TTA fee deduction on holiday refund

nujaco1

We have been refunded all but £13.xx of a £2xxx holiday. The £13.xx not returned is labelled as a "TTA fee".

TTA = Travel Trust Association a body of which the travel agent is a member of.

You should have received a full refund less the TTA fee. This is £2.63 per person so a total of £13.15 (we have 3 adults and 2 children on the booking - infants aren't charged the TTA fee). The amount you should have received is £x

Is this normal?

Westin

Sounds like it is a bonding/insurance type fee.  ATOL for example is calculated at £2.50 pp.  If @Alan_Bowen is viewing threads he might be able to jump in and elaborate. 

nujaco1

I'd never heard about that ATOL fee before. This does sound like it may be the TTA equivalent.

Surely this is a cost of doing business as a travel agent though and borne by the travel agent. Seems strange to pass that cost on to the traveller?

Alan_Bowen

The ATOL fee is £2.50 and it doesn't matter where you book, the fee stays the same. As far as I know, the CAA are not refunding the £2.50 (they may need every penny they have collected so far as there won't be many more in the immediate future) but the fee quoted here appears to be a fee the Travel Trust Association, possibly for running a trust account on behalf of the company, charges the company. That is the same as a bank fee for processing a credit card or the company current account, it is a cost of doing business and should not be deducted from a full refund.