Small Travel Business

eskbanker

operations1 said:

!!!!!! you you !!!!!! !!!!!! head

operations1 said:

Not sustainable after 30 years !!!!!! you 

Oh dear, you seem to be taking my comments rather personally - just to be clear, the point I was making that (as I'm sure you're already aware), it's a very different industry now what what it was 30 years ago.  Obviously it's way easier now for customers to arrange DIY holidays online, and ongoing consolidation of travel companies makes it harder to compete with the big guns.  Couple this with financial industry changes, such as the increasing use of the likes of chargeback and s75 (aided by sites like this), plus more onerous regulatory regime (e.g. package regs 2018), and customers who are not only more savvy in general but also able to share experiences via social media and review sites, and it must be very hard to sustain a small business that (by implication) has to close temporarily during this pandemic.  Anyway, I don't suppose I'm saying anything you don't already know, apologies for any unintended offence caused....

operations1

Thanks for all your feedback I am only angry because I care about my business, staff and customers. The government really should have implemented the scheme detailed by Martin and mentioned in an earlier post. This chargeback and section 75 system is not designed for this situation. In our case the selfish few will wreck our business meaning everyone looses. I just want to provide what people have booked - a holiday. Also I still maintain that we don't owe money we owe a holiday which people can have as soon as it's over.

[Deleted User]

operations1 said:

Thanks for all your feedback I am only angry because I care about my business, staff and customers. The government really should have implemented the scheme detailed by Martin and mentioned in an earlier post. This chargeback and section 75 system is not designed for this situation. In our case the selfish few will wreck our business meaning everyone looses. I just want to provide what people have booked - a holiday. Also I still maintain that we don't owe money we owe a holiday which people can have as soon as it's over.

Operations1, I know you scoffed at me offering sympathy to you but it was genuine.   I hear what you are saying but if you look at it from the consumers point of view.   People book a holiday for a specific time in a specific area.   Many are not able to rebook because of umpteen different reasons but all significant to them.   Therefore, they have a right to be refunded if the holiday is cancelled.   Their obligation to you is to pay for the holiday advertised, your obligation is to provide it.  I disagree that your only obligation is to provide 'a holiday' - any holiday.?   I don't think so.    Your obligation is to provide the holiday that people pay for.   IF people are flexible enough to accept a wait/change of venue then great but you can't get annoyed because people are unable to do this. If their only course of action is to instigate a charge back then that is what they will do.   When you said you have bills to pay, food to pay, of course people will sympathise but so do the people who booked the holiday in good faith.   Some may be not receiving pay, some may lose their jobs.  You don't know peoples' finances so the only thing you can do is HOPE the majority of your customers rebook and refund the ones who can't/wont.

Still doesn't mean I don't know what you are saying and feel it for you.   This is a sh*t situation for just about everyone.  And I still think this is not the forum for you to be on.

operations1

When you search for chargebacks and section 75 you come here so absolutely the right place to be.

[Deleted User]

operations1 said:

When you search for chargebacks and section 75 you come here so absolutely the right place to be.

Oh ok right.  If you want to instigate a chargeback or section 75 then this is definitely the right place to be.    

Nebulous2

operations1 said:

I suppose that I am just struggling to accept that this is the end of events, hospitality and tourism industries. 

It isn’t the end, but it may require a recalibration.

If I buy a car I pay a modest deposit and then the rest when I get the car. Paying a holiday months in advance may no longer be sustainable. The travel industry may have to move to a model where payments made are kept in a third party account until the holiday is delivered. 

sheramber

your staff are furloughed so have more money than someone who has lost their job.
  

43722

operations1 said:

43722 said:

This is a rant, a plaintiff cry. You will have the sympathy of all people, but people should be given their money back when any transaction cannot be completed, and where it is not the fault of the customer.

You write the words but the conviction and belief is not behind them. How is it right that my business goes bust because people are doing chargebacks? The answer is it's not right and this is not money owed it's a holiday owed as that's what they bought.

Cheers. Actually, I have co-operated with the Travel Agent i use to re-schedule my holiday for a year, and hold on to my money for now, it seemed to be the pragmatic thing to do. It isn't right that your business goes bust etc, but my sympathies, on a consumer site, lie with consumers. Businesses come and go.