Holiday company wont refund full amount

dannychapman1984

Hi


I had booked a package holiday to Corfu leaving 7/04/16, however I received a phone call from my travel agent, stating that the flight was cancelled due to the Greek Air Control strikes. They could not offer another day, but did offer me an alternative holiday in Spain, for same price, but the hotel did not meet our needs and was nothing in comparison. They also offered us a different holiday, which was nice and was more or less what we wanted, however they then said it would cost an extra £50pp (we are a family of 4), after discussion, they offered it for an extra £50 in total. Considering this was not where we wanted to go and we would comprimise on the location, I refused to compromise on the cost. Therefore opted for the refund, here is where the problem began!


The agent would refund me the majority of the holiday price, however would not refund the full amount (£120 short), the reason for this is because they would still have to pay for the hotel and transfers. I spoke at length to the agent, explaining that it is a major change to my holiday, due to no cause from ourselves and I am entitled to a full refund. After getting nowhere I politely and pesistently requested to speak to the Manager, eventually I was put through.


As expected he repeated what the agent said, but told me that I would have to claim the rest through the travel insurance. I understand that I may need to use travel insurance for the airport parking that I will lose, all dependant on the excess!


My questions are:


Am I correct in assuming I should be refunded the full amount?


What do I do next? They will only refund a majority.


Thanks in advance

Alan_Bowen

Technically this probably doesn't relate to a claim against an airline at all but reading between the lines, it sounds as though you haven't bought a package holiday at all but flights and accommodation separately, a Flight Plus arrangement. Check the ATOL Certificate your travel agent issued and see what appears at the bottom right hand corner. For a package you are indeed entitled to a full refund but agents argue that if it is not a package, and the accommodation in Corfu is still available, you have to pay for it unless as they have suggested you have adequate insurance, a good reason to buy a package, even if it costs more. This would be a major change if you have bought a package but I suspect you haven't. It might be worth calling the CAA ATOL department on 0207 453 6700 and asking them for advice on Flight Plus arrangements

Caz3121

dannychapman1984 wrote: »

I received a phone call from my travel agent

which agent? as has been said, it does sound like a flight plus booking. Many agents do make this clear on their site that they do not sell real "packages"

dannychapman1984

Thank you for your responses, the agent/ travel company is Jetline travel.When booking the holiday I intended to book as a package, inclusive of Hotel/ flights and Transfers. On the ATOL certificate it does state in the bottom right hand corner "Package sale". I therefore assumed and still do assume it is a package holiday, is this correct?


I will give the CAA ATOL department a call tomorrow, and seek further advice!


Thanks again

Caz3121

If you were given one price when you booked then it is usually a real package
If you had the option to book flights at a price then add accommodation at another price then add a transfer with it's own price then this is usually flight plus
Hopefully you will get this resolved and your refund sorted

dannychapman1984

Thanks, it was sold at one price, when I spoke to them today and they said they would only be able to refund me the flight price and some of the room money, they couldnt break it down. After pushing him, he really struggled and then told me I would get a full breakdown in an email, tomorrow.

Alan_Bowen

As it is a package, you are entitled to a full refund, there is no argument but regrettably the agent you used has appeared here before trying it on. It was their choice to sell it as a package, it enables them to hide the actual costs of each element but they then take the risk that this happens. If they refuse, report them to the CAA and as they are a member of ABTA you can warn them you will report them as breaching the code of conduct as well

dannychapman1984

Thank you again for the advice, I was confident when booking the holiday that I was protected as much as possible and understand the risk with DIY holidays and package holidays, hence why I ensured it was package! I have just spoken to them again and they have now been able to get a full refund on all aspects of the holiday so they are passing the full refund onto myself, this will be processed today and may take up to 10 working days. Thanks again

leylandsunaddict

If you don't get it through report them to Abta. They're breaching the package regs as well as Abta C of C. I've done it in the past and they soon sorted it out. It's impossible to part refund a cancelled package holiday.

dannychapman1984

leylandsunaddict wrote: »

If you don't get it through report them to Abta. They're breaching the package regs as well as Abta C of C. I've done it in the past and they soon sorted it out. It's impossible to part refund a cancelled package holiday.

Thank you and I will.

bebewoo

Cheeky monkeys