Help, I really don't know where I stand (Scotland - Greece)

mattyprice4004

adiecan said:

Well we are still in the same position, still hoping the Scottish government or FCDO bring their policies in line or else we are set to loose a lot of money ( a lot for us anyway). 
It is really stressing me out, plus Love Holiday has closed all it's phone lines so you can only do the "Chat" thing, if you can actually get on it. 

Love Holidays recently left ABTA - ABTA were the regulator who insisted that if FCO guidance was issued then the holiday should be refunded / postponed at no charge to the customer. 

As they're now not a part of ABTA, they don't need to do this; even if there is FCO advice against travel, the likelihood is the holiday will go ahead and it'll be your choice to travel or not. 

Butts

mattyprice4004 said:

adiecan said:

Well we are still in the same position, still hoping the Scottish government or FCDO bring their policies in line or else we are set to loose a lot of money ( a lot for us anyway). 
It is really stressing me out, plus Love Holiday has closed all it's phone lines so you can only do the "Chat" thing, if you can actually get on it. 

Love Holidays recently left ABTA - ABTA were the regulator who insisted that if FCO guidance was issued then the holiday should be refunded / postponed at no charge to the customer. 

As they're now not a part of ABTA, they don't need to do this; even if there is FCO advice against travel, the likelihood is the holiday will go ahead and it'll be your choice to travel or not. 

I was under the impression that existing bookings at the time they left ABTA were still covered (for what it's worth) and only new ones excluded ?

jon81uk

If you hadn't told work where you are going then you could have gone on holiday and just not quarantined. If you are not going to Zante or the other islands with big issues, chances are you will be fine.

I wouldn't normally suggest going against guidance, but as it is only in Scotland, but Wales and England are different it doesn't seem like the guidance is right anyway.

eskbanker

mattyprice4004 said:
Love Holidays recently left ABTA - ABTA were the regulator who insisted that if FCO guidance was issued then the holiday should be refunded / postponed at no charge to the customer. 

As they're now not a part of ABTA, they don't need to do this; even if there is FCO advice against travel, the likelihood is the holiday will go ahead and it'll be your choice to travel or not. 

ABTA isn't a regulator, it's simply a trade association.

Butts said:

I was under the impression that existing bookings at the time they left ABTA were still covered (for what it's worth) and only new ones excluded ?

Do you have anything to back this up?  I'm struggling to understand what leverage ABTA has over a company that's no longer a member, although understand that coverage against LH collapsing continues for prior bookings....

adiecan

Today's announcement is really frustrating, no one can come to my house, but the FCO is still saying I can sit on a plane with hundreds of other people and go on holiday. (unfortunately Scotland is "advising" otherwise) 

Butts

eskbanker said:

mattyprice4004 said:
Love Holidays recently left ABTA - ABTA were the regulator who insisted that if FCO guidance was issued then the holiday should be refunded / postponed at no charge to the customer. 

As they're now not a part of ABTA, they don't need to do this; even if there is FCO advice against travel, the likelihood is the holiday will go ahead and it'll be your choice to travel or not. 

ABTA isn't a regulator, it's simply a trade association.

Butts said:

I was under the impression that existing bookings at the time they left ABTA were still covered (for what it's worth) and only new ones excluded ?

Do you have anything to back this up?  I'm struggling to understand what leverage ABTA has over a company that's no longer a member, although understand that coverage against LH collapsing continues for prior bookings....

See the new 9 point MSE Coronavirus Guide .....New Financial need to knows
Point number 7 .

Butts

adiecan said:

Today's announcement is really frustrating, no one can come to my house, but the FCO is still saying I can sit on a plane with hundreds of other people and go on holiday. (unfortunately Scotland is "advising" otherwise) 

Sturgeon can go "bile her heid"............unless quarantine becomes mandatory and or the FCO advise against all but essential travel I'm off to Germany and Turkey in October 

eskbanker

Butts said:

eskbanker said:

mattyprice4004 said:
Love Holidays recently left ABTA - ABTA were the regulator who insisted that if FCO guidance was issued then the holiday should be refunded / postponed at no charge to the customer. 

As they're now not a part of ABTA, they don't need to do this; even if there is FCO advice against travel, the likelihood is the holiday will go ahead and it'll be your choice to travel or not. 

ABTA isn't a regulator, it's simply a trade association.

Butts said:

I was under the impression that existing bookings at the time they left ABTA were still covered (for what it's worth) and only new ones excluded ?

Do you have anything to back this up?  I'm struggling to understand what leverage ABTA has over a company that's no longer a member, although understand that coverage against LH collapsing continues for prior bookings....

See the new 9 point MSE Coronavirus Guide .....New Financial need to knows
Point number 7 .

Struggling to find the new document you're referring to, can you be more specific or link please?

The main article about LH's departure from ABTA certainly endorses my view by making it clear that ABTA can't/won't intervene when a member company has left:

ABTA has explicitly said it expects its members to fully refund customers in this situation - ie, if the Foreign Office warned against travel and they couldn't be given a holiday without "significant change". However, now Loveholidays and On the Beach have left the trade body, ABTA says it cannot enforce this and you can no longer complain to it.

mattyprice4004

eskbanker said:

Butts said:

eskbanker said:

mattyprice4004 said:
Love Holidays recently left ABTA - ABTA were the regulator who insisted that if FCO guidance was issued then the holiday should be refunded / postponed at no charge to the customer. 

As they're now not a part of ABTA, they don't need to do this; even if there is FCO advice against travel, the likelihood is the holiday will go ahead and it'll be your choice to travel or not. 

ABTA isn't a regulator, it's simply a trade association.

Butts said:

I was under the impression that existing bookings at the time they left ABTA were still covered (for what it's worth) and only new ones excluded ?

Do you have anything to back this up?  I'm struggling to understand what leverage ABTA has over a company that's no longer a member, although understand that coverage against LH collapsing continues for prior bookings....

See the new 9 point MSE Coronavirus Guide .....New Financial need to knows
Point number 7 .

Struggling to find the new document you're referring to, can you be more specific or link please?

The main article about LH's departure from ABTA certainly endorses my view by making it clear that ABTA can't/won't intervene when a member company has left:

ABTA has explicitly said it expects its members to fully refund customers in this situation - ie, if the Foreign Office warned against travel and they couldn't be given a holiday without "significant change". However, now Loveholidays and On the Beach have left the trade body, ABTA says it cannot enforce this and you can no longer complain to it.

Apologies - they are indeed a trade association, and such were fairly toothless even when a company is still a member. 
I expect there'll be no recourse at all with them now, but given previous threads where they're involved I'd say that's pretty similar to when they were members anyway.

epm-84

adiecan said:

Today's announcement is really frustrating, no one can come to my house, but the FCO is still saying I can sit on a plane with hundreds of other people and go on holiday. (unfortunately Scotland is "advising" otherwise) 

It seems Sturgeon actually recommended people don't book overseas family breaks for the October half term, opposed to telling people not to go on holiday.  For those living in cities like Glasgow it's obviously better to be in a crowded city with lots of people than it is to be in a remote part of Europe.