Teletext Holidays - Breaking their own Terms and Conditions and trying to run you out of time

breakinthemiddle

I've been trying to find out what is happening with my holiday since the Spain Foreign Office advice came into effect.  Some time ago.  I rang and asked if we could cancel and were told until the holiday was cancelled we would face penalty charges.  So to wait.

I waited.  I tried to call on many occasions and sat on hold for hours.  Still to be told, no decisions making a decision on holidays later in the month (August).  Holiday is 4 September.  I called on Wednesday 26th.  Only 30 minutes on hold.  I again felt that we should be being offered the right to cancel and was told we would forfeit all our money as it was so close.  I thought well, they've got me.  So agreed to amend the booking for another time.  (I've already done this with them once from June to September).  Oh, I'll get someone to ring you back with 24 to 48 hours.  Suffice to say today at 1pm no call had been received.  So I carried on working whilst on hold waiting to be answered.

I eventually got through after 45 minutes on hold.  I then got passed from pillar to post and realising that two teams were just continually passing me to and fro, eventually spoke to a call handler with a brain who explained, don't say you are rebooking, say you are amending otherwise you will be sent to the wrong team.

So I start all over again, whilst being cut off, I believe it is now 7 times after waiting for up to an hour after someone says "just let me pop you on hold" or "let me speak to my manger".  I'm now up to 4 hours of trying to speak to someone who can/wants to help.

I could go further into the mess.  However key parts are now, at 9pm.  I've spoken to the right department - YAY!  However, they've now told me that my hotel room is on a non-refundable basis.  Now why would I have booked that given that covid was well underway I say as I try and retain my cool.  Oh no its because its within 60 days of the date of the holiday so we can't do anything and you will have to pay to make an amendment.  I asked where it was stated and he said in the Terms and Conditions.  He is going to do his best for me and call me on Monday. It's a bank holiday here but I do believe they are still working in India so, fingers crossed.  So "Donald" is calling me back before 7pm on Monday with some idea of how I can proceed.

I checked their Terms and Conditions as I felt duty bound to find the issue about 60 days (I couldn't find it).  However, I've heard about most organisations offering the ability to cancel if the holiday has been significantly changed and I've asked AD NAUSEUM about the Foreign Office stating that we should not go.  This is just completely ignored by the call handlers.  So below is an extract from their Terms and Conditions and our package holiday including flight, transfers and hotel is a Multi-Contract Package:

11.2 Multi-Contract Packages Only: Cancellation by you due to Unavoidable & Extraordinary Circumstances Where you have booked a Multi-Contract Package, you have the right to cancel your confirmed Multi-Contract Package before departure without paying a cancellation charge in the event of “unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances” occurring at your holiday destination or its immediate vicinity and significantly affecting the performance of the holiday or significantly affecting the transport arrangements to the destination. In these circumstances, Truly Travel Ltd shall provide you with a full refund of the monies you have paid but we will not be liable to pay you any additional compensation. Please note that your right to cancel your Multi-Contract Package in these circumstances will only apply where the Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises against travel to your destination or its immediate vicinity. For the purposes of this clause, “unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances” means warfare, acts of terrorism, significant risks to human health such as the outbreak of serious disease at the travel destination or natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes or weather conditions which make it impossible to travel safely to the travel destination.

Please note that this right to cancel only applies to customers who have booked a Multi-Contract Package.

So how do I go about getting them to realise this is in the Terms and Conditions and we met three elements:  1.  Serious disease.  2. Foreign Office advice.  3.  Bars and pubs closed in Benidorm (seriously - why else would you go?)

Can I complain to an external agency?  

Any suggestions would be appreciated but just to give you a little more information:

1.  There is no way to contact complaints.  They have closed down phone contact.  The website only takes complaints after returning home.  You can email but they never reply.

2.  Customer Services are the only contact and their record is above in my story.

3.  Teletext Holidays have stopped accepting complaints via Resolver.

Holiday is one week away Friday 4th  HELP HELP HELP

moomoo2489

Did you have any luck. Im in the same boat.

Alan_Bowen

As you have seen, Truly Travel the company behind Teletext Holidays nickname is Truly Dreadful Holidays and for good reason. Their booking conditions, however, have condemned them to offer a refund, which follows regulation 12(7) of the 2018 Package Travel Regulations. If you paid by card, contact the card issuer and claim a refund in accordance with their own terms which they are refusing to comply with