Outofoffice.com refusing refund for package holiday

mungetta

Our package holiday in May was cancelled because of COVID. It is ATOL protected but they are offering only a voucher.
I have tried chargeback but that was found in favour of the agent as they offered credit.
Insurance claim was refused because it’s a package holiday and I’m legally entitled to a refund.
I have sought clarification about the status of this voucher, they claim it is ATOL protected but are not answering my questions about how it doesn’t meet requirements described by the CAA not MSE’s advice. Everything I read says the voucher is not protected and nor would subsequent bookings be. They just say government guidance is not clear, 

Any advice would be gratefully received! I just need the money back and have no intention of travelling overseas in the next 18 months.

Nebulous2

You are into complaint territory. Complain to your card company about the chargeback, and tell them you will then go to the ombudsman as a voucher has no value to you. 

Complain to your travel company that they aren’t in accordance with legislation on package holidays and threaten to take them to court.

Butts

So they may be LGBT friendly but not quite so open minded regarding refunds ?
Not in ABTA either.
As Nebulous says contest the charge back decision.

Westin

Is it a package holiday organised by outofoffice.com or is it a package holiday sold by outofoffice.com?  Can you look on the ATOL certificate or your holiday confirmation paperwork to see who the package holiday organiser is?

Is the “voucher” a refund credit note?  If so there should be a date on this or with the terms of the offered RCN saying when the note will be refunded (money back) should it not be used in the meantime.

A voucher may not be protected. A Refund Credit Note should be.

Stiles19

Do a search for the open letter to the package travel sector from the Competition and Markets Authority, dated 10 July 2020. It lays out the position very clearly. You are entitled to a full cash refund within 14 days for package holidays that are cancelled due to COVID, but you may have to take legal action, as suggested by the CMA letter. 

Alan_Bowen

Even if you have a valid Refund Credit Note, which you didn't ask for, you are always entitled to a refund and do not have to wait to the expiry date shown. Visa and Mastercard have said that if a refund has been refused, a chargeback should be considered so as others have stated, go back to the card issuer and if necessary on to the Ombudsman. They have their own ATOL to sell 523 holidays a year so I suspect a number of holidays may be off the shelf packages supplied by others, as Westin has advised, check your ATOL Certificate to see who is providing the cove

mungetta

This is really helpful, thank you!  The letter from the CMA can’t be more clear. I will send that to them and state that I don’t want to have to take legal action but will if they continue to deny my statutory rights etc.  The ATOL certificate has their name on it. The voucher looks terribly like a voucher and note a Refund credit note at all!

mungetta

And I will try Amex again!

Alan_Bowen

That certainly is not an ATOL protected Refund Credit Note. The CAA would not pay out if that is all you have.