Message from ABTA A disgrace.

savermseman

basscadette said:

Smashedavocado is clearly a paid shill. He has been going onto loads of threads defending the gift voucher policy and belittling customers who quite rightly expect to get their money back if they want or need it. He has a few pals joining in too. 

I was shocked to see Martin Lewis' article today arguing that getting a refund is a moral and ethical issue. Anyone else had problems getting companies to see the morality and ethics of their policy when the consumer is on the wrong end of the terms and conditions?

Yes indeed, I had my suspicions that he was a travel agent, or the likes. We all understand the travel industry problem, however they have some pretty desperate situations from the general public who's money they are trying to keep hold of. 

Ziggyplus

It is a legal issue NOT a moral and Ethical issue.  When the Package Travel Regulations were tightened up to give the consumer some more rights, the travel industry were given (I think) 12 months to adjust.  Now ABTA etc are arguing for some of those rights to be taken away retrospectively. Yes I know very exceptional circumstances, but I am not convinced that the customers should be forced to provide free financing for the industry.

Monkeeboy

Airlines, travel firms and ABTA should tread very carefully as any retrospective changes to legislation will only ensure that future customers will never trust them again. All those years of building up trust in a brand etc will be lost. 

Aylesbury_Duck

Monkeeboy said:

Airlines, travel firms and ABTA should tread very carefully as any retrospective changes to legislation will only ensure that future customers will never trust them again. All those years of building up trust in a brand etc will be lost. 

I doubt it.  Judging by the number of threads from people who've bought flights, accommodation, etc from sites I've never heard of suggests that price is still the main factor for many.  As soon as travel becomes viable again, people will forget everything they've learned and book trips with avabanana.com or wherever they can save £50 on their holiday

AgentOso1

This whole situation just stinks.

I booked a TUI holiday through another agent and when I first called I had the most bizarre conversation with the manager of the agency, he was giving me the emotional blackmail to take a voucher. "Did I want to see people lose there jobs" "you've already spent the money, why do you need it back" [honestly, I was dumbfounded]. Of course I don't want to see people lose their jobs but I have a family to feed. Also, this was a holiday of a lifetime I booked and due to family situation we simply wont be able to get away again for a couple of years (never mind the impact of the virus). So I now have many many thousands of my families money locked up in TUI's coffers... doing what? Paying some of the staff, it's certainly not going to fuel the planes etc.

The hard reality of this is that it is not my responsibility. Also, for the people that have paid more than me - surely it's grossly unfair on them to shoulder even more of the "prop tui up" burden.

Moreover, TUI is a huge multinational company. It is not the public's job to keep them afloat.

AgentOso1

Also, if ABTA move the goalposts, surely that is grounds for a legal case.

harz99

SmashedAvacado said:

askisavermseman said:

 stick it out. Insist on refund or maybe even consider small claims court.. No matter how much stress this puts on the travel industry, nobody seems to be caring what stress this puts on some households.  even when they keep using the new in word " unprecedented" , I don't think it will hold water in a court.. what a horrible thought of having to take such harsh action in these sad times, but if we don't stick up for ourselves, we will just end up with no food on our family tables, and a fist full of worthless vouchers.

I really think you are looking at this all wrong. You haven't lost money, you have lost a holiday. They are agreeing to give you one at a time when travelling will be allowed. These companies don't have the funds to repay you and masses of people demanding things that they can't reasonably expect to be given is just making it more difficult for them to operate. Take the deferral - you will get what you paid for and you will have helped some other faceless family that you will never meet keep bread on the table. The stress on your household is a deferral of your holiday. 

But are they, i haven't seen any company offering the same or a very similar future holiday at a protected price, just a voucher for the value of the cancelled booking. Which leaves people potentially out of pocket firstly because they didn't get the original booked holiday, and secondly because prices in future will almost certainly be higher resulting in additional payment to be made. A double whammy...

snedbums

Am stuck on Lanzarote with no flights for foreseeable future. Just received email from ryanair cancelling flight. What is the best option to take re refund or re routing bearing in mind all airlines not flying to lanzarote until at least May
Many thanks for any advice

savermseman

Monkeeboy said:

Airlines, travel firms and ABTA should tread very carefully as any retrospective changes to legislation will only ensure that future customers will never trust them again. All those years of building up trust in a brand etc will be lost. 

Well I for one won't be travelling anymore with jet 2 .  They have told me today that vouchers instead of refunds is all we gonna get. So unfortunately for that reason, and that reason only..... I'm out !!!!!!

bagand96

Monkeeboy said:

Airlines, travel firms and ABTA should tread very carefully as any retrospective changes to legislation will only ensure that future customers will never trust them again. All those years of building up trust in a brand etc will be lost. 

So judging by this forum, invariably people won't be travelling in future with Jet2, TUI, easyJet, Emirates, BA, Virgin, Ryanair....

The UK holiday industry will be laughing though because nobody will be leaving the country ever again!