ROL Readers Offers Limited

frustratedtravellerROL

Hello, wonder if many others have had similar bad experience with ROL.
We booked a holiday with them for April 20, our first time with them. We are seeking a £3,500 plus refund due to COVID. They simply won't do it.
We didn't cancel the holiday, they did.
When seeking a legally entitled refund, in their responses to us several examples of downright lies, including 'we are not entitled to refund under ABTA rules due to CV -19 not being covered' or that 'EU law has changed'. We have these words in writing.  Just nonsense. 

They put these barriers up and then when we show them as in-correct, they just back down, but come up with another excuse. They won't even promise, (like companies like Ryanair for example, and not quite the most customer-friendly organisation!) that they will refund in time but it will take months. 
ROL just won't commit that.  Won't re-book same holiday for 21 either for what we paid, so that option closed.   

This is a big company, they describe themselves as ' no.1 UK cruise company', taking out full page adverts in major MSM outlets like 'Daily Telegraph' and they keep promoting their offers with the 'full confidence' position of ABTA and ATOL cover.  But when a simple refund needs to be made under that cover's terms - then won't honour it, they squirm and avoid..  This is very bad for the travel industry overall.  They solicit funds from new customers promising guarantees that they then avoid.  Is this not fraudulent trading?.  They offer guarantees to new customers seeking bookings and payments, and, yet at the same time they are knowingly operating a policy with existing customers of denying those guarantees   Is this worth a campaign to CMA (or others) as they have forced many other companies to get off the fence and refund customers.  Anyone had similar bad ROL experience and is there any way to make their bad behaviour more public.?.
- frustratedtraveller 

frustratedtravellerROL

Hello, Just to update - about 3 weeks later - out of the blue ROL repaid our holiday, with warning, no explanation of why they did so or why the circumstances had changed. 
Perhaps pressure from bodies like Money Expert, don't know.  But thanks for allowing us to make comments.