We’d like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum.

This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are – or become – political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.

📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!
The Forum now has a brand new text editor, adding a bunch of handy features to use when creating posts. Read more in our how-to guide

Holiday money incorrectly charged

HI

This is my first post not sure i'm in the right part but, here goes.
My son went in to the travel agents yesterday to purchase Euros for his forth coming holiday, he bought some to go on a money travel card and then asked for 100 euros in cash, paid the requested sum on his bank card.

Later yesterday afternoon he got a call from the agents saying they have incorrectly charged him, looking on his receipt they have bought the additional 100 euros from him instead of selling them to him, and have requested he go back down there today to sort the error out.

Whilst I agree that there is an error and he hasn't been charged enough, does he have to go back to pay the extra? I'm just thinking that if I purchased something from a shop and they charged the incorrect price, it would be there error and they couldn't ask me to pay the difference. Any one have any thoughts or know where we stand with this? Thanks
«134

Comments

  • mildred1978
    mildred1978 Posts: 3,367 Forumite
    HI

    This is my first post not sure i'm in the right part but, here goes.
    My son went in to the travel agents yesterday to purchase Euros for his forth coming holiday, he bought some to go on a money travel card and then asked for 100 euros in cash, paid the requested sum on his bank card.

    Later yesterday afternoon he got a call from the agents saying they have incorrectly charged him, looking on his receipt they have bought the additional 100 euros from him instead of selling them to him, and have requested he go back down there today to sort the error out.

    Whilst I agree that there is an error and he hasn't been charged enough, does he have to go back to pay the extra? I'm just thinking that if I purchased something from a shop and they charged the incorrect price, it would be there error and they couldn't ask me to pay the difference. Any one have any thoughts or know where we stand with this? Thanks

    Your son owes the money.

    Let's hope his morals are better than yours.
    Science adjusts its views based on what's observed.
    Faith is the denial of observation, so that belief can be preserved.
    :A Tim Minchin :A
  • mcfisco
    mcfisco Posts: 1,957 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    Well I would expect that they pick up his expenses if he has to travel back in person but he should correct the error
  • geo555
    geo555 Posts: 787 Forumite
    What would you do if the error was the other way round?
    (".)
  • stephb34
    stephb34 Posts: 2,064 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    Yes its their error and no i don't suppose you have to go back, its a request. But do you have any conscience for the sake of 20 euros, that poor person may have to put in the missing money or even lose their job. Do you use that shop or pass it regularly would it be embarrassing every time your son went past it and morally its wrong. As the others say if you'd been undercharged you'd be straight back wanting whats yours.
    I'm also a firm believer in karma and what goes round comes round. :)
  • claire16c
    claire16c Posts: 7,074 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    If the shop cant work out the currency properly then its their fault. If theyre that bothered why dont they just call him and do the transaction over the phone if hes willing to? I woudnt pay for the expenses of parking, petrol etc for them to get back a few quid when it could be done over the phone.
  • photome
    photome Posts: 16,751 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Bake Off Boss!
    claire16c wrote: »
    If the shop cant work out the currency properly then its their fault. If theyre that bothered why dont they just call him and do the transaction over the phone if hes willing to? I woudnt pay for the expenses of parking, petrol etc for them to get back a few quid when it could be done over the phone.

    I am with you
  • agrinnall
    agrinnall Posts: 23,344 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    claire16c wrote: »
    If the shop cant work out the currency properly then its their fault. If theyre that bothered why dont they just call him and do the transaction over the phone if hes willing to? I woudnt pay for the expenses of parking, petrol etc for them to get back a few quid when it could be done over the phone.

    As it'll be in the region of £160 that he owes I wouldn't really call that "a few quid".
  • photome
    photome Posts: 16,751 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Bake Off Boss!
    agrinnall wrote: »
    As it'll be in the region of £160 that he owes I wouldn't really call that "a few quid".

    They could still do it over the phone
  • TakeThis
    TakeThis Posts: 2,909 Forumite
    agrinnall wrote: »
    As it'll be in the region of £160 that he owes I wouldn't really call that "a few quid".

    You need to work on your maths...

    I'm sure that it is a simple matter of applying the wrong rate, rather than crediting his account with the equivalent of 100 euros.

    Their rates are so terrible that it is likely that he obtained a decent rate instead of the very poor rate on offer. In addition the Travel Agent Prepaid Mastercards offer very poor value, so they'll get him on that anyway.

    My view, unless they offer ample compensation for their mistake, don't waste your time.

    They made an offer and he accepted it. That is the end of it.
  • ferf1223
    ferf1223 Posts: 8,936 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture
    TakeThis wrote: »
    You need to work on your maths...

    I'm sure that it is a simple matter of applying the wrong rate, rather than crediting his account with the equivalent of 100 euros.

    I thought so too originally, but rereading the wording of the original post, I'm not so sure now...never having done it, I don't know how transactions work when they buy money back from you, if they would issue the funds as a credit to a card or not...but not sure the difference in a buy/sell rate transaction would be worth them contacting the buyer about...

    Did he book his holiday through this travel agent?

    Regardless, what steph said:

    I'm also a firm believer in karma and what goes round comes round.
    Does remembering a time that a certain degree of personal responsibility was more or less standard means that I am officially old?
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 354.4K Banking & Borrowing
  • 254.4K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 455.4K Spending & Discounts
  • 247.3K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 604K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 178.4K Life & Family
  • 261.5K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.7K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.