Complicated one....Greek Wedding - friends have postponed but can’t move our holiday. Any advice?

JDC20

Friends have moved their wedding in Greece from September 2020 to 2021. We booked flights & hotel through OnTheBeach.co.uk back in Feb and paid in full. Contacted them in June to change the date to next year, they’ve come back (August) to say no rooms available and as the hotel booking is non-refundable and non amendable that’s the end of that conversation.
I contacted the hotel direct and they’ve got rooms available but as OnTheBeach.co.uk use a third party supplier to book rooms, they’ve got no availability with them and refuse to move our holiday.

Is there anything else we can do? We don’t want to travel with masks on for an entire day with a 1year old in tow, to go to a place we don’t really want to go to as our friends won’t be there getting married and then fork out another £2k next year for the actual wedding.

Does anyone have any suggestions of avenues that we could explore? Thank you 

Westin

I don’t think any of your options are  going to come penalty free. Every likelihood will be that there will be a cost to you somewhere.

Booking with these online cobbled together holiday firms often can lead to issues. They might appear cheaper at first over a traditional tour operator package but when things go wrong or you need to change something, the problems and costs start.

Each component of the holiday has separate supplier contracts.  They also often give you that cheaper price through restrictions on the holiday components like non-refundable elements. In your case however and given the circumstances, On The Beach don’t seem to be doing anything wrong.

I would check through the booking conditions to see what is mentioned about changing or amending your holiday. I suspect they will cover what they have told you but might be worth a second check.

I suspect the least cost option will be taking up the offer of moving your flight to 2021 and then ask OTB to rebuy the accommodation for the new holiday dates.

Or, just go as booked make the best of it and rebook again for 2021.

[Deleted User]

I think in fairness to OTB and other “cobbled” together agents things probably worked really well in majority of cases UNTIL this unprecedented situation.  

If you had booked a non refundable hotel room and non refundable flights because they are cheaper then would still be in same situation even booking direct.  There is an element of risk booking non refundable but nobody envisaged this situation!

So if there are no restrictions in place when you are due to travel you will be in a sticky situation regarding rebooking or refunding. 

Personally if the option is to lose or go and there is no quarantine involved I would go.  From friends who braved it to Italy this year had a lovely time and were not sure they wanted to go at all.  

I realise it won’t include the wedding but that can’t be helped. You could still enjoy lots of aspects.   

If Covid circumstances change then obviously other options come into play. 

Good luck with what you decide.  

bradders1983

There is nothing "complicated" about this at all, sorry to say. The fact the event you are going for has been postponed is none of their concern, and therefore you are at the mercy of their normal terms for changing dates or cancelling.

mattyprice4004

You booked a holiday with a non-refundable hotel - that's about all that is relevant really.
Unfortunately you're going to have to suck it up if the terms you agreed to say it's non-refundable and not amendable, as the holiday is there for you to take.

The only option would be travel insurance, but I doubt even the most lenient of policies would pay out for this. 

Ganga

JDC20 said:

Friends have moved their wedding in Greece from September 2020 to 2021. We booked flights & hotel through OnTheBeach.co.uk back in Feb and paid in full. Contacted them in June to change the date to next year, they’ve come back (August) to say no rooms available and as the hotel booking is non-refundable and non amendable that’s the end of that conversation.
I contacted the hotel direct and they’ve got rooms available but as OnTheBeach.co.uk use a third party supplier to book rooms, they’ve got no availability with them and refuse to move our holiday.

Is there anything else we can do? We don’t want to travel with masks on for an entire day with a 1year old in tow, to go to a place we don’t really want to go to as our friends won’t be there getting married and then fork out another £2k next year for the actual wedding.

Does anyone have any suggestions of avenues that we could explore? Thank you 

Well if the wedding had gone ahead you would still have to wear the masks and take your child.