a holiday last October for four adults to Menorca with an agent who used hotels4u to provide us with accommodation and hotel transfers.
We had all of the travel vouchers etc with us. We were picked up at the airport and taken to our hotel by a Spanish coach company as per instructions. We were told to check the book in hotel reception for our return transfer time which we did. On the morning of departure we waited patiently for the coach to arrive. When it was twenty minutes late I asked the hotel receptionist if this was usual. I was then joined by another couple also waiting for the same coach. The receptionist asked if we had phoned the coach company to confirm that we wanted to be picked up. We were not aware that it was necessary to confirm the transfer and nowhere was it written, otherwise we would have done so. As a result we had to get two taxis to get us to the airport and we were nearly too late to book in.
I contacted hotels4u immediately on return and was initially told to send in the taxi receipt with a covering letter and I would get a refund. This I did but in response I received a letter saying that hotels4u were not responsible therefore no refund.
I have written numerous times without any success. I still don't know how we were supposed to know that we had to confirm our return transfer and who was responsible for giving us that information.
My last letter gave 14 days to settle the matter but this has been ignored. I am about to write to the Managing Director to ask him to sort it out within 7 days or I will take the matter to County Court. I want a refund of the return transfer and the taxi fare, £110 total.
Are hotels4u liable in this case or am I wasting my time?
If not how can a company be allowed to operate if it is above the law when something goes wrong?
Who are they answerable to as they are not even members of ABTA anymore?
Any advice would be most welcome please.

pinkshoes

I think you need to write to your agent rather than hotels4u, if it's them who you paid your initial money to.

In short, you were given the wrong information, so you need to send a recorded delivery letter, entitled "Letter before action", telling them that they need to refund you the £110 within the next 14 days, otherwise you will be starting a small claims court claim against them.

dmg24

Paullus wrote: »

I want a refund of the return transfer and the taxi fare, £110 total.

You should be claiming for one or the other, not both.

Paullus

Hi pinkshoes
Thanks for the reply. I have already written that letter and here is an excerpt of the response

"Your contact with Trading Standards will confirm that Travel Agents act as agents for a range of principles on a commission basis and the actual contract lies in this case with Hotels4U. We fall away from the transaction when the parties are brought together - it matters not a jot who actually takes payment".

So, where does that leave me?

I'm sorry dmg24 I don't understand why I should not claim for both. I paid for hotel transfers. The return transfer coach never arrived so I had to pay for a taxi to get us to the airport.

cybergibbons

How were you stranded?

Paullus

Maybe I should have said "nearly stranded." Fortunately we had enough cash to pay the £60 for the taxi which arrived at the airport with just minutes to spare before we missed our flight. It was the end of the season and it took the taxi 30 minutes to arrive at the hotel. I know for a fact that some people return from their holidays with no money left and would not have been able to afford the taxi if they were in the same situation.
If I had waited for the coach any longer at the hotel before asking where it was we would have been in real trouble.

Just as a matter of interest has anyone here ever paid for hotel transfers but had to confirm by phone that they still want to be picked up and taken to the airport?

Caz3121

Paullus wrote: »

I'm sorry dmg24 I don't understand why I should not claim for both. I paid for hotel transfers. The return transfer coach never arrived so I had to pay for a taxi to get us to the airport.

I agree that you should be claiming for one alone you would not expect a free transfer -

You paid for a service which was not provided so you should be able to get a refund on that

or

you were additional €s out of pocket getting the service (hotel to airport journey) so you could get a refund of the taxi

I think anything over and above 1 of these would be goodwill rather than entitlement

tanith

Paullus wrote: »

Maybe I should have said "nearly stranded." Fortunately we had enough cash to pay the £60 for the taxi which arrived at the airport with just minutes to spare before we missed our flight. It was the end of the season and it took the taxi 30 minutes to arrive at the hotel. I know for a fact that some people return from their holidays with no money left and would not have been able to afford the taxi if they were in the same situation.
If I had waited for the coach any longer at the hotel before asking where it was we would have been in real trouble.

Just as a matter of interest has anyone here ever paid for hotel transfers but had to confirm by phone that they still want to be picked up and taken to the airport?

My daughter and family were told this when they got their travel docs , they had to phone and confirm they wished to be picked up on the day before their flight home.. I think that was in Marjorca too

Paullus

dmg24 and caz3121.
Yes you are right.
I think I've become so cross with being fobbed off by hotels4u because I'm convinced that they are in the wrong that I missed that point.
Thank you.

Paullus

Hi tanith.
Who gave your daughter that information? As I initially said there was another couple who also had to get a taxi because they didn't know they had to make the vital phone call. They too had been booked by hotels4u the same as us.

I think hotels4u are to blame but how can I get my money back from them if they refuse to accept responsibillity?

tanith

I'm really not sure but it was with other information that she got telling her flight times etc.. they gave info about transfers from the airport and a telephone number to ring to confirm the return transfer to the airport. Presumably from the agent they booked with..