TravelUp - Refunds, not answering e-mails phone lines suspended.

macca789456

Hi anyone else on here had trouble with TRAVELUP. Four of us were due to fly to Dubai on 25/03/2020. F. C. O. advised against all global travel on 17/03/2020 so our flights with Emirates were cancelled, we tried to contact travelup the same day by phone to be told by message all phone lines were suspended so we have e-mailed them six times using there contact us form,as of today 18/04/2020 we have had no reply or contact from them.has anybody using this so called company had any joy getting there money back. Our insurance company Aviva have told us we need a cancellation letter from Travelup before they can pay us a refund  we took out travel disruption and airspace closure insurance with them on january 10 2020 as travelup are not responding could anyone on this forum advise me what to do next.        Many Thanks.

lutrapoo

I am due to fly to Melbourne, Australia on 1st April. The Australian Government have imposed a 14 day isolation upon arrival in country. This makes my holiday pointless. I purchased flights through a company called Travelup which had a 5 star rating on Trustpilot and is also ATOL protected company. 

I have attempted to contact them in order to rearrange my flights for later in the year but the telephone number for them rings twice then goes dead. No response to my emails either.
I have contacted my bank who are providing the travel insurance who are looking into a possible claim. Failing that should I contact MasterCard for a chargeback as I paid with my credit card?
Any advice greatly received 

Caz3121

https://www.travelup.com/en-gb/blog/coronavirus-information
" If you are not due to travel within the next two weeks, we recommend that you please wait before contacting us to ensure we have the latest policy information for your booking."
Frustrating I know but all travel agents / airlines are under significant pressure and you may just have to persevere.

Jon_Bullen77

I am afraid you are not alone. Have you seen the reviews on Trustpilot? Ignore the overall rating, just look at the latest reviews. I have been waiting over 70-days for my full refund from TravelUp. I have proof from TravelUp stating that they would transfer a full refund into my account but unfortunately they have not done so. Perhaps Martin Lewis could investigate?

Westin

Like many businesses I suspect the impact on their operation is hampering efforts to deal with their customers calls, questions and requests for refunds.

If you go onto their website a pop up does appear explaining the situation.  If you have a pop-up blocker you may not be seeing this.  For this reason here is what it says  - 

"In line with the World Health Organisation and local Government advice all of our offices across the globe are temporarily closed and our phone lines are suspended. Our customer service team are currently dealing with over 1,800 enquiries per day since the COVID-19 situation began. This is creating a huge amount of pressure and the team are trying to clear the current back log as quickly as possible. We sincerely apologise for the delay in responding to enquiries, please be assured we are still working at full capacity to contact customers as quickly as possible. ​ Team members are currently working remotely on existing customer queries sent through the enquiry form on the right hand side of this page. This will allow the team to work in departure date order. You do not need to resubmit an email or enquiry form if you have already completed one. ​ Our team are here to help and have been working around the clock to help customers and they will continue to do so. We would also like to take this opportunity to assure you that your money is safe and secure. ​ We appreciate your patience and understanding at this time and ask that you treat our team with kindness and respect as they try to help you. ​For any standard administration queries we will respond to you as soon as possible."

Jon_Bullen77

Westin, I was promised, in writing, that I would have a full refund from Travel Up on the 06/02/2020 which was well before the lock-down. I have a trail of e-mails dating back as far as 22/12/2019 for a trip that I had booked with this awful company so your statement is totally irrelevant in my case. 
I know that I am not alone as a visit to the Trustpilot and Tripadvisor will confirm. 
Strange how TravelUp are still sending me e-mails to book holidays etc for 2021 though. What a cheek.
We are all in troubled times and thankfully most companies are rising to the challenge.
I will not let this company get away with it!!

Westin

Jon_Bullen77 said:

Westin, I was promised, in writing, that I would have a full refund from Travel Up on the 06/02/2020 which was well before the lock-down. I have a trail of e-mails dating back as far as 22/12/2019 for a trip that I had booked with this awful company so your statement is totally irrelevant in my case. 
I know that I am not alone as a visit to the Trustpilot and Tripadvisor will confirm. 
Strange how TravelUp are still sending me e-mails to book holidays etc for 2021 though. What a cheek.
We are all in troubled times and thankfully most companies are rising to the challenge.
I will not let this company get away with it!!

Well pardon me! 

BTW it was not "my" statement but it is the statement that appears in a pop-up on the Travel Up website.  If you had pop-up's blocked (which many people do) then you/others might not see it.   I thought for that reason it might be worth posting.

I guess the message still however has bearing on your situation.  If their staff are furloughed, or some are working from home, everyday processes will be delayed - or STOPPED completely, until they get back to work.  

As for the cheek of sending you emails regarding 2021 - have you considered that your email address is on a general marketing email list.

kiffmoore1

Hello all
Apologies first, because I know there are endless similar threads.
We had a holiday to florida booked for May, flight and accomodation with ATOL protected company, finances have changed and unsure whether we will be able to travel nnow in medium term future so would like a refund. Have been given these options, i wasn't sure whether 12 weeks+ seemed like a long time given some of the things I have read. In addition I know I'm lucky to be even offered a refund given some stories (despite losing £50x4 deposit, which I can swallow).

*A change of dates &/or destination to travel anytime within a 12 month period. All change fees will be waived so you can rebook your holiday for any time, or book for a new destination instead. Please note that if there is a tax, fare or hotel difference that may apply this will need to be covered.

*A refund of the package minus the non refundable security deposit of £50 per person.  Refund times are understandably currently extended and we are estimating up to 12 weeks for the refund to reach us, at which point we will process this back on to your original method of payment. 

*We can also issue a travel credit that can be used up until the end of October 2020 for travel up until the end of 2021. Which the full value will be transferred off any future holiday balance.

Please let me know which option you would like to proceed with and I will get this actioned for you.

I do have travel insurance with Virgin from last year but I know there have been some issues with insurance where credit vouchers etc. have been offered.
I thought it best to attempt a refund and then go to the travel insurance if nothing transpires in 3-4 months, do you think this is appropriate.
I understand the difficulty for the travel companies but also I feel if family circumstances and finances have  changed you have to look after yourself as well
Thanks for any thoughts on the best action

veravera123

Can I ask, is it for May this year or 2021 ? I cant work it out from your post.

kiffmoore1

Sorry, next month, may 2020

Life__Goes__On

1) Reject, travel in the next 12 months,  who knows if there will be much travel
2) lose £200, not great but better than 1
3) Have to  book in the next 6 months travel within 18 months, much the same as option 1

4) wait,  it they cancel it you get full refund,  but there is a risk (my personal opinion minimal) that the trip goes ahead.